Big & Bold Self-Portraits by Ks and 1s

For the past two weeks the kinders and first graders have been working on their big and beautiful self-portraits using chalk and/or oil pastels. These can be very messy materials but the children have persisted - despite fingerprints, smudges, and pink, chalky shirtsleeves.

From Plein Air Drawing to Plasticine Landscape Bas-Reliefs - Voila!

I am super excited about this project that my first graders just completed. They started out by experiencing plein air drawing on our campus, and then turned their favorite drawing into a plasticine landscape bas-relief.

You Can Think Like an Artist!

I created this design in Illustrator and had it printed on canvas to hang up in my art room at school:

We refer to it often during lessons, and students will sometimes point out how we are thinking like an artist when I forget. Its been a great tool this year, as I am really working on teaching my students that art is not just about how real you can make something look. There is much more to artistry than that, and I think they are starting to really get it!