K/1s Experiment with Oil Pastels

Students applied one color of oil pastel over another to see what new colors they could make. They will make use of their discoveries to  draw monarch caterpillars and butterflies.

Trying new combinations

Making a new color

2/3s Draw Bug Jars

The 2/3s closely observed plastic insect models to prepare to draw large bug jars filled with plants and bugs. The practice of close observation helps with focus and concentration leading to the ability to draw what one really sees, rather than drawing a preconceived idea of what an object looks like.

Checking out the shapes

Drawing a second bug

Designing the contents of the jar

Drawing a spider from observation

A spider gets Sharpied!

Bugs coming to life

Painting the jar

Adding paint to the inside of the jar

A Finished Work

This one has a spectator!

4th - 8th Grade Sunflower Drawings

Beginning to follow the flower lines

Focusing on the flower heads

As the new school year began, the 4-8^th grade students reviewed routines and expectations in art class and then tried their hands at observational drawing. Working from vases of beautiful sunflowers, they explored the shapes and textures they saw and tried to capture them with pencil and paper.

Thoughtful observing

Classroom view

Drawing taking form

2/3s Paint Chinese Scrolls

After becoming familiar with traditional Chinese scroll painting, the 2/3s tried their hands at creating their own scrolls. Watercolor backgrounds were painted on a vertical paper. Once dried, drops of black ink were applied to the bottom of the paper and lines representing branches were blown upward through a straw.  Names were then written in Chinese, and bamboo skewers were glued to the top and bottom to allow the scrolls to look authentic and hang straight.

Painting the background

A blue sky

Practicing the ink lines

Lettering the name in Chinese

Adding the name in Chinese

Two finished scrolls

One more finished

A tree emerges

Middle School Students Draw Self-Portraits

As their final project for this school year, the middle school students reviewed rule of thumb methods for achieving their likeness. They worked from mirrors, thinking about the shape of their face and trying to accurately locate their features.  They tried to capture the way all these elements relate to each other to create an image that is recognizable as them.

The image emerges

Matching skin color

K/1s Learn an African dance

Kathleen Oliver and some of her students (including three Parker alums) from Buxton School in Williamstown, Mass. demonstrated several West African dances to the K/1 students as part of their study of Africa. The students then joined in with Kathleen and learned some of the dance moves.

Kathleen demonstrating the dance motion

The class trying it out

Getting into it!

4/5s Work on Immigration Portraits

In the classroom the 4/5s are each writing about a specific fictional character that they have invented and researched in relation to their country of origin. In art class, the students are working on portraits of their character that will be put in a painted frame upon completion. The portraits include clothing and artifacts that their character might have had with them as they immigrated.

Sketching out an idea

Beginning to get ideas together

Painting

A finished portrait

And another