As a designer / artist who is always trying to improve, there are times when my brain is on full-throttle creative mode and I seem to tap into a source of inspiration beyond my own capacity. I know that sounds weird. But, what I mean is that when I push myself to innovate, I'm rewarded with with that "stroke of geniu
April 16, 2012 This session I will be teaching my fifth grade class. Unfortunately my sixth graders left and will be moving onto the middle school next year:( I will miss them greatly. What a good bunch of kids! April 15, 2012 Silkscreening T-shirts with a Social or Environmental Message! Miss Flegal and I cashed in on these stretcher bars we came upon and combined them with white organza fabric to make silkscreens! Students brought in their own t-shirts and used elmer's glue to create a resist. The exciting component about this project was the glow-in-the-dark printing ink I was able to find to make their shirts really special! March 21, 2012 Sixth grade silhouettes complete! Our art program has been getting so many positive comments about the front entrance of our building and these vibrant mosaic silhouettes. Using marbled paper that the students made and thinking about color choice that coincided with their action or movement was very important. Lastly, we incorporated a literacy element inspired by Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you see? March 9, 2012 My sixth graders are back and we are working on life sized art projects combining two types of art we just looked at and learned a lot about-- silhouettes and mosaics. These were inspired by an installation art piece we did last year as an entire building. I cannot believe how cool these are looking! Our media for this project has included cardboard, black latex paint, various colors of construction paper, shaving cream and tempera paint for marbling, scissors and glue stick. The poses for the silhouettes were derived from the children themselves and interests they have both in and outside of school as well an energy or emotion they are trying to evoke. When all is said and done we are incorporating an element of Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear book. I can't wait to post more when they are finalized next week! December 2, 2011 This six week session I will be instructing my fifth grade class and will return to teaching fifth grade again in February. Stay tuned... November 11. 2011 Self Portraits in Chuck Close Style Students in sixth grade are integrating math skills by measuring and creating a grid for an exact self portrait drawing. This is the method that artist Chuck Close uses to create his portraits. After spending extensive time learning about his life-- he is my FAVORITE artist, we are now in the beginning stages of creation. So far, so good! November 4, 2011 Oh what a busy Friday! Students were busy glazing ocarinas as well as using acrylic paints to put finishing touches on their cubism Picasso sculptures. It was a great way to end a busy week and we will look forward to working in new art media next time. October 26, 2011 Pablo Picasso Sculptures in progress... Students are using some unconventional tools for their current sculptural project-- wood scraps, glue, wire and pantyhose. Yes, you heard me right. If your child has recently come home talking about using pantyhose as part of his art project, he is not lying to you. Here is what we have started in the past few days. October 19, 2011 Ocarinas We are trying our hand at constructing ocarinas out of clay. Students did extensive research online and here is what we have learned so far. The ocarina (/ɒkəˈriːnə/) is an ancient flute-like wind instrument.[1] Variations do exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body. It is often ceramic, but other materials may also be used, such as plastic, wood, glass, clay, and metal. The ocarina belongs to a very old family of instruments, believed to date back to over 12,000 years.[2] Ocarina-type instruments have been of particular importance in Chinese and Mesoamerican cultures. For the Chinese, the instrument played an important role in their long history of song and dance. The ocarina has similar features to the Xun (塤), another important Chinese instrument (but is different in that Ocarina uses an internal duct, whereas Xun is blown across the outer edge.)[3] In Japan, the traditional ocarina is known as the tsuchibue (kanji: 土笛; literally "earthen flute"). Different expeditions to Mesoamerica, including the one conducted by Cortés, resulted in the introduction of the ocarina to the courts of Europe. Both the Mayans and Aztecs had produced versions of the ocarina, but it was the Aztecs who brought the song and dance to Europe that accompanied the ocarina. The ocarina went on to become popular in European communities as a toy instrument.[4][5] Its earliest use in Europe dates back to the 19th century in Budrio, a town near Bologna, Italy, where Giuseppe Donati transformed the ocarina from a toy, which only played a few notes, into a more comprehensive instrument (known as the first "classical" ocarinas). The word ocarina in the Bolognese dialect means "little goose." The earlier form was known in Europe as a gemshorn, which was made from animal horns of the Gemsbok. The ocarina was featured in the Nintendo video game The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, attracting a marked increase in interest and a dramatic rise in sales.[6][7] How an ocarina works: 1. Air enters through the windway 2. Air strikes the labium, producing sound 3. Air vibrates throughout the inside of the ocarina Covering and uncovering holes lowers and raises the pitch Source: Wikipedia Here are our ocarinas in progress... Let's hope they make music once they are come out of the kiln! October 17, 2011 After not having my sixth grade class for the first six weeks of this school year they are now occupying my room every morning for 45 minutes for the next six weeks. It is such a joy to have them and experience their growth since I last saw them as fifth graders. We started our time together with a pencil study called The Vanishing Snack. I adapted this from high school art teacher Mrs. Vogel of Field High School. My students as usual have risen to the challenge and are producing wonderful work. At each stage of their four part drawing, they are wrinkling a pop can and drawing it as well as all of its highlights and shadows in its new state. September 7, 2011 Because of our new six week schedule I will not see my sixth graders until October 10th! Stay tuned... June 1, 2011 Tile Triptychs in progress! Students in sixth grade are embarking on a triptych constructed of clay. A triptych is a three paneled piece of art that views as one continuous piece but is constructed in stages. This has been a great opportunity for them to learn about specific properties of clay and how to work with this medium from one class to the next, keeping it moist and workable. The students were expected to include text, an image and possibly a favorite verse that states something about themselves as an individual. April 21, 2011 Plaster Hands and Feet March 13, 2011 In sixth grade we have about three projects going on at once. One is our plaster hands and feet project that we started back in January. Here they are as works in progress.... January 31, 2011 Recently in sixth grade I set my students loose with plaster and these thoughts in mind. Below are the results so far. Once again, their minds, their thought processes and their creative journeys amaze me. I will keep blogging as their projects move along... Take a moment and think about all of the uses of your hands in the course of a day, the course of a hour or even a minute. For example list every way you can think of that you used your hands just this morning… -to brush your teeth -to eat your breakfast What do you think your hands can say about a person? Can they have polished nails? Wear certain rings? Does their appearance tell you a story? For example having wrinkles… Let’s think about some of those features. Next think about phrases that have the word hand in it… “hands of time” “helping hands” “clap your hands” “give me a hand” “lend a hand” “in good hands”… If you could compare your hand to another object of similar form what would that be? A growing tree branching out? Sunday, January 16, 2011 Don Drumm Inspired Endangered Animals Students in sixth grade studied the metal art works of local artisan Don Drumm and then decided to make a statement with their art. After doing some research about the current Endangered Species list they created these metal embossed pieces about animals of diminishing numbers. Next, by adding a statement, they could give the animal a voice to be heard. Won’t you do your part in raising awareness for some of these unknown creatures? Below is our display of the completed sixth grade Chuck Close inspired portraits. Chuck Close Self Portraits in Progress November 29, 2010 We are wrapping up our Chuck Close portraits and the end results are amazing. Not only are students manipulating charcoal very well to create various tones but they have mastered a likeness of their own face! Chuck Close Self Portraits November 15, 2010 Wow! It has been awhile since I have updated my sixth section of the blog. Students have been hard at work and are tackling difficult projects and techniques. Most recently we have begun working in Chuck Close grid style. You can see his work at http://www.chuckclose.coe.uh.edu/. He is my favorite artist. Using a grid, students have integrated math skills into their drawing by focusing on exact measurements for precision. Here are a few of their starts... Vanishing Snack Drawings October 14, 2010 Students in sixth grade are training their eyes to see close details through these altered still life drawings. They are working on drawing a pop can and then slowly crushing it until it becomes very minimal. At each stage they have to look closely at how their object has been changed and then try and draw it. Charcoal has aided them in learning about the value scale. They are beginning to see that with shadows some parts can be extremely dark and extremely light.
Theme is one of the concepts in literature that students struggle with most. Use this simple graphic organizer to help students determine the theme of any piece of writing and then create a collage of text and images to reinforce their theme's message about life.
A tale of an IAEA Student Chapter Roundtable Presentation. [flickr id=”6463833451″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”original” group=”” align=”none”] Before the IAEA Conference, my colleague in the Art Education MAT program, Keli Campbell, and I applied to present at the IAEA Student Chapter Roundtable. Our main interest and goal was to present a demonstration and lesson plan idea on Collagraph Printing. [flickr id=”6463825895″ thumbnail=”medium” overlay=”true” size=”original” group=”” align=”none”] What is Collagraphy? Collagraphy is a print-making process where various materials are glued to a hardboard to create a raised texture. The collaged collagraph plate can then be printed with a press or by hand with a roller. [flickr id=”6463828383″ thumbnail=”medium_640″ overlay=”true” size=”original” group=”” align=”center”] A few examples of various materials that can be used for Collagraph textures are: leaves, seeds, string (hemp), acrylic paint, crushed paper, bubble rap, sandpaper, cardboard, grass, and many others...
SIZE & DESCRIPTION Options include 5x7", 8x10" and 11x14". Your art print will be printed on 120lb white eggshell cardstock paper and will ship flat between chipboard pieces in a plastic protective sleeve. If you would like a DIGITAL DOWNLOAD of this print, please order here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1457248758/digital-blue-bow-art-print-home-decor?click_key=9a2f1f616b7ea4dc65473ca54a0e2e35f229176d%3A1457248758&click_sum=5dc096f9&ref=shop_home_active_1 TERMS OF USE This artwork is copyright by Dusty Southern. By purchasing this listing, you agree to use the file for personal use only. Please do not share, sell or redistribute these files in any way. The artwork may not be altered in any way. All sales of digital products are final sale. PLEASE NOTE Colors depicted on your screen may be slightly different from the actual print and can vary slightly on different printers.
Kids will have fun while learning where do I Live with this printable activity perfect for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten students.
I have always loved the Heart icon, there is something so sweet and charming about it. I mean how can you not love a symbol that symbolizes LOVE! So when February rolls around It makes me smile to see the...
Now that afternoon naps are becoming fewer and shorter for Ben, I’ve had to find ways to keep him busy so I can frantically try and get stuff done while destructo-baby is asleep. Yesterday we cut out a big cardboard B, and he glued all the fabric scraps and buttons to it. He sat by...Read More
A round up of over 15 great STEAM projects – where math concepts are used to make pieces of art!
Learn how to make paper claws in less than 5 minutes! Use regular printer paper to make wolf claws in this super fun and easy origami craft.
Paula Kovarik had her own creative agency specializing in corporate and employee communications and is now a full-time textile artist.
Advocates against single-use plastics say cleaning up the world’s oceans will take individual efforts and policy change.
These Father’s Day crafts will make his day. See our clever ideas and how-to guides so kids of all ages can make these gifts at home.
Monoprinting is a lovely technique that allows printmakers to be spontaneous, painterly and experimental. This simple monoprint project produces beautiful delicate prints using a piece of scrim and an etching press. Begin with a piece of perpex, a plastic inking plate or a sheet of drypoint plastic. use masking tape to tape off a rectangle on your perspex. … Continue reading "Monoprinting with Scrim"
Last year I had my 2nd graders create two initials with cut paper. That took too long/the kids got bored/I got bored so I cut it down this...
I just love the look of a fabric collage using mixed media. You can make your piece as small or as large as you like. Sometimes I have a project in mind and will cut the fabric piece to fit, and sometimes I don't have a project in mind and the piece gets put aside until the right project presents itself. Watch the video tutorial below or scroll down for the written instructions What You Need A piece of fabric - cut to whatever size you need for your project. Fusible web such as Mistyfuse An assortment of wool -
Hi all! Happy Monday! It's Amber from Mrs. Masters Kinder Love and I'm so happy to be sharing with you today! I can't believe that I'm already planning for the end of the school year! My head has been spinning with all the amazing ideas I see on blogs, Pinterest and instagram! Today I am sharing 5 ideas with you that I think are AMAZINGLY, AWESOME and they DO NOT break the bank!! Enjoy!! Class Pic Collage I love this idea from Jo's PhotoMojo! A lot of us have done this individually with students and sent it home for each child's family at the end of the school year. BUT this would be such a memorable piece for students to look back on when they are older and remember each of their classmates! Slideshow If you are anything like me, you take a million pictures of your kids throughout the year, and then don't really know what to do with all of them at the end of the year. Then you end up with thousands of pics on your computer that are slightly (or majorly) unorganized and just a bit of a mess. By creating a slideshow, you pick out the most memorable pictures of the year. Then you don't have to feel bad about getting rid of the 500 that you probably don't need. This idea from The Littlest Scholars is a thoughtful gift for students and families! QR Code Gift Cards! Can I just say GENIUS!! This idea from FlapJack is an easy twist on making video slideshows for your kids! You can create cards with QR codes to the videos that you've created throughout the school year! It's easier and much cheaper than buying cd's for every student in class! You can give each student a few cards to share with their families! Name Frames I am absolutely in love with these name frames from Mrs. MeGown's 2nd Grade Safari! I love the process that she used by having her students write down a word to describe each person in the class! She even included it as a freebie! You can grab her freebie and read all about this gift here! You can find frames for a dollar a piece at the Dollar Tree! Such a meaningful gift that students will be able to enjoy for years to come! Beach Balls! I've seen a couple different things you can do with beach balls for the end of the school year. The first is just using it as a fabulous/inexpensive summer gift! Check out Read Write Sing A Kindergarten Story blog post and pick up the free tags!! I have also seen this idea floating around Pinterest and think it's such a cute take on the memory book. Mrs. Patton's Patch explains it all here!! Each student gets a beach ball. You can write "We had a ball in ____ grade!" in Sharpie. Students can sign their names to the beach balls! This idea goes perfect with the popular "Beach Party" theme on the last day! Here's the great news....you can get 12 pack of beach balls for about $7.00 on Amazon!! I hope you were able to find a few fabulous ideas to get you thinking about the end of the year! Have a wonderful week!
This is a fantastic activity that can be used at the beginning of the school year as a way for you to get to know your students and for them to get to know one another. You will distribute a large blank puzzle piece to each of your students, and they will be asked to decorate the puzzle piece with words/pictures that represent them. When the students are finished decorating their puzzle pieces, you can ask them to describe their puzzle piece to their classmates in front of the class or in small groups. This is a great way to pre-assess your students' speaking/listening skills! Once the students have presented their works of art, have them put all of their puzzle pieces together on a wall/door of your classroom to create one large complete puzzle. Students will enjoy checking out their classmates' puzzle pieces for weeks to come in this unique display. This can also be an ideal time to talk about your classroom dynamic - everyone brings their unique personality, interests, and characteristics to create one beautiful, colorful complete picture! The class puzzle can serve as a reminder of that message over time. *Please note: This product comes with a single puzzle piece template. Students' puzzle pieces will connect together to form a large picture or a banner around the classroom, but there are no edge piece templates.
VALUE SET - Each package comes with approximately 200 pieces of assorted paper & sticker ephemera kit, including 120 pieces of matte writing paper (opaque) and 80 pieces of translucent washi stickers. A large collection of all kinds of vintage style junk journal goodies! HIGH QUALITY PAPER & STICKER - Printed on high-quality paper with matte finishing, these approximately 200 piece paper & sticker pack with mixed sizes and designs are easy to peel off, handwriting friendly and printer friendly. NATURE THEMED JUNK JOURNAL EPHEMERA KIT - There are approximately 200 pieces of assorted paper & stickers with a variety of botanical and nature designs, including butterfly, fern, mushrooms, flowers, plants, trees, old newspaper articles and more. Perfect for junk journals, scrapbooking, collages, or nature-themed art projects! MULTI-USE - This scrapbook kit is perfect for art journal, collages, mixed media art, decoupage, scrapbooking, decorating planners, diary and bullet journals, paper crafting, making old looking notebooks, gift wrapping, handmade cards, boxes & packages, gift tags, home decoration, aged looking letters, ancient maps, thank you notes, photo albums, school projects and much more. You will be in love using them to personalize your crafts in vintage affect and impress the recipient. BEAUTIFUL, AESTHETIC PACK - Specially curated for junk journaling enthusiasts, this large ephemera kit contains vintage washi stickers and opaque decorating paper. Use them whole or cut them into smaller pieces for collage projects! These pack is the perfect addition to your personal belongings and also make thoughtful gifts for journal lovers, crafty friends, students, anniversary, birthday and holidays, etc.
How to build a mat board collagraph plate with carborundum - if you ink and wipe your plate intaglio style, this trick will preserve your darks!
Shannon Rankin lives in Rangeley, ME and creates collages, drawings and installations using cut and folded maps. The results might resemble a quilt, a Fibonacci sequence, an anatomical drawing, or …
HAVING TROUBLE COMPOSING a large painting? Think small. Working in a series of smaller pieces is not only fun but it's a great way to build a larger work.
A Picasso-inspired preschool shape art project is a great way to have young students practice using a gluestick while creating stunning art!
Introduced by the Cubists, the technique of creating a work of art by adhering flat articles such as paper, fabrics, string or other materials to a flat surface such as a canvas whereby a three-dimensional result is achieved. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the gelli plate print that I thought I was working on, it's funny how it turned out to be only one of the ones I was actually working on at the time. I just didn't know it. I do plan on coming back to this one....but I got side tracked.....SQUIRREL!! So, as I was working on the above print, I used my journal to press my handmade stamp onto after each pull to clean it off. I had already messed this page up with some inks sprays ( playing with the new TH Spritz Marker, LOVE it btw ) so this page became a "play page"...you know what I mean! lol My hand made stamp was created by using puffy paint on a piece of cardboard to create the raised areas. The size of the stamp is 8 x 12", so it's HUGE! It was inspired by Carolyn Dube a while back and it has become a favorite of mine to play with. So I thought I was finished and began the cleaning up process of taking packing tape to remove the dried up paint off of my gelli plate. I'm about ½ way done here, as you can see it does a pretty good job of removing the paint. Just press the tape down and rub it firmly with your fingers to burnish it onto the plate and then peel up. I learned that little tidbit from the Gelli Arts blog. before tape I wasn't very happy with the initial result I was getting on my art journal page, but always knew I could gesso over it or "whatever" later on... So as I was peeling off the tape, which had a good amount of paint on it, the thought occurred to me to lay it back down over the journal page piece. Just to see how I liked it. I have to admit I fell in love with and it was not something I had set out to do. Funny how that happens, but now I was off on a totally new project. after tape The painted packing tape gave it some color but it's still not very defined and it's very slick and shiny which represents a whole new set of challenges...what to do next? Sooooo....the day before I was discussing Sharpie Oil Based markers vrs their water based markers with Tamiko and she popped up a video which made me go...duh, me! It says that they aren't very good on chalky surfaces but work great on non porous materials....like packing tape perhaps? Let's give it a try! Loving the Oil Based Sharpie on the packing tape and used my regular Sharpie to draw in some black areas. I wanted to keep defining her so I took out my PITT pens to see what the results would be. I didn't worry about them beading up, because that effect made it look just like the gelli print...actually loved and created some shading...but I wanted to make sure it stuck to the tape so I sprayed the page with Helmars Crystal KOTE Varnish and crossed my fingers....and yay it worked! Here is the close up of the lips and under the chin where I did some shading. Finished it off with a quote and had a heck of time finding a black marker ( Sharpie is dry, need another!! lol ) but in the end I used a Montana Marker and the Sharpie Oil Based marker in white. Stick a fork in me, I'm DONE! Entering my art journal page in: Simon Says Monday Challenge - Transparent
Garden Home original artwork created in collage with love by me :) This listing is for both the original 8x10 piece on high-quality cardstock and 8x10 prints of the same piece printed by a professional photo lab. Use the dropdown box to select the product you would like. Unframed, packaged in a clear protective sleeve and a sturdy boarded envelope. Follow me on Instagram! @drawsbyemmashop
This is a project that I used to do with my students and the results were beautiful. You could pick any theme- we used to translate this Ancient Greek style into Ancient Egyptian images, but as yo...
If you have ever wondered how to make one of those cool pieces of art using magazine clippings, this is the post for you! Tips, ideas and inspiration for using cutout images to make neat combined artwork. Mixed media collage tutorial.
Download FREE this recycled paper from a cardboard cereal box texture in high resolution. Use it in your personal or commercial projects.
