Painted Indian Elephants

Third and fourth graders were studying India in their classroom and were learning about the different festivals and holidays.  The tradition of painting elephants for the Elephant Festival in Jaipur was particularly interesting to students. We looked at many images, including photographs from this National Geographic article.  Artists filled their painted elephants with as many different patterns and colors as possible using Sharpie markers, liquid watercolor paint and Crayola construction paper crayons.

Kindergarten Polar Bears with Northern Lights

Monarchs and Milkweed by the Kindergarten

Mexican Folk Art Amate Paintings

Amate paintings are a traditional art of the Mezcala region of Mexico.  Amate refers to the type of paper the paintings are done on. It is made from processed tree bark that is boiled, sometimes dyed or bleached and pressed into paper. Amate paper was traditionally used to record data, pass along communication or for ritual purposes. Today it is used to create decorative art that the artists sell to support themselves and their families.

  



First and second graders watched this video about making Amate paper. We discussed reasons for making art and how an artist chooses the subject or his or her artwork.  We planned Amate-inspired drawings featuring colorful birds, other animals, flowers and plants.  We will paint them with brightly colored paints.

Animal paintings inspired by the "Blue Dog" artist George Rodrigue

George Rodrigue was an artist from New Orleans, Louisiana who became well know for his colorful paintings of "Blue Dog."  The original Blue Dog painting was based on the Cajun folk tale of loup- garou.  Rodrigue died in 2013.

First and second grade artists made paintings on canvas panels based on the artistic style of George Rodrigue.  Like the Blue Dog, their animals were painted in non-realistic colors on colorful backgrounds. 

Animal personification by grades one and two

First and second grade artists learned about Personification,  when an animal or an inanimate object takes on human characteristics.  We looked at examples in art of animal personification, then students drew animals that were personified.

William Wegman's personified Weimaraners 

Dogs playing poker by C.M. Coolidge 

The White Rabbit from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland 

Hamilton the dog snowboarding

A cheetah jumping into a foam pit

Ducky skiing 

Owl skiing

Giraffe admiring itself and getting ready for the red carpet

Stephanie the dog surfing 

Owl at work drinking coffee

Mouse delivering mail on a bike 

Owl wearing underwear and drinking a baby bottle 

Skunk dancing in the spotlight 

Cat doing a workout at a gym

Dog doing exercise outside 

Bear playing baseball 

Raccoon is stealing money and mouse is the police  

A peacock going to school 

A dog robbing a bank 

Owl eating pizza

Peacock wearing a hat and a skirt because she's going to a party 

A bat and a raccoon eating sandwiches, carrots and chips 

Eric Carle Animals

First and second graders went to see a performance inspired by Eric Carle at the Flynn Theater in Burlington. We read several Eric Carle books in preparation for this project. Artists painted paper and used it to collage and animal of their choice.