Duck Collage #2, 2009 I thought I would post some pictures of collages I made a year ago for my soon to be born baby girl, Daria. We were trying to think of a theme for the baby’s room and I wanted something slightly neutral in case we ever had another kid and it turned out to be a boy. Or, in case these ultrasounds were wrong and it turned out we were having a boy. One of my coworkers … Read more…
While reading Mini Matisse’s Blog I learned about this really cool online drawing program that allows you to draw with different types of marks: fur, webbed, squares, ribbon, sketchy and others. I’m in love with how it looks! I have an idea to draw using this program, then print them out, add color with paints or colored pencils and then incorporate them into a mixed media collage. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it appears once … Read more…
This blog shows pictures of a baby on top of towels arranged in an artful scene. They are so adorable!! These pictures are gorgeous, but they make me mad for two reasons. 1. My baby NEVER slept peacefully like that for the first 3 1/2 months. Like NEVER. I would always have to hold her in a sling or sleep with her in order to keep her sleeping. Even when she fell asleep and we gently transferred her to a … Read more…
Obey the Impulse, July 2010
These are my examples above. I think I’m going to paint them and make an assemblage out of them. grades K-3 figures One child’s elf figure I made this little guy and put him in a bowl to support his back. One of the kids said he looks like he is sitting in a hot tub! cute! We made clay people today in Clay Camp!
Balloons in Madison, July 2010
Wagon of Sunflowers, July 2010 This photograph I took at the Farmer’s Market in Madison. This wagon was just sitting there unattended while the owner went to go purchase some more vegetables. It just is a nice symbol of Madison.
Here are some of the things we have been working on during clay camp for kids. The kids are going into kindergarten-6th grade. Week 3 I taught the little ones (entering K-3) how to make pinch pots for birds’ nests and then how to form a bird. All of our projects will be painted next week. This is a good project for learning how to make pinch pots. First make a pinch pot with a couple of eggs in it. … Read more…
I purchased Carla Sonheim’s drawing book, because I’m always interested in looking at new drawing books or new mixed media art books and this is a combination of both. She has a lot of drawing exercises on her blog also. As an art teacher who avidly researches all sorts of art lesson plans, I have seen some of these drawing exercises before, but Carla puts her own unique spin on everything. I really like how the book is laid out, … Read more…
Weaving on Straws Here is a really fun and addicting way to weave… on plastic drinking straws! There’s no reason to re-write all the directions out, so here is a link to how to weave on straws. If you get stuck, there are plenty of websites with full directions and even videos… simply google “weaving on straws.” With this project, I set up the straws ahead of time for the kids. (There were only about 6 or 7 kids … Read more…
Part 4 of my Weaving Wonders Camp: Some of the kids tried finger weaving or finger knitting. It was too hard for the youngest kids to figure out, but 3rd grade seems about the right age to start. Detailed directions are here: Knitty, which is a really cool knitting blog if you are a knitter.
We are having a great time at the summer Clay Camp for kids that I taught in DeForest, WI. The second week we made clay monsters. To make a monster, first, start by making a pinch pot. See this website for a demo of pinch pots if you are not sure how. Next, gently squish the pinch pot so it is slightly flattened. Turn the pinch pot on its side and add teeth, eyes, legs, feet, horns, ears, nose, tongue … Read more…
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 … Read more…
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…
