Mrs. Stotz's art gallery

  Description:  For this activity, we used clay to create a frog and a lilypad. We began by rolling out the clay between two boards to flatten it, then cut out the shape of the lilypad from the stencil we were given and set it aside. Next, we focused on making the frog. We rolled out more clay to form the frog's body, eyes, arms, and feet. We used water to smooth out any creases and cracks. After shaping the pieces, we assembled the frog by scratching the clay where the pieces would connect, adding water to those scratched areas to act as a sort of "clay glue." Once the frog was put together, we added details like the toes, eyes, a mouth, and a nose.  Extension: you could use this with a language arts lesson along with a froggy book. For example, you could do this at the beginning of the year along with the book froggy goes to school.

  Description: To begin this lesson, we explored Earth Day and how recycled materials can be used in art. we worked with cardboard circles, green tissue paper, glue, cotton balls, blue construction paper, and continent stencils. First, we traced the outlines of the continents onto the cardboard circles using a pencil. Then, we cut the blue construction paper into small squares and glued them around the circle, leaving the continent areas blank. Then we rolled green tissue paper into small balls and glued them onto the cardboard, following the shapes of the continents. I also used the pencil technique where I put the green paper around the eraser of the pencil and  glued it down. Once the oceans and continents were completed, we stretched out white cotton balls and glued them on top to create the clouds surrounding Earth. Extension: you could dig in deeper into earth day and let the students bring some of their own recycled materials to create art projects they have in min...

Description: For this project, we created a skyline using printmaking techniques. We began by painting a sunset background with watercolors, applying the wet-on-wet technique to achieve a smooth, realistic sunset effect on the watercolor paper. Afterward, we set the paintings aside to dry. While the sunsets were drying, we started working on our print. We used a piece of paper the same size as our foam plate to design a skyline of our choice, ensuring it included at least three structures. We then taped the paper onto the foam printmaking plate and traced the design with firm pressure. Once the design was transferred, we removed the paper and retraced the outline on the foam to ensure it was deeply pressed. Next, we applied black printmaking ink to the foam using a brayer and tested the print on scrap paper to check the design. After confirming it was ready, we applied a second layer of ink and pressed the foam plate onto our dried sunset background. Extension: Something you could do a...

 For this peer activity, we used watercolors to paint an underwater scene, exploring a variety of painting techniques. We began by reading a story about animals that live underwater, learning about their unique characteristics. Next, we completed a practice sheet to experiment with four different techniques: wet-on-wet, creating designs with the brush tips, using salt to add texture and create reactions, and applying crayons to create resistance. This practice helped us understand what worked well and what needed improvement for the main project. For the main design, we started with dry materials, drawing our underwater animals and sand formations. Once the drawings were complete, we applied watercolors to paint the scene. After finishing the painting, we added salt to the watercolors to create texture in the sand and allowed it to dry. extension: I think this would be really fun to extend by having students create all different kinds of life in all different kinds of environments....

  Description: For this project, we used oil pastels to create a drawing of a pumpkin in an outdoor nighttime setting. We began by tracing the scene with a Sharpie marker to create a bold outline to guide our drawing. Next, we discussed how to depict highlights and shadows, exploring where they should be placed in the image. We also talked about the contrast between warm and cool colors and how to use them together to make the brighter colors more vibrant. While coloring, we experimented with different shading techniques, blending the pastels with our fingertips to create smooth transitions. We also added more colors to enhance the light and dark areas of the image. Once the blending and drawing were complete, we used glue to trace over the Sharpie lines, making them stand out against the pastel colors giving them a 3D look.  extension. For this activity, we read the book Pumpkin Jack which talked about the lifecycle of a pumpkin. I think this would be a great opportunity to t...

Description: To begin this project we first looked at Van Gogh's life, and learned about his artistic career along with that. Then we looked at some of his famous pieces. One of those pieces was the Starry Night piece where he had used oil pastels to blend together a background of a landscape before the sunrise. We then made this project to sort of recreate that. We began by tearing up pieces of tissue paper however we wanted them and glued them on to our dark piece of construction paper. Then we covered the paper in the paint glue to create a seal, and let it dry. We then took another piece of construction paper and made whatever outline of a skyline we wanted-- I chose a farm. To complete our project, we glued on our skyline and then I added some pops of color to mine.  extension idea: I think a cool extension to this would be having students create the outline of somewhere they have always dreamed of going. Or they could do their dream place to live. This would engage the studen...