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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.

Kindergarten Rainbow Fish Sculptures

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Colorful paper fish crafts titled "Rainbow Fish" hanging from strings against a solid background, showcasing the creativity of kindergarten students.

First, DON’T FORGET TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY FOR THE PICK AND DRAW GAME!!  I will be picking a winner on April 1. Rainbow Fish is an awesome kids book to go with fish art projects.  The kindergartners made rainbow fish sculptures from water bottles.  I learned about this idea at the NAEA conference.  The lady who presented it did it with large 2 liter bottles, but I used little water bottles instead. Steps:1.  Cut off the bottoms of the water … Read more… →

Pick and Draw Game: GIVEAWAYS

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A person coloring a whimsical face drawing with a crayon on a paper covered in doodles, with game cards from Pick and Draw Game nearby.

Rich Davis, creator of a new drawing game called Pick and Draw, sent me a copy of his game to play with my kids.   I love this idea!   I can’t believe no one has invented this card game already. 🙂 The concept is simple.   The deck of cards contains face shapes, eyes, noses, mouths and hair.  Pick a card from the face pile, draw it.  Then pick the other facial features.  You can add your own creativity by changing … Read more… →

Contour Line Drawings of Shoes

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Black and white contour line drawing featuring shoes with buckles and small stick-figure people on a textured background.

 Contour Drawings  The students observed the details and lines on their shoes.  They completed a contour line study of their footwear.  Next, they turned these drawings into “miniature playgrounds” for stick people.  Contour drawing helps define and explore edges through line and locates one object in relationship to another. It also establishes an expressive and accurate representation of the subject by the richness of the lines, thick or thin, crisp or soft, and the speed and rhythm with which they … Read more… →

The State ARt Show

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A kitchen scene with a table holding a cereal box, milk jug, and bowl. Wall-mounted calendar and clock in the background.

I went to the State Capitol today to see the Youth Art Month Art Show put on by the WAEA (Wisconsin Art Ed. Association).  The show includes artworks from K-12 students from all over the state.  Our school has two artworks in the show.  One from the middle school teacher and one from one of my students.  I’m so glad hers got chosen for the show because 1) it is a wonderful painting in my opinion!  and 2) she was … Read more… →

Mazes

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A hand-drawn maze titled "Dragon Quest" features a dragon in the center and a wizard at both the start and end points, creating an engaging labyrinth adventure.

When I was gone on my trip to New York for the conference, one of the sub plans I left was to draw a maze.  The instructions were to draw a maze lightly with pencil, then color it as they wished.  They could choose to include a theme for their maze, or just make it artistic and creative.   I am amazed at these mazes!  They are so beautiful and fun to look at.   I think I’m going to start drawing … Read more… →

Books I’m Loving Now

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I love to read.  Of course I do, I’m a teacher.Here are some of the books I’m loving now! I can’t say enough good things about Lynda Barry’s collages and drawings.  They are just so fun and chock- full of inspiration.  She came to Madison recently to do some artist-in-residency programming and I am kicking myself now that I did not get tickets to her lecture.  Apparently, she brought Matt Groening with her to speak!!!  He is the creator of … Read more… →

A Visit to EPIC– Part 2

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Indoor metal slide with a curved design, emptying onto a dark carpet in a building interior with hallways visible. Visit this unique attraction and experience the fun!

Earlier this week, I toured a medical software company with some 7th graders at our school.  The hallways are decorated very artistically and contain many works of sculpture and paintings.   For part one of my visit to EPIC, go here! I LOVED this one! A unique sculpture made of computer parts.  Kind of reminds me of Louise Nevelson. Fabric art on the wall This was a celestial hallway.  Yes, this is in the office building! Also in the hallway… … Read more… →

A visit to EPIC– Part One

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Interior of a light rail train with red seats. A person is sitting and reading, while another stands near the exit.

This week, I went on a field trip with some 7th graders at our school.  We toured the EPIC company which makes medical software for hospitals and clinics.  The company has three different locations in the Madison, WI area.  The campus we visited had about 13 different buildings.  Each building has a decorative theme.  There was TONS of artwork from local artists around the buildings.  It was amazing!  There was so much to take pictures of, that I only took … Read more… →

Greek Vase Chalk Drawings– 4th/5th Grade

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A drawing of two decorative vases with intricate patterns, one orange and one beige, set against a blue and orange background.

The fourth/fifth graders have been working on some lovely Greek vase chalk drawings.  We learned about overlap, proportion and shadows, as well as how to use and blend chalk pastels.  This class studies Greek history in their social studies class.  The students also had the chance to make little pots out of clay or sculpey.  Sculpey does not work so well for coiled pots.  Have you found that?

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