Torn Paper Snow People

Last year I saw a post on Art Makes Kids Smart about using "GOOSe paper"- Good On One Side in Art projects. I thought this was brilliant and a way to make reusing fun so students don't feel like they are using trash. I used the idea with 1st grade students to make torn paper snow people. I'm pretty sure this was a two class period project. The students used 9x6 inch colored construction paper for the background, tore GOOSe paper for the snowy ground, then used more GOOSe paper for the body of the snowperson and construction paper scraps for the accessories. We finished it off with crayon details. Glue sticks worked great and I really liked the personality in the students' work. 

I must have let the students use scissors to create the accessories but there was a no scissor rule for the first day with the snow.

  

2nd and 3rd Grade Snowpeople

Here are a couple snowpeople projects my 2nd and 3rd grade students completed in December. I have to say snow"people" because you know, it's an inclusive term and doesn't leave out the lovely snowladies.

2nd grade students learned how to overlap circles and create the look of spheres by adding VALUE with oil pastels. We've been on a value/shading kick in 2nd grade. My Tuesday classes who had an extra day practiced drawing and shading spheres in graphite in the first class then finished drawing their snowpeople scenes in the second class. Some still don't quite get that the shadows would always be on the same side but at least they are starting to understand shading. I'm hoping it will help when they start working on their duck stamp drawings in a few weeks. I left this lesson last year when I was on maternity leave and I think it went pretty well this year. I wasn't super excited about it, probably because it's a lesson you see all the time, but I suppose there's a reason it's tried and true! One little boy put his snowman in a leather jacket, which was super cute, but then he colored his sky in black behind it and it sort of disappeared. We're working on contrast...

 I had intended for 3rd graders to make snowpeople prints. but we made some changes.. 

I demonstrated overlapping the circles to make them look like stacked spheres on a snowperson, both as if you were looking straight at it and as if you were looking up to give them more options, then reviewed horizon lines. The students had a lot of freedom- their only requirements were to make a snowperson with overlapping and a horizon line. Any other features and details were up to them. They drew on these dense fiber board things, I really have no idea what they were used for but they are awesome, then traced with glue. *Of course when you trace a drawing with glue, you have to remind the students not to draw anything too small and to leave space between things so the glue lines don't run together or turn into big blobs. This started as another lesson I left during maternity leave.

 Last year the students used rainbow crayons made from recycled crayon stubs to rub over paper and make their drawings show through. I thought it would work to print the glue lines but when I tested mine, the glue was so bumpy that it was hard to make out the picture. I knew the students' lines were even bumpier so we changed the plan. I used it as an opportunity to talk to the students about problem solving and things not always going how we plan. I wanted to show them that even though my first idea didn't work very well, I didn't give up, just came up with something that would work better.

I haven't decided if covering the tables with vinyl cloths save time or not when cleaning up from painting...

In the second class period, I gave each table the primary colors, white, and just a tiny bit of black tempera paint to use. *It's amazing how many students will tell me I forgot green paint, for example, immediately after we review mixing primary colors to make the other colors they need! I showed them how they could use blue to add some shading (VALUE!) to their snowpeople. They were excited about making tints just like in their Polar Bear paintings. I gave them two brush sizes to use and suggested that they use the tiny brush to paint over the glue outlines of really important things. I actually don't mind the effect of the super-cheap-tempera-paint-I-wish-I-wouldn't-have-ordered here. It acted as almost a glaze and looked pretty cool with the glue showing through for snowflakes.

No fashionable snowlady would be seen in public without her makeup and best jewelry.

Students who missed the glue day drew with crayon then painted.

Projects from Maternity Leave

My son was born the Saturday after Thanksgiving (4 months ago today!) so I didn't go back after Thanksgiving break until the end of January.  I was excited to look through the projects that the students completed while I was gone.  Most were new projects that I had never tried with students before.  Some are keepers "as is" and some will need to be reworked if I try them again.

December

One of my examples

4th-6th Grade students finshed or started "name doodles" or other projects that incorporated words.  The name doodles turned out great!  I left several examples with different variations for the other word art but I may not have done a good enough job explaining.  Or the students just might not have fully understood.  I could tell from some projects that the individual students "got it" but others either didn't or maybe were trying to take the easy way out.  I forgot to save a few photos of student work but I do have some of my examples.  It might be worth trying again.

Another of my examples.  Including my random thoughts!

Kindergarten students made collages inspired by Mondrian's paintings so they could practice squares and rectangles (part of my SMART goal).  Here is my post about the project last year.

1st grade students did follow the leader penguin drawings.  I stand by follow the leader drawings or "I draw, you draw" as being fine in moderation.  I think it can help drawing be less intimidating when students see me model the thought process and breaking pictures down into lines and shapes.  It's also good for practicing listening skills and following directions.  I always allow the students the freedom to personalize!  I saw lots of students added other penguins and creative details in their backgrounds.

2nd grade students learned how to shade spheres and reviewed cool colors.  The students made drawings of snow people on cool colored construction paper with pastels.  I intended for oil pastels to used but my sub couldn't find them and used dry pastels instead.  I think it might have actually turned out better, sometimes the dust looked like snow!  I wasn't prepared with fixative or the substitute of hairspray (even though my drawing professor would do the alive equivalent of rolling over in his grave!) so I just had to warn the teachers not to carry the stacks of artwork against their sweaters since the drawings were messy.

3rd grade students tested out a new project for me.  I don't know whether to call it a collograph or something else.  If you know what it would technically be called, please let me know!
Day 1- The students drew snow people on cardboard and then traced their lines with bottled glue.
Day 2- The students put paper over the top of their glue drawings and rubbed with crayon to make the image show through.  I could tell lots forgot to hold the crayon on it's side and ended up pressing too hard while some didn't use enough pressure.  It's always a challenge so I put in my plans to let them practice on computer paper before making their final prints.  Since I wasn't there, I don't know if it actually happened.  I would try this technique again even though it was super hard to see most of the images this time.




January
4th-6th grade students started the Jr. Duck Stamp program and finished it when I got back.  Another post about the ducks (I love ducks) is coming!

K-3rd drew self portraits of themselves in the snow then started birthday cake drawings for Kansas (our state is now 150!)