4th Grade Asian Ink Paintings

One of my favorites... 4th grade is learning what value is and how to use this in creating artwork. We first measured, marked, and created a watercolor value scale (Value is the lightness or darkness of a color). Students learned about the process and skill of *Asian ink painting and first practiced a special technique for painting bamboo. Next students painted on long scroll-like paper and started with a very light value wash, slowly adding darker and darker value layers. We are putting the finishing touched on and they should be completed very soon.

Here's an example of a value scale:

 4th grade Asian Ink Paintings...

* Asian ink painting has been a very prestigious skill in China and Japan for well over a thousand years. The subject matter is based on animals, landscapes, people... in nature. The traditional ink paintings are created with water and an ink stone and bamboo brushes. There are different techniques for painting - a special flick of the wrist for bamboo leaves, a drier brush for a more textured brushstroke, etc. Some paintings may have a pop of color in them. They are usually created on silk or very thin rice paper and often the items or animals portrayed have a distinct abstract style to them. The red squarish seal (or chop) is usually the stamped on with a red paste, which is the signature of the artist.

4th Grade Michigan Bird Paintings

These tempera paintings are of non-migrating Michigan birds. We started with a list and some research on those particular birds. I demonstrated drawing one of the birds and we created a sketch in our sketchbooks. Next we drew in pencil on our final paper, making sure to create an interesting background and our bird large enough so that it could be our focal point. Students learned some paintbrush techniques for creating texture and mixing colors and they turned out phenomenal!

Here are a few from Mrs. Essenmacher's class...

4th Grade Clay Masks

We learn about a lot of different cultures in 4th grade art. We've been studying Native American masks from the Pacific northwest. We learned what theses were made of, how they were used, and discussed the designs we saw on them. I asked students to talk with their teammates about how masks are used in our own culture, and we made a list on the board. Our most important question for this lesson:  What do masks tell us about a culture? Students then sketched their own mask design, and begin to build their mask in clay. They learned three methods for clay-building:  slab, pinch, and coiling. They are still in the process, so more photos to come!

Here are some finished masks!

4th Grade Pumpkin Patches

4th Grade is finishing up their Pumpkin Patch chalk drawings this week. First, we sketched our ideas, and were asked to create depth by using a Horizon Line and the size and placement of the pumpkins and other objects. Next, we drew our image on black paper. We learned how to blend our chalk to create richer colors, as well as using white and black to create highlights and shades (to make our pumpkins look more realistic).