Eye Spy

Before she left us, my student teacher had the fourth graders whip through a quick two-day drawing/oil pastel resist/creepy eyeball extravaganza. Both Miss Caruso and I have a thing for drawing eyes, and I doubt we're alone. Something about the details, the symbolism, and the uniqueness of eyes is really quite captivating.

Granted, for all their beauty, there is something about touching my own eyes twice a day--contact lens wearers, high five!--that is absolutely disgusting, and when we have children, my husband will be responsible for any and all child eye problems, but whatever. They're fun to draw!

After a bit o' sketching, Miss Caruso had the kids draw final copies on small (6 x 9") white paper. Kiddos could choose a human eye or an animal eye.

Oil pastels were used to color, leaving any to-be-black spaces uncolored, while white spaces must be colored with white oil pastel.

India ink was smeared across part of or the entire paper and left to dry.

And as part of our last class together, the kiddos used large popsicle sticks to scratch away as much of the India ink as desired/possible.

 

Some of these look SUPER neato, while others just didn't quite get there (my own example was part of the latter group!). But the kids were really into it and had some good drawing exposure. And now they have some creepy eyeballs to scare their parents with! Win!

Beautiful Banyan Trees!

Ohhhhhhh my goodness! This might be my favorite new project!

You've probably seen this or a similar Banyan Tree project in Dynamic Art Projects for Children, or maybe another blog. But I'm going to post it anyway because it is just that fabulous!

Banyan trees grow primarily in India, though you can find some in Florida as well. From its branches grow aerial roots, which stretch downward and plant themselves back into the ground. They're amazing to look at!

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My fifth graders worked with oil pastels on their Wayne Thiebaud-inspired cakes project and really loved them. I think I significantly facilitated the sale of oil pastels at the local arts and crafts stores with that project. This project upped the oil pastel ante, as kiddos had to use their previous experience with the medium and further their technique in the form of blending colors.

To begin, I walked the students through the tree-drawing process. Despite giving each class essentially the same spiel, every tree was very different. I love that about art, don't you?

After drawing, kiddos painted their tree trunks and branches with black tempera paint. All that jazz took at least one full 45-minute class; some kiddos had to finish painting at the start of the next class.

As far as coloring goes, most of my fifth graders used up two classes' worth of time (90 minutes total) to color. Every section had to include two analogous or like colors blended together. Some students went the random route, while others chose a specific color scheme or order.

For the bottoms of the artwork, more colors could be used. Some students 'planted' their tree in water, which allowed for a reflection. I highly recommend using the reflective format, as the results are totally stunning! (The photos do NOT do these projects any justice. The vibrancy of the colors will knock your socks off in person!)

This sweet kiddo lacks a lot of fine motor skills... yet this project was her JAM!

This one is nicer than my example... it's humbling to be outdone by an 11-year-old!

I'll do this project again and again--the kids loved it, they learned a lot, and WOW, are these babies gorgeous!

Also, two nights ago I watched "Life of Pi," and there's a Banyan tree in one scene! I'm 28 years old and that alone made me so excited that I accidentally woke up the dog... and my husband. Whoops.

And the winners are...

In case anyone was curious about the results of our Cake Contest, here are the winners from each school!

Most Delicious/Appetizing:

Best Birthday Cake:

Most Wedding-Worthy:

Coolest Color Combinations:

Most Creative:

The winners received cupcakes from a local cafe/bakery. I got one (duh) and saved it for the next day--an incredible and rare feat for yours truly. A hot cup of coffee and a delicious cupcake was the perfect way to end a busy school day! I highly recommend it.

Trapeze Artists

Holy daylight saving time, Batman! Anyone else teaching half-awake today?

Maybe this project will wake you up. It was a Pinterest find (from Use Your Coloured Pencils), and hits a lot of goodies--figure drawing, design, and sculpture, to name a few.

We started out talking about the art of trapeze, and looking at photos and video of trapeze artists in action! I showed a portion of this video clip, which is from one of the Cirque du Soleil shows. Despite discussing why fitted clothing and athletic bodies are important parts of trapeze, some of my kiddos couldn't control their giggles when they saw the tight costumes and muscular booties--but you'll have this with 8-year-old boys.

The kiddos' creativity really kicked in when it came to designing their trapeze artists--they were seriously PUMPED about this part! Reminds me of all the fun I had with paper dolls as a child.

Once the designing was done, the coloring began. Like Use Your Colored Pencils, we used oil pastels-- the kids loved the bright, bold finish. We had some smudges, but from a distance, it's just fine. Coloring took us into the second day. Please enjoy the following: Miss Trunchbull's trapeze twin, a man with jaundice, and Kermit the Frog, also known as a typical day in elementary art.

When the front was colored, kiddos cut out their performers and worked to make the backs match.

Then it was time to assemble (which took some students into a third day)! I showed the kids how to make the trapeze by threading pre-cut yarn through a clear straw. Other than that, they were on their own for figuring out how to get these things together. Staplers seemed to be the number one choice for attaching people to bars--ouch!

Our school's alarm system is highly sensitive (so I'm told) and therefore I couldn't dangle these from the hall ceilings, so they're swinging high in the art room instead!

The third graders LOVED these and my other students remain quite envious!

By the way,  I debated having my third graders trace a figure or make their own, and ultimately decided that drawing their own would be too time-consuming and probably quite frustrating for all parties involved. Instead, I made a stencil that they traced. If you have tried this project or plan to in the future, what route did/will you take?

I think this project is a total keeper. I also think that I need a nap.

Update: As some of the kiddos finished early, I challenged them to design a poster that would advertise and entice people to come to their very own trapeze show. Some of the results were fabulous (and hilarious!) and I cannot help but to share!

From one of my favorite children of all time... what a ham.