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!

Van Gogh Inspired Irises

Students in the senior levels studied the work of Vincent Van Gogh as part of a unit on painting. We looked at the work of Van Gogh, in particular his iris and sunflower paintings. Students completed some still life drawings of sunflowers in their visual diaries and were shown how to draw irises just like Van Gogh using black oil pastels.

Students were then shown how to use a technique known as ‘double loading’ when adding paint to their picture. Double loading involves loading two colours of paint on a brush before painting, achieving a realistic blend of colours when added to the painting. Students experimented with mixing their own colours using acrylic paint. Once dry, students then added black outlines to their flowers and leaves in the style of Van Gogh. Many students remarked how proud they were of their professional looking paintings.

Laurel Burch Inspired Cats

Students in Prep have been learning how to draw and make cats in art as part of their unit on pets. We looked at pictures and read stories about cats and discussed their features. We also looked at the work of Laurel Burch, who paints very brightly coloured and unique looking cats with lines and patterns.

Students began this project by painting flowers and leaves for their background. Once dry, students cut out their flowers and leaves and added black outlines using an oil pastel. On a coloured paper bag, students were shown how to create a cat face by cutting and sticking eyes and painting other details. Students also added paper strips for decoration to the body, as well as whiskers and ears. This was our first collage project for the year, incorporating a range of materials and techniques. Well done, Preps!