Egyptian Death Masks

As part of their unit on Egypt last term, students in the senior grades designed and constructed these amazing Egyptian death masks!

Students studied ancient Egyptian art, in particular the designs and patterns typically found on traditional death masks. We began this project by spray painting some white masks to make them gold. Students were then given time to design their own death masks in their visual diaries. Once students were happy with their design, they were given a large piece of cardboard to trace a stencil shape for either a crown or a full head piece. These were then cut out, and lines and patterns were added using pencil. Students were then given some basic colours of paint from which to mix their own colours. Once the paintwork was dry, we used a hot glue gun to finally piece it all together. The results are outstanding! This was a very popular project amongst the kids and kept them very busy for weeks. The masks are currently on display outside the staff room, so make sure you check them out!

Picasso Portraits

Students in grades one and two began the term by completing a self-portrait in the style of famous artist Pablo Picasso. Students studied the work of Picasso, who is known for his unique style of drawing and painting faces with bold lines, colours and shapes.

Students began this project by following a directed line drawing of a face in the style of Picasso. Students followed step by step instructions to add facial features and hair using a black oil pastel on white paper. Once the basic drawing was done, students added colour to their portrait using coloured oil pastels and watercolour paints. Students were once again excited to apply a technique known as 'oil pastel resist', where the oil pastel resists the watercolour paint on the page, creating an interesting effect.

Once dry, students cut their portrait out and were asked to mount it onto a coloured piece of paper for a background. Students were encouraged to use their knowledge of colour theory such as complementary colours when selecting a background colour. A fantastic effort by all!

Australian Animals: Koalas

Students in grades one and two made these cuddly koalas as part of their unit on Australian animals. This term we have been making lots of Australian animals in our art classes including a bilby, wombat, rainbow lorikeet and now these koalas!

Students began this project by tracing stencil shapes onto thin white cardboard. There were eight body parts in total to trace and cut out- it was great cutting practice! Students were then shown how to cut, overlap and stick down pieces of newspaper to make the koala grey in colour. This was the most time consuming part of the project, and excellent for developing fine motor skills. Once the pieces were stapled together, students added three-part eyes, a black nose, white cotton balls, and grey merino wool for extra details. It was great to see how happy the students were with the final result. Well done!

Egyptian Faces

As part of their unit on Egypt, students in the senior levels studied Egyptian art and hieroglyphics. Building upon their prior knowledge of drawing portraits, students learned how to draw a face in profile. They were then given the option to draw their Egyptian face either front on or in profile.

Students began this project by sketching their face and details on black paper using a white crayon. They then added colour using oil pastels and metallic Supermix from Zart Art, which is a potent pastel that gives a painterly effect. Students were encouraged to mix and blend colours to achieve their desired effect. Gold highlights were added with paint and, once dry, students then went over their lines using a black oil pastel.

For the final touch, students mounted their faces onto a coloured background and added an Egyptian hieroglyphic border around their portrait using metallic pens. These bright and bold artworks incorporated several techniques and skills, and enriched the students’ learning about Egypt. Well done everyone!