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…
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…
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…
(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…
(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…
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‘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…
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…
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…
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…
Back in November, we had an art show at the Fitchburg Public Library. The local library is a great place to display artwork and get your students’ art out in the public. It’s a great advocacy tool and shows community members what you do in art class at the local schools. Other places we have had art shows in the past include the mall, a pizza place, a winery (owned by one of our parents), our school and a performing … Read more…
I have a treat for you today! While I was researching ideas for a maze art project, I came across some really intriguing and fun mazes by an artist name Joe Wos. I am totally in love with the creativity, fun and artistry of these mazes. Joe has made a career out of his illustrated comic mazes, which he calls MazeToons. Joe agreed to be interviewed for my blog. Here is the interview. 1. Tell us about yourself. How did … Read more…
Now is the time to start planning for Valentine’s Day art projects. I am going to share with you a few heart art projects I have taught in my school. First is the Map of My Heart. It is one of my favorites. I found the heart map idea in this book, Playful Learning. Start by drawing a heart in pencil on your paper. Think of all the things that you love or that are important to you. What is … Read more…
Visual textures are implied textures you can see such as cloudy, shiny, and windy and can be drawn as such. The opposite of visual texture is tactile texture which is texture that you can feel. Feathers, yarn, ribbon and tissue paper are used to add real texture in this sculpture project featured in this blog post. There are many ways to teach about texture including metal tooling, clay and sculpture (like you will see here.) This bird in a nest art … Read more…
Today I’m going to share with a fun technique for older kids or your own personal art journaling/painting. I picked up the Christine Adolph watercolor resist pen from Paper Source, but you can find it on Amazon here (affiliate link.) I thought it would be fun to try out. Watercolor resist works by covering the paper and protecting the area underneath. You can paint right on top of the gummy resist lines. When it is all dry, you can peel … Read more…
