Today we learned about drawing with charcoal.

  Charcoal drawings remain an essential skill for budding artists. Working with
charcoal serves the dual purpose of building artistic creation skills and
developing art appreciation skills.
We worked with vine charcoal and used gum erasers and blending stumps to
create a still life.

 We learned the properties of charcoal and how to work with this material.
We discovered that erasing charcoal creates light areas; smudging charcoal
creates value; and drawing lightly with charcoal creates contour lines.
  We also discussed overlapping shapes, and where it exists in a still life set up.
 Students practiced on newsprint and then did a final still life on white charcoal paper.

Good News!  Kids aprons and portfolios are for sale NOW for $20.00 each.  Check out www.smartwithart.net (click on Register  under "Goodies") or email Michelle Dutton michelle@smartwithart.net to order.  We will have them available for pickup at the next class.

Mother's/ Father's Day Workshop
 MISSION: Create two gifts for mom and two gifts for dad (or anyone special in your life) in this supersized craft session with Smart with Art!
OBJECTIVE: We are gearing up for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, get ready to create!
AGENT DETAILS:
1 Session: Thursday, May 10th, 2012
Time: 3:40 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Location: Room #208
(Open to Students K-5)
Cost: $30.00 per student
Registration Deadline: May 4th, 2012
Register Early – Sessions Fill Up Fast!
 MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: Each gift will be handmade with love and creativity, and will be keepsakes worthy of display! All gifts will go home gift wrapped and ready to give!
Questions? Contact Carrie @ carrie@smartwithart.net
Register Online at: www.smartwithart.net
(Click on the Register Box at the top left corner of homepage)
Workshop Name: Carl Sandburg Spring Holiday Workshop

3rd Grade Jacob Lawrence Inspired Scenes

3rd Graders learned about the artist Jacob Lawrence and his use of bright colors and simple flat shapes to create stories in his artwork.

Parade by Jacob Lawrence

Students then cut out their gesture drawings from last art class and arranged them on a background to tell a story.

2nd Grade Ceramic Cupcakes

 2nd Grade Students learned the techniques and skills used for working with clay to create three dimensional forms.

 Our cupcakes will dry and then be fired in our school's kiln.  Students will glaze their cupcakes during our next art session.

Thank you to all our parent helpers for each class!   We couldn't have done it without you!

Mrs. Guest/Fornia:   Marianella, Julie Main, Jesus Santana

 Ms. Via:  Natalie Ethridge, Natashia Nicolay, Tiffany Beatty, and Heather Marino-Skeels
Mrs. Goodleaf':   Paul DeBaun

3rd Grade Gesture Drawings

3rd Graders Studied the painting, Snap the Whip, by Winslow Homer

They looked at line, shape and movement in this piece.  Student then learned how to create gesture drawings of people in action poses.   Students volunteered to be our models and we drew them.

Next time we meet, we will be cutting out our drawings and creating our own pieces of art that depict an action scene.

Mrs K: My lesson schedule for the remainder of 2012

    Arts Enrichment will be in the Discovery Community School Middles and Sandburg fourth grade classes at the following times during the rest of our school year. I always appreciate the help of parent volunteers, no art experience necessary of course!

Friday, April 13 - 2:30 PM, Mrs Armstrong
Monday, April 16 - 11 AM, Mrs Ebert and 2:30 PM Mrs Cook
Friday, April 20 - 2:30, Mrs Ebert
Monday, April 23 - 11 AM, Mrs Armstrong and 2:30, Mrs Cook
Friday, May 18 - 2:30 PM, Mrs Cook
Monday, May 21 - 9:20 AM, Mrs Fletcher and 11AM, Mrs Ebert and 2:30 PM Mrs Armstrong
Monday, June 11 - 9:20 AM, Mrs Fletcher

Hope to see you and thanks for all your support,
Deb Knetzger

Fourth Grades and DCS Middles go from Monoprints to Altered Prints

To make the monoprint, we used brayers to roll water-soluble printing ink directly onto our cleared-off desks. With cotton swabs, brush handles, and gloved fingers we drew quickly into the ink. Putting a piece of contrast-color paper on top, we rubbed it gently all over and gently pulled up to reveal our print.
Usually only one print (mono = one) can be made this way, sometimes there is enough ink for another one.
Because the image we draw in the wet ink is reversed in the print, it was requested that no letters or numbers be included. But some of us wanted to practice backwards-writing.
The ink dries fast, so we can put a new color on top for the next print without cleaning the desk. The layers of colors show through as we scratch into them, adding depth and mystery.
The prints are set aside to dry thoroughly. I mounted some prints to large sheets of colored paper.
Our next session: using a ruler, we drew parallel lines dividing our prints into strips, then numbered them. We used our scissors to carefully cut the strips apart, then laid alternating strips of two different prints on two large contrast-color sheets of paper.

Gluesticks were used to attach the strips to form two new altered, or changed, prints. Some students then created more altered prints with different-sized and shaped strips and pieces. An important step is mounting (I used a stapler) prints to a large contrast or complementary color sheet, to frame it and intensify the color. Presentation is vital! Then all prints are displayed on the wall.
Some altered prints are serene and quiet, some are jazzy and excited.

Discovery Community School Middles, Secret Identities: self-portraits in costume

Artists have been creating self portraits for many years. Sandburg Fourth Graders and DCS Middles drew their self portraits in a costume of their own design.

First we drew a basic face lightly in pencil, paying attention to getting the proportions of the features correct.

Then we circulated around the boxes of hats, sunglasses, scarves, belts, vests and shirts. Everyone looked in the large mirrors and combined the elements until they expressed themselves in a costume.

Then we returned to our basic drawings and began to add our costume shapes to our self portraits. Continuing to look in the mirror, we added hair and eye color, individual features, and then color with crayons and markers.