Hard working artists!

Kindergarten students have been gaining some foundation experience with numerous art materials. They have used a variety of crayons, markers and colored pencils in multiple two dimensional artworks. Our young artists have also been introduced to some Color Theory by discovering that red and yellow will create orange, and that blue and yellow will create green.

The most exciting news for our kindergarteners, and all parents, is that they received their

sketchbooks! Periodically throughout the year we will work on small drawing assignments to

document the present (self portrait, members of your family, your teacher, a recent memory, etc.).

These mini assignments will continue until the end of fifth grade, at which point the sketchbooks will

be sent home (and cherished!).

Sketchbooks!

First Graders started their year with an inspiring book called Ish! by Peter H. Reynolds, a story of a

young artist discovering that Art cannot be summed up by one aesthetic or one right answer.  Our

first grade students also completed a tempera painting based on simple shapes. This colorful project

enabled the students to practice making controlled brushstrokes, and introduced them to the concept

of craftsmanship and “touch up.”

More recently, they have begun making animal/habitat collages.  These little 2D environments will be

coming home soon!

Gr.1 shape painting

Second Graders began with a fall collage using construction paper and glue sticks. Next, they

created a watercolor painting of a pumpkin patch using a few different watercolor techniques: wet on

dry, wet on wet and blotting.

To complement their study of Native American cultures, students began a basic color block yarn

weaving, and the upcoming project will be clay seed pots.

Gr.2 yarn weaving

Third Graders have had a two lessons in portraiture.  They learned that when drawing the human

head it is important to place the eyes halfway between the top of the head and the bottom of the

chin.  Many beginning artists (adults included) mistakenly place the eyes higher on the forehead.

Also, rather than putting a small bit of manicured lawn on the top of the head, students learned to

draw the hair as a shape.

Third graders have also been working on a warm leaves/cool sky tempera paintings. One of the

objectives of this painting lesson is to allow the brushstrokes to show. Our goal was to highlight the

paint application.

gr.3 warm leaves / cool sky painting

Fourth Graders became young designers while learning to use a compass to create artworks that

exhibit radial symmetry.  They then created circular designs freehand onto thin styrofoam which was

then printed on colored paper using multi-colored inks.  

Students can now look forward to one of the most exciting fourth grade projects.  Students will be

using clay to create unique coil pots. Students will be asked to try to create a coil pot that is not just

one coil upon the next, upon the next. Rather, students will consider incorporating some vertical,

textured, or spiraled coils or small slabs of clay into the wall of the pot.

After the pots are fired, students will have a few surface design options to complete their pot.

Gr.4 radial symmetry printing

Fifth Graders spent the beginning of the year looking into a mirror to study proportion in portraiture.

 We started with a pre-instruction self portrait in their sketchbook. We then began another self

portrait over the period of four classes noting and drawing proper placement of facial features

(always amusing to watch elementary students confronted with a mirror).

Recently, they have begun a printmaking unit making winter cards that can be personalized and

mailed.

Gr.5 winter card printing

After the Winter Break, we will begin designing our squares for the annual Square One Art

fundraiser!  This project is always a big hit with our young artists while also generating funds for our

PTO.

Collaborative Circle Display!

This board has created such a buzz around the school. Fellow artists, teachers and parents are constantly admiring your display. Great job kids!

Full Circle!

We are off to a great start!
All of the students in grades K-5 created a circle drawing for our collaborative display for Open House Night.
Stay tuned for pictures of the entire bulletin board. In the meantime, here are some creative student examples:

I bet you are tickled PINK to find out this year's theme!

The theme for this year's School-wide Art Project is...
C O L O R ! C O L O R ! C O L O R !
The Art Show this year will be on Friday, June 8th from 5 - 7 p.m.

SPRING?

All of the Peter Noyes K-5 artists completed their designs for the annual Square One Art project.

I have mailed all of the artworks to the company and expect the order forms with the free sheet of stickers to arrive March 28th!  Be on the lookout for your young artist’s catalogue.

Kindergarten students had their first ceramics lesson! Each student made three clay pendants.

This lesson is a great introduction to the process of ceramics. The students learn how the soft clay

can be formed, dried over a period of days, fired in the kiln at over 2000 degrees, glazed with bright

colors, and fired again in the kiln at over 2000 degrees.  All of their pendants should be coming

home soon on leather cords ready to be worn.

Next, kindergarten students will have a watercolor unit about rainbow order (ROYGBP).

First Graders began an “Introduction to Figure Drawing” unit.  I encourage young artists to avoid

drawing stick figures or gingerbread figures to represent the human body.  Instead, I focus their

attention on “Shirts and Pants.” I find it is much easier, and proportionately accurate, to start by

drawing clothing first.  Soon, the first graders will be starting a Color Theory unit about primary (red,

yellow, blue) and secondary (orange, green, purple) colors.

Second Graders also began a Color Theory unit on mixing primary colors to make secondary

colors. First, they used red, yellow and blue plasticine (modelling clay) to physically mash and knead

two colors together to make a new color. For the next lesson, the second grade artists used primary

color tempera paint to mix the secondary colors.  These paint swatches were later cut out and

collaged onto a new paper to make a Color Wheel.

Third Graders started a clay project that entailed making a “mouth pot” sculpture.  The students

started by making a pinch pot. Once turned on its side, the opening of the pinch pot would represent

the mouth of their sculpture.  After discussing how to attach two pieces of clay together (slip and

score), the artists attached teeth/fangs, tongues and the like inside the mouth of the sculpture, and

eyes, noses, horns, wings, tails, etc. to the outside of their sculptures.  After the sculptures are fired

in the kiln, the students will use multicolored glazes to color their creations.

Fourth Graders reviewed how to draw the human figure in proportion by drawing a wooden

mannequin from observation. The students drew the mannequin on toned paper with black charcoal

pencils. Next, they used black charcoal pencil, white charcoal pencil, and a blending stump to shade in the mannequin with deep shadows and bright highlights.

The next lesson is creating 3D paper mache masks!

Fifth Graders are working on a clay project of a 3D head. The head will be made by combining two pinch pots to form a hollow egg shape.  Depending on the artist’s plan (human, animal, monster, etc.) features will be added by using the slip and score technique. After the initial firing (bisque fire), all sculptures will be glazed.

Square One Art!

​Every year our school works with the Square One Art company as a fundraiser for our PTO. Families have the opportunity to purchase products that feature their children's art work: mugs, water bottles, necklaces, iPhone cases, etc.  All artists will also receive a free sheet of 20 stickers of the artwork that they create.  Here is the website with more information:

https://www.square1art.com/.​

All students in grades K - 5 have spent the past couple Art classes creating an individual artwork for submission to Square One Art. All work will be mailed on March 9th to the Square One Art company. Peter Noyes should receive the custom catalogs near the end of March. Be on the lookout for some amazing Art! Orders will need to be place by April 11th. We should expect orders to arrive at Noyes in the beginning of May.