1st grade Self-Portraits

 Now this is a repeat project and probably will be for the next couple of years. I learned about this project when I student taught. My co-op would give the students a "pre-test" to draw themselves without any help. Then the next 2-3 classes the students worked on drawing proportion, facial details, hair, special details like earrings, glasses, ponytails, etc. and then worked on the background. We review horizon line, line, patterns, and colors. they used crayons and markers. And of course with all my projects we outline with Black Sharpie Markers.

1st grade Van Gogh Starry Night Winter Scenes

This project is fabulous! I have seen many projects inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night. I did want the students to have to "re-do" a masterpiece. SOO I talked to the students about what being "inspired or influenced" by an artist means. So we based the bottom of the composition, usually the town in Van Gogh's work into a winter scene.

We used Construction paper crayons on Black paper. Can I just say how much I LOVE USING CONSTRUCTION PAPER CRAYONS AND SO DO THE STUDENTS! 

We used 11" by 17" black paper.

With pencil : Drew 3 hills.. a snowman ( on the side where the big brown "tree", "building", "vines" etc is ) 

I showed them 3 different kind of pine or evergreen trees.. They has to add 3 trees. We talked about how trees in the distance would be smaller, et. 

They then added 1-2 "oak" trees without leaves because it is winter.

We talked about how Van Gogh uses bold, brushstrokes or dashes. They filled each object with dashes to add texture and Van Goghs style.

Once the Land portion was completed.. 

We added the sky. A crescent moon, 6 or more stars. They added "halos" of dashes and they added wind, swirls, or tails with orange, yellow, and white.

Last but not least they used purples, greens, and blues to complete the sky.

Check them out:

Love the trees!

1st grade-look at those detailed dashes in the sky

Love that snowman

Fabulous!