Melissa’s Art Blog
Welcome to the Fifth and Sixth Grade Studio Art Blog!

Upcoming trips:
The 6th grade will be going to the Cloisters on Tuesday, October 14th. We will leave LREI at 10:15 and eat a bag lunch in Fort Tryon Park before entering the museum.

The 5th grade will be going to the Metropolitan Museum on Thursday, November 13th. We will leave at 9:oo to meet our 10:00 appointment. Students should bring a bag lunch to school that day.

The Middle School art studio has been a busy place these last few weeks. Students in the fifth and sixth grades started the year working with collage. The fifth graders created collages that showed what they like to do when they are not in school. The sixth graders created ‘triptychs’ (a work of art done in three parts) that told a visual story of a journey they have taken, either far or near. Both grades then created their own sketch books which will be used in class, on trips and sometimes at home. Students are now exploring the basics of color theory using tempera paint.

DRAWING AT HOME:
Both fifth and sixth grade students are encouraged to do at least two drawing assignments at home during each marking quarter. They may bring their sketch books home to do this, or they can use any paper that is available at home. They should bring their drawings to school to show me. I have provided a list of assignments on the weekly drawing assignment page. I will be adding more assignments as the year progresses. Students can choose any assignment they would like. I also encourage parents to join their child as they draw; it is fun for the whole family to sit and draw

Both the fifth and sixth grades are working with color experimentation. We reviewed the color wheel, which shows where the primary and secondary colors are located. If you click on the fifth grade page or the sixth grade page you will find out what each grade is doing.

Students used a variety of materials to make their own hand-bound sketch book. Once their book was bound, their challenge was to collage imagery on the cover that has personal meaning to them.

Greetings everyone! School is off to a great start and the Middle School art studio is already bustling with activity; creativity is in the air! I can tell already that everyone is eager and excited to be back in the school and ready to get their hands into some creative art projects.

For starters, both the 5th and 6th grades are busy making their own hand-bound hard cover sketch books. Before starting this bookmaking project students were asked the question: Why does an artist use a sketchbook? Here are some answers from students: to keep track of ideas so you don’t forget; to sketch something before making a final piece; to draw from observation; to draw from imagination; to write about art ideas; to carry your ideas and designs together in one place; to work out problems when something isn’t working right; to practice your drawing skills. These are all excellent and insightful answers to this important question.

Students are familiar with the concept of idea development in the Middle School art studio. They frequently do preliminary sketches, usually as many as three, and then make choices as to which idea they will develop further into their finished piece. The sketch books they are making will hold many of these ideas and they will sometimes be asked to bring their sketch books home to work on ideas.

This year I will also be posting a weekly drawing assignment. The assignments will be from observation, imagination or memory. This will start as an optional activity, and those who choose to do the assignment will show their commitment to art class and will, more importantly, have an opportunity to strengthen their drawing skills. As with anything we want to get better at, such as playing a sport or an instrument, we must practice, practice, practice! The same goes for drawing: the more we do it the better we get at it!