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Author Archives: Marcia Beckett

About Marcia Beckett

Marcia is an elementary art teacher and loves painting, drawing, sculpture, art journaling and clay. Her blog, Art is Basic, features many exciting art projects for kids.

Cube Mural Inspired by Street Artist Thank YouX

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Two colorful, decorated cubes with drawings and patterns. One side features a goose, resembling the style of street artist Thank YouX.

Earlier this year, my co-worker Jayne found the idea to make a collaborative school-wide paper mural based on the artwork of Thank YouX.  The idea for a student mural originally came from Jenell Novello and you can see the lesson plan write-up on Artsonia.  She also so generously provided the lesson plan and templates on Google docs. Thank You X got his name by accident.  In 2009 Andy Warhol’s spray painted portrait was spotted on a city street in L.A..  … Read more… →

Pipsticks Envelope Opening: Sticker Subscription

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Colorful craft stickers from Pipsticks, featuring a smiling shooting star, planets, and various small shapes, spread out on a table.

You may have heard me mention Pipsticks before.  I love stickers.  One of my dreams is to own a toy/craft/art supply/STICKER store.  Who knows if that will happen some day, but I have always loved stickers!  When I was a kid, I even made up a (short-lived) club called Sticker Maniacs. They are fun to use in art journals and to stick all over greeting cards. You’ve seen those toy unboxings on YouTube right?  Today, I am going to do … Read more… →

Digital Tessellations on Amaziograph- My Daughter’s Artwork!

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Pattern of cute, cream-colored cat faces with black eyes and whiskers on a blue background, created using Amaziograph.

This month we were very proud that my 2nd grade daughter’s artwork was selected to be in her school’s Youth Art Month show at the public library.   This is Daria below, with her art teacher, Ms. Tuttle. They have their own iPads they carry with them at school (which is very cool and I am starting to wish we had at our school!).  They have done a lot of things on them in their regular classroom, like making presentations on … Read more… →

Zen Painting Workshop

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Zen Painting Workshop

I went to a really fun painting workshop last summer for a weekend which I never shared on my blog…. until now!  The workshop is called Zen Painting and it was taught by Jodi Ohl.  I have been following Jodi Ohl’s blog for many years.  When I was looking for some hands-on professional development for the soul, I noticed she was teaching at Shake Rag Alley, which is only 45 minutes away from my house.  My co-worker Martha, who teaches … Read more… →

Milk Carton Sailboat Tutorial

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Craft your own "Milk Carton Sailboat" using a colorful sail and a repurposed milk carton.

My 1st graders are working on these fun boats now to go along with their explorer unit.  Okay, I know they are not really explorer ships, but we can pretend, right?  And they are so fun and cute.  The kids love them! How to Make a Boat:  Gather empty milk cartons from the lunch room.  Wash and wash again to get rid of all those icky germs.  Let dry overnight.  Use a utility knife to cut the milk carton down … Read more… →

Fashion Design Activities: New Product Alert!

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Fashion Design Activities: New Product Alert!

Have you ever wanted to introduce your students to clothing design, but had no idea where to start? This art packet has 27 pages of art activities and handouts to introduce your students to the art of clothing design using simple materials such as paper, markers, magazine pictures and watercolor paints. Here are the pages included in this packet: Pages included: 1. Cover 2. Design a Shirt with a Positive Message (long sleeves) 3. Design a Shirt with a Positive … Read more… →

Egyptian Pyramid STEAM Lesson: Art Ed Blogger’s Network

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Egyptian Pyramid STEAM Lesson: Art Ed Blogger’s Network

How does ART fit into STEM? STEAM:  Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math This month’s Art Ed Blogger’s Network topic is STEAM.  How do art teachers approach STEAM in the classroom?  Should art teachers embrace STEAM? There are many different opinions on STEAM.  Personally, I like to bring in different subjects to the art room.  I think it’s great that so many of our art projects involve other disciplines.  However, I also think art for arts sake is important too.  … Read more… →

“Not Just a Scribble” Creatures

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“Not Just a Scribble” Creatures

(Affiliate links are used in this blog post, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Art is Basic!) In my last blog post, I told you about a children’s book called I’m Not Just a Scribble. The author, Diane Alber, gave us a behind the scenes interview about her process and her future books. After reading this book, some of my students in grades K-3 created these cute scribble creatures with BIG personalities! (The one on the … Read more… →

I’m Not Just a Scribble: Children’s Book Author Interview

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Colorful crayon artwork with a rainbow, clouds, and flowers, featuring a happy stick figure with glasses at the bottom—ideal for a children's book.

(Amazon Affiliate links are used in this post at no extra cost to you.) Have you heard of the book I’m Not Just a Scribble… ?   “Scribble, the book’s main character, never thought he was different until he met his first drawing.  Then, after being left out because he didn’t look like everyone else, Scribble teaches the drawings how to accept each other for who they are.  Which enables them to create amazing art together!”-  from the book’s description. I’m … Read more… →

Cooperation and Playground Rules Posters

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A colorful drawing with "Support Others" and comic illustrations showing a person helping another who fell down stairs, highlighting the importance of cooperation.

This year, our school has been focusing on kindness and cooperation.  In art class, my students created posters to display around the school about kindness, cooperation and playground etiquette. Students cooperated together to make posters about cooperation! Each group received a slip of paper with a cooperation “slogan”. The Power of Cooperation C – Care for each other – Be Kind O – Obey rules O – Offer to help others P – Participate together as a team E – … Read more… →

Romero Britto Inspired Animals

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Romero Britto Inspired Animals

Romero Britto‘s colorful and bold style appeals to children and many people of all ages. Why do I love Romero Britto? Because he’s making things that are HAPPY and the world needs more of that. It works great to tie in with the study of patterns. His art is full of color. Kids can relate to it. His artwork has been made into many products, which shows ways artists can make a living as a contemporary artist and the potential … Read more… →

Artists That Inspire Us — Art Ed Blogger’s Network

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Artists That Inspire Us — Art Ed Blogger’s Network

Hi! Are you interested in learning about artists that inspire?  Are you looking for new contemporary artists to teach your students? One of my favorite parts about blogging is connecting with other bloggers online.  Some art education bloggers recently formed an Art Ed Blogger’s Network.  We are planning to post once a month about the same topic. This month’s topic is Artists that Inspire Us.  Most readers probably know about the most famous artists that are typically taught in an … Read more… →

Mixed Media Heart Collage

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Heart-shaped, colorful collage with words like 'Sparkle,' 'Family,' and 'Dream' on a notebook.

Do you have an art journal?  I love to make collages in mine.  Here is a heart collage that would be fun for kids to try. I started by lightly sketching a heart on my page. Then I tore off pieces of washi tape to add pattern. Next add torn pieces of paper, scraps and stickers. Cut out words from magazines or use printed positive words and phrases. Continue covering the heart piece by piece, right up to the edges. … Read more… →

In Case You Missed It: Frank Stella Inspired Children’s Art Project

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Abstract artwork featuring intertwined red ribbons and geometric shapes on a dark background framed with a colorful border.

Two and a half years ago I posted this lesson about using Frank Stella’s artwork as inspiration for children’s drawings.  I love Frank Stella’s work.  After visiting an art museum and seeing an exhibit of the progression of his style, I was hooked.  It is so fascinating and there is a lot to look at.  The sheer size of these prints are stunning. In case you haven’t figure out by now, my favorite style of art is BUSY, abstract, super … Read more… →

  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.