Sunday night is always a mix of finishing things and getting ready for the new week.  Lesson planning seems to be consuming me lately.  I need some art time.  Thought I would share a few of my favorite pieces and hopefully will have some new artwork soon.

Aren't these cute?  Followed some ideas from a few blogs and right now I can't remember who-sorry, will let you know.  These were done by my 1st graders.  I usually am positive but I feel like it should be Friday already.  Had a visit to the ER with my son on Sunday and things have just been overwhelming.  He is fine after a visit to a specialist today, thank God!  I guess this has just thrown me off.  Looking for a better tomorrow.

Open House!!!

Can't make it or need directions? Please e-mail me at:  brendaleentjes@yahoo.com

My Side of the Mountain

 

6th graders have been reading My Side of the
Mountain in their Language Arts class.  I have them create an art journal that must include 3 things Sam made, 3 foods and 3 animals/wildlife.  This is always a great project and I love the book!  Students are given a demonstration on colored pencil drawing and asked to include a background or border for each picture.

Kindergarten Snow Leopards

I have been using The Water Hole by Graeme Base with my kindergarteners as a base for the projects we have been doing. Love his books!  This week we painted snow leopards. I traced the outline of the leopard head and the students used the tan to fill it in and than were given black, yellow and white for the details.  I have also made number books for them with a world map and we have been putting small photos of the animals on the continents they come from.

My "New" Laptop Bag

Sorry it has been over a week since I have posted.  Have started to post my students artwork on artsonia and it has taken a lot of time to get things off and running.  Here is the link if you want to check our galleries out.  www.artsonia.com/schools/Eastern33  Had also decided we had to have a garage sale this weekend to get rid of stuff.  So time consuming but have a little more room in the garage and basement now.
So I have been looking for a laptop bag that wasn't office black(boring) and couldn't find one.  I finally took matters into my own hands and painted a black one.  Here are the results but I need to know what I can seal it with.  I use gel medium or spray varnish on my canvases but am unsure of an item that is touched all the time.  Can anyone help me out?

3rd Grade Cityscapes

3rd graders learned about foreground, middleground and background.  They had to draw 3 sets of buildings, outline with sharpies and paint each area a different color.  They glued them all down in layers and ta-daaa. This lesson kept them thinking about the different areas and how when things get further away they look smaller.

Beginner Art Journaling

What is art journaling?  It is the freedom to make mistakes, try new things, express yourself and have fun.  Anybody can do this!  Join me for a journey into Art Journaling.  Journaling isn't just words.  Sometimes we don't need words, just an image says it all.  Either way you can learn the following techniques to incorporate into your own personal journal:  design transfer, paint overs, drawing, rubber stamps, building layers, altered photography and painting with watercolors and acrylics.  We will work in a pre-made journal and create one of your own.  When you complete this class you will have 2 journals started and the skills to complete them on your own.  High School students and above are welcome to take this course.  Materials are included, but you may want to bring personal items to add.
If you live in northern NJ and are interested in this class please e-mail me at:  brendaleentjes@yahoo.com  The cost is $110-

5th Grade Photography Project

Ta-daaaa!  This project that my 5th graders have accomplished I am so proud of.  They have worked very hard with great results.  The first part of the project is the photography.  They are taught how to use the cameras and are introduced to Ansel Adams.  From there they learn how to create a drawing of their photo using a grid.  Students were taught how to use colored pencils in layers to create shading over their grid drawing.  The last part of the project is to create a Matisse style cut paper piece inspired by the photo.  All of this was started with taking a closer look at God's creation and asking the question "What is art?"  So the final thing students were responsible for was to answer that question in writing.  I will post some of their answers next week.