Collage Self Portraits

1st grade portraits, collaged from painted paper.

1st graders painted paper for use in their self portrait collages.  Each student painted a large sheet, which was then cut into quarters and shared with other classes.  We used the backs of our paintbrushes to draw into the paint and create texture for our hair.  When collaging, we thought about the shapes that make up our body parts.  Our features and smaller details are a mixture of collage and drawing.  I was impressed by the personality I can see shining through in each self portrait!

 

1st grade painted collage self portraits.

Self Portraits

2nd grader self portraits

All Coffin and Gerry students drew a self portrait this March!  We used pencil, Sharpie, crayon, and watercolor.  Students used scrap paper to help mix the perfect colors for their skin, hair, and eyes.  We discussed the placement and size of our facial features.  Our surprising fact for drawing portraits: our eyes are only halfway up our head!  These portraits are for the Coffin-Gerry PTO’s Original Works fundraiser.  If you are interested in ordering any products that feature your child’s self portrait, please return the artwork, order form, and payment to your classroom teacher by Friday, April 1st.  If you’re not interested in ordering, simply keep and enjoy the portrait!

National Grand Bank

Student work for the Fall 2015 exhibit at the National Grand Bank.

Congratulations to the following students whose work will be showcased in the National Grand Bank on Pleasant Street: Max G. in Kindergarten, Riley C. in 1st grade, Madeline F. and Brianna C. in 2nd grade, and Madeline L. in 3rd grade.  Five students from each school (or pair of schools, in Coffin/Gerry’s case) in Marblehead will have their work on display this fall.  The display will be hung on November 19th.  I encourage everyone to stop in at the bank and take a look — you can see what other students your age are making over at Bell and Glover, and you can see what kind of artwork the older kids are doing, too!

Thumbprint Turkeys

1st grade turkeys!

First graders used their thumbprints to create a whole flock of turkeys!  First we pressed our thumbs into the stamp pad for two seconds.  Then we pressed our thumbs against the paper for another two seconds.  After washing our thumbs off, we then used skinny Sharpies to draw in turkey details, such as beaks, wattles, wings, feathers, and feet!  Many students thought of different activities for their turkeys — I saw turkeys eating worms, turkeys flying, turkeys running, and one turkey trying to eat the sun!  (“He’s a weird turkey,” according to the artist.)

Witch’s Kitchens

First graders painted their witch’s kitchens with watercolors.

First graders in Mrs. Drummond’s and Mrs. O’Flynn’s classes created spooky witch’s kitchens for Halloween!  They started by drawing a witch.  Some witches were nice and friendly, and some were scary.  Afterwards, they drew kitchen details such as refrigerators, stoves, and counters.  Finally, they thought of the details that would make a witch’s kitchen different from our own.  These witches are baking spider pies, they have haunted cupboards, and they keep some pretty strange pets!  After drawing with pencil and Sharpie, students painted with watercolor paints.

Collage Portraits

Students used painted paper to collage a portrait of themselves.

First graders immediately set to work painting papers this year!  They painted a variety of colors to use as skin, hair, eyes, and clothes in their collages.  This created a library of different colors that we could share among all the first grade classes.

After the paper was dry, students chose their colors and set to work making a collage self-portrait.  They cut out large ovals for heads, small ovals for the whites of our eyes, circles for our pupils, and they combined several shapes to make different hair styles and shirts.  Some students used a permanent marker to draw in small details such as noses and eyebrows.  Other students cut very small pieces of paper!

Mixing colors is out of this world!

First graders use primary colors to mix their secondary colors.

First graders received magenta, yellow, blue, and white tempera paints.  They were responsible for mixing their own secondary colors in their outer space paintings.  We worked together as a class to make a color mixing chart for student reference.

Undersea Paintings

Caitlyn’s Undersea Painting

Gerry first graders used oil pastels and tempera paint to create underwater scenes.  We thought of all the creatures that can be found in the ocean, such as shrimp, lobsters, jellyfish, and sharks.  Then students used their oil pastels to draw their creatures and background details, such as sand, kelp, and bubbles.  Some students had to blend their oil pastels to get the perfect color.  Finally, students mixed water into their tempera and painted a wash of blue across the scene to give it that underwater look!

Castle Collages

1st Grade Castle Collages

First graders have been working on castle collages.  This is a three part project, and we’re nearly finished!  First, students used watercolor to paint large sheets of paper with a variety of colors.  We also used salt and oil pastels in order to experience the different ways these materials interact with the watercolor.  Then, we made drawings of castles to have a rough draft to guide our castle collages.  Students came up with some incredibly imaginative castles!  There were castles on volcanos, castles made of ice, castles with zip lines, and castles made of candy.  Finally, I cut the watercolor paper into chunks and students began collaging their castles.  My best piece of advice for students is to imagine their castle is made of dozens and dozens of different shapes.  You have to identify them and decide how to combine them to re-create the whole castle.  We also used Sharpies for small details and crayons for extra coloring.

Original Works Orders

Brady’s Self Portrait

Student self portraits went home last week.  They put in an amazing amount of effort!  I love to see students’ personalities shining through in their art.  We used crayon, watercolor, and Sharpie.  I think they look pretty sharp with the borders!

If you’re placing an order, please return the packet to your child’s classroom teacher by this Friday, April 4th.  If not, just keep your child’s wonderful portrait and display it at home!