Grade 3

What we've been working on!...

May:   Hold it Up! - Inspired by: Keith Haring

National Standard: (VA:Cr3.1.3a) Elaborate visual information by adding details in an artwork to enhance emerging meaning. 

April:  Ring Pops 

For this project we were inspired by candy Ring Pops!  To get started, we thought about what "flavor" we wanted create, and which color that might be. Color was the main focus of this piece. Our ring pop paintings are monochromatic. This means that it is made of different shades of one color. After carefully drawing and outlining our ring on the colored paper, our next step was to paint. On our mixing plate we were given the color of our paper, white, black, and 2 analogous colors. Our challenge was to mix a different shade for each section of our candy diamond; there are no repeats! We practiced mixing small piles to save room on our palette and make our colors last. Finally, we used white charcoal pencils to make our rings shine! We learned about cross hatching, shading, outlining, and drawing glimmer stars; we had to use each technique in at least one place in our project. We hope our rings help you shine today!

Portfolios!

March: This or That?

Our new project is a bit of a brain twister! We are switching it up this month and creating black and white paper collages. These collages are inspired by the Japanese art form called "Notan" which takes the ideas of balance and harmony from the Yin Yang. To create these pieces, we are using positive and negative space and contrast. The black is the positive space, the white is the negative space. You can think of it as the area that contains an object (positive) and the area around the object (negative). In this project, what gets removed gets reused! We used five 3x3 inch squares of black paper to help us get started creating. Look at where our imaginations took us! We hope our collages are a positive addition to your day.

National Standard: (VA:Cr2.2.3a) Demonstrate an understanding of the safe and proficient use of materials, tools, and equipment for a variety of artistic processes.  

January/February:  Painted Paper Still Life Collage 

For this project, we began by experimenting with  tempera paint and various, non-traditional, tools such as sponges, foam, toothbrushes, rubber spatulas and combs. This project is inspired by two artists: Tracy English & Eric Carle. For this project we discussed the difference between implied and actual texture, and made 5 different variations of painted paper. Next, we used our papers to construct a still life collage.  A collage is an artwork that involves: gluing, cutting, and overlapping. Each one of our still lives look different even though we were looking at the same arrangement of objects! Our last step will be using oil pastels and colored pencils to add shadows and other unique details! We hope our collages  ”texture” your day. 

National Standard: (VA:Cn10.1.3a) Develop a work of art based on observations of surroundings.

December: National Inclusive Schools Week (Dec.2nd-6th)

November/December: Pumpkin Patches

For this project we were inspired by all things fall; we made pumpkin patches! It's time to soak up our last few days before the winter season begins! The focus of this project was creating distance on a 2D (flat) surface. To do this we used linear perspective, atmospheric perspective, and field of view. Each of our landscapes is completely our own... from the time of day, to the color of our hills, to the objects that are all around. The materials we used for this project were white colored pencils, Elmer's glue, chalk pastels, and cotton swabs. Spreading the pastel colors was a blast! We hope our pumpkin patch landscapes ”smooth”  your day.

National Standard: (VA:Cr3.1.3a) Elaborate visual information by adding details in an artwork to enhance emerging meaning. 

October: Watercolor Symmetry  

This month our art project focused on linear symmetry, positive & negative space... and our favorite things!  Step one, was  to create a watercolor wash. To do this we needed to wet the paper first, then add the paint and watch it spread! Step number two, was to draw an object that has linear symmetry. This means that it is the same on both sides (like a reflection in a mirror!). Next, we used that drawing to make a tracer and create our positive and negative space cut outs. The last step was to glue the pieces together and decorate the finished piece by adding details. We hope our projects brings only positive things into your day today. Great job third graders!

National Standard: (VA:Cr2.2.2a) Demonstrate safe procedures for using and cleaning art tools, equipment, and studio spaces. 

September/October:  "No Place for Hate" Silhouettes

In the art room this month we participated in a school wide activity. Our friends, siblings, neighbors, and family group members worked on their personalized version of the same project. We've loved checking in on their progress during class, and learning more about one another. This year, SES is taking part in No Place For Hate, a program that promotes kindness, inclusivity, and belonging among many other things. We will be collaborating on No Place for Hate activities throughout the year here at SES, but our very first activity was this one! 

We created silhouettes of our profiles by thinking about the features that make us who we are (nose, mouth, chin, hats, hair, glasses, bows, etc.!). Inside our silhouettes you will find some of the things that are meaningful to us. We began to notice the many similarities and differences we have across our school and celebrated them both. We talked about the foods we eat, sports we play, family members we have, animals we love, countries we come from, holidays we celebrate, languages we speak, games we play, and more. We drew our favorite things, added details, and experimented with water colors to fill our background space and finish our works for our multi-colored hallway display. 

We hope our silhouettes help you connect to what is special to you! 

National Standard: (VA:Cr2.1.3a) Create personally satisfying artwork using a variety of artistic processes and materials.

Warm Up:  "What Do Artists Do?"

To warm up their creative brains, our second graders collaborated on a mural that tells the story of what they think artists actually do. First we brainstormed, then we  designed and created. Since we are all artists, we simply had to think about what WE do. in our eyes, artists do so many things. We hope our mural brings a rainbow into your day today. Great job third graders!

National Standard: (VA:Cr1.1.2a) Brainstorm collaboratively multiple approaches to an art or design problem.