3rd Grade Perspective Pumpkins

During the fall season, I like to tie in our love for pumpkins while reinforcing the idea of perspective!  In the beginning, I share with the students a picture that demonstrates foreground, middle ground, and background.

Objective
The main objective is for students to demonstrate their knowledge of perspective using foreground, middle ground, and background within their pumpkin patches.  Adding Halloween elements are optional since not all students celebrate the holiday.

Materials
-10.5" x 16" dark blue paper
-5" x 16" dark green paper
12" x 18" orange paper for frame
-thin cut black paper strips
-orange paper for pumpkins
-green paper for leaves
-yellow paper for stars
-brown paper for stems
-black marker for pumpkin lines
-pencils
-glue
-scissors
-brown or green yarn

Directions
On the first day, I start by explaining to students how to start with the background first.  Students add the dark green paper (ripping the edge for a rough, grassy hillside or cutting a wavy line), then add the black strips for fencing.  Students can create whatever style fence they wish.  We end the class by adding stars in the sky and a moon to shine on the pumpkins.

On day 2, students start adding the pumpkins.  I inform the students that we need at least 6 pumpkins in three different sizes to show perspective, small, medium, and large.  Students should place the pumpkins where they would show near or far in their projects.  Once pumpkins are complete, students can add the yarn for vines and leaves to cover the vines and pumpkins.

Day three is to add final touches, drawing the lines on the pumpkins, or adding additional decorations, such as ghosts or pumpkin faces.

Landscapes with 5th Grade: Acrylic Painting Techniques

Acrylic painting is fun, but tricky to use at the elementary level.  As stated in my previous post, I offered an after school art class each fall on acrylic painting techniques for 5th and 6th grade students, with an annual mini art show after the class finished their canvas paintings.  With so many students enjoying the acrylic painting class each year, I decided to have my entire 5th grade create their own acrylic painting.

Unfortunately, I have not taught this project for an entire 5th grade on a cart.  The paint takes longer to wash out of the brushes, so I need a sink with a strong current close by.  The paint is also tricky to wash off tables, and with working on desks in classrooms, it was challenging to manage 20+ students during acrylic painting clean up.  So...in the past, I've only taught this project from a cart after school with fewer students.

Since I now have two classrooms I share (with a sink in both), I took on the challenge of handling the set-up and clean-up of acrylic painting with an entire class.

Let's start with the basics first.  Here are the materials I used for my project, but you can adapt your own painting surfaces to what you prefer:

Materials

-8" x 10" canvas boards (I ordered mine from nasco in bulk, around 80-100 at a time.

-Different size nasco brand brushes (with having students who do not fully wash brushes all the way and my lack of time to check, I don't use expensive acrylic paint brushes.

-Acrylic paint (I use the crayola basic color set, but prang also has some nice colors and is easier to pour.  For advanced painting techniques, I love liquitex tubes)

-Water bowls
-Newspaper (can be used for mixing palette too)
-Pencils
-Black markers (if needed)
-Paper Towels
-Paper plates (easy to toss palettes)

Objectives

One of my main purposes for using acrylic painting for the entire 5th grade was to introduce a new material they would learn to be responsible with.  To view my tips to manage set-up, clean-up, and materials, click here to view the post.

For acrylic painting techniques I share with each class, please click here to view that particular post.  With the limited time I have with the classes, the main techniques I teach are with layers.

The main element of art I use with this lesson is space: using three ground to create a landscape (foreground, middle ground, background).  Since I focus on showing students how to paint the background first and add each layer on top, I felt it was the best way to understand how to create perspective with painting.



Day 1 is focused on introducing the perspective and how to choose landscapes that would appeal to the students (cityscapes, football fields, etc...).  I show Van Gogh's "Starry Night" as the main example.

On day 2, I show how to start with the background and blend multiple colors to create the sky.  Students always want to start with clouds and stars, but I tell them to wait.  One layer at a time!

Day 3 is for middle ground.  In "Starry Night," the middle ground shows the village, hills, and mountains.  If students complete everything in their background, I have them start the next layer.

Day 4 is for the foreground.  The cypress tree in Van Gogh's painting is the closest to the viewer, therefor the largest object in the painting.  I ask students to draw one object in the foreground that ties the picture together.

On day 5, If students complete their painting, I show how to add expressive details to make their paintings pop a little more.

Here are some finished examples!

Superheroes to the Rescue! Perspective with 4th Grade

After attending a few conferences on Social Justice in the art room, I was inspired to attempt a new way of introducing 1 point perspective to my 4th grade students.  In the past, the students drew railroads and streets, which were easy, but the students were bored easily.

When I saw how students could add a little element of themselves into their own work (more than just creating a road into any landscape they chose), I was intrigued.  Students respond more to their art when adding in elements about themselves: things they like to do, places they wish to visit, or making themselves into something more than what they think they are...like superheroes!

The materials I used (which was perfect during the end of school year pack up):

-white paper
-pencils
-black markers for tracing
-rulers
-scraps of white paper for the superheroes
-3-DO's (little pop up stickers found in Nasco)

When I introduced the project, I did not show the final product.  I was too worried about students drawing bodies over the buildings first, so I took a step at a time.  As their were finishing their previous project, I gave them a scrap of white paper and drew an example on the board of what a superhero should look like.  So, instead of giving them free time after completing a project, I had them start their superheroes right away.

Day 1
On the first full day of the project, I went over the 1 point perspective.  A dot in the middle of the paper, and 6 square: 2 squares placed above and below the dot, and one square in each corner of the paper.  Students who wished to add more squares were encouraged once they understood what they were doing.

Next, I demonstrated to the students how to make each square reach the point in the middle.  I did not show the horizon line since this image was to be a bird's eye view:

After explaining how each square was a rooftop and the lines drawn to the vanishing point were the sides of the building, I let the students go to town on windows and rooftop designs.

Day 2
At this point, I felt that the students were taking off on their own once they figured out the perspective.  The only element I demonstrated was the street going across town.  I also explained on this day that the superhero drawings created previously were to be placed above the finished cities, as if they were protectors of their own city, like Superman!

Day 3-4
Students completed their drawings by coloring with colored pencils, tracing with black markers, coloring their superheroes, cutting them out, and placing on top of their cities with the 3-DO's.  Pop up superheroes!

Here are some finished projects!