Wild Things

I have always been a HUGE fan of Maurice Sendak and I have done several projects based on his amazing illustrations and stories. This 'Wild Things' project is inspired by his book, 'Where the Wild Things Are'....
The kids created their creatures by joining together parts of several other creatures (we also created a new name for their creature by using some of the letters of the different animal names.....with some hilarious results!). I think their creations are absolutely stunning!!

Aiden - Year 3/4

Celine - Year 3/4

Humphrey - Year 3/4

Leila - Year 3/4

Lilly.B - Year 3/4

Netta - Year 3/4

Mathew - Year 3/4

Shiyi - Year 3/4

Surreal Landscapes

This was a multi-focus project that looked at Perspective, Surrealism and the use of multiple mediums. We first looked at a number of Surrealist artworks and spoke about associated artists, such as Dali, Magritte and Ernst.
We then all started our image in the same way - first drawing a horizon line and then creating a road  or river using one point perspective.
From there the students were able to create the landscape of their dreams and imaginations!

Annabel - Year 4

Lily.A - Year 4

Jennifer - Year 4

Soham - Year 4

Bird in a Birdcage

I have had a bit of a bird obsession over the last year or so, and this is the latest in a series of bird inspired projects!

1. We used some pictures of different birds to help us do a pencil drawing.

2. We then outlined and shaded our bird using a black wax crayon.

3. We used an overhead projector to trace our birdcage over our bird.

4. We went over the pencil lines of our birdcage with our black wax crayon (although this photo doesn't show it!)

5, Finally we painted an ink background over our entire background except for the bird. I will be uploading some student examples in the next few days!

Seasonal Trees with Marbled Leaves

This is a great project to do in between bigger and messier ones! Apart from some marbling, it's pretty easy and the finished artworks look great!

Lesson 1 - Draw the outlines and veins of 10-12 leaves, marble them and leave them to dry. Draw and colour a tree that touches the top and bottom of your piece of paper. To add a bit of texture, we also ripped up and glued on some strips of brown paper. 
                                                     

 Lesson 2: Use the tree to divide your paper into two halves. Colour one half as Summer/Spring and the other as Autumn/Winter. Finally, and this may need a third lesson, cut out and glue on your marbled leaves and mount the artwork onto a black background.

Calder Inspired Wire Portraits

I have wanted to do this project since seeing Calder's work at the 'Picasso to Warhol' exhibition in 2012 at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
I am working with a very talented group of Year 6's and 7's and I am loving the results!

My sample

 Hannah - Year 7

 Anshu - Year 7

Jodie - Year 7

Harry - Year 7

Amy Y - Year 7

Taehwan

Pheung

Patterns!

We use patterns so often in so many of our projects.....and yet when we are sitting there trying to come up with them, the mind can go blank!
So, one of my classes and I made a quick 'Pattern Poster' to put up in our Art Room.......just as a reminder of just a few of the millions of patterns that can be made!!

Miro Inspired Creatures

Materials:
- A3 Paper
- Lead pencil
- Coloured inks (alternatives can include food dye mixed with water or diluted acrylic paint)
- Black wax crayon (this can be an oil pastel or a twistable/wind up style of crayon)

I love Miro's work and I find that it often appeals to children's imaginations. I love that it is simple enough for every child to be able to complete it successfully, but also provides opportunities for them to add their own style and details.
We start by playing a couple of rounds of 'Roll A Miro' game - there are a few versions of this game out there and mine is definitely not the first!
This is the link to my version - feel free to use it!
This is a great way to introduce the work of Miro and the types of lines, patterns and symbols that he uses.

The students then create their own Miro inspired 'creature' - I ask them to draw nice and large onto A3 paper and to include some of the shapes into the background. They then go over their pencil lines with a black wax crayon.

 The students then use ink to paint their creature. I ask them to choose a few areas to colour in solid black and to leave at least 3 areas on their picture white to create some visual emphasis.

 I love the process of getting to see the different creative choices that my students make!

Arvid

Claire

Helene