Welcome back to the Art Studio!

Well I'm ready for a new year.  I had a terrific summer, I hope you all did as well.  I was able to work on my own creative endeavors, take a brief vacation, numerous stay-cation days, many opportunities for face painting and two graduate courses for + hours.  It sure went fast, didn't it???  Coming up as you all return to the Art Studio beginning Tuesday will be some new classroom procedures, a video recap of what I did this summer and some interesting and surprising items for still life drawing that I obtained in the past few weeks.  (That's a surprise so I won't let  you now what they are)  Immediately, we will be celebrating International Dot Day with Peter Reynolds and his books "The Dot" and "Ish".  Fifth grade students will be focusing on writing their illustrated children's books and revisiting one-point perspective. We will be doing a bit of review of the Elements of Art for all grades as we begin 1st project.  Most exciting for me....we will begin clay immediately after we return from Thanksgiving break!  If they haven't already done it, encourage your families to visit your Artsonia account or if you can't remember you information, just jump onto the school page to see what we did last year.  I hope everyone will approve their accounts this year so we can be 100% Artsonia.   I will be sending a letter home the first week of school that will give you more information about Artsonia and other changes in the Art Studio.  I hope you are all excited and ready to rejoin me in the Art Studios of Allendale and Capeless.  See you in a few hours!!!

Putting the pieces together for Back to School

Just finished reading two terrific post about first day activities for your classroom over on Art of Education and decided to give both a go this year.  One of the post was about sharing with your students what you had done over the summer and by doing it with a video.  I used Animoto to create mine as was suggested.  I painted all summer and really enjoyed the process.  Since I would like all my students to remain creative through the summer weeks, I thought this would be a good way to present my summer.  I also linked to the Elements of Art so this will be a small review for them to jump start our year.  My only wish, I could slow it down somehow.  

I also created a fun test for students with questions about me.  I think I will add a expectations video for students to view and I will be all set for day one in the Art Room!

Below is the revised edition.  I figured out how you control the speed!  

Have you tried Canva?

  I used Canva to make a new sign for the classroom.  All my students knew that to "look like a scientist" means to really look at what you are doing and not just draw what you think something looks like.  Often what we think is no where near what something really looks like.  Last year we practiced looking like a scientist all year.  That was the motivation for this new sign for the classroom this year.

I think I learned about Canva through AOE.  It is a very easy site to negotiate and I love the art they have available as well as the fact you can use your own.  I think I will be turning to Canva for a lot of new signs this year.

Shibumi

Google Shibumi and you will find a few different interpretations of it's meaning.   It is a Japanese word that does not have a literal translations.  Loosely it means effortless perfection or a particular aesthetic of simple, subtle and unobtrusive beauty.  Today I experience the art of Shibumi when I visited the Vermont Arts and Crafts Fair in Bennington and the Shibumi Silks craft tent.  I had witnessed this process last summer at a similar venue in Berkshire country and was regretful that I hadn't tried it out then.  Here is a picture diary of the process.  

First you drop the colors into the water tank

More color

A more color.  I think I added 5-6 different colors.

I swirled it into itself and other colors

You use a skewer to move the color around

More swirling and then I made sure I like what I had done.

The silk has to be held taunt as it is placed onto of the ink bath.

Here is my scarf removed from the ink bath and completely printed.  It is shades of purple and blue.  

After a multiple day process of drying, resting, irons, and washing, it will be ready to wear, hang on the wall

or use as a table runner.  This was a really fun process, very similar to shaving cream batik.  I loved it

and can't wait to wear my new scarf when I am back to school!