artsprouts

Making Peach Blossom Land

2011-03-22T08:28:00.000-07:00

A
Cardboard, masking tape and shoe polish were used to make wood.

B
This is the boat pattern.

C
Oil based clay was used to make food. Here a student is making Mandarin oranges.

D
Wooden people were painted flesh colored. When the paint was dry a permanent marker was used to draw on hair and faces.

E

F
Tree trunks were made using trunk tape, rubber cement, and paper towel tubes.

G
Peach blossoms were made from paper dyed. Colored water was dripped onto watercolor paper with a dropper.

H
Flowers were punched out with a die cutter. Smaller petals were punched out with a mini-hole punch.

I
Trunks were attached to blossom clouds.

J
The blossom clouds were painted with dots to add depth.

K
Red beads were glued to the center of the punched blossoms.

L
Wooden blocks were glued together to make houses.

M

To inform the production research of clothing, houses, boats, flowers, and food was done on the Internet.
The only purchase made for the production was the flower die cutter. All other materials were laying around waiting to be used. Nearly all of the materials were donated.

Peach Blossom Land

2011-03-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

This short film was produced to demonstrate Movie maker to students as a fun way to inform an audience about their interests and learning.

I began by selecting a story which I could easily visualize in my head. I determined the number of scenery and characters I would need. Then began sketching out a story board. I decided to use 3D and 2D illustration, along with video. I didn't use stop action animation, rather I incorporated multiple scenes which provided more visual body for telling the story. Stop action would have been more appropriate if I was doing a short 30 second film.
The activity is a lesson in discipline and creative thinking. Creating the scenery and props took many hours (very fun work though), but the actual film is only four and a half minutes long. The process reminded me of preparing Thanksgiving dinner.

How I look at TV commercials changed during the process. I paid more attention to the "tricks" used for improving visual and content impact.

The film could be used to discuss: making short films using Movie maker, the meaning of the story, ethics in film making and more. Maybe I'll be able to teach this process to some willing students. I do need better filming equipment, however even with a rudimentary camera a charming film can be made.

Art Camp

2010-07-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

TISSUE PAPER COLLAGE

WATERCOLOR AND PEN SELF PORTRAIT

TISSUE PAPER MASK

CARDBOARD SCULPTURE

NYLON SCULPTURE

CERAMIC MEDALLION
Recently I helped out at the Boys & Girls Club Summer Art Camp. The theme was "Self Portraits." Students were encouraged to use color, and symbols to create portraits of themselves.
The variety in techniques and materials introduced the students to different ways to communicate a self-portrait.

Technology Enhanced Art Education

2010-07-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

Flickr, is a popular image gallery available free on the web. Photos of students' work are uploaded and used for:
*creating a portfolio for each student
*conducting group critiques using the annotation feature
*providing a public gallery

I used Flickr, to upload photos of my 7th grade students' artist trading cards. The trading cards were part of a community art show exhibited at the Stair Public Library. I used the ATC lesson/event to introduce various methods and materials, and to promote storytelling/individuality through the use of written prompts. Working like an artist is a thoughtful process that involves planning and preparation. During this pre-construction time students might evaluate personal experiences and interests, acknowledging global concerns, sketch out compositions, and make plans with materials.

I find that students need persistent guidance to escape from the symbolic cliche's commonly found within the middle school community. Students are concerned with acceptance and are looking for friends that share their interests. Many students are fearful of appearing different. Others test the levels of acceptance with repellent behaviors or appearance. Compelling artistic expression requires effort. Students who lack confidence, imagination, or energy are prone to create art that includes stars, hearts, sports logos, trees, butterflies, and the like. Students need to be reminded that the above mention symbols are weak and unoriginal representations that evade the unique and original qualities of their lives.

Students need to be reminded that ultimately it is the fresh and original voice that warrants the most appreciation and attention.

Adult Students

2010-07-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

I was a presenter at the 2009 Michigan Art Education Association's Annual Convention.
I demonstrated a lesson on creating Dale Chihuly style sculpture from pop bottles.
It was a joy to instruct other art educators. They are eager to learn, are generous with supplies, and they are ready to show originality in their work.
Here are some examples.

Advocating Art Education

2010-07-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

No other subject taught in schools requires advocacy like Visual Art Education. While attending Eastern Michigan University I created a professional website to show a snapshot of the work I do as an Art Educator.

Chair-ity Auction

2010-07-09T05:42:00.000-07:00

The Lenawee Council for the Visual Arts holds a Chair-ity Auction to raise funds for the Boys and girls Club of Adrian. The auction coincides with the Art-a-licious street festival. 2009 was my second year creating a chair for the auction. I wrote a photo-essay of the creative process I went through to design and construct the chair. I submitted this to the Adrian College Gallery on Writing a mini-writing gallery within the National Gallery of writing. My essay titled "The Chair of Possibility" is the featured piece of the gallery. Those that teach can also DO.

Monet's Waterlilies Dk - 1

2010-02-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

Beautiful

Stained Glass DK-1st

2010-02-27T13:41:00.000-08:00

At one point my windows were completely covered in these mini stained windows. I talk students about the history of stained glass (church windows, cobalt, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Paul Chagal) but we focused on the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. For the all school art show I affixed the windows to some old storm windows and lit the whole thing up like a lantern.

Meat Tray Prints 7th Grade

2010-02-27T13:37:00.000-08:00

Students carved into meat trays and made prints on white and colored paper. we also made mono-prints.

Batik 2nd Grade

2010-02-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

These are images from the 08-09 school year. I feel bad when I see them because I wish I had gotten them some of them into some bigger art shows.

Rubbings 1st Grade

2010-02-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

Students cut pieces of thin cardboard and glued them onto another piece of cardboard. When the glue was dry students laid a piece of paper over the top of there image and made a rubbing. I really love this lesson.

Bear Shadow DK - K

2010-02-27T13:19:00.000-08:00

I read Frank Ache's Bear Shadow to my students. We talked about how the shadow resembles us and where the sun has to be to create a good shadow. Students then made a bear shadow picture.

Crazy Hair 7th Grade

2010-02-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

Students made line drawing portraits, divided the drawing into sections and filled each section with a different pattern. Students were encourages to use different kinds of lines and line widths.

Printmaking 7th Grade

2010-02-27T13:06:00.000-08:00

More 08-09 memories. I gave students rectangles of foam insulation. They carved into the foam, rolled on ink (lightest color), and printed. After washing off the foam students carved in to the foam again, applied a different color and printed again. Ambitious students carved a third time into the foam and printed. Many beautiful results.

Mehndi Hands 2nd Grade

2010-02-27T12:06:00.000-08:00

These hands came out lovely. We looked at intricate images of Henna dyed hands, and learned about the history and ceremonial practices for these hand designs.

Plaster Hands

2010-02-27T11:34:00.001-08:00

As Miss Frizzle says, "Let's get messy!" Many years ago I saw this project done at Deerfield Schools. I tried to find examples on the net, but resources were limited. No matter, because my students creativity exceeded my expectations. I don't think my students will forget this experience.

Australian Hand Prints DK-1

2010-02-27T11:20:00.001-08:00

What can I say? These were just beautiful. Oh, and they were so fun to make! We made this in the Winter of 09.

What Art Teachers Do On Snowdays II

2010-02-26T14:05:00.000-08:00

Kandinsky 3rd Grade

2010-02-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

Students made concentric circles of yarn on small squares of cardboard. The squares were arranged and glued to another piece of cardboard.

Green Hei Gen

2009-11-29T15:27:00.000-08:00

Students learned about Chinese artist Zhou Chunya and his Green Dog series. Students could bring in a picture of a pet and used image from magazines to inspire their own green dogs. We discussed why the artist may have chosen green and what emotions and messages he was trying to convey in his work.

Glue-resist Self Portraits DK - 2nd grades

2009-11-29T15:15:00.000-08:00

This was my second self portrait lesson on 8.5 x 5.5 inch paper. The first year was a tape resist and tempera paints on black paper. For the 2008 - 2009 school year students made a glue resist with colored chalk on black paper. These examples were made by first and second graders.

Michigan's Endangered Speicies

2009-11-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

December 2008 I visited Cranbrook which was exhibiting prints and photographs from Andy Warhol. Part of the show was a collection of prints titled Endangered Species. I was thinking about developing a science/art lesson which incorporated Warhol, printmaking, and regional endangered species. While researching Warhol I discovered he collaborated on a book with scientist Kurt Benirschke titled Vanishing animals. Warhol's resulting art was a combination of collage and printmaking. To prepare my students I introduced them to local endangered species: The Spotted Turtle and the Marbled Salamander. I didn't even know these species existed in our region until I started researching for this lesson.
The students colored with paint, outlined with marker, applied tissue paper collage, and squeezed paint from a bottle to make an off-set "registration line."

Second grade Students' Klimt Portraits

2009-11-28T14:31:00.000-08:00

A study in Klimt, patterning, portraits resulted in these charming mixed media pictures.

Da Vinci Machines

2009-11-28T14:11:00.001-08:00

I think has to be the project that demanded the most of my students higher order thinking skills. Students used view finders to locate graphic images in magazines. The purpose and scale of the images were distorted and used to design an original machine of unique purpose.

In the following image the student didn't follow all the lesson requirements. Still, his invention showed an extraordinary talent and imagination.

Da Vinci Memories

2009-11-28T13:57:00.000-08:00

I called this Modigliani Lisa.

We called this one Mona Lester.

These are just a few of my favorite images from last year's Da Vinci Unit with the 7th graders.

This was a lesson in using the grid method. Students were given an image of the Mona Lisa with a grid drawn over it. They then attempted a square by square transfer of the lines within that square to a pre-gridded paper. They repeated the process on a piece of cardboard onto which they had drawn a grid. After transferring their lines they applied color (colored chalk) - inventively if they so chose.

Klimt The Teacher's working examples

2009-03-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

Artist Trading Cards

2009-03-07T12:20:00.000-08:00

The third and fourth grade students' cards were displayed on the the banners. The seventh grade cards were displayed using the foam pyramids.

Inspiring the Teacher

2009-03-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since my last entry. I apologize to all the fans of the site. Over the Christmas break I had some enriching experiences. I went and saw an art show at the DIA that was from the Cleveland Museum's collection. Works included in the exhibit were from Mondrian, Dali, Magritte, Picasso, Renoir, Rodan, Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, and others. There were many beautiful works, but a few are branded on my soul. What I find to be art's most masterful technical achievement is its ability to stir my heart. Many of the works made me wistful while sparking my imagination. The Dali had a painful quality to it, but the colors were so electric that I felt like I was looking at work that was created in the 70's rather than the 1920's.
I went to the Detroit Science Center to see the da Vinci exhibit and I visited the Heidelberg Project. (The car hoods are more charming in person.) All of these events help me to see the world in ways daily life cannot. Picture images and imagining cannot replace seeing objects person.

Seventh Grade Artist Trading Cards

2009-01-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Before making our trading cards students were given PowerPoint presentations on creativity & originality, also one on high quality examples of trading cards.
I gave students some activities to draw out their creativity that are based on techniques used in writing classes. I emphasized story, message, and emotions. Additionally, students were given several mini lessons regarding materials, and techniques for creating engaging trading cards including Styrofoam & marker prints, sand paper & crayon transfers, crayon and black tempera etchings,tape resist, glue resist, rubbings, water soluble marker washing, and line drawing.

Georgia O'Keefe Style Chrysanthemums

2009-01-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

Water based markers washed with water.
DK, K and 1st graders were introduced to Georgia O'Keefe and her inflated compositions of flowers. Students were encouraged to leave the tips of the petals off the page, but this was really heard for them. These little ones tend to interpret what that know about the subject and ignore the boundaries of the paper.

Chrysanthemum Collage -second grade

2009-01-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

Interpreting a chrysanthemum in paper was a bit challenging for these second graders, but they did a great job of solving the problem and of establishing a unique style through composition and materials.

Chrysanthemums - third grade

2009-01-07T11:25:00.000-08:00

Oil Pastel on white paper, painted over with diluted blue tempera.

I bought chrysanthemums and had them in planters and vases on the tables. I'm sorry I didn't get pictures of the students working during this process.
These paintings are vibrant and sweet at the same time.

A few words about developmental perception. Children often attach their artistic expression around certain behaviors influenced by their peers. Examples would be stick people, bug people, suns in the corner of the paper, a blue stripe for the sky, a green stripe for the earth, v-shaped birds, and five petaled flowers.

While I modeled (with restraint so as not to impose my style into their style) how to construct a chrysanthemum, students demonstrated some problems with their perception that is reinforced by the creative influences of their peers. Students want all the flower stems to show, and sometimes they would bend the stems around other flowers, or they would draw stems that seemed to begin or end in inconceivable places.

This year I have talked a lot about the invisible composition and implied line. What I love the most about these discussions is seeing the thunderstruck expressions on the faces of those who "get it." Also, I love the excited energy that is born out of their having acquired greater clarity in seeing objects.

Folk Art Eyes by Second Graders

2009-01-07T10:59:00.000-08:00

Tempera on cardboard with oil pastel designs. Black construction paper background.

This lesson is based on a folk art piece (artist unknown) make from scrap wood. Students were encouraged to create high impact through their choices of colors and patterning.

Consider this thought while appreciating this work, "The attentive eye sees and reflects what is wonderful in our world."

Paper Sack Scrolls

2008-10-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

Colored pencil on paper sack.
This is work done by fourth graders was created during our study of the eye. If you click on the photos you will get a close up look of find wise eyes looking at you.

Salamanders

2008-10-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

Second grader Jasmine Crowell gave me the most amazing gift, a baby blue spotted salamander. He was the cutest and sweetest little salamander! The picture of me with the salamander was taken on the day I sent him back to his real home among the decaying leaves. I read The Salamander Room
to my students and then we drew pictures of salamanders. These colored pencil drawings were done by kindergartners. The book emphasizes that salamanders belong in the words, so I had Jasmine take him back to nature. I miss my little spotted friend, but the beautiful drawings are a wonderful reminder of him.

The Eyes Have It

2008-10-26T08:42:00.001-07:00

The first graders made collage eyes in the style of Renee Magritte's "False Mirror." The students in Mrs. Elliott's class wrote, "Today we learned how to draw an eye." Art teachers are concerned about preserving a child's "creative self expression." As educators we are in a constant struggle to provide skills and knowledge of art terms without corrupting the child's unique creative impulses. However, even by the time they are in first grade their perceptions of creative expression has been corrupted by cultural influences. We have to explain what the atmosphere is and that the sky is not a blue stripe at the top of the page, the earth is not a green stripe at the bottom, bodies are not circles or ovals with stick lines emerging from them, bodies have mass and dimension. Eyes are not dots or circles, they are almond shaped. The concept is challenging, because all knowledge is.
Study of the eye was reinforced in science also. In science we learned about: the sense of seeing, the parts of the eye, the basic function of the parts of the eye, dysfunctions of the eye, light, color, and UV light.
Life isn't all science so we considered the proverb, "The eyes are the windows to the soul." Hopefully, these young people will recognize that there is much to see, know, and express about life.

Whirling Beginnings

2008-10-25T15:04:00.000-07:00

The first project of the year was a service project. The whole elementary school made pinwheels for the Neal Singles Run. The run happened to fall on International Peace Day. To demonstrate their appreciation for the work done by the education foundation and their concerns for peace not only in the world but in the school, community, and the home, the students created Pinwheels for Peace.
"Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two Art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, who teach at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida, as a way for students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives. The project was quickly embraced by their students and the entire school community and by millions of art teachers, teachers, parents, children and adults who desire peace in our world" (http://www.pinwheelsforpeace.com/theproject.html).
The students contribution made the day of the race very special indeed.

Chihuly Style Flowers

2008-06-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

Close-ups of the Chihuly flowers on a sunny day.

Art is Springing Up

2008-06-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

The fourth graders constructed Chihuly Style flowers from pop bottles and bed springs. Bottles were cut, melted, painted, drilled, and attached to painted bed springs. On a foggy morning the flowers were installed in the lawn looking like alien flowers. Fun times.

Dandelions

2008-05-24T14:42:00.001-07:00

Dandelion Fields by Walker in Kindergarten

I don't often teach projects that can be done in one day. Usually, I choose projects that take several weeks to complete. The benefits are that the students' persistence, attention span, and their ability to conceptualize are strengthened.
But, at the end of the year, it's nice to have quick and uncomplicated projects.
Using a variety of green crayons, fingers tips, and yellow paint students made a field of dandelions.

Coloring the grass, and using restraint in painting dandelions was harder than you might think. I really press my students to do their best work, and in the end they are proud of their efforts.

While walking around praising and giving suggestions to students I over heard a quiet student named Walker remark to his table mate, "My mom is going to love this." As soon as he had finished saying these words he noticed that I was listening to him. I said, "Your right!" which caused Walker to get a big smile on his face.

I love that he was able to identify that his work was done well, that he was certain it would be appreciated by others, and that he felt pride in his work.
*Sigh,* another example of the transformative powers of art.

Positive and Negative Tulips

2008-05-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

The positive and negative concept was a challenging concept for the kindergartners to grasp. However, many were amazingly skilled at drawing a tulip, cutting it out and reversing the image.
The students' work was used to demonstrate the concept, and more than a few adults said, "I learned something."
For those of you that are unclear about the distinction between positive and negative space, well, generally positive space depicts recognizable objects. Negative spaces are unoccupied areas. Color has nothing to do with "space."

Made by Teacher

2008-05-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

At a workshop we made the cutest tiles of ourselves. I finally got around to painting mine with water color. All the kids like my art.

Another Testimonial

2008-05-10T16:59:00.000-07:00

The mom and me project made quite an impression on at least one student. Remember the girl who thought recycling was another word for making art? Well, Kayle's dad commented to me that since the Mom and Me project he could tell that how Kayle draws people has changed dramatically. Awwww!

One of my student's mom came in the art room and saw the pictures hanging and asked, "Who made that one? That's nice!" Can you believe it was her own child's work.

Mom and Me

2008-05-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

With the Guyton visit behind us I have turned my students attention towards Mother's Day. Student's were told about Whistler's Mother, and about various works by Mary Cassatt who painted beautiful images of mothers doing daily tasks with their children.
My students created portraits of "Mom and Me." Done in a caricature style, students used pencil, colored pencil, paint, markers, and chalk to color a bright and cheerful picture.
The picture layout began with a U, one small and one large. When all the details were laid in place the coloring began.
Students were motivated to do well for their mother. For me the results are so sweet and charming they make me a little teary eyed. The three above were done by students in kindergarten.

Harvest

2008-05-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

I call myself "Art Gardener," because I am busy sowing the seeds of inspiration. This time of year I am harvesting what has grown out of my "art sprouts."
The weekend of April 18th was the all school art show. We had a wonderful show! Afterwards much of the work went right to the Stair Library for the Community Art Show, which was established to welcome internationally recognixed artist Tyree Guyton. Guyton is the artist responsible for the Heidelberg Project in Detroit. The project is a neighborhood embraced in symbolism and art. Intended to draw attention to the problem of urban blight, the neighborhood is thoughtfully clothed in discarded objects and paint.

For Guyton's visit I conceptualized a sculpture and with the help of many students, in middle school and elementary, constructed it out of cardboard, paint, brads, photos, markers, colored pencils, rubber cement, hot glue, and plastic caps. A photo of each student and staff member was taken and colored with markers, cut, and placed in a milk cap.

It was an honor to have the sculpture placed by Tyree while he spoke at the library about his art.

Guyton is an eloquent speaker with a big soul. It is heartwarming to know there are people aggressively working to make out world a better place through their art. We need more people to follow in Guyton's example.

Trophy People

2008-04-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

Wrestler
Ballet Dancer
Champion Cruncher
Champion Napper
Basketball Trophy
This is one of my all time favorite projects. I love that, in the mind of one of my students, napping is an activity deserving of an award.

Recycling is another word for . . .

2008-04-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

The Story That Made My Day

My colleague John Craig (a first grade teacher) stopped to give me a box of plastic lids. He went on to tell me how he lives in the country and that the cost of garbage removal had gotten too expensive, so his family has begun recycling. His daughter Kayle (a first grader in Mrs. Jarrell's class) is a student of mine and was very excited about the idea of recycling, but the first trip to the center proved to be a big disappointment for her. She thought her family was going to recycle "like Mrs. Drake."
In her mind recycling was just another word for making art.

Fruit Cup Species of Jelly Fish

2008-04-10T17:34:00.001-07:00

The third graders had a really good time making these jelly fish.
It's always nice to expose students to a collaborative installation project.
Fruit cups
Styrofoam packing peanuts
Fishing line
Tape
Lasagna noodles
Unused laminate (what's left on the roll)
Plastic wire coating
String
Dyed Sheet
Cardboard
Brads

Ceramic Wish Balls

2008-03-19T16:53:00.000-07:00

Wish Balls
Fourth grade students made hollow clay sphere rattles.
1. Make a large clay sphere
2. Cut the sphere in half
3. Hollowed out each half of the sphere with a spoon
4. With removed clay make small clay balls
5. Write a wish on small strips of paper
6. Wrap your wish around the balls and put inside one half of the sphere
7. Attach the sphere halves together with the slip and score method
8. Make impressions in the sphere exterior with shells, buttons, etc.
9. Fire
10. Sponge acrylic paint onto surface
11. Wipe another layer or two onto the sphere making sure to get dark colors into the impressions.

Every time you shake the sphere you are sending your wish out into the world.

Art and Science

2008-03-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

This summer I went to the Ann Arbor Art Fair and saw so many extraordinary science related artworks. A young lady from Ohio made enameled copper plates of magnified cells. My friend, who loves biology, was able to identify many of the cells. There were blood cells, muscle cells, double helix, and many more. Seeing this amazing art put an idea in my head which all came together on a visit to the Scrap Box in Ann Arbor. At the Scrap Box I found round white cardboard disks. One day I had fourth graders look through microscopes at magnified objects and then they drew what they saw onto the cardboard disks. When the disks were finished I glued them onto a paper to make one large art piece of smaller art works.
I love the results.

2008-03-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

MORE PRINTS

Mouse Hole

Food Chain

I stressed to the "artsprouts" that they should try to tell a story in their art. This can be hard for them. They feel like there isn't a story in their head.
To make things easier I had the students think of an object(s) to go with each letter of the alphabet. We talked about what are boring objects and what are exciting objects. Apple, dull. Anteaters, exciting.
While creating the list students usually get inspired by some creature. The "difficult" part of conceptualizing is suddenly over. Helping children to conceptualize is a difficult task. The beauty of art education is that the visual thinking skills are constantly being challenged and strengthen. The hope is that, eventually, the children become people who can't find enough time to create all that they design in their imagination.

Multiple Plate Prints

2008-03-18T17:56:00.000-07:00

The fourth graders are working on multiple plate prints. This is a challenging concept for them, but I found that if one student grasps the concept then the others will quickly follow.
The poster with the cat is my teaching tool. The red race car at the bottom is an example of my student's work. There will be more, wonderful prints in the future.

Art from Recycled Objects

2008-03-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

So the cafeteria ladies saved the trays that the syrup containers come in. The students painted the trays and then glued objects into the recessed circles. The center example has little tooth in it.

Paint Masking Portraits

2008-03-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

DK, K, First Grade
First students drew their portraits. Then they traced over their lines with a colored pencil pressing hard to make a crease in black construction paper sandwiched between their drawing and corrugated cardboard.
Onto their creased line impressions students stuck small bits of masking tape. When the taping was complete students painted their skin, hair, clothes, and the background.
Cute!

More Organic People

2008-03-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

These are examples of remarkable accomplishments made by my fourth grade students.
First there is the flamboyant Mardi Gras Lady, followed by the Jamaican lady.
Lastly, there is the church lady in her pill box hat with Bird of Paradise flowers on it.

What Art Teachers Do On Snow Days

2008-03-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

My bunny Snowflake.

Movable Designs

2008-03-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

The DK, Kindergarten, and first grade students made movable designs. First students traced circles, then they colored patterns/designs in each circle with markers. When the circles were colored they cut the circles out. Using a push pin the students poked holes in the circles and attached them together using brads. The resulting art is eye-catching. The project required a lot of fine motor strength, and all the students rose to the challenge.

Yahoo! I'm Back!

2008-03-17T14:45:00.000-07:00

There was a glitch in my computer which wouldn't allowed me to update posts. I just repaired the problem. I had to turn off my pop-up blocker.
So, there will be about two months of updates coming your way.
Anyway . . .
How do you like the cute Valentine boxes? There were a few Valentine box competitions in the school so I created some examples for inspiration.

Bendy People

2008-01-27T10:22:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the products of the wire sculpting lesson. These were all done by second graders. This was their first experience bending wire and their efforts resulted in charming characters.
In order by:
Kierstyn
Scot
Karly

Arcimboldo Organic People

2008-01-27T09:46:00.000-08:00

The top image is of the lesson guide I used to teach my fourth grade students about Giuseppe Arcimboldo and how to create organic people from images found in seed and plant catalogs. Additionally, I had an article about Arcimboldo and a book devoted to the artist and his work.
I told students that Arcimboldo is sometimes called the "Grandfather of Surrealism." I explained that surrealism might be described as a meshing of realism and fantasy or dream images.
The bottom image is of the resulting work done by my student Cody Tule, who created this organic man out with an energy that could only be contributed to artistic inspiration.

Lelani

2008-01-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

My fourth grade student Lelani Brown brought in a few of her drawings. They show remarkable talent and nostalgia, I think.

Bent

2008-01-19T07:52:00.000-08:00

This is the teaching guide to wire sculpting with second and third graders. Each body part starts with a circle. Once they know the basic skills of creating and attaching the circles together, they are able to get creative.
The students' work is incomplete at this time, but what I am seeing so far is cute and remarkable. Keep visiting for updates.

Family Trees

2008-01-15T14:08:00.000-08:00

By Daelyn in First Grade

By Brady in First Grade

By Olivia in Kindergarten

By Sarah in DK
Steps in making a family tree:
1. Draw and color family members
2. Cut out heads and write names on back
3. Glue tooth picks to heads
4. Cut out leaves and glue tooth picks to back
5. Paint base, foam ball, and tube
6. Assemble tree
7. Stick heads and leaves into foam ball
WHEW!
AWWWWWW!

Second Grade Etching

2008-01-15T14:00:00.000-08:00

This beautiful crayon etching of "Red Birds" was done by second grader Garrett Jones.

Root Veggies and Tubers

2008-01-08T17:22:00.001-08:00

In science we will be looking at how science and art can be incorporated. I read the book the Little Gardeners to the students. Then we drew out some root vegetables and potatoes. Students then painted the pictures with water colors. When the picture was dry they then labeled the veggies. The assignment had "roots" in both art and science.
These two paintings were created by students in Mrs. Elliott's first grade class.

Etching

2008-01-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Grades second - fourth spent December working on crayon etchings. The methods and materials are "simple." Draw a design and color it thickly, with crayons,onto heavy white paper.
When all the paper is covered in waxy crayon, paint over the picture with a thin coat of black paint mixed with some liquid dish soap. When the paint is dry carefully scrap it off using a push pin. The scratch marks should bring texture and interest to the image.
Second and third graders were encouraged to draw a picture that told a story. The fourth graders' assignment was more challenging. They drew a perspective landscape.
This was their first experience using perspective and the results were very nice.
I hung the pictures in the window to illuminate the images.

ICONS

2008-01-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

The third graders did some metal tooling and created icons inspired by artifacts found in Central America. Students designed their own iconic figure, then traced over their designs into heavy metal craft foil. The figures were then cut out (no easy task) and hot glued onto a base. The originality of the figures are what make these guys special. No two are alike, and each has its own personality.

More Autumn Joys

2007-11-08T17:52:00.000-08:00

Landscape - Construction paper and oil pastel 1st grade
Squash and leaves - White glue dried on black construction paper and chalk

The leaves project came from Diane Callahan from Adrian Schools.

I took the lesson in another direction by making stencils of squash. I loved it when one of my third graders could tell me the names of all the different squashes.

Autumn Joy

2007-11-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

"Starry Night" Crayon resist and collage DK - 1
"The Scream" Oil pastel on cardboard 4th grade
"Harvest Landscape" Black crayon DK - 1
"Fall Leaves" Marker on Styrofoam print
"Calaveras" Colored pencil and collage 2nd grade

Special thanks to:
Chris Krieger from St. Stephen's Lutheran School for the Starry Night lesson
Annie Morton from Adrian Schools for the Styrofoam plate printing lesson

The Landscape lesson came from a book.
"The Scream" and "Calavera's" were my invention.
Both of these projects dealt with "horizon line." "The Scream" also addressed "vanishing point."

Shadow Boxes

2007-11-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

Shadow Boxes
Surf's Up - Austin Gilson
Africa - Andy Mikuski
I have to give special credit to Austin Gilson (Surf's Up!)
Austin figured out how to cut and seperate an image so that it would decorate both sides of the tin. It was inspired! Greatfully, inspiration is contagious. There was a mass infection of great ideas after Austin's breakout.

The Recycled Art Show

2007-11-08T16:45:00.000-08:00

Cork Dolls and Shadow Boxes
Beauty Queen - Sierra Bloomer
Cool Guy - Adam Roseman
Cork Buddy - Dwight Thayer
Sea Princess - Karis Blaker
These are just a few of the clever projects made by my students which were entered into the Recycled Art Show. The show was at the Croswell Opera House and was sponsered by the Lenawee Soild Waste Dept.

A Few Good Heads

2007-10-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

We did a science/art experiment. We made shrunken heads from apples. To prevent rotting we soaked the heads briefly in lemon juice and salt. Only one or two rotted. A few fell and broke. Most of the apples dehydrated nicely, but those considered a "quality head" had to have a nicely carved face. Lamb's wool and corn silk were added for hair.
All our preservatives couldn't stop the fruit flies from swarming. Still, the flies were tolerable when you consider the results.

Ancient Cave Art Discovery!!!

2007-10-20T05:19:00.000-07:00

The Cave of Horses (with a mastodon or two)
I did this project with my DK and K Students. I wish they would have had a little more enthusiasm for the images I showed them of the caves in Lascaux and Altamira, but these little ones' concepts of time and place are still developing. The good news is they really loved making their prehistoric horses, and then putting them into the cave. Visitors to the cave needed a flash light to pass through.
I used a frig box with both ends open. On a separate piece of cardboard I drew out the facade of a hillside and the cave opening. Then,I had some older kids paint it. I attached the facade to one end of the frig box.
The horses were drawn on torn brown grocery sacks. They were made by tracing the students hands with chalk and coloring them in. Finally, details like tails and manes were added.
Kids of all grades (and some teachers) couldn't wait to go in the cave.

Pattern Cat

2007-10-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Another inexpensive and charming project is "Pattern Cats."
Students draw a cat onto white paper. They then divide the cat into sections. In each section a different pattern is drawn. The pencil lines are then traced over using black permanent marker. The cat is then cut out.
Wall paper is glued to yet another piece of white paper to provide stability.
The pattern cat is pasted to the wallpaper creating a folk art feel.

Portraits

2007-10-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

For an easy and cost effective project create tape collages.
Students draw a picture on card stock (be sure to leave a frame around their drawing).
Students then "colored" the picture using small torn strips of colored masking tape.
Voila! An inexpensive, colorful, and fun art project.

Dia de los Muertos

2007-10-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

2nd grade Decorated Skulls cardstock and markers
We have several lessons lined up for Mexico's Day of the Dead.
Our first lesson involved making decorated skulls. The products of the students efforts were stuck to the wall providing a bright and funny display.

Sunflowers

2007-10-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

2nd O'Keefe like Watercolor
3rd Sunflower in Vase Collage with weaving
DK -K - 1st grades Sunflower using o, x, and -, to create the image
4th Van Gogh type Sunflowers in Vase tempera

The beginning of the year is a transitional time so it's good to focus on projects that don't demand too much in terms of preparation and supplies. The theme for the beginning of this year was Sunflowers. For inspiration we looked at works from Van Gogh, O'Keeffe, and Klimt.

Because listening to directions is a really important skill in art, the assignments I gave really focused on procedures. I explained that in the future they would have an opportunity to express themselves and their creativity in unique ways, but for now I want them to learn a new technique and follow the directions.

Anyway, the Sprouting Artists did a great job of following directions and demonstrating their personality.

Happy Birthday!

2007-10-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

In my room I have a calendar devoted to artists' birthdays. Creating a calendar can consume more time then I have, so for each month I have created little banners that spell out the month's name. I love my new October banner with the skull lettering!

Art for Autumn

2007-10-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

I like to follow themes. But, because I am teaching multiple grades, not all students follow the same theme. For this year the focus has been on the "harvest" and Hispanic History.
One of my favorite projects has been Otomi crop spirits. I just love these guys!
The Otomi Indians of the states of Hidalgo and Mexico, in the country of Mexico, live rather isolated lives and make these crazy crop spirits to insure a good harvest.

Dios de Mazorca
Spirit of Maize

Semilla de Jitomate
Seed of the Tomato Plant

Semilla de Cacahuate
Seed of the Peanut Plant

Semilla de Chile
Seed of the Chile Plant

They are made from layers of tissue and brown craft paper. There isn't much creativity involved, but we get to practice our cutting skills and create a really fun little dude.

Welcome Visitors to the Gallery!

2007-10-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

"No Deposit, No Return."
Plastic Pop bottle "Chihuly."
Fourth Graders, 2007.

Welcome to Artsprouts a weblog designed to share art lessons and students' work.

I have been entertaining the idea of creating this blog for sometime now because I am so excited about the work I do and the amazing art created by my students that I just can't wait to share it with everyone. Everyday I see a new young artist "sprouting" up. Although I try to use the best words to describe my students' art, I know that pictures will be much more effective.

So here is our gallery of artworks, art lessons, and reflections on the artistic process.

I hope you enjoy your time here and please visit often!

Heidi