Meet Our First Featured Artist

I am happy to Introduce our first Williams-Cone Featured Artist: K,  a student in Mrs. Hayes kindergarten class. 

He took up the art challenge to find materials from the recycling bin at home. Look what he made! 

It's a tow truck. Doesn't K look proud? 

K with tow truck

 K said he used tape to hold the parts together.

A shout out to K's mom who did a great job of photographing

 K at work and his tow truck 

construction from different angles.

Boys and girls, I hope you feel inspired to check out what is available for building in your house. 

If you don't have tape on hand, what other ways might you find to join the parts together? 

Now I am wondering what K will build next?

Your friend in art,

Ms. Brooks



PS WCS families--Please email student artwork to brooksro@link75.org. I will only use your child's image and art on this blog with your permission.
    

K-5 Visual Art Guidelines for At-Home Learning

K-5 Visual Art Team, MSAD #75

Dear Families,

We can do a lot with basic materials--a pencil, some paper, our five senses, and our imagination! 

The visual arts teachers, Mr. McPherson, Ms. Brooks, Mrs. Arno, and Ms. Tombarelli

PART 1: MAKE SOME ART

Get permission from an adult before using any supplies or leaving the house! Note how you feel before and after making the art...do you feel better or worse? All the art will be different, be creative with what you have. Make a little or make a lot! It’s your choice.

Idea Prompt 1: Use 3-4 pieces of junk mail to make art

Idea Prompt 2: Draw things you can see: the view from a window, your hand, your foot, a toy,

Idea Prompt 3: Make a sculpture from recyclables or food packages that are empty (cereal boxes,    

                         frozen food boxes). How can you attach things creatively?

Idea Prompt 4: Draw a comic strip of your future life

Idea Prompt 5: Make art about your favorite song

Idea Prompt 6: Go for a walk and collect items you find, make art with them

Idea Prompt 7: Follow along a 'how to draw' video on Youtube,

Idea Prompt 8: Give yourself a super power for Art

Idea Prompt 9: Kids Hub has many excellent videos!

Idea Prompt 10: Take a digital landscape picture and send to your art teacher:

Bowdoin Central and Harpswell: arnoe@link75.org   Bowdoinham: tombarellin@link75.org    Wiliams Cone:  brooksro@link75.org   Woodside: mcphersonb@link75.org 

PART 2: WEBSITES FOR FAMILIES TO EXPLORE

Metropolitan Museum of Art  https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/videos

National Gallery of Art -  https://www.nga.gov/education/kids.html

Learning about Ms. Brooks and Her Art

A few months ago, I received an email from an art teacher in London,. She has a website called The

Arty Teacher and she was interested in writing about my painted paper landscape collages and how I

make them. Here is the result! 

The Arty Teacher introduces Robin Brooks: Painting with Paper

Did you know that your art teacher is also an artist? Maybe my artwork will inspire you!

                                          Robin Brooks, Where We Swim, painted paper collage

Williams-Cone Student Artists Work from Home

Just because we're at home doesn't mean our art and creativity are over. Far 

from it! In fact, this is the time for us to assess just how much we have learned

to learn in art class. We can be artists anywhere. 

Let's see what our friends and classmates have been up to. Please email me 

(Ms. Brooks) photos of your projects and artwork and I will add them to the 

blog roll. 

You can title your work and write a sentence or two about what inspired you. 

We call that your "artist statement." Keep on creating! You are wonderful 

artists.

Stuffy Bear, Cherrystone Bear, and Bob the Seagull puppet all say "Hi!"

Learning to Paint

Alex is painting a scene he planned on small paper (above.)  This is an example of how children in kindergarten can begin to learn to visualize, plan, and follow through on a work of art.  Notice our painting set up with water, paints, and sponge for cleaning the brush.)

Every time Taija applies herself to a task in art she sees her project through in a way not often seen in my kindergarten students.  Her ability to handle the paint, including layering colors and mixing new ones--notice the colors of the flowers--shows skill and refinement.  The painting is a lovely example of her work.

More often, children must be prompted to "fill in" the white spaces of their painting.  They are often satisfied with a linear design which is an extension of their approach to drawing.  The brush replaces the pencil.  Still, it is an accomplishment for Maci to keep her colors clean.  Learning to wash the brush and change colors is a basic painting skill that we learn in kindergarten. 

By the time a student is in fifth grade, they have had many opportunities to use paint in art class.  Elizabeth's painting, entitled "River Rocks" is an original composition, developed over three weeks.  There are happy accidents--the stars in the sky originated as splatters from a neighbor's brush.  She was able to use them to add detail and richness to her painting.  The ability to mix color values to show the shadow sides of the rocks and foliage is an advanced skill.  I chose this painting for the Portland Museum of Art student exhibit this year.  Congratulations to Elizabeth!