I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For Ice Cream!

These two lessons are very similar. The first was taught to a fourth grade class and the second to a third grade class. They both use the same ice cream bowl imagery with a patterned background. The older grade used tempera (so theirs are actually not done yet) and the younger grade worked smaller and used oil pastels.

For the tempera lesson, I provided only primary colors, brown, white, and (lastly) black (for shades in the toppings). The background is done in marker. Each scoop of ice cream has to be a different tint (flavor).

My sample painting:

For the oil pastel lesson, blending is key. Again the scoops all have to be a different tint (flavor). Even if the students used pink I asked them to add white to tint it even lighter. Required number of scoops: three or more.

A few student examples:

Random Object Yankee Swap! Gr. 4

Almost everyone knows how a Yankee swap works. You pick a gift then get to swap with someone else no matter if they want to or not. And being the first to choose means you get to swap last and have your choice of everything. It can be fun or frustrating depending on what you get stuck with.

Anyway, I was in need of a fourth grade mini lesson last week and thought it might be fun to try with random small objects that are placed in a box. These could range from art supplies to little toys or knick knacks or pretty much whatever is handy and whatever you have enough of for every student to get one thing. The students are already assigned numbers in their classroom so they chose from the box in that order. It was great fun and although it did take a little longer than expected with all the swapping, it was worth it.

Once the swap was completed, students were instructed to draw their objects from observation. They could incorporate the following:

• cropping
• change in view point
• overlapping
• change in scale

They were asked to draw the objects more than once, but you'll see from the examples below that this did not always happen. Once the drawings were complete and traced over with permanent marker, they had some choices for how they could finish them off with watercolor. These were:

• Paint around the object only and leave the object white -- Not many chose this option.
• Paint the object and a border only and leave the background white -- The popular choice.
• Optional: Add some splatter paint. This first occurred to fix a stray mark and then everyone wanted to try it so I said it would be okay if they were careful of others working around them.

Here are the results of this little art game experiment:

Wind up snail toy.

Miniature brass candelabra.

Key chain.

Toy alien figure (with movable arms).

Little felt craft bear.

Key chain.

Alien toy (this student never started the painting because he was so careful of his drawing).

Plastic minute timer.

Bulldog clip.

Cowboy hat car air freshener.

Sneaker Contour Drawings - Grade 4

My example -- I borrowed one of  the students' sneakers to do the demonstration.

I love to teach observational drawing lessons and was excited when the regular art teacher asked me to start this lesson with the fourth grade students.

The students were asked to remove one sneaker and place it in front of them. After getting over the initial gross factor of the boys trying to sniff their sneakers to freak out the girls the drawing could begin.

At first the students thought it was too difficult to draw a sneaker. They were asked to begin on a draft paper so that they could work through the learning process before making marks on the final paper. Many wanted to just trace their sneakers and did not like when I said they had to observe and draw what they saw, not trace. They also got frustrated when they had to go back and re-evaluate what they had drawn because they weren't getting life-size sketches. I jokingly said that the shoes could not look like they fit them when they were babies. They had to be big enough to fit now, which for some students was pretty big. This lightened things up a bit and gave them the courage to try again.

I made no misrepresentations during the demo and cautioned students that this was a challenging assignment that would require concentration and focus and less talking then I would normally allow in the art room. After about ten minutes of drawing they appreciated my candid approach and really focused their efforts, making multiple attempts, calling me over to help when they got stuck on certain parts, etc. Some students created such detailed drafts that they were worried they could not reproduce the result on the final paper, so I allowed them to use the windows to trace their sketches onto the final drafts. They had no idea that this was even possible.

Now, I have no clue how these drawings will end up or what the final project will look like when it is completed. I like the idea of keeping the contour drawings with little or no color, maybe just going over them in maker. I would also like to see them finished with a border design that incorporates the crazy cool patterns that are on the bottoms of the sneakers. I'll have to keep an eye out for these in the halls the next time I am at this school so I can see what will have become of them.

Here are some of the drawings. They were all really great and I'd love to share all of them, but I'll settle for just these for now.

Glue & Watercolor Ocean Scenes - Grade 4

 A few weeks ago I was in for the same art teacher as I was this past week and I got to see this project started. I was happy to be able to see it finished last week. Most of the students were close to done, but about half the class was still finishing up the painting part.

 

The students started by drawing their ocean scenes using packets of sea life pictures for inspiration (no tracers!). Then they had to go over all the pencil lines with glue that had been mixed with black tempera. Honestly, this part was a huge hassle. The glue bottles kept getting clogged with the paint or the mix would be greyish instead of black. And if too much pressure was used trying to squeeze it out blobs occurred. There has to be a better way than using the glue bottle as applicators -- maybe those hair color applicators would work better.

 

Once the gluing was done and dry they started watercolor (that part was what I missed). Then they finished them last week. In this post are some of my favorites from the bunch. I just had to share them. Despite the initial frustration with the glue they look great.

 I don't know where the regular teacher got this idea. I've seen plenty of glue outline paintings online in blogs and such. I'm sure many have done something like this.

Faberge Eggs -- Upper Elementary

So I wanted to do something for Easter that wasn't specifically "Easter" so I thought Faberge eggs would be nice since they incorporate some very famous art, some use of recycled materials and can be finished in any number of ways depending on how long you have to work on the project.

I was inspired for this idea by a book that I found at a local Used Book Superstore. The book pages are puzzles!

Faberge Treasures Jigsaw Puzzle Book from the Forbes Collection

Another great book resource is Faberge Fantasies and Treasures by Geza Von Harsburg:

The materials to start this project are very easy to find: newspaper (torn up), Elmer's art paste, larger plastic Easter eggs (found at the dollar store):

Step one: Cover the eggs with at least three or four layers of newspaper that has been dipped in the art paste. Since this will have to dry completely before the next step, you may want to allow students who work faster to make more than one egg.

Step two: When the paper mache is completely dry, use an x-acto blade to cut a seam around the middle. This is not safe for students to do on their own. The paper egg should easily come off the plastic one. If you want to save time you can leave the egg in the middle and go on to step four in the first class.

Step three: Then have students tape them closed again.

Step four: Add a layer or two of white paper over the newspaper. I used torn printer paper. Then add a few layers of white tissue paper over that for a nicer finish. Let dry again.

Step five: Decorating! For this step there are many options. Depending on how much time you have you can combine some of these with step four (if you are using tissue paper to decorate) or you can allow a full class time to complete the decorating.

Using tissue paper is a favorite option of mine because when applied with glossy Mod Podge it gives a jewel-like finish. Paint is another option: either tempera or watercolor. I really liked using the watercolor. I suppose you could all out glitter, but I didn't try that one. To get puffy gold paint I actually added gold paint to Elmer's white glue in the bottle so that the tip could be used as the applicator to get the line work. Glitter Mod Podge is nice (see the red egg). Prang makes a nice selection of metallic markers that look good over the painted eggs (see the dark purple egg). Embellishments up the bling factor (like sequin strands and rhinestones). The biggest thing, I think, is that the eggs be shiny, so they should all be coated with some type of gloss, either the Mod Podge that I used on all the eggs or some other gloss medium or varnish.

 This egg was drawn on with blue permanent marker, then layers of two shades of blue tissue paper were applied with glossy Mode Podge. Once that was dry (about 5 minutes), the gold was added with the glue bottle. That is the hardest part because it will drip and it is difficult to hold the egg while applying the decoration. It also takes a while for the thick gold glue to dry. Once it is dry hot glue the rhinestones on.

 This egg was painted with purple tempera (red and blue mixed together), allowed to dry (about 5 - 10 minutes), coated with glossy Mod Podge (dry again for about 5 - 10 minutes), and then drawn on with the metallic markers by Prang.

 This egg was painted with red tempera, allowed to dry (about 5 minutes), coated with glittery Mod Podge (dry again for 5 - 10 minutes), then the sequin strands and rhinestones are applied with hot glue.

 This egg was first drawn on with the gold glue to create sections for the colors, this had to dry and again was difficult to do. Also the egg has to be held while it dries unless you don't apply the gold to one of the tips. After about 20 minutes of drying time, the sections were painted using wet Q-tips and watercolors, which dried fairly quickly. Then apply a layer of gloss or glitter Mod Podge. The rhinestones were hot glued on.

This egg may be my favorite. It was decorated with dark blue tissue paper applied with Glossy Mod Podge. Shades of pink tissue paper were cut into diamond shapes and collaged over that. Tissue paper circles were collaged on the top and bottom. The gold glue was used to make the dots. The metallic markers were used to outline the shapes. The gold glue was also applied to the tip and a rhinestone was pressed into that.

Accordion Book Variation: Pocket Folds -- Gr. 4

This lesson uses the same basic structure as the eight page accordion that was described earlier this month. The major difference is the added complexity of pocket folds. The paper is cut 6 1/2 by 16". Folds are at 1/2", 1 3/4" and 4 1/4" measured up from the bottom. The pocket consists of two folds (one to form the lip and one that folds up to form the pocket). The top is folded down to create a folded edge at the top to match the one on the bottom. It is best to score the paper before folding to get an even crease.

Unlike the last book lesson, I recommend folding first for this and filling in the drawings afterwards. Once all the drawings are done, use glue along the folds where the pockets are to secure them. Also glue the outside seams shut.
Since this lesson uses the pocket fold accordion book, I also have the students draw and cut out objects to go into the pockets. The lesson presented follows the theme "In or Under," which basically means that the students should be able to describe their book as representing objects found in or under something of theirs. For example: "Objects in my backpack" or "Things under my bed."
Remind the students that their objects should be large enough so they can be seen peeking out of the pockets, not hidden in them. Some students choose to have the design/object on the pocket go with the object in it -- that is an optional extension. In all, however, there are 16 objects represented (8 on the pockets and 8 in the pockets).
For the example given I used colored pencils to fill in the drawings after outlining with black sharpie. This technique makes the drawings stand out. It is important to color with lots of layers to get rich, saturated colors. Also, remember to color the interior of the pocket as well as the pocket itself not just the objects. For the interior of the pocket I used a layering technique to give the drawing more variety.
Create a book cover and back using chip board, cardboard or mat board. The board can be left plain or covered with fabric or paper (as in the example). Make a small image/text design to put on the front to title the book (in the example: "Art Room"). Attach the boards with Elmer's glue. If you want to add a ribbon, sandwich that between the board and the book before attaching the back cover. You can also add a button to the front using hot glue; this gives you something to wrap the ribbon around to keep the book closed when not on display.

Foam Board Mosaics -- Elementary Level

This coming Saturday I will be teaching an art lesson at a party. There will be kids of various ages from 4 to 13 years old, so I needed a project idea that was adaptable for those ages. This mosaic idea was shared with me at the North Shore Art Teachers Association meeting last school year and I've been meaning to give it a try, so this seems like the perfect opportunity.

The materials are lower cost if you shop around at the dollar stores. The primary material is foam board (which was $1 a sheet at the store). I painted all the boards in advance, but if doing this in a classroom where you have the time you can have the students do this step. I used toothbrushes and bath poofs to add texture to some of the boards; I also used paint brushes and rags to apply paint for varied results.

Next, cut the boards into long strips of about 1 1/2" in width. Leave the strips alone after that and allow the students to use scissors to cut the strips into geometric "tile" pieces.

Distribute Elmer's or tacky glue in small cups as well as cheap paint brushes and water cups. Hand out cardboard rectangles, squares, or pizza circles for the students to use as bases.

The students will then apply the foam tiles, cutting to size, by painting the backs with glue. I used the tacky glue because it adheres better and dries faster. Hint: It is easier to work from the outside edge toward the center when starting the design.

Here is the sample that I made. I will add photos of student examples if I can take a few at Saturday's party.

Mardi Gras Masks - Gr. 4 or Gr. 5

So this coming week is February vacation week for some school districts but not for others, so for those who will be in school for Mardi Gras I wanted to share this one-day lesson that I evolved from something that I've seen other art teachers do.

This lesson teaches about positive/negative space, symmetry, and precision cutting skills, so I recommend it for either fourth or fifth grade especially if going for more intricate designs.


Step 1: Using a half-sheet of paper draw a half mask design from the edge. This will actually create the entire mask when glued down. Once the design is drawn carefully cut only on the drawn lines. That is the challenging part because if you cut on the paper to get to a line you risk ruining the image.

Step 2: With all pieces cut out, assemble them onto a full sheet of paper. It helps to start with the pieces that are on the edge and work from there. When all pieces are in the correct place glue them down as neatly as possible.

Step 3: This is where I have "evolved" the lesson. I added embellishments with sequin strands, ribbons, feathers, rhinestones, and gold glitter. All of which really glitz things up to bring to mind the celebratory nature of Mardi Gras!

Romero Britto Inspired Pattern Hearts - Gr 5

Kids Heart by Romero Britto.

I was looking for an interesting new artist to introduce students to instead of always turning to Jim Dine who is so well known for his heart paintings. What I found was the artist Romero Britto and the artwork above.

Britto uses a variety of patterns in the background of this piece and some of the designs use different shades of the same color. I thought this was an important aspect to touch on in the students' work. So using different shades of the same color in at least one of the patterns of each heart became part of the lesson criteria. In addition students had to use completely different patterns in each of their three hearts (no repeats at all). The individual hearts had to contain six patterns each for a total of 18 patterns (6 x 3 = 18 if you want throw a little math quiz in there).

Materials are simple enough: White paper, pencils, heart tracers, and markers. And you will need construction paper to mount the hearts onto.

My example.

It is best to break the hearts into segments with pencil, but then to do all the pattern making directly with black Sharpie markers before coloring in with water-based markers.

A student example.

Metallic Hearts: Two Variations, Same Materials - Gr. 4

This particular lesson could easily be done with a younger (third grade) or older (fifth grade) group of students. It uses materials typically available in most art rooms: White model magic (1 oz. per student), cardboard cut to size (3 x 4"), metallic acrylic paint (I used a copper color), sponges, construction paper, and brushes (to apply paint).

Initially my idea was to use the model magic to create unique heart stamps. The stamps will need to dry completely for at least a day.

Use simple items like old automatic pencils that are out of lead to shape the designs.

Close up of one of the model magic hearts.

These would then be used with the metallic paint (although you could probably use printing ink, too) to stamp the hearts onto the construction papers (4" square). Additional pieces of construction paper (5 1/2" square) would be sponge painted with the same metallic paint to create a border for the stamped designs. Alternate the stamped paper color and the sponged paper color. Then arrange the three images on a third piece of construction paper (8 x 18").


But then I was left with these paint covered stampers that were beautiful on their own. So the variation is to paint the stampers and the cardboard they are on with the metallic color to create a sort of sculptural relief image. Mount these onto two pieces of off-set construction paper for a nice display.
And that is how I inadvertently developed two projects in one two-day lesson.