Feathers of Appreciation

A lovely Thanksgiving project that I found from the wonderful 

art education website Deep Space Sparkle. 

Grade 6 students led Grade 4 and 5 students in drawing and colouring a feather. Then, they added a word of something in their life they are grateful for. This aligns with our school's emphasis on appreciation. To read about the benefits of teaching children gratitude, this is a great article:

10 Science-Backed Benefits of Practicing Gratitude With Kids

They sketched out a large feather on long strips of construction paper.

                                 

Then used oil pastes to colour and add patterns.

Finally cut out and then their word was glued on top. 

Use white glue as glue sticks didn't stick well to the oil pastel. 

    

    

    

    

    

They were all hung on a window for the parents to see :)

Candy Corn Creatures Collages

Looking for a fast Halloween project that utilizes that coloured scrap paper you can't bear to throw out? Look no further!  I do this project with my Homeroom class every year and always love the fun results.

See all the steps posted previously HERE.

Some Grade 6 artworks:

 

Glue Line Watercolour Pumpkins

Here is a fun October/Autumn themed project. Fall is my favourite season and I'm all for Autumn themed art lessons. 

I've posted about it and all the steps previously HERE and HERE.

Start by 'drawing' a pumpkin with white glue directly on heavy white paper. I demonstrate how to make them look 3D with curved vertical lines. 

Overlapping pumpkins helps give a sense of space and depth. 

Let dry FLAT overnight. My drying rack lays flat- some have an angle. Be careful!

Once dry, outline both sides on the raised glue line using an ultra fine tip Sharpie. Then paint with watercolours, trying to show some shading and colour variation. 

Some Grade 7 results:

 

Dali Inspired Surrealist Animals

This project was inspired by the 1948 painting The Elephants by the Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dalí. I introduced my Grade 4 students to the work of Dali and we discussed his style- barren landscapes with a real sense of depth and space, highly realistic details, lots of random objects grouped together.

See my previous posts on this project HERE and HERE.

Grade 6 students started by sketching out an animal of their choice, making sure to stretch and dramatically lengthen their legs. A great time to discuss the principle of proportion in art.

Once drawn, trace over all the lines in Sharpie.

And paint in watercolours. 

Students should include some sort of creative background. 

Some finished Grade 6 works!