Thinking about Light and Shadow

Our school got some really nice art posters as part of a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities. One of the works of art second graders are learning about is this one by Edward Hopper, House by the Railroad. How about that four-story tower?!

After answering some discussion questions about this work of art, we decided this painting had a lonely feeling. There are no signs of people, and the shades are all pulled down. Someone suggested that maybe the people moved away because the railroad tracks are so close to the house!

One thing I wanted to point out is that the light source in the picture is very clear. Can you see how the left side of the house is very light and bright -- and the right is shaded with blues and greens and purple?

We're all used to drawing houses with squares, rectangles and triangles -- but we all decided to use some shapes that you might find in Victorian architecture, like the curved Mansard roof and the arched windows with ornamentation. Most of us didn't want to make ours look so lonely, so we made all kinds of signs of life in the surounding area.

Notice how we all started with a main object that was kind of the same, but everybody's picture has things in it that are different.

We tried to make one side of the house in the light, and the other in shadow. We colored with Payons, or painting crayons. These are really neat crayons that you use just like regular crayons. Then you paint over the drawing with water. The crayon turns into paint! I know that I told you that I got them from a leprechaun, but I may as well tell you -- you can order them many places, including here.

Picture Books of Trips we Took

Second graders have been making picture books. We have been using Uncle Andy's by James Warhola as a mentor text. This book is about a family trip, so we're all making books about trips we've taken. Each story starts at home, the author finds out they're going somewhere, they prepare for the trip, travel to the destination, and then arrive there. Each step is described in the story and illustrated. Everybody's story is different, even though it follows the same general template.

Pennsylvania Pinch Bugs

This is second grade's first sculpture project this year. We are working our way up to a dinosaur clay sculpture, but this is a fun introduction. The product we're using is called Super-Dough. Everyone is making a sculpture of an insect. We start with a glob of clay, then shape it into a cylinder. Next we pinch the clay until the shape resembles a bowling pin. We add creative details with pipe cleaners. Of course, insects have six legs and antennae.

Some of the details are a little less realistic, but very creative!

When finished, everyone wrote a little story about their bug.

Our Adventures Where the Wild Things Are

We went to the place Where the Wild Things Are and what did we see? The first drawing and story are mine, followed by some by second graders.

"Out of this World" Watercolors

Second graders are learning about watercolor techniques. When we talk about how things are made, the materials are what we are using, the techniques are how we use them. We're making paintings of planets in outer space. One of our planets will be painted using the salt technique. That's when you sprinkle salt on the paint while it is still wet. As the paint dries, the salt crystals suck up pigment gradually. This produces crystal or star-like effects in the paint.

The second technique is called wet-on-wet. This is when you paint an area in the painting with one color, and while it is still wet, paint over it with another color. Add a stripe and watch it spread out. With this technique, you can't really control what the paint is going to do, but it creates very interesting effects.

The last one for this week is called "puddle painting". You paint the area with clean water -- lots of it. Remember, you're making a puddle. Then you load up your brush with a really watery mixture of paint. Then, drop it on the puddle and watch what happens. The object is to add color without having the brush touch the paper. Drop it on from above.

These are techniques that show the possibilities of what you can do with watercolor, and some of the effects created by random application of paint look a lot like what you see in photographs of planets in space. Tune in next week to see how they turned out!

Texture Rubbings and Crayon Resist.

Remember last week when we used texture plates to make rubbings? The patterns in the texture on the plates showed up on our papers. Well, we can make texture rubbings from things we find around us, too -- like our shoes!


Today, everybody took of one shoe and made a crayon rubbing of it. A lot of shoe treads have very interesting patterns.

Then we painted over these and the abstract crayon drawings we made last week. When you paint over crayon with paint, you're using a technique called crayon resist. Because crayon is made of wax, the paint won't stick to it well, but flows into all the spots that didn't have crayon. The crayon is resisting the paint. It's as if the crayon is saying, "Get off of me!"

Optional assignment: Can you make a texture rubbing with a pencil, paper and a penny? What other textures can you find at home?

Extra Texture

Second graders looked at two paintings and compared and contrasted them. One was realistic, and the other abstract. Then we all experimented with making abstract portraits.

To add texture, we used texture plates. We learned that texture is "how something feels" or "how it looks like it feels." Sometimes art has texture and sometimes artists create illusions of texture. When we place the plates under the drawings and color, we are making texture rubbings.

Mini Monets

Second grade is just wrapping up a short, two-period lesson on Impressionist artist Claude Monet. During the first class we watch the wonderful movie, Linnea in Monet's Garden. It's an animated movie, but shows the actual paintings and photographs of the artist at work.

Adapted from a bestselling book, this film tells the tale of a little girl's exploration of Claude Monet's paintings and life. When Linnea and her friend Mr. Bloom arrive at Monet's garden, the two find the actual places which inspired their favorite paintings as the film magically demonstrates how the "real life" garden was transformed into Monet's masterpieces.

After the movie we discuss his painting style and begin our own studies of his masterpieces. Students look at posters of his work while they sketch their versions. On the following week we review what we learned about this artist and how he worked, with strokes and dabs of color placed side by side. We add color to our studies with Crayola markers.

Clay Dinosaurs

Second grade clay dinosaurs have been glazed and fired and will be coming home soon!

Clay Dinos

Second graders are making clay dinosaurs. They are using models for reference to make their sculpture look like a specific dinosaur, like the triceratops above.

Painting and Collage

Second and Third grade classes have been combining collage techniques with acrylic painting. Each artist started with a sea animal and used colored paper, wallpaper, stickers, etc. and paint to fill in the scene.

3-D Paper Constructions

The whole idea of making art is to be open, to be generous,
and absorb the viewer and absorb yourself, to let them go into it.
I have to go into all those places in order to make it work." -- Frank Stella

This project was inspired by the contemporary artist Frank Stella. He was already a famous artist in the 60's and 70's making paintings like this:

Then he had an idea. What if the forms and shapes came right off the picture plane? Now his paintings are really sculptures. They look something like this.


The kids learned about this artist and making three dimensional art by first glueing two different colored pieces of construction paper together. Then they drew different kinds of patterns with oil pastel. Then they cut lines going from the outside edge toward the center. Each piece was then twisted around a pencil to create different kinds of curved forms. Once they had a design they liked we taped and stapled it into place.

Out of the World Watercolor Paintings

Mr. Malloy is getting some second graders started on some watercolor paintings. They are going to create their own galaxy using different round shapes to create planets. Each planet will be colored with a different watercolor technique. Some of the techniques we'll use are: wet on wet, puddle painting, salt technique, drybrush, sponge painting, and crayon resist.