Illuminated Letters

Our 5th grade artists are learning about illuminated manuscripts, and creating their own illuminated letters on vellum with gold paint! Here are some of their works in progress: 

Molin Art Show!

In conjunction with the Molin Winter Concert, we hung our first art show here at the Molin! This is one of two art shows we plan to have this year. The next will be in the spring. We can't wait!

Fore, Middle, and Background

Our 4th graders learned how to create the illusion of deep space within their pictures by using foreground, middle ground, and background in their fall-themed drawings.  After sketching out their compositions, they used scratch paper for the final project.  On their scratch paper they practiced using hatching and crosshatching, and using inventive textures.

One Point Perspective

One Point Perspective is an optical illusion artists use to create depth and 3 dimensionality in a picture.  Our 5th grade artists learned about vanishing points, and using rulers, pencils, sharpies and color they created their name in these bright, bold, 3D compositions.

 

Name Project

Molin students working on their first project.   These artworks are to be used for the PTO Original Works fundraiser in the spring.

Welcome back, Molin!!!

Dear Molin students and parents,

Welcome back to school!  We are so excited to begin another wonderful year of Art Education.  This year we finally have our beautiful new art rooms, and they were worth the wait.  We look forward to a year full of painting, drawing, clay, mixed media, and above all, creativity.

Abstract Expressionism

Abstract Expressionism focuses spontaneous, automatic or subconscious creation.  In the early 1900's, it moved the art world even further away from illustrative artwork, and allowed artists to paint invisible things- like music or emotion.  Frequently, in Abstract Expressionism, the emphasis is much less on the finished product and much more on the process involved in the art making.   The two artists we focused on for this lesson- Jackson Pollock and Wassily Kandinsky, both were inspired by music, and used it as an inspiration for their work.  Despite sharing the same muse, their work looks incredibly different!  

Our 4th Grade students were also inspired by music, and created abstract images which are just as expressive, and just as unique, as those of Pollack and Kandinsky.

What are Boroda Bucks?

Boroda Bucks are the hot new currency in Molin art classes.  About half way through the year, it became apparent that, while class-wide behavioral motivators are great, its also nice to give individual students a pat on the back, too.  At the beginning of each class, I tell the students how many Boroda Bucks are in play for the day (usually between 3-6).

Boroda Bucks are awarded for being an outstanding student- for example working hard in the midst of a unfocused table, or for being a great helper to a fellow student who is struggling, or for remembering lots of information about the artists we're studying, or for making great personal strides in their art making process.

The whole class is still working to earn "Choice Art Days" between each project, so all of my great students can see their progress towards their collective goal, but a few lucky people get the Buck for the day.  I'm happy to add that its always hard to decided who gets the extra recognition, and I love to let my students know that.
At the end of class every day, the Boroda Buck recipients update their name/Boroda Buck tally on our running list. Boroda Bucks can be spent during choice day to use special art materials, or can be saved until the end of the year to earn a choice from the grab bag.

Gustav Klimt

Our 5th grade artists are busy finishing their Klimt-inspired portraits.
Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was a symbolist painter who very popular during his own life time and continues to be popular today.  You might be familiar with his works "The Kiss" or "The Tree of Life".  He was not only a portrait artist, but a symbolist painter.  Klimt combined these two very different generas into the same paintings, usually by painting very realistic faces, hands and arms, combined with abstracted, symbol-rich garments and backgrounds.

Our 5th grade artists began this project by learning the basic proportions of the human face (a very technical process!) and combined that with clothing and backgrounds filled with symbols and patterns significant to them.  The paintings were completed with water color and finally adorned with gold paint- a nod to Klimt's "Golden Phase".  Here are a few works in progress:

Charley Harper

Our 4th grade students have been busy completing their Charley Harper-inspired projects.  Charley Harper (1922-2007) was a very popular illustrator who focused mainly on birds and animals.  He coined the term "Minimal Realism" to describe his own work, which was based on observational drawing but highly stylized.  While Charley was a painter, his use of bright, solid colors and clearly defined shapes almost gives the look of cut paper collage, or even of digital illustration.


Molin's 4th grade artists began this project by drawing animals from observation, just like Charley Harper.  Then, using cut paper, they created animal illustrations focusing on color, symmetry, pattern, and lines.  The results are striking.  Here are a few finished examples:

Welcome to the Molin Gallery!

Hello All,
I'm starting this blog to share with you the wonderful, cool, and exciting things my students at the Molin are up to in art class.  My goal is to share at least one entry each week from the 4th grade and the 5th grade.  We work on both long projects, and on short, one day projects called "Art Challenges". These kids are creative, enthusiastic and talented, and I am very excited to share their work with you.