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.

Pop Cats

After reading James Warhola's book Uncle Andy's Cats, we were inspired to make "Pop Cats" -- art that combines paint with found objects and collage created by images from popular culture.

Our Fifteen Minutes of Fame

Andy Warhol predicted that "In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes." That's where we get that expression, "fifteen minutes of fame." Just for fun, fourth graders made drawings and creative writing about their own imagined fleeting stardom. Below is a really creative piece by Alexis...

Here are some of the other illustrations of students' fifteen minutes of fame:

Block Carving

Fifth graders have begun carving the printing blocks for our Pop Art printmaking unit. They made several sketches of things from popular culture such as commercial products, celebrities, and cartoon characters. Then, they picked their best sketch and transferred it to the block. Now they are carving the image with carving tools. The material we are using is called EZ-Cut. It is similar to the linoleum blocks you parents may have used, but so much easier and safer!

Soft Sculptures

Here are some of the finished soft sculpture projects by fourth graders.

The one above is Gavin's portrayal of Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps.

Bradley's project doesn't have a name yet, but I call him Mr. Bling.

I love his medallion, which is made from a needle threader!

Sgt. Stuffed Guy is a real tough guy!


Star Wars fans out there will recognize galactic bounty hunter Boba Fett.

These are just a few of the very creative projects by fourth graders. Sewing isn't everyone's "cup of tea" - but I say, let's all give it a try. Just like everything in art, some will discover a new favorite hobby and some will say, "I hope we won't have to do that again!"

Art History Biopix

Fifth graders are working on entries in their sketchbooks. We call them Art History Biopix. Above is one of my examples. The assignment is to show the artist and what his or her art looked like. It's okay to translate these masterpieces into cartoony or "kid-style" images. Then we write two or three (or more) facts about the artist.

Everybody gets a different book about an artist. We signed out all the artist biographies from the library, which has about 40 excellent books about artists. The assignment is not to read the whole book, but to use them for research. We find the facts we need for our posters.

Find something interesting and put it in your own words! Ethan has done a great job with this Andy Warhol. Check out some of the other great artists from history -- as seen through the eyes of fifth graders!

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.