We asked Wisconsin teachers to send in student artwork. See the result: over 400 pieces

This fall, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel endeavored to complete a seemingly simple project: to showcase artwork from elementary and middle school students across Wisconsin.

To that end, we asked art teachers to submit examples of their students' art.

The response was overwhelming.

The Journal Sentinel received more than 400 pieces from teachers in public and private schools, plus parents of homeschooled students. The submissions were created this school year by students in kindergarten through eighth grade, ages 5 to 14.

By design, the request for submissions did not speficy any artistic medium. The result: a catalogue that includes works created with chalk and oil pastel; watercolor and acrylic paint, markers, colored pencils and graphite; it also includes sculptures made with cardboard, paint and fabric; hand-woven baskets; photography; digital illustrations; even a video animation.

Teachers did not just intentionally weave in lessons about elements like line, shading, tints and tones. They also encouraged students to use art as a form of self-expression, having students describe themselves with words hidden in leaves; as a reimagined comic or animated character; or through a personal coat of arms, among other examples.

Several teachers asked students to take inspiration from other artists: Pablo Picasso, Yayoi Kusama, Roy Lichtenstein, Mauricio Ramirez, Vincent van Gogh, Georgia O'Keefe, Farid Rueda, Laurel Burch, M.C. Escher, Niels Kiené Slaventius, Tim Burton, Roda Ahmed, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Claes Oldenburg, Shinique Smith, Romero Britto, Joseph Amedokpo, Alma Thomas, Dale Chihuly and Paul Cézanne.

Because of the number of submissions received, we've separated them into categories based on theme: fall; nature, plants and animals; the world around us; still-lifes; abstract art, designs and patterns; self-portraits, faces and people; sculptures.

Wisconsin students create artwork depicting fall: pumpkins, monsters, haunted houses and more

The sheer number of pumpkin-themed pieces was impossible to ignore. Other fall-themed works reference acorns and leaves, haunted houses, Day of the Dead sugar skulls, Thanksgiving tables and more.

Wisconsin students depict animals in their art

The range of animals depicted by student artists alone was impressive, let alone the environments in which students represented them.

Students drew multiples of dogs, owls, jellyfish, butterflies, foxes, elephants, turtles, fish, birds, starfish, teddy bears, cats, chipmunks, squirrels, bear and octopi. Also in the mix is a dinosaur, a tiger, a sloth, a beetle, a badger, a dragon, a seahorse, a lion, a rhino, a zebra, a giraffe, a hare, a grey wolf, a pig and a dolphin.

Wisconsin students create art representing the world around us: outer space, cities, homes and landscapes

Students did not simply draw landscapes and cityscapes. They also captured the outside world from the perspective of Amelia Earhart flying an airplane, a kid looking out their window at night and a bystander watching the Macy's Day Parade.

Wisconsin students create still-lifes

Students drew flowers, outside and in vases; table settings; a ukelele; a basketball hoop for these still-life artworks.

Wisconsin students create abstract art, designs and patterns

These pieces most clearly represent teachers' intentions to get students thinking about elements of art like line, shape and pattern.

Wisconsin students create self-portraits, faces and people

This section includes traditional self-portraits as well as other representations of the human figure using posed mannequins, silhouettes and coats of arms.

Wisconsin students create Nike shoes, KFC chicken and other sculpted artworks

Several art teachers submitted photos of 3D sculptures along with 2D pieces. The resulting collection includes sculptures made with materials like cardboard, paint, fabric, clay, yarn and coiling cord. Those materials bring to life a tic-tac-toe shaped slice of pizza, a meat truck and a flamingo, among other sculptures.

One student creates animated hologram

Skylar, a third-grade student from Clarendon Avenue Elementary School in Mukwonago, created a digital animation featuring Whoppers malted milk balls.

Cleo Krejci covers higher education, vocational training and retraining as a Report For America corps member based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact her at CKrejci@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @_CleoKrejci.