Jan. 18th-22nd

This week has been very productive in the Art room-- must be the weather. We've been busy meeting standards left and right! Here's a look at what we've been up to.

K- After completing their Pattern Block Snowflakes, Kinders have started their Clay Texture Magnets. This is an introduction to Functional Art, which they will learn about more in detail in 1st grade. I wish you could have seen their faces when they used their shoes to press into the clay, therefore creating a texture.

Pattern Block Snowflakes from last week 

Soon to be Texture Magnets

1st- First graders are in the midst of their Chinese New Year Collages. The details have been spectacular. The students have been working hard to make their dragons symmetrical as well.

Students added the Chinese character for "luck"!

Mittens we did last week!

2nd- After practicing slipping and scoring, 2nd graders are now smoothing their ceramic penguins! Smoothing the clay with your finger helps eliminate bumps, cracks, and clay boogers (clay bits sitting on the surfaces).

Hilarious

3rd- Finishing up our Tie Dye Snowflakes, we're now being introduced to Portrait Views (frontal, profile, and 3/4 view) and Pablo Picasso. Picasso is known for his Cubism portraits that use multiple portrait viewpoints. Next week we'll start incorporating those portrait views into our Cubist Animals!

Tie Dye Snowflakes

Cubist Bull by Ryan Whittlesey

4th- Fourth grade is learning about Jim Dine, who is famous for his textural heart paintings and sculptures. We're reviewing how to create tints and shades with oil pastels. Below are some photos of the Winter Birch Trees we just finished as well.

Jim Dine Tint and Shade Hearts

4th Grade Winter Birch Trees

Our Winter Panorama! Gorgeous.

5th- Fifth graders have been diving into their Personal Pop Art, selecting symbols/objects that are personally meaningful to them. We've been going to the computer lab to do image research. It's amazing how much more realistic drawings can become when you have images to observe.

Jan 11-15th

Hello Langston Families,

Here are updates for this week:

K- Kinders have finished our Observational Drawings with building blocks. This lesson was great because the students built a sculpture (review) and then practiced closely observing each block and how it actually looked. We discussed how artists make art from observation and imagination.

1st- Because the Chinese New Year is coming up on February 8th, its a great time to practice cutting and gluing with these Chinese Dragon Collages. Dot-Dot-Not-A-Lot has been my motto this week!

2nd- Second graders are learning more advanced clay techniques this year with Ceramic Penguins. They are practicing the 3 S's (slip, score, smooth). Some of the penguins' beaks and wings have fallen off-- what a great teachable moment on why scoring is very important when connecting clay. :)

3rd- We are done with our Aerial Snowmen (Now on display) and we are moving onto Tissue Paper Snowflakes. 3rd graders drew snowflakes using radial symmetry with crayons, then using wet tissue paper on top to create a brilliant watercolor resist!

4th- Fourth graders are FINALLY done with their Winter Birch Trees. This was a great opportunity to  show how well the students understand depth of field. Now we are comparing characteristics of artworks with a fun Star Wars parody painting-- they loooove it.

5th- Just finishing up our Space Scenes! They look phenomenal and the students really enjoyed having this art connection to what they are learning in Science right now! Our next project will be Personal Pop Art, in which students choose an everyday object to represent someone who is special to them and draw it with texture and value.

November 16th-24th

Kdg.- Kinders are finishing their pattern paintings and are ready to move onto their Silly Line Sculptures. We will discuss what a sculpture is, practice observing and identifying sculptures, then create our very own using the various types of line we learned at the beginning of the year.

Silly Line Sculptures!

1st- First graders are finishing their Wild Things and are moving onto studying 2D shapes and 3D forms. We used the smart board to practice identifying shapes and forms. Now, 1st graders will make adorable cube houses from 2D paper.

Lovely Wild Things by 1st Grade

**Pictures of Cube Houses to come!

2nd- 2nd graders are creating Fruit Basket Collages. We discussed the art form of collage and reviewed the types of art (portrait, landscape, and still life). 2nd graders are really understanding that still life pictures are of THINGS!

3rd- Continuing with our clay coil pots, we are now using an alternative glazing technique! This process involves coloring the bisque-fired clay using oil pastels, then painting over the entire coil pot with black tempera paint. This leaves a very cool effect-- can't wait to see how these turn out.

The effect should be similar to this!

4th- Fourth graders have been working very diligently to finish their Pointillism pumpkins. They turned out beautifully, but boy, are we ready to move on! We will self-assess our pumpkins, then begin new project.

5th- Fifth graders have completed building their clay donuts inspired by Wayne Thiebaud. While waiting for them to be fired and to glaze them, we have started learning about Space. We learned about what things might be seen in outer space and why space is important to humans. Inspired by photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, students have started their very own Space Scenes using chalk pastels. 5th graders will practice elements such as contrast, texture, and placement!

Real Hubble photos to reference!

Prototype Space Scene

Sept. 14th-18th

Things have been settling down at Langston as the kids(and teacher) get into a routine. The Square1 Art Fundraiser is in the beginning stages, as all the students are finishing their artwork, I am preparing to send it off to the company to have individualized catalogs printed! Be on the look-out for   an email from me when the catalogs are sent home. :)

This week in art...

Kdg.- Kinders are finished with their dot paintings to celebrate International Dot Day (Sept. 15th), and now we are learning about the 3 primary colors and how to mix them to create secondary colors.
1st- First graders are learning about landscapes and landscape lines. We're starting our landscapes this week-- very exciting.

2nd- Second graders are finishing their Square1 Van Gogh sunflowers. These are GORGEOUS. The students really understood the process of mixing paint on the paper like Van Gogh, instead of the palette.

3rd- Third Graders are drawing Robot Worlds using shapes and a horizon line. The kids have been so creative with these and excited to share their robot worlds with other students-- A LOT of getting out of their seats :)

4th- Fourth and fifth graders are still finishing up their Radial Symmetry Name Designs. This is a time-consuming project, but the students are really grasping understandings about symmetry in art and they are very proud of their finished products!

5th- See above

Back to School (AND ART!) August 31st-September 4th

Hi everyone!

The beginning of the school year has been off to a wonderful start! The first few days we were busy with learning art room procedures and expectations, while each grade made a self-portrait using only one color. These self-portraits together will make a rainbow mural in the hallway.

Langston is also participating in Square1 this year! Square1 is an art fundraiser that makes keepsakes with your child's art on them. The proceeds will benefit the art program and PTO here at Langston. PLUS the kids feel so accomplished to see their work on the keepsakes. Each grade is working on their Square1 artwork right now. More information to come :)

Kdg.- Kinders were introduced to line types and the colors of the rainbow, while learning how to paint using a paintbrush. Students created gorgeous ROY G. BIV paintings.

1st- First graders are learning about different kinds of lines (wavy, zig zag, castle, etc.) and their line directions (diagonal, horizontal, vertical). Putting our new knowledge of lines to use, we are creating a "9 Lines" painting using watercolors. They're coming along beautifully!

2nd- Second grade students are finishing their -ISH pictures, inspired by the book by Peter H. Reynolds. We learned how to think "-ish" when we create and to let go of our frustrations.

3rd- Third graders are learning about implied texture vs. actual texture. We are working on implied texture landscapes. The kids are so amazed that they can DRAW texture.

4th- Fourth graders and fifth graders are making radial symmetry name designs. This is a complex concept, but the students are loving the results once they master the technique.

5th- See Above

April 6th-10th

Hello all,

This is what the Langston artists are working on this week...

Kdg.- Kindergarteners are learning about the mythical story of Sacred Dogs (horses) told in the book, The Gift of the Sacred Dog by Paul Goble. The classes have been listening to the story and learned about a Native American artist, Kevin Red Star. Kevin Red Star depicts horses in his works, much like the ones shown in the story. The students have been busy drawing their own fanciful sacred dog scenes with colorful details and backgrounds.

1st- First graders have been making their snake, bat, and worm headbands for the upcoming music program. After they finished their headbands, we have been learned about the abstract expressionist artist, Wassily Kandinsky. Now we're making abstract paintings using crayons and watercolors. The students are tracing their hands and overlapping them so the hands are abstracted, then filling in some spaces with lines and patterns. It's great seeing the students work together to trace each others hands.

2nd- Second grade students, like the 1st graders, have been making Dr. Seuss headbands for the music program. Aside from the headbands, 2nd grade has been learning about turtles in Native American culture and now we're making ceramic turtles-- I would have pictures, but my hands are covered in clay when we work on them! :)

A "Cat" hat. Great craftsmanship!

3rd- Third graders have been learning about the legend of the Blue Willow, which is a famous chinese folklore that is often depicted on blue and white porcelain ceramics that have been dated back to the Tang dynasty. Because porcelain isn't available, we've been using paper plates, sharpies, and tempera to make our own Blue Willow plates. The plates feature a design on the outer ridge, inner ridge, and a story in the middle. The students are really enjoying thinking of their own story!

4th- Fourth graders have been learning about the ancient Aztec Sunstone, which was created by the Aztecs and is thought to have been a calendar. Students have been creating their own woven versions of an Aztec Sun. The students picked a color scheme for their loom and yarn (analogous, monochromatic, warm, cool). Now that most of the kids are done with the weaving, we are placing our woven looms onto a paper mosaic background. They're coming along beautifully.

Its hard to believe this is a 4th graders work! 

5th-Fifth graders are finishing up their fantasy maps, and are beginning to start on the next project, Space Scenes. The fantasy maps are AMAZING. The watercoloring really pulled together the whole map and the students really enjoyed experimenting with color mixing-- so fun.

Not finished yet, but coming along so nicely! 

Such a fun idea for a compass rose.

March 23rd-27th

Hi everyone,

The students are back from spring break and have been busy in the art room-- even making March Madness masterpieces. The one below was made prior to the Jayhawk's defeat. :(

Here's what each grade is up to!

K- Kindergarten students are learning about the artist Hanoch Piven, who creates portraits of famous artists using found objects. We're using things around the classroom to assemble our self-portraits, such as paper clips, foam, beads, pipe cleaners, string, etc. The kids are really loving creating these colorful and silly portraits.

1st- First graders are either finishing up the Paul Klee Building Blocks lesson or making their headbands for the 1st grade music program. Mrs. Szeleywcz's class made their brown bat headbands yesterday, complete with insects on the band-- adorable!

2nd- Second grade students are learning about art from the past and present. We have been having discussions about what clues tell us when an artwork was made. 2nd graders also compared and contrasted works of art to learn more about art from the past and present.

3rd- Third grade students are finishing up their cubist animals and getting ready for their field trip on April 9th to the Spencer Art Museum. A docent from the Spencer will be visiting the third grade classes to talk about the museum and the exhibits we'll be seeing. This trip is the day after MAP testing, so this is a great reward for students after their hard work.

4th- Fourth graders are finishing up their Jasper Johns Pop Art Collagraphs. We have finished printing and are now completing a self-assessment rubric and doing a scavenger hunt! The scavenger hunt is great because it allows the students to study each other's works.

5th- Fifth graders are creating their Fantasy Exploration Maps. Students looked at the work of Allison Murray Whittingston for inspiration. Maps need to have a compass rose, labels, a border, a theme, and small pictures. The students have been very excited about this project and love having total creative power. We are learning about watercolors and how to create value with water/paint proportions. Can't wait to see how the Maps look with color!