Artist Posters

Fourth graders ended the year studying artists. Each student chose a random artist out of a hat, and read biographies on the artist with a partner. They explored the artist’s life, childhood, and the style of their work. Then, we learned about posters, and how they excite, inform, and capture our attention. Specifically, we looked at artistic qualities of the poster, and their use of composition, text, and complementary colors. Fourth graders picked from three simple compositions, and created eye-catching posters to feature the artist that they studied. I was amazed at the results of these posters, and I hope you are, too! Below are a few of the many outstanding artist posters.

Winslow Homer Inspired Ship Paintings

The second grade has made a dramatic shift from abstraction to realism. And, who better to inspire realism? But, Winslow Homer! After learning about the American artist’s life and artwork (including his usage of foreground, middle ground, and background), students created an observational drawing of model ships in perspective. Students had the advantage of looking closely at some really cool ships in the art room, and drawing what they saw – in perspective! These drawings were then transformed into watercolor paintings by using new techniques like the watercolor wash and adding salt for a clever effect.

 

Color-Mixing Rainbow

In second grade, we just reviewed primary and secondary colors and how to mix them using watercolors. I showed the students a nifty color experiment that can easily be done by mixing food dye in plastic water bottles. Then, students were introduced to tertiary colors and how to mix them. 

Color-mixing Experiment!

Get moving... with Lines and Color!

The fifth graders are practically professional “curvilinear line-makers” by now. After finishing their line drawing, I challenged students to attempt another line drawing by repeating curvilinear lines and shapes, and then adding color!

Preceding this second drawing, students studied an energetic design principle: movement. We talked about how movement uses the elements of art (like: line, shape, and color) to create visual interest in a piece of artwork. Specifically, we looked at the ever famous “Starry Night,” and how Vincent van Gogh guided our eyes around the entire piece by strategically planning out lines and color to create movement. Students took turns tracing how their eye traveled throughout “Starry Night.” It was interesting to see how many of our eyes took different paths throughout the piece.
 

Then, after completing the line drawing step, we looked closely into color schemes to add another layer of movement with the element of color. We reviewed complementary colors, and I introduced the students to warm and cool colors. We looked at pictures that had both warm and cool colors, and talked about how warm colors advance on the page, while cool colors tend to recede. Students chose their color scheme (complementary, warm, cool, or warm and cool) to complete their project. Enjoy the results below!