a memorable gift . . .

Again, a fabulous art project the students worked on to help develop their art-making skills, their love for making art, and a gift to their teacher.

Since I have the students drawing for the next several weeks, they are working with different drawing materials in a variety of ways. Let me explain a little more. In Elementary school, it is important for the students to have a WIDE range of experiences with materials to get them exposed to the myriad of possibilities when making art. So, during drawing time, I have them work with pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons, oil pastels, charcoal, watercolors markers and crayons, and glue as drawing material. This is not a complete list but includes many of the materials they use for drawing. With such a variety, students not only gain skills at using the medium, but also learn how to use the medium to be creative.

That said, back to the above project. I decided I wanted to WOW the teachers at both schools, teach the children that they could make GREAT art, and work on a collaborative piece, introduce a new skill, and use a scratch tool as a drawing material. PHEW! All in one.

Project . . . I took a digital image of all the teachers first. After changing the saturation levels, I filtered them to a "cartoon" black line. Next, I projected them and drew an outline using black permanent marker on a 21 x 27 posterboard. Griding it to 3 x 3 inch squares, I labeled them using a letter and number system so I could remember how to put them back together. Each student received 3 to 4 squares to color really heavy with the crayon colors of their choice. They were reminded to color in "heavy" to saturate the card with wax. The following week, after painting them lightly with drawing ink, the students used large paper clips to scratch out recognizable African patterns. (this they had a little bit of trouble with)

The last step was to assemble the squares, glue them down on another posterboard, and finish it by painting it with Mod Podge. (Mod Podge is a new find for me)

The result . . . a wonderful project, a great piece of art, and a memorable gift.

with a cool color . . .

Since MOST of the children are getting the glue thing down, and I am running a little low on glue, I decided to move into some works of art that I could teach the students the Elements of Design and a little about Color Theory. At such a young age, it's all an introduction!

This past week the students worked on Line Drawings and learned the difference between warm, cool, and neutral colors. In addition, I taught them how to orient their ruler to the paper and draw straight lines. They usually never use rulers, and rarely use them the right way, so it is important in the art room to teach them how to hold it, draw with it, and measure with it. This week we just focused on not using it as a sword, drawing a straight line without it moving, and hand placement while drawing so you can see the line you are drawing. GREAT FUN!

Above is an example of a Cool Color line design. I did this just in case you think I have some outstanding art student in my class. :) Starting first with a cool color marker, I drew concentric spirals with different colors making sure to keep them in the middle of the paper, close together, and overlapping them. Something we learned last week. Next, I outlined all the spirals with a black line. Following around the black line, I traced around it making sure to draw Arcs each time. I continued until I had several rings around my original spirals. I finished it off my cutting out my design, gluing it on a complimentary color of gray, and then "framing" it in by gluing it to a black background.

only little bits . . .

As well as the other classes, Fourth Grade did some more cutting and gluing to make this FABULOUS radial symmetrical paper design. Here's some examples of what they did for this project. Starting with one piece of paper, they drew a design, cut it out, then glued it down. This step was repeated with three different colors making sure to use only little bits of glue, gluing around the edge of each piece, and making sure that each piece attached is symmetrically balanced.

cutting sqaures and rectangles . . .

More cutting and gluing going on in the art room. Here's an example of a First Graders rendition of Mondrian's Composition with Red, Yellow, and Blue 1920. This however, is done with gluing practice in mind! The students cut rectangles and squares out of primary colored construction paper on day one. Then on day two, they cut THIN strips of black paper to put the squares and rectangles in "cages." This particular student has been using both hands on his glue and POURING it out all over the paper. That was until this project. FINALLY, he has gotten the idea of only using one hand on the glue, and writing like a pencil. ( it is so nice to see them acquire skills that will last them a lifetime)

technology and art . . .

Did I mention that I love using technology in the artroom?

Well, I am back to using a Document Camera at both elementary schools I am teaching at this year. The old statement "you have not because you ask not" (which is taken from the Bible) is true whether you acknowledge God or not. At both school, I asked if there were any extra document cameras that I could use to demonstrate how to make things. To my surprise, both schools supplied me with one that I can keep in the art room permanently! I also get the use of an LCD projector, a laptop, and a Mimio board. The Mimio board is the newest "Smartboard" that changes your existing whiteboard into an interactive whiteboard.

Now, what would I need all this technology in the artroom for? (especially with elementary students) To begin with, using a document camera is almost like using an artist demonstration mirror. The students are able to see your hands moving making art, so when you are modeling how to cut, glue, or draw, the students can watch you like live video. It is actually EXTREMELY helpful expecially if you place the camera on one side of the room and the screen on the other. The students face the screen, not you, and you are able to watch them watching your demonstration. It is a great way to "show" what you want instead of explaining. When you teach Audio, Visually, and Kinesthetically at the same time, students learm quickly. Last year I used my camera hooked up to my TV as a makeshift document camera.

I also use a digital camera to take images of the student's work. These works of art are uploaded to our school's Artsonia.com online gallery. In addition to uploading the images to the online gallery, they can also be copied into a shared folder that the students have access too. (I have not done this yet with the schools I am at now, but it is in the planning stages) I want to begin teaching the students to use installed prgrams like Word, Exel, and Paint programs as well as teach them to use some photo manipulating applications. My plan is to have them use images of their OWN artwork to digitally alter to make a NEW piece of digital art.

more with glue . . .

Since the children are still making a Swimming Pool Party for Barbie with their glue, I have decided to continue our cutting and gluing practice for another project. (that's the phrase I use when the children use too much glue on their projects)

When working with glue, I give the students some simple tips to follow so they use as little glue as possible to attach works of art.

GLUE TIPS AND TECHNIQUES

1. Only use one hand on the glue
2. Write with the glue like a pencil
3. Always make the cap touch the paper you are gluing
4. Use as LITTLE glue as possible (I bark teeny, teeny, teeny, teeny . . . )
5. Glue the movable paper ( the paper you are gluing down)
6. Rub your hand together to get the glue off your fingers
7. Close the cap at the end of the lesson (not each time you glue something) and wipe the glue off the top with your fingers (then do number 6 again)
   

Sounds like a whole bunch of information for students to process huh? However, if you saw close to 500 students a week like I do, and the amount of glue that is moving in the art room, you would probably have a longer list!

when you cut paper . . .

Since we are working with scissors and glue in the classroom, I thought about giving this small scissor tutorial that I tell the students. To begin with, the proper hand placement when working with scissors is important for maximum control when cutting. Obviously if the scissors have a small and large hole, your thumb goes in the small hole, and your fingers (at least two) goes in the oval. If you are using a pair like the one pictured, your middle finger goes in one hole while your pointer finger adds stability to the top of the handle.

When cutting a circle out of paper, there are two scissor placement to keep in mind so you don't "butcher" the paper while you cut. If you're hand is ABOVE the paper, you cut COUNTER CLOCKWISE . . . if your hand is UNDER the paper, you cut CLOCKWISE. Most adults do this naturally when they cut, but students often don't realize they are shredding the paper by cutting in the wrong direction. I use a simple command like "Put your scissors UNDER your paper" without explaining the process. With older students I will explain the concept of directional cutting, but for the younger students . . . it is just TMI!

When cutting a square, it is always important to cut TO THE CORNER. Never cut OUT OF THE CORNER. This will take some practice. If you cut out of the corner, it will tear the paper, and you will have a YUCKY looking corner. If you cut to the corner, each corner will be crisp and sharp. When cutting inside the paper border (I call this a puncture cut because you have to puncture a hole in it to get your scissors in) you must concentrate on cutting towards the corners on angles first so that you can come back with the second cut and cut TO THE CORNERS.

cut around it . . .

We've been continuing on with some paper projects in the art room. Knowing that students have a difficult time working out of a vacuum, (a blank canvas doing whatever they want) I decided to lead them in a FUN one day activity that helped them continue to develop their cutting and gluing skills.

Each class, Kindergarten through Fourth, started with a small square and cut it into a circle shape. After gluing it to another colored square, they cut around it a little wider to show the second color under it. This same process continued on until the circle was quite large and the class was nearly finished. Instruction were given on how to hold scissors with correct hand placement, effective cutting techniques, proper amounts of glue to use . . . and the list goes on. It's GREAT to watch an entire class of students engaged in a lesson, paying attention, and interested in how to use glue and scissors the correct way.

Each class used all extra, up-cycled paper I found in the classroom closets as I was cleaning up after the last few art teacher's stay. Instead of throwing it away, they made it into some wonderful art, developed their skills, and my closets got a face lift! The example above is a combination of the ones I did as examples using a Document Camera to model.

The idea came from an artist that works with paper and does three dimensional work. Jen Stark does some FABULOUS paper work and has inspired me for years to make great things out of colored paper.

This next piece is one made up of the scraps I had left.

sharpening skills . . .

Below are some samples of what the students at Liberty and Unity Elementary are working on for the first few weeks of school. To begin with, students are getting reacquainted working with glue and scissors. The directions of "writing like a pencil" and "make the top of the glue bottle touch the paper" is used over and over. :) Students were instructed to glue the "moving part" of what they were working on, and to use as little glue as possible when gluing. Each class used only construction paper to make these FABULOUS works of art.

Fourth Grade: Portraits

Third Grade: Landscapes

Second Grade: Vegetable Collage

First Grade: Concentric Squares Collage

Kindergarten: Construction Paper Insect

What a great time working with paper! For the next two projects the students will continue to sharpen their cutting and gluing skills and make a few more paper projects.

starting off right . . .

Well, the start of a new year, and the start of some new PROJECTS! For the first two weeks the students are working with scissors, glue, and construction paper. Each class is learning how to use basic materials and how to manipulate them to create a wonderful paper product. Along with learning the classroom procedures and norms, the students will spend a few weeks working with the same materials to become "experts" with them.

re-connecting . . .

A portrait that I am working on for a friend. It is fun to re-connect with the ole pencil again . . . I haven't done portraiture in a long time. It's nice to be back struggling to get the likeness and the "sense" of a person on paper!

to get inspired . . .

A couple of scratch art projects I have done at school as examples for students to get inspired from. I am excited to use this site to start displaying student work and to use as a communication tool for parents and students. I want to have lesson plans available for parents to look at, upcoming projects that we will be doing in the art room, and pictures of the student's work.