Imagination and Observation Drawings

I found inspiration for this project on an art education blog, and it really fit in with our third grade curriculum. To begin, I handpicked several everyday objects and put them in a large box. Students selected an object, and initially drew it from observation. Then, after looking at how surreal artists Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte manipulated everyday objects, I asked the third graders to transform their own everyday object using their imaginations. Below are a few examples of their creative minds at work!

Pioneer Still Life

Third grade art takes on a new challenge: the still life! The pioneer still life builds upon observational drawing skills from years prior. Students learn to observe and draw multiple objects, paying close attention to the relationships between each object on the page. For instance, you can see which objects are in front, because they overlap the object behind it. Pioneer objects were carefully chosen as a theme for each still life. This enables the viewer to create their own story behind the artwork. 

Composition Activity

In third grade, as an introductory activity to our big still life project, I had students practice getting comfortable using a viewfinder. We first reviewed observational drawing, and some ways to get better at it. Then, we looked at the difference between open composition and closed composition. Students chose a few everyday art room objects from a box, and arranged them how they liked. Third graders were challenged to create two observational drawings using open composition for one, and closed composition for another. Enjoy a few samples below.

When it Rains, it Pours

As a smaller third grade lesson, sticking with the theme of storytelling, I read the students one of my all-time favorite childhood stories, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. This story inspired our next project. With the weather being so funky lately, and seeing a fair amount of extreme weather happening all over the globe, I asked students to create illustrations of some wacky weather. I had students randomly choose a word from three different boxes marked: severe weather, themes, and settings. Students then had to create an imaginative drawing combining the three words.

Tornado, Desert, Theme: Flowers, Plants and Things

Tornado, City, Theme: Flowers, Plants, and Things

Hurricane, Garden, Theme: Insects

Ceramic Pioneer Day Mugs

The ceramic project for third grade ties in with their pioneer studies. Building upon their ceramic skills, students learned how to construct a mug using slab-building techniques. Students attempted wedging to remove air bubbles and then rolled slabs. I pre-cut circular and rectangular templates for the students to use and cut pieces out of. To personalize mugs, third graders applied texture through many different ways including: stamping, drawing into clay, and rolling textured plastic into clay. Some students even chose to use their given pioneer name to distinguish their mugs. Using the score, slip, and welding technique, students shaped their slabs into a mug. No mug would be complete without a handle. Students chose to use one or two handles, and attached them by scoring, slipping, and welding. And the best part of these mugs? You can drink out of them!* Cheers!

*Disclaimer: Not dishwasher safe.

Marc Chagall inspired Dream Paintings

Third grade students looked at the wacky and intriguing artist Marc Chagall. We discussed how he used his artwork as a way to share stories about his memories and dreams. Students found inspiration after looking closely at the ever famous “I and the Village” painting. Each third grader became the subject of their piece by drawing a self-portrait. Then, they chose an animal to share the limelight with. To top everything off, students told stories through dream images. I asked them, “What dream or memory might you have with the animal you chose?” and, “What dream could your animal have?” These questions encouraged students to push their imaginations. The icing on the cake: students painted their drawings with gouache paint and used wacky colors in the style of Chagall, himself. I must say, it was so exciting to see the creative results. 

Hardest Working Artist of the Semester

The results are posted on artscher.weebly.com!!! In the art room, students voted for their classmates who they believe deserve the Hardest Working Artist of the Semester Award. This award recognizes students who participate above and beyond in the art room with a tremendous ability to: stay on task, keep a positive attitude, demonstrate respect to everyone and everything in the classroom, and express creativity.

To see the winners for this semester follow this link, and click on the grade that you would like to see at the top of the page: artscher.weebly.com

Winter Counts in the Winter

Third grade students have recently been through a time warp! In art class, they were transported to the year 1857. They landed in the Great Plains, and became members of the Lakota Sioux Tribe.

Well, they didn’t really travel back in time. But, we did learn all about the Lakota Sioux Indians and how they tell stories and record history through what they call a winter count. The winter count is like a calendar. Events are recorded from first snowfall of one year, to the first snowfall of the next year using pictograms.

Students were asked to choose their own adventure in the Great Plains. They each recorded what happened to them in a winter count journal, and then translated their words into pictograms. Students even had the opportunity to invent their own pictograms for words they couldn’t find symbols for. Finally, students drew their pictograms on rawhides that they made earlier. The end result: each student has a unique and imaginative story to tell in the style of a winter count. Enjoy a few samples below!

Skype Session with Faith Ringgold

When I was hunting around on the internet (specifically Faith Ringgold’s blog: http://faithringgold.blogspot.com), I found a really great opportunity for my third grade students. Immediately following the culmination of the story quilt lesson, I arranged for a skype session with Faith Ringgold herself! All 49 students squeezed into my art room last Tuesday morning, and a few students had the chance to ask Ms. Ringgold questions. Next, every student present stood in front of the computer camera to show Faith Ringgold their story quilt. Ms. Ringgold was gracious and delightful, and made several comments and compliments on the student’s work. This was probably the most thrilling celebration of an art project that I have ever done. Not only am I ecstatic that the students put the amount of effort that they did into their story quilts, but I am also excited for the students to be able to have this chance-in-a-lifetime experience with Ms. Ringgold.

Setup for Skype Session

Faith Ringgold on the screen!

Tradition Drawings with Patterned Frames inspired by Faith Ringgold

Faith Ringgold is an artist well-known for her story quilts. In class we learned about Faith Ringgold’s life and observed her artwork. Then, we read the book Tar Beach, which prompted a discussion on tradition: What is tradition? What is Faith Ringgold’s tradition in Tar Beach? And, what are your traditions? Following the discussion, students chose a tradition to feature in their artwork. Then, students drew a representation of their tradition by drawing mostly from their imagination with a little help from some reference photographs. Then, students transformed their drawings into story quilts by framing each piece with the patterned tiles they created earlier. 

 

The story quilts really turned out beautifully (great job third grade!), but my favorite part of this project was learning all about the students traditions. There were so many traditions I had never heard of – from “elf on a shelf” to “pickle presents.” It was neat getting to learn more about students and their families through creativity.