1/2 ~ 3D bugs

Not only did our 1/2 students create amazing drawings of bugs this term (see previous post here) but they also modelled some fantastic insects/spiders out of newspaper, wire and modroc. Modroc is a plaster impregnated bandage and when dipped into water the plaster is activated and it becomes a soft and flexible material to model with. If you have ever had a broken limb needing plaster, then chances are you have been wrapped in modroc!

Students created the armature for their bugs using scrunched up newspaper and masking tape, strengthening it with wire. Wings were formed out of wire, as were legs, which were then covered in plastic straws.

Then the fun and messy part began with cutting modroc strips, dipping them in water and smoothing them out onto the armature.

Once dry, students were able to paint and decorate their models. What a talented bunch of students they are! They look brilliant!

3/4 ~ Marine Life

This term, the 3/4 students have been very busy in the Art room creating a variety of works based around their topic of Marine Life.

As a collaborative project, they worked in small groups to design and make a colourful mosaic. This involved cutting tiles (while wearing protective safety gear of course!), gluing down the tesserae (the cut tiles) and shells on the sketched design, grouting the piece and then sealing the grout.

The final artworks look fantastic and are now on display in the Art Room windows (facing out to the prep playground).

Students also created some marine life block prints using styrofoam printing plates, as well as making some gorgeous jellyfish artworks using paints and chalk pastels. Well done 3/4s!

Prep ~ 3D bugs

Our Foundation students have created some fantastic 3D insects using polystyrene bodies, paint, goggle eyes, pipe-cleaners, pom-poms and plenty of imagination....  Check them out!

P-2 ~ Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!

There's creepy crawlies everywhere in the Art Room this term!!

To link in with their integrated topic of Bugs, the P-2 students took their hand to drawing some creepy crawlies in their Art lessons. We focused on the Art elements and principles of shape, line, pattern and symmetry during these classes and the students came up with some amazing bugs of their own. Well done P-2 students - these look amazing on display around the school.

We are now working on modelling our own 3D bugs over the next few Art lessons, so stay tuned for some photos of our finished models.

Whole School Sustainable Artwork ~ Tyre Weaving

Last term, we found some old tyres in the sports room that were headed for the dumpster, so we salvaged them (of course!) and turned them into some works of art to brighten up our chook shed!

All grades contributed to these colourful tyres by weaving pieces of coloured ribbon straw into the loom we created. Although it took a long time, it was quite a calming activity and was really satisfying to turn our junk into art!

And they may just be the inspiration needed for our 'girls' to start laying some more eggs!!

P-2 ~ Sewing superstars!

What sewing talent we have here at Marlborough! I was amazed at how patient and skillful our P-2 students were when we began our Threads and Textiles unit in Art during Term 3.

It would not have been possible without all the dedicated parent and grandparent volunteers who gave up their time to help in these lessons. A special mention must go to Alec and Charlie's Nana, Jeanette, who assisted in every class from Prep through to Grade 2. What an angel!

As you may have read in previous posts, we firstly mastered the technique of weaving and this then led us on to sewing. We looked at a variety of beautiful tapestries hung in museums around the world, as well as some very old and fine needlecrafts and embroidered cloths/robes. To begin developing the students' skills in sewing, they all started with a piece of rubber non-slip mat. This material was terrific for the students to use, as the holes are very large and easy for the younger students to grip and see the needle through the other side. It was also very easy to 'rewind' any tangles. As you can see, students learnt how to sew a running stitch with embroidery thread and then moved on to sewing on decorative beads.

Once this was mastered, some of our Prep students learned how to sew buttons onto a thicker shade-cloth type material.

Other students experimented with hessian and sewed buttons onto this different type of textile - which was also fun to pull out threads and make a fringed border! Students had the option of sewing a running stitch border and sewing their buttons on in a random pattern or to make a button tree. As you can see from the photos below, they have done an amazing job!