Owls and oils...

I am always indulging myself, here a drawing inspired by Harry Potter seeing as they keep putting them on the television each Friday night. Owls are beautiful birds, and here I used aquarelle crayons. Anytime i get some new tools / equipment, in this case the aquarelles i had to give them a try! They do give a really intense colour when you apply water.

My latest oil painting i am working my way through, it is quite a long rectangle canvas. Right now it is at the start. So many more layers to apply......i just need the time!

Here Fishy Fishy....

Here are a few examples from the Year 6 students. I think that it was quite a slog for some but once finished they are impressed with their handy work.....

Seascape painting....with tint?

This year i believed the Year 6 students needed a challenge, needed to practice the skill of painting and also needed to stay committed and focused. This was the plan, i drew up a grid and then chose a simple seascape image. I restricted the colour palette to the primaries and also black, white and green- a secondary colour. The whole process was quite simple, you begin with pure colour (such as blue) and then slowly add white as your tint till the blue is saturated and it is more white than blue. Each square line makes u add more white, till no two squares next to each other are the same. After the sea water is filled / painted you can choose what colour your seaweed, fish and sand will become. These are my examples and i have to say, most students certainly found it challenging and certainly quite a lot more time consuming that they first thought. It certainly worked a treat for those student who committed and stayed focused, probably an art nightmare for those who couldn't! I thought it was a fabulous idea and loved painting my own example at the same time.....
-Below is the finished example..........

Hedwig Owls

After a mammoth amount of sessions the Year 5 Hedwig Owl sculptures are finally complete. They certainly stand out from the crowd.

-First paper machie

-Second feet

-Third beak, eyes and wings

-Fourth are the feathers.......

The Year 5 student we so excited to finally finish the mass feathered sculpture and are extremely proud, as am I......enjoy!

Quilt Felt Patches

One of my favourite picture story books is by Alison Lester-"Ruby". It is about a magical quilt called Ruby. Each Year 3 student had to create their own felt patch and i asked them all to design an image that reflected something they loved. So going to the beach, space, rockets and planets as well as animals. Here below are the close up of some pretty funky patches....
The pool and swimming....Painting and art....Monsters....The sea...Fun and games outside...

Rockets and outer space.....

Shoes, shoes, shoes and more shoes.....

These delightful grey lead pencil drawings were drawn by my budding young Year 2 artists! Now they thought I was crazy when I asked them to take their own shoe off and really take a good look at it. These shoes were drawn large- A2 size. The detail is amazing, quite perceptive and they have all found a new appreciation for the school shoes they wear everyday! Once we had finished the detail observational drawings of our school shoes I asked the students to transform the drawings into a fabulously magical transport. A new rocket, plane or monster truck was the go.... yes I know I do like to challenge their ideas and minds. You can just make out the original shoes in the two images below.

Oil painting- A Challenge.....

These are just some of the Year 6's experimentation with oil paint on canvas. Most have found it a challenge and certainly very different. Water and oil just don't mix, some have found this out the hard way!Now remember that each student had free choice of idea, concept and image. Of course inappropriate images were a no go. I had explained to the group of eager students that this was their painting and that they could decided to paint whatever they had a desire to paint......These canvas have been painted during a Monday lunchtime. They are not completely finished, though two students have applied a coat of varnish. We probably have another 2 lunchtime sessions left till we each have our own masterpiece!

Some inspirational images to share after 2 weeks of bliss....

There are somethings that can't be beaten when it comes to beauty, here is my baby; the very loved and adored Henri. He really is a stunner, lovable, playful and just a gift....my life without him would certainly not be complete.

Below are images taken while away. As you know I am a teacher and a well deserved break was calling. My ideal holiday for relaxation has to include a tropical island, warm sunny weather, white sandy beach, a few novels to plough through, a bikini, big sunnies, water and lip balm. I am a girls of simple requirements and will happily wile away the hours...... Mana Island- Fiji. Am I lucky or what????
View from the top of Mana Island....The airstrip at Mana, look at the water colour in the background- beautiful!
Some of the tropical plant life to shade one from the heat....

Many miles of underwater coral and sea life that I shared the warm waters with! Really it has been two weeks of bliss. Too bad that tomorrow, reality comes crashing back.....

Sock Puppets......

These funny critter are the latest creations complementary of Year 1 students. We were only allowed one session so the lesson was brief. Each student was presented with a sock, donated mostly by my fabulous hubby, usually due to holes.... It was then up to each student to allow their imagination do the work.