Big Cardboard Birds

Over the years I have found so many great ideas on the Krokotak blog and the Big Cardboard Birds was a recent one.  I am planning a early spring Artome' Art Show with the theme of Birds.   My fourth grade students have finished their framed art and they are doing the Big Birds for wall decor as a collaborate work.  I pre-cut all the cardboard shapes and each child painted a section with fluorescent tempera paint.  Each student could make their own decisions about color and pattern.  We reference the work of Romero Britto and his patterns and bold colors to guide the work.  When completed, each student had input on how their piece would be assembled.  They are so proud.  Only one class has completed the bird but I will add photos of the others as they are finished.  Complements were generous all day long from all the younger students.

Size is about 3 feet by 3 1/2 feet

Winter Mini Watercolors

Jen Arnayi was the perfect choice for a one day project the week before holiday break.  Her illustrative style offered simplicity and yet a very colorful mini painting.  Fourth grade students painted on a round format using 4 x 4 scraps of watercolor paper that were left over from a previous project making this a win-win.  I saved some small pieces of paper avoiding waste.  The lesson began as a directed draw with instruction to draw a line of pointed mountains across the center area of the circle.  A horizon line was drawn under the mountains curving downward to the bottom area of the circle.  Based on personal interpretations, all of the projects began to develop their own style at this point.  Later discussions included adding a 3D dimension and texture to the mountains.  Students then shared previous knowledge as to what the cool colors are as they began to paint the area above the mountains.  Everyone was excited to tape a mat on these and take them home to share with family for the holidays. 

       

1st grade Mono printing

I discovered this great post over on Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artist the other day for Northern Light mono prints and I immediately knew I wanted to try this approach to mono printing with my first grade students.   I reviewed the steps as they were given and every student experienced success.  Our approach was just for a winter scene that reflected what we could see around us after a recent snow storm.  Here are a few photos of student work.

 
  

Peter Max ATC

One of the lesson plans from this past summer's Art of Ed On-line Conference featured the work of Peter Max.  It was intended to be done with fluorescent oil pastels included in the swag box but with no budget in the beginning of the school year I could not order additional oil pastels to pull the project off with my students.  So I adjusted by using fluorescent tempera paint and some scented markers to create a mixed medium ATC card.  These were done by 4th grade students.  We are really excited to have this work included in the Mini Matisse ATC exchange this spring.
 
  

Organic Shaped Monsters

Student Work - Flower Monster

I have been trying to come up with a color mixing project for my students using model magic for a while.  I have made pumpkins for many years with 1st and 2nd grade students but wanted something else that would connect with my curriculum for students a bit older.  After a unit on Organic Shapes where students tore paper to create a shape and then turned it into a monster, (here it is) I had a light bulb go off.  What if I followed up with a sculptural project that revisited the organic shape, this time in 3D?  An so...this project was born.  It worked great to reinforce learning and the kids loved it.   My only expectations were for them to make their monster's body using a secondary color, they had to mix it using two primary colors, and that the monster's body was an organic shape. These are made with Crayola Model Magic.

Student Work - So many teeth!

Student Work - Sooo many eyes!

Here are some more of the fabulous creations by 2nd grade students.

Student Work - Monster with a Bow

Student Work - Orange monster

Yayoi Kusama

https://youtu.be/U3kIvXaEPjYMacy's Balloon by Yayoi Kusama

Imagine my excitement when I discovered a few weeks ago that there was a Yayoi Kusama balloon being created for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I had introduced 3rd grade students to Kusama in the early fall.  They created many difference colored pumpkins covered in finger printed dots to reflect their learning about her style of art.  We had read the book "Yayoi Kusama From Here to Infinity" to learn a little background information about her and her art.  We discovered that she is currently one of the most famous living women artist of our time.  Yeah, I had no idea.  We received so many compliments on the bulletin board display of the completed pumpkins; people really love them.  And now, she will have a balloon in the parade.  I'm excited to see it and thanks to Artsonia was able to send a newsletter link out to families with the hope that all my 3rd graders would know about the balloon in the parade.  So, better late than never, here are some 3rd grade works as we celebrate Kusama's continuing success and the THE BALLOON!

First Graders are weaving

4 1/2 x 2 " cardboard

 So, I wanted to transition my first grade students from paper weaving to something a little more functional.  I don't have enough of those big card board looms you purchase from the suppliers that are pre notched but I do have some donated heavy cardboard from a colleague.   I decided to re purpose this into tiny looms for my students.  First, I cut this up into 4 1/2 x 2" rectangles as shown on the left.

Holes punched along each side

 I added small punched holes on each end in an odd number.  To attempt to space them fairly evenly without having to measure, I started with a hole in the center, one on each margin and then attempted to place one in the middle of each of those.  I had marked my punch with a sharpie to attempt to line them up as evenly as possible.

Create slops for the warp threads

 Cutting from the edge, I cut to each hole to create a slot for the warp threads.  I did the warp with some light weigh embroidery weight thread and gave students a plastic needle and yarn for their weaving.  These are small enough that they can easily be completed in two class periods which is all we had left for the school year.  It was a great re purpose of donated materials, an easy transition to traditional weaving and an easy take home to complete if students didn't finish before the end of the year.  They can be taken off by cutting the warp threads on the back or can be left displayed on the loom.

A completed weaving