Thursday, December 13, 2012

Seascapes

Coming off of their autumn-y landscapes dotted with Aspen trees, fifth graders have moved on to seascapes. I've done seascapes for a few years but decided to mix things up this year, combining elements of projects I found here and here.

Like that second plan suggests, I use this project to show the kids the work of Winslow Homer. The more I study his realistic oil paintings, the more I appreciate both his talent and dedication to the subject of the sea.

This year, the kids looked at some of Homer's watercolors and oils before starting their own. Everyone chose a tempera paint color palette with which to cover a 12x18" sheet of white paper. They loved blending their colors and experimenting with brush techniques to achieve smooth waters or crashing seas. They added some sgraffito if desired. On this day, art class was sponsored by the letter M. For MESSY.



On day two, all students painted another 12x18" sheet--this time, watercolors on watercolor paper--for the sky. This day was sponsored by the color blue, a.k.a. an excuse to wear my new blue pants.

The 'ocean paper' was torn horizontally to create white waves and surf--so cool! These pieces were layered onto the watercolor paper to make sky and water meet.




Lastly, we went over a few origami boat folds. Kiddos had lots of paper and sizes from which to choose. I required them to use differing sizes to demonstrate perspective.

I pre-taught my Art Enrichment kids how to do the folds so they could teach the others.


Pile-up in the marina!



My fifth graders really enjoyed this mixed media approach--when I hear, "this is so cool!" and "woooow!" I want to do a happy little dance (and sometimes my blue pants and I indulge).

Some kiddos really went wild with this. I had a few kids 'sink' their ships by ripping them in half, and others made little "S.O.S." flags or named their boats. One of my outside-the-box thinkers asked to use a black Sharpie to draw on the sky; I asked if she'd prefer to paint on clouds but she said she'd like to use the black marker. I said yes and she ended up with this rockin' result, graphic and bold like the rest of the artworks I've seen from her:






Gosh I love these kids.

10 comments:

  1. These are AMAZING. I am definitely going to have to attempt this in the spring!! :)

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    1. Thank you! The kids seemed to enjoy them very much!

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  2. This is a great project and I really enjoy those "outside the box" thinkers/creators, don't you?!?! Her work is wonderful. Thank you for posting this, my kids are sure to enjoy it!

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  4. This is an awesome lesson and an answer to prayer for me. I was really stressing for a good ocean-themed idea for an upcoming summer arts camp. You have given a very thorough explanation of how to do this project but I am so detail oriented I'd really like to have more info. I'm not very tech savvy & don't really know how blogging works. I did search online but can' t find the directions for folding an origami sailboat like the tall one in your photos. If you would be willing, I would so appreciate to have any written detail you may have about this lesson ( like a lesson plan or the origami folding directions?) and would really like to be able to be in contact with you( through email if possible?). I have been teaching K-5 Art at two schools in Salemburg, NC for 22 years and am feeling very old and tired. The lessons I've seen on your site ( especially this ocean one) made me remember why I love being an Art teacher. Looking forward to your response! Thank you so much!

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    1. Janice, I am so glad that this project will work for you this summer! I will be happy to forward to you any materials/websites/resources and whatnot. Please know that your comment was a real blessing to receive, particularly now as we finish out what was a very long year. Talk to you soon!

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    2. Rachel, How do I go about giving you my contact info. and getting yours? I don't know protocol for this forum. Is it safe to just post my email on here?

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    3. I've tracked you down with a few Google searches... I'll email you soon. :)

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    4. Our 5th grade class is extremely excited this year about seascapes. We plan on tying this project in with Columbus Day. Is there a way I can contact you to get some detailed instructions. I'm a volunteer art docent at our public school with a little experience, but need detail instructions as well. Needless to say, our teacher and children are ready to roll. They are so excited. I would appreciate any help that you can give me. I'm ready to purchase the supplies to get started. I would love to send you some copies of our finished product. Sincerely, Kay

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    5. Kay,
      So sorry for the delayed response; I have a young baby at home and am still trying to figure out how to balance being back to school and being a mama! :-) I'd be happy to send you more detailed instructions. You can find my contact information on my teacher website: http://www.northernpolarbears.com/webpages/rconnell/

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