Castles

Second graders created these fun castles! After learning a little about castles we focused on learning to make our castles look 3D.  We talked about forms (3D shapes) and we learned to draw cones, cylinders and cubes. We included these forms in our drawings.

After drawing the castles, we added value (shadows) to make our forms (3D shapes) look even more 3D. The kids learned to color lightly (grip the pencil loosely) with pencil horizontally (perpendicular with the sides of the castle tower).  After coloring lightly, they rubbed the shading vertically to blend and create shadows.

Next we practiced all kinds of characters that kids could include in their castles.  Students were encouraged to add them in wherever they wanted!

We colored the characters and small details with crayon and painted the rest!

Learning Goals: I can...

- Tell about castle building jobs: blacksmith, carpenter, mason, architect

- Explain what a form (3D shape is)

- Draw 3D shapes 

- Add value (shading) to forms to create the illusion of thickness

- Color carefully using good craftsmanship

Starry Night

Second graders learned about Vincent Van Gogh and his most famous work of art, “Starry Night.”  They used oil pastels to create the impressionist brushstrokes of this famous swirling night sky.  

Learning Goals: I Can...

• Use oil pastel to create impressionist marks
• Use line to show movement
• Use value to show form 

Tractor Landscapes

Fifth graders learned about the art elements of space, color, form and shape during our tractor project.   At Forest Grove we used tractors as our subject matter and at Bauer we drew pickup trucks!

Learning Goal: The learner will be able to...
- explain that a landscape is a picture of landforms
- explain how distance affects perceived color and size
- explain the distance between form and shape

We began our projects by creating landscapes.  We talked about how to show distance by drawing large hills in the front (foreground) and smaller hills in the background.  We also talked about how the hills are overlapping.  Both size and overlap help to create the illusion of space and distance.  Next, students were given yellow and blue tempera paint to create hills.  We talked about how hills look blueish in the distance.  Students began by mixing paint for a yellow-green hill and ended with a blue-green hill.

Next, we talked about the difference between a shape (2D enclosed space) and a form (3D version of a shape).  We started by drawing our tractors in 2D and then changed them into 3D drawings by changing the angle so that the viewer can see the thickness (third dimension) of the truck.

Students were encouraged to decorate their tractors in their own unique way!

Finally we cut out our tractors and glued them into the landscapes.  We made our barns small so that they looked like they were off in the distance.  We finished up by using watercolor paint to create sunsets with warm colors.

Enemy Pie

This year, 3rd Graders began with "Enemy Pie" a book about a boy who learns to be friends with his enemy. We used this story as a springboard for creating our own cakes and pies.

Learning Goal: "I can show form using line." Students learned about the difference between shape (2D) and form (3D).  Each student first used curved lines to create a 3D cake (cylinders) and then used straight lines to create a 3D pie slice (triangular prisms).  Students then chose one drawing to finish into a delicious masterpiece!