Big Woods Art!

Family Art Night

2011-04-04T06:43:00.000-07:00

We had an incredible time at family art night this year! On Friday, March 25th over 70 families came to school to paint a ceiling tile. These tiles are now up all over school and look fabulous! A big THANK YOU to the awesome families who created such amazing pieces of art :)

Lately...

2011-04-04T06:35:00.000-07:00

Just a few of the projects we've completed this winter! :) Enjoy!

2nd Grade Cardinal Beginnings

2010-11-18T13:58:00.001-08:00

3rd Grade Barns

2010-11-18T13:51:00.000-08:00

1st Grade Kandinsky

2010-11-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

1st Grade Free Form Shapes

2010-11-18T13:48:00.000-08:00

4th Grade Pottery

2010-11-18T13:47:00.001-08:00

Work on the wheels has begun! YES! The kids are excited, loving it, and turning out great pieces. This is by far the best unit to do with 4th graders :)

3rd Grade Kimonos

2010-10-12T09:15:00.001-07:00

Don't these Kimonos look great? Nice job 3rd graders!

1st Grade Chinese Lanterns

2010-09-30T07:12:00.001-07:00

The first graders have just completed their first project of the year: Chinese lanterns. In China, lanterns are usually lit at the New Years celebration to symbolize hope for a bright future. We made lanters to celebrate our new school year and our very bright futures :) The artists also incorporated line into their lanterns. We learned all about horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines. Exciting!

Sneak Peek...

2010-09-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

4th Grade Chinese Scrolls

3rd Grade Chinese Kimonos

2nd Grade Chinese Dragon Fish

And we're off!! This year in the art studio is beginning better than ever! All of the Big Woods artists are impressing me more each day with their good behavior and incredible artistic talent! Above you'll find a sneak peek of what we are working on... final project pictures to come!

Welcome Back!!

2010-08-25T12:07:00.001-07:00

Hello Artists and Art Lovers!

Welcome back to a brand new school year. I hope you had a lovely summer and survived this crazy heat we've been having. I had a great summer helping my mom and dad-in-law build their dream cabin. It is a truly beautiful place on a gorgeous lake. I learned how to put up walls, put in windows, install trusses, and so much more. I loved every minute of it! We also got to spend a lot of time swimming and relaxing by the lake. In between weekends working at the cabin I took a trip down to Texas to photograph a wedding AND see my precious baby niece AnnaBelle. Summer was wonderful, but I excited for school and lots of great art!

This year we have a Chinese teacher at our school. How awesome is that? So a lot of our art is going to be focused on China and the beautiful art that has been created there over the centuries. Make sure you check back here to see lots of great pictures!

I hope are as excited as I am to get creating!

Love,

Mrs. Dahl

This is a picture of me putting in windows at the cabin!

End of the school year

2010-06-04T11:05:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much to all the students at Big Woods for another WONDERFUL school year! I'm going to miss all you 4th graders headed to the middle schools next year, but excited that I still get to see my 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders for another great year in the art room.

Have a safe and happy summer!

Love,
Mrs. Dahl

3rd Grade Bugs!

2010-05-06T07:26:00.001-07:00

Loving the way these bugs are turning out... so bright and colorful!

4th Grade Masks

2010-05-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

The 4th graders are making excellent progress on their paper mache masks! I love the designs that the students have chosen. Soon we will be adding feathers, beads, and other fun accessories. Nice job!

1st Grade Wayne Thiebaud Treats!

2010-04-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Yummy! Don't these look good enough to eat? First graders have spent the past 2 weeks studying Wayne Thiebaud, an American artist who loved to paint sweet treats! The first graders chose their own favorite sweet treats and made some delicious artwork :)

2nd Grade Monet Gardens

2010-04-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

These gardens turned out so lovely! I can't stop looking at them! The second graders learned all about Claude Monet and his impressionist style of painting. They loved the fact that he painted outdoors a lot and were begging me to take them outside... the weather is warm enough so we'll be going out soon! We talked about how Monet used a variety of colors to create different types of light and we used many colors to creat our artwork. Awesome job 2nd graders!!

3rd Grade Bugs!

2010-04-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

I had to give you a sneek peek of this 3rd grade project! They are doing such a great job making detailed a realistic bugs. Can't wait to show off the finished product!

More Flowers

2010-04-20T08:20:00.001-07:00

I'm just loving these flowers... hope they brighten your day!

3rd Grade Pop-Art Prints

2010-04-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

The third grader's began their Pop Art adventure by learning about Andy Warhol, one of the most famous artists to ever live. They learned all about his life as an artist and the type of art that he made. Andy Warhol made a type of art called "pop-art". This means that he took things from our everyday lives (POPular items) and incorporated them into his art. He did a lot of artwork about movie stars (Marilyn Monroe, Elvis), Campbell's soup cans and self portraits. Warhol often used a method called printmaking to creat his art. The third graders followed in his footsteps and made some prints of their own!

They first drew their self portaits into a piece of styrofoam with a pencil, making sure to press hard enough to make a dent in the foam. They then put in on the styrofoam and transferred the image to a sheet of paper by rubbing the inked side of the foam onto a piece of paper. I love the bright colors in this project! Way to go guys!

1st Grade Still Life

2010-04-07T10:39:00.001-07:00

This is hands down one of my favorite projects that first graders do. Every student's work turns out wonderful, beautiful and unique! I wish I could hang each one in my house, they are so bright and cheery!

The first graders began by learning about the art element of space. They learned that space is the empitness around and between objects. We then spent a day drawing flowers in vases on our tables. We talked about how important it is to actually look at the flowers and draw what you see in front of you, not what you think the flowers look like.

After drawing and outlining our flowers we used water colors to paint them. Incredible!

2nd Grade Pattern Animals

2010-03-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

The second graders have been learning about patterns and motifs in art. They learned that a motif is the actual design that is repeated and a pattern is when a motif is repeated over and over again. We looked at many patterns and brainstormed different patterns together as a class. We then used that knowledge to fill in our animals. Don't they look nice? YES!!!

4th Grade Picasso Portraits

2010-03-23T07:22:00.001-07:00

The fourth graders have been learning all about the life and times of Pablo Picasso. Picasso is considered an artistic genius for many reasons, one of them being his help in the development of the Cubist style of art. We drew our self-portraits in a cubist style and then looked a period in Picassos painting life called the Blue Period. During this time Picasso was so sad and depressed that he painted mostly with different values of blue. Each student then chose a color to use in their portrait, plus black and white, to get values of that color. This color was based on their mood at the time. We learned that a Tint is a color plus white and a Shade is a color plus black. Using our colors, tints, and shades we created unique cubist portraits. I love them!

2nd Grade "Value"-able" Jewels

2010-03-23T07:11:00.001-07:00

Second graders have been hard at work learning all about the element of Value. Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. We can get value by mixing white and black with a color. The students began this project by making a symmetrical jewel. Symmetrical means that if you fold it in half, it would be the same on each side. After making their jewels, the second graders picked a color of tempera paint, plus white and black, to paint their project. I'm impressed with these very "value"-able jewels!

Fourth Grade Color Wheel

2010-02-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

This is by far one of my favorite projects to do with my fourth grade students. We start by learning all about the color wheel: primary colors, secondary colors, intermediate colors and how to mix them all. Then, we make our own color wheel with... FROSTING! The students love it! I give the students some yellow, blue and red frosting and they mix the other colors of the color wheel. They spread each color on a vanilla wafer and make a color wheel. The kids have fun and learn a lot, and I get to eat the extra cookies :)

First Grade Texture Collage

2010-02-26T07:55:00.000-08:00

First graders have been learning all about texture. Texture is the way something feels. It may be smooth or rough, bumpy or flat, scratchy or soft. We used our knowledge of texture to create sheets of paper that had textures on them. From those sheets we created beautiful ocean collages. I love the way these turned out. Way to go first graders!

1st Grade Hearts

2010-02-05T06:45:00.000-08:00

Aren't these fun? The first graders learned about cutting hearts out of paper and then used chalk to make these great projects. We're all ready for Valentine's Day!

4th Grade Rhythm and Movement Projects

2010-02-05T06:41:00.000-08:00

These are some of my favorite projects the 4th graders make. They are so bright and beautiful! We used our knowledge of Rhythm and movement to create the back ground and our knowlegde of proportion to make the figures. Way to go 4th grade!

2nd Grade Jim Dine Hearts

2010-02-01T14:07:00.001-08:00

The artist Jim Dine LOVED hearts. He did many paintings using hearts as this theme. We drew inspiration from Jim Dine and the color wheel as we made these hearts. The students had to incorporate all the primary and secondary colors in their artwork. Can you name all six colors?

4th Grade Proportion Studies

2010-01-26T07:38:00.000-08:00

The 4th graders are starting a unit studying proportions of the human body. We learned that proportion can be broken down into two words: pro and portion. Pro in this case means "really good" like a professional athlete. Portion means "amount". So proportion means "really good amounts." When we draw proportionately the head is not too big for the body and the arms are not too long, the feet aren't too tiny, etc. When we draw proportionately everything should look realistic because the every part is the right size when compared to another part.

Here are some pictures of us practicing drawing with wooden drawing dudes. We are trying our best to make them in the correct proportions. Nice work 4th graders!

2nd Grade Clay!

2010-01-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

The 2nd graders had a great time creating clay pinch pots. We learned about the element of form and talked about how form is 3-D. That means the art pops out at you, it is not flat! After mastering the concept of form, we used clay to make a pinch pot and then glazed them. The 2nd graders are so proud of their artwork, and so am I!

3rd Grade Positive/Negative Space Masks

2010-01-15T08:16:00.001-08:00

The 3rd graders have been learning a lot about the element of space. We've learned that it is the area we can create art in... it goes from side to side, top to bottom and from the front of the picture to the back of the picture (depth). We learned we can create depth by overlapping objects and also by using scale. We have now added one more thing to the element of space: Positive space and negative space. Positive space happens where objects have been added to a piece of artwork. Negative space is the empty space left over. In order to explore positive and negative space a little more, we created masks! The students had to be good direction followers and great listeners in order to get theirs to turn out right. Can you tell which spaces are positive and which spaces are negative?

Finished Penguins!

2010-01-15T08:13:00.000-08:00

I am in love with these penguins that the 2nd graders have finished! They look incredible! Nice work 2nd grade!

3rd Grade Oaxacan Animals

2010-01-15T08:10:00.000-08:00

The 3rd graders have been stellar art students while learning about Oaxacan (pronounced wa-ha-can) animals. The Oaxacan people who live in Oaxaca, Mexica have been making these colorful creatures for generations. Traditionally the animals are carved out of wood and then painted. In art class, we made them out of clay and then glazed them. The bright colors we used were inspired by Mexican life, nature and traditions! We loved seeing all the bright colors they use!

4th Grade Pottery

2010-01-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

Good News! The 4th graders have finished throwing and glazing their pots. It has been a long process, but the kids have been patient hard workers. One of the incredible things about the Big Woods art program is that we have six potter's wheels for the kids to use. Each student gets to experience throwing a pot and then glazing afterwards. All of the pots look great! I hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed making them :)

Painted Penguins

2009-12-02T08:58:00.001-08:00

Hmmmm... I seem to be on a penguin theme this year :) The kids love, them, though and always get so excited to draw and paint them. These second grade penguin paintings are turning out great! We have been talking about depth and overlapping. We learned that depth is the amount of space between the front and the back of the picture. Art is so awesome because even though the piece of paper is flat, we can make it feel like there is great depth (a lot of space) between the front and the back. We talked about how overlapping is a way to show depth. When one object hides another, it's called overlapping. I know that the object I can see all of is in front and the object that is partially hidden is in back. The second graders are doing so well at soaking up these concepts, not to mention being perfect penguin painters! :)

Snow Globe

2009-12-02T08:56:00.001-08:00

Third graders have been busy working away on their snow globes. They are turning out beautifully! We learned about foreground, background, overlapping and depth with these projects. Whew! That is a lot of information to cover! The third graders did great, though, and not only learned alot but produced some great art! Nice work!

Paul Klee Castle

2009-12-02T08:53:00.001-08:00

We've been done with this project for a while, but thought I'd post one picture cause they turned out so great! First graders learned about the Swiss artist Paul Klee who loved to use geometric shapes in his paintings. We looked at his painting "Castle and the Sun" and then made our own geometric castles. How many geometric shapes can you find?

Petey the Primary Penguin

2009-12-02T08:34:00.001-08:00

First graders are learning their primary colors. The primary colors are the most important colors on the color wheel. They are the colors (along with black and white) that are used to make all the other colors! We met a very special friend Petey the Primary Penguin who taught us all about the Primary colors. Thanks, Petey!

2nd Grade Hidden Hands

2009-11-24T14:01:00.001-08:00

We have been talking a lot about geometric and free form shapes in second grade. Can you find the geometric and free form shapes in these pictures? How bout our hidden hands?

3rd Grade Intitials

2009-11-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

Our Jasper Johns initials are completed and hanging out in the Hallway. Jasper Johns is a great American artist who loves using letters and numbers in his artwork. We used the letters of our initials to make our artwork.

Perfect Pumpkins!

2009-10-30T07:37:00.001-07:00

4th Graders are finishing up their pumpkins still lives and boy do they look GOOD!! After adding value with sharpie, the students used water color to paint them. We talked about how important it is to really look at the pumpkins to figure out what colors to use. We noticed that the top of the pumpkin was lighter and more yellow than the darker bottom. We tried very hard to make our pumpkins look realistic. Mixing was greatly encouraged! They worked hard and it shows! I am so proud!

It's MUG-Nificent!

2009-10-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

This fall I offered an art class called "It's MUG-Nificent" through Community Education. I had a fabulous time working with 5 students as they created their own clay mug creations! The students first decorated their mugs with clay attachments and added a handle, then the next week we glazed them. The final products are fun mugs that can be used to drink/eat out of and are dishwasher safe. They turned out great and I am proud of my Mug-nificent students! :)

I am also starting a drawing class this Thursday and it's not too late to sign up! Contact Community Education if you are interested!

4th Grade Still Life

2009-10-20T11:40:00.001-07:00

Alright, I can't for the life of me figure out how to make this picture turn the right way, so I am just going to live with it for now! Even though the picture is crooked, it doesn't change how I feel about the 4th grader's still life project. My feelings can be summed up in one word: PUMPED!! or maybe PUMP(kin)ED! haha. Anyways, the fourth graders have been working hard on their still lives. Mr. Sherman, a third grade teacher, was wonderful enough to donate a bunch of pumpkins for this project. We set up still lives around the room and the students could choose one to draw. They were then able to add details to the background. All of the drawings are looking great! And my favorite part about the project? The absolute silence in the room because the kids are so involved in their drawings. I love that! Way to go 4th graders! I know the finished product will be incredible!

Being An Art Teacher is the Best! :)

2009-10-09T07:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my kiddos just make my day :) I love it!

1st Grade Wassily Kandinsky Quilt

2009-10-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

The first graders really got into their Kandinsky Quilts! They loved looking at Kandinsky's abstract artwork. It is bright and colorful and full of lots of interesting lines. The first graders composed their own artwork and I am very impressed with what they came up with. These abstract quilt blocks are so well done!

2nd Grade Cities

2009-10-09T06:52:00.001-07:00

The second graders worked hard on their collage cities and they turned out so creatively! Each city has its own story and I love listening to the kiddos share their ideas! They get so excited about the happenings in their city and love to add detail!

3rd Grade Fall Trees

2009-10-09T06:31:00.001-07:00

These trees are definitely one of my favorite projects! Each students' was unique and beautiful. The third graders did a great job of following my directions as I asked them to draw horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. They are getting those directional lines down pat! After drawing our trees and making them nice and thick, they painted the background with water color. Watching the students paint their backgrounds was very inspiring! Each student took their time and really concentrated on being a neat and thoughtful painter. Our halls look very festive with these lovely trees!

4th Grade Molas

2009-10-09T05:49:00.000-07:00

I love the way these Molas turned out! They are bright and colorful and look amazing! The fourth graders worked so hard to reach their goals of using at least 5 different types of line, lots of layers of paper, thoughful design, and great craftsmanship. Nice work fourth graders!

I'm always so impressed...

2009-09-28T05:28:00.001-07:00

The third graders have done a wonderful job working on their fall trees. I love the way each student's project turns out differently! We are emphasizing the element of Line in these pictures. How many different kinds of lines can you see?

First graders just finished up their Wassily Kandinsky quilt pieces. We looked at some of Kandinsky's artwork and found all of the different kinds of lines we could. Being inspired by Wassily, we took black crayons and drew different types of lines on our quilt blocks. Remembering to keep our pieces abstract, we colored our artwork in with bright, vivid colors. Wow, first graders, these look great!

First Projects!

2009-09-17T07:55:00.001-07:00

We're starting the year off with gusto here at Big Woods! The kids are all working hard and putting their creative minds in gear. Here are a few pictures of what we've been working on!

Second graders are doing a fabulous job on their collage cities! I am so impressed! We discussed the element of Line together as a class and made sure we knew which lines were vertical, horizontal and diagonal (kind of tricky!). We also talked about exciting lines like zig zag, wavy, and curved lines. They took all of their knowlegde about lines and began to cut out buildings and details for their cities. Nice work! We are going to add more line details later with a thin marker. I'm excited to see the end results!

Fourth Graders are working on a project celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. We are learning about the Kuna people who live on the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama. The Kuna make beautiful works of art from layers of fabric called Molas. The colors and details are so vibrant and interesting... the kids love talking about them.

We started making our own Molas out of construction paper... I'll be sure and post when they are done! Looking good so far :)

Welcome to the Big Woods Art Blog!

2009-09-01T11:23:00.001-07:00

The fall weather is already upon us as we gear up for a new year in the art room! I am excited for sweaters, hot cider, and of course new crayons :) I am hoping this blog will be a place for you to come and check out what we have been up to in the art room here at Big Woods. Feel free to look around and leave comments.

To start it all off, here are a few snapshots of the classroom to get you excited for the new school year that starts in a week exactly!!!