PRE-KINDERGARTEN . . . Tracing our hands and feet!

Artwork by Brooklyn

Artwork by Ryland

Artwork by Josiah

Artwork by Andrew

Pre-Kindergarten artists worked with many different materials for these portraits. We started out by tracing our hands onto big paper and coloring them in with colors and patterns we enjoy. Then we took off our shoes to trace them onto the paper too. The idea that we would actually trace our feet brought out many giggles in art!

Our faces were created out of a pad of multicultural face-shaped papers. We added eyes, noses and mouths and glued the faces at the top of the paper. To complete the portraits we glued down strips of colored paper to best match our own hair color.


 Making a portrait that represents who we are is a fun and creative way to get to know each other in class. We can't wait to share all of them with you at our art show next month! To see all of our work, please visit our home page on Artsonia.com and scroll down through the exhibits to the Pre-Kindergarten portraits.   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

FIRST GRADE . . . A Modern Mona Lisa!

Portrait by Brooks

Portrait by Juily

Portrait by Mia G.

Portrait by Jonathan

As an introduction into the rich world of art history, first graders learned about the "Mona Lisa," painted by Leonardo da Vinci. To create our self-portraits, we drew our faces, shoulders and folded hands just like in the famous portrait by da Vinci, and colored them in with a color palette that best represents each of us.

In the "Mona Lisa," the subject of the painting is the portrait. The background is the area behind the subject, represented as a soft landscape that seems to be very far away.

To make the distinction between the subject and the background in our pictures, we created two separate works of art. The subject of our pictures is a portrait drawn with bright colors and fine details. The background was created as a landscape with watercolors in softer, more muted tones. Some students created a pattern with colors, just like with Sydney's beautiful background below. Tyler blended his colors together and this gave him a  lovely painterly appearance, as you might see in an impressionist landscape.

Subject by Sydney

Background by Sydney

Subject by Tyler

Background by Tyler

Our portraits were personalized to look just like us with hair and eye colors that best represent us. As Sydney did, some students wrote or drew something special on their shirt. Other students, such as Tyler, drew a favorite pet or toy in their arms, and this also helps to identify who they are. The portraits were then cut out of the paper they were drawn on. On the back of these portraits Styrofoam strips were added so that the portraits would look 3-D when we attached them to the backgrounds. This distance between the subject and the background gives our portraits a sense of perspective.

To see all of our Mona Lisa style portraits, visit our home page on Artsonia.com and scroll through the list of exhibits to first grade portraits.   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

SECOND GRADE . . . What kind of Lego figure would you be?

All students in Lower School are creating a self-portrait in art class and second graders transformed themselves into Lego figures! Using the basic look of the mini figures in a Lego set, students personalized the figures to represent their personality or their appearance. For example, they carefully chose a color palette, selecting hair and eye colors to match how they look. Or perhaps they let us know who they were by the details in their clothing or the items they hold in their hands.

What kind of Lego figure would you be? An artist like Ava, or perhaps a soccer player like Alexander? Each drawing is as unique and special as the personalities that fill our class. To see all of our Lego self-portraits, follow this link to our home page of Artsonia.com and scroll down through our exhibits... http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839

In the art room, our Lego box is used to create sculptures. Part of each period in art is designated for group instruction and project work. Another part of each period is free time and this is where students can explore their creativity independently. Building a three-dimensional design with these colorful blocks is always a sure way to inspire the creativity in all of 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

BEGINNERS . . . Bringing art to life!

Artwork by Mariella

Artists in Lower School are working on their self-portraits for the fall art exhibition later next month in Panther Hall gallery. Our youngest artists are discovering how to represent themselves on paper using their favorite colors. Their drawings are wonderful and spontaneous depictions of how they perceive the world. It is an exciting discovery in self-expression and creative pride that begins as early as Beginner classes at Ranney School.

Can you picture the well known M&M cartoon character with his arms and legs coming out of the head of the round candy? You might see this same characterization in any child's drawing. As young artists perceive people around them, the face is the most important element of anyone they meet, and everything (such as arms and legs) are simply extensions of the face. There might be a body between the head and the legs, but in their eyes, it is not as important to recognize or represent in their artwork.

We expect children to depict reality on paper, yet how can we get them to notice what is not important to them? One thing all children relate to easily are their soft, cuddly animals and dolls. If they get to design their own softies, they would need to make decisions that travel beyond where the eyes and mouth go on the face. For example, what color would they choose for the body or the tail if it is an animal, or the shirt or dress if it is a person? Beginner artists drew a self-portrait coming up with many decisions for color choices for each part of their portrait. Then, using fabric samples donated to the art room, I turned each of these wonderful depictions into a softie and brought their drawings to life!

As the year progresses and we continue to explore art with Beginners, it will be exciting to see if our experiment in turning flat art into a 3D manipulative doll will make a difference in how they see people and how to represent them on paper. With new innovation labs and maker spaces added to Ranney School within each division, I would encourage all of my artists to develop their creative thinking skills by exploring unexpected ways of turning their ideas into three-dimensional designs.

A special thank you goes out to Mrs. Brown (Laney '23 and Lexi '25) for donating these wonderful books of fabric to the Lower School art room and making our softies possible.

Artwork by Odin

Artwork by Hayden

Artwork by Matthew

Artwork by Patrick

Artwork by Andrew

Artwork by David

Artwork by Lilly

Artwork by Marlena

Artwork by Oliver

Artwork by Yuze

FIFTH GRADE . . . Drawing on the iPad!

Our 5th grade self-portraits are digital portraits! We used an app on the iPad called, Sketchbook Pro. This app allows us to work from a photograph and to work in layers. In the tools palette of the app you are able to select from a pencil, pen, paintbrush, airbrush, eraser, chisel marker and many other art tools. In addition, you are able to choose the weight of line, the opacity of the color and work in colors from a variety of different palettes. The choice of how you draw and what you can create is endless!

David Hockney
iPad Illustration for the New Yorker

David Hockney is a famous present day artist from England, well known for his bold and colorful canvases. Mr. Hockney has also become known for his digital artwork as well, using drawing apps and creating illustrations for the cover of the New Yorker Magazine. Creating art on a tablet or phone is no longer just a game or a way to pass the time, it is used by many artists as their modern day sketchpad and can be considered a serious art form that reflects our time.

Here is a quote by David Hockney...
“People from the village come up and tease me: ‘We hear you’ve started drawing on your telephone,’” Mr. Hockney said in a quotation displayed in the exhibition. “And I tell them, ‘Well, no, actually, it’s just that occasionally I speak on my sketch pad.’”




When we drew our portraits, we worked in layers. One layer was our drawing layer, using a thin black line. The next layer was our color layer and we could choose from many colors in a variety of color palettes, as well as pick up a color directly from the photograph. The final layer was created for the background design and that layer sits behind everything else. To see all of the portraits that have been completed, check out our exhibition page on Artsonia.com.
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

BEGINNERS . . . October colors!

Our 3 year old artists learned the magic of mixing colors in art class! For the month of October we learned how to create the color  ORANGE  by blending together red and yellow paints.

With our mixed colors, we painted big orange circles on the paper with a paintbrush. These large circles became a Jack-O-Lantern after we added a stem, eyes, and a big smiling mouth.

To create the  GREEN  grass, we mixed blue and yellow together. This new blended color became the green grass at the bottom of our paintings.

Here are some examples of our finished Jack-O-Lanterns! To see all of our work, click on this link for artsonia and look through our art projects. Happy Halloween everyone!
http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839

Painting by Marlena

Painting by Odin

Painting by Andrew

Painting by Patrick

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

FOURTH GRADE . . . Is it real or is it Photoshopped?

Fourth graders are discovering the magic of modern technology in their general art class. With our self portrait project, we are going to explore how art can be expressed using software on the computer. The art of Andy Warhol (1928-1987) is the inspiration for our digital transformations. Andy Warhol saw dramatic changes in the 20th century with factories mass producing products such as Campbell's soup and Coca Cola, and television and movies flashing a constant stream of celebrities, athletes and politicians into our daily lives. His artwork reflected the pop culture of America and he quickly became as famous as the well known people and products he portrayed. Towards the end of his career, he began to see the implication of a digital platform as a creative tool. Imagine what he could have done using the art of Adobe Photoshop!

Adobe Photoshop is a wonderful retouching tool for graphic artists as well as anyone who owns a digital camera or cell phone. Most of us know how to upload photos to a computer and use them in different applications. Therefore, we should also know how to correct a photo, change its size or alter the color. With Photoshop, fourth graders will learn how to do all of that, as well as discover how to change a digital image into a creative and original work of art.

With new advances in technology there is always a moment we have to step back and review what impact this new technology will make in our lives. When I was younger, cameras used film to record images. Unless you were very skilled at darkroom techniques, the image was printed just as it was captured by the camera lens. The best we could do at the time was use a pair of scissors to crop the photo. Now with software such as Adobe Photoshop, photos can be altered and you would never realize a change was made. Photographs can no longer be assumed to reflect real life.

Here is a video by Dove Beauty that I shared with my classes this week. The video really highlights the significance of Photoshop and the impact it has on our perception of beauty and reality.

THIRD GRADE . . . Drawing a figure in motion

To prepare for our new "full length" self-portrait project, we practiced drawing a full figure. The wooden artist's model is a perfect way for us to learn how to draw a human figure in proportion. It also shows us where the body can move. Each joint is represented by a wooden ball in the model.

Students began by drawing a sketch of the wooden model, posing their drawing of a figure in any way they wanted. We started with an oval for the head and added a circle underneath for the neck. Each part of the body was added on just this way, a shape for the body part followed by a circle for the place it can move. We were careful to make the length and width of each body part in proportion to the size of the head that we started with. Learning to draw a figure this way reminds us of where the body can move without it looking awkward in our sketches. For example, the arm can move only at the shoulder, elbow or wrist. If we tried to bend it anywhere else, we would be breaking a bone!

Shading each part of the body also gave our figures dimension and form. Here are a few examples of our figures in motion. You can see all of our sketches by following this link to artsonia.com.   http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839

Sketch by Kieran

Sketch by Desmond

Sketch by Cailtyn

Sketch by Ava G.

KINDERGARTEN . . . We are artists in a museum!

This week, Kindergarten students completed their self-portraits for the cover of their books, "All About Me!" We practiced drawing circles and then drew a portrait that best represents ourselves. Next week we will begin the illustrations for the inside pages of our books. Drawing our favorite animals, our favorite foods, and pictures of our best friends is a wonderful way to get to know each other in art!

WE ARE ARTISTS IN A MUSEUM!
When Lower School artists finish their projects, as the Kindergartners did with their self-portraits, I photograph everyone's work and upload the images to Artsonia.com, an online art museum for children. Artsonia brings together the artwork of students from many different countries to celebrate creativity in the classroom. All students at Ranney School are automatically a member of this international museum and will be building their own personal portfolios. Families are encouraged to browse the museum and view school exhibitions and student artwork. Students develop a sense of pride as their work becomes published on the site and is viewed by friends and family.

I will be sending home a slip from Artsonia with your child's special registration name and a pass code so that families can register to the site. I look forward to filling these online portfolios with beautiful work all year long!

Here are a few examples of Kindergarten portraits I just uploaded to Artsonia. Check out the Ranney School homepage on Artsonia.com to see everyone's work. http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=114839

Artwork by Claire

Artwork by Elijah

Artwork by Karina

Artwork by Jack

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