Go Away, Big ____ Monster! - 2nd Grade

Seconds graders looked at the story Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberly and observed the illustrations. The monster in the book is created with a combination of many simple geometric shapes put together.

As a class, we brainstormed a list of adjectives to describe a monster. We divided our list into two categories: words that describe how a monster LOOKS and how its FEELS. We used our list to choose one word and wrote this at the top of our paper.

Then the kids choose a color and a simple geometric shape for the head. We explored some techniques for paper sculpture and applied these to make our monsters have 3-d features!

Go Away, Big Kind Monster!

Go Away, Big Kind Monster!

Go Away, Big Sad Monster!

Go Away, Big Angry Monster!

Art Books - Kindergarten

It's an exciting time to be learning in Kindergarten art. We are kicking off the year by beginning a Kindergarten art book that will include pages on many topics we will be discussing this year. We have already designed our cover, complete with an illustration. The book will be finished and ready to take home in March, at Open House!

We transitioned into Primary Colors and completed a page colored completely in red, blue, and yellow for our Art Book. We read and retold the story Mouse Paint and learned about how Primary Colors are special because they combine to make Secondary Colors--purple, orange, and green! The next few weeks will be filled with color-mixing activities for our Book.

Contour Shoes - 4th Grade

Peee-yew! What's that smell? Why, it's the Sparks fourth graders, with their shoes off in Art class!

Fourth grade is learning about contour lines, which outline edges and surface ridges of objects. Artists make these drawings to help them become more perceptive. Practicing these kinds of drawings helps the communication between the eye, the brain, and the hand.

When an artist makes a blind contour drawing (we tried one earlier with our hand as the subject), it means they make a contour drawing only looking at the subject they are drawing--and NOT at their paper/drawing hand. Quite a challenge!

Here's a glimpse into our project:

We drew a picture of our shoe with permanent marker

We covered our drawings with tissue paper squares

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Then we put our work on this contraption.

Do you know what it's called?

tie-dyed shoes!

Art in all forms...

Art shows up in the most unexpected of places. These henna hands belong to a former Sparks student. Aren't they beautiful?

Plan Your Own Museum - 2nd Grade

This is a fun beginning-of-the-year group project. We preface the activity by talking about museums we know or have been to and some things that those museums have in common.

The groups of 3-5 kids design their own museum by answering the above questions in a planning stage. Then they use crayons and pencils to design a floor map or snapshot of the inside of their museum.

What museums have you visited? What did you learn?

Big Grey Columns - 5th Grade

A few years ago, I decided to spice up some of the bland, gray columns in the art room hallway. Together with 5th graders, I began a collaborative project in which we selected to replicate famous artworks on the columns. We used the grid method so each student could contribute to the painting. After the students participated, I swept in and "doctored up" the paintings at the end. The result was a hall full of columns with art to look at, remember, discuss, and enjoy!

Warhol's Campbell's Soup Can

Matisse's Red Fish

Picasso's Three Musicians

Munch's The Scream

Van Gogh's Sunflowers

Van Gogh's Starry Night (left side)

Van Gogh's Starry Night (right side)

Which artists or artworks inspire you?

Wimberley Butterfly Festival - 1st, 3rd, 5th Grades

Each year, first, third, and fifth grades create an entry for the annual Wimberley Butterfly Festival as their first big project of the school year. Each entry is hand-drawn (no templates) on paper and colored by an individual student.

Student entry 2009

Teacher entry 2007

Frisco and Wimberley, Texas (located in the Hill Country, near San Marcos) are known as "sister cities" and have collaborated on this project for many years under the direction of Ann Rolling, founder of the Emily Ann Theater. In April, a small group of Frisco art teachers act as ambassadors and travel to Wimberley during the weekend of the festival. There they can enjoy learning about local artists, partake in Hill Country eating and shopping, mingle with locals, and mostly importantly, attend the festival.

A small portion of the butterfly fence

A street in the heart of Wimberley

Sparks butterflies in the festival

Wimberley artist Bob Gottschall with his work

Open Your Eyes

Mr. Gottschall's studio

Mr. Gottschall with Frisco ISD art teachers