Faith, Luck and...Giraffes

Today’s blog post features three different art projects that my students finished recently. It may seem like a random mix, but sometimes that is how life unfolds, and I like to keep you on your toes. Plus, you love variety!

First up is Part Two to my Faith Ringgold post from last month. In February my art students learned about renowned Black artist Faith Ringgold, but some of the students did not finish their art during Black History Month. It feels a little anticlimactic to show the art in March, but on the flip side, the students put lots care and detail into their drawings, and this took more time than I anticipated. More care? Not a bad thing.

The Faith Ringgold painting that sixth and eighth grades copied is from her book Aunt Harriet’s Underground Railroad in the Sky. There is a painting in the book that shows a young girl, Cassie, alone in the woods, looking for safety. This scene illustrates what it may have been like for freedom seekers who were headed north to independence. The girl must be scared, but she is determined and vigilant. She notices a house with a quilt draped over its roof, a symbol of safety to freedom seekers. People are hard to draw, but I am proud that my students tried their best to draw Cassie. The quilts the students drew came out beautifully, with lots of color and pattern.

This is Faith Ringgold's painting of Cassie.

6th grade

6th gr--Cassie is walking toward the house
in this version. 

6th gr

6th gr

8th gr

8th gr

8th gr

8th gr

Next up is a cheery group of shamrocks, because today is St. Patrick’s Day. Are you wearing green? These were drawn by my Kindergarten students. We added pattern to each of the four leaves of the shamrock because, as I always tell the kids, pattern makes art extra exciting. (Disclosure: I may have confused four-leaf clovers with shamrocks. Apparently shamrocks have three leaves and lucky clovers have four. But artists sometimes break the rules—whether intentionally or accidentally—so we are declaring our clovers lucky and we are not going to engage in debates about four versus three leaves! Plus, we artists are from the More is More school of art. More leaves? More luck.)   

Last up is an adorable bunch of giraffes.

Question: What is a group of giraffes called?

Answer: A tower!

The giraffes were done by my Kindergarten and first grade students. Each one is different and I think they look terrific. I like how each student brought his or her own personality to this assignment. Did you know that the pattern on each giraffe is different from any other giraffe? Similar yes, but unique.

Giraffes by Kindergarten:

Giraffes by first graders:

I hope you enjoyed the latest work from my art students. Until we meet again, may you have faith and luck…and see lots of giraffes.