Personal Still Life Drawings

5th grade artists have been studying the concept of value, the lightness and darkness of color. After drawing a value scale to explore lighter and darker values using Ebony pencils, students drew a marshmallow. Even though they are white, once they were set on the table and looked at in natural light, we noticed a range of values. One side was lighter due to the light coming in from the window. 

We also discussed the art of still life. Still life is the art of drawing or painting inanimate objects such as fruit, flowers and household items which are usually arranged on a table or shelf. Traditionally, still life painting was a way for artists to show off their technical skills. We looked at two examples of still life painting and discussed which one looked more realistic and what the artist did that made those objects appear three-dimensional. 

Willem Claesz Heda, Banquet Piece with Mince Pie (1635)

Students noticed that Heda emphasized the lights and darks in his painting, using shading on the tablecloth and adding highlights on things like the glass cup. We also noticed that the objects had shadows underneath that made them look like they were resting on the table, and that the metal objects were shiny and really showed their texture. 

For the next class, students brought in a personal object from home to do a still life drawing. Students shared the object they had chosen to bring in with their class before we began our drawings. Some students brought in a stuffed animal or figurine that they have had for a long time, or received for a birthday or special occasion in their lives. Other students brought in sports equipment. 

Students set up their objects in front of them and began by drawing the shape or shapes in their object. They added details and considered where it was darker or lighter on their object, which depended on where they were sitting in the room in relation to the windows. The following class, students added color using colored pencils. They focused on matching the colors of their object and showing the texture. Below are some examples of our still life drawings.

Adrian, 5th Grade (Bellis)

Anna, 5th Grade (Twomey)

Cammy, 5th Grade (Twomey)

Caroline A., 5th Grade (Domermuth & Fantasia)

Christos, 5th Grade (Domermuth & Fantasia)

Dimitri, 5th Grade (Psychoghios)

Emilio, 5th Grade (Psychoghios)

Gabe C., 5th Grade (Domermuth & Fantasia)

Gio, 5th Grade (Domermuth & Fantasia)

Hazel, 5th Grade (Twomey)

Isiana, 5th Grade (Domermuth & Fantasia)

Jack, 5th Grade (Twomey)

Joey, 5th Grade (Domermuth & Fantasia)

Kate S., 5th Grade (Bellis)

Lucas, 5th Grade (Bellis)

Tessa, 5th Grade (Domermuth & Fantasia)

Xander, 5th Grade (Bellis)

Zach, 5th Grade (Domermuth & Fantasia)

Patrick, 5th Grade (Twomey)

Pumpkins Painting

3rd grade artists painted pumpkins this fall! We began by exploring the color orange. We recalled that to make orange, a secondary color, you mix red and yellow, which are primary colors. We noticed that there are actually many different kinds of orange. We experimented with what might happen if we added more yellow or more red. We also used white to make tints of orange, and black to make shades of orange. We tried to see how many different kinds of orange we could mix, and painted them on paper. 

The following class, we got our orange explorations back and cut out shapes from the colors we created. We discussed the difference between geometric and organic shapes and students cut out both kinds of shapes. We glued them to a larger mural, trying to show the wide variety of orange. We organized the pieces so it went from light to dark. 

Now that we knew how to mix many different kinds of orange, we began to paint pumpkins! Students drew a pumpkin that was placed in the middle of their table -- big thanks to Ms. Patashnick, our music teacher, for the pumpkins! Looking carefully at its shape and lines, students drew their pumpkin from observation. We noticed the lines of the pumpkin followed its curved shape, which made our pumpkins look more round. 

The following class, students looked at the pumpkins again and noticed that there are lighter areas where the light hits the pumpkin and darker areas that are in shadow. Thinking back to the lighter and darker oranges they had mixed, students painted their pumpkins from observation, noting where it was lighter and darker on their pumpkin. We also mixed greens for the stem. 

We also included the shadow that the pumpkin cast on the table. We noticed that it was darkest closest to the pumpkin, and a curved shape similar to the pumpkin. Students mixed a darker color to use for the shadow, and also painted the background so that the pumpkin looked like it was sitting on something. Below are some examples of our painted pumpkins!

Aaron, 3rd Grade (Monfette)

Ellian, 3rd Grade (Monfette)

Elizabeth, 3rd Grade (DeBaie & Nickl)

Evelyn, 3rd Grade (Fletcher)

Finnley, 3rd Grade (Fletcher)

Isabel, 3rd Grade (Fletcher)

Lily, 3rd Grade (Fletcher)

NJ, 3rd Grade (DeBaie & Nickl)

Wyatt, 3rd Grade (Donato)

Kemi, 3rd Grade (Donato)

Noah, 3rd Grade (Donato)

Willa, 3rd Grade (Donato)

Self Portraits from Observation

3rd grade artists recently explored the art of the self portrait. First, students drew their self portrait from observation, using mirrors. We talked about self portraits and how only you can make your self portrait (aka a selfie!). 

We noticed that everyone's eyes, noses and lips looked unique and different from one another. However, where they are located on our face is similar. We measured the distance from the top of our head to our eyes, then shifted that down from our eyes to our chin. We noticed that this was around the same distance, since our eyes are actually in the middle of our head, not at the top. We also noted that the top of our ears are around the same point. And lastly, we took our hands and put them at the bottom of our ears and followed that down so we could feel the width of our neck. 

Then students set about drawing their self portrait from observation, using mirrors. Students started with an oval shape for their head and drew a line across the middle and down the middle of this oval. These lines help provide guidelines for the placement of the eyes and ears, and also helped students to note the symmetry in their face. Focusing on the shapes of their individual features, students looked closely at their eyes, noses and lips, as well as their ears and hair. Students also created a background for the self portrait and used colored pencil to add color. An optional last step was to add a frame!

Yassine, 3rd grade (Stone)

Domenic, 3rd grade (Donato)

Liliana, 3rd grade (Fletcher)

Lucas, 3rd grade (Lutz)

Tessa, 3rd grade (Lutz)

Jessica, 3rd grade (Lutz)

Safa, 3rd grade (Monfette)

Christos, 3rd grade (Fletcher)

Jaylyn, 3rd grade (Monfette)

Kate S., 3rd grade (Lutz)