Third Grade Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime Paintings

From the beginning of time, the Australian Aboriginies have told Dreamtime stories to each generation in order to keep the stories in their culture alive and to educate thier people about their place on earth. Stories are told about the stars, planets, the land, animals, hunting and ancestors (Totemic Spirits), through paintings, carvings, dance and song. Aboriginal Art symbols are used on all forms of Aboriginal Art to help tell the stories of their history and culture.

Third graders chose an Australian animal to draw in the X-Ray style and used Aboriginal symbols to help tell their own Dreamtime story.

They finished their paintings with a Cray pas watercolor resist technique; tracing with Cray pas and painting with watercolor paints.

Fourth Grade leaf prints

Fourth graders created a watercolor wash background in either warm or cool colors. They learned and practiced how to print leaves they had collected two different ways using tempera paints. They applied their final prints to their watercolor wash keeping in mind their use of all the elements and principles of art that we had discussed.