2014 Jr. Duck Stamp- 4th-6th

I'm so proud of my students' efforts in the Jr. Duck Stamp program! I think they get better every year. A "have-to" project for every student is an observational artwork of an animal in its habitat for either the Jr. Duck Stamp program or the State Fish Art contest- both programs that focus on teaching conservation of habitat through art. This year the students also had the option of choosing a wetland animal for the Kansas Critters Wet 'n Wild book contest.

The artwork at the top received an Honorable Mention in the 4th-6th grade age group. That student, along with a few others, were extra dedicated and would come in early in the morning or during recess to put in extra work on their projects.

The first year I taught this program, all students used colored pencils. I always chose colored pencils for my entries in this program because I felt like I could blend colors well but have more control than with a paintbrush. That was back when I was fresh out of college having been taught to write objectives with "ABCD"- Audience, Behavior, Condition, Degree. Ex: The students will create a 9x12 inch colored pencil drawing of a migratory waterfowl in its natural habitat, focusing on anatomical accuracy, in three 40-minute class periods. That left little room for choice so each year I've allowed more. Now the students can choose contest, the species within the contest, the materials, and the technique.

 Here are some more examples:

4th-6th grade Choice Drawings

The drawing center was the first choice to open up last fall. 

I have a box of old computer paper that I mentioned might be good if someone needed to plan or practice an idea before starting on good paper. I was trying to solve the problem of students "messing up" and wanting to throw their paper away. I wish I hadn't ever uttered the word "practice" because it caused a new issue. Now I have students who want to make a finished piece on the old, thin computer paper and then make the exact same piece again "for real". If we had art more than 80 minutes a month I wouldn't be so concerned! I've just asked the practicers to mount it on construction paper instead of starting over.

I'm really enjoying the artist statements this year. The students don't seem to mind and some even write more than is required.

Julia3827 says this about his/her art...

I drew it because it reminds me of my sister because she eats peppers a lot. Halloween made me think of the pumpkin. I made my peppers to small. I solved it by making it bigger with the red colored pencil. This time I did shading and I didn't before.

Chandler1019 says this about his/her art...

I came up with the idea of a man with super strong powers off a tv show. I shaded parts of his clothes and body. I had trouble with the aura (the yellow glowy stuff). I want everyone to notice the shading, the colors, the eyes, and the neck.

This student used a mannequin to figure out the pose for his drawing.

Portraits don't seem to be as popular at the intermediate level as they are at the primary level.

Interesting composition!

4th-6th Grade Choice Paintings

I'm starting to see some really cool ideas and deep thinking in my intermediate students' paintings. Some are doing simple paintings, but wow, some are really pushing themselves. The first painting in this post really impressed me. I need to find her artist statement and read how she came up with the idea. Obviously the reflection in the tear drop shows why the girl is crying. The student worked really hard on getting her skin and nose painted correctly. I also really love her composition. It's nice to see something zoomed in when it's usually so hard to get students to fill the space. Just ignore the anatomical error of the tear coming out of the iris instead of the tear duct. :)

I'll admit it. When I walked by and caught a glimpse of the painting above, and the student who was painting it, I thought he was just being sloppy. I didn't say anything and instead decided to wait and see what happened. I came back by later and totally changed my perception of the artwork. Look at the energy! I think the colors and the way in which they were applied really match the subject of the painting- someone jumping to shoot a basketball.

An experiment in mixing colors. 

Oil Pastel wax resist is a fun technique. I really like the expressive lines.

4th-6th Grade Choice Collage

Collage hasn't been my most popular studio with the intermediate kids. I think it's because when I introduced the choice, most of the students were already involved with other projects. Now I'm going back and talking about more collage options because we're at a point in the year when students need to try it out if they haven't already. Here are some of my favorite collage pieces from 1st semester.

This started off as a painting that was a bit plain. I showed the student Jasper Johns' flag and he decided to add collage elements.

I find that the older students need some of the same collage reminders as the younger students- like to actually make something new instead of just cutting and gluing a picture they already like. The collage above started as just a figure cut out of a magazine. I like how she went back and added crazy big hair.

I am so excited to see the conclusion of this giraffe collage! The 6th grade student started it totally independently and brought the pieces in the photo to class. What a fun idea!

 Some students have been doing quick experiments with painted paper scraps. I never throw away painted papers!

I wish this one had more of a background but I like how she used many different papers for the petals on the flower. I hope to have more collages to share later this semester!