"Blind Contour Drawing" of a student in my workshop! I love this quote by Kathryn Temple, author of Art for Kids: Drawing.... "Drawing has more to do with seeing than it does with holding a pencil in your hand." So true!! In my teacher workshop last weekend ("Teaching Drawing to Kids") we focused on how to help kids unleash the power of the right side of the brain to … [Read more...]
Personalized Self-Portraits
Third grade self-portrait by ZacharyUse the inspiration of artist Frida Kahlo to have your students add a personalized touch to their self-portraits. Frida Kahlo is known for her prolific painting career.... paintings mostly of herself! She often used symbolism in her paintings as a "window to her soul". I like to have students add "something that helps people know them … [Read more...]
Self-Portrait Workshop – Paul Klee
Here is a sampling of self-portraits inspired by artist Paul Klee (including one in progress) from my last teacher workshop. Paul Klee (1879-1940) was a Swiss artist known for his highly individual, abstract style. His work was influenced by many different art movements, including Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism. This project uses squares of "bleeding tissue" for it's … [Read more...]
Teacher Workshop: Self-Portraits!
I just finished the 4th workshop in my "Teaching Teachers to Teach Art" series. This workshop focused on teaching Self-Portraits and we had a blast! We learned the basic "rules" for drawing portraits (see below) and did three self-portrait projects inspired by famous artists Paul Klee, Frida Kahlo and Amedeo Modigliani. I'll be sharing those lessons here on my blog over the … [Read more...]
Fun Paper “Frames”
"Framed" Self-Portrait by Colin, First GradeNothing enhances a painting like a good frame! Here's a fun and inexpensive way to frame your students' work.Let's assume you want to frame a 9x12 piece of artwork....1. Take a 12x18 piece of construction paper and trim it to 12x15 inches.2. Center your art on the 12x15 paper (leaving a 1-1/2" margin on each side) and glue it down … [Read more...]
Self-Portraits Inspired by Paul Klee
Kindergarten self-portrait and "Senecio" by Paul Klee One of our wonderful parent volunteers recently shared a great website with me that she found. If you're looking for new art lessons to try, check out Kathy Barbaro's "Art Projects for Kids". I found a great idea on her website for "painting" with tissue paper, which I tried with one of our Kindergarten … [Read more...]