This spring fourth graders engage in a variety of drawing activities. They learn about blended shading, hatching and cross hatching. These techniques are applied to different themes including 'wild things' based on the book 'Where the Wild Things Are'. Students are also learning about specific art terms including the elements and principles of design.
In the winter months the students created clay figurines inspired by he storyteller figures of the SW Indians. They spent days forming and sculpting their clay.
For the Southside Foundation this year the fourth graders are creating dragon pictures. They examine a variety of dragon examples, then we begin this as a group. Students let their imaginations take them in wild directions as they complete these colorful marker pictures.
Back in quarter two fourth graders painted Asian themed paintings. They picked a color scheme and mixed colors. Black ink is added to emphasize important areas and add details. These turn out very lovely and several will be on display at Comerica Bank in the new year.
This school year began with a unit about American Artists and landscapes. Students learn about the lives and art of Grant Wood and Grandma Moses. Both were born and raised on farms in the north. They both loved the people and the land they knew. This became the subject of their art. Students compare and contrast the lives of Moses and Wood.
In quarter one students learn about techniques for showing depth in a landscape. We view a slide show about landscapes from around the world. The students see examples of traditional Asian landscape pictures and these serve as inspiration for their own landscape drawings and paintings. They practice sketching the typical elements of Asian landscape pictures. Students apply techniques such as horizon line, overlapping, one point perspective, and size to create the illusion of depth in their paintings.