Still Life Paintings

Fourth grade students used their observational drawing skills to draw and paint a still life.

 

 

Needle Felting

Fourth graders were introduced to needle felting. They learned about the materials used and where they come from, as well as the basics of needle felting. Here are some of their creations.

 

 

 

 

Solar System Paintings

4^th grade students tried different watercolor painting techniques. They tried stippling, blotting, drybrush, wet on wet, wet on dry, salt, blooming and plastic wrap. The paper used to try all of these watercolor techniques was used for the planets in their solar system. Then students glued their planets to black paper and tried the spattering technique to make stars.

 

 

Aboriginal Dot Painting

4^th grade students learned about the artwork of the aboriginal people of Australia. This group of people is indigenous to Australia, just like Native Americans are indigenous to the United States.

The students learned that the Aborigines are known for their dot paintings and x-ray paintings. As you can probably imagine, dot paintings are made with only dots, and x-ray paintings show the inside of the subject they painted. Students chose an animal that lives in Australia to paint in the dot and x-ray painting styles of the Aborigines.

 
 

Los estudiantes de 4º grado aprendieron sobre el arte del pueblo aborigen de Australia. Este grupo de personas son indígenas de Australia, igual que los nativos americanos son los indígenas de los Estados Unidos.

Los estudiantes aprendieron que los aborígenes son conocidos por sus obras de puntitos y pinturas estilo rayos x. Como se podrán imaginar, las obras de puntitos son pinturas hechas solo de puntos y las pinturas estilo rayos x muestran lo de adentro del sujeto de la pintura.  Los estudiantes escogieron un animal que viva en Australia para pintar en los estilos de puntitos y rayos x de los aborígenes. 

Tessellations

4th graders looked at artwork by M.C. Escher and learned about tessellations. Tessellations are shapes that can fit together with any overlaps or gaps, across a plane. First, they created a shape that would tessellate. Then they traced this shape until it covered their paper. Finally, they brainstormed what they thought their shape looked like and drew those details into each shape. Then they colored their tessellations.

 

 

Northern Lights

Fourth Grade students discussed the phenomenon of the Northern Lights, and watched a time-lapse video showing the Northern lights. We read the book, "Once Upon a Northern Night" by Jean Pendziwol, and then created our own Northern Lights with cut paper and chalk pastel.

Wire Sculptures

4th grade students looked at the artwork of Steve Lohman. They used wire to create a 3-D sculpture that conveyed movement.

Clay Birdbaths

4th graders demonstrated their knowledge of creating pinch pots and using the score and slip method of attaching clay to create these clay birdbaths. They glazed them and added a glass bead to their pot which melted in the kiln and now looks like water in the birdbath.

 

 

Reduction Prints

4th grade students created these reduction prints of the animal of their choice. First they carved an animal into a piece of styrofoam and printed the entire printing block. Then they cut out their animal and printed only that part of the printing block (which is how it gets the name reduction print).

Degas Dancers

Fourth Grade students studied the artwork of Edgar Degas, an artist who was interested in drawing and people people in motion, especially dancers. Students practiced gesture drawing by sketching many of their classmates striking a pose. Then they looked at pictures of different people doing different types of dancing. Then they drew that person doing the dance of their choice. They colored their drawing with chalk pastels and then outlined with ink.

Molas

Molas are made by the Kuna people who live in Panama and Colombia. Women sew many layers of fabric together and then cut away layers of fabric in a design to show the fabric underneath. Then the women wear these fabric designs on their dresses. When they are tired of wearing that particular design, they cut off the mola and sell it. It takes the women from two weeks, to six months to make one mola.

Fourth Grade students designed their own molas, but created them in the opposite way of the Kuna women. Usually, the artist must cut away layers of fabric to show the fabric underneath. Instead of doing this, students glued layers of paper together, showing just a little bit of the color underneath.

 

Kinetic Bird Sculpures

Fourth Grade students studied Alexander Calder, an artist know for his kinetic (movable) sculptures. Students created these birds from materials that Calder himself, also used; paper and wire. Students painted papers to be used for the bird's body and head. They used wire for the neck and feathers for the tail. These sculptures literally rock!