Ms. Armstrong's Star Artists

5th Graders - NEW TIME for Painting Sun 5/4

PLEASE NOTE - This Sunday the time to come by the school to paint squares has been moved back 1 hour, it is now 3PM - 5PM.
Thank you,
Mrs. Armstrong & Ms. Turner

Fifth Grade Painting Dates!

For Fifth Graders who wish to get a head start on their "square" in the hallway we will be at the school this Saturday, May 3rd from 10am-12pm and Sunday, May 4th from 2-4pm. No appointment is necessary, just show up. Enter at the outside door by the Art Room, it will be open. Continue to check this blog for updates! : )

-Mrs. Armstrong & Ms. Turner

Play Dough Recipes

I have had many requests for recipes to make your own play dough. There are a variety of ways to make play dough and most of the ingredients are probably already in the kitchen. Here is a link to many play dough recipes - have fun! Play Dough Recipes

Welcome Spring!

Nicholson's Star Artists are energized with creativity after another fantastic Arts Enrichment Day! On April 4th, we were privileged to be visited by 9 different artists and 3 performing groups. We saw several painters, a potter, a woodturner, a cartoonist, a whistle-maker, Chinese brush painting and traditional Chinese paper cutting. Our performers entertained us with tap-dancing, drumming and music from Latin America. Its no wonder that the students are brimming over with ideas for their own works of art!

Now we are busy applying all that creative energy toward our clay projects. Here is a summary of what each grade level is working on...

Kindergarten - For most of us this is our first experience with REAL CLAY - other than tracking it in on our shoes! We've discussed where clay comes from and how we change it permanently by firing it in the kiln. We have learned the technique of pinching the clay to turn it into an animal FORM. We have observed that working in clay means that we are making a SCULPTURE and that this is an artwork which is 3-DIMENSIONAL.

1st Grade - We are learning the method of making a "pinch pot" and taking that technique a step further by turning our pinch pots into something special like an animal with legs or a tiny treasure jar. Each student has decided on a DESIGN for their jar, practiced it in play dough and finally recreated their design in real clay.

2nd Grade - Now that the 2nd graders have had some experience with clay in the past, we are adding new construction skills to their repertoire. This year we are learning the COIL method of building with clay. This involves rolling out coils and building them up into a small jar using the 3 step to joining clay, SCORE, SLIP and SEAL. Many students added a handle or a lid as well!

3rd Grade - The 3rd grade is learning about Native American Pueblo Story Tellers like those of artist, Helen Cordero. We have looked at her work and discussed the history of story tellers and their role in the Native American culture. We noticed that Story Tellers always have an open mouth and many small figures sitting on them listening to the story. We have also noticed that there is no book in their hands because this is an ORAL TRADITION. For fun and creative inspiration students were encouraged to use animal or human figures for their Story Tellers. This has employed all of the basic clay building skills we learned in earlier grades and reviewed during our practice sessions. The results are diverse and wonderful!
Helen Cordero, Pueblo Potter

4th Grade - We are making music with clay! The 4th grade is creating clay rattles with a hollow center. This takes careful handling so as not to squash the delicate, hollow structure before it is dry. The 4th grade is up the the challenge and have employed all their clay knowledge. We have also focused on the SCIENCE behind creating with clay. We learned that firing the clay makes a permanent CHEMICAL CHANGE in its structure. We also learned that we must poke some holes in the hollow rattle to help it dry so that EXPANDING WATER MOLECULES will not cause our creations to explode in the kiln. Aside from the delicate technical creation of the rattle, these students have given their rattle their own unique designs ranging from dragons to sub marines!

5th Grade - For the first time we are mixing white and red clays to create our own versions of a legendary Southern art form, the FACE JUG. Face jugs have achieved high status in the world of Folk Art and are found in the collection of the Smithsonian Institute.The earliest examples date from the 1800s and were created by slaves working as potters in Edgefield, North Carolina. The jugs feature a typically "ugly" face with bulging eyes and teeth. Their original purpose is not known. Preeminent contemporary face jug artists, the Meaders Family are from right here in Georgia. Their family has been making pottery since the late 1800s. Our face jug creations all have their own personality and will surely be a conversation piece in your home for years to come!
Meaders Family Pottery

Happy 2008!

Happy New Year Nicholson Stars!

I am very excited about the Annual Nicholson Art Show this week Jan. 22-25th. Artworks by every Nicholson student will be featured in a "gallery" outside their homerooms for families and visitors to admire. Visitors, please be sure to let your student artists know you saw and admired their creations!

Here are some of the projects we are working on this month...

Kindergarten - We have just finished our SELF-PORTRAIT COLLAGES with a variety of papers and yarn. We have learned that a SELF-PORTRAIT is a picture of ourself and a COLLAGE is a variety of things put together in one artwork. We have been inspired by master artists Miriam Shapiro, Romare Bearden and Faith Ringgold.

1st Grade - We have just finished a TEXTURE study SELF-PORTRAIT. We learned that TEXTURE is the way something feels and that one way to show TEXTURE in our artwork is to create rubbings with crayon. In art works TEXTURE can also describe how we think something would feel based on the way the artist represents it.

2nd Grade - We are completing a fun SELF-PORTRAIT inspired by Picasso's "Girl Before A Mirror." We have learned the meaning of the term PROFILE and are emulating Picasso's technique of showing a face from the front and in PROFILE at the same time. These SELF-PORTRAITS are a fun, geometric fantasy.

3rd Grade - We are creating a RELIEF SELF-PORTRAIT using yarn, foil and ultimately a dry-brush painting technique. The students used mirrors to create their SELF-PORTRAITS then glued yarn to the drawn lines. The next step involves covering our creations with aluminum foil and painting over it so that our RELIEF "pops" out. Each stage of this project has revealed beautiful work by the industrious 3rd graders.

4th Grade - We have just finished a careful study in REALISM to create drawn SELF-PORTRAITS that also utilize VALUE to create depth. While we learned that all of our faces have the same basic proportions, we have looked carefully in the mirror while drawing to notice the special characteristics that make us all one-of-a-kind!

5th Grade - The fifth grade has immersed themselves in unique SELF-PORTRAITS made from yarn! We looked at the "yarn paintings" of the Huichol Indians of Mexico as well as artworks by contemporary artists. This has been a fun and fascinating project. The students have impressed me with their tenacity as they work. I can't wait to show off the finished products!

Autumn Artists

As nature enriches our world with vibrant Autumn color we are learning about color and color theory in our artworks. Here are some of our current art explorations:

Kindergarten - We learned about our "Super Hero Primary Colors", Red, Blue and Yellow. Their super power is the ability to make ALL the colors we can see in our artwork. Next, we created a pumpkin patch picture colored and painted with the SECONDARY colors, Orange, Green and Purple. Coming up we will get to know Picasso and create our own artwork in the CUBIST style using SHAPES!

1st Grade - We are learning about WARM and COOL colors. We read Camille and the Sunflowers: A Story about Vincent van Gogh by L. Ahalt. This lovely story teaches a little bit about van Gogh's life and demonstrates the importantance of friendship and acceptance. With van Gogh as our inspiration we are creating a PAINTED COLLAGE of our own sunflowers.

2nd Grade - We are looking at the magnificent artwork of Georgia O'Keefe and studying the concepts of ENLARGEMENT and DETAIL. With the beautiful change of season around us now we are looking very closely at Autumn leaves and creating our own giant, detailed recreations in oil pastel!

3rd Grade - We are creating PRINTMAKING plates with glue. Our designs are PATTERNS of Autumn leaves inspired by the music of Vivaldi. We listened to the Autumn Allegro from the Four Seasons Concerto and pictured the leaves spinning and squirrels chasing each other through the trees! We will be exploring the effect of different color combinations on our final prints.

4th Grade - We are finishing MONOCHROMATIC drawings of some furry, stuffed friends. To understand this concept we have broken the word down into its parts: mono meaning "one," chrome meaning "color" and the suffix "atic" which tells us how something works. We first created a 5-step VALUE SCALE to practice the skill of creating various shades with only one color.

5th Grade - We are studying the innovative and exciting artwork of Andy Warhol and the Pop Art movement. Color is a meaningful component of all art and Pop Art is no exception. We are learning about COMPLEMENTARY COLORS and applying our understanding to our own Pop Art oil pastel drawings. Everyone enjoys the oil pastels which I like to call "paint in a stick!"

"Magnet Art" by Your Student

The Star Artists are hard at work creating artworks for our annual Original Works fundraiser. This is what we call "magnet art" because once our artwork is completed, it is sent to Original Works for production of a full color, 4” x 5” preview magnet. A magnet is made for each piece of artwork submitted. Original Works then sends a Magnet Package to the school for each participant. You get to see the finished magnet before you buy!

Families may purchase the preview magnet, return it with no obligation and/or purchase any of the other items offered. You will simply complete the order form and return it to the school with your payment for any items you choose. The completed products and original of the student's art will be delivered to the school and given to your student to bring home. To see more of the products that will be offered, you can visit this link: Original Works Products for purchase

Keep an eye out for a notice that will come home with your student as well!

Here are the concepts Mrs. Armstrong's students have been working on as they create their "Orignal Works" -
Kindergarten - We have been creating a garden and a special bug using crayon & tempra resist with paper collage. We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar and talked about METAMORPHOSIS.
First Grade - We are creating an oil pastel and tempra resist of a favorite animal surrounded by pattern.
Second Grade - We are creating "Mandalas" based on examples of sand mandalas created by Tibetan monks. The mandala is a circular graphic design. The students were asked to include things that are important to them in their own mandala.
Third Grade - We are working on the drawing skill of overlapping to create depth and realism. We each drew a "Room With a View." Each student's drawing represents a typical room and a window where they created a surprising or unusual scene.
Fourth Grade - We are working on drawing with one-point perspective to create realistic landscapes. We will use a variety of media to color our final drawings
Fifth Grade - We are creating cityscapes while we revisit one-point perspective and advance to two-point perspective. Our city scape drawings also feature some unusual giants (babies, baby chicks, giant ants, etc.).

Welcome Star Artists!

Welcome to the 2007-2008 school year!
Each class is working hard at learning new skills and applying them to their artworks. We are beginning to produce artworks that will be turned into magnets for our annual fundraiser. Look for details to come home soon. I am looking forward to the many wonderful things you will create in Art Class this year.