I thought Still Life Drawing would be a little stuffy until I saw Phyl's post and decided it might be fun to try again.
I might of been the best art class ever. Seriously. I felt so happy to be a part of it.
It started before first period. . .
I scavenged in all of my closets (in common areas shhh) and in the music room for cool things to draw and put them in a heap on a back table. Then I waited, like a kid on Christmas morning, for my fifth graders to come down the hallways to art class. I tried not to show too much excitement but I couldn't help but feel proud of my scavenging abilities when my 5th graders spotted treasures on a table in the back of the classroom. We talked about what objects "go together" or have a connection. They loved looking at all of the objects and finding all sorts of connections. Some students had a bit of a hard time with this, but after a few examples from friends (a starfish goes with a seashell and a lobster because they are from the sea!) everyone seemed to understand.
Next, table by table I asked one student to pick an object. When they brought the object to their table another student had to choose something that had a connection and so on and so forth.
They created these beautiful still life creations as a group. Yes this is an amazing class that I've been working with since first grade so we could do this.
Here are the still lifes they set up and some of their initial sketches.
I might of been the best art class ever. Seriously. I felt so happy to be a part of it.
It started before first period. . .
I scavenged in all of my closets (in common areas shhh) and in the music room for cool things to draw and put them in a heap on a back table. Then I waited, like a kid on Christmas morning, for my fifth graders to come down the hallways to art class. I tried not to show too much excitement but I couldn't help but feel proud of my scavenging abilities when my 5th graders spotted treasures on a table in the back of the classroom. We talked about what objects "go together" or have a connection. They loved looking at all of the objects and finding all sorts of connections. Some students had a bit of a hard time with this, but after a few examples from friends (a starfish goes with a seashell and a lobster because they are from the sea!) everyone seemed to understand.
Next, table by table I asked one student to pick an object. When they brought the object to their table another student had to choose something that had a connection and so on and so forth.
They created these beautiful still life creations as a group. Yes this is an amazing class that I've been working with since first grade so we could do this.
Here are the still lifes they set up and some of their initial sketches.
 |
| I bet Beethoven would have loved with the invention of headphones. Very clever group at this table. Their theme was ART FORMS. |
 |
| Their theme was ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD. |
 |
| Their theme was obviously OCEAN LIFE. |
 |
| Another obvious theme of AUTUMN. |
 |
| Very creatively this table imagined the art guy as a mermaid. |
I drew with them too. The music was going and we were looking through our viewfinders and sketching in that special "art zone" which is that creative mind space I hope we get back to tomorrow.
P.S. I want to share with you I'm going to get my MASTERS in peace studies officially called CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION. The teacher is amazing and brings in people from all over the world who she's met in her travels. I'm hoping it will help me be a better teacher with the population I work with. Wish me luck! I'm also excited for a night out with adults to talk to!
4 comments:
Very cool. Their drawings are great! I love the idea of having the kids assemble the still life by looking for connections between objects. You've got my wheels turning.. I always spend so much time setting up a still life - I need to give up a little control!
Your masters program sounds interesting - keep us posted please!
I love that you let the students construct the still life. I especially like the "art forms" arrangement!
I agree with Phyl- what a fantastic idea to let the kids create the still-life. I also like to 'control' what something will look like, but your kids showed they have really good taste! I will definitely try this. Summer garage sales will be a great place to pick up super cheap objects as well.
I like to collect stuffed animals and fake flowers from Goodwill op shops to use in still life. I have them user GIGANTIC paper and then paint them in bright water paints..
Post a Comment