As part of Youth in Arts’ Arts Unite Us program at Lynwood Elementary in Novato, Pre-K to 2nd grade students worked with Mentor Artist Cathy Bowman to practice identifying and building with different shapes.
Cathy explains, “We used circles, squares, and rectangles to make 3-dimensional sculptures. This was a great way to reinforce geometric patterns that they are learning at school.”
Students used regular glue mixed with cornstarch to create an extra-sturdy bond that enabled shapes to “stand up” on the mat board base. Together, Cathy and her students worked through creative solutions to challenges such as balancing forms exactly the way they wanted them to sit.
Taking inspiration from artists such as Louise Nevelson, students finished their projects with monochromatic painting the following week.
“We used white or black paint to finish their sculptures,” Cathy says. “We used our paint brushes carefully to get into all the corners.
“The following week, students made observational drawings. We looked carefully and closely at our shapes to draw what we see instead of what they think is there. After we used thick, water-soluable pencils, we applied a bit of water to make the lines come alive. This was a great way to practice using brushes gently – like a cat’s tail. We finished by writing our names at the bottom.
The lesson continued the next week with students practicing color mixing with tempera paint in red, blue and yellow and creating paintings of their shape sculptures.
