1st & 2nd grade Gallery

Lines that Wiggle Monsters

1st grade

What we learned:

• Lines can look so many different ways! We read the book Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman.

• How to draw a variety of wiggly lines with an ink dauber (big juicy marker) and not get the ink on our clothes!

• How to cut and glue pieces of paper to create a monster with fun, and sometimes silly, details

• That monsters love to eat wiggly spaghetti!

Abstract Expressionist 

Self-Portraits

2nd grade

What we learned:

• Abstract = Lines! Shapes! Colors! Not meant to look like an object

• Expressionist = Artwork that expresses feelings

• Self-Portrait = A portrait of yourself

Shaggy Dogs

1st grade

I couldn't resist sharing just one project before summer break: 1st grade shaggy dogs! We talked about texture and created colorful "fur" by using various texture tools to create paintings. These paintings were then cut into strips to create the shaggy look of a dog's fur, although much more colorful! They had so much fun creating personalities for their dogs that we added fancy frames and name plates to finish them. I love how so many of these dogs reflect the personalities of their owners!

Mr Tiger Goes Wild!

2nd grade

What we learned:

• The story of Mr. Tiger- ask a 2nd grader to tell you about it!

• How to draw 2 kinds of tigers- a realistic tiger and a Peter Brown-style tiger (Peter Brown is the illustrator of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild)

• How to add vibrant colors using oil pastels and add a “watercolor resist” painting in the background

• How to add fake leaves to give their drawing a 3-dimensional look, like the jungle is popping off the paper! 

1st graders created

Spring Flower Bouquets

What we learned:

• How to draw 3 different kinds of flowers- a tulip, a daisy and a rose

• How to draw stems so they look like they are coming out of a vase

• That the oil in oil pastels resists the water in watercolor and creates a beautiful, vibrant painting!

Thanksgiving Turkeys!

1st grade

Symmetrical Leaf Paintings

1st grade

What we learned:

• How to use liquid watercolors on wet paper to make them “bleed” and blend together (and how fun it is!)

• Symmetrical means that an object is the same on both sides if you fold it down the middle

• How to get a symmetrical leaf by drawing half of a leaf shape on the fold, cutting it out while it’s folded, and then when you open it up you have a whole symmetrical leaf!  

• When you use the “fold and cut” method you get both a shape and a “window” created by the shape.

1st graders created

Tree Silhouette Paintings 

inspired by 

Alma Woodsey Thomas

What we learned:

• Alma Woodsey Thomas was an African-American Abstract painter and art teacher.

• She painted in dashes of color, not connecting her lines

• She used bright colors and sometimes painted in circles (we did this, too!)

• How to draw a tree using Ys & Vs

Fall Tree Drawing

1st grade

What we learned:

• How to draw a bare tree using ‘Y’s and ‘V’s

• How to color with oil pastels; that they can be layered and mixed!

• How to create a watercolor resist by painting right on top of the oil pastel. Water(color) and oil don’t mix!

2nd grade created

Sea Otters

What we learned:

• Many facts about sea otters- ask a 2nd grader what they know!- including that mama sea otters carry their babies on their bellies for up to 8 months until they learn how to swim

• How to draw a sea otter mama and baby

• How to add texture using washable markers

• How to turn markers into watercolor paints by adding water

• How to paint lines that look like ripples of water