FIRST GRADE... Learning About the Mona Lisa

First Graders have started their Lower School journey into the rich and colorful world of art history. As we experiment with different materials and art techniques, we will be inspired by famous paintings and sculptures. We will also learn about the artists who created these masterpieces and the cultures they came from.

As we do every year in art, we began our discovery into self expression with a portrait of ourselves. Today, first graders learned about the history of one of the most famous works of art, Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa". (By the way, I was so impressed by all of my first grade friends who knew the name of this painting. Some even knew that it hangs in a museum in Paris!) We looked at the painting and talked about why it became so well known. Leonardo dedicated his life to studying the human body, learning all about the bones, the muscles, the correct proportions, and how the body looks in motion. His studies in light and shadow also help us to see the form of Mona Lisa's features and give us a better sense of depth.

Besides being a brilliant work of art, this painting may have become so famous because of a much more exciting reason! In the early 1900's the "Mona Lisa" was stolen from the museum. A janitor from the Louvre took the painting off the wall and walked right out of the building with it. He wanted to bring her back to Italy, the birthplace of Leonardo. After a two year investigation, the painting was finally discovered in the attic of someone's home and returned to the museum. The Mona Lisa now hangs behind a protective glass panel and is roped off so that visitors can only admire her from a safe distance.

Our self portrait will be based on the pose of the "Mona Lisa" showing our face, shoulders and folded hands. We began drawing the features of our face, and next time we meet we will add distinctive details to make our portraits look just like us!

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KINDERGARTEN...Art Can Tell a Story

Kindergarteners tried using some of the materials we have in the art room. Some drew with pencils and crayons, while others built a sculpture with shapes or blocks. The common theme for every kind of art we create is that we could tell a story about it.

In Jonah's story, he is throwing a football and his daddy caught it!

In Serena's story, she is swimming at the beach and it is a very sunny day.

Each project we create in Kindergarten this year will be based on the style of a well known children's book illustrator. Inspired by the artwork Kindergarteners have come to love on the pages of their favorite books, we will explore different techniques for creating our own pictures. Our first project in art will be a book that we will write and illustrate ourselves. The cover of our books will be a self portrait and the pages will be filled with drawings of our favorite things.

"The Art Lesson," by Tomie dePaola

Tomie de Paola is the author and illustrator of 200 books, including Caldecott Medal winner, "Strega Nona". Today in art class we read "The Art Lesson," an autobiographical story by Tomie dePaola. He knew he wanted to become an artist by the time he started school and as we read this story together we discovered what it was like for young Tomie to go to his very first art class. Using the wonderful style of this illustrator's drawings, we will learn how to draw our self portraits and start to make our own books!


Note to families . . .
    This art blog will be updated regularly with new posts sharing our daily activities in the art room and news about upcoming art exhibits. To respect the privacy of our students, names will always be limited to first name only and identifiable photos will never be accompanied with a name. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write in the comment box below or send me an email at blevine@ranneyschool.org. I would love to hear from you!
    In my class, students are given the chance to explore different materials and fun new techniques as they develop their signature style. Some young artists love to draw with a pencil, some like to paint on canvas or create images in a digital format, while others prefer working with clay and molding three-dimensional forms. In my classroom, we use a variety of materials allowing all artists to experiment and figure out which type of art they like the best. At Ranney School, we place a strong emphasis on originality and celebrate artistic differences, always nurturing and encouraging the imagination of every student.
     Remember to check out our display of finished artwork and student portfolios in the Ranney home page of Artsonia.com.  http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839

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THIRD GRADE...Learning about each other in art!

I have a tradition in Ranney Lower School. We begin each new year in art with a self portrait project. It is a wonderful way to get to know our new friends through self expression and creative discovery. Some grades do a pencil sketch, some classes show off their love of color with markers, and some retouch their photo on the computer.

Today, third graders began their self portrait as a full painting on canvas. We are using 11 x 14 canvas boards for this project and we will learn how to select a color palette that best represents us.

As we do with every portrait, we began with a pencil sketch of the features of our face. Using a basic oval for the head, we followed light grid lines to determine where to place our eyes, nose and mouth. It always surprises everyone that our eyes are half the way down the oval and not at the very top. We learned how to draw the eye as an almond shape and how to add the round area for color inside. We discovered how to draw a realistic nose and we began the expression line for our mouth. Next week, we will complete the drawing part of the project by adding lips, correcting the outline of the head, and adding other details, such as hair, a neck, and shoulders. We will also use a mirror to make our portraits look just like us.

Note to families . . .
    This art blog will be updated regularly with new posts sharing our daily activities in the art room and news about upcoming art exhibits. To respect the privacy of our students, names will always be limited to first name only and identifiable photos will never be accompanied with a name. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to write in the comment box below or send me an email at blevine@ranneyschool.org. I would love to hear from you!
    In my class, students are given the chance to explore different materials and fun new techniques as they develop their signature style. Some young artists love to draw with a pencil, some like to paint on canvas or create images in a digital format, while others prefer working with clay and molding three-dimensional forms. In my classroom, we use a variety of materials allowing all artists to experiment and figure out which type of art they like the best. At Ranney School, we place a strong emphasis on originality and celebrate artistic differences, always nurturing and encouraging the imagination of every student.
     Remember to check out our display of finished artwork and student portfolios in the Ranney home page of Artsonia.com.  http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839 

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