Category Archives: Art

Art – May 1, 2012

By mbrazee | Published: May 1, 2012

Kindergarten

The kindergarteners created portraits with texture using torn construction paper.  They also discussed points of view and drew a group of fish starting with a long looping line.  They are currently using their imagination and making crazy creatures out of the shape of their shoe.

First Grade   

The first graders learned about Jackson Pollack and the way he added paint to his canvases.  Students used watercolor drops and straws to blow the paint across the surface of the paper.  They also talked about how color affects an artwork and drew 6 different close ups focused on facial expression and color.

Second Grade

The second graders looked at the work of Paul Cezanne and set up their own still life using a bowl, fabric, and apples.  They sketched the still life in pencil and colored with colored pencils.  They are currently drawing their own Lego characters.

Third Grade

The third graders learned about the different parts of a castle and drew their own using black crayons.  They then used black watercolors to add a gray tint to the curtain walls, towers, moat, and drawbridge.  They are now working on Tiki masks using construction paper, markers, and chalk.

Fourth Grade

The fourth graders learned about a drawing technique called Zentangle.  It is focused on creating elaborate designs and patterns using small shapes and lines.  They are now working on drawing their bedroom shelves and filling them with items that tell us about themselves.

Fifth Grade  

The fifth graders finished working on their tints and shades and have moved into paper qulling.  They are coiling different colored paper strips into different shapes and building an image or design.

Sixth Grade

The sixth graders learned about the notebook pages of Leonardo da Vinci and focused on his inventions.  They each created their own invention and drew out plans needed to make it.  They also added notes to help explain how it works.  They are currently working on creating icons for new smart phone apps.

Seventh Grade

The seventh graders finished their soap carvings and have moved onto the 8th grade plaques.  They have been busy cutting out images to add to the collage on each plaque.

Eighth Grade graduation cover, accordion art

The eighth graders each created a graduation cover with pencil and pen.  A few will be chosen to be printed on the graduation booklets.  They are now working on an accordion artwork.  Students will draw two different images that are different, yet related.  They will be cut, glued, and folded to make an artwork that changes depending on what angle you view it from.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at mbrazee@stcletusparish.com.

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Art – April 2, 2012

By mbrazee | Published: April 2, 2012

Kindergarten

The kindergarteners learned about basic printmaking methods and used found objects that formed circles to print from.  They moved to each station using all primary and secondary colors.  They also made their own scratch art paper by filling a page using bright colored crayons.  I then painted them black.  Once dry they used sticks to scratch a drawing onto the surface.

First Grade   

The first graders have been learning about many different artists like Wassily Kandinsky, Grant Wood, and Vincent van Gogh.  For each artwork they used different media; watercolors, pencil and crayon, and oil pastels.

Second Grade

The second graders looked at a few lighthouse paintings made by Edward Hopper.  They drew their scene in pencil and then colored with oil pastels making sure to blend colors to add dimension to their work.  They are currently looking at the paper cutouts of Henri Matisse and creating their own dancing figures inspired by his style.

Third Grade

The third graders learned about one point perspective and how lines converging to a vanishing point make them appear more three dimensional.  They each drew a close up of a dresser in one point perspective.  They also looked at ice cream in artworks by Wayne Thiebaud and Andy Warhol and made their own ice cream cone sculptures using newspaper.

Fourth Grade

The fourth graders looked at the work of Louise Nevelson and got inspired to make their own sculptures in her style.  They each broke up a shoe box lid into smaller sections, filled them with found objects, and then painted it one color.  They are currently looking at the Pop art of Burton Morris and using angry birds as the inspiration for their own artwork.

Fifth Grade

The fifth graders made a digital camera portrait showing someone taking a photo of themselves looking from the back of the camera.  They showed foreshortening by making the arm wider as it moved closer to the camera.  They are now working on a Color Theory artwork focusing on tints and shades.

Sixth Grade

The sixth graders finished their James Rizzi inspired cityscapes and have moved onto construction paper building.  They looked at the work of Jen stark and noticed a repeated theme in her work.  Using construction paper students will choose a shape and repeat it over and over into an interesting composition.

Seventh Grade

The seventh graders have been working hard on their soap carving.  Each student drew three different angles of an object they wanted to sculpt in the round.  They then carefully transferred their drawing onto their soap and began scraping away the soap to make the object.

Eighth Grade

The eighth graders have been working their own plaster masks.  Each used plaster strips and a plastic mold to create their mask.  They are currently painting and decorating their mask with feathers, yarn, and glitter.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at mbrazee@stcletusparish.com.

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Art – March 1st, 2012

By mbrazee | Published: March 1, 2012

Kindergarten

The kindergarteners made their own pizza’s complete with plenty of cheese and toppings.  Each drew and cut out all toppings before gluing them on top of their delicious pizza.  They also learned how to write their name using bubble letters.  They then filled each letter with lines and shapes.

First Grade

The first graders learned about Faith Ringgold and looked at her story quilts.  They each created a patterned border around their paper using construction paper scraps and filled it with a drawing that told a story.

Second Grade

The second graders read the book “A Color of His Own” by Leo Lionni and learned how to draw a chameleon.  Each drew a chameleon in a scene and made sure the patterns seen in the background repeated on the chameleon.  They also learned about robots fromHollywoodand drew their own focusing on lines and shapes.

Third Grade

The third graders looked at the work of George Rodrigue and noticed the repeated image of the “Blue Dog”.  Each made their own artwork focused on the dog.  They also learned about mixed media collages and created their own using construction paper, yarn, makers, crayons, magazines, and newspapers.

Fourth Grade

The fourth graders made their own cityscape using construction paper.  They added each buildings reflection using chalk and smearing it under each building.  They are currently working on a still life made up of 4 different colored water bottles.

Fifth Grade

The fifth graders have been working hard on their wavy weavings.  Each made 11 strips decorated with at least three different colors to be woven into their loom.  Their loom is made by cutting curved slits into a folded sheet of construction paper.

Sixth Grade

The sixth graders have finished their animal sculptures with a nice coat of paint.  Each was painted with a pattern or design.  They will then move onto a bright cityscape inspired by James Rizzi.

Seventh Grade

The students looked at a series of artworks by Jim Dine which focused on tools.  They each choose a tool to look at and draw being sure to show all highlights and shadows.  They are currently designing their own dream car.

Eighth Grade

The eighth graders finished stuffing their large candy bars with newspaper and stapling them shut.  They turned out great.  They are now working on a still life made up of water bottles.  They will color using colored pencils being sure to overlap and blend colors to add depth.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at mbrazee@stcletusparish.com.

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Art February 1st, 2012

By mbrazee | Published: February 1, 2012

Kindergarten

The kindergarteners worked on their cutting and gluing while creating a group of penguins made from ovals and triangles.  They also looked at the work of Georgia O’Keeffe and painted a close up of a flower with watercolors.

First Grade

The first graders learned about the order of colors on a rainbow.  Instead of drawing the traditional rainbow, they drew spider webs and added the colors.  They also looked at the work Giuseppe Arcimboldo who painted portraits of people where all details were made up of fruits and vegetables.  Each student created their own portrait drawing fruits and vegetables for the eyes, nose, mouth and ears.

Second Grade

The students looked at the landscape paintings of Ted Harrison and then painted their own using paints of various tints and shades.  They also discussed cubism and looked at the work of George Braque.  Students drew a still life twice, once with cubism, and once realistically.

Third Grade

The third graders looked at the history of printmaking and used Styrofoam trays to make their prints.  They also viewed the work of Amedeo Modigliani and created their own self portraits inspired by his works.

Fourth Grade

The fourth graders looked at the work of Wayne Thiebaud and made their own three dimensional pieces of cake in his style.  They also looked at the illustrations of the book “Where the Wild Things Are” and discussed how a story can be told through the illustrations.  Each student then made their own wild thing with construction paper.

Fifth Grade

The fifth grade focused on images on caution signs.  Students were asked to make their own caution sign using only an image and one word.  They have also started working on a Jasper Johns inspired drawing.  They are creating an artwork based only on numbers.

Sixth Grade

The sixth graders have been busy creating their own animal sculptures.  They used wire to build an armature for the animal of their choice.  Then stuffed it with newspaper and covered it with foil.  They are currently paper maching their sculpture and will soon paint them.

Seventh Grade

The seventh graders painted their own expressive self portrait inspired by the work of Fred Babb.  Each portrait needed a positive message added within.  They are now working on an artwork based completely on small doodles.

Eighth Grade

The eighth graders each made a yearbook cover in hopes that theirs is chosen for the front or back cover of this year’s yearbook.  They also lookedat the work of Claes Oldenburg and discussed how size affects an artwork.  They are currently working on large candy sculptures to be used in “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at mbrazee@stcletusparish.com.

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Art – December 22, 2011

By mbrazee | Published: December 22, 2011

 Kindergarten

The kindergarteners have been making a few different Christmas projects.  They each made their own Christmas tree using strips of green paper and painting snow on and around them.  They also made a snow globe filled with Christmas decorations.

First Grade

The first graders looked at the work of Piet Mondrian and discussed how he used only primary colors, black, and white in his artworks.  Each composition consisted of squares and rectangles in different configurations.  Students drew a large Christmas shape, broke it up with squares and rectangles and then colored with a limited color palette.

Second Grade

The 2nd graders each made their own quilt picking a simple shape, breaking it up with straight lines, and adding stitches to each line.  Then they filled each section a different color.  They recently learned about the tradition of nutcrackers and got to design their own using crayons and construction paper.

Third Grade

The 3rd grade worked on drawing a close up of a Christmas tree focusing on one branch filled with ornaments.  They made the ornaments look 3-D by shading and using curved lines.  They added dimension to their branch by using more then one shade of green for the needles.

Fourth Grade

The 4th graders looked at the book “Snowmen at Night” and discussed how the snowmen were drawn to look three dimensional.  They then used chalk to draw their own snow scene being sure to show a direction of light by shading one side of the snowmen.

Fifth Grade

The students have finished their paper mached letters.  They look wonderful in the display case.  They are now working on their own school of fish.  Each made their own fish on cardstock, traced it multiple times to fill up the paper, and will soon paint using watercolors.

Sixth Grade

The 6th graders have been focusing on proportions. Each drew coin of their choice large on their paper making sure all proportions were transferred correctly.  They are now looking at the proportions of human body and drawing an action pose.

Seventh Grade

The 7th graders have been looking at value.  Each made two nine step value scales using oil pastels to blend different shades and tints.  After they drew a Christmas bow large on their paper, then colored it looking at all highlights and shadows to make them appear to jump off the page.

Eighth Grade

The 8th graders have been creating a self portrait inspired by Chuck Close.  Each had there photo taken close up, and were printed with a grid on top.  Then each student grid their larger paper and began to transfer the photo one square at a time. 

If you have any questions feel free to email me at mbrazee@stcletusparish.com.

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Art December 1, 2011

By mbrazee | Published: December 1, 2011

Kindergarten

  • The kindergarteners have created many artworks in the last month.  They looked at the work of Carmen Lomas Garza and painted their own crazy cacti using a watercolor and crayon resist.  They also used oil pastels to color and shade shapes inspired by Jim Dine.  They are currently working on changing two dimensional papers into three dimensional sculptures by bending, twisting, folding and gluing.

First Grade

  • The first graders learned about different types of sculpture, such as low relief, high relief, and in the round. They used cardboard scraps to build their own low relief sculpture and then painted them.  They are now working on an oil pastel collage by drawing shapes and smearing the color using paper towels.

Second Grade

  • The second graders explored line making three dimensional lines that popped off the paper.  They are now learning how to show movement in an artwork through the figures pose and using repetition.  Students looked at each other in action poses making sure to show the bends in the arms and legs.  Once drawn they will trace around each figure to cover the background.

Third Grade

  • The third graders looked at a few photographs and discussed who or what would be seeing it.  We then talked about how each point of view is different. Students choose a specific point of view like a worms, birds, or fish and then colored what they would see. They are now playing around with different watercolor techniques to create their own space scene.

Fourth Grade

  • Fourth grade learned about contour lines while drawing their hands.  Switching from straight lines in the  background to curved lines on the hand made them appear to jump off the  page.  They are currently working on a Hanoch Piven inspired portrait.  They will paint a close up portrait leaving out the details of the face. Once dry they will cut out  objects from magazines to build the facial features.

Fifth Grade

  • They fifth graders have been busy creating their three dimensional letters.  They have worked the last four classes on cutting out the letter or number of their choice, making it 3D by using paper cups and tape, and finally paper macheing to give it strength.  Next class they will begin painting

Sixth Grade

  • The sixth graders have just completed their accordion art projects.  These artworks are unique because the image changes depending which way you look at it.  They created two drawings, cut them into strips, glued them down alternating between each image, and then folded it into an accordion.  The last step was gluing their accordion folded image onto a border.

Seventh Grade

  • The seventh graders looked at surreal artists Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte and discussed how they could draw a hand that was surreal.  They thought of a theme and created  their surreal hand changing each finger and the palm into something  else.  They are currently working on a mixed media collage using magazines, newspapers, and markers.  They were inspired by artists Richard Hamilton and Robert Rauschenberg.

Eighth Grade

  • The eighth graders have been working on a kaleidocycle, which is a ring of an even number of tetrahedra (pyramids with equal edges and equilatera triangles as sides).  Each of the four sides were colored so as the kaleidocycle turned the image would change.  They will soon practice blending, hatching, crosshatching, and stippling.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at mbrazee@stcletusparish.com.

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Art October 28, 2011

By mbrazee | Published: October 28, 2011

Kindergarten

The students have been busy painting, drawing and building.  The learned about printmaking and made their own bubble wrap prints.  They most recently worked on Halloween art projects using emphasis to make their ghosts stand out in their Halloween scene.  They also made a haunted house using a lunch bag and construction paper scraps.

First Grade

The first graders learned about Jasper Johns and discussed how he uses numbers in some of his paintings.  They then made their own paintings focusing on numbers.  They also learned to slow down and notice details when drawing from real life.  Students studied pumpkins and drew what they saw.  Blending more then one color helped add dimension to their pumpkins.

Second Grade

Second grade looked at the work of Eric Carl and discussed how he makes his illustrations.  They then created their own characters using construction, tissue, and news paper. They are finishing their Halloween projects focusing on positive and negative space.

Third Grade

The third graders looked at Henri Matisse’s “Painting with Scissors” paper cut outs and then made their own inspired by his work.  They are now working on drawing a crowd of people; each person will have a different expression.  They will change the eyes, eyebrows, and mouth to exaggerate each expression.

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade looked at the non-objective artwork of Robert Delaunay and described what they saw.  They created their own non-objective work focusing on line, color, shape, and balance. They have just started learning about Salvador Dali and surrealism and will paint their own surreal scene.

Fifth Grade

The fifth grade had a great time learning about modular origami and making their own 3-d cube.  Once made, they were colored with designs and patterns.  They are currently working on a self portrait that will be colored in the comic book style of Roy Lichtenstein.

Sixth Grade

The sixth graders looked at the sculpture of Mark di Suvero and then created their own rolled paper sculpture.  They choose one color to paint to keep focus on the sculpture itself, not the painting.  They are now learning about two point perspective and how to write words that seem to move off into the distance.

Seventh Grade

The seventh graders looked at the work of Pablo Picasso and George Braque. They discussed what cubism is and then made their own crayon and watercolor cubist painting.  They were to break up the image into warm and cool colors. They are now working on a silhouette of themselves, filling the inside with a pattern of their interests and hobbies.

Eighth Grade

The eighth grade recently finished working on their abstract sculptures. They have now moved onto a pop can still life.  Each student is drawing a can of their choice looking at all details including highlights and shadows.  Once drawn, they will smash the can a little and draw again, then smash it more and draw it one final time.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at mbrazee@stcletusparish.com

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Art, October 2, 2011

By mbrazee | Published: October 2, 2011

Kindergarten

  • The students have been busy with many different art projects.  They recently looked at balance in artworks and created a symmetrical creature. They have made a fish bowl using a watercolor and crayon resist technique and have learned how to show space in an artwork through size, overlapping, and converging lines.

First Grade

  • The students have made all kinds of artworks to start out the year.  They have created 3-D amusement parks, hidden name aliens, superheroes, and been inspired by artists Paul Klee and Sandy Skoglund.  They are currently making their own self portrait.

Second Grade

  • Second grade looked at many different artists so far this year.  They looked at the work of Pablo Picasso and made cubism inspired faces, painted fabulous felines after viewing Laurel Burch’s cats and are currently creating jungle scenes similar to Henri Rousseau.

Third Grade

  • Third grade have made artworks inspired by Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Mosaics.  They are now creating their own unique comic using a comic strip template.  Each comic must have a title, characters, dialogue, and colored background.

Fourth Grade

  • The students worked very hard on their Pointillism paintings after looking at the work of George Seurat.  They are currently finishing up a close up drawing of a bug of their choice looking closely at proportion and details.

Fifth Grade

  • The fifth graders recently finished their one point perspective cityscapes and are now working on a Graphic design lesson where each designs their own DVD cover.  Each cover must include the title, an image, and a slogan.

Sixth Grade

  • The sixth graders practiced blind contours to teach them to slow down and notice details while drawing.  They will then draw their hand making sure it shows all details and is proportionate.

Seventh Grade

  • The seventh graders looked at the work of M.C. Escher and made their own tessellating shape.  They also practiced gesture drawings of figures in action poses to help with their wire sculptures.  They are currently making their own logos for a new or existing company/product.

Eighth Grade

  • The students are finishing their graffiti tags and will then move onto making an abstract sculpture using a coat hanger, wooden base, and nylons.  Once the sculpture is created they will be painted to emphasize its movement.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at mbrazee@stcletusparish.com.

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