October in the Irving School Art Room

This past Friday, I was able to spend some time putting up some of the students' fantastic artwork. The fifth graders completed their self-portrait projects in the style of Pop Artist Roy Lichtenstein. We looked at and discussed some of his work and then they created their portraits in a simple cartoon style using a limited color palette of the primary colors (red, blue and yellow), plus black and white. Their drawings (done in colored marker) also had to show Lichtenstein features like Benday dots and thought bubbles with an adjective that described a positive aspect of their personality. The results are unique and very fun! Come check out the display in the hallways now. Students who finished their self-portraits were then able to glaze their terracotta Aztec-inspired suns that we started at the beginning of the school year. I hope to get those into the front hallway display cabinet some time this week.

The fourth grade students also did self-portraits, this time inspired by the Fauves, a group of French artists known as "Wild Beasts" for their ground-breaking use of bright, unrealistic colors. The students created their self-portraits using brightly colored paper to make a collage.

For the third grade self-portraits, students studied the prints of another Pop Artist: Andy Warhol. We talked about the tenets of Pop Art and a little bit about Andy's life. Then students drew their pictures on styrofoam with pens. During the next class, they used brayers to apply block printing inks to the styrofoam printing plate and created prints in various colors. Finally, the images were trimmed and arranged to show multiples on one piece of paper. Each one is so different!

Second grade students practiced mixing colors of tempera paint to create a traditional autumn still-life featuring apples in a bowl. Some students added other fruits as well using cut papers for a collage, or chose to add a decorative border of painted paper.

First graders analyzed the jungle paintings of Henri Rousseau and talked about things we might see in a jungle. Together we drew a big tiger, cut it out, glued it to a new sheet of background paper, and then used crayons and paper scraps to add the jungle elements. So adorable!

And kindergarten students looked at videos of different types of red crabs, drew their own with oil pastels and painted an ocean scene with watercolors. The last step is to add some dimensional texture with a variety of dried beans.

This week in the art room....

This week, first grade students learned about the colors in the color wheel. Then we used that knowledge to create a classic still life of flowers in a vase. The students first spent a class period making painted paper with tempera paints. During the following class period, those painted papers (along with construction paper) were used to make our still life works of art.

Kindergarten students learned a little bit about Claude Monet and his famous water lily paintings. We read the book, "The Magical Garden of Claude Monet" and then created our own versions. The first class period was spent painting the pond water with various tint of blue, lavender and white tempera paints. A bit of glitter was added for that Impressionistic glimmer of light. During the second class period, students looked at photos of water lilies and then cut out their own flowers and lily pads. Chalk pastels and crumpled tissue paper were added to give the flowers both real and implied texture.

Fourth grade students began working on their annual self-portrait project by learning about the painters known as the Fauves, which means "Wild Beasts" in French. These painters were famous for creating paintings using wild colors and heavy brushstrokes. The children's interpretation will involve creating a cut-paper collage with various bright construction paper colors.

2nd grade artists finished their zebra collages this week. They are just adorable and full of unique personality. 

Some of the 2nd grade classes had finished their zebra collages last week, so those students began an apple still-life painting. This week, we used oil pastels to draw our apples and our fruit bowls, then painted them with tempera paints. Next week, we will cut them out and assemble them into a classic still-life composition.

Art at Irving Elementary School

I'm very happy to be starting this fall at Irving Elementary School in Oak Park, covering for Mrs. Tague while she enjoys her maternity leave. Here is a look at some of the fun projects the Irving students have been working on so far:

Third grade student began the school year creating painted paper. We spent one class period making lots of beautiful papers that would be cut out into the shapes of boats. 

During the next class period, students learned how to blend oil pastels and use watercolor washes to create a lovely seascape.

Second grade students started out with a self-portrait painting inspired by Pablo Picasso and the Cubism movement. Using black oil pastel, they drew their faces, then added non-realistic color with watercolor paints.

After completing their self-portraits, the 2nd grade students worked on a torn-paper collage of zebras in a natural habitat. We started by drawing zebras from observation (using photos, of course!) in black crayon. Then the children tore pieces of black construction paper and glued them to their drawings to make the stripes. Paper scraps and collage techniques were then used to create a place for the zebras to live. 

The fourth grade students began the year with a challenging drawing and painting project. After looking at photos and discussing the characteristics of tropical birds, children drew a variety of birds in a natural setting. When drawings were complete, they were painted with tempera paints, and students were further challenged to mix a variety of new and unique colors with the paints.

Fifth graders were excited to start the year off working with clay - a favorite of almost every student. We took inspiration from Aztec sun stones and created wall hangings of terracotta suns. First the students mapped out their designs on paper and then transferred that design to the clay. The suns are almost finished drying and will go in the kiln at the end of this week. Then the glazing begins!

And I also want to thank everyone who made it into the art room for the Irving Open House night and contributed to our community circle painting. The project was a big hit with kids and adults alike, and together we created a fun and colorful mural painting. 

Stay tuned for more photos and details about kindergarten and first grade projects, coming soon!

Our Last Project of the School Year: Painted Paper Butterflies Inspired by Eric Carle

To tie in with the unit on Eric Carle that the children have been working on with Mrs. Bernstein, we created some unique butterfly collages. This was a two-week project filled with color, texture and lots of creative experimentation. Below are some photos from week one showing students creating many, many sheets of painted paper, just like the ones Eric Carle uses in his collages. The tables were grouped by color family and the students were provided with brushes, lots of white paper and some texture-creating tools.

This week (week two), the children could either draw freehand or use stencils to cut butterfly wings out of the painted paper they had created. We pooled all the painted papers together and the children did a great job of sharing them with each other. After they had cut out four wings and a body, they glued down the parts onto clean paper. We looked at photographs of butterflies and talked about symmetry, and then the children embellished their wings with spots and other free-form shapes. For a final step, they could add a little splash of sequins to their collage.

And here are the completed butterflies - I wish the real ones in our neighborhood were this colorful!:

It has been a great honor to be able to work with your children this year, to watch their confidence and abilities grow, and to be able to help nurture in them an appreciation for art and art-making!

Please have a fun and safe summer!

All the best,

Lucy Zucaro

(lesson credit: http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/)