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.

Buried Treasure

A vibrant, abstract artwork featuring colorful flowers, stars, and swirling patterns with the word "alive" in the center.

The full collage/doodle Seth Apter is hosting a Buried Treasure blog hop.  Each participant reposts a really cool blog entry that they had posted a while back, that may have been buried after some time, a hidden gem of sorts.  This is my entry, which I had posted a while back at my other blog.  You can see all of the other hidden gems at his blog.   I was into some insane doodling here…. lots of watercolor paint, markers, … Read more…

Giveaway!! 200 Followers!

A book cover titled "Multicultural Art Activities" for grades 2-5 with a colorful design and a dragon mask illustration.

I’m having a series of giveaways because I have reached 200 followers.  The first giveaway will be for this book: MULTICULTURAL ART ACTIVITIES FROM THE CULTURES OF AFRICA, ASIA AND NORTH AMERICA (GRADES 2-5) All you have to do is leave a comment here and I randomly pick from the people who commented.  You have until next week Wednesday to leave a comment.   I have so many art books, and many are duplicates of ones that I have at … Read more…

Almost up to 200 followers!

Colorful abstract art with a window-like opening shows a rainbow umbrella outside over people and some plants.

Blog land has been pretty quiet over the summer.  I assume most of the teachers are off enjoying a relaxing summer.  If I get 3 more followers, I will reach 200!  When I hit 200 followers, I am going to have a blog giveaway for a fun art book.  Be on the lookout for a giveaway soon.  Here is a mixed media collage I just finished.  Summer is the perfect time to catch up on your own art making.  What … Read more…

Old School Throwback!– with YOUR LINKS

Two colorful clay owl sculptures; one blue and green with an open mouth, the other orange and smaller.

Here is one of my favorite little clay projects I have done.  We made clay monsters.  I taught this project about 5 years ago and I haven’t done it again.  I think I will do it again this year.  These are really easy.  You just make a pinch pot, turn it on its side and then add your features.  We painted these with neon tempera paints.  Acrylic paints would probably work better. We also spray varnished them. And now it’s … Read more…

Art Teacher SHOWCASE!! Installment #5

Today I am featuring Karen Bosch on the 5th installment of the Art Teacher Showcase.   1) My name is Karen Bosch and my blog is Pixels and Paintbrushes:  http://blogs.southfieldchristian.org/pixelsandpaintbrushes/  I also have a personal blog called Clever Karen which features the creative side of my non-teaching life: http://cleverkaren.blogspot.com/ 2) Last year was my FIRST year teaching elementary art at Southfield Christian School in Southfield, Michigan USA.  However, I am not a new teacher –  I spent many years teaching third grade … Read more…

Clouds Watercolor Painting

A watercolor painting features green hills under a vibrant blue sky with clouds in shades of white and purple.

  I am taking a watercolor class this summer at the local recreation and parks department.  Our first real painting assignment was to paint a picture of clouds.  No, it couldn’t be just a white cloud on white paper.  This was a great assignment, because it is actually one that I do with my 5th and 6th grade students.  Now I will know some new tips and techniques to share with them.  You can see their beautiful pictures at this … Read more…

Art Teacher Showcase Installment 4

A child holding up a drawing of an Egyptian pharaoh's head in front of their face in a classroom, under the guidance of their art teacher.

The next Art Teacher Blog I will be showcasing is Jody Sebring’s.  1.  The name and URL of your blog   www.artfor1170.blogspot.com2.  A brief description of your blog and why it is awesome.  Tell us where you live and work, what you do, etc.  Not sure I am at “Awesome” yet but it’s new, since April and so much fun.  I teach in Clarkston Michigan for the Clarkston School District. I teach Pre K-5th grade art.3.  An example of a tried … Read more…

Ink Blowing with Straws

A child using watercolor paints on paper, creating abstract patterns with orange, pink, and purple colors by incorporating ink blowing techniques.

 Another fun activity we did at art summer camp was blowing ink with straws.  First, squirt out a bit of liquid watercolor (we did not dilute it at all).  Then, take a straw and hold it right above the ink and BLOW!  See what happens!  You can embellish them with writing, drawing or more paint.  We also used paint dabbers to add circles.  Fun Fun Fun!  Some of the kids also worked with calligraphy pens and inks during this time. … Read more…

Old School Lesson Plans

Colorful geometric drawing of a cat sitting with a serious expression against an abstract background.

During the summer, I’m going to dig back to some of my old lesson plans that I had posted on artsonia.com to show to you.  Maybe I will revisit these again during the upcoming school year.  This was favorite of mine and I don’t know why I stopped teaching it. The pictures all turned out gorgeous. CUBIST CATS  for Second GradeThe kids learned about Picasso and his dynamic, fragmented Cubist artwork. 1.  First we did a step-by-step drawing of a … Read more…

Art Teacher SHOWCASE!! Installment 3

Colorful abstract painting with hearts, spirals, a yellow rectangle, and pink, green, and white swirls and shapes showcased beautifully.

“Summer months are slow in blogland for teachers.  Most art teachers are taking a break from teaching all day.  Some are doing art camps or personal travels, but I know that in the summer months, not as many teachers post ideas, since we’re not teaching full time now.  However, summer free time is a perfect time to research ideas, look at art eye candy, experiment and have fun!  So, what I would like to do to help you out in … Read more…

Book Review 2

Open sketchbook with colorful, abstract drawings of whimsical creatures and patterns, held by a hand at the bottom—a visual delight.

Linda Barry combines funny comics, drawings, and text in a book for adults about how to get your drawing juices flowing.  There’s how tos are more for an adult who just wants to get started drawing.  Her own comics and art are what is really inspiring for me!  I also enjoy her commentary and questioning about the drawing process and creativity.  In one comic the dialogue says, “If you use coloring books past the age of ten, you will wreck … Read more…

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