Workshops

Friday, October 19, 2012

Kindergarten - Spooky Black Cats

I LOVE this project sooooo much!  Kinder is always begging to paint the minute they walk in the door the first day of school.  I love the confidence of an all knowing Kindergartner! Picasso knew what he was talking about!
  It is always a risk to paint too early with brand new kinders.  If you teach kindergarten, you know what I mean!  :)   

I pre-draw the cat's circle head, a rainbow body and the line the cat is standing on.  We practice holding our paintbrushes "straight up towards the ceiling like a rocket", (hense the name "Paintbrush Rocket"), and paint the whole cat WITHOUT paint, practicing perfect paintbrush technique.  Then... I hold my breath and give them paint!  We first paint the fence line, then add another line underneath, dividing the space.  Then add vertical fence posts.  After everyone is caught up, we outline the circle and rainbow line.  Paint the head in solid... add some pointy ears... a SMALL belly... and a fuzzy tail.  They are so pleased with themselves when they are done!  The next week we add details with silver and black sharpie.  Seriously, one of my favorites and the kinders all feel like REAL artists when they are done! And I am a proud art teacher!

Additionally, I read any Splat the Cat book to the kids, it is a great motivation for the black cat!






























1st Grade - Day of the Dead Skeletons



These Day of the Dead Skeletons were soooo much fun to make!!! Two classes made them on magenta construction paper and two classes made them on purple. The first step was printing foam flower stamps around the border with tempera paint, (I added white to make the colors more opaque).  Then students traced and decorated a sugar skull for the head.  Students were given lots of white strips to cut for bones.  I recommend tag board or poster board, it is easier to cut and glue, plus look a bit thicker like bones!  Love these so much!!!












2nd Grade - Calacas/Calaveras Portraits


These Calacas/Calaveras Portraits, (dressed up skeleton's for Day of the Dead), are all made with cut paper and a little paint.  The dress sombrero's are painted with silver tempera.  Pretty simple! These make me very happy! 













4th Grade - Day of the Dead Skeletons!

This lesson is an all time favorite of mine! I have taught it many times, students LOVE it!  They love learning about Day of the Dead and working with an air dry clay. These skeletons and flowers were made from Amaco Cloud Clay, however, I now use Crayola Model Magic since Cloud Clay is not sold anymore... bummer, I did like it!



 We first painted the cardboard backgrounds with tempera and Modge Podge, then created the skeletons and flower decorations.  I have a cheep foam skeleton I hang on the board for the students to reference.  Lastly, we painted the whole thing with another layer of Modge Podge.  These skeletons are attached forever!  
Such a fun lesson to teach!!!












5th Grade - Fall Pumpkins!


I love this project for translating 3D forms on a 2D surface.  Highlight and shadow... blending analogous colors... so fun!  I prefer this project on blue and purple construction paper.  Black glue and chalk are so nice together!

We start by tracing three 6" circles on the paper, then three more half on, to make it look like a snapshot of a pumpkin patch.  Next, draw the stem IN THE PUMPKIN adding a vine coming off.  Next, draw from the stem the groves of the pumpkin radiating outward.  Last step of drawing... add subtle curves from each groove line on the bottom side of the pumpkin, gives it a more organic form.  Then, black glue! (India Ink and glue) 

The next week, we color with chalk pastels, starting with lighter yellow oranges in the center of each section of the pumpkin, then getting darker as we go towards the grooves where the shadow would be.  Students love this, they feel like they have really drawn something 3D!