Sixth Grade Spotlight

Took a few pictures of my two sixth grade classes in action today...

In second period Art History, students experimented with two kinds of paints- tempera and oil. In the Renaissance, artists became more interested in describing what the world around them looked like in their paintings (as opposed to the Middle Ages) and oil paint allowed them to do so. There were many limitations with the tempera paint that had been used up until that point and as artists traveled between the Netherlands and Southern Europe, the techniques of oil painting spread and grew. After learning about these changes and innovations, students experimented with the two paints to understand the differences in texture, drying time, blending and glazing capabilities. (Look who's on the bottle of Linseed oil- it's Mona!)

In third period Art, students have begun their drawings from observation. Sunflowers are the subject- inspired by the many works of Vincent Van Gogh of the same subject. After they complete their line drawings, we will be adding value and shading in the style of Van Gogh. If we have enough time, they will make a second piece with oil pastel. Some photos of them drawing: