The Paint Rotation Method

Thanks to all my fellow art teachers for sharing their fabulous "Paint Rotation Method" on Tuesday's Inservice. We started working on Crabs inspired by Walter Anderson today and it worked like a charm.
If you aren't familiar with this painting method, just place ONE single paint color on each table (I used liquid watercolors). The group at the table has five minutes to paint any area with THAT ONE color. Then the group rotates to the next table carrying only their painting and their brush. We continued until each group had used all the colors. Fantastic. No mixed up paints, no spills, and no "Mrs. Cook! We need more blue!"
What a great idea. It makes life easier for the art teacher, and makes the student think seriously about how they want their artwork to look.
Thanks again Friends!
-Natalie
Blossomwood and Highlands Elementary Schools

Plains Indian Shields

Chapman and Weatherly Elementary

As part of our art unit on Native American Art, 4th grade students viewed old video clips, photographs and pictographs of the Plains Indians.  Using these resources, students created a design for the center of their shield and a border of geometric shapes. Once their final designs were completed with pencil, students traced over all pencils lines with permanent black marker.  Contrasting colors were added with construction paper crayons.  Hole punches were made along the outside edge of the shield after it was cut out and glued to poster board cut the same size.   Students used yarn to thread through the holes to simulate the use of buffalo hide strips.  Beads and feathers were attached at the bottom of the sheild to complete this project.  In addition to learning about the art and lifestyle of the Plains Indians, this lesson emphasizes language arts, math concepts and American history.

Beginning to create geometric pattern border

More Native American Art

Kindergarten and first grades designed a Plains Indian Tipi.    

Hey... Check it OUT!

http://www.tinytalenthsv.blogspot.com/

If you'd like to see what Blossomwood Elementary and Highlands Elementary are doing... check out Tiny Talent, my personal blog.
-Natalie

"Fantastic Felines by Laurel Burch" E. Seifried, Jones Valley & Monte Sano Elementaries

Elizabeth Seifried
Art Teacher JVE, MSE

Fifth Grade students learned about the artist Laurel Burch.  They listened to her biography, watched a youtube video of her interview on 60 minutes, and then viewed her artwork.  Students then designed a "Fantastic Feline" on 12X18 white paper.  They used pencils to draw, sharpies, gel markers, and paint to color.
After finishing the cats, students created an "object" that has meaning to them.  This object is then inserted between the cat's paws, as a pop-up 3-D addition to the piece.  Students have had a lot of fun thinking about what their object will be.  Some students choose a symbol, such as the earth or a heart, whereas others choose cat-themed and/or more personal objects.  We use jewel tones in this project.  The background is painted black with vibrant, silver and gold stars.

Overall this has been a fun, successful project!

Ndebele Painted Houses

We have been talking about Africa in our art classes this year.  Kindergarten and 1st grade learned about the painted houses of the Ndebele people in South Africa and created their own Ndeble houses.

This is the book I read with my K and 1st grade students before making our houses.

Here are some of my 1st graders' finished houses.

-Deena

New Links about "Beyond the Frame: Impression Revisited!"

Watch this fantastic video about the installation of "Beyond the Frame: Impressionism Revisited" in Graham, North Carolina

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8l69Z8YoGs&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active


Student will be thrilled to watch this four minute video explaining how pictures come alive three-dimensionally!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dInyuGRLuyI&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1&safe=active





This video allows you to walk inside and out of the installation featuring eight different paintings interpreted three-dimensionally by J. Seward Johnson, Jr.

FIRST DAY OF BLOGGING!

The North Alabama Elementary Art Teachers met for a Professional Development Day at Weatherly Elementary School on January 3, 2012 to discuss integrating technology in art classes. We collaborated by sharing art lessons and creating a unified blog to communicate with our professional learning community.
Our primary goal for this blog is accessibility to art teachers as a resource for lesson planning and curriculum development.