Lately I have been contemplating the use of familiar icons such as hearts, rainbows, and hand prints in student artwork, as well as the holiday symbols that naturally begin to appear during this time of year, and it is a topic that comes up on the TAB message boards frequently. I have seen some beautiful art pieces in the last few weeks that have moved those icons beyond cliche, to vibrant, unexpected, and deeply meaningful to the students. Below are first grade watercolor paintings with oil pastel resist. Following a review of the technique, it was given as a choice, and most of the students spent the day drawing and painting.
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This one is by a fourth grade artist:
Students use these symbols because they are comfortable with them, and are a starting point for artistic growth. The examples above demonstrate a variety of developing skills, including the thoughtful and purposeful use of pattern and repetition, basic color theory, negative space, focal point, art as story telling, and so on. Talking with the students as they work reinforces those vocabulary words, and gives them confidence to use those skills in other art projects, eventually moving into a new phase of art making and experimenting.
Even though I have believed in TAB for three years now, some habits are harder to break than others. I still teach Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie as a means to introduce primary colors, line direction, abstract art, and collage. In the past I was very controlling and did not let students cut the paper themselves, with plenty of excuses for why I shouldn't let them. Thankfully, I have learned my lesson, and I was thrilled with the results this year.
Dragon
Sol
