Middle School Students Design Islamic Inspired Printing Blocks

The 6/7/8th grade students were introduced to Islamic art and their use of calligraphy, geometric forms and floral patterns, rather than human or animal representation. The students designed small squares that were carved into Safety-Cut blocks that could be turned and printed repeatedly, making a larger design from the initial small square.

Beginning to carve the block

Carving with the right blade

The printing begins

K-3 Pond Study Turtle Pictures

As a pond study got underway for the k through 3 classes, the students spent time in art class observing and sketching the science room turtle. With the turtle sitting in a tank in the middle of the art room tables, the students closely observed and commented on the shapes, colors and textures they noticed. After discussing what they saw, the students took pencil to paper and began sketching the turtle while still looking at him. Next class began with a viewing of educator Ron Berger's video called "Austin's Butterfly", where Berger guides young students through the process of constructive critique. The students then took another look at the turtle sketches from last class with an eye toward helpful critique that would prove useful as they began drawing and painting larger turtles emphasizing pattern and texture on the shell.

Observational drawing..what are you noticing?

Focusing on that turtle

Working from a photo

Figuring out what part to draw next

Getting the shell shape on final paper

Shell patterns

The bottom edge is curved

Emphasizing the pattern with Sharpie

Two turtles on this one

Checking that the color is right before painting the turtle

K-3 Swimming Pictures

To begin the year in K-3 art the students thought back to the summer and their opportunities to go swimming. They looked at pictures of people swimming, and noticed the positions of their bodies stretched out in the water. They then drew themselves swimming, colored them with oil pastels, and painted over that with a blue wash sprinkled with salt to simulate the feeling of being in moving water. A border of blue bubbly circles completed this project.

Fitting in the figure

heavy application of oil pastel

Check out the goggles

Wading in the waist deep water

Floating 

Radial Design Locker Names for 4-8

A new year brings new art to the Parker hallways. The first project for the 4th - 8th graders is something colorful and slightly mysterious or intriguing to identify their lockers. Radial name designs, symmetrical patterns emanating from the center of a square, are the theme this year. After looking at mandalas and discussing the way they are used in assorted religions and mindfulness practices the students got to work. Their papers are folded into eighths and a name is written filling one entire segment. Carbon paper is used to transfer the name from one segment to the next reversing the letters on alternate sections. The square is colored in bearing in mind the need for symmetry while expressing each child's individuality.

Designing the first segment

Fitting in the name

Adding color with symmetry in mind

Color beginning in the center

Emphasizing the circular pattern

Intense color

The pattern begins to overshadow the name

One finished work

Another finished name

K/1s Make Animals for the Baobab Tree

The K/1s listened to The Tree of Life: The World of the African Baobab, by Barbara Bash and noticed all the amazingly beautifully drawn birds, animals and insects that inhabit this tree that can live for 1.000 years! The students then selected one or two creatures to draw, cut out and place in the large baobab that is on the classroom wall as the room transforms for the end of the year celebration of work focusing on the study of Africa.

Drawing bushbabies

A bat hanging upside down

The finished tree

A closer view of the tree with all its embellishments

2/3s Craft Chinese Dragons

The current 2/3 class is quite adept at cutting and folding paper. They often create quite remarkable structures when given the opportunity. With this in mind and China the class topic of study, the students began crafting cut and folded Chinese dragons. With red, green and orange construction paper they worked on long articulated bodies joined in segments with brass fasteners to allow for dragon-like movement. With the edition of wings, scales and many original details, each dragon took on a unique personality.

Beginning cuts

Attaching sections

Pushing the brass fastener through

Gluing in the teeth

It needs to breathe fire!

A friendly looking finished dragon

4/5 Immigration Scenery

The 4/5s are studying immigration and writing original plays on that topic that will be presented at their end of the year show of work. To enhance this endeavor the students are painting backgrounds for the plays depicting a scene from the old world, the Atlantic steamship crossing and a glimpse of the new world. Working in groups, they are painting these large works on the floor, in the hall and wherever they can find space for this large project. 

Initial drawing...group process

The immigration steamship crossing the ocean

A scene from the old world

Working together to add details

Final panel of the old world