Mondrian inspired compositions

One thing that is great about the kindergarten and 1st grade core subjects is that there is so much overlap between what they learn in the classroom and what is in the art core. This was a simple lesson for 1st graders about horizontal and vertical lines and the primary colors. I cut black strips of paper and had students glue 5 horizontal/vertical lines anywhere on the page (accept the edges). Then the next week, they painted one square yellow, blue and red. It was great fun.

Earth and Moon globes

My 3rd graders just finished a huge project yesterday, and I couldn't wait to share. We have spend the last month or so making huge Earth and moon globes out of paper-mâché and balloons I found at a party store that are about 3' in diameter. We spent a week learning about 3-dimensional shapes like cubes, spheres...etc, two weeks covering the balloons in newspaper and paper-mâché, and the next week painting them. We split the class in half and each half worked together to complete their globe. While some students were covering the balloon, others were in charge of making mountain ranges and craters.








We hung them in the library just in time for parents to come see them during parent teacher conferences and the book fair.

This is the extent of my sewing skills

A good friend of mine invited me over to her place the other night to make headbands for our little girls (her's is 8 months old, and mine is still 29 weeks in my belly). It was a really good excuse for me to make a flower out of fabric scraps that I have been wanting to make for a while. I originally made it for my baby, but loved it so much, I decided to keep it for myself. Hope that's ok!

Fall leaves: warm and cool colors

Ok, so I couldn't just put one post up for tonight...

This project has also been one of my favorites this year. I taught the 1st graders about warm and cool colors, as well as 2 watercolor techniques.
We spent the first day creating a warm color crayon resist. I passed out several different textures for them to do crayon rubbings with all over one piece of paper with warm colors: red, yellow, orange. And then did a watercolor wash over the whole thing.
The next day, we talked about cool colors: blue, purple, and green, and did a watercolor wash called "wet-on-wet". They painted their paper with water first and then added the cool colors. While the paint was still wet, they sprinkled salt onto the wet paint to create the snowflake-crystal-like look. The third day, I gave them a leaf template and had them trace 4-5 leaves on their warm colored paper, cut them out, and arrange and glue them onto the cool washes.

All I can say, is that I am so proud of them!

The first one is the example that I made along side them, and the rest, genuine 1st grade artwork.

Egyptian Death Masks

This is going to be the first of many post to come in the future. I have been so pleased with the work that my students are producing this year, and thought I would start off by sharing one of my favorite so far:
Egyptian Death Masks!
My 6th graders put these together, and I think they turned out really nicely. I gave them a piece of cardboard, had them block out a border, and draw an Egyptian head from a template I found here. Then they traced over their pencil lines in Elmer's glue. The next week, we wrapped the cardboard in tinfoil and rubbed it down smooth so the glue left a raised line, and the colored in the rest with sharpies. I gave them a handout with pictures and definitions of Egyptian symbols, told them they had to use at least 4, and have 2 patterns, and this is what they came up with:

"Those who cannot do, teach." ha. whatever.

This article found here, was a really great pick-me-up for me today. Written by a high school art teacher, who spends his non-teaching time working as an artist with everything from canvas to film, I found it very refreshing and completely inspiring. It also helped me remember what brings me joy. Teaching is definitely one of those things, but the other night as I sat in the living room with Dane, working on an example for my 3rd graders' next project I thought, "I might get really sick of elementary art, really fast."

Now, that's not to say that I don't love what I do. I LOVE it. But like any job, it is a job. And I still need to do things for myself. I know, I know, I still get to do art projects everyday, shouldn't that be fulfilling enough for my creative cravings? Well, when the projects are geared toward teaching basic art principles to 8 yr olds, I just don't get the same ~ness out if it. You know?

It is time for me to get that second bedroom cleaned out, organized and turned into a space where I can work...After all, (Dane doesn't know this but) I am declaring it my space until baby comes and I get to share. Even if I can work only once a week on something just for the sake of that something, I think I will see a little reigniting of my artist spark.

And just so I don't forget, here's a little section from that article I enjoyed:

Last weekend, I set the lesson plans aside to go back and mill around the set. I feel guilty when this sort of thing happens—when I use my free time to become a better artist. I wonder if perhaps my students will suffer from what I perceive to be my lack of whole-hearted dedication to what goes on between the bells. And yet, just when I feel as though I ought to put my pen, paper, and storyboards down, I remember that whether or not I ever do create anything of note as a screenwriter (or painter, or poet, or memoirist, or ukulele virtuoso), it is this very passion that lights me up for teaching.

Although I cannot prove it, I believe that when my students see the spark burning in my eyes as I convey to them my own love of creation, the spark travels, spreads, and finally ignites them as well. There is nothing more inspiring for my own work than to be surrounded by young minds alive and ablaze at the chance to dance within the indescribable wonder of creative activity. I find myself inspired all over again, and the joy enriches both my teaching and my art.





p.s. Who ever said that quote in the subject of my post, has obviously never been a teacher. :)

Recent Inspiration

I got a call from my dear sister, Elizabeth, a few weeks ago. She was in a panic because the rotations that she does for her daughter's home-school cohorts had been rearranged and she was switched from the history teacher to the art teacher. Overwhelmed by the task, she called me with questions and to get tips. I answered as much as I could but in the end, I think she was really more of a help to me. She introduced me to a wonderful blog! ArtProjectsForKids.org. Designed by this woman:

It is a blog put together by a seasoned graphic designer-turned-art teacher. She has literally hundreds of project ideas complete with examples and what she learned worked/didn't work when trying them with her students.

Thank you so much Elizabeth! And I look forward to learning how to do all of this right along side of you this year!