hotch potch

In preparation for a 'Great Fire of London' collage the children painted 'flames'. It was a good opportunity to revisit colour mixing/primary/secondary colours etc.

 

Meanwhile fresh from the kiln, some plaques of footy supporters. These are designed to be either hung on a wall or propped on a shelf. Not sure whether to add them to my Folksy shop - your views would be greatly appreciated as to whether they would sell.

Finally, a painting that I started today. It's on canvas and measures about 60x50cm.

drawing

Today in y1 (5/6 yr olds) we did some observational drawing. They looked closely at toy cars and tried to draw exactly what they could see. I wanted to get them to look from different points of view, hence the toys rather than the real thing!

 

monarch of the glen

When y4 made polar bears some children also made other 'cold land' animals.  Once it had been fired, this girl went away and found the perfect twigs to complete her stag!

 

mixed bag

Just before half term we finished our automata. Those who had a bit of time managed to make a 'pecking bird' that utilised a simple crank mechanism.

 

 

The Earth revolves in space;

In y6 we are continuing with out 'river' theme and have begun to make 3d waterfall collages/paper sculptures.

kites

Yesterday in y2, to round off our china themed unit, we made kites. Simple paper (A4) & bamboo skewer construction with crepe paper tails. They are supposed to be 'indoor' kites but there was a gentle enough breeze outside to give them a go. They worked pretty well.

 

it's a puppet

In y1 we have continued with our puppet making. These are our 'talking' bird puppets. The head is made from a folded paper plate and we made bodies from cylinders of card. We added wings, feet and feathers to complete the look!

 

more doodles

A smidgin of spare time so a few more sketches.

 'The Boys' or, 'We can do this the easy way or...'

 

 

'Luigi and Roberto were not musicians'

'Getting a little bit excited'

today

I've recently had a go at a few bits and pieces clay-wise and here they are on opening the kiln after their final firing. You should be able to spot the footy supporter from last week (quite pleased with him), some small pendants (an experiment that I might pursue with members of my weekly art club) and various parts of a bird (pigeon?) that I've got a crazy idea to make into an automaton piece!

 

Meanwhile in Y4 we glazed our polar bears and carefully added basic facial details.

For those who had finished we then went on to imagine that there was a polar bear who was not like other polar bears - essentially the 'Elmer the elephant' story by David McKee, but obviously altered. We drew and coloured them. The class teacher became very enthusiastic at the writing possibilities that this threw up and is keen to explore the theme with the children - altered stories, shaped books etc.

riverscapes

This year's textile riverscapes are finished. For some children it was the first time that they had sewn. Here they are temporarily laid out on a table but will soon be mounted on a wall - it might save them getting knocked about!

 

 

Love the flowers on this riverbank - poppies?

 
And I think they've done a cracking job of representing the ripples/river currents on this one.

Each piece is 15cm square. They are primarily made from felt with some managing to add woollen 'pom-pom' bushes. The children used running, applique and cross stitches.

more doodles

Some more sketches. This new 'style' is evolving. I might try and paint a few pictures up if I get the time in between teaching and all of the ceramic stuff. Am seriously considering going large!

 

 

more clay

 Our penguins are on display. They look great huddled in small groups in an icy terrain.

Meanwhile, I've been playing around with more rounded 3d versions of my figures. 2 slabs joined and smoothed. Two 'girls' and a footy supporter - the girls are headless because I'm attaching the heads separately. Impatient for them to dry so I can bisque fire them.

polar bears

 In y4, as a follow-up to our penguins, we made polar bears (but this time using 'proper' clay). We rolled out slabs of clay using battens to ensure a uniform thickness and then cut squares. We assembled the pieces using slip and added just enough detail to  make them recognisable as polar bears (pinched ears & tail, eyes). The final part was to cut the legs and bend alternate ones so as they could stand.

 

They are currently being bisque fired so they will be ready to glaze next week.

3d supporter

Tried making one of the footy supporters that I've recently sketched. The first pic is after bisque firing, the second is with glaze applied. 

 

It might be a week or so before he gets the final firing as both I and the children need to make other stuff to ensure a full kiln.