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fifth grade art

Op art weaving project.

June 12, 2018 by sueboo

I try to incorporate a wide variety of mediums into my art classes each year.  Though one wouldn’t initially think of weaving to teach op art, this project turned out to be fun.  Not to mention, the kids practiced a lesser-known skill.  I was a bit surprised by how foreign it was to several of the fifth-graders in the class I taught.

We began by learning about Victor Vasarely and studied a few of his works to identify the various components of op art.  This powerpoint presentation taught a few principles of op art and outlined the steps of the project.

It basically went like this:

Fold the black piece of paper in half.
Using a ruler, draw vertical lines ½ inch apart on one side of the black paper.
Using your scissors, cut on the lines you have drawn from the folded edge stopping a half inch before cutting through the unfolded edge. DO NOT CUT ALL THE WAY THROUGH

Use your scissors to cut your colored sheet of paper into strips and separate them by size. (1/8 in, 1/4 in, 1/2 in, 3/4 in, and 1 inch).
Starting with the largest paper strip, weave through the black paper. Weave the next largest paper strip through, making sure to alternate where the colored strips go over and under the black ones. Repeat with the next smallest strip of colored paper, then the next, until you get to the smallest. Use both of the smallest (1/8 inch wide) strips of colored paper and then start weaving progressively larger strips of colored paper until you get to the right edge of the paper. You will probably use several of the largest strips of paper before doing so.

I also created this printable, which I printed onto neon paper.  Each student selected his/her own shade of neon and was able to cut along the lines to obtain the correct size of paper strips to complete the project.

Posted in: Art Lessons Tagged: elementary art lesson, fifth grade art, op art lesson, victor vasarely, weaving

Elementary Art Lesson – Edward Hopper Lighthouse Watercolor

December 13, 2017 by sueboo

The fifth grade course of study in our school introduces the students to American realism, as exemplified by Edward Hopper.  In this lesson, we first read through * Mike Venezia’s biography on Edward Hopper.  Once the students experienced a healthy cross-section of the various subjects Hopper painted, we mimicked his style by using watercolor to create our own lighthouse painting.

The basics were as follows:

Sketch a lighthouse in pencil
Go over the pencil in black sharpie
Fill in the white spaces with watercolor pencil. Using shading to create more depth.

Use a brush and water to blend the colors for the final product.

It’s a rather simple project, though having to draw something as realistically as possible proves to be a challenge for some students.  The subject of a lighthouse provides fifth-graders (or younger) a perfect opportunity to practice drawing three-dimensionally.  I created the following powerpoint presentation to instruct the students on each step of the art project:  Edward Hopper Lighthouse Watercolor Powerpoint

Materials used:* watercolor pencils, watercolor paper (9X12), black sharpie, pencil.

Difficulty: Easy to moderate.  Suitable for 4th-6th graders.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click through and purchase any of the products, I will receive a commission, at no additional cost to you.
Posted in: Art Lessons Tagged: edward hopper, elementary art, elementary art lesson, fifth grade art, watercolor, watercolor pencils

Two-tone Autumn Leaf Print

November 4, 2016 by sueboo

During a fourth/fifth grade art lesson, we covered the concepts of open and closed composition, then briefly explain block-printing.  I made sure to have plenty of band-aids on hand, since the carving tools are sharp.  We ended up maxing out at two band-aids, which isn’t too shabby for a class of over 25 ten and eleven year-olds.

I would hesitate to do this art lesson with just any class, since it requires a bit of tenacity unusual in many elementary-aged kids, but block-printing is a skill that is sometimes underutilized by volunteer art teachers so I was willing to take my chances.  Plus, it’s just plain fun.  The kids simply love it for its uniqueness so I don’t mind forking out some funds for at least one block-printing lesson per year.

I purchased most of my materials from dickblick.com so I have included the links to those specific items.  They are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase any of the products, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Materials used: Linoleum carving tools, rubber-like carving block (4X6 inch), pencil, water-based printing ink, block-printing paper (or any smooth paper, if you prefer), brayers, sheet of plexiglass (or any flat surface, really)

Difficulty: Moderate to advanced for upper elementary grades

Draw image on block
Follow pencil lines to carve image

Roll ink on block
Press onto paper to make print
Carve additional areas out of block

Cover with a different color
Place on top of original print

Feel free to use the following Powerpoint Presentation detailing the steps in this lesson:

Two-tone Autumn Leaf Print Powerpoint

 

Posted in: Art Lessons, Lessons Tagged: autumn art ideas, block printing, elementary art lesson, fifth grade art, fourth grade art

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