Winter Concert/Winter Artwork

If you aren't familiar with the story of "The Snowman," it is a picture book about a boy who makes a snowman that comes to life. The book was made into an animated movie with no words, only music. The song "Walking in the Air" plays during the part where the boy and the snowman are flying through the sky and over the land.

Mrs. Hiolski and I were inspired by the illustrations and music in this movie and decided to work together to make the 2nd and 3rd grade Winter Concert performance even more special this year.

The students learned the song "Walking in the Air" in music class. In art, we looked at the book "The Snowman" and watched a clip of the movie when the boy and the snowman are flying. The students chose a scene from the story and used oil pastels to do a drawing of that scene. When the drawings were finished, they used toothbrushes to splatter white paint across their papers to make it look like snow falling.

The finished artwork looks amazing! I took digital pictures of all the drawings and Ms. Noonan made them into a slide show to play while the students were singing for the concert. Here is a video of the wonderful performance!

2nd Trimester--Sketchbook Drawing #3

During winter break you must do one free-draw sketchbook drawing.

DUE: The first day of art, after winter break.
Ms. Balicki and Mr. Eng's Classes: Tuesday, Jan. 4th
Ms. Kelly's Class: Wednesday, Jan. 5th
Ms. Tresselt, Mr. Williams, and Ms. Payton's Classes: Friday, Jan. 7th

Have a great holiday and enjoy your winter break! I'll see you in 2011!

2nd Trimester-Sketchbook Drawing #2

This week we had our first snowfall of the year. In your sketchbooks draw something you can do outside with snow. It could be something you like to do, like go sledding or build a snowman, or it could be something from your imagination.

DUE NEXT WEEK:
Ms. Balicki and Mr. Eng's Classes: Tuesday, December 14th
Ms. Kelly's Class: Wednesday, December 15th
Ms. Tresselt, Ms. Payton, and Mr. Williams's Classes: Friday, December 17th

2nd Trimester--Sketchbook Drawing #1

Draw a picture of one thing you did over Thanksgiving weekend.

Examples:

• What did you eat for Thanksgiving dinner?
• Did you see your cousins, aunts and uncles, or grandparents?
  
• Did you go somewhere special?
  
• Did you watch a football game? Or play football?

DUE NEXT WEEK
Mr. Eng and Ms. Balicki--Tuesday, December 7th
Ms. Kelly--Wednesday, December 8th
Ms. Tresselt, Mr. Williams, Ms. Payton--Friday, December 10th

Sketchbook Drawing #10

Okay, this is your last assignment for the trimester. Draw a scene from a movie or book that you like. Draw what the characters are doing and what is around them in the background. You can add words describing the scene if you want to. Please write the title of the movie or book you chose.

This drawing is due when you turn in your sketchbook to be graded (see dates above).

Sketchbook Drawing #9

Draw a family portrait. You decide if you want to include only the people who live with you, or if you want to draw other people from your family.

MS. BALICKI'S AND MR. ENG'S CLASS DUE TUESDAY NOV. 9TH
MS. KELLY'S CLASS DUE WEDNESDAY, NOV. 10TH
MS. TRESSELT, MS. PAYTON, & MR. WILLIAMS CLASSES DUE FRI. NOV. 12TH

Sketchbook Drawing #8

4th and 5th Graders:
Imagine your favorite meal and draw it. Think about how the food looks on your plate, do you eat it with a fork? or a spoon? What do you have to drink with this meal? Use a whole page of your sketchbook and COLOR!

MS. BALICKI'S & MR. ENG'S CLASSES: DUE TUESDAY, NOV. 2ND
MS. KELLY'S CLASS: DUE WEDNESDAY, NOV. 3RD
MS. TRESSELT, MS. PAYTON & MR. WILLIAMS CLASS: DUE FRIDAY, NOV. 5TH

2nd Grade Paper Sculptures

Last week the 2nd graders used strips of paper to create a 3-dimensional sculpture. Here are some pictures of the sculptures sitting on the counter to dry. I really like the shadows they create when the sun shines in the windows.

5th Grade Murals

Each 5th grade class put together a mural of a painting by Roy Lichtenstein. I cut the pictures into small squares and the students worked on drawing one square at a time. When all the squares were done, we put the picture together like a puzzle.
Mr. Eng's class did the picture of the woman and Ms. Balicki's class did the one of the dog. (above)
Ms. Tresselt's class made the picture of the man and woman. (below)
Click the picture to see a bigger image.

Sketchbook Drawing #7

5TH GRADE:
Use your imagination to create your own superhero. Draw how he or she will look, write their name and what their super powers are.

MR. ENG'S AND MS. BALICKI'S CLASSES DUE TUES. OCT. 26TH
MS. TRESSELT'S CLASS DUE FRIDAY OCT. 29TH



4TH GRADE:
Draw a Halloween picture, or a free choice drawing.

MS. KELLY'S CLASS DUE WED. OCT. 27TH
MS. PAYTON'S AND MR. WILLIAMS'S CLASS DUE FRIDAY OCT.29TH

5th Grade Sketchbook #6

This week I want you to draw a short comic strip in your sketchbooks. You can make it a story about a superhero or a normal person. If you use a superhero that already exists (like Superman or Batman), make sure that the comic is your original story, not copied from an actual comic book.

MR. ENG'S AND MS. BALICKI'S CLASSES DUE TUES. OCT. 19TH
MS. TRESSELT'S CLASS DUE FRIDAY OCT. 22ND

4th Grade Sketchbook #6

In your sketchbooks you need to draw 4 hybrid animals. Each animal should be a combination of two real animals. For example: you may combine a bird with a turtle, the shell and body of a turtle with the wings of a bird.
Think about the five classifications of animals (amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds and fish), and choose animals from different classifications to combine. This will make your hybrid animals look more interesting.

MS. KELLY'S CLASS DUE WEDNESDAY, OCT. 20TH
MS. PAYTON AND MR. WILLIAMS CLASSES DUE FRIDAY, OCT. 22ND

4th and 5th Grade Sketchbook #5

This week you are going to do a different kind of observational drawing.

First, choose a comfortable spot to sit. It could be in your house, outside, or somewhere at school. Then look at what is around you and draw what you see. Do your best to draw everything the way it actually looks.

Oak Park Education Foundation

Last year the 5th grade students participated in Architecture Adventure and drew plans for a new Irving Schoolyard. They worked with real architects and landscape designers to learn how professionals plan and draw out their designs.

Click the title of this post to go to the Oak Park Education Foundation website to see pictures of the students and their finished drawings.

Claes Oldenburg

Claes Oldenburg was born in Sweden in 1929. His family moved to the U.S. when he was 7 years old and lived in New York and then Chicago. He went to Yale University after graduating high school but later returned to Chicago to study art at the Art Institute.


In the early 1970s, Oldenburg began creating the large scale sculptures he is famous for today. The sculptures are larger versions of common, everyday objects. You can find Oldenburg's sculptures all around the world!



















This summer I got the chance to see two of Oldenburg's sculptures in person when I took a trip to Kansas City, Missouri. The Giant Shuttlecocks were on the front lawn of an art museum and the Giant Handkerchief was on campus of the Kansas City Art Institute. If you look closely you can see me in the first picture, (click on the pictures to see them bigger).

3rd Grade is learning about Keith Haring

The students have been learning about the artist Keith Haring these last few weeks. They saw many examples of his paintings and drawings and learned a little about his life.


The 3rd graders learned how to draw simple figures in different action poses, similar to the figures Haring is famous for. Then they added repeating lines around their figures and colored with bright colors.





For more information on Keith Haring check out Haringkids.com

What have the 1st Graders been doing in Art?

This week the 1st grade students learned about the artist Piet (pronounced "Peet") Mondrian (1872-1944). He was a dutch painter who became famous for his paintings using straight lines and primary colors.

During my summer trip to New York, I went to the Museum of Modern Art and got to see a few of Mondrian's paintings. Here are the pictures I took there:











You can also see some of Mondrian's paintings for yourself at the Art Institute of Chicago.

4th Grade Assign. #4

This week you get to do another drawing of your choice. Please be sure to take your time, draw a picture of something that interests you or something you like. Use the whole page of your sketchbook.

I've really enjoyed looking at the sketchbook drawings you've done so far this year. Keep up the good work!

5th Grade Assign. #4

This week you need to do an observational drawing in your sketchbook. That means you have to find an object and look at it while you draw it. Do your best to draw the object exactly how it looks.

Here are some examples of observational drawings that students did last year:

New artwork is being published!

I have started taking pictures of artwork the students have made these first few weeks of school. Check out Artsonia to see what your child has created! Click here to see: http://www.artsonia.com/schools/school.asp?id=50285

4th & 5th Grade Assign. #3

This week you get to choose what you want to draw in your sketchbook. Make sure that you spend some time on your drawing (at least 15 minutes), and fill the entire page.

If you are having trouble thinking of what to draw, check out the link on the right for a list of drawing ideas.

5th Grade Assign #2

This week in art you are working on a color wheel using your name. In your sketchbook, you need to draw a different kind of color wheel. Choose a shape or object, draw three of those shapes overlapping each other. Then you need to color the primary colors inside the shapes, the parts that overlap should be colored with the secondary colors. Use whatever you have to color with at home, just be sure to use the correct colors in each space.



Example: The space where the red shape overlaps the yellow shape should be colored orange because red and yellow make orange.

4th Grade Assign #2:

This week you are learning about radial designs and radial symmetry. In class you are working on a radial design using your name. In your sketchbook you need to create a different radial design.

Remember, radial symmetry goes around in a circular pattern. Each section should have the same design. Here are some examples to help you out:

ATTENTION 4TH & 5TH GRADERS:

Your first sketchbook assignment:

Draw something you did during summer vacation. It could be a place you went or something you did around Oak Park.
*Don't forget to write "1st Trimester" and the date at the top of the page.

(Example: I got a new dog over the summer and named her Penny. I would draw a picture of me and Penny playing fetch, her favorite game.)

I can't wait to see your drawings at the beginning of your next art class!

What I did this summer:

In July I went to New York and visited MOMA (the Museum of Modern Art). Here are some pictures of the artwork I saw there. Do you recognize any of these paintings?

Welcome Back!

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone back at school this week! I have been changing some things around the art room, so we'll see if you can figure out what's new and different.

See you in art!

IRVING BLOOMS!

The school year is flying by!!!

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. The art room has been busy lately!

The students have been working hard and have created some really amazing artwork. Check out the latest masterpieces on Artsonia. Remember that 15% of all sales from Artsonia comes back to Art at Irving.

Here’s a look at what we’ve been working on:

5TH GRADE

The 5th Graders looked at visual culture images of iPod advertisements as inspiration for their latest paintings. Using overhead projectors and cutouts from magazines, each student traced a silhouette of a person in motion. The students added lines around their person to emphasize the action.
In class we discussed complimentary colors, opposite colors on the color wheel. The students chose a pair of complimentary colors for their painting, one for the person and one for the background. We also talked about value and how to create lighter or darker values by adding white or black to a color. When a color is mixed with black, it becomes a shade. When a color is mixed with white, it becomes a tint. By mixing tints and shades of their background color, each student created 4 or more values in their silhouette paintings.

3RD GRADE

The 3rd graders looked at many examples of self portraits by famous artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Edvard Munch, Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, Chuck Close and Jean Michele Basquiat. We discussed the different styles the artists used and the basic proportions of the face. Then the students were ready to start their own self portraits! They drew themselves from memory, without looking in a mirror. Once the initial drawings were done, the students helped each other find colored pencils that matched their hair and skin color.

Everyone got a special treat before winter break when Robin, a local artist, came to talk to each of the classes. She showed the students some of her own portrait work and gave them tips for drawing people which they were able to use for their self portraits.

See if you can name the students from their portraits below: