Origami boxes

The fifth graders are starting their next lesson which is to fold and decorate an origami box. Here is a link to the instructions that I created on Prezi. There is also the video that I created and put on YouTube. Come to the art room if you need origami paper to practice with. Remember my two tips for origami success. 1. Make your folds a precise as possible because it will lead to a nice square box. 2. After you fold it once use your fingernail to go over it again to make it a really crisp fold.

5th grade self-portraits - Amedeo Modigliani style

The 5th grade artists created self-portraits in the style of the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. He created portraits that often had stretched out heads, necks, and noses. They used oil pastels to create their artwork and despite being all stretched out they turned out beautiful.

 

4th grade self-portraits

The 4th grade artists have been working hard on creating the most realistic self-portraits they can. They learned about the rules of facial proportion that helps them put all of the features of their face in the right location. The also learned how to use colored pencils to create smooth skin and hair that looks realistic. After weeks of hard work they are finally finished and as you can see they turned out amazing.

Self-portraits

All of the artists at NHE have been working on self-portraits. The 1st grade and Kindergarten ones are finished and you can see some of them in person outside the Library or Art room. We began by drawing them and then traced over the drawing with black glue. We use black glue because it helps the features of their face stand out and also creates a physical barrier which helps a lot of young artists to stay within the lines. We finished the portraits by coloring the skin with crayons and painting the rest of the picture with watercolor paint.

My name is Mr. Landgraf and I am very excited to be  the art teacher at Newport Heights this year. Now that we are a month into the school year I feel extremely fortunate to be apart of this amazing community. I have been getting to know all the students and trying to learn, and remember as many names as I can.

A little about me. I grew up in Minnesota and graduated from the University of Montana. I recently competed my Masters in Educational Technology from the American College of Education. I am really interested in incorporating technology into my lessons in meaningful ways. It is my goal to turn STEM to STEAM. I have been teaching elementary art at Stevenson Elementary in Bellevue for the past eight years. I enjoy watching the Sounders, playing hockey, woodworking, fishing, travel, and spending time with my family.

I am looking forward to getting to know the Newport Heights community and helping students create some amazing art.

From time to time I will be posting updates about what projects we are working on in the art room. If you would like to receive automatic notification of when there is a new post follow me on twitter @artrocksbsd.