The Power of Art

Ah the exploration of visual arts. I think it is important for students to explore and appreciate art.

Something that caught my eye this week while teaching was the use of a visual journal. Students each had their own journal where they could write their own reflections. These reflections could be based on anything. But this week, the students happened to be learning about Andy Warhol and his style of art. Looking at Warhol's work, you can see the techniques and thinking that went behind some of his paintings. The students then got a chance to colour their own portraits using Warhol's style. But what made this different was that students got to explore what colours to use and what medium to use. It was interesting to see the different decisions that came about. I think that learning about one artist every other week is a great way to incorporate visual art techniques into the curriculum.


Here are some of Warhol's more famous works.

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Of course Warhol is only one example and there are many different famous artists your class can cover.

Elementary Art Fun

Salvador Dali Elephant Art

Materials:

- watercolour paper

- washable markers

- paint brushes

- pastels

- pencils

- water in cups

This was a very fun and engaging art activity for the students. They would first draw the elephants and then use a washable marker to outline it. After outlining, the students would use a paint brush dipped in water to smear the colour of the marker into the elephant. After that, the students would add a pastel background which was also brushed with water.

Thumbs up to smART class for providing us with this cool art project.

Here's their website for more information:

http://elementaryartfun.blogspot.ca/