Burton Morris Pop Hearts

I just finished up a unit on Pop Art with my Third Graders, focusing on the artwork of Pop Artist Burton Morris. I introduced the lesson by giving the students a brief tour through his web site and then showing them this video where he talks about his campaign with Coca Cola and what inspired his designs for Coke. 

We discussed Pop Art, icons, and popular culture. Morris' Coca Cola campaign included a highly-recognized American icon, so doing a heart for Valentine's Day was very "American" as well!

We started off with the following pieces of paper:

I had all these sheets set out and pre-cut for them. They were allowed to choose their own colors for the project.

1 9x9 sheet of black paper

1 8x8 sheet of turquoise, yellow, or pink paper, for the background

2 sheets different colored paper (for big heart) sized 6x9"

1 small piece white paper 3x4.5 for glare marks and movement lines

used scraps (trade with the person next to you) for smaller hearts

 Displayed together they look so awesome and POP-PY! This was a very timely project, as we have been working a lot on scissor technique, collage, and master artists (and it's a perfect Valentine-y project mwahahahahahaha!)

By the way! I have now gotten our Facebook page up and running! Please come follow  We Heart Art on Facebook!

Clay Saves the Day!

For the past 10 years I have not done "real" clay projects with my Kindergartners or First Graders. I don't know what my issue was...clay is just SO much work (for me...loading the kiln, setting the kiln, unloading the kiln, labeling work, making sure bags are zipped close, scraping scraps off the floor, refilling vinegar containers, fishing lost clay tools from drains, etc...!)

This year I took the plunge and made pinch pots with my Kindergartners and First Graders! I love how honestly and lopsided they turned out--that sort of thing makes my heart SWOON! 

More posts to come on these lumpy, lopsided little lovelies!

The Goldfish

   

My fourth graders just finished these adorable projects based off of Henri Matisse's The Goldfish Bowl! 

We used a 12x18 sheet of paper for the background, and created a Matisse-like cut-paper collage on Day 1. (I also read the students Mike Venezia's "Getting to Know the Artists: Henri Matisse" as a good intro. Unfortunately, I did have to staple some of the pages together because I'm not sure my students could handle nudity :( ) 

After we finished the background, we created the "table" and then painted two sheets of paper to make the fishbowl and the fish.

I just love how they turned out...and the kids worked so hard on them! 

Also, I FINALLY got around to getting our Facebook page up and running! If you'd rather "follow" on Facebook, here is our link:

We Heart Art on Facebook!

My Kindergartners Aren't LION

Hope you all have had a wonderful first coupleof weeks back from vacation! We are in our second full week back and I'm really starting to pump some stuff out for Spring Art shows. They always seem to sneak up on me!

My Kindergartners are finishing up these adorable lions this week! For this project, I had them use black crayon to draw and tempera blocks to paint. I limited their pallette to Orange, Yellow, and Brown.

They did most of the painting last week with their initial drawings and did last-minute touch-ups today. They also used a little yarn to give the painting a little more visual appeal.

....and that's IT! Simple paintings with adorable results! (By the way, these are sized 12"x18")

****Speaking of yarn, I am having a VERY hard time keeping my yarn organized. Right now it is in big, flat bin(s) and it is driving me INSANE. I would rather not be a yarn beast and cut yarn for all my kids, but honestly I'm going crazy trying to keep things organized and not tangled or unraveled. I saw some ideas on Pinterest, one that peeked my interest was using baby wipe containers to keep yarn balls in and to have the kids pull the yarn through the dispensers. This looks great in theory...but seems like it'd take up a LOT of space. Thoughts? Suggestions? What works for you?

Snowy Silhouettes

In Florida, we're TORN about winter! I mean, we want it to get colder....but we also enjoy playing with Christmas gifts outside in our warm weather! My third graders created these beautiful snowy silhouettes, though, and I wanted to share them!

First, I gave them blue, purple, and white paints (no water, I wanted the paint to mix on their brushes) and had them create a background. Most turned out stripe-y. 

On Day 2, I gave them a 4x18 strip of white paper and had them tear the long edge off and glue it on as the layer of "snow". I then gave them a 3x18 strip of black and had them do the same thing...and this was the silhouetted "land".

They used scrap black and white from the scrap box to make their torn trees and snow!

I love how everyone's turned out so differently. I was glad they were able to move beyond their imperfections (bumpy, lumpy limbs and tree trunks) to see the true beauty of nature. 

It's funny that as I write this we're "freezing" and it's 69 degrees today. We'll see ya on the beach on Christmas Day, though...we should be back up to 80. ENJOY!

Mixed Media Ornaments

Merry Christmas from We Heart Art! Enjoy your holiday (and your vacation!)

Paper Pointsettias

These 3-D paper pointsettias are so much fun to make...I've been making them for years and am just now getting around to blogging about them! They have been a "favorite" of my 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders each year! This year I decided to give this project as a "free choice" project after they finished their work. I really thought most of the boys would opt out and would do free draw...but I was WRONG! They boys embraced it and desperately wanted to finish them to give them to mom!

First, start out with a 12x18 sheet of green paper. Fold the paper long-ways (hot dog style) and HOLD THE FOLD. Cut the fringe up to the opening of the paper, but don't cut "off" the paper. Do this the entire length of the paper. Then, twist the folded paper into a circle and staple the end so it stays in place. I like to stick my finger inside the folds to puff them out a bit.

Lastly, use red construction paper to cut the flower petals...4 petals per flower. You don't need to put a flower on every single "stem". Use crumbled bits of tissue paper to make the seed/pollen pods.

VOILA! A beautiful Christmas Flower centerpiece! Easy (and fun!!!) too! Happy Holidays from We Heart Art!