4/5s Maya, Inca, and Aztec Inspired Repousse Designs

As the Incas, Aztecs and Maya are the topic of study in the 4/5 classroom, their art  inspired designs in art class.   These early civilizations had intricately patterned deities  involving images of birds, snakes, spears, etc. Taking image ideas from these cultures the students  designed 6"x6" squares to transfer to aluminum plates where they'll inscribe them in the art form known as repousse. The aluminum is placed on a surface of newspapers and pressed with an implement to push the design from the back to the front. As the plate is turned over it can be worked in both directions. The final result is a finely patterned design in low relief that is inked and then wiped down so the ink remains in the indented areas.

Pressing the design into the metal plate

Working on some small detail

Applying ink to the finished plate

Wiping it back so the ink stays in the indentations

Completed work

One more finished

2/3s Learn to Weave

The 2/3s were  excited to tackle their first round weaving. Working on a paper plate with 19 slits cut into the rim, they strung the "loom" with white string and began the first round of rainbow yarn to get the rhythm of weaving.

Tying on the first yarn

Round one going well

Getting the over and under rhythm

Moving right along with tight rounds of yarn

Adding another round

Finished and off the loom

One more finished

K/1s Perform Jan Brett's The Hat

As part of the K/1's study of Jan Brett they will perform the play The Hat, based on her book. They made masks of the different animals, painted trees and turned a large refrigerator box into Lisa's house.

Painting paper to become trees

Working together on the tree paper

Painting the house panels

It takes cooperation and care to make this work

M.S. Self-Portraits

The annual Parker self-portrait project has begun for the middle school students. The students watched a video on how use different values and gray tones to give dimension to a face and then reviewed rule of thumb methods for placement and proportion for achieving their likeness. They worked from mirrors or photos, thinking about the shape of their face and trying to accurately locate and capture their features. They tried to put all these elements together to create an image that is recognizable as them.

Checking in with the mirror

Luckily, it was the left arm that was broken!

Working from top to bottom

Trial and error yield fine results

Close attention working from a phone photo

Parker Alum, Sam Wickstrom, portrait artist, gives the middle school students some pointers

2/3s Stamp Robots to Launch into Outer Space

Capitalizing on some classroom interest in outer space and planets, the 2/3s used several processes and media to create outer space pictures in art class. Using white paint on black paper, they used found objects to stamp unusual and original robots. These were cut out and placed on outer space settings drawn with markers on large white paper toned with pastel to create a sense of atmosphere.

Figuring out the robot from the stamped shapes

Cutting out the robot

Laying out the space background

Adding color to the planets

Pastel being added among the space images

K/1s Learn to draw Hedgie

The K/1s listened to Hedgie's Surprise, by the artist/author Jan Brett. Watching a brief video they delighted in learning how Jan Brett creates her "Hedgie" character and then tried their hand at drawing and then painting their own Hedgie. 

Many prickles to draw

Ordering the prickles on this rendition

Adding Hedgie colors

Coloring his underside

Now for the back

K/1s Paint and Collage Snowmen

The K/1s learned about foreground, middle ground and background as they collaged four sheets of torn colored paper together to create a layered landscape on which to paint a snowman. Careful placement of a carrot nose was  collaged  along with  buttons, a scarf, hat and anything else that might be needed. Finally, some falling snow completed the composition.

Carefully placing the foreground

Yay for small glue lines!