Serape Fiesta

Preparation for this lesson is nice and easy with the only requirements being coloured pencils and regular A4 paper. These colourful designs inspired by Mexican serapes were created by a composite year 2 and 3 class. Each pattern begins from a line of symmetry in the centre. To read more about serapes pop over to my previous year 5 and 6 post.

Textured Landscapes

Year 6 sketched the bones of these stylised and vertically-orientated landscapes in pencil and then traced over these with black textas before adding different repeating patterns in each section. The students used a combination of coloured pens, textas and pencils to achieve the textured appearance. 

This is a lesson I copied verbatim from Miriam at artescuola.com - it's one of my favourite blogs! I showed the children the work of Miriam's students on the other side of the world, which really helped to capture their attention. Some students copied the scenes they saw there, others were inspired by examples I made on the board and some created their own altogether.

Speedy Serapes!?

I asked this 5/6 composite class to create their own serape design during their fast finishing time. And while most children found time to begin their Mexican inspired patterns, only the three above actually finished while I was there! So if you're a teacher looking to occupy some Speedy Gonzales in your classroom these could come in handy...

A serape is a brightly coloured blanket-like shawl/poncho traditionally worn by Mexican men (having never set foot in Mexico myself, please feel free to correct me here). We looked at several online pictures such as the ones below as well as an actual one that I own – it was a gift from my mum when I finished high school : )

We recognised the repetition, close lines, bright colours, use of triangles and diamonds as well as symmetry. The students worked in coloured pencils or textas and as already mentioned, they found them to be deceptively time consuming. However I think a number of children find this kind of simple but repetitive process to be quite relaxing and even cathartic.

Maps of Art

A spontaneous gap-filling lesson. These were created back near the start of the year, well before I'd started this blog. I took the photos when I revisited this 5/6 classroom more recently. This was not a regular whole class art lesson, but something for the early finishing students to enjoy, and slow them down! Freehand drawing a map can seem very daunting at first but with some coaxing and a quick demonstration on the board, these children soon took to the idea.

Maps are beautiful to look at, and I've often noticed students quietly engrossed as they thumb through an atlas. I try to impress upon the students that we are practicing art rather than cartography, so we don't need to be super accurate, fine detailed and exact. Instead we can focus on general shape and form, and especially colour — which I think makes many maps so attractive. It's also a subtle way to engage the students with geography and the world beyond their neighbourhood.

Representing Australia, Africa, Southeast Asia and South America, these were sketched in lead pencil and finished in either oil pastel or coloured pencil.