Pumpkins! ages 7 to 15

I like to do projects that reflect the time of year and so pumpkins have reappeared in our classroom. The students used 19x25 inch canson paper and oil pastels to draw and paint the pumpkins. I call it drawing when we use lines and painting with the oil pastels when we show value, color and texture. These all have nice rhythm and style.

Halloween Shadow Boxes-ages 8 - 12

I found some diorama boxes this summer and could not wait to see what the students would do using a Halloween theme.
I was not disappointed. So creative!

Contrasting Black Backgrounds, Teen Class

We looked at some paintings from other bloggers and magazines that used black as a background. We noted how a simple subject really takes center stage with the black background.
Some used watercolor, some used colored pencil.

Warm and Cool Color Animal Blocks- ages 8 and 9

The students picked an animal face to draw using contour lines and put it on 18 x 22 inch poster board that I had divided into blocks. They used tempera paints to paint alternating warm and cool colors.

Visit the Zoo Posters, Ages 7-12

We looked at some zoo posters for inspiration and talked about how to incorporate words/letters into the poster. The students enjoy drawing animals and I also enjoy the lesson in simplifying shapes. They also put much thought into the design, color and placement.

Bird on a Wire, all three classes, ages 8-15

The students used rulers and compasses to make shapes, then chose where to use warm/cool colors and added bird on a wire silhouettes. They put a lot of thought in to this project. Wonderful work!

acrylic on canvas board