What's happening in our K-3 art studio

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Students have begun to add color to their picasso creations! 

Here is what is going on in the Tempera Paint Center…

Meanwhile, in other corners of the room….

The Kindergarteners make pinch pots – here are the steps we use to make our cute little bowls.

First, we make an nice round ball with our clay -

then, hold the clay ball in one hand, and give me a ‘thumbs up’ with the other -

Poke your thumb as far as you can into that clay ball, without poking out the bottom -

See, it’s almost a bowl already!  But not quite, we can only fit about three M&M’s in this bowl, that won’t work at all – we have to make that hole bigger so that we can fit lots more stuff inside!

to do that, we Pinch, Pinch, Pinch the sides thinner to make the hole bigger.

And we end up with nice little bowls to hold candies, or coins or earrings, or whatever treasures you can find!

Stay tuned for glazing and the beautiful finished products!!

Third grade students are dialing back the center work a bit as clay winds down.  Our latest project is a painting inspired by Pablo Picasso’s cubist portraits.  We talked a bit about what point-of-view means in life and literature, as well as in art.  Here is some student work in-progress.  Color will be added in upcoming classes at the tempera center.

This student’s attention was captured by a one of the examples at the drawing center.  What a great example of his ability to OBSERVE carefully – one of the eight Studio Habits of Mind that I try to encourage in the art room.

I love figure drawing days – and it’s not just because each kid gets just ONE thin marker, and clean-up is a breeze.  I love to see the poses students come up with, and their classmates’ interpretations of those poses.  It is also very interesting comparing figure drawings from first semester to those done near the end of the year, and see in black and white (or purple or green or blue and white…) what developmental strides the students have made. 

The Clay center is OPEN for business!  The clay center runs differently than the other centers, in that it is not a ‘choice.’  The second and third grade students will rotate through the center in their assigned groups, while the rest of the class draws, paints, and collages.  The Kindergarten and first grade students are doing whole-class clay projects.  Clay is ALWAYS a favorite  – check it out!!

The very first center to open each year is the drawing center.  Markers, crayons and colored pencils are all things that most students have had previous experience with, so there are very few instructions that need to be given before they can get started.  Even with all of the other fun things to do in the art room, the drawing center is always a favorite. 

(maybe it has something to do with the markers, which smell FANTASTIC!!!)

I have a contraption made from a couple of file folders on the table to display pictures for inspiration, and post expectations.

Does anyone recognize the Iowa State Fair Best-of-Show art piece there on the right?  A charcoal drawing by Newton’s own, Judd Hoskins!!

The drawing center stays open pretty much all the time, with the addition of cool things like rubbing plates, stencils, different types of paper, new and interesting objects to look at and draw.  Drawing center materials are housed on shelves right by the tables – students can use anything from these shelves at the drawing center.

I have seen some amazing work this year, and we’re just getting started!!! I can’t wait to see what else these kids can create in the studio!

The cardinal sculpture, inspired by the sketches and notes of last year’s fifth grade students, has come home to Newton.  John Brommel of Des Moines created this incredible work of art and the pedestal it rests on.  What a wonderful symbol of the great things that can happen when a community comes together to support its students!

The art room at Thomas Jefferson is set up a little bit differently than some traditional art classes.

Our art room is set up in a variety of centers. As centers open, students rotate through in their assigned group to learn the expectations and skills required for that media. The most recent center to open is Collage.

Though there are a number of examples of collage on the wall for inspiration, students choose their own style and subject matter.   As students rotate through the collage center the first time, they learn proper use and care of cutting tools, gluing techniques, and clean-up expectations.

As first quarter ends, and students have had time to experiment and become comfortable with our centers, we will spend more time learning about different artists, genres, and tips and tricks students can use in each of the studios.

You can take a look at the TJ artists’ work at the Artsonia online gallery, and come back soon to see the rest of the TJ Studio Centers!