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Frida Kahlo is one of the most well-known portrait artists in the world. Kahlo was born in Mexico and painted a huge array of portraits, self portraits and artworks inspired by nature. In her portr…
Check out Zoe2372's artwork on Artsonia, the largest student art museum on the web. Don't forget to join the fan club and leave a comment on the website.
The Dumbo refuge—a combination of home, studio, and gallery—is filled with with her autobiographical pieces
"Inspired by Dylan" An art exhibition by Zoe's Ostreme and Swansea Grand Theatre Art Group To celebrate Dylan Thomas 100th anniversary Zoe’s Ostreme and Grand Theatre Art Group are exhibiting paintings inspired by Dylan Thomas and his works including Under Milkwood. They have used vintage pages of Dylan Thomas’ text (some of which are from Oxfame Bookshop) to paint on in a form of collage as well as being inspired by his powerful quotes and writings. This has created a exciting collection of paintings that will be intermingled around the bookshop in support of Oxfam. Jen, one of the artists exhibiting said “ In this exhibition a picture literally paints a thousand words.” Zoë’s Art Group includes members of professional artist Zoë James-Williams art classes which she teaches at The Ostreme Centre, Mumbles and Swansea Grand Theatre. Zoë is a contemporary figurative artist and the first Artist in Residence in Swansea Grand Theatre. Many of the group also exhibited professionally and are excited to be supporting such a great cause. “We were delighted to be invited by Oxfam Bookshop to display our Dylan inspired work as it is the perfect compliment and will enable the viewer to see his work in a different light and we are delighted to support Oxfam in any way we can.” says artist Zoë James-Williams. Many of the artists exhibiting will be present to discuss their work at the Create Night hosts by Oxfam bookshop on June 17th. All are welcome! Links to Dylan Zoe's Art Group participating in The Many Faces of Dylan Event Some of the groups art work inspired by Dylan Thomas that will be on display in the exhibition
Aside from the new collections and street-style scene, another favorite facet of NYFW is keeping our eyes on the models—new and familiar faces—walking the runway. The whirlwind week is a breeding grou
shoot for Coilhouse magazine
This is my inspiration board; a collage of images, songs, videos, & quotes that inspire me to design. My collection is Tribal Fusion meets Boho Chic. It's fashion-forward action-wear, perfect for the...
About This Product Once upon a time…the name Zoe came to be. Our personalized art print celebrates the singular story of Zoe’s remarkable journey through history, featuring a detailed account of the name’s origin, meaning and how it managed to survive the test of time. The descriptive words at the bottom of Zoe’s print reflect the spirit and energy of its “Destiny Number” according to numerology. Whether Zoe is a newborn, teen, or grown-up, a family member, friend, teacher, co-worker or any special someone, each story is an inspirational reminder of her core identity: Zoe, that one wonderful word by which she is known. As a gift or keepsake to honor and inspire the Zoe in your life, our art print makes for smart, engaging and distinctive décor. Combining typography with artistic expression, our original content is a result of years of rigorous research and carefully curated pieces of history. Every story we tell, we tell with love. Framed and unframed artwork is made to order in our California and Oregon facilities. Art prints are professionally printed on heavyweight fine art paper with archival inks for vibrant long-lasting color, clear text and crisp imagery. Each solid wood frame is handcrafted and available in smooth matte black and soft matte white painted finishes. With a buffered acid-free mat and backing to beautifully showcase your art, framing-grade acrylic glazing filters UV rays for protection and longevity. Frame is finished with a dust cover, wall bumpers and wire ready for hanging!
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"Some Teacher" Inspired by a favorite book and a favorite teacher. The perfect addition to your teachers room, school library or just as a thank you gift .... Please let us know in the notes to seller section if you want the TEXT removed. If you don't specify, we will leave text on. * hand drawn and colored digitally * This is a print of my original illustration. * Printed on archival fine art paper. * Some Teacher will come signed by me, the artist * Watermark will not appear on PRINT OR CARD Here's What People Are Saying About Heather's Work "So delicate and pretty" "Beautiful pictures and words" "The cutest designs ever, they always make me smile!" "I love everything about your cards...artistry, sayings, the simplicity of them...just beautiful" "I received my print yesterday and it's absolutely perfect! Thank you so very much!!!!!! I can't wait to get it framed so I can gaze upon it daily! Thank you, truly, Thank you so much!" "Heather's artwork is delightful and refreshing!" "I love the simplicity in your art and the beautiful message it carries." "Beautiful pictures, with great inspirations." * The print is also available in larger sizes. We can print up to 13 x 19 inch poster size for you! Thanks for looking! Back to the shop, here https://www.etsy.com/shop/RoseHillDesignStudio Heather
Pablo Picasso painted this picture when he was 15 years old First Communion by Pablo Picasso Age 15 He painted this picture when he was 56 Guernica by Pablo Picasso 1937 You can read the story of this painting by clicking here Why did his painting style change? Picasso's painting style changed throughout his life time. He was experimenting and always learning. He wanted to try new things. He often began a painting by creating something realistic. Then he would modify and change his painting, creating an abstract picture over his realistic one. The picture he ended up with was often nothing like the picture he started with. At other times he would begin by painting an abstract picture and then create a slightly more realistic picture on top of it. He would thus work in layers until he ended up with a very realistic painting that looked nothing like the original abstraction. He never stopped drawing or painting realistic pictures, he just used them differently throughout his life. We know this to be true because many of his paintings have been scanned by X-ray, revealing the layers beneath. What if he had thrown each one of these paintings in the garbage every time he changed his mind? What if, instead of working with and changing the image in front of him, he decided that he had messed up? Pablo Picasso Ink sketch of Paul Eluard 1941 To learn more about the art and life of Pablo Picasso click here Drawing assignment VERY IMPORTANT Before you begin drawing: Go to http://www.pablopicasso.org/index.jsp to read about the art and life of Pablo Picasso and to look at examples of his artwork. Pay particularly close attention to his drawings and paintings of faces and how they changed over time. Next, read all my posts on drawing and shading the human face and head. Just click on the links below to go directly to those posts: LEARNING HOW TO SHADE A FACE Rubric for face shading unit. Use this rubric to evaluate your own work MORE ON DRAWING FACES Pay particularly close attention to the following post: Face shading the 3/4 turned head step by step Look at the diagram of the 3/4 turned face and compare it to Picasso's sketch of Paul Eluard: Pablo Picasso Ink sketch of Paul Eluard 1941 Next, please click on the links below to read my posts on the basic elements of form: Drawing the five basic three-dimensional forms Basic elements of three dimensional form continued NOW YOU ARE READY TO DRAW For this exercise you will need: a small acrylic photo frame, like the one pictured below, and a dry erase marker. You will also need a pencil, some drawing paper, cut to the same size as the frame, and some photographs of faces (or someone to pose for you). It is also helpful to have a digital camera (a cell phone camera is fine) Slide a photograph into the frame and trace directly on the plastic, using a dry erase marker. The first tracing you create will be a contour line drawing (if you do not know what a contour line drawing is, click here). If you are using a photograph, merely trace the drawing. If you are using a live model, you will need to close one eye as you trace on the surface of the acrylic frame. Next, slip the picture out of the frame an replace it with a piece of white paper. Take a photograph of your contour line tracing or place a piece of thin drawing paper over the frame and trace on to the paper. Now try looking at your drawing on the acrylic frame and try copying it in pencil into your notebook without tracing. Better yet, look at your model or photograph and create a contour line drawing without using the frame. Learning how to draw what you see is really the process of learning how to see what you draw. When you trace reality on to a clear two dimensional surface, you are translating what you see into a language of flat lines. Now that you have learned the vocabulary of this new language, by tracing the lines you see onto a flat surface, it is time to learn how to use that vocabulary by drawing what you observe onto paper. Erase the plastic frame as soon as you are done documenting your work. Now, slide the photograph back into the frame and trace the face using straight lines only. Try to think of the face as a combination of simple geometric forms and Platonic solids. It might be easier to use a large acrylic frame and trace a larger photograph. You can also try using a mirror and create a geometric abstraction of your own face, first with a dry erase marker on the mirror surface and then in your sketchbook. Refer to Picasso's drawing as often as you need to and create as many sketches as you need to. Picasso and his friend Georges Braque developed the idea of cubist abstraction over many years, not with a single sketch. If you have access to Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator you can upload your photographs to your computer and overlay the two pictures. Tracing a mirror or acrylic frame is an exercise to get you to see and to think about what you are seeing. In my class it will not be graded. The next step is to create a series of drawings in your sketchbook of the same face. Start out with an abstract geometric drawing. Turn the page and create a contour line drawing. Turn the page and create a grayscale (shaded in) drawing. Create a flip book (if you do not know what a flip book is, click here) or PowerPoint presentation, in which you transform a face from a geometric study, to a contour line study to a grayscale study. Reverse the order of the slides and play the presentation in a loop. Power Point Presentation Draw and shade a face: highlights, mid-tones and shadows from Rachel Wintemberg on Vimeo. This is same series of pictures uploaded onto an animation program and playing on a loop. Eric Testroete, Papercraft Self-Portrait 2009 Click here to learn how this contemporary artist transformed his own head into a three dimensional paper mask Notice how similar the geometric lines that Testroete uses are to Picasso's lines in his sketch of Paul Eluard. A mask need not be as intricately detailed as Eric Testroete's creation. In the early 20th century, African artifacts were being brought back to Paris museums because of the expansion of the French empire into Africa.Picasso fell in love with the many African masks, like the one above, that he saw in Paris.He was inspired by the way the African artists created simplified abstractions of the human head. Head of a Woman by Pablo Picasso and an African mask shown side by side. Here you can see how the African mask clearly influenced Picasso to start experimenting with simplifying the human head into planes shapes and lines. These experiments would eventually lead to the development of cubism. Click here to learn more about how African art influenced Picasso's work. Grab a scissors, some paper, a pencil and some tape and glue. Try experimenting with cutting and folding paper to create your own three dimensional paper masks. Soon Picasso realized that if he could use cubism to simplify the world around him, he could also use it to create a more complex reality. To understand the evolution of Picasso's creative process, consider how the contemporary artist Eric Testroete figured out how to fold and cut flat planes to create a realistic three dimensional head. Picasso figured out that, with Cubism, the opposite could also be true. If he could use Cubism to simplify his art, he could also use it to complicate his art and create something utterly revolutionary. Imagine if, instead of gluing his mask together, Testroete cut it apart and rearranged the shapes. Imagine if he picked the most interesting shapes and glued them next to each other on to a flat surface and called the resulting collage a 'self-portrait'. This is essentially the turn Picasso's painting took. He started to look at objects from many different perspectives and cram all of those points of view into a single picture. He no longer felt the the need to follow a formula or set of rules to complete his paintings. Instead he moved around the objects he was painting and included all the parts that interested him the most. Picasso and his friend Georges Braque were experimenting and inventing this artistic style as they went along, so they could continue to push their ideas and take Cubism in any direction they pleased. There were no wrong answers. There was only experimentation and the drive to create. Violin and Pitcher by Pablo Picasso, 1912 To understand the contrast between the realistic perspective paintings that were popular at the time and the Cubist style that Picasso and Braque were inventing, just compare Picasso's painting, First Communion, from when he was 15 to the painting 'Violin and Pitcher' from 1912. The best explanation I have ever found of the difference between Cubism and representational perspective is this Calvin and Hobbes comic strip: “You’re still wrong, Dad.” (Watterson 6/17/1990) Remember, there are no short cuts. Pablo Picasso spent his entire life time experimenting and learning. He created a countless number of sketches, drawings, prints, photographs, paintings and sculptures during his life time. When he did not have a sketchbook with him you can be sure that he was still keenly observing the world around him and drawing with his mind's eye. Timeline of Pablo Picasso's changing artistic style 1893-1937 Be an art detective Print and cut out the cards below and see if you can identify the artistic style of each of these Picasso paintings by looking at the timeline. Match each card to what you think is the correct era and arrange them in what you think is the correct order. Compare your answers to those of your classmates. Do any of your answers differ?
Kate, 41, who was reunited with her former history teacher Jim Embury, 79, for the first time in 25 years yesterday , in Cornwall, now fills her time ...
The Dumbo refuge—a combination of home, studio, and gallery—is filled with with her autobiographical pieces
The idea for this lesson came from an image I saw on Pinterest.. but after doing some investigative work - seems to have originated from the blog Art. Paper. Scissors. Glue and before that from the 1991 book written by Sara Beggs, "The No Nonsense Guide to Teaching Art." For this lesson we began by taking about what symmetry is and the difference between linear symmetry (1 line of symmetry) and radial symmetry (more than 1 line of symmetry). Then we talked about what a sculpture is (a piece of artwork you can see from all sides - it is 3-dimensional) and what a relief "sculpture" is (a piece of artwork that has depth on the surface but is not meant to be seen from all sides). Once students understood the principles behind radial symmetry and sculpture we began creating our very own radial paper relief sculptures! Students started by folding a piece of 12"x12" black construction paper diagonally both ways and vertical and horizontally (to create an 'X' crease and a '+' crease). Making these creases makes creating a radial design SO much easier because it gives you guidelines to work with. Once their papers had been folded and their names written, we sat them aside. Before having students begin folding their colored paper (each piece was cut to 3" x 3") to fill the inside of their design, I demonstrated 4 folds to them to get them started. *Students were allowed to deviate from these folds if they wanted to. To download the handout below, click on the arrow button in the top right corner (this will open it in a new window). You can download from there. My kids absolutely LOVED this project! They are already super into origami, so this project was like heaven to them! :) You might also be interested in checking out my Paper Poinsettia Sculpture lesson which uses the same basic concepts. Also available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
An art education blog full of lessons, classroom management ideas, and classroom decor resources.
I need y'all to say a lil prayer for me...as we are heading into a FULL week next week! That's right. While some of y'all teacherin' friends work a partial week, we are in it to win it, truckin' all the way until 10am on Friday morning. If I make it if the kids make it that long. Every last one of us is runnin' on fumes and hot chocolate at this point. BUT...we still makin' some masterpieces! None of which I've had two seconds to blog about...so that's super awesome. My goal is to post a bunch of winter-themed lessons on this here blog super soon. AND I do believe I've been saying that for months but things have been cray around here. I'm inching closer to being finished with my new book (preorder here, eep!!) and having some time to actually create and catch up on this here blog is quickly becoming a reality. I'm so happy for it! In the meantime, if you follow me on IG, then you've seen a lotta these lessons already. I've even shared the details in my stories. But the plan is to create real live videos for you to share with your kiddos over my break. So...stay tuned. One project I'm stoked to share are these here super cute first grade penguins. The kids and I are loving this lesson and learning so much! Bingo daubers were used for both this lesson and the third grade abstract name design shown above. Since kindergarten is wrapping up their snowmen this week, I had to wear this here snowman dress, right? I found it on Amazon and it was both inexpensive and super cute, if I do say so. And I just did. But not as cute as these guys... These were all lookin' pretty adorable but adding the chalk around the edge and to the cheeks totally took it to another level. That night, my good buddy Tamara hosted a craft night...and I made this cute lil toy soldier! She is the most amazing host. We had a wonderful dinner WHILE creating. Thankfully she had the templates for the solider all cut out so it was just a matter of picking my colors, tracing and cutting. She even had a frame for each one of us. I was pretty excited to finish...and have him match my bonus room so well. Another week, another tree skirt. It's the most tree skirtin'est time of the year! These second grade chalked background for an upcoming Wolf Kahn-inspired landscape has me really excited. Yet another lesson to share with y'all soon! I have found that all the shops have the best tacky holiday sweaters right now! Target is where I scored this lil number and I love it. Speakin' of love, that's what I feel when I stare at these fourth grade beauties. Stay tuned on this one, we'll soon be adding these to our snow globes. And would you look at that! We got all fancy for our nephew's wedding this weekend and I just had to share...we clean up pretty good.
Okay so technically I don't actually go back to work for preplanning until Monday.. but I've spent a good amount of time already in my classroom this summer. I was really fortunate in getting my new position as the art teacher at a brand new elementary school in my county. That means new building, new furniture, new students, new adventures, and....starting from scratch. :) This is what my new classroom looked like a month ago. This is what it looks like now! :) Moved over a bit. I'm so excited to get the new year started! I think my favorite part of my new room is that I finally have enough room to be able to separate my tables enough to allow for 4 students at a stand-alone table! Hooray! ...Oh... and my GIANT windows!! :) LETS GO YEAR 4!
This blog post contains some affiliate links to items that I have personally used and love. Classroom management in the art room can be a tricky thing. That's why a few years ago I decided to try something new - I used art centers as the incentive in my classroom management plan. IT HAS WORKED WONDERS! So how does it work? Glad you asked! In my classroom I have a table point system. When students are doing what they are supposed to be doing (coming in quietly, being on task, helping each other, cleaning up on time, etc), they receive table points. When they aren’t following directions (being too loud, being super off task, not cleaning up, etc), they lose them. To help me keep track of these points I use Class Dojo. Class Dojo is a free app/website created for teachers (learn more about it here). **Class Dojo did NOT sponsor this post. I just think they're awesome. :) During my classes I typically have my projector on displaying the points on the board. I can give or take-away points from my tables directly from my computer and/or from the app on my phone and it updates in real time. The way that I have it setup for my art room is that I have 6 classes set up (one for each grade-level). Then in each class I have 8 "students" (one "student" for each of my table colors). The reason that I track points via tables instead of by individual students is because of the size and transience of the school I teach at. I teach approximately 1,200 students who mostly live in apartment buildings. Because of that, many of my students move away throughout the year and are replaced with new students. Tracking tables instead of individual students makes the system easier to keep up with since I don't have to constantly add and remove student names from classes. It also makes classroom management a bit easier since I'm not having to constantly be looking out for 25-30 students behaviors at the same time (instead it's just the collective efforts of 8 tables). Since I see my students multiple days in a row before they rotate to their next special, I have only one class for each grade-level. At the end of their rotation I just reset their points so it's ready to go for the next group. If you don't have this type of multiple-day rotation, you could always set up a class for each classroom teacher you see. So what is the motivation for students to earn points? Their ability to take part in my art centers! The number of points each table has determines which art centers they can participate in during free time (once a project is finished). Each center has a point value assigned to it. Once a table has that many points or more, they can use that center. If the table does not have that many points, they cannot (and don't worry.. your students will police it for you). The way I determine how many points each center is depends on the interests of my students. If I know they’ll really enjoy something (like jewelry center), I give it a higher point value. If it's something not too special, it has a lower point value. Points are NOT deducted when a student chooses to do a center. My favorite part about this system is that is rewards my students with fun art experiences instead of tangible items (like candy). It also keeps them engaged and typically out of trouble while other students are finishing up their work. So what centers do I have in my room? Occasionally I'll switch a center out.. but currently in my room I have... Classroom Library: 0 points Students are always welcome to look at and/or read the books I keep in my classroom. I have a pretty sizable collection of picture books that I've accrued over the years (many of which I use with my little ones to inspire their art lessons). My admin loves it too! What a great way to incorporate literacy! :) White Boards: 1 point This center is the one fun giveaway that I have for my students who don't have a lot of points. The reason that I do this is because I still want my students to be engaged. If there aren't any fun and engaging low point centers, you might find students acting up because they're bored (and that's the last thing you want when the rest of your class is busy finishing up their art projects)! I normally stock up on mini white boards during back to school time at Wal-Mart.. but this pack on Amazon looks promising. Weaving/Lacing Center: 1 point This center is made up of lacing cards for students to practice sewing/weaving/lacing (whatever you want to call it) on. This center is just a practice center and does not give students anything to take home. How to Draw Books & Free Draw: 2 points I have a bunch of How to Draw books that my kids LOVE using to help them develop their drawing skills. It's important to have a wide variety of subject matter so you can be sure to peak student interest. I have a book on dragons, graffiti lettering, Pokemon, Nickelodeon characters, farm animals, marine animals, household pets, etc... Pattern Blocks: 3 points I had a TON of these math pattern blocks donated to my classroom a few years ago. So now I have them split up into 8 buckets and use them for centers (my kinders also use them a lot). Students can get pretty creative on their own with these. I've found that my little ones like making things like food and animals, while my older students create more complex things like castles and symmetrical designs. Hexagon towers are also a pretty popular choice school-wide. How many can they stack before the tower comes toppling down?! Texture Rubbing: 4 points I do texture rubbing quite a bit with my younger students in some of their art projects... so this center is usually a fun throwback for a lot of my older students. I have a bunch of texture plates that I purchased in the past as well as a few that I made myself from things like shelf liner, textured cardstock, cardboard and glue, etc. Students place a sheet of paper overtop of the textured surface and then use the side of a crayon to rub on top of the paper to capture the textured surface below. Puzzles: 5 points I have a bunch of 24-piece and 49-piece puzzles, as well as a couple 100-piece puzzles. I also have 3 big floor puzzles that my kinders really love. One thing I like doing with my older students is having puzzle races. I have 6 49-piece puzzles.. so sometimes we'll have a competition where the kids race to see who can put their puzzle together first. Every once in a while I'll face the winner in a head-to-head final round competition. :) Origami: 6 points So many of my students love origami so I printed out a bunch of simple to complex origami instruction sheets that I found online and put them into plastic sleeves for my students to reference. My biggest pet peeve with this center: when kids leave their unwanted half-folded sheets of paper in the bucket. 😖 Spirograph: 7 points I know what you're thinking - well it's either one of two things. Either you're like "WHATTTTT?! They still sell Spirographs?!" (you were likely born in the 80s or earlier) or you're like "Uhh what's that?" (#millenial - not judging). Spirograph is a fun geometric pattern drawing toy. It takes a second to teach the kids how to use it.. but once they get it it'll keep them occupied for a while. Who knew drawing radial symmetric patterns could be so much fun? KEVA Contraptions: 7 points This center is a new one that I purchased this year off of Amazon. I wanted some more building/STEAM-type activities and this one had great reviews. The kit I bought came with 200 little wooden planks and a couple balls. Students use the planks to build a contraption for the balls to travel along. My kids liked it so much I invested in another 2 kits (so I now have 600 planks). It's fun watching them come up with their own designs. K'NEX: 8 points I was never really into K'NEX as a child myself (I was a Lego kid through and through), but I've found that some of my students really enjoy this center. I left the building instructions book in the center box, but most of my students just come up with their own creations instead (just a heads up if your students are like mine - about 75% of their creations will resemble fidget spinners). Play-Doh: 10 points This center is a huge motivator for my students! Who doesn't like building stuff with play-doh?! My only issue with this center was that when I left the doh in their original containers, my students would often not put the lids on all the way, so it would accidentally dry out. So to correct the problem, I got some plastic twist-top containers that I now use to store the play-doh. Problem solved! Jewelry Center: 14 points This center is the highest point value center in my classroom. At jewelry center, students can make up to 2 things to take home with them. My kids get really excited about this center (both girls and boys alike). They love getting the opportunity to create something they can wear around. :) Here's a link to my favorite stretchy-string that I use in this center! If you're looking for materials for your art centers, I suggest checking out my Amazon List for Art Center materials! So that's how I incorporate centers into my classroom management plan! Do you have art centers in your classroom? What types of centers do you use? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below! :)
Muumuu Monday: Alright, so I know it's not fitted like a muumuu but it's a horrifying vintage number from Hawaii, so it's close. You know, sometimes, I look back on these What I Wore photos and I think "never again. Never EVER again." Oui. vintage dress: thrifted; shoes: Anthro, gift from a friend. Happy Three Day Weekend to my friends in the states! I hope everyone has made the most of their time off. I know I've devoted the majority of my time occupying my pajamas and crafting. In fact, I done needle-felted so much I've a crick in my neck. It's been awesome having this extra day to relax and rest up for what's sure to be a wild and wacky week. Just a coupla thingies before I go any further. Firstly, I have LOVED seeing everyone's finished aprons on the Apron Sew-Along Facebook page and in my email mail box (remember, you can send your photos to [email protected])! I plan to share the finished aprons right here in an official blog post within the next coupla weeks. So you've got plenty of time to start stitchin' if you've not yet. I enjoyed this sew along so much that I was thinking...should we do another? If so, whatcha wanna sew? And now I'd like to announce the WINNER of the Spiral Art Giveaway! Congrats to TROUTGIRL! If you recall, I tossed the idea of a giveaway out there a couple weeks ago. To enter all you had to do was share your story of how you became the person you are today. What people inspired you? Who influenced you? How were you motivated? If you've not read the comments, you really should. As a teacher, I found them to be so inspiring not to mention tear-jerk-er-y (which is nothing like beef jerky, in care you are wondering). THANK YOU so much to all of you that shared your personal story. I loved every one! As promised, I put everyone's name in a bowl and randomly drew one. I told y'all I'd share the winner's story...as well as send the prize. So, without further chitty-chat, here's Troutgirl's tale: I grew up in rural West Virginia where my art studio was the woods and the creek in the back of our house. I used to make early versions of Andy Goldsworthy sculptures out of sticks, ferns, and rocks in-between throwing them at my 2 older brothers who destroyed them as soon as I made them. From there I moved on to trying new mediums such as putting crayons in the toaster oven to make "candles". It didn't end well. I also had The Sunshine Family which were like Barbies but hippies with a vanagon and I used to make all sorts of things for them.I was into deconstructing and recreating most all my toys including painting my green banana seat bike purple with house paint I found. I am just wondering where my parents were? But the real influence was my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Pence. She moved to our small WV town from the exotic land of Michigan and we all loved her. She was always very tan and had hair that flipped up. One day Mrs. Pence brought in barn wood and Mod Podge for us to make collages! To this day I LOVE the smell of Mod Podge. It makes me happy. We also make a quilt about our town, did a play, and painted landscapes. It was the first time I loved school. Being an artist wasn't even an option where I grew up but luckily I am super stubborn and always found a way to use art as a classroom teacher then jumped at the chance to just focus on arts education. My art studio still is the woods of the Pacitic Northwest and I finally learned how to make candles the right way. Rainbows and Unicorns Tuesday: I hosted what I hope will become an annual Donuts with the Art Teacher for parents interested in volunteering in the art room. It went really well and I now have a wee army of moms and dads that are willing to help a crazy art teacher out. More details on how I worked my bribery magic to come. top: thrifted; skirt: vintage, etsy; shoes: Target, last summer; necklace: Paper Source; hair palette: made by me Speaking of spirograph...I did a lil googling to find that there actually is a HUMAN SPIROGRAPH. His name is Tony Orrico and he's a self proclaimed "artist, performer and choreographer." A former dancer, Orrico performs for up to four hours at a time to create his designs. Armed with a Sharpie in each hand, he works meticulously to create these spirograph-inspired drawings. When the Sharpies start to squeak and run out of ink, the drops them, grabs another set and resumes his work with his nose to the floor or wall. Watching him is fascinating. I loved hearing about his inspiration. I plan to share his work with the kids this week as apart of our celebration of Dot Day. Wild Wacky and Always Tacky Wednesday: I love this ridiculously tacky outfit. It's a lifetime goal of mine to look like a middle-aged Rainbow Brite. top: vintage, thrifted; skirt and shoes: thrifted I think this series of his is my favorite. But, really. Can you imagine working like this? He works by pivoting around on his stomach using his feet to direct him and his arms to create the work. What would that be like, to lay on your stomach for hours, not being able to see your creation? When he stands up and sees what he's made, is he surprised? s Backwards Thursday: So I spied this dress on the sale rack at Anthro while out shopping with some art teacher buddies this week. I lurved it's bold Andy Warhol-esque but didn't like how it was designed. You see, I'm actually wearing the dress backwards. Which means, when worn correctly, that cape thingie is in the back and it TOTALLY looks like a miniature superhero cape but not in a good way. But, when worn this way, I think it's adorbs. So just seam-ripped out the tag and wore it backwards. In true crazy lady fashion. dress and belt: Anthro Looking here, I wonder if he purposefully changes the value of his markings or if that's unintentional. On another note, this photo cracks me up. He looks like a kindergartener having a fit on the floor, "argh! I'm so angry Ima gonna just scribble all over the place!". Sorry, Orrico. Half a Day Friday: Well, the kids had a half day, we had a whole one. You teachers know how that goes. I find 'em to be more exhausting than a whole day. But the thought of a three day weekend made it pretty painless. top and skirt: vintage; shoes: Frye, Marshall's While the ones on the walls look like hairy brains to me (which I like as I often feel fuzzy-headed), I'm in love with the piece on the floor. After watching the youtube clip, I really thing that Orrico needs to start is own workout DVD series as this looks like the most insane arm and ab workout I've seen. Seriously. I wanna try this! Who's up for a little Sprio-Body-Graph wit me?! In all seriousness, I love Tony Orrico's work and I'm currently trolling the interwebs for more. I do hope you all have a super fab SHORT week! I'll be back shortly with a DIY and a coupla video clips of what life is like on the first couple days of my art class. Until then!
This blog post contains some affiliate links to items that I have personally used and love. Classroom management in the art room can be a tricky thing. That's why a few years ago I decided to try something new - I used art centers as the incentive in my classroom management plan. IT HAS WORKED WONDERS! So how does it work? Glad you asked! In my classroom I have a table point system. When students are doing what they are supposed to be doing (coming in quietly, being on task, helping each other, cleaning up on time, etc), they receive table points. When they aren’t following directions (being too loud, being super off task, not cleaning up, etc), they lose them. To help me keep track of these points I use Class Dojo. Class Dojo is a free app/website created for teachers (learn more about it here). **Class Dojo did NOT sponsor this post. I just think they're awesome. :) During my classes I typically have my projector on displaying the points on the board. I can give or take-away points from my tables directly from my computer and/or from the app on my phone and it updates in real time. The way that I have it setup for my art room is that I have 6 classes set up (one for each grade-level). Then in each class I have 8 "students" (one "student" for each of my table colors). The reason that I track points via tables instead of by individual students is because of the size and transience of the school I teach at. I teach approximately 1,200 students who mostly live in apartment buildings. Because of that, many of my students move away throughout the year and are replaced with new students. Tracking tables instead of individual students makes the system easier to keep up with since I don't have to constantly add and remove student names from classes. It also makes classroom management a bit easier since I'm not having to constantly be looking out for 25-30 students behaviors at the same time (instead it's just the collective efforts of 8 tables). Since I see my students multiple days in a row before they rotate to their next special, I have only one class for each grade-level. At the end of their rotation I just reset their points so it's ready to go for the next group. If you don't have this type of multiple-day rotation, you could always set up a class for each classroom teacher you see. So what is the motivation for students to earn points? Their ability to take part in my art centers! The number of points each table has determines which art centers they can participate in during free time (once a project is finished). Each center has a point value assigned to it. Once a table has that many points or more, they can use that center. If the table does not have that many points, they cannot (and don't worry.. your students will police it for you). The way I determine how many points each center is depends on the interests of my students. If I know they’ll really enjoy something (like jewelry center), I give it a higher point value. If it's something not too special, it has a lower point value. Points are NOT deducted when a student chooses to do a center. My favorite part about this system is that is rewards my students with fun art experiences instead of tangible items (like candy). It also keeps them engaged and typically out of trouble while other students are finishing up their work. So what centers do I have in my room? Occasionally I'll switch a center out.. but currently in my room I have... Classroom Library: 0 points Students are always welcome to look at and/or read the books I keep in my classroom. I have a pretty sizable collection of picture books that I've accrued over the years (many of which I use with my little ones to inspire their art lessons). My admin loves it too! What a great way to incorporate literacy! :) White Boards: 1 point This center is the one fun giveaway that I have for my students who don't have a lot of points. The reason that I do this is because I still want my students to be engaged. If there aren't any fun and engaging low point centers, you might find students acting up because they're bored (and that's the last thing you want when the rest of your class is busy finishing up their art projects)! I normally stock up on mini white boards during back to school time at Wal-Mart.. but this pack on Amazon looks promising. Weaving/Lacing Center: 1 point This center is made up of lacing cards for students to practice sewing/weaving/lacing (whatever you want to call it) on. This center is just a practice center and does not give students anything to take home. How to Draw Books & Free Draw: 2 points I have a bunch of How to Draw books that my kids LOVE using to help them develop their drawing skills. It's important to have a wide variety of subject matter so you can be sure to peak student interest. I have a book on dragons, graffiti lettering, Pokemon, Nickelodeon characters, farm animals, marine animals, household pets, etc... Pattern Blocks: 3 points I had a TON of these math pattern blocks donated to my classroom a few years ago. So now I have them split up into 8 buckets and use them for centers (my kinders also use them a lot). Students can get pretty creative on their own with these. I've found that my little ones like making things like food and animals, while my older students create more complex things like castles and symmetrical designs. Hexagon towers are also a pretty popular choice school-wide. How many can they stack before the tower comes toppling down?! Texture Rubbing: 4 points I do texture rubbing quite a bit with my younger students in some of their art projects... so this center is usually a fun throwback for a lot of my older students. I have a bunch of texture plates that I purchased in the past as well as a few that I made myself from things like shelf liner, textured cardstock, cardboard and glue, etc. Students place a sheet of paper overtop of the textured surface and then use the side of a crayon to rub on top of the paper to capture the textured surface below. Puzzles: 5 points I have a bunch of 24-piece and 49-piece puzzles, as well as a couple 100-piece puzzles. I also have 3 big floor puzzles that my kinders really love. One thing I like doing with my older students is having puzzle races. I have 6 49-piece puzzles.. so sometimes we'll have a competition where the kids race to see who can put their puzzle together first. Every once in a while I'll face the winner in a head-to-head final round competition. :) Origami: 6 points So many of my students love origami so I printed out a bunch of simple to complex origami instruction sheets that I found online and put them into plastic sleeves for my students to reference. My biggest pet peeve with this center: when kids leave their unwanted half-folded sheets of paper in the bucket. 😖 Spirograph: 7 points I know what you're thinking - well it's either one of two things. Either you're like "WHATTTTT?! They still sell Spirographs?!" (you were likely born in the 80s or earlier) or you're like "Uhh what's that?" (#millenial - not judging). Spirograph is a fun geometric pattern drawing toy. It takes a second to teach the kids how to use it.. but once they get it it'll keep them occupied for a while. Who knew drawing radial symmetric patterns could be so much fun? KEVA Contraptions: 7 points This center is a new one that I purchased this year off of Amazon. I wanted some more building/STEAM-type activities and this one had great reviews. The kit I bought came with 200 little wooden planks and a couple balls. Students use the planks to build a contraption for the balls to travel along. My kids liked it so much I invested in another 2 kits (so I now have 600 planks). It's fun watching them come up with their own designs. K'NEX: 8 points I was never really into K'NEX as a child myself (I was a Lego kid through and through), but I've found that some of my students really enjoy this center. I left the building instructions book in the center box, but most of my students just come up with their own creations instead (just a heads up if your students are like mine - about 75% of their creations will resemble fidget spinners). Play-Doh: 10 points This center is a huge motivator for my students! Who doesn't like building stuff with play-doh?! My only issue with this center was that when I left the doh in their original containers, my students would often not put the lids on all the way, so it would accidentally dry out. So to correct the problem, I got some plastic twist-top containers that I now use to store the play-doh. Problem solved! Jewelry Center: 14 points This center is the highest point value center in my classroom. At jewelry center, students can make up to 2 things to take home with them. My kids get really excited about this center (both girls and boys alike). They love getting the opportunity to create something they can wear around. :) Here's a link to my favorite stretchy-string that I use in this center! If you're looking for materials for your art centers, I suggest checking out my Amazon List for Art Center materials! So that's how I incorporate centers into my classroom management plan! Do you have art centers in your classroom? What types of centers do you use? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below! :)
Vocabulary: inspire, camouflage, kinetic art, relief sculpture Goal: Students will get to experience a true arts-integrated lesson which connects with science (fish species and habitats), social studies (water bodies in Georgia), and language arts (summarizing and writing). Students will summarize important facts about their fish from a paragraph (language arts), create an aquarium habitat based on what they know about their particular fish's environment (fresh water or salt water), and include a form of camouflage (used to defend against predators). Students will also experience making kinetic art (moving art) and understand what a relief sculpture is (a 3-D piece of artwork which is not meant to be viewed from all sides). On the first day my kids come in we begin by viewing my Georgia Waters PowerPoint. It goes over freshwater vs saltwater and the type of fish that live in each. I ask students to tell me what the freshwater fish appear to have in common... and what the saltwater fish have in common. This naturally results in us talking about the color of the fish. Students notice that the river fish are all neutral colors, while the ocean fish are typically more colorful; then we talk about why they think that is. Because my students learn about the regions of Georgia and habitats in 3rd grade, they know that camouflage is often used as a defense mechanism to hide against predators (super smart)! We also talk about why, if all bodies of water typically run into each other, are rivers and lakes freshwater while the ocean is saltwater -- this one typically stumps them. It is because of a variety of factors- two of which are land elevation and the hydrologic cycle (or the water cycle). When ocean water evaporates up into the air, salt does not go with it... so when it comes down as rain over landmasses, it isn't salty - and rain is what feeds rivers and lakes. We also look at elevation maps of Georgia and talk about how the gradual downward slope of the landmass causes water to run downstream towards the ocean. As the water travels downstream it erodes the land around it and consequently picks up and carries small amounts of salt which empties out into the ocean. After we finish talking about that, we move on to look at aquariums (artificial habitats for different types of aquatic life). Since my school is located in metro-Atlanta, many of my students have been to the Georgia Aquarium before, so when I show them pictures of it - they get super excited! :) Aquariums are amazing pieces of functional art in and of themselves - and are designed specifically to be looked at (lots of things must be considered in their design). I then introduce students to the aquarium project they'll be working on and have them come up to the front of my room to "go fishing" to determine which fish they'll be focusing on for their aquarium. I put blue butcher paper on my chair (to emulate a higher elevation for rivers) and on the floor (as the ocean) and put a bunch of color fish cutouts on top that have a paperclip attached. Students use a pointer stick with yarn and a magnet on the end as their fishing pole. Once they've caught their fish, they go back to their table and draw a picture of their fish on a small piece of paper (3"x5") and color with colored pencil. I also give students a heavy-duty paper plate (think Kroger-brand Chinet) that will eventually become the back base of their aquarium. On the back of their fish printout is a written paragraph giving basic details about their fish. Students must read this paragraph, then pull 3 facts from it to write on the back of their paper plate. On the second day, students are given another paper plate (this one is heavy-duty but not Chinet-quality) and a piece of aluminum foil. Using their new paper plate, students trace a circle onto their foil then cut it out. Then they add glue (with a glue stick) to the front of their chinet-quality paper plate and place the foil on top. Then using colored sharpies, students color the foil on their paper plate to look like the environment that their particular fish comes from (saltwater or freshwater). On the third day students come in and use silver tempera paint to color the outside rim of their chinet-quality plate and the outside ring on the back of their regular heavy-duty paper plate (from the center circle to the edge). This then gets set aside to dry until the next class. Once students are done painting, I have them meet me on the carpet and we read the book "Mister Seahorse" by Eric Carle. The pictures in the book are a PERFECT compliment to this project as they really illustrate the idea of fish camouflaging into their environments. After reading the book I give each student a piece of transparency paper which will become the plastic cover on the front of our aquariums. Using a tracer, they trace a circle onto the transparency paper with sharpie, then draw something that their fish could camouflage behind. Before students come in on the fourth day, I use scissors and stab a hole into the middle of their regular heavy-duty paper plate. When they come into class I explain that they will use this hole as a starting place for their scissors to cut out a circular hole in the center of their plate (they cut up to the point where their plate gets its bumpy/wavy texture). Once this is cut out, I have them go back and cut out the transparency paper from the class before, and their fish drawing. Using scotch tape, they attach their transparency paper camouflage onto the back of their remaining paper plate ring. I also give them a piece of fishing line to tape to the back of their fish (probably about 9" long or so). As they are working on all of this, I walk around the classroom and punch a hole into the top side of their chinet-quality plate using a needle tool. Once their fish has the fishing line attached to the back, they string the line through this hole so the other end is hanging outside of their plate. A bead is tied onto this end to prevent the fishing line from slipping all the way back into the plate. On the fifth day students finish anything that they still have to work on. Once everything is ready, they bring all their materials to me and I hot glue the top cover (with the camouflage) onto the chinet-quality plate. ANNNNNNDDDDDD DONE! If you are interested in purchasing the full lesson with all the necessary resources, please check it out in my store! Also available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
My teacher example of the sketchbooks I have my students create every year. Oh Sketchbooks, how I love thee! Why do I believe that sketchbooks are so important in the elementary art room? Well let’s go ahead and count the ways shall we? 1. No Pressure The beauty of a sketchbook is that it provides students with a s
Vocabulary: inspire, camouflage, kinetic art, relief sculpture Goal: Students will get to experience a true arts-integrated lesson which connects with science (fish species and habitats), social studies (water bodies in Georgia), and language arts (summarizing and writing). Students will summarize important facts about their fish from a paragraph (language arts), create an aquarium habitat based on what they know about their particular fish's environment (fresh water or salt water), and include a form of camouflage (used to defend against predators). Students will also experience making kinetic art (moving art) and understand what a relief sculpture is (a 3-D piece of artwork which is not meant to be viewed from all sides). On the first day my kids come in we begin by viewing my Georgia Waters PowerPoint. It goes over freshwater vs saltwater and the type of fish that live in each. I ask students to tell me what the freshwater fish appear to have in common... and what the saltwater fish have in common. This naturally results in us talking about the color of the fish. Students notice that the river fish are all neutral colors, while the ocean fish are typically more colorful; then we talk about why they think that is. Because my students learn about the regions of Georgia and habitats in 3rd grade, they know that camouflage is often used as a defense mechanism to hide against predators (super smart)! We also talk about why, if all bodies of water typically run into each other, are rivers and lakes freshwater while the ocean is saltwater -- this one typically stumps them. It is because of a variety of factors- two of which are land elevation and the hydrologic cycle (or the water cycle). When ocean water evaporates up into the air, salt does not go with it... so when it comes down as rain over landmasses, it isn't salty - and rain is what feeds rivers and lakes. We also look at elevation maps of Georgia and talk about how the gradual downward slope of the landmass causes water to run downstream towards the ocean. As the water travels downstream it erodes the land around it and consequently picks up and carries small amounts of salt which empties out into the ocean. After we finish talking about that, we move on to look at aquariums (artificial habitats for different types of aquatic life). Since my school is located in metro-Atlanta, many of my students have been to the Georgia Aquarium before, so when I show them pictures of it - they get super excited! :) Aquariums are amazing pieces of functional art in and of themselves - and are designed specifically to be looked at (lots of things must be considered in their design). I then introduce students to the aquarium project they'll be working on and have them come up to the front of my room to "go fishing" to determine which fish they'll be focusing on for their aquarium. I put blue butcher paper on my chair (to emulate a higher elevation for rivers) and on the floor (as the ocean) and put a bunch of color fish cutouts on top that have a paperclip attached. Students use a pointer stick with yarn and a magnet on the end as their fishing pole. Once they've caught their fish, they go back to their table and draw a picture of their fish on a small piece of paper (3"x5") and color with colored pencil. I also give students a heavy-duty paper plate (think Kroger-brand Chinet) that will eventually become the back base of their aquarium. On the back of their fish printout is a written paragraph giving basic details about their fish. Students must read this paragraph, then pull 3 facts from it to write on the back of their paper plate. On the second day, students are given another paper plate (this one is heavy-duty but not Chinet-quality) and a piece of aluminum foil. Using their new paper plate, students trace a circle onto their foil then cut it out. Then they add glue (with a glue stick) to the front of their chinet-quality paper plate and place the foil on top. Then using colored sharpies, students color the foil on their paper plate to look like the environment that their particular fish comes from (saltwater or freshwater). On the third day students come in and use silver tempera paint to color the outside rim of their chinet-quality plate and the outside ring on the back of their regular heavy-duty paper plate (from the center circle to the edge). This then gets set aside to dry until the next class. Once students are done painting, I have them meet me on the carpet and we read the book "Mister Seahorse" by Eric Carle. The pictures in the book are a PERFECT compliment to this project as they really illustrate the idea of fish camouflaging into their environments. After reading the book I give each student a piece of transparency paper which will become the plastic cover on the front of our aquariums. Using a tracer, they trace a circle onto the transparency paper with sharpie, then draw something that their fish could camouflage behind. Before students come in on the fourth day, I use scissors and stab a hole into the middle of their regular heavy-duty paper plate. When they come into class I explain that they will use this hole as a starting place for their scissors to cut out a circular hole in the center of their plate (they cut up to the point where their plate gets its bumpy/wavy texture). Once this is cut out, I have them go back and cut out the transparency paper from the class before, and their fish drawing. Using scotch tape, they attach their transparency paper camouflage onto the back of their remaining paper plate ring. I also give them a piece of fishing line to tape to the back of their fish (probably about 9" long or so). As they are working on all of this, I walk around the classroom and punch a hole into the top side of their chinet-quality plate using a needle tool. Once their fish has the fishing line attached to the back, they string the line through this hole so the other end is hanging outside of their plate. A bead is tied onto this end to prevent the fishing line from slipping all the way back into the plate. On the fifth day students finish anything that they still have to work on. Once everything is ready, they bring all their materials to me and I hot glue the top cover (with the camouflage) onto the chinet-quality plate. ANNNNNNDDDDDD DONE! If you are interested in purchasing the full lesson with all the necessary resources, please check it out in my store! Also available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
This lesson was inspired by a pin I saw on Pinterest connecting to the blog, Fine Lines. This project was done with both my Kinders and my 1st graders this week.. and I love the results I got from both! Kindergarten was talking a lot about texture this week.. and so we started out by finding textures in the room and doing crayon rubbings of them. This paper was then painted with blues, greens, and yellows - look at how nicely colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel blend! ;) Then the next day we looked at some photos of lupines and even a painting of lupines and talked about the things that we noticed about them (they are tall, they have petals all over them, the colors, etc.). Using green oil pastels we drew stems for our flowers overtop of our painted texture paper. Then I demonstrated how we would use ONE finger (I had them put up their pointer finger while I was explaining this) to make fingerprint marks with tempera to make the flower petals. First they would print either a purple or red dot, then they would print a white dot overtop (red+white=pink?!?! whhhhattttt?!). --It's moments like these that make teaching art so exciting! First graders essentially did the same process, however we started out their week talking about "variety" and "texture" (this lesson was a 2-day extension of another flower painting project they did). I absolutely adore all the color and textures they have on their paper - BEAUTIFUL!!
"Inspired by Dylan" An art exhibition by Zoe's Ostreme and Swansea Grand Theatre Art Group To celebrate Dylan Thomas 100th anniversary Zoe’s Ostreme and Grand Theatre Art Group are exhibiting paintings inspired by Dylan Thomas and his works including Under Milkwood. They have used vintage pages of Dylan Thomas’ text (some of which are from Oxfame Bookshop) to paint on in a form of collage as well as being inspired by his powerful quotes and writings. This has created a exciting collection of paintings that will be intermingled around the bookshop in support of Oxfam. Jen, one of the artists exhibiting said “ In this exhibition a picture literally paints a thousand words.” Zoë’s Art Group includes members of professional artist Zoë James-Williams art classes which she teaches at The Ostreme Centre, Mumbles and Swansea Grand Theatre. Zoë is a contemporary figurative artist and the first Artist in Residence in Swansea Grand Theatre. Many of the group also exhibited professionally and are excited to be supporting such a great cause. “We were delighted to be invited by Oxfam Bookshop to display our Dylan inspired work as it is the perfect compliment and will enable the viewer to see his work in a different light and we are delighted to support Oxfam in any way we can.” says artist Zoë James-Williams. Many of the artists exhibiting will be present to discuss their work at the Create Night hosts by Oxfam bookshop on June 17th. All are welcome! Links to Dylan Zoe's Art Group participating in The Many Faces of Dylan Event Some of the groups art work inspired by Dylan Thomas that will be on display in the exhibition
This lesson started off by me showing my students a PowerPoint presentation which introduced the Pop Art movement and some of its major artists. I really emphasized that Pop Artists wanted to connect to everyday people, so their subject matter reflected the pop culture of the time (movie stars, advertisements, comic strips, food items, etc.). People saw their work, recognized it, and connected with it (a BIG difference from Abstract Expressionism). Then we began talking about popular things in our culture today - which of course lead to talk of iPods, iPads, video games, Instagram, Facebook, texting, and a slew of other apps I'm sure I'm not cool enough to know about. It hits hard when you don't even know what your students are talking about - I used to know it all! I explained that emojis are also a great example of contemporary pop art because they are super recognizable and relevant to the tech-savvy time we live in. Then we looked at a few different (emotion) emojis and talked about what they meant. Then I asked students what they would mean if they were used in a different context. So for example, the emoji with one eye closed and its tongue sticking out. On its own my students said it meant "crazy." Then I asked them what they thought it meant if it were sent with a text message that said something like, "I hate you." The words on their own sound mean and hurtful, but when sent with the emoji, they become almost endearing - clearly not meant to be serious. Emojis can help to provide context to written words, like in the previous example, or they can be used decoratively in a fun illustrative manner. As visual people ourselves, I think art educators are in an amazing position to teach our students about the power of this type of visual imagery and its effectiveness in communicating more meaningful messages. Once we were done talking about the symbolism of emojis, we began talking about what soft sculptures are. I told my students that they would be creating their own double-sided emoji soft sculptures using felt and yarn. Guys I gotta say - I love it! I used to do an angry birds sewing project with my 5th graders, but decided to change things up this year to keep the project super relevant to my student's interests. They were crazy engaged during this lesson! Prior to deciding to do emojis (and the decision was made pre-happy meal) I was planning on doing Minecraft Soft Sculptures with my kids. If you are interested in that lesson, check it out in my store. :) Also available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
I needed an easy sub plan a few weeks ago and I was reminded of a lesson I saved as a Favorite on Artsonia. I'm sure lots of you have seen this lesson before, I recently saw it on the Kids Artists blog. If you are on Artsonia, the lesson was posted by Linda Welling from Cedar Creek Elementary School. The lesson id is 2665. The basic idea is for the students to draw a bold, interesting line in marker then "echo" it with different colors. Next, the negative space is filled in with line and shape designs. This lesson was done with 4th and 6th grade classes in one 40-minute class period. Judging from the results I found when I got back to school, it was enough time for most students on 9x12 inch paper. I left the same sub plan last week but apparently forgot to specify the paper size. (40 minutes is NOT enough time for 12x18 inch paper!) It looks like the students enjoyed the project and some of them definitely took the idea and made it their own! This student figured out that writing in cursive makes one line. By the way, it cracks me up that students in Kansas make things about surfing! Several students filled in all the negative space with color but still made some cool patterns. I like what she did in the lower left corner. Getting geometric... These two were pretty straight forward and very cautious. It shows the personality of these two students! And a few students drew pictures of objects instead of lines and shapes. Objects like hotdogs. :)
Before we even started talking about snowflakes I reviewed the differences between linear and radial symmetry with my students. Afterwards we viewed a variety of images and they told me what type of symmetry each image had. Once it was clear they had this down, we moved on to begin talking about snowflakes and how they are a great example of radial symmetry in nature. To help us become better informed on why snowflakes look the way they do, we watched an excellent BrainPop video describing how and why snowflakes form. Then on a scrap piece of paper I had my students practice drawing a variety of snowflakes (I did one with them first on my document camera - then they went at it themselves). To start drawing their 6-sided structure, I had them draw a narrow "X", draw a line horizontally across, then add as much detail as they wanted (as long as they repeated the same thing on each side of the snowflake). After drawing for a bit, I gave each table a sheet a reference images to help them develop some more intricate designs of their own. The next day I had my students begin drawing snowflakes on a sheet of 9"x12" watercolor paper. Typically I do not use watercolor paper (solely because of the cost), but I knew this project really needed it to get fabulous results. I had my students draw their snowflakes as lightly as they could with their pencils and use rulers to help straighten out their lines. Once they finished drawing, they outlined their snowflakes with either white crayon or white oil pastel. I showed them an example of a snowflake created with both materials so they could better decide which they'd like to use (I personally would go for the white crayon because I feel like you can get more defined detail since its composition is hard wax). Most of my students needed one class to draw their images in pencil and half of another class to do the outlining. Since I wanted all my students to be able to paint at the same time, I waited until the fourth class period to take out the paints. When we did start painting I had my students use saturated liquid glitter watercolors (because you know - glitter makes everything better). They painted their entire paper, then had the option of adding salt (we just used regular table salt) on top of their wet paint. *The salt interacts with the watercolor paint the entire time it's drying to create some really interesting effects - so it's important to note that the final dried painting will look much different than when it's wet. The next day when they came in, we trimmed off 1/2" from each side of their painting (to make it 11"x8"), mounted it on top of a 12"x9" sheet of white drawing paper, and then onto a 15"x12" sheet of black paper. I LOVE these! Abstract watercolor painting is one of my own personal favorite things to do - so it was awesome getting to share this experience with my students. If you're looking for a complete version of this lesson with teacher directions, student directions, a PowerPoint, templates, and video - check out my store! Also available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
This Monster in My Closet art lesson has been one of my students' absolute favorites over the years! A perfect lesson for drawing creativity out of even the most hesitant young artists. With a focus on line, shape, and texture your students will be engaged the entire time they are creating!
For this 3rd grade lesson (inspired by Art with Mr. E) we began by looking at the art of the Navajo Native Americans of the Southwest. Students learned about their amazing weaving skills (textiles, baskets, etc.) and their frequent use of symmetrical geometric motifs. We talked about how having symmetrical designs helped to achieve balance and harmony in their artwork. After viewing several examples, I presented students with our project - radial yarn weaving! :) Anytime my students get to work with new materials they are super excited.. and yarn is no exception. I think it's the really hands on part that they love and that they are working with materials that not all the other students get to experience. To begin, each student was given a paper plate on which I had them immediately write their name on the "front" of (the part you would eat off of), because this actually becomes the back of the artwork. Then I passed out my "cheater-plates" to each table and had students take turns tracing the odd numbered and evenly spaced triangular cuts around the plate onto their own (this saved an incredible amount of time and frustration). Once students had traced the triangular cuts from my cheater-plate onto their own, they cut them out. As they were working on that I walked around the classroom and poked a hole with a needle tool into the middle of each student's plate. Once they were finished cutting out their triangular cuts, I had them stick a pencil into the needle hole to make it wider. The next step was to take a ruler and create a straight lines from the apex of the triangular cuts to the center of the plate (essentially dividing up the plate into even "slices"). Once they were done with their lines, students got to color in their slices with crayons. I suggested sticking to a color scheme so it wasn't super random - after-all the Navajo strove for balance and harmony! Once the decoration of the loom (paper plate) was completed, it was time to add the warp strings! I knew this would be incredibly difficult to translate into words for you.. so I created a diagram to help me explain it (see below). Once the warp strings were added, students chose a color to use for their first weft string and using a plastic yarn needle, strung it through the center hole (tying the end of the yarn onto a warp string on the back of their plate). Then it was just a matter of weaving over and under and over and under and over and under until the end of time. :) I demoed this several times for my kids using my brand new document camera (yayyyyyyyy for new tech toys) and showed them what it looks like if you weave it correctly, and then what it looks like when you've missed a string in your pattern (you'll end up going under the same strings and over the same strings instead of it alternating). Once students ran out of their weft yarn, I had them choose another color of yarn and overhand-knot (like the kind of knot you use to tie a balloon or start a friendship bracelet) it onto the end of their first string and continue on. Students kept going until we ran out of time on the last day! In total we spent 5 days (about 40 minutes each class) working on this project. Day 1: Navajo powerpoint and triangular cuts to create the loom Day 2: Finish cutting and line/color plate Day 3: Add the warp strings Day 4: Weave Day 5: Weave This is definitely one of those projects that you need to be super hands-on with. Many students do not know how to tie the knots and will need to be shown how. You will definitely have students that need to be constantly reassured that they are "doing it right". And you will also likely have those students who are still having trouble getting the warp string on on day 5. My third grade classes currently all have about 35 students in them... and I remained constantly busy helping students as soon as the yarn came into the picture. Be prepared! :) Another way of doing this (inspired by pinterest - these examples created by me)... flowers! Cool idea for spring time!
Welcome to the How-To Guide for First Year Art Teachers where I give you my 10 Steps for Success! Congratulations! You got your own classroom. OH MY GOSH, you have your own classroom. Your mind and stomach start racing, both with extreme excitement and panic because now, it all just got real. You will have a lot of students, a lot of planning, and a lot of classroom to keep organized. Figuring out where to even start is a huge stress and will require a tea (or a beer) and a nap (probably some Netflix too).
For this lesson we began by reviewing the different line types and talked about what feeling each type can help convey (for example - vertical=strength, horizontal=rest and calm, wavy=calm movement, etc). Then we moved on and talked about colors and the moods they can help show in artwork. Before I revealed what mood each color is thought to translate, I had students fill out the "I think..." section of the worksheet you see to the left. It was really interesting to see which colors students filled in for each. Then we viewed the powerpoint I put together for the project, and they listed a few moods each color is said to convey under the "I know..." section. After talking all about how to use line and color expressively, I gave students the task of creating a piece of artwork centered around one word which they had to express on their papers with lines, pattern, and color. Students first started by writing their word large on their page in block/bubble letters. This is a challenging task in-and-of-itself for many kids, so I showed them my secret block letter trick. You start by writing the word normally on your piece of paper (large enough to fill the space) -- as seen in red. Then you outline each letter with an evenly distributed border -- as seen in black. Once you are done outlining the letters, all you have to do is erase the original letter lines and outline in sharpie! Once the word was on the page, students began adding line, pattern, and color to their papers AROUND their word with thin-tip markers (I used Crayola) to help express the meaning of their word! Going into this project I knew it was better suited for older grades who may have the patience to work on meticulous detail for days in a row (5th grade+).. but I wanted to see what my 3rd graders could do! If you are interested in the powerpoints and worksheets I created for this lesson - you may want to check out my store! Also available in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!
