PRE-K . . . A snowy name!

Our Pre-Kindergarten snowmen are standing in the snow next to a bare winter tree and looking up at the sky. The snowflakes in the sky spell out our names!

We are learning so many skills in art class. Every art project offers opportunities to explore new materials and learn new techniques. With our snowmen project we learned how to . . .

• draw and cut out the three circles for our snowmen
• cut out a triangle for the orange nose 
• cut strips with a fringe for the scarf
• draw a winter tree with real looking branches . .  these are amazing!!!
• paint our names with finger print snowflakes
• paint the snow along the bottom of the page with a small brush
• work together to follow step by step directions 

To see all of our Pre-K projects, follow this link to our home page of artsonia...   http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839

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

FIFTH GRADE . . . Van Gogh inspiration

"Vincent van Gogh is an incredible artist who is identified by his beautiful and swift strokes. My favorite painting of his is "Starry Night!" - Bella

This week our sketchpad assignment was to draw like Vincent van Gogh. Some students created a drawing based on one of his well known paintings and others focused on an original subject matter, but drew it with the short directional strokes most typical of a Vincent van Gogh.

Below each image is the artist statement as told to the class by the fifth grade artists. You are welcome to add comments to our artists at the bottom of this post. They would love to hear from you! Enjoy!!

"I drew 'Starry Night' because I like the swirls of the wind and the cypress tree." - Priya

"I drew the Ranney clock tower. I used swirls and short strokes like Vincent van Gogh." - Colette

"I loved doing this drawing. I love the swirls, the trees, the moon and the wind. The wind is amazing." - Nick

"Instead of doing 'Starry Night,' I did 'City Night' with city buildings in the place of Vincent van Gogh's village. The gray in the sky represents the pollution of the city." - Ankush

"I drew an ocean with shells and fish swimming" -  Michael

" I drew the water and a sunset in the background. Like van Gogh, I created the ocean as lines." - Luke

"I found a picture of a poppy field and drew it like van Gogh." - Andrew 

"I noticed how van Gogh made his swirls and filled my flower with swirls." - Emma