even more dino related stuff

Today in y2 we started to papier mache our dinosaurs. We tried to make sure the joins were carefully done, as these are the points that will need to be strongest in order for the pneumatic(!) systems to work effectively.

sketches

Tried out some more 'summery' pics in the same style as the footy ones. Hopefully might get round to painting these up.

                        

'varnishing day'

Managed to find sometime at the end of yesterday to 'varnish' (or matte as they say in America?) all of my recent footy/rugby paintings.

Now to decide what I'm going to do with them - list in my shops, think about joining 'Artfinder' (has anyone got any experience of this ?), create a Facebook page wherefrom I can advertise them for sale or try and approach small galleries!
Any advice welcome.

more dinosaur stuff

In y2 we've begun making dinosaur sculptures that will eventually have mouths that opens and close!
Today we got as far as constructing the armatures - out of boxes, tubes, wood and plenty of Sellotape!

Note: the heads have not yet been attached!

 

A is for...

Today in 'Golden Time' ( a reward session at the end of the week that the children 'earn') we drew horses. 
They did 'before' pics ;

and then, following really simple guidelines (starting with a letter 'A'), they drew horses in various poses.   

Bear in mind that these are only thumbnail sketches and not huge.

Greeks & Tudors

The y3s have made a start on painting their Greek warrior sculptures.

The y4s are continuing with their project to build some Tudor real estate.

And there's progress on the painting table.

painting

Currently on my painting table are 5 football/rugby pics that will eventually depict representations of various teams.  

sculpture (3)

Today we had a go at wrapping wool around a pipecleaner/wire armature to create small, free-standing sculptures.

One of the children made this cute tiger!

sculpture

Yesterday our y4s had a Tudor Day and came costumed accordingly. They took part in a variety of activities, one of which was to do a 'stump' doll version of themselves. A peg, pipecleaner, felt and their skill were all that were needed to end up with mini-me's!

Y3s are sculpting Ancient Greek warriors and have now added mod-roc to their armatures. I think I can hear the strains of 'Zorba' starting up somewhere behind this one!

printing(2)

Yesterday the y5/6s continued to explore the possibilities of print. We began to investigate overprinting as way of enhancing our designs.

printing & sculpture

Our y5/6s have embarked on a short printing unit. They started off by using polyprint to create simple alternating patterns.

And some clay sculptures (over pipecleaner armatures). The middle one reminds me of John Travolta for some reason!

We knew the air-dry clay would crack - we'll just paint over them.

Tudor houses, Greek sculpture & forest schools!

Yesterday the y4's continued to construct their 'Tudor' houses by assembling the panels of the lower storey.

Y3's made wood and wire armatures in readiness for next week when we'll wrap them with mod-roc.

At school today we had a Forest School event. 'Forest School' is really an updated version of what used to be called Nature Study. We have a huge area behind our school that has trees, large open spaces, even a stream(!), that the children utilise to enhance their learning across a whole host of curriculum areas. In y3 we used clay to make faces - the premise was that the Ancient Greeks believed that trees had spirits (Dryads) - so we made representations of them on the actual trees. The activity certainly brought out the creative sides of both the children and their parents!

dinosaur(2)

Another pic drawn by a y2 child yesterday. 

And almost right with the spelling!

dinosaurs

Y2 have started studying dinosaurs so of course today we used a letter 'A' to draw some!

They drew a 'before' picture at the start (top left) before following simple instructions to create lots of different dinosaur.

Some of these are detailed in my book 'A is for Art' along with step by step guides on how to draw almost anything - copies available in my Etsy and Folksy shops.

Dresden

Back to work for the last stint! Over half term my wife and I visited Dresden. Those who know their history will understand the significance of this German city. Considering the damage that was inflicted in February 1945 the altstadt (old town) has been amazingly restored. We were even more taken aback when we discovered that most of the rebuild has only taken place over the last 15 years or so! Up until the 'wall' came down this church was still a pile of rubble. 

Fortunately, a lot of the treasures in the museums had been removed during the war and have since been returned. A beautiful, friendly city and very easy to get around - recommended!