Oil Pastel Landscapes

It's August and we are back in school! Art students learned about the three spatial planes in a landscape. They used oil pastels to paint a landscape with a foreground, middle ground and a background. Recycled cardboard was used as the surface board to create their art.

End of Year Group Sculpture Projects

Students collaborated in groups of four to five people to plan, design, and paint a 3D sculpture. Students used cardboard and paper mache and paint to construct their ideas into works of art. Students then voted on their favorite projects from an exhibit of 20 projects. Below are three examples. The winning group project was the cheeseburger! Students were very competitive during this art lesson, and it was fun to see the winners faces when they realized they won!

When Art Was an Olympic Event!

My art students are getting ready to watch the winter Olympics by making art based on their favorite sport. Students learned that there was a time when art was an Olympic event! From 1912 until 1952, 151 medals were given for painting, sculpture, writing and more! Will this idea ever return? We will have to see. Students also learned about drawing with multiple values and how shading tools can help an artist to draw even better when realism is the goal. Here is an interesting link about art and the Olympics.

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Halloween Paper Collage

Happy Halloween collage! Students learned about silhouettes and created cats cut out with construction paper. Students were encouraged to give their cats a unique personality/attitude based upon eye expressions and posture.

My art students collaborated in groups to create a 3D sculpture. Students first had to agree on a an idea and then began working in teams to create their fun paper mache' sculptures. They were put on display and then votes were casts for the favorite overall designs. It's always fun to see who takes the leadership role as I walk around the groups in the classroom. I provide advice, encouragement and support to each group.

 

Haunted houses and clay gargoyles were created during October! Students learned about the history of gargoyles and how/why they were used during the middle ages. Silhouettes of gothic architecture were discussed and then used while painting haunted houses!

Students learned about three wildlife artists and how they prepare for and enter art contests. One art contest is called the annual Federal Duck Stamp contest. After learning how art is selected each year for the stamp, my art students created artwork related to waterfowl and conservation. Pencil drawings and paintings of duck, geese and swan were created. Below are just a few examples.

Shadow of the Bear Art

My students learned about the shadow of the bear that happens in North Carolina during the fall. In October and May a mountain casts a shadow that many think resembles the shape of a black bear. Students researched this natural event and then created their version of this tourist destination. Twelve framed artworks were placed on exhibit inside the Locust, NC library. This event continues through December.

 

My new art students have had a busy start to the new school year. Students have learned how to draw portraits with multiple values and we've painted famous art cars! We’ve also learned how to weave and we're getting ready for the month of October. Happy Halloween! 🦇 👻 🌕

Our Visit To The Mint Museum

My art students enjoyed seeing the Picasso landscape exhibit at the Mint Museum Uptown. There was also an area where students could sit and draw in their sketchbooks while looking at the Picasso paintings. Students were able to see Romare Bearden works of art too. The docents and staff were welcoming and very knowledgeable. The weather was perfect today so students enjoyed eating lunch outside. After a walk through the gift shop, we returned to school. Thank you to everyone involved with the Mint Museum for this opportunity. I highly recommend this exhibit before it moves to another city. Parents have told me that my students continue to talk about this experience. It was a childhood museum visit that created my interest in art so I feel as though I have come full circle. And as Picasso said, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
Thank you again to the City of Charlotte, the exhibit sponsors and everyone at The Mint Museum.

Stacy C. Bottoms

Art Educator

Marvel characters, Musicians and Motorsports Icons

My 8th grade Art students chose a celebrity to draw using multiple values. Students were required to draw a grayscale correctly first and then they selected a celebrity to draw. This project lasted over two weeks for most students and many were surprised by the amount of effort required for shading. A well drawn portrait will include numerous values and 20 students have their artwork framed and on exhibit in our main hallway.

                                             

Paper Mache Group Projects

Students collaborated in groups of three to four people to plan and design a 3D sculpture. Most of their sculptures had an armature of cardboard, plastic and paper mache. Once assembled and dry, the projects were carefully painted with acrylic paint. This project took a while to finish and was completed after two weeks. A voting contest was held and the sculptures below received the most votes. I'm there only to offer advice and suggestions so it's always fun to watch groups work together and complete their projects. If a group cannot decide who gets to take it home, the sculpture remains here in our Art Class Museum.

Winning group sculptures

 

Clay Snowmen

My art students hand built snowmen using clay. They first learned the importance of "scoring and adding slip". After the first bisque firing, students applied different glaze colors. When the second kiln firing was complete the snowmen were displayed in our hallway. Students took their art home after a week long exhibit. Their work received numerous compliments from staff, other students and parents. Merry Christmas!

 

Native American Horse Masks

To recognize Native American Heritage Month, my 8th grade art students worked in groups to create realistic Native American Horse masks. They first used an empty 2 liter plastic bottle for the horse head. Students then selected from various cloth fabrics, created layered textures, colors and beadwork for their project. A wooden dowel rod was inserted into the bottle to support their sculpture. Eye openings were either cut out, painted over or darker fabric was put in place. When I saw a horse mask exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian, I thought my art students would enjoy making these. They did enjoy working on this each day and I'm proud of their teamwork. Our mascot is the Colts and some of our students ride horses so this made the project even more fun to display.

Horse Masks

To recognize November as Native American Heritage Month, my 6th grade students created horse masks. Horse masks were sometimes worn by the horses in various tribes of plains Indians and some other areas too. Horse masks would often be colorful and they could also display a sign of strength. Students created theirs by using construction paper, oil pastels, yarn and scissors. Many of my students have horses and our mascot is a Colt so this was a fun art project for them.

My 6th, 7th and 8th art students.

It's been a busy start to the semester. This post will include student work from my 6th,7th and 8th grade art students. You'll see Caves of Lascaux art from my 6th, state fish art and neurographic art from my 7th. And then artwork from my 8th who completed their celebrity portrait drawings. One of my students was drawing the Queen of England as news broke regarding the Queen's passing. The Rock was also drawn.

Drawing Portraits

My students chose who they wanted to draw for the portrait lesson. Their next step was to practice values, shading and blending. I enjoy teaching them what I've learned about drawing.

Native American Medicine Shields

November is National Native American Heritage Month and my art students learned about Native American history and the tradition of creating medicine shields. Students used thick quality drawing paper and researched their spirit animals to represent their personalities. This art lesson keeps them engaged and they enjoy seeing what their classmates create.

We have been busy in the Art room this year! Students have learned about line and value by drawing the horse, we celebrated International Dot Day by making dot art with warm/cool colors, and we created art for the annual State Fish Art Contest. Here are just a few examples of student art. We also have 40 Art Club members too!🎨