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Category Archives: art teacher tips

Huge List of Contemporary Artists

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Collage with text "Contemporary Artists" and images of various contemporary artworks in different styles.

Are you looking for some new contemporary artists to teach your students about?  On the Facebook Art Teachers group, members suggested LOTS of contemporary artists that they teach their students.  These are now all compiled into ONE HUGE LIST on Google Docs!  I added websites and short descriptions to most of the artists so it is easier to use.  Thanks to all the teachers who collaborated to share their ideas and add artists.  This huge list has about 130 artists … Read more… →

A Tour of My Art Room

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A Tour of My Art Room

GUYS! I am SO EXCITED! Our new addition is complete and the physical space of our school has doubled. It is so nice to not have to push your way through the halls. It’s like there’s breathing room now. We also have a new art room, so I HAVE MY OWN ROOM NOW. I’m so thrilled that we don’t have to share a room anymore and all of our supplies can spread out. I have the old room and our … Read more… →

Welcome Back to School, Art Teachers!

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Welcome back to school!  Are you ready? We start our staff meetings tomorrow and then the kids come on Wednesday!  With the new school year starting, I thought I would highlight some old posts that might be helpful to you. Create a Welcome to Our School bulletin board! Making a collaborative bulletin board display is a great way to start the year.  I have some new ideas for this year, but here is an example from the past! Here are … Read more… →

On My Nightstand.. Books I’m Reading

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On My Nightstand.. Books I’m Reading

I have a rare moment of quiet.  My 4 year old is out to lunch with her cousins and my 4 month old is taking a nap.  You know you’re a teacher when the first thing you think is.. “ooh!  I can make some signs for my classroom.”  Then, the second thing you think is  “I could write a blog post!”  Maybe I will have time to do both.  It’s really amazing how much you can get done in a … Read more… →

28% off Back to School Sale

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28% off Back to School Sale

I decided to join in on the Back to School sale at TPT! If you have ever thought you’d like one of my PDF packets, now is the time!  I don’t do sales very often.  I work hard on the packets and they are only resources I would (and do) use in my own classroom. The money I earn I use for things like online workshops (to enhance my art/teaching skills), buying books and art supplies or um… this year … Read more… →

Interview Questions for Art Teaching Job

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Interview Questions for Art Teaching Job

I opened up my email this week and was thrilled to read the following message: I wanted to thank you for your post regarding portfolios and interviewing.  I was recently hired at a fantastic school, and the interview wouldn’t have gone well without your advice about preparation. Yay!  I love it when someone finds something useful in something I’ve written!  The post she was referring to was Art Teacher Portfolio Ideas.  Later, I posted an article about digital portfolios.  I … Read more… →

Art Discussion Signs for Bulletin Boards

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Art Discussion Signs for Bulletin Boards

I have been dreaming about how I will be setting up my art room next year, as we will be having two art rooms and I will have a lot more space!  The art discussion cards that I created have been popular and I thought that these questions would make an intriguing bulletin board. I designed 33 colorful signs with interesting art discussion prompts that can be used in classroom critiques or art history discussions.  There are 4 additional “title” … Read more… →

Fruit and Flowers, Mice and Me!

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Bright, abstract painting featuring large flowers, fruits, and leaves against a pink and purple background. This lively piece encapsulates the essence of "Fruit and Flowers.

Fruit and Flowers: I colored in the sketch that I showed you here.  I mostly used colored pencils, watercolor pencils and watercolor paints. A Mouse: My 5th/6th graders are painting animals and my go-to demo is always a mouse or hamster.  I love cute rodents.  The kids are always astounded when I show them how to make furry texture with a fan brush!  So fun.  Do you have go-to images you use when demonstrating techniques? Me: Here I am at … Read more… →

Artsy Book Club

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Artsy Book Club

  Did you join the Artsy Book Club on Facebook?  It was started by Cassie Stephens.  You should come join us!  We are starting to work through the book One Drawing A Day: A 6-Week Course Exploring Creativity with Illustration and Mixed Media. The first assignment was a pen drawing of a still life set up of stuff you find around you. Drawing immediately with pen is harder than it seems.  I was so worried about drawing a line wrong … Read more… →

Construction on the Art Room

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Construction on the Art Room

Our school is building an addition!  The addition will double the physical size of our school.  Included are several more classrooms, a teacher’s workroom, a performing arts center, multi-purpose room and AN EXTRA ART ROOM. Over winter break, the construction crew knocked out our paper storage closet and our kiln closet to make a connecting hallway.   Don’t worry though, after construction is done, we will have a new walk-in storage closet in between the old art room and the … Read more… →

10 More Spirit Day Ideas for School!

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10 More Spirit Day Ideas for School!

We are coming up with lots of good ideas for Spirit Days at our school. The first post on Spirit Day ideas was popular with Google searches, so I must not be the only one who is always on the look out for new and fresh ideas for fun days at school. Many art teachers wear multiple hats and end up leading groups like Student Council or plan school wide events.  Here are more Spirit Day ideas we came up … Read more… →

15 Favorite Posts from 2013

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  Another year is rapidly coming to a close, so I thought I would spend some time reviewing my favorite projects and blog posts from this year.  Here are my favorite posts, in no particular order! 15.  How to Paint Gorgeous Clouds with Watercolor 14.  Clay Castles 13.  Postage Stamp Art Project 12.  Heart Photography Project with 3rd Grade 11.  25 Amazing Books for Teaching About Art 10.  Editorial cartoons are a unit I teach every year.  We even were … Read more… →

Becoming an Art Teacher

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Becoming an Art Teacher

Maybe you are thinking about becoming a teacher or more specifically, an art teacher. Maybe you are already in a teaching program or perhaps you have just started thinking about your future career plans. Do you know what it’s like to be a teacher? What are the best ways to prepare yourself for the job? I was invited to write a blog post about my story of becoming a teacher and to give advice to someone transitioning into a teaching career. … Read more… →

5 Fabulous Things

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I haven’t done one of these for awhile and I’ve been coming across all kinds of fabulous things to share with you. I was reviewing this Youtube video again for planning projects and I just LOVE this “note to self” by Chuck Close.  If you teach about Chuck Close, this is great to show your students.  CBS This Morning:  Artist Chuck Close Writes Note to Younger Self  Great money & future planning advice for high schoolers from the Simple Dollar, … Read more… →

5 Art Center Ideas to Try

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5 Art Center Ideas to Try

If you are looking for some new art center ideas for your classroom, look no further!  Today I’m going to share with you 5 art centers my students have been enjoying lately. After visiting two choice-based art classrooms, I’ve decided to incorporate some free choice days into my class schedule.  I think it is important to let students try out different art materials and ideas at their own pace.  However, I am still continuing my art curriculum and will teach … Read more… →

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