Kinder Session III Pumpkin colors

The Legend of Spookley the Square PumpkinColor blending and shapes. The story of Spookley the Square pumpkin was the inspiration for this painting/color blending project.

5th grade Session II Building a dramatic landscape

How do you create a dramatic landscape?

1st grade Watercolor Webs and rainbow Spiders

We continued with our hand/pattern warm up project, moving from pencil to Sharpie marker for details and design.

Introduced a 2 Part Project: Watercolor/crayon resist spiderweb with rainbow collage spider-



4th grade Session II

Intro to Day of the Dead and Mexican tin work

3rd grade Session II who was/is Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa art icon...but why?

Kinder session II More Fun with Lines

Straight lines building blocks to shapes and curvy lines to show movement. Student discussed lines and continued their exploration of this element of art, looking at famous works of art such as Starry Nights by Vincent Van Gogh and the Color/Composition pieces by Piet Mondrian. The artists created geometric work with white lines and black paper and experimented with pencil and graphite to create moving lines. Great process driven project.





What inspired this project? 




2nd grade session II and III Mr. Bones

This project connects to Common Core themes of science/health and introduces students to basic human  anatomy. This series of workshops also allows students to become skilled in imagination and observation two important components  in the creative world. Where are skeletons? If I want to find out about skeletons where can I go, what can I do who should I contact? Great discussion starters.
We spend a lot of time talking about our bodies, we compared human adult skeletons to human baby skeletons and looked at numerous print outs and science models. Students closed their eyes and visualized a human skeleton, then drew that skeleton their Imaginary Skeleton.
Session 3 we looked at our class model-Mr. Bones and continued our exploration of the human skeleton, naming bones and their function and reviewing the human body. Through direct drawing and artful observation students created their own Mr. Bones. The two drawings will be matted together to allow for further discussion regarding Imagine and Observe.

Just a few of the wonderful imaginary skeletons 

Mr. Bones is tired after a full day of modeling 

6th grade Session II and III

We are continuing with our line work and exploring abstract composition. In session 2 I introduced a new project that centers on understanding the cultural celebration and traditions surrounding el dias de los muertos, or Day of the Dead.
Students read handout information that offered a brief introduction, and shared one fact per table with the class. We looked at the symbol for this culturally connected event, the sugar skull, and discussed its historic origin with the Aztec culture. Students begin to design their own paper sugar skull, first creating the skull shape/form, making a pattern, tracing on to their finish paper and then adding details such as flowers, patterns and geometric designs. First work is done in pencil then 2 types of sharpies are available.

In Session 3 we built on the previous information and materials, now refining the designs students adding stylized skeleton bodies to give the sugar skulls a "bobble head" look. And last using special embellishments such as feathers, sequins and glitter the students the paper sugar skulls really came ALIVE on the paper.
Such a fun project with lots of room for personal expression and high student success.

5th grade Art Session I

The lone tree, the cool night...how does a picture tell a story? What is your story to tell? Using basic elements of a landscape students will develop a personal narrative. Starting with a direct drawing process the 5th grade artists will be introduced to the idea of creating a more dramatic picture composition by cropping elements and moving off of the picture plane.  Students will experience using a variety of mediums and techniques based on this tree/landscape theme-creating 2 very different individual projects plus a group piece.

1st grade Art Session I

Hands up if you are ready to have fun! 1st grade art apprentice started the year with a project that they will build on throughout the next 4-5 sessions ending with an amazing class art piece that everyone had a hand in creating...and I mean that literally! Using their pencil/drawing hand they traced around their helping hand (their non drawing hand). They will add patterns, designs and color to this shape-all the hands will be displayed as a group class project.

4th Grade Art Session I

Radial design and symmetry are two concepts that we will be visiting repeatedly throughout our 4th grade art journey. Our first project Sun Burst Flower is based on looking close observation of nature, in this case a flower. This unit connects to 4 grade Math curriculum and builds on Visual Arts Standards of Language and Skills.
What is symmetry? 
How do we evenly divide a paper using perpendicular lines? 
What do we call these 4 equal spaces? 
Using lines and a corner arch pattern, students drew their flower center.



This project will be developed throughout the year with patterns and designs then watercolor. Last they will be cut out and arranged as class quilt like finished piece. I am so excited to see how this piece progresses and changes as the students develop and explore new drawing techniques.





Kindergarten Art Session I-A

Kindergarten where it all begins! I so enjoy visiting with these little eager learners. Our art adventure starts wit a dot walking into a line. Looking at Van Gogh's masterpiece Starry Night we began looking and analyzing art what do you see, what do find interesting and why, what kind of lines are in this picture? We continued focusing on lines by making lines in the air, we moved around the classroom in a line (not a straight line) we looked for lines in our room and on our clothing, we looked at rulers and talked about how they are used to make very straight lines then the most fun of all...we ate lines! Using uncooked and cooked spaghetti as a teaching tool for "a line is a dot that goes for a walk" we made plate pictures with cooked pasta then the young artists could eat their creations.


Side note to parents: I did instruct our kinders that this was very special art pasta cooked by an artist and that it was not okay to go home start playing with their dinner food...but if they do, well you know it's based in creative hands on learning!








3rd Grade Art Session I

Pop Patchwork Landscapes is our first project for 3rd grade this year-students will work on this composition off and on all year, it is a perfect warm up to start the art day! Looking at famous art prints students will be introduced to the structural elements of landscape, foreground, middle ground and background. Observe seasons, weather, time of day and mood. Using lines and overlapping shapes they will draw a basic hill/tree landscape. Modeling the drawing techniques using Red Light Stop and Green Light Draw students will practice in unison then working in their sketchbook they will create their own unique landscape compositions. They must follow the guidelines of do's and don't regarding the elements for this project. This "ownership" encourages students to take a active part in their learning and  provides structure and direction withing a creative framework. Later we will add color and patterns to these landscapes frameworks to really make them POP!

2nd Grade Art Session I (and warm up for future dates)

Line Directional Dance is the on going line based drawing project for 2nd grade. After our meet and greet and art talk all students received a rectangular piece of watercolor paper, a drawing pencil and a ruler. Using a series of verbal instructions and the ever popular Red Light stop/freeze, Green Light draw students created their own unique line based composition. This project is a great way to evaluate skill set, work with rulers and use hands on experiences to express the understanding of line direction, plus it allows for a lot of individual creativity within an art frame work. The students will later add color to these creations and develop them into more complex compositions but for now we just had a lot of joy in moving our dot around the paper!

Line work, drawn with pencil the Sharpie 

Each class had a different set of line/shape/direction instructions 

Here is an Art History-Inspiration Snap Shot: 




In session II and III students warmed up with this line project adding color and patterns/blending.We reviewed line direction and ruler skills as well.  They began to see connections to the Inspiration pieces. Vocabulary word of the day concentric circles!





You can really see how the project is developing, the colors make it POP!




6th Grade Art Session I

A line is a dot that goes for a walk, and we are taking that line for a walk around our entire paper!
6th grade students started this project by dividing their paper into 4 equal quadrants-perpendicular lines-these very light guide lines will be key later in the project evolution. Next, make a dot in one corner of the paper that becomes a line and with purpose-move that line throughout the paper space allowing it to intersect and loop ending by connecting to the starting place. The outside contour must be enclosed and create a form that could later be cut out. This is the beginning of an on going project that will include pattern, design, color and transform a 2-D drawing into a 3-D sculpture.

Let's take that Line Around the Block and see what happens! 




"What a Wonderful World"

Welcome to our 2014-15 Art Studio Year. Our theme for the next 10 months will be "What a Wonderful World". All students will be introduced to a variety of accomplished artists from the distant past and the not so distant past. I believe in viewing art work from great masters-we can all learn new skills and techniques and develop our artist's eye for deep observation-you never know where creativity might strike! Some of the  portraits currently on display in the studio are Vincent Van Gogh (I kinda have a crush on him) Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Henri Matisse, Paul KleeGeorgia O'Keeffe, Henri Rousseau and Romare Bearden.
Our first art session is really 3 parts:

  • Introductions, expectations and room guidelines
  • Analyses and observation centering on 4 works by Vincent Van Gogh 
  • Starting of an on going line based project that will be worked on throughout the first half of the year


The elements of art and the principals of design will provide a common starting point for our process/product based learning. This month we are working with lines, which is a dot that goes for a walk. We will make lines in the air, with and without sounds, draw lines on paper, straight and curvy, and look for lines in our world and in works of art. All first session art projects are line based, slowly moving into shapes, forms, pattern and texture.
And now let the Wonderful Art Year begin!
Creatively yours,
Ms. Jane 

To find out more about Romare Bearden visit the fun site from the Metropolitan Museum

http://www.metmuseum.org/metmedia/interactives/art-trek/romare-bearden-lets-walk-the-block

2014-15 Art Room Mission Statement

Ms. Janes Art Room Mission Statement

My pledge to all apprentice who enter:

“I will work hard to guide you in developing your creative voice and seek to nurture a life long love and appreciation of the arts through; discussion, observation, a variety of hands on experiences, skill building and reflection.”

·        The study of Other Artists, Cultures and Historic Periods are key to a strong foundation for creative growth.

·        Questions lead to Discovery, which can lead to Answers, which in turn often leads to more Questions.

·        Your Voice, your Vision and your Point of View are Valued.

·        Mistakes and Accidents are okay- these are signs that you are willing to try, willing to risk and there begins your great journey into Creativity.

·        Art is complex, building skills, mastering techniques- part process and part product; remember it is called an Art Work because it takes Work

A New School Year a New Art Room

Welcome to the Phoebe Hearst Art Studio Blog my name is Jane Hastings AKA Ms. Jane and I am so very excited to be your new resident artist. I'm looking forward to an exciting, creative and imaginative year, filled with lots of hands on learning and messy exploration. One of my favorite artists is Vincent Van Gogh and his painting Starry Night (1889)  moves my heart, excites my eye and charges my brain. Do you have a favorite artist?
Starry Night inspired student work from VSA program 2010