Thank You & Have a Great Summer!

Thank you to all the students, staff & families that helped make my first year here at Hosmer fantastic! Good luck to all the graduating 5th graders! 

I enjoyed making art with all my students and look forward to next year. Keep making art this summer and feel free to email me with updates! Email: haein.kim@watertown.k12.ma.us

Have a great summer and see you in September!

Hosmer Learning Garden Sign

As a final end of year project, Miss Domermuth's 5th grade class designed a sign for the Hosmer Learning Garden. Each student took a letter and created a design for it, incorporating elements of nature and the garden. Once students sketched out a few different ideas for their letter, they selected their favorite and drew it out on the wooden sign. (The sign was primed first and then we added some yellow paint as a base).

The following class, students used acrylic paint to paint their letter and add details. We also added some details using permanent marker.

Students also painted smaller signs for the different vegetables and herbs growing in the garden, using paint stirring sticks donated by Coolidge Hardware in Watertown. A big thanks for their donation!

Below is the finished garden sign for the Hosmer Learning Garden, which should be hanging there soon! 

Papier Mache Bowls

For our last art project of the school year, 1st grade artists created papier mache bowls. Mrs. Massa's class helped mix the art paste the week before, taking turns stirring the powder and water together until it got thick.

Starting with a plastic bowl, students rubbed a little Vaseline on top to keep the paper mache bowl from sticking to it permanently. Students used art paste and newspaper to layer strips of newspaper on top. Students used a technique where they took some of the paste in between their hands, then took a piece of newspaper and rubbed it in between their hands until it became translucent or saturated. Then they layered this strip on the bowl.

After they dried, the bowls were slipped off their plastic molds and trimmed. Then students layered tissue paper on the inside of their bowls, using Mod Podge, and painted the outside of their bowls using acrylic paint.

Below are some examples of our colorful papier mache bowls:

Ben, 1st Grade

Ixchel, 1st Grade

CJ, 1st Grade

Sawyer, 1st Grade

Miriam, 1st Grade

Papier Mache Ice Cream Cones

In anticipation of the summer, 4th grade finished up the year with papier mache ice cream cones! After our tints and shades painting exploration, we began the papier mache project by creating the armature or structure of our papier mache cones.

Students filled paper cups with newspaper so that they would not fall over. Then they balled up more newspaper, wrapping masking tape around the "scoops" to secure them to the paper cup "cone." 

The next class, students learned how to papier mache, using art paste that is clear and thick consistency. We took a little of the art paste in our hands, then took strips of newspaper and rubbed them in between our hands. This kept the art paste from dripping everywhere and allowed them to get fully coated. Each piece was applied to the armature and layered on top of each other to fully cover the cone and scoops. 

For the final layers, we used white newsprint paper for the ice cream and brown paper towel for the cone, so they would be easier to paint without the newspaper showing through.

The papier mache had time to dry over the course of a week and the following class, students used their knowledge of tints and shades to paint their ice cream cone scoops. 

We looked at Wayne Thiebaud's ice cream cones painting for inspiration. Some students mixed colors to make mint chocolate chip, strawberry, coffee, chocolate and caramel flavors.

The last step was to cover the entire cone with a clear varnish called Mod Podge. Here are some examples of our delicious, drippy ice cream cones!

Some of our finished ice cream cones!

Mrs. Stone's class

Mr. Dubuque's class

Mrs. Mattson's class

Mrs. Doherty's class

Figure in Motion Sculptures

Recently, 5th grade artists re-visited figure drawing, specifically gesture drawing, to create sketches for an aluminum foil figure sculpture.

During the first class, students took turns posing for quick gesture sketches, where we focus on the gesture and pose, rather than details. Students chose dynamic poses inspired by a variety of physical activities. We also experimented with using charcoal for some of the sketches, which helped us draw quickly and stay loose with our lines. (Although they also got very messy!)

The following class, students selected one gesture to turn into a sculpture. We began by discussing armatures, which are like skeletons for a sculpture. The armature provides structure and support, much like our skeleton does for our body or steel beams for a skyscraper. Using pipe cleaners, students created an armature by attaching, twisting and manipulating the pipe cleaners to create a basic figure.

The next class, student used aluminum foil to wrap pieces around the armature. Following the shape and gesture of the figure, students added an aluminum foil layer onto their armature. The last step was to get their figure hot glued to their cardboard base. Some students added an aluminum foil soccer ball or hockey stick to complete their sculpture. Here are some examples of our figures in motion!

Jasper, 5th Grade

Marissa, 5th Grade

Kevin, 5th Grade

Gyotaku: Japanese Fish Printing

Continuing our study of texture, 2nd grade artists learned about gyotaku, a traditional method of Japanese fish printing that dates from the mid 1800's. In Japanese, "gyo" means "fish" and "taku" means "rubbing." We began by watching a TED video that explains the history of gyotaku, as well as the techniques. 

We discussed how gyotaku allowed fisherman to keep a record of their catch, both the size of the fish and the species, before cameras were invented. Eventually, it became its own art form and is practiced today.

For our gyotaku printing experience, we used rubber fish, instead of real ones! We watched a demonstration as a class to understand the steps involved and then we took turns at each table with printing our fish. 

First, we painted tempera paint onto the fish using a brush. We began with black paint, to mimic the sumi ink that is traditionally used. 

After brushing paint all over the fish, you take paper -- we used newsprint paper, to mimic traditional rice paper -- and place it on top of the fish. We pressed the paper down to get all the different parts of the fish, as well as to capture the textural details.

Then we lifted the paper off to reveal the fish print! We put our prints in the drying rack and everyone printed once with black paint, and then another with color. We experimented with different colors to emphasize the shape and different parts of the fish.   

Next class, we learned about three different watercolor painting techniques to create the background for our fish print. The first technique we learned about was wet-on-wet, which involves painting the paper with water first and then dropping or painting with watercolor on top for a blurry effect. The second technique was blotting, which involves dabbing and removing some of the paint with a paper towel. The last technique, which was the most popular, was using salt! After painting an area, students sprinkled some salt on top and watched as the salt absorbed the water in the paint to create texture.

For our last class, we selected our best print, cut out the fish and glued it on top of the painted paper. The final step was to add a chop or signature, using red marker. Some students used their initials while others used symbols to represent their signature. We got to keep the other print, as well. Below are examples of our finished gyotaku projects!

Miah, 2nd Grade

Pirada, 2nd Grade

Zachary, 2nd Grade

Anna, 2nd Grade

PK & Kindergarten Art & Music Showcase

Thank you to all the families and students who came to the PK/K Art & Music Showcase this morning! And thank you for taking the time to come to our art shows and events throughout the year, and support our artists by talking to them about what they do in art!  

Student artwork was on display in the auditorium foyer, including our self portrait assemblages, Louise Nevelson inspired assemblages and feeling face mixed media pieces. 

Also, there was an example of our collaborative class mural inspired by Eric Carle, and more information about our process. The rest of the mural were hanging up as a backdrop for our show! Students sang songs with their class, as well as a "You are my Sunshine" with all the classes.

I put together a slideshow to show what we have been learning and exploring throughout this year in art class. It is not just about the work on display and the work that goes home, but the creative process and art making experience that your students engage in during art class. Here is the slideshow, in case you wanted to take another look. Thank you for a fantastic year and I'm looking forward to next year! 

Animals with Tails

1st grade has been thinking about how parts make up a whole. We brainstormed different animals that have different shaped tails, inspired by a variety of different colored and shaped tails.

After brainstorming, students selected one animal and drew it, breaking it down into shapes. We considered composition, so there would be space for the animal's body and tail, and how different animals are taller or wider. After drawing the animal, students thought carefully about where the tail would be and glued down the tail.

The following class, students mixed colors and painted their animal's body, thinking about the texture of the animal they chose, such as smooth, furry, scaly, or bumpy. They thought about how their animal might look if it were running or flying.

The last class, students painted the background for their animal, which included the animal's habitat or environment. 

Students were encouraged to mix new colors and think about how to show the sky, water and desert. We also thought about interesting details to add to the background, such as a banana in a tree or a cactus in the desert. 

Here are some examples of our animals with tails. Some of the paintings are on display for the Extravaganza in the connector hallway!

Siobhan, 1st Grade

Andrew, 1st Grade

Ally, 1st Grade

Ava, 1st Grade

Gustavo, 1st Grade

Evey, 1st Grade

Yensi, 1st Grade

Prarthna, 1st Grade