Art

Olympics in the art room

We have had fun focusing on the Olympics in the art room over these last couple of weeks. Students have explored some French culture as well as looking at the many sports that the Olympics offers.

Preps made an obstacle course for their fingers using paper strips. We explored some of the many things that can be done with paper and they tried to incorporate these techniques into their obstacle course. Together we made paper into a bridge with 'feet', a concertina-folded zigzag, a spiral, one with twists, and into dashed and dotted lines. They used a hole punch to create both lots of little circles and also a strip that now had many holes in it. Having practised some skills, students then went to make their own obstacle course, and were encouraged to be creative and add some extra things to their obstacle course. They came up with some fabulous ideas and added such things as tunnels and paper jumps to their courses.

Grade 1 and 2 students made a 'phryge' which is Paris Olympics' mascot.  The mascot is a red conical shaped hat, with eyes and runners, and is a symbol of freedom. Students made a cone from red paper, added concertina-folded paper legs (the zigzag fold), and eyes. They also included the French flag somewhere on their phryge.

Grade 3 and 4 students began their Olympic-themed art with rolling some clay into a slab (making it flat) then cutting out a template so it could be modelled into a dog. The French love their dogs! Les Français adorent leurs chiens! France is known for being incredibly dog-friendly and they allow dogs in restaurants and on public transport - so long as their dogs are well behaved and on a lead. So we honoured the French with making our own cherished canines. The clay has now dried sufficiently and will be fired in our kiln, ready for the students to then glaze. 

Next, these students focused on shape and colour through blending oil pastels to make le Coq Gaulois, or the Gallic Rooster. This French rooster is a symbol of hope and faith and can be seen in many places in France.

Photos of the roosters to come!

Students in grades 5 and 6 have been busy using wire to model an armature, which is an open framework on which a sculpture is moulded. Students modelled their wire into a human body. They looked at body proportions initially to make their armature realistic, and looked at where half-way on a human body usually is, how long arms are, how big feet are, and all the places that bend (necks, shoulders, elbows, wrists, fingers, hips etc.) They had to ensure their wire body looked in proportion before then modelling it into a pose from an Olympic sport. Students made Olympians such as gymnasts, divers, basketball players, runners, hockey players, surfers, trampolinists, break dancers and swimmers. After the pose was modelled into position, with careful attention being paid to where the joints were bending, students had a lot of fun using plaster of paris to mould and wrap around their armature. Their finished sculptures were glued on to a rustic wood base. 

Students then followed up with designing their own pictogram to go with their Olympic sculpture. They looked at pictograms from previous Olympic years, and also the current Paris Olympics pictograms, for inspiration.