Honoring

Fourth and fifth grade students created a collective series of work to honor veterans for Veterans Day this year.

Students created the Ohio flag.

They also made a flag of the United States.

Students also created a poster for the army, navy , air force, marines and the coast guard.

After drawing the design and tracing it with marker, students added a wash of watercolor paint for the background.

After retracing the poster with marker, students began to use dots of paint in a pointillistic manner.

Every group began adding dots of color to their art work.

Collectively the work began to take shape as dots and colors began to fill in the design.

It was fun to watch the students take ownership of their work as their skills increased.

All of the students were introduced to new art techniques and design ideas as they worked cooperatively on this project.

Here are examples of their work:

 

 

 

 

Character words

Fourth grade students completed their paintings of character words.

After adding finishing touches to their letter paintings, each group discussed their work.

The final step was to add a coat of gloss to their canvas.

Students really enjoyed working cooperatively on this project.

Each class viewed their work at the end of the project.

Everyone participated in a review of their work and the  creative process.

Students were proud of the fact their work will be on view in the building for all to see.

 

Everyone engaged in the learning process for this project.

 

Maybe you can stop by and see the students’ work once it is hung in the building over the summer break.

Lettering

Fourth grade students have been working on a lettering project.

Each forth grade class has been working on a character word that will be displayed in the school.

Each class has six groups, and each group is responsible for one of the letters in the word.

Everyone has been busy working on the background and the subject, which is the letter.

Students have been using and learning about complementary colors as they explore masking out the letter they paint.

The project is teaching the students to work cooperatively.

 

Here are a couple of examples of the students’ work before we begin to add texture to the background of their work.

 

Arbor Day

Fifth grade students recently participated in the City of Willard’s Arbor Day poster contest.

The poster contest was sponsored by the Willard Tree Commission.

Students were given the theme “Trees are good for life.”

After learning about Arbor Day, students created three ideas and picked their best idea for their poster.

Lettering was a large part of the students’ design for their posters.

Everyone had a variety of materials to choose from to create their poster.

I was very proud of the hard work most everyone put into their posters.

This was a great project for the students to become aware of their community and environment and how they have a part in their local community.

Students also learned about the process it takes to come up with an idea and turn it into a poster to educate their community.

Here are some examples of their posters:

 

 

 

 

 

 

2015 Fire Safety Poster Contest

Third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade students participated in the National Fire Safety Poster Contest again this year.

This is a great learning experience for the students as they explore graphic design, lettering and visual communications.

It’s also a great opportunity for students to learn about fire safety and to design a poster that teaches others about safety.

The contest is open to all of the students in the Willard area, and I focus the contest for the 3rd-6th grade students.

Learning lettering and design is a large part of this project, and it’s great to see how students develop their skills each year they participate.

1^st place winner in the 1st-3rd grade division was Keyla Olvera, a 3rd grader from Willard Elementary School.

2nd place winner in the 1st-3rd grade division was Katelyn Green, a 3rd grader from Willard Elementary School.

3rd place winner in the 1st-3rd grade division was Jovan Alfaro, a 3rd grader from Willard Elementary School.

Honorable Mention in the 1st-3rd grade division was Kaylie McMillin, a 3rd grader from Willard Elementary School.

Honorable Mention in the 1st-3rd grade division was Carlee Green, a 3rd grader from Willard Elementary School.

1^st place winner in the 4th, 5th & 6th grade division was Fernando Huerta, a 6th grader from Willard Middle School.

 

2nd place winner in the 4th, 5th & 6th grade division was Brianna Lykins, a 5th grader from Willard Elementary School.

3rd place winner in the 4th, 5th & 6th grade division was Ellen Fox, a 6th grader from St. Francis Xavier School.

Honorable Mention in the 4th, 5th & 6th grade division was Carissa Metcalfe, a 6th grader from St. Francis Xavier School.

Honorable Mention in the 4th, 5th & 6th grade division was Bryce Thomas, a 6th grader from Willard Middle School.

Lettering

One of our beginning projects each year is lettering.

Lettering is a basic drawing skill that builds the skills of each student.

Students explored block and bubble styles of lettering.

Lettering is the act or process of inscribing with or making letters.  It is a basic way of learning to communicate visually and an important skill for students to develop.

Students will use their skills in our upcoming fire safety poster contest this year.

 

Window art

Students began our new year by adding their name to the windows in front of the new art room.

We used Crayola window markers for the first time this year as everyone used some type of lettering to add their name to our window.

The marker wipes off very easily and shows up very bright.

It was fun to explore a new medium in a new space as we begin a new year.

 

Love

Fourth grade students recently completed their cooperative painting project based on Robert Indiana’s Love paintings.

After completing the background, students added color to their love letters with watercolor paint.

Every group had a different approach to the lettering.

Next students added crayon shavings to their image to incorporate a melted crayon effect.

For the final step, after some evaluation, students added color to the background of their images.

The fourth graders learned to work together to create a wonderful image.

Students explored the idea that love has different meanings and examined the ideas the artist might have had for using the word love.

Everyone had an enjoyable time exploring new mediums and concepts through the artwork based on Robert Indiana.

Putting it together

Sixth graders added shape and letters to their images this studio session.

Students picked a letter shape to add in part or whole to their project.

Everyone was busy adding finishing touches to their image before adding paint next session.

With direction everyone became focused in the short session they have in art each Friday.

It was great to see everyone stretch their creative ideas in new ways.

After a busy studio session students will reflect on their work and add paint to their projects next week.

An example of student work in progress.