Tag Archives: first grade

Easy Warhol Pop Art Project

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Our first graders just completed an Andy Warhol-inspired project in their general ed classroom. After reading Getting to Know Andy Warhol, they drew a single common object. In past years, their teacher would take the drawings to the copy machine, reduce them and make four images of each child’s art. The children would then color the copies. This year I consulted with the first grade teacher about how to use iPads to simplify the process. We ended up with two options using the iPad camera and two free apps: PicCollage and Pop Art Lite.

Pop Art Lite does only one thing: turn artwork into 4-part Warhol grids. I like Pop Art lite because you can change the color scheme. Warm, cool, complementary, analogous are choices you can make.

 

For PicCollage, kids take a photo of their drawing with the iPad, then put that photo in each quadrant of a grid. You can adjust the filter color, or print out the PicCollage and then hand color it. Getting To Know DVDs – $29.95 from: Blick Art Materials (compensated affiliate link)

 

We used this Warhol soup can template from the E is for Explore blog during our art show.  I read that Warhol used a ‘semi-mechanized’ method for creating his soup cans – I figure a copy machine is also semi mechanized.  Here are the results.

Our interactive coloring contest ties in to the FEAST! unit.

Our interactive coloring contest ties in to the FEAST! unit.

Modigliani Portraits of Mom

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Modigliani portraits of mom

Our first graders just completed their Mother’s Day project – portraits of their Moms in the style of Amadeo Modigliani.

Day 1: Learn about Modigliani’s style; practice drawing.

We talked about how the artist’s style included almond-shaped eyes, long skinny noses, tiny lips, and long thin necks. Click here for my Modigliani powerpoint. Students did a practice drawing of Mom on copy paper.

I didn’t focus on Modigliani’s life as much of it was tragic. Click here to learn a bit more about Modigliani’s life.

Day 2: Draw portrait, color with oil pastel

We drew our portraits on watercolor paper using pencil. We colored with oil pastels. I offered several skin color options.  Students were encouraged to rub two colors of oil pastel in the background.

First grade results:

IMG_1796

 

I taught this project before – click here to see more examples of student work. This project would work really well for Father’s Day – Modigliani made many portraits of men.

Educate the parents

This year I sent the classroom teachers an explanatory email with images of Modigliani’s work and a link to his biography. The email will go home in the weekly classroom newsletter. (Why? Last year a mother commented she didn’t understand her gift – when I explained she said she had never heard of Modigliani).

Here is a 2-minute video of Modigliani’s portraits of women.

Enjoy!

Kindergarten Cookie Collage

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kindergarten cookie collage

Our kindergarteners just finished a fun paper cookie collage project. We used real cookie cutters as tracers to create our own paper cookies. Here’s one ‘cookie cutter art project’ you and your students will really enjoy.

Materials:

  • large colorful paper plates, one per person
  • paper doilies, one per person
  • manila paper, 9″x12″
  • construction paper, light brown and dark brown, 9″x12″
  • cookie cutters in simple shapes (star, heart, bell, gingerbread men)
  • circle tracers (old lids)
  • pencil
  • construction paper crayons
  • optional: metallic crayons
  • glue stick
  • scissors

Kindergarteners trace real cookie cutters onto brown paper, decorate with construction paper crayons, and glue onto a paper plate. Allow 60 minutes.

The Art Project

Pass out brown papers and a variety of cutters for each table. Students trace a cutter, then swap cutters with their neighbors. We were able to fit about five large ‘cookies’ on each sheet of paper.

Decorate with ‘frosting’ (color with construction paper crayons).

Now get the paper plate ready. Rub glue stick all over the front of the plate, place doily on glue and pat down. Cut out the cookies and use glue sick to attach them to the doily. Overlapping is fine.

We added a few final decorations with metallic crayons.

The project was inspired by this post from ARTASTIC!

Connections to literature:

Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington is a nice book to read as an intro to the project.

What’ll I do differently next time:

  • Use embellishments (glitter, beads, yarn, etc.)
  • Have a ‘cookie exchange’ so kids can swap with a friend
  • Use a variety of colored paper plates and doilies
  • Adjust the project for Valentine’s Day (heart cutters, red plate) or Mother’s Day.

Enjoy!

P.S. Want to see more food-related projects for kindergarten? Check out these Common Core-aligned lesson plans from San Diego’s New Children’s Museum.

If the Dinosaurs Came Back for Kindergarten

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If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most

Kindergarteners LOVE dinosaurs. Here’s a 100% successful project based on the book  If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most. I saw it on this post on the Elementary Art Room! blog.

BFDVL3FX_full.png

Materials:

  • White paper, 9″x12″
  • Sharpies
  • Colored construction paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue sticks

 Day 1: Read the book, talk about lines, draw the background

If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most

Look at all those lines! I can see zig zag, vertical, horizontal, diagonal, wavy….

We read the book, noting the many rectangular buildings and windows. It was an opportunity to practice all the lines we have learned in kindergarten so far. We could see wavy, zig zag, diagonal, vertical, horizontal, dotted and dashed lines in the illustrations. Next we drew the background with Sharpie.

If the Dinosaurs Came Back - Day 1

Day 1: create a background city.

 

Day 2: Dinosaur Collage

I passed out colored paper scraps to each table. There were only two rules: the dinosaur had to be at least as big as your hand, and it had to be one color. The kids used glue stick to create the collage, then added more details (and more lines, shapes and patterns) with Sharpie.

if the dinosaurs came back 5 If the Dinosaurs Came Back 4

This year Common Core is creeping into our curriculum, even in the art room. We’re encouraged to incorporate literature into everything. I was thrilled to do 100% successful lesson that emphasized line and shape AND tied in to a book. Hurray!

Enjoy!

 

Don’t Let the Pigeon….

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Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus art project for first grade

Our first graders love Mo Willem’s books Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! and The Pigeon Wants a Puppy. In both books, the pigeon asks repeatedly for something he’s too young to handle. Of course little kids like this book – it’s the story of their lives!

After reading the stories, we brainstormed all the things the pigeon should NOT do. Every idea was hilarious – the pigeon shouldn’t do karate, use the oven, use the iPad, feed the beta fish or drive Santa’s sleigh.

First graders did a directed draw of the pigeon, focusing on simple shapes. On a separate piece of copy paper, then drew a picture of the pigeon acting out those bad choices.

Materials:

  • 9″x12″ gray construction paper
  • yellow and white Construction Paper Crayons
  • Sharpie
  • 12″x18″ construction paper for background
  • scissors
  • glue sticks
  • copy paper, 8.5″x11″
  • crayons or markers

Day 1: Read books. Discuss the pigeon. Pass out copy paper. Use your crayons or markers to draw something the pigeon should not be doing.

Day 2: Draw pigeon on gray construction paper using Sharpie and construction paper crayons.

Now cut out the pigeon. Glue the pigeon and drawing to a large piece of colored construction paper. Use Sharpie to draw legs on the paper.

First grade results:

Don't let the pigeon use the pizza app on the iPad.

Don’t let the pigeon use the pizza app on the iPad.

Don't let the pigeon go to halloween ('Aah! a ghost!').

Don’t let the pigeon go to halloween (‘Aaa! a ghost!’).

Don't let the pigeon be your mom or he will make you do silly things.

Don’t let the pigeon be your mom or she will make you do silly things.

Don't let the pigeon take care of a beta fish or it will die.

Don’t let the pigeon take care of a beta fish or it will die.

This project was a hit with my students last year – click here to see more examples.

Enjoy!

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