Grades 3-5 Art Assignments
Below, you will find an Artist of the Week, Sketchbook Challenge, Project of the Week, Art Career of the Week, and a Bonus Project for each week. These will be updated with new materials weekly. Please have your child complete at least one of the sections listed per week. For example, if your child would like to research the artist of the week by visiting the link, then answering questions, that would count as one section completed for art. If s/he would like to complete more than one section or all sections, that is welcomed! Feel free to adapt lessons as you see fit for your child, or materials you have available in your home. I encourage you to send pictures, videos, or messages while creating to ktompkins@sau56.org. Also, feel free to ask questions or say, "hi!" using the chat button below (please make sure to include your name in your message). I can't wait to see all that you've been up to creatively!
Week 1: Week of March 23-27
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol is one of the most famous artists to ever live! He was known for being a silk screen printer and pop artist. His art is colorful, bright, exciting, and familiar. You might recognize his Campbell's soup cans.
Follow this link to see more of his art (be sure to watch the video on the page):
https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-andy-warhol
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, or tell someone with you your answers:
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What is pop art?
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Name one of Andy Warhol's most famous works.
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What do you like most about his art?
Artist of the Week!
Sketchbook Challenge
Think of your favorite food. If you were to design a logo (or label) for that favorite food, what would it look like? A logo is a picture that makes someone want something and helps it to be more familiar to the audience. How will you make your logo make your food seem even more delicious?
Project of the Week:
Make your own sketchbook!
(It is strongly recommended that you create this project for use in future sketchbook prompts.)
Materials needed:
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1 piece of construction paper
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10 sheets of copier paper
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Stapler or glue
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Drawing materials (markers, pens, pencils, etc.)
Directions:
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Match copier paper up with a piece of construction paper.
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Fold all paper together in half.
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Staple spine of sketchbook in 3 places.
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Decorate the cover!
Bonus Project:
Make Pop Art Like Andy Warhol
Click the link to the right for the "Make Pop Art Like Andy Warhol" lesson plan.
Art Career of the Week!
Graphic Designer
A graphic designer is someone who creates posters, labels, logos, and advertisements. They help get information out to the world in a visual way! Some well known graphic designers are Chip Kidd (book cover and movie poster designer) and Rob Janoff (designer of the apple logo).
Download & complete the page below:
Week 2: Week of March 30 - April 3
Before completing any projects this week, watch this video about Surrealism
Video not working? Click this link:
Artist of the Week!
Salvador Dali
Salvador Dali was a leader in the Surrealist movement! He was well known for his paintings inspired by his dreams, and his unique personality. Plus, he has a pretty cool mustache!
Follow this link to see more of his art:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1WNTdd4cwOn-TbTWVJiP7kAnl29fgojGMLBkDtIHHOSw/edit?usp=sharing
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, tell a family member, or email Ms. Tompkins at ktompkins@sau56.org:
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What is something new you learned about surrealism?
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Which one of Salvador Dali's works of art was your favorite? Why?
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If you were to create a drawing with two things that don't belong together, what would you draw? Draw it!
Sketchbook Challenge
Think of a dream you have had recently. Maybe it was a pleasant dream, silly, or even a nightmare. Make an illustration (drawing) of that dream! Who was in your dream? Where did the dream take place? What other things were in it? What were you doing in the dream?
Project of the Week:
Create a Surreal Landscape
Materials needed:
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paper
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glue
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scissors
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found materials around your house (examples: string, cardboard, snack wrappers, stickers, etc.)
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drawing materials (for details)
Directions:
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Start by creating a line that separates your ground from the sky. What could you use to make a line? (string, pipe cleaner, straw, tape)
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Cut, arrange, and glue your found materials or papers to your paper as though it's a landscape. (Remember: a landscape is a work of art of LAND. It's outside, not inside.)
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Create a story about your landscape! What is the world called? Tell me about each part of your landscape. Are there any characters that live there?
Le Grand Jour by Sir Roland Penrose
Bonus Project:
Exquisite Corpse
Exquisite Corpse was a Surrealist game developed in the 1920s, in which sentences or drawings were created by a group of people – each person unaware of what previous players had written or drawn. The result is a collaborative, inspiring work of art.
To learn how to play, click the mermaid!
Art Career of the Week!
Illustrator
An illustrator is a person who creates drawings that go with words. The most familiar illustrators that you may have heard of are children's book illustrators that create the pictures that go in books. To learn more about illustrators, CLICK HERE to watch a video. Then, download the questions to the right.
Week 3: Week of April 6 - 10
Artist of the Week!
Barbara Hepworth
Barbara Hepworth was an artist who created organic, abstract sculptures made from wood, stone, and bronze. In the picture above, you can see her carving stone with tools to create a sculpture!
To see more of Barbara Hepworth's work, click the link below:
https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-barbara-hepworth
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, tell a family member, or email Ms. Tompkins (ktompkins@sau56.org):
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What shapes do you mostly see in Barbara's work?
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When you look at Barbara Hepworth's sculptures, how do you feel? (examples: angry, calm, worried, frustrated, happy, etc.)
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Create a design for a sculpture inspired by Barbara Hepworth's work.
Sketchbook Challenge
Make a drawing that only uses organic lines, shapes, and patterns! Remember, organic means that there are no straight lines or corners, only curvy lines, shapes, and patterns.
Project of the Week:
Create a Soap Carving
Materials needed:
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cheap bars of white soap
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pencil
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scrapers & peelers (like spoons, potato peelers, scissors, paperclip, plastic knife, etc.)
Directions:
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Start by clicking this link for visual directions: https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/make/sculpture/soap-carving
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Use pencil to draw design on your bars of soap on both sides.
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Use carving tools to carve design. Use plastic knife to cut larger chunks, paper clip for smaller details, and potato peeler to smooth out the sculpture.
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When finished, consider drawing a background for your sculpture. See the example in the article for an idea!
Mother and Child, 1934
by Barbara Hepworth
Bonus Project:
Make a Hepworth Necklace
Create a necklace that looks like a Barbara Hepworth sculpture using string and airdry clay or sculpy. Click the download picture for visual directions!
Art Career of the Week!
Architect
An architect is a person who designs buildings and structures that we use in our day to day life! If you've ever been in a building, or crossed a bridge, you've experienced an architect's work. To watch a video of an architect in action, CLICK HERE. Then answer the questions on the downloadable worksheet.
Week 4: Week of April 13 - 17
Please choose ONE of the options from below. Choose an option that works best for the time you have available, as well as the materials you have at home. If you'd like to do more than one option, that's great, too! Feel free to adapt lessons as you see fit. The most important thing is that you are taking time to be creative!
Artist of the Week!
Mary Blair
Mary Blair was one of the first female artists to work for Walt Disney Studios! She was an animator and designer who created the art for movies and books like Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella, to name a few. She also designed the ride It's a Small World in the Magic Kingdom park of Disney World. You may have read a book with me in 1st or 2nd grade called A Pocket Full of Colors, which is about Mary Blair's life and career working for Disney.
To see a video of Mary Blair's work and history, click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zurARl81oQ8
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, tell a family member, or email Ms. Tompkins (ktompkins@sau56.org):
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What is something that seems similar between many of Mary Blair's pieces?
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What is your favorite animation or artwork designed by Mary Blair? Why?
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Design a character inspired by Mary Blair's artwork!
Bonus: CLICK HERE to go on a virtual 360 tour of the Disney ride It's a Small World (designed by Mary Blair).
Sketchbook Challenge
Create a story using only pictures! What happens at the beginning of the story? What is the problem or main idea of the story? How does it end? Can Ms. Tompkins guess what your story is about?
Project of the Week:
Flip Books
Materials needed:
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drawing materials
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tape
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post-it notes, or small papers that are all the same size
Directions:
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Start by clicking the following link for detailed directions for making a flip book: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/videos/MetKids-Create-a-Flip-Book
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Start on the last sticky note and draw a simple image.
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Flip the next page down, trace the image, but change something slightly about it showing movement.
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Repeat those steps until you finish the whole flip book. Your book should look like an animation!
Click the video below for inspiration of flip book ideas!
Bonus Project:
Become an Animator
This bonus project is a bit more involved and includes downloading an app called Animate It! Click the robot to see detailed directions about how to create your own stop motion animation.
Art Career of the Week!
Animator
An animator is an artist that tells stories using moving pictures. There are animators that work for many different companies, some that you might recognize. Disney and Pixar are two examples of animation studios. To watch a video about what a Disney animator does, CLICK HERE. Then, answer the questions on the downloadable worksheet.
Week 5: Week of April 20 - 24
Please choose ONE of the options from below. Choose an option that works best for the time you have available, as well as the materials you have at home. If you'd like to do more than one option, that's great, too! Feel free to adapt lessons as you see fit. The most important thing is that you are taking time to be creative!
Artist of the Week!
Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh was a very famous artist that was well known for painting landscapes, sunflowers, and portraits. You can always see the brush strokes in his work, where he painted. You might even recognize a very famous painting he created called Starry Night!
Watch this read aloud of a book called Van Gogh and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anhoult:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0nBIRFLzJw
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, tell a family member, or email Ms. Tompkins (ktompkins@sau56.org):
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How do you think Camille's family felt about getting their portraits painted by Vincent?
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Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime, but now his paintings are very famous. He never gave up and had perseverance. When was a time when you needed to have perseverance?
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Draw or describe your favorite painting that Vincent created that's featured in the book.
Sketchbook Challenge
Go outside and draw a picture of what you see around you. If the weather isn't good, draw what you see out of a window. Maybe you see trees and plants. Maybe there are other houses and buildings around you. Maybe it's a wide open field. Draw a landscape of what you see when you go outside! (Remember: a landscape is a work of art of LAND.)
Project of the Week:
Make Marks like Van Gogh
Materials needed:
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drawing materials
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downloadable worksheet
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paper
Directions:
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Download the mark making activity by clicking HERE.
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Print out worksheet or draw your own versions of a dog, windmill, fireworks, and crescent moon.
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Draw lines to complete the images showing movement like Van Gogh!
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Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh
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Bonus Project:
How to Draw a Sunflower
Click on the Art for Kids Hub video to learn how to draw a cartoon sunflower! Remember, you can use any art material you'd like and don't worry if your drawing doesn't look exactly like the video. It's all about having fun!
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Week 6: Week of April 27 - May 1
Please choose ONE of the options from below. Choose an option that works best for the time you have available, as well as the materials you have at home. If you'd like to do more than one option, that's great, too! Feel free to adapt lessons as you see fit. The most important thing is that you are taking time to be creative!
Artist of the Week!
Kelsey Montague
Kelsey Montague is a contemporary street artist who creates huge interactive murals all over the world! This means she's living and working today, and she creates artwork on sides of buildings outdoors with permission from cities and towns. She is especially known for creating giant wings that people can stand between to become part of the art!
Watch this video of Kelsey Montague painting a mural in New York City:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8bcwTQjThw
(If the link isn't working for you, please click the butterfly picture below to see Kelsey Montague's work.)
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, tell a family member, or email Ms. Tompkins (ktompkins@sau56.org):
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What do you think Kelsey Montague means when she describes her work as interactive?
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How do you think people feel when they come across one of her murals?
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If you were to create an interactive mural about YOU, what are 5 things you would include that "lift you"? If possible, make a drawing of an interactive mural you would create.
Sketchbook Challenge
Think of the question: what lifts you? People, places, and things that "lift" you are things in your life that motivate, inspire, and make you feel happy. In your sketchbook or on a piece of paper, write down 5 things that lift you. Then, choose one or two that are most important to you and make a detailed drawing of it. Some examples could be your pets, family, friends, school, home, teachers, favorite game, etc.
Project of the Week:
#WhatLiftsYou?
Materials needed:
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drawing/coloring materials
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paper
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optional: printable wing template
Directions:
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Watch a video of Kelsey Montague's interactive street art for inspiration: CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO
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Think of the question: what lifts you? Make a list of as many things that you can think of that inspire you, motivate you, or make you happy.
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Draw a large butterfly shape on a piece of paper, or download a template by CLICKING HERE.
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Inside the sections on the wings, draw at least 4 things that "lift you," then decorate the rest of the butterfly however you'd like.
Bonus Project:
Sidewalk Chalk Mural
Using sidewalk chalk as your material, make an interactive mural of your own somewhere outside! You could use a driveway, sidewalk, or other large area as your canvas. It might be helpful if you design your plan on a piece of paper before creating your mural outside. Click on the butterfly mural to see inspiration by artist Kelsey Montague.
Art Career of the Week!
Street Artist
A street artist is someone who makes murals and paintings outdoors in public places. Rather than having their artwork only in galleries and museums, they show their work in public where everyone who walks by can see it. Kelsey Montague is a street artist, so is Keith Haring, and Camille Walala. CLICK HERE to watch a video about Camille Walala's street art, then answer the questions in the downloadable worksheet.
Week 7: Week of May 4 - 8
Please choose ONE of the options from below. Choose an option that works best for the time you have available, as well as the materials you have at home. If you'd like to do more than one option, that's great, too! Feel free to adapt lessons as you see fit. The most important thing is that you are taking time to be creative!
Artist of the Week!
Keith Haring
Like last week's artist, Keith Haring also created murals and paintings outside in New York City! His work is more cartoon-like and shows figures dancing or in other dynamic poses (poses in action). His paintings are colorful and simple.
Open the PDF to see examples of Keith Haring's work:
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, tell a family member, or email Ms. Tompkins (ktompkins@sau56.org):
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What are 3 things that Keith Haring's paintings have in common?
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What do you think his paintings are about? What stories do they tell?
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If you were to create a Keith Haring figure, what would you have the person do? If you'd like, make a drawing of the figure you're imagining.
Sketchbook Challenge
Have someone with you make a dynamic pose (a person in action) and make a simple drawing of them. Maybe this person is frozen in the middle of doing their favorite dance move, in a running pose, or standing on one foot (that would be a challenge). Focus on drawing the position of their arms, legs, and which way their body is facing. Don't focus too much on details. Just remember to have fun!
(Quick tip: if you don't have someone to pose for you, try having a stuffed animal, action figure, or doll stand in a pose you can draw!)
Project of the Week:
Pose Like Keith Haring
Materials needed:
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sidewalk chalk OR make your own sidewalk paint using flour or cornstarch, water, and food coloring (RECIPE HERE)
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sidewalk or driveway surface
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partner
Directions:
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Look at THIS DOCUMENT of Keith Haring's work for inspiration!
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Lay on a surface like a driveway or sidewalk in an interesting pose. (Examples: running, dancing, jumping, playing basketball, etc.)
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Have someone else draw an outline around your body with chalk or sidewalk paint (recipe above).
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Stand up to add color and details to show your person in motion.
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Create more than one person if you'd like!
Bonus Project:
Foil Figures
Using a piece of aluminum foil, scissors, and your hands, create your own figure! Try having your figure move in interesting ways & poses. Maybe your figure can do something that you like to do! Maybe you can create foil accessories to go with your figure and you can create a whole scene! Click the foil figure picture to watch a quick video about how to make one.
Art Career of the Week!
Print Maker
A print maker is someone who makes art by transferring an image from a plate or screen to paper. Some clothing and fabrics are designed using print making. This was how people printed things before printers were invented! CLICK HERE to watch a print maker in action, then answer the questions in the downloadable worksheet.
Week 8: Week of May 11 - 15
Please choose ONE of the options from below. Choose an option that works best for the time you have available, as well as the materials you have at home. If you'd like to do more than one option, that's great, too! Feel free to adapt lessons as you see fit. The most important thing is that you are taking time to be creative!
Artist of the Week!
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Georgia O'Keeffe
Georgia O'Keeffe was an artist that loved to create art about nature. She was most famous for painting flowers in a way where they almost looked abstract because of how close she zoomed in to the image.
Click the link to for an article about Georgia O'Keeffe and her work: https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-georgia-okeeffe
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, tell a family member, or email Ms. Tompkins (ktompkins@sau56.org):
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What were 3 things that Georgia O'Keefe was most famous for painting?
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Why do you think she painted objects so close up?
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If you could choose a type of flower to paint, which one would you choose? If you have time, make a sketch of what that painting would look like.
Sketchbook Challenge
Find an object in your home, or an object in nature. This object could be a pencil, crumpled up piece of paper, flower, acorn, leaf, or anything else that you find around you. Look at that object really closely for about 30 seconds. Make a really close up drawing of that object so that it's difficult to tell even what the object is. Can Ms. Tompkins guess what you drew?
Project of the Week:
New Hampshire Flower Collage
Materials needed:
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paper
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pencil
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glue stick or liquid glue (paintbrush optional)
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colorful paper or tissue paper
Directions:
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Look through the following PDF to see examples of flowers you can find in New Hampshire: NH Flower PDF
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Choose a flower from the PDF or a flower you can find near your home.
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On your piece of paper, draw a really close up picture of that flower. Make sure to take up the entire paper with your drawing!
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Using the colorful paper and glue, fill your flower full of the colorful paper. Make sure the collage paper is glued down securely to your paper.
Bonus Project:
Origami Flowers
Using any paper you have at home, scissors, and glue, create your own origami flowers by following along with the video. Click the picture of the flowers to watch the YouTube video. (If the video says that it's restricted, please ask an adult to help you or choose another art activity to complete for the week.)
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Art Career of the Week!
Photographer
A photographer is a person who takes pictures for a living. They might take pictures of people, nature, or anything else they find interesting! Watch the following video of a Wildlife Photographer named Joel Sartore who works for National Geographic. He photographs endangered species so that people can connect with those animals and see their true beauty. CLICK HERE to watch the video, then answer the questions on the downloadable worksheet.
Week 9: Week of May 18 - 22
Please choose ONE of the options from below. Choose an option that works best for the time you have available, as well as the materials you have at home. If you'd like to do more than one option, that's great, too! Feel free to adapt lessons as you see fit. The most important thing is that you are taking time to be creative!
Artist of the Week!
Nathan Sawaya
Nathan Sawaya is an artist who creates sculptures using Legos! His sculptures are typically very detailed and large scale objects of things you might recognize.
Click the link to for a video about Nathan Sawaya's Lego art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CP9hzSm60Y
Video not working? CLICK HERE for a PDF to see his work instead.
Answer the following questions on a piece of paper, tell a family member, or email Ms. Tompkins (ktompkins@sau56.org):
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How do you think Nathan Sawaya's art changes when someone is looking up close versus standing far away?
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What do you think Nathan Sawaya enjoys the most about his job?
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If you have Legos at home, make your own sculpture inspired by Nathan Sawaya's art! If not, make a drawing of what your sculpture would look like.
Sketchbook Challenge
If you could make a design for a new toy, what kind of toy would you invent? This could be a toy for someone your own age, or someone younger than you. Think about how someone would play with that toy. Would you build with it? Imagine with it? Maybe you'd create art with this toy! Make a drawing of your design in your sketchbook or on a piece of paper.
Project of the Week:
Toy Sculpture Design
Materials needed:
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paper
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pencil
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Legos, blocks, or another building material (sticks, rocks, wood chips, etc.)
Directions:
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Look through the following PDF to see examples of Nathan Sawaya's Lego sculptures for inspiration: Nathan Sawaya PDF
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Make a drawing of a sculpture that you'd like to build - this could be a place, a person, a favorite toy or stuffed animal, a pet, or some thing abstract!
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Play with your building materials to see how you can form your design.
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Create your sculpture and come up with a title for your work. Make sure you take a picture of your masterpiece so it can last forever!
Bonus Project:
Create Your Own Building Blocks!
Using any paper you have at home, scissors, and tape, follow along with the tutorial to create your own blocks to build sculptures with at home! You can create the triangle shape featured in the video, or test out other shapes and structures you can create! Click the picture to get started.
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Art Career of the Week!
Fashion Designer
A fashion designer is an artist who designs clothes to be sold in stores! They show off their work in a fashion show, which is an art show for clothes. Check out THIS VIDEO of an 8-year-old girl named Haileigh who is already a fashion designer making kids clothes for Target! Then, answer the questions on the downloadable worksheet.
THIS WEEK!
Week 10: Week of May 26 - 29
Please choose ONE of the options from below. Choose an option that works best for the time you have available, as well as the materials you have at home. If you'd like to do more than one option, that's great, too! Feel free to adapt lessons as you see fit. The most important thing is that you are taking time to be creative! This week, please also make sure to scroll down to the end of the year message from Ms. Tompkins.
Sketchbook Challenge
Think back to all of the memories that we have made in our art classes this year! If you could think of your favorite memory in art class, what would it be? This could be a memory of our time in school together, or during remote learning. Maybe there was a certain project that was your favorite, or something about the art room, or memories with friends that you had in our art classes. Make a drawing of that memory!
Project Choices of the Week!
Choose one of the following art experiments to create from below! Remember, if you start to feel bored or need screen free activities at some point over the summer, you can always come back to the resources on this website to keep growing your creative brain!
Potato Prints
Mud Painting
Homemade Paintbrushes
A Message from Ms. Tompkins...
Let's stay in touch! Send me an email at Ms.Tompkins56@gmail.com
Dear Somersworth Artists,
Wow! Can you believe we made it to the end of the year? This will be a year that we never forget. I am so proud of how hard you have worked during this year - especially in being flexible and staying positive for remote learning!
I wanted to share some news with you about art classes next year. I am going to be moving over the summer and will be the art teacher at a different elementary school in the fall. When you come back to school again, you are going to have a different art teacher who will be so wonderful! You will learn so much from her!
Please know that you will always be in my heart, I am so proud of you, and I will always remember the fun memories we made together. I will miss you so much! I would love to stay in touch with you and if you'd like to send me any messages or pictures, I made a special email just for that reason! If you ever want to reach out, you can send a message to Ms.Tompkins56@gmail.com.
Lots of love,
Ms. Tompkins
Artist's Promise
In art today, I'll make some mistakes.
But from those mistakes, some lessons I'll take.
I may not be great at something, yet.
So I'll always remember to try my best.
I AM AN ARTIST!
