Ceramic Cupcakes

2nd Grade
2 class periods

Ceramic Cupcakes, Second Grade Lesson

This is a new spin on an old lesson that I do with my second grade students on food sculptures.  For this project we looked at the artwork of Claes Oldenburg.  You may reference my past post on this lesson for discussion and reference ideas Oldenburg Food Sculptures.  In the middle of this lesson, I also thought Wayne Thiebaud would be another fantastic artist that could be discussed and used as a reference for this project.

Ceramic Cupcakes, Second Grade Art Lesson

Day 1:
We use one class period to create these cupcakes out of clay (class period is 50 minutes).
Our first step was to create the cupcake wrapper.  I use silicone cupcake liners as our mold for this project.  I give each student a piece of saran wrap which they set into the cupcake liner.  This allows the clay to come out much easier.  We place a golf ball size of clay into the liner.  I demonstrate to students how to create a pinch pot from the clay.

Step two requires a review demonstration of slip and score technique.  Students use a small clay rectangle shape slab to create two pieces that they attach to the cupcake wrapper to prevent the lid from falling off after it is fired.  After these are attached, I go around the room and trim them down for the students.

Students are next given another golf ball size of clay.  From this clay they create another pinch pot to represent the top of the cupcake.  Students need to make sure that the top of the cupcake fits over the tabs they created in the cupcake liner before moving on to the next step.

Make sure lid fits over tabs.

The last step for this lesson is to add details to their frosting (sprinkles, cherries, strawberries, etc.).   Students that would like to add a candle after the piece is complete, poke a hole into the cupcake top so we have a place to glue it into after it is glazed.  We used real candles, but you certainly could have your students make them out of clay.

Finally, we removed the silicone liner and redraw some of the lines on the clay wrapper.  Students write their name and class code on the bottom of their project.  We allow it to dry a day or two before placing it in the kiln.

Cupcakes air drying before first firing.

Day 2:
The second day of this lesson is a glazing class period.  I provide students with basic knowledge about glazing and the firing process.

I had students complete a brainstorm sheet prior to this lesson on planning out their glaze colors.  I, also limited glaze color selection for each piece of the cupcake to help with distribution and clean up. Student were given four glaze color choices for the wrapper and then four choices for the frosting.   Having them deciding ahead of time on their color selection creates a smoother and more productive class period on glaze day.

Brainstorming our glazing plan for our cupcakes.

After the projects come of the kiln the second time, I hot glue candles to the projects that requested it and a brown pipe cleaner to create the stems of the cherries.

Students were very excited to make these very delicious looking storage containers.  I hope you are as amazed as I am with the results of this project!

Student Examples:

Continuous Line

Fourth Grade
2 Class Periods

Continuous Line Cityscape, Fourth Grade Art Lesson

Prior to this lesson, students had a lesson that described the five types of line and how to vary that line to create more lines.  We used this lesson as a follow up to that lesson to help them think about line in another way.  I came across this lesson plan from a fellow colleague who has her own blog called One Crayola Short.  I give her complete credit for this lesson and only blog about it to share the creative results my students were able to come up with for it.

Day 1:
We began this project by discussing analogous color schemes (3 colors next to each other on the color wheel).  Students were allowed to pick one of the following analogous color schemes for their composition:  orange, yellow, green or yellow, green, blue or green, or they could choose between a warm or cool color scheme.

Students were then given a demonstration on how to create shapes from the construction paper to create a cityscape.  Students could create buildings, trees, and cars from the paper.

Day 2:
Together as a class we examined a book called Follow The Line by Laura Ljungkvist.  The drawings in the book use a continuous line for each page.  We used our fingers to trace the line and discuss how the pen never leaves the paper when drawing the line.

Students were instructed to use a black sharpie marker to create a continuous line in their cityscape. They had to think about how they would add windows, doors and other details without lifting their marker.  This step required more concentration than they had expected, but they also had so much fun creating the details.  For students that were a bit hesitant, I had them practice on a piece of scrap paper before tackling their final project.

Student using black sharpie marker to draw a continuous line.

Student Examples:

Tree of Life

Kindergarten
2 Class Periods

Tree of Life, Kindergarten Art Lesson

About the Artist:
The artist we studied for this lesson is named Gustav Klimt.  Gustav was born in Austria on July 14, 1862.  He is known as a symbolist painter.  He loved to use gold in his artwork and had quite a fondness for cats.  The artist passed away February 6, 1918.

Artist Gustav Klimt

The painting we examined for this lesson is entitled Tree of Life.  The Tree of Life was painted in 1909.  The Tree of Life represents wisdom, protection, strength and beauty.  The branches of the tree reach towards the sky as the roots run deep into the ground.  This painting tries to depict how the tree is linked to Heaven, the Earth and the Underworld.  The curly branches give the tree a unique look, which also causes the viewers eye to travel around the piece enabling them to see all the hidden details within the composition.

Tree of Life by Gustav Klimt.

Day 1:
On the first day of this lesson students learned about artist Gustav Klimt.  We examined his famous painting entitled Tree of Life.

Together, through follow along demonstration students painted a tree on black construction in a similar style to Klimt's tree in his painting.  Students were allowed to use gold or silver paint for their tree.

After the trees were painted on the paper, students used a Q-tip to create dots around the tree.  We discussed how these dots could represent leaves that were on the tree.  Students used gold, silver and bronze paint for this step.

Student adding leaves around her tree with a Q-tip.

Day 2:
As a class we discussed the idea of pattern (designs that repeat).  Students were instructed to trace circles around their painted dots.  Gold, silver and bronze sharpie markers were used for this step.  I told students that the more dots they circles the fuller their tree would appear.  Students were also allowed to make small dots with the markers around the tree and in between the leaves.

Nine to 10 dots of glue were added to the compositions and then covered in glitter to give that tiny bit of sparkle that kicked up our pieces a notch.

I do not believe these photos give this project enough justice.  This truly is a stunning piece once completed and receives many compliments when it is hung in the hallway.

Student Examples:

Art Club Happenings

We have been working on various projects for art club this school year.  Our goal is to create  collaborative pieces that will be permanently on display in our middle school building.  We have been working on a mosaic mural piece, a tapestry made from weavings, and now a chandelier inspired by the work of Dale Chihuly.

Those Crazy Cool Whistles

My fifth grade students, once again, impressed me with their creative skills when it comes to clay whistle design.  Here are just a few from this trimester.

Some whistle testing.  Maybe we can start a band?