Observational Drawing & Artist Studies

Drawing realistically can be a frustrating and challenging task for PYP students. However, observational drawing can be an engaging, fun and useful skill to use and learn from if approached correctly in the classroom.

This unit of inquiry is designed for Grade 2 students but could be easily adapted to fit any grade level. The unit focuses on observational drawing skills, composition, color theory, investigating different drawing materials, and discussing contemporary artists and their work for inspiration. The transdisciplinary theme is under How We Organize Ourselves with the central idea "investigation leads to possibilities."  

At the beginning of the unit we started tuning in by discussing what drawing is and as a class how we felt about it. Many students shared that they thought drawing "the right way" was very hard. In order for all students to feel successful and be accepting of the fact that everyone is at different levels in the artistic process, we watched this beautifully done video called Austin's Butterfly. 

The Grade 2 students really related wonderfully to this video. I paused the clip after each of Austin's draft drawings and the students discussed what could be done better in order to keep trying and "get it right". After numerous discussions during and after the video, the students agreed that they were all capable of improving their drawing skills. As a class it was agreed that they should stay positive and open minded, provide each other with constructive feedback, and keep trying even if they made mistakes. I really emphasized that mistakes are okay, part of the learning process, and that even though they are attempting to capture real life observations, their drawings did not have to be perfect. Perfection was not our goal, only improvement and practicing new skills! 

After a lesson of discussion and simple practice drawings, the students started investigating the first focus artist for this unit. Together we watched a short video clip about Georgia O'Keeffe and talked about her famous flower paintings. The students observed that the flowers filled the page and were bright and colorful.

We then began discussing color theory and how colors can impact an artwork. The students learned about complementary and analogous color groupings, filling out the sheet below as a reference for their sketchbooks. 

They then chose a flower from a stack of photographs that they found interesting and began doing practice drawings. The students focused on the outside lines and shapes they could see within their flower, avoiding small and complicated details. The students were encouraged to sketch their flowers large and go off the page.

After practicing color theory and flower drawings in their sketchbooks, Grade 2 students were ready to start their final paintings on large pieces of paper. The students drew their flower first and painted their drawing in by blending analogous colors. They chose the complementary color of their flower to paint the background. Aren't these beautiful!

 *Another version of these beautiful flower paintings can be found on Paint Brush Rocket, which is what inspired the first part of this unit.

 

Once their flower paintings were complete, Grade 2 students began investigating artworks by contemporary artist Anna Valdez through discussions and See, Think, Wonder activities. Together we focused on composition and how to set up a still life using the rule of thirds. 

Grade 2 students then chose 2-4 objects in the art room to set up their very own still life to draw from. Again they were encouraged to draw large and focus on what they observe. When their objects were complete they added a fun background of their choice, inspired by Valdez's constant use of bright patterns within her work. The students used water color pencils and ink pens to complete these amazing still life drawings.

Throughout this unit the students gained creative confidence and remained resilient while experimenting with different drawing materials and improving their observational skills. They loved learning about inspiring artists and realized the many possibilities that observational drawing has to offer. The students are very proud of their final work! 

Rousseau Animals

I am absolutely in love with these Grade 1 paintings! As our last unit of the school year, we focused on art history under the theme of Where We Are in Place and Time by inquiring into the central idea of understanding others inspires us.

The students were introduced to Henri Rousseau by watching a Mati and Dada video about the artist. We also read the book The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel and Amanda Hall.

They then brainstormed about animals they were interested in and chose one for their final artwork. In their sketchbooks, the students listed their chosen animal and the animal's habitat. They thought about the best lines and colors that could represent their animal's habitat in an abstract way in order to plan their background.

The background was then created with oil pastels and water colors based on their sketchbook plan. Their animal was drawn large on a separate paper and filled in with water color as well. I had a lot of scrap painted paper that had been saved through out the year, and this was used to collage extra details into their background like grass, seaweed, or flowers. Myself and the students were so impressed with their final results, I couldn't be a happier art teacher!

Pop Art and Abstract Expressionism

 

My MYP 2/3 class just finished up a unit on Pop Art and Abstract Expressionism, and it was a huge hit! Here is what we have been up to...

Line of Inquiry: Global media has become prominent in new visual cultures. 

Inquiry Questions: What types of popular ideas have spread globally? How can pop culture mediums and materials be used in an artwork? Are Andy Warhol's paintings art?

We started off the unit with a class discussion investigating what "Pop Art" is, how it started, and how those ideas are still being used today. The students viewed a variety of pop artists and focused on Andy Warhol. 

They did some individual research about Warhol's background and famous works before discussing and debating if his ideas should be considered art. During discussion, the students also identified the elements of art and principles of design within Warhol's famous soup cans.   

After research and discussion, students made a list of ten items found in the grocery store. Four of those items were chosen and drawn in their process journals. 

After the four items had been sketched, we went backwards in time within the the art history world and began investigating Abstract Expressionism. Why was this art movement happening right before Pop Art started, how is it different? The students examined art works by Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko, but their favorite was Jackson Pollock.

The students started practicing a variety of mark-making techniques they discovered while looking into Abstract Expressionism in their process journals. We took the mark-making experimenting to the next level by throwing around some paint filled eggs, creating splatters just like Pollock! 

After making a brilliantly colorful mess, the students were ready to begin their final task. They chose one item from their four sketches to develop into a design that was influenced by both Pop Art and Abstract Expressionism. Once finished, the students presented their work during a group critique. They were thrilled with their final results!

Here are a few more examples of student work from their beginning ideas up to their final product:

I'm really proud of their enthusiasm, creativity, and effort! 

Art History Chairs

While my amazing kiddos are working on some wonderful new artwork for this year, I thought I would share some of their creations from last year that I did not get a chance to post!

Before the summer holidays we discovered all of these old classroom chairs underneath the steps inside our school building. They weren't being used, so I thought it would be a great opportunity for an art project! 

My PYP 5 class started this project by picking out a famous artist's name from a jar. When the artist's name was chosen, the students did a research activity on the library computers to find information about the artist and investigate their style of work.

The students used this information as inspiration for a chair design in their classroom sketchbooks. Once the design was drawn and colors planned, the students applied their ideas by drawing on the chairs.  

Their final chairs turned out wonderful and the kids had so much fun with this! The chairs are now displayed through out the school and the students are still talking about the artist they researched last year! It was a successful project and one they will always remember.