Thank you!

I have been very fortunate to receive some lovely feedback from parents, students and staff at Kerrimuir this week and I'd just like to say a big thank you!

It is fantastic to see the students at Kerrimuir so enthusiastic and excited about art, and it shows in the quality of their work.

Starting next term, I will be inviting parents who are interested to come and help in the art room. Term 3 should be a very busy and productive term!

Happy holidays and enjoy the break,

Emma-Jane

The Foolish Tortoise

Students in Prep have been learning about texture in art. We have been discussing different types of textures and learning about how texture can be used in our artwork.

We read 'The Foolish Tortoise' by Eric Carle. We love Eric Carle books in the art room and looking at the beautiful artworks in his picture books.

Students began this project by cutting out a green tortoise. Students pasted their tortoise onto a white background and created texture on the shell with lots of green lentils. Students described the texture as "bumpy". Students then added extra details such as soil, grass and sky using oil pastels. What a great job Preps!

Autumn Leaf Prints

Here are some more wonderful autumn themed artworks! A few weeks ago I collected some autumn leaves for the grade 3 students to use in their artwork. Students in grade 3 have been learning some printing techniques using lots of different materials. This was a simple yet effective project that turned out beautifully.

Students painted the veined side of a leaf with white paint and created prints on black paper. We discussed how to create an interesting composition and how to use overlapping in our work. Students then sponged blue paint around their leaves for the background. Once dry, students were shown colour blending and shading techniques with pencils to add extra detail to their leaves. What a fantastic result!

Autumn at Kerrimuir

A few weeks ago I took these snaps just as the sun was setting outside our art room at Kerrimuir. And I'm so glad I took these photos when I did. We love Autumn in the art room! It's a great time to discuss colours and textures, use leaves in our artwork and talk about the seasons.

Swimming Turtles

Last term, students in grade 3 created these gorgeous swimming turtles. We looked at images of turtles and discussed their features. Students were then shown how to draw a basic turtle outline on paper. We discussed the shapes, lines and patterns we could use on the shell.

Students then learned how to use watercolour paints to add colour to their work. Students experimented with a range of cool colours and learned how to drip splashes of paint and water on their page to create a blended effect. We added sea salt to our work, which created a mottled effect once dry. Students then added extra detail to their work using oil pastels.

Many students enjoyed the challenge of this piece and particularly liked sprinkling sea salt all over their artwork.

Our Art Room

Isn't our art room looking lovely? We are so lucky to have our very own arts space at Kerrimuir, and one with such character too! The students continue to keep our art room clean, tidy and organised so that we can all enjoy this space for creating, making, imagining and of course, having lots of fun.

Autumn Tree Collages

Students in grades 1 and 2 have been learning about collage this term. We have been learning that we can make a collage by using a range of materials (cut or torn paper, tissue, fabric, leaves, ribbon, string) and sticking those materials to a background.

These beautiful autumn tree collages were created using a combination of tissue and construction paper. Students began this project by looking at books about the seasons. We discussed autumn, in particular what happens to the trees and colours of the leaves at this time of year. We also looked at some books by Jeannie Baker, who uses collage in her picture storybooks.

Students were shown how to create a tree trunk by tearing paper strips. They enjoyed learning a special technique for sticking small pieces of tissue paper onto their branches for leaves. Students also learned the decorative paper technique known as ‘fringing’ for the grass. The results are these beautiful autumn trees! Be sure to have a look at these currently on display in the main hallway near the office.

Printed Petals

Students in grades 1 and 2 have been learning about printing. We have been exploring how to make art using sponges, leaves, potatoes, fingers and hands. We read the book 'Isabella's Garden' and discussed how to make prints using paint. Students were then shown how to make petal prints using a sponge and how to use the veined side of a leaf to achieve an interesting print. Students also used their fingertips for the centre of each flower. Students loved experimenting with different tools for this project and it was fantastic to see their amazement after making their prints. Well done!