Just in the St. Nick of time, fifth grade family portraits have been uploaded to Artsonia for your viewing pleasure! Whether gathered around a menorah, holiday table, or Christmas tree, students have portrayed their families in warm, welcoming environments.

Starting with “dissection” (analysis) of the elements of 18th century family portraits (best described in this former post), students were encouraged to include whomever they chose in their family portrait. And in keeping with those early American portraits, students were encouraged to display items which represent their families’ interests and hobbies.

It was also a great time to take a look at the 2 dimensional picture plane and to define space with a simple horizontal line denoting the place where the floor meets the wall. As well, we looked at one point perspective before drawing the table. Paintings were created with watercolor pencils, which I just love for fifth grade on a finely detailed project like this. It affords the control they need to make the picture realize their vision.

This is just a smattering of the artwork on Artsonia. I posted about one hundred pieces. Of those, some students are missing parent permissions, so they are not viewable. If you need help setting that up, please contact me. Also, students who have been absent for illness or lessons are still trying to finish. I hope all the portraits will be complete by Tuesday, just before the holiday break.

Speaking of holidays, Artsonia promises that if your order with them by Dec 21, you will have your products by Christmas. While I find that remarkable, I also believe in a good, old-fashioned “I O U” when necessary. And there is always next year’s holiday card! Enjoy the gallery of art and the warm and welcoming family portraits. Here is the link again: http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=894750