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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.

Weaving Wonders Part 3

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A child uses colorful paper strips to create a woven pattern on a table, showcasing the magic of Weaving Wonders.

Paper Weaving.  One of the projects I did with the kids for my Weaving Wonders Camp was Paper Weaving.  Paper weaving is, of course, one of the first and most basic types of weaving.  Kids in kindergarten, first or second grade will often complete paper weavings as introduction to weaving.  Preparation:   Gather fancy scrapbook paper, with patterns, bright colors and maybe even glitter.  Add some solid colors if you wish.  Cut strips on a paper cutter, approximately 1/2-1 inch … Read more… →

Bohemian Shadows: zendoodling

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When I taught middle school art, one of the sketchbook assignments I had the kids complete was a page of doodling. They looked very much these. Bohemian Shadows blog gives a nice tutorial for this type of doodling. There are also books and workshops with the name “Zentangles” (not by Bohemian Shadows).. they coined the name which is basically just a glorified name for doodling. Anyways…. I think this year I will print out some examples for my elementary students … Read more… →

Collage

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A colorful mixed-media collage featuring flowers, abstract patterns, and the number 0710 prominently displayed.

07-10 Collage, made in July 2010, mixed media, collage, photo and fibers July 10 is my husband’s birthday.. 7/2010 is also when I made this collage… don’t you see? so many layers to the numbers… amazingly enough, my daughter’s birthday is 10/7. Easy to remember, which is great because I am terrible with dates.

Clay Camp for Kids- Week One

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Handmade pottery bowl resembling a large leaf, with intricate veins and edges, created during a Kids Clay Camp, resting on a wooden surface.

This summer I have also been teaching a clay class for kids through the DeForest parks and recreation dept. It is only 6 sessions, one hour each session. I have 2 groups of kids: K-3, then 4-7 (roughly, there are some overlaps). Some of the weeks I am teaching the same projects and other weeks we are doing different projects. The first week we made leaf dishes. They are very simple and a good way to teach about rolling slabs. … Read more… →

Weaving Wonders Camp Part 2

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The Weaving Wonders Camp presents a colorful woven yarn and feather craft with a red spiral center on a circular base, displayed on a wooden surface.

Circular Weaving is another one of my favorite ways to teach weaving. We did these circular weavings at my Weaving Wonders camp. Beesybee Fiber’s has an explanation as to how it’s done. Obviously, this link shows a very advanced form of this weaving. What we did was to take these mini-pizza cardboard circles and cut an uneven number of slits in them. Then we set up the loom by poking the yarn through the center and then each attach to … Read more… →

Artwork Using Family Photos

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Two family photos of a baby, one smiling and another looking at the camera, with a cat and colorful abstract background.

What to do with all those family photos? Want to make a special gift for a holiday or occasion? These family photo collages are so fun to make. Using scrapbook paper, ribbons, photos and other bits and pieces of ephemera, make a montage incorporating a family photo or two. Add paint on top to tie the whole piece together.Lucy, 2008Too bad for the glare.. This is a photo collage I made for my niece. Sonia, 2008 My other niece, Sonia.

Collages on Boards

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Abstract art featuring brightly colored circles in red, blue, yellow, and green on four small square tiles.

Here are a couple of my new collages. I found the supports for these at a hardware “Re-store” near our house. They are collaged on old shelving boards. Everything is layered, painted, collaged and photographs added. I like to share my artwork, because I know not every artwork is going to be top-notch. Making art, playing with materials and trying out new ideas is important in your artistic journey. Sharing the “exercises” with other people allows me to gain momentum … Read more… →

Weaving Wonders Camp

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A woven grid of colorful feathers and yarn strings displayed on a flat surface, showcasing the wonders of intricate weaving techniques.

Styrofoam Weaving   At the beginning of this summer, I taught a “Weaving Wonders” camp at my school. Kids entering grades K-4 could sign up. The camp took place from 10-12:30 each day. A different weaving technique was taught each day. Campers could sign up for any of the days or the entire week. Weaving on Styrofoam was one of the projects. A restaurant supply store near our school had a huge package of styrofoam plates for very cheap. Slits … Read more… →

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