Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Youth Art Month!!

Youth Art Month is in full swing here in the Sauk Prairie School District!
In honor of YAM and the opening of the district wide student art show on Thursday, it is ART SPIRIT WEEK!!  Wear a different color scheme everyday:

Monday: Primary Colors (red, yellow, blue)
Tuesday: Secondary Colors (green, purple, orange)
Wednesday: Monochromatic (wear one color. pick your favorite!)
Thursday: Warm, Cool or Neutral (red, orange, yellow or blue, green, purple or black, white, brown)
Friday: Complimentary Colors(blue and orange, yellow and purple, or red and green)

And remember...

Youth Art Month
"In The Garden"

Join Us In Celebrating...
March 8–April 3

Reception: March 14, 3:30–7 pm
River Arts Center
Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin

Gallery is open on school days 8:00 am–8:00 pm.

Hope to see you there!


Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentines Day! Love, BH, TR & MCCS


Happy Valentines Day!

 Making Valentines at Tower Rock!


Kindergarten Heart Prints at Black Hawk and Merrimac!


Positive/ Negative Heart Designs by 1st Grade at Black Hawk! 

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Grand Ave. 3rd and 4th Grade Disability Unit

The third and fourth grade students at Grand Ave. have participated in activities in various classes to increase their understanding of what it is like to have a disability. In art, students watched several short films about a blind painter, a painter that uses her feet to paint and an artist that is autistic. Students then drew a picture and colored it using their feet or non-dominate hand. After working without their dominate hand we discussed the challenge of having a disability.




Grand Ave. 3rd Grade Snowmen Portraits

In the spirit of the season the 3rd grade students created snowmen portrait collages. Students started by reading Snowmen at Night by, Caralyn Buehner and then painted a snowman portrait. Then they added accessories and facial features using paper, felt, buttons and paint. We had a lot of creative snowmen!






Grand Ave. 3rd Grade Molas

Third grade students at Grand Avenue created paper molas based on the traditional molas made by the Kuna Indians from Panama. While making their molas students learned about warm and cool color families and organic and geometric shapes.




Monday, December 10, 2012

Watercolor Landscpapes, 5th grade, Grand Avenue

We took advantage of the beautiful fall landscapes in the area and used it as an opportunity to create a regional landscape, in the style of Grant Wood and Vincent van Gogh. The artists carefully looked at the photograph to determine the horizon line, the line between the ground and the sky, and started drawing that line.  They worked their way through the picture, carefully noting lines that show change in vegetation, colors or textures. 
Once the picture was laid out, they thought about patterns in nature.  By adding patterns in a few different areas, they help to draw the viewer’s attention as well as add details and interest to the drawings.  The important things to remember when adding patterns in nature, is that they do not create perfect patterns. To help show space, things that are closer to you are larger with more detail, things that are further away are smaller with less detail. 

Once these pen and ink drawings were complete, color was added using watercolors.  They incorporated both wash and dry brush techniques into their paintings.
Students working on adding watercolor washed to their landscapes.  Color was added in layers using mostly washes, with drybrush in some areas.
                                  
The completed watercolors are hanging in the 5th grade halls at Grand Avenue.  Please check them out next time you are visiting school! 

Leaf Bowls

First graders at Spruce Street Elementary created fall leaf bowls out of clay.  They began by cutting a leaf shape out of clay using a pattern.  Once the shape was cut out, they arranged real leaves onto the clay leaf and rolled over them using a rolling pin.  This transferred the texture from the leaf onto the clay.  These were then draped over a bowl to allow the clay to dry in a bowl shape.  After they were bisque fired, the children painted them using warm fall colors.  A protective coat was put on the finished bowls to protect the color and make them shiny.  We hope these are enjoyed for years to come!