todays art class (holmes)

Today in art we were messing around.Also we still got work done. So we had a hard time at art in the first place,but it was fun.Well at least we still had fun and did beautiful art work.We worked on our portfolios. Some of us did our own, some of us copied each other.This is James and Devontae!

The artists are getting more comfortable diving in when they are given little instruction.
 (They still ask permission a few times to make sure - "Can I write my name? I can draw anything? ANYTHING?")

We put the self-portrait photos in adhesive-backed CD-sleeves, so they'd
stay protected and could be placed anywhere in the book. 

Kids at both Lee and Holmes love to write!
(The gel pens and black paper don't hurt!)

I think we have Color Theory down!

Christopher's new mohawk, birds-eye view.

Get working with art

My name is Taria.I am 9 years old.I go to the holmes school.Today we did water colors and crayons.It was really fun.We got to mix colors with water and on the paper and it turned lighter.It was really cool.I got enspiered and I covered the whole paper with different kind of colors.First I drew over the paper. Then I got paint and then I covered the whole paper with it. Last, the water color was all over the crayon. I hope you like my blog, I hope you read the blog every day, and thank you.

Hi my name is malik and my name Shanyce and we learned how to make primary colors the primary colors are :red ,blue ,and,yellow.We also learned how to mix different colors to make different colors.We used water colors and we did a wash over the crayons.We are looking forward to  painting animals and making spirals!

Watercolors at Holmes...continued...

hi my name is tassyann and i am seven years old. My favorite way to make art is painting. Today in class we mixed colors.We used water colors to make colors and paintings. Then we used crayons and then painted over them. We used dark watercolors over light crayons and it made cool colors
Now were going home. BYE!

Watercolors at Holmes...

Hello, my name is Dyliane and I am 5 years old.  I am in the Power Rangers.  I like to play with my friends with blocks.  I like to paint and clean the tables after.  Today we were painting and then we were tracing.  We were coloring with the paint on the white crayon.  The paint turned the white into a girafe and into squares.  We used crayons and paint brushes and water colors to paint.  Drawing the squares was the easiest.  I liked using the water colors.  My favorite part was when we were painting.  Thank you for reading my blog post.

merle the cutey and pretty love

  My name is Merle. I'm nine years old. I'm in 4th grade,  ms. costa's class. What I did in art class today is we needed to make a kind of green and I'm trying to make a kind of purple. When i was painting i was hearing classical music and i was making new colors  and it was  cool.  What i was doing in art class was i did a painting of a heart and tried to make a devil's house but i didnt have time  but i  had lots of fun with ms bridget.                                                                                                                                
thank you bye love merle
                                                                                                          

The Artist

Hi my name is Briana. Today in art we mixed paint in a palette. When i mixed blue and yellow it made green me and ms. courtney made orange. I like primary colors. When i mixed red and yellow it made pink and that is my favorite color and ms. brigette is a nice girl. i like art so much. bye art teacher, good night.

Power Rangers say hello....

My name is Chandler.  I like to sing.  I am 6 years old.  Our group is called the Power Rangers.  I am an artist.  Today we mixed up colors.  We got to make a picture.  We had red, blue, and yellow.  I mixed the colors to purple by mixing everything.  It was fun.  My friends were sharing the paints.  I got to do another picture.  It was a sunny day and a rainy day.  I used blue, red, and yellow to make every color I needed.  My friends painted a beautiful picture, too.  I was good in class.  I liked that we got to mix colors.  I liked everybody's picture.  Thank you for reading my blog post!

HI my name is Francisco and my partner is Renee so today we discoverd how to make diffrent color it really fun.We also used primary colors to make new colors.

Lee artists breakthrough with watercolors...

Hi my name is Luis and we were painting whatever we wanted on thick paper. Miss Bridget said don't draw but experience the paint like mixing the colors together to make new colors.

Hi my name is Antonio and today in art we painted whatever we want. I did a car and I cropped it down to a tiny picture. The way I was able to do it was from learning about composition last time. We did the artwork on thick paper for the paint. We had lots of fun in our class of art with Ms. Bridget!

Never under estimate the difference a space makes. I finally figured out a workable, comfortable set-up of the collection of tables and chairs in our room in the Lee School, cleaned up, bought some "fancy" colored rags, sponges, and magnets for drying/display... and we have a CD player (thanks Ms. Laurie!). Today we painted to Keith Jarrett. Students at both schools are digging that and remark on their own how much better art class is "now that we get focused".  Kids came a long way creatively,  in just 20 minutes - starting out with 8 versions of the same painting, to the last image in the video - two kids at the same table, with paintings that show entirely different styles. That's a big deal!  You also hear and see the deliberate choices artists made about either working alone or socially.  (In the first group, you could hear a pin drop for most of the session!) Lots of smiles, hugs, praise for each other's work, and high fives this week.  Can't wait for next week!

More Paint Mixing at Holmes..

Shanice - 9. Art is fun. Today for art we had primary colors and used the primary colors to make a different color, and then made another color, and put it on the paper. I used red and yellow and I used red and blue and yellow and blue. I had orange and purple. The red kind of turned pink when it was dry.
My name is Giovana and today we did color theory. We painted stuff that was unique like what I drew was an apple but anyway what's more important is we had fun.
Thanks to Ms. Burch who let us use her beautiful classroom! It is a wonderful space. There's even a special carpeted area where we can circle up, and where students can excuse themselves to when they need to pull themselves together. I'm so proud of the students, building self-awareness of what works for them. Several have excused themselves for a few minutes to do what they have to do in order to keep the room as peaceful as they like it to be for art time! 

Video: First-time Painters at Lee Academy

This is a group of lovable, sharp, and kind Kindergarteners I visit on Wednesdays. While my approach to introducing fun materials like paint in a "precious" way may seem like a bit of a drag, see for yourself: it honors and builds on the magical nature ascribed to MOST things by this amazing age group. It also sets care-full and mindful habits with these special materials that last -  enriching every encounter with paint afterwards. Just check out these artists after completing one round of turn-taking with the paint. 

I love the peer-teaching when a renegade painter is the first to veer from the pattern! I think letting the kids problem solve together like that is a great way for them to learn, while developing social skills. Many children who feel respected will self-regulate more than one might think, when given chance - this group is truly ahead of the curve in that regard. 

 (...Add yet another made-up art-time song to my repertoire...hey, whatever works!)

Check In with the "Rockstars and Divas" at Holmes

MAKAI  B: I’m 8 years  old I like  to  draw.

DESTIN:

I am 8 years old and I like drawing. Today the first thing we did was talk about color theory. We got our colors and water ready. We needed blue red and yellow and those are the primary colors. Then we started making all new colors! We started making new colors like orange, purple, dark red, and we made a new color called black flamingo! Then we made a color wheel for our class. Then we cleaned up and went home! BYE      THE END

Today our "art studio" had some lighting problems and went dark... but there's no putting off PAINT! So our second group managed to get down to work on the floor of the hallway - I'm so proud that they pulled that off. This was several kids' first time using this kind of paint - at age 7. Yes, we will be doing lots more! And now... a tutorial.

The Blue Ninjas at Holmes check-in...

Hi we’re Naya and Julie we are in the 4 and 5 grade and we’re 9 and 11 years old and we are both very creative in our own ways. First we went over the pictures from last week and how they are going home today. We also filled out our poems about what we see, hear, want and wonder. Then we decorated them all over to give it that special touch. Then we received our photos and they came out very nice and beautiful.  Our experience from today - we’re awesome because we learned new things and we got  to learn more about the people in our group.

Moving on to the Next Project with "the Sharks" at Holmes School.

Hey my name is Kianna. I am 8 years old and I'm in 3rd grade. I like to just draw what comes in my head. I am a good artist. We made a poem and a journal. We used markers, color pencil and crayons to write what you want and listen to your surroundings and your crowds and to think of your own ideas. Think with your own brain! Thank you for reading or just leave us a comment. See you next time with the Sharks, bye!
S'up my name is Taria (also the Mighty Sharks). I am in third grade and I am 9 years old. I like to be creative. I am an artist. We started our own journals with markers colored pencils and crayons.
Something I'd like to teach you is to make something new like if you mess up on a straight line make it into something new. Thank you for reading our blog and keep reading it every night and leave us a comment please. See you next time, bye.
This week the artists got their photographs - one copy to take home, and one to put in their new journal. Some of them have not yet seen the blog, but as you can see, are still excited about being chosen to write the post. Those that saw it last night were excited and intrigued to see the Lee students sharing their experiences. Needless to say, the slideshow caused probably the biggest commotion ever in their library (where the computers are).
Today I turned the lights off (lots of sunlight in the room we use), passed out some blankets and clipboards for those who prefer to work on the floor or off by themselves (as disclosed in their Artist's Bio), and played some Keith Jarrett on a borrowed CD player. Artists used a template to write an "I am" poem. We talked a little bit about repetition and using as few words as possible, and about what "literally" actually means. I'm going to propose we combine our words into one big piece. The kids have really hung in there through the non-messy stuff... I think we're finally ready to bust out the big paper and paint, now that I've got things (the space, timing, kids) a bit figured out! - Bridget