Banyan Trees

If you are looking for a lesson to talk about color schemes and blending with your students, then this banyan tree project might be for you.  I wanted to stress blending and limited color schemes, so this project allowed me do that.  We looked at the banyan tree, which are native to India, (great geography tie-in here!)  Banyan means trader in Hindu.  These trees grow so large that markets are set up underneath, where trading takes place.  

To get started, we looked at a map of India to see where banyan trees originated.  The size of the trees can measure 1500 feet in circumference and have more than 3,000 trunk-like roots. (Math!)  We began drawing the trunk and then the branches.  

The next time we met, we discussed color.  I thought about making this a project about analogous color, but decided to give them a little more latitude with color choices.  If you have more time, analogous colors would work well.  We practiced blending colors and then began adding color to our artwork.  The finishing touch was the reflection of the tree.  

Starry Night

Although he lead a tragic life, Vincent Van Gogh was able to create the some of the most influential art ever known.  He worked furiously creating art that showcased bright color and strong emotion.  In getting to know Van Gogh, we focused on his most famous work, Starry Night.

On day one, we began out project by painting the sky using the dash technique that was characteristic of Van Gogh.  We used tempera tints of yellow and blues.  Blue paper was used for the background.

Day two began with the rolling hills. We used a darker blue paper on which to draw our hills. Dashes were added using chalk.  This was glued to the bottom of the paper, rubbing from the back to preserve our chalk dashes.  Next we drew and added color to the buildings on violet paper.  This was carefully cut and glued on top of the hills.  Students had to be careful not to completely cover the hills. The last step was drawing the cypress tree on black paper. This was glued down and then all that was left to do was to admire our work!

Wayne Thiebaud Cupcakes

Wayne Thiebaud, an American artist is known for painting the yummiest things!  Looking at his art will definitely make your mouth water.  After looking at many examples of his paintings, (YUM!), we began to create out own delicious art.  After drawing the cupcakes, we really focused on color and value to make our art look more realistic.  It was a fun project that we will revisit later when we work with clay.  Clay cupcakes should be fun!

These lovely works of our will be framed and featured in our school Art Show, which is next month.  Every grade level creates a specific work of art that will be framed and available for sale. It's a great night of family time, highlighting the arts and fundraising.

One-Point Perspective

Teaching students the process of one-point perspective is one of our state and local objectives.  This can be a difficult task to accomplish.  Well, here we go! 

The Renaissance period easily lends itself to help explain this great artistic discovery. Above is Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper, which is a great tool to show not only linear perspective, but also the emphasis of the artwork. We also looked at several photographs that showed perspective.

On day one we all began by using perspective to draw our main shapes/buildings.  Day two was spent adding details, such as windows, traffic signals, etc.  Sharpies were used for contrast and finally the skies were cut away.  The completed art was attached to construction paper.

African Masks

After studying African masks and making them in clay, students were challenged to create another mask showing more detail and also to add various elements and media. Symmetry was stressed in the making of these masks. 

We began by revisiting various African masks for inspiration. Students were given paper that they folded either vertically or horizontally.  Cuts were made on the edges to change the shape of the masks and make them more unique.

After all of our cuts were made, next came the task of designing the masks.  To keep the masks symmetrical, students drew on one side of the mask using crayons, folded it over and then rubbed hard to transfer the crayon to the other side.  Students thought this step was so amazing and cool.  (Insert oohs and ahhs here.)  There are days that they make me feel like a rock star/genius!  Facial features and details were added. We talked about proportion and making sure the the facial features matched the size of their masks. Students had to really think about ways to divide the leftover spaces. 

The next phase was painting.  Yay!  I urged students to consider using some earthy, neutral colors as they went.  After the painting was complete the grass was tied onto the borders. You could add more materials if you have the time and money to invest. I sprayed diluted brown watercolor on them to make them look a bit more muted and old. The end products turned out to be quite nice!

Adinkra Printmaking

Adinkra symbols lend themselves to be a great subject matter when considering the art of printmaking.  As a class we looked at Adinkra cloth, which is made by the Ashanti people in Ghana, Africa.  The Ashanti create these cloths by first carving symbols into gourds and then stamping the symbols onto cloth using an ink that is made from bark. Many symbols can be combined on different areas of the cloth to tell stories.  Adinkra cloths were traditionally made to be worn by people of authority, such as royalty.  

Supplies Needed:

Styrofoam
Construction paper
Handouts with various Adinkra symbols
Pencils
Printing Ink
Brayers
Oil pastels
Sharpies

Day 1: We first discussed Adinkra cloth as a class and located Ghana on a world map. Students were then asked to choose a symbol that related to or described them in some way. The chosen symbols were then drawn and traced onto styrofoam squares. Students made sure to press firmly to imprint the symbol deeply for printing purposes. Students used their styrofoam squares to mark where they would print next week.

Day 2: Students were shown the do's and dont's of printmaking.  The symbols were printed by students using a checker board pattern. Prints were set aside to dry.

Day 3:  The second color of ink was printed and papers were set aside to dry.  This is a good time to discuss borders, if you plan to add them.  We marked our places for the border using rulers and Sharpies. Then students drew a simple design inside each square that related to their symbol in some way.  Students were to look for a line or shape in their symbols that might tie into the look of the symbol.  

Day 4:  Students colored their designs using oil pastel, making sure to color to create a pattern.  These will then be mounted onto black paper for display.