Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Underwater Project

At Monarch Christian Academy, we are working on a project called "In the Sea." We created a big body of water using an extra large board, roughly the size of a standard door, which we decorated with many different sea creatures using a variety of mediums. The students utilized their knowledge and creativity to make a tantalizing underwater world.

Below are some examples of the students' works: Rachel captured a sea turtle in her underwater bubble.  Look at those sophisticated colors!

Rachel's turtle (4)

They used oil pastels to color the creatures, crinkled the paper to make cracks to absorb paints, and painted all over with blue tempera cake. Check out Alyson's piece below; her delicate touch created a beautiful sea turtle!


Alyson's turtle (5)

Zolly's blending of colors created a unique and wonderful fish.  Is the fish eating that sea weed?


Zolly's fish (4)

Joel's fish bubble was among the busiest of all, seemingly inspired by planets!


Joel's fish (3)

Josiah's octopus is large and bold.  His confidence clearly comes through in his filled-out bubble!


Josiah's octopus (5)

Ayden's bubble is filled with many many sea animals.  I see a fish, an octopus, another fish ... another octopus ... and is that a clam?


Ayden's fish and octopus (4)

Alyssa's turtle is awesome.  It's proportional, placed prominently in the middle, and incorporates excellent use of colors--who would've thought that blue, yellow, and pink could be so great on a turtle!


Alyssa's turtle (5)






Underwater Project #1
I made a frame to display all the stdents' works. I used cardboard: measured, cut with an exacto- knife, and glued them all together. Although you can't tell the size here, it's bigger than a typical door!


Underwater Project #2
I thought it would be more fun if we added three dimensional effects on the frame, which expanded the sea scene in height, width, and added depth. Hopefully, you'll agree that the frame helped the piece be more appealing so that the students can enjoy, learn, and let their imagination grow.

The project doesn't end here. We colored the border by first applying white acrylic (ran out of gesso, but worked just as well!).
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Underwater Project #3

Oops, the aluminum fish in the middle needs a little adjustment!
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Underwater Project #4

Tada!

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Still not done. I took the bubbles created by the students, printed them using a color printer, and reduced the size of the bubbles.










It's getting there...do you see all the bubbles?

Underwater Project #5









There we have it! We displayed the 'Underwater Project' at the school. It was a big hit! The students made their own fish with their face on it, gave the fish pretty scales, and even decorated with sparkly jewels. We couldn't finish the fish, but everyone had so much fun making it! 

The students were matching their bubbles on the board shouting out their names. It's so rewarding to see the students get excited about their work.

The adventure continues on...

6 comments:

  1. I love this "Underwater Project", Ms. Hannah. I saw it on the wall in person this morning. It looks amazing. It really uses the child imagination. They all come up with different sea creature which I thought it is very interesting. Actually, I love all the projects you have worked with our kids especially when you come up with different themes. You really make the class interesting, innovative and fun for the children. Alyson always look forward to going to Art class on Fridays. She talks about your class all the time. Thank you again for all your hard work and teaching our kids about Art.

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  2. Thank you so much for your kind words and supports. Alyson's maturity, patience, and observancy in class are so valuable and admirable. I also very look forward to Fridays, and the students' willingness, passion, and hardwork make the class more exciting!

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  3. Wow! These are really impressive artworks. I love the color choice used on the cardboard, and the layout of the fish. Nice job!

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  4. Thanks! We had so much fun making it, and it became a center piece at school for the students to see, talk about, and grow with. It's great because the students have a tremendous pride in the product since they were all part of the entire thing!

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  5. Our senior ed is a very BIG fan of turtles, such a lovely sea project :)

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  6. Much appreciated! Visited your blog. It's so very nice; I love it! I'll definately have my kids try out for the contest.
    Thanks again!

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