For this week’s class, at Penn Treaty, we wanted the students to do a fun & unique project based around the fall season. We had them design their own leaf cutouts to be placed on a tree and also had them create some stencil designs on craft paper with a variety of materials such as pompoms, glitter and yarn.
For this project, we had the students use acrylic paint in order to get an idea of how they would handle it. We explained how important it was not to get the paint on their clothes because it is difficult to remove. What they did not realize is that the purpose of this exercise is for the students to learn how to control the paintbrush while painting different shapes.
I also noticed that they were creating color variations from their limited palette which was based on a previous lesson on the color wheel/color theory. I am just blown away with how quickly these students adapted to the concept behind each lesson.
Ms. Kristin showed the class a magazine that showcased a variety of artists’ works. She talked about the artists’ backgrounds, styles, & techniques in order for the students to get an understanding of what each piece is about.
Overall, I feel like this project was a success because the students were able to transform a basic concept of designing a leaf and turn it into something spectacular. They were also really engaged, working together as a group to build their fall tree, and having fun.