Ms. Blasdel's Art Projects

  Description: For this lesson, I learned about how to make a base pot and I used a toothpick to put designs on it. Then, we flipped it over and used clay to create leaves which we scored and used water to attach them to the pot. We had to use  at least two elements and principles of design with color, texture, and depth. We painted  our  succulents and wrote sentences on which principles of design we used. Also, we  learned  about Maria  Martinez  and the  techniques  she uses in her clay pots.  Extension Activity: Along with students making these clay plants, they could research other plants and see how and where they survive. This would be a science lesson and students could even plant their own real-life plant. 

Summary: For this project, we drew an animal scene on a piece of paper before taping it to a piece of styrofoam. Then, we traced our lines pretty hard onto the styrofoam so they would show up on it. Then, we taped a piece of wax paper and put paint on it. We used a roller to put the paint on our styrofoam picture and then we flipped it onto a piece of white paper. We used a clean roller to press the paint onto the paper and the scene was "printed" on the paper.  Extension Activity: An extension activity for this project is to have your students research the animal they decided to draw for science class. They would find five facts about their animal and share them with the class. 

  Summary: For this lesson, we listened to Ashyln and Emma speak about different types of 2D and 3D art examples and artists. Then, we talked about different types of snakes and how all of them look different. For the project, we used one piece of construction paper to first cut out the head and then the tail. After that, we used the rest of the construction paper to cut out our rings for the body of the snake. We used glue to connect the head, chains, and tail. Once we were done, we used paint and Q-tips to draw our eyes and designs on the snake. Finally, we went around and shared why we painted our snake that way and if we named it.  Extension Activity: Paper chains could also be used for a math activity by connecting the chains and counting them. This is a good way to visually see which chain is larger and how a smaller chain will always be a smaller number. Students would be able to pick any number 1 through 10 and create that many paper chains. Then, I would pair up my st...

  Summary:  For this lesson, our classmates taught us about 2 of Vincent Van Gough's most famous paintings and we had to write what we learned or noticed within the paintings. Then, they taught us four different watercolor techniques and we practiced them on a small piece of paper. The next step of drawing our vase and flowers with a pencil and then we traced them with a Sharpie. The last step was to paint using at least 2 of the water-colored techniques so I did the wet on wet and textured one using salt.  Extension Activity: To take this project a step further, I would have my students research different types of flowers and how they develop such pretty colors. This extension activity would include science and how flowers get their colors. 

 My Picture Puzzle: Summary: For this project, we drew four different symbols or objects that impact our lives. Students had to use colored pencils, crayons, and markers. In the background of each picture, they had to include lines to express how that object made them feel. For example, I drew active lines in the background of my soccer ball picture to express how I'm always moving in soccer. Then, we had our students write a sentence for each object they drew explaining why it's important to them. We cut out each picture and glued it on a bigger piece of construction paper.  Extension Activity: In higher-level elementary classes, students could extend this project by writing a short narrative essay about these symbols. Within this essay, they could tell stories about how these symbols or objects impacted their lives. Then, they could read their essay to the class and show their creations.  Whole Classes Projects: