At the beginning of the year the third graders read the book "Chameleons are Cool" by Martin Jenkins. We then discussed how to draw a chameleon using simple shapes. The students looked at photos of chameleons to see the different features. They created their own chameleon on a large piece of paper. When the drawing was done they practiced blending oil pastels. We talked about value - the lights and darks of a color. The students then used the values of a color, for example the lights and darks of blue to color in parts of their chameleons. After the chameleons were colored we discussed watercolors. The students were shown different ways to paint with watercolor and then used what they learned to paint the background of the chameleon.
The second project the students worked on was observational drawing. I brought some leaves into class and the students first did a crayon rubbing - they put the leaves under the paper and rubbed a crayon over it to make an impression. They then practiced drawing the leaves by looking a them and drawing them with a pencil. The following week they drew the leaves again on a piece of watercolor paper. They then traced the pencil drawing with a mixture of glue and black acrylic paint. The glue dries and leaves a nice black outline on the paper. The last step was to paint the leaves warm colors and the background cool colors using some watercolor techniques they learned in class.
The next project the students worked on was a lesson inspired by Pablo Picasso. The students watched a DVD about Pablo Picasso and discussed his artwork. The students learned about Cubism. The students create their own portrait based on the artwork of Pablo Picasso.
We then work on Form - an element of art. We look carefully at the book "Snowmen at Night" and discover how to make a two dimensional circle look like a three dimensional sphere. The students create their own snowman using oil pastels. They use purples and blues to create shading and shadows to give their snowmen form. They finish the snowmen up with fun details such as hats, scarves mittens and even ear muffs.
The second project the students worked on was observational drawing. I brought some leaves into class and the students first did a crayon rubbing - they put the leaves under the paper and rubbed a crayon over it to make an impression. They then practiced drawing the leaves by looking a them and drawing them with a pencil. The following week they drew the leaves again on a piece of watercolor paper. They then traced the pencil drawing with a mixture of glue and black acrylic paint. The glue dries and leaves a nice black outline on the paper. The last step was to paint the leaves warm colors and the background cool colors using some watercolor techniques they learned in class.
The next project the students worked on was a lesson inspired by Pablo Picasso. The students watched a DVD about Pablo Picasso and discussed his artwork. The students learned about Cubism. The students create their own portrait based on the artwork of Pablo Picasso.
We then work on Form - an element of art. We look carefully at the book "Snowmen at Night" and discover how to make a two dimensional circle look like a three dimensional sphere. The students create their own snowman using oil pastels. They use purples and blues to create shading and shadows to give their snowmen form. They finish the snowmen up with fun details such as hats, scarves mittens and even ear muffs.