1st Grade Art

Nature Art 2

Welcome back Colts. There are only 2 weeks left of our school year, and this week we are going to continue to explore art related to nature.

Last week we created art from natural materials like rocks, sticks, mud and water. This week we are going to practice taking great nature photographs, and we will create some drawings and paintings inspired by nature. Below are our first 2 nature art projects for this week.

1. Flower Drawings

2. Nature Photography

Check back on Wednesday for more art projects and videos if you are feeling very artistic this week and want even more art to work on.

Remember to share photos of your art making with me, and check out what other students have created in the Student Art Gallery.

Flower Drawings

Watch the video below to learn how to draw different types of simple flowers, and learn how crayons and watercolor paint can be used together in a really cool way.

Nature Photography

The video below gives tips and instructions for taking interesting and artistic nature photos.

When we take nature photos, we can either think big or small. A "big" picture would show lots of ground, trees and sky, like a landscape. A "small" picture would show something close-up like a flower or a plant. Try taking some big and small nature photos.

This is a project that can be done in your yard, or even in the house. If your family is able to go to a park or natural setting however, you may be able to find more interesting things to take pictures of. Make sure if you leave the house you are being safe and that your family always knows where you are, or comes with you on your artistic photo adventure.

After you take lots of nature photos, share about 5 of your favorite photos with Mr. Posey, so we can put them in our Student Art Gallery.

Videos about nature photography:

Nature Drawings

For our last nature art project we are going to make nature drawings with plants, trees and mountains.

This is a project that you can make as you watch the video. Remember, you can pause the video if you need more time.

Again, I used crayons and watercolors for the cool way that they work together.

Nature Art

Nature Art - Andy Goldsworthy's Earthworks

Videos about the Artist Andy Goldsworthy:

A short clip from the Andy Goldsworthy film "Rivers and Tides":

Finally, a longer film about Andy Goldsworthy called "Stone Wood Water".

This film is 3 parts, and is for anyone who wants to know more about Andy Goldsworthy and Earthworks art. Some of the video quality is not great, but still worth a watch. Relaxing and really interesting. I really like it and hope that you do too!

Nature Art - Rain Shadows

Another way to use art to connect with nature is to make a rain shadow. If there is no rain, you can also use artificial rain, like from the hose or from a spray bottle.

A short video of Andy Goldsworthy creating a "rain shadow".

Nature Art - Maya Lin and Mud Shaping

The artist Maya Lin reshapes the Earth into artistic designs. We can do something similar by using mud like clay. This is a messy project, so I understand if you don't want to play in the mud, but I hope some of you give it a try.

Nature Art - Michael Grab Rock Balancing "Gravity Glue"

After posting Monday's video with the rock balancing section, a Kohl parent told me about a Boulder artist named Michael Grab who is a master rock balancer. I thought I would try again and this time really focus on getting a good balance. Watch his videos below, they are the closest thing to magic that I've seen in a while.

Nature Art Update - Thursday and Friday

Mr. Posey Reads - The Water Hole

Last Week's Project - Guided Owl Drawings

For this week's project, we are going to do a guided drawing lesson. That means that you can make your art while you follow along to the video. If it is going too fast, you can pause the video so you can catch up, and then press play when you are ready for the next step. Feel free to change the drawing too, you don't have to make it exactly like mine. Watch the video below to make a guided drawing of an owl.

Animal Art - Part 2: Choose an animal to draw or paint

If you have already created an owl in the night time, and you are ready to make more animal art, I want you to choose any animal in the whole world and draw a picture of it. It might be helpful to look up some pictures of the animal that you choose so you can include the right colors, shapes, and details. Below are some awesome videos to give you some ideas, and to inspire you to make some amazing animal art.

National Geographic KidsNat Geo Kids makes it fun to explore your world with weird, wild, and wacky videos! Videos featuring awesome animals, cool science, funny pets, and more, are...

Last Week's Project: Cartoon Self-Portraits

We made art about the people in our families. This week we are going to zoom in and make art about just one person, you! For art this week I would like you to create a self-portrait. A self-portrait is any piece of art that an artist makes which shows others who they are and what they look like.

The video below shows you how to draw a cartoon self-portrait. I made the video so that you can follow along. Please pause the video when you need more time on a step, and then press play when you are ready for the next part. Think about things that make you unique and special, like your hair style or the clothes that you like to wear.

Extra Art Project for this Week:

The Heart of the Community - BVSD Collaborative Art Project

Kids and adults from all over the school district are making Heart Art for a giant community art project. I think it would be great to share some heart art from our creative Kohl Colts! Follow the instructions below to submit your Heart Art.

CLICK HERE to submit your Heart Art

Family Drawings

This week’s home learning art project is to draw a picture of your family. This means anyone that lives with you in your home, but you can also include any family members that do not live in your home.

Make sure that you show details for each person, like the clothes they like to wear, their hairstyle, or any other items or objects that are important to that person. Watch the video below for more instructions and examples on how you can draw a picture of your family.

PART 2 - My Family - Objects and Symbols

If you have already done your family drawing this week, and you are looking for more art to make, here is another way that you can make a piece of art about your family. In this piece, you don’t draw any people. Instead, you draw the objects and symbols that are important to each person. For example, for myself I would draw a paint brush, a guitar, and maybe some space stuff since I love books and movies about space. For my wife, I would draw a Hello Kitty (since she loves Hello Kitty), some cats, and science things since that is what she does for her job. Watch the video below for examples of how to create family art of objects and symbols.

The Dot

Start by watching the video below of Mr. Posey reading the story "The Dot".

Art Making Activity:

Create a piece of art inspired by the story "The Dot" . You can make one big fancy dot, art with lots of different dots, or turn your dot into a character. Watch the video below for instructions about this week's art project.

CLICK HERE to share photos of your art

The Not-Dot: Extra Art Activity

Watch the video below for an extra art project inspired by "The Dot".

CLICK HERE to share photos of your art

CLICK HERE to see The Dot Art Student Gallery

Completed 1st Grade Projects:

Henri Matisse Inspired Collage

The Art of Keith Haring

Big Ideas for 1st Grade Art

1. Art can be used to show feelings.

2. Art tells stories about people, places, and things.

3. We learn new skills in art by looking at interesting artwork.

4. Interesting art can inspire us to make our own art.

5. Artwork is more meaningful when it is about you, and your own life and interests.

6. Art helps us to connect to other people and to our community.

"The Scream" Watercolor Paintings

Clay Frames with Self Portraits

Me in the Past, Me in the Future

BIG IDEA: Art tells stories about people, places and things.

We made 2 drawings, one of a summer memory from the past, and another of what you will be like in the future.

For our summer memories, we had to remember people, things, details from something fun that we did last summer, and try to show these details in our drawing. We did our drawing "the big kid way" by drawing all of the details in pencil or ink first, and then filling in the spaces with markers, watercolor paint, colored pencils or crayons.

For the second drawing we talked about what we wanted to be when we grow up and how we could imagine it and show it in a drawing. We also thought about what the world might look like in the future (the fun stuff like hoverboards and space travel). Again we made this drawing "the big kid way".

September 2019:

Kohl Community Mural Project

We are in the process of creating our 7" mural for our float in the Broomfield Days parade this year. This piece of art was designed by Mr. Posey and is being colored and embellished by every student and adult in the school.