Day of the Dead (or Dia De Los Muertos) is a festive two day celebration (November 1st & 2nd) honoring the lives of loved ones who have died. This colorful holiday from the Hispanic cultures of Mexico, Spain, and South America, is gaining wide popularity across the U.S. One of the most recognizable symbols of Day of the Dead is the brightly colored sugar skull. To add a new … [Read more...]
Kaleidoscope Lettering – New & Improved!
While I love creating new art projects to keep things fresh and interesting, some of the older projects are just so good, they’re worth repeating year after year…. which also gives me the chance to keep improving them! Kaleidoscope Lettering is one of those projects! It uses the concepts of bilateral (reflective) symmetry, tessellation, and positive/negative space to … [Read more...]
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Parents often tell me about the artwork their kids did with me that they have framed and hanging in their home. And this is the project that most often earns a permanent place on the wall! While there's nothing like adding new lessons to keep your curriculum fresh and exciting, we all have projects that we go back to year after year because they are so successful and are so … [Read more...]
Oil Pastel Still Life Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh
Students will be surprised to learn that Van Gogh was not popular as an artist during his own lifetime.... a great example that the opinions of popular culture do not always prevail! This project usually takes 2-3 fifty minute sessions to finish, and the results are frame-worthy! Vocabulary: • Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) - Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh is one of the best … [Read more...]
Oil Pastel Houses Inspired by Marc Chagall
Students enjoy creating these quirky street-scapes inspired by Russian artist, Marc Chagall. There's just something really fun about crooked buildings and random things flying through the air! Materials: 12x18 black construction paper #2 Pencil with pink eraser (the eraser is handy for "sketching" your layout!) Oil Pastels "Wet wipes" for clean up Examples of the … [Read more...]
Oil Pastel Cats Inspired by Laurel Burch
What's not to love about these whimsical, colorful cats inspired by San Francisco artist, Laurel Burch? This fun project can be adapted to most any age group.... the examples here were done by my 4th graders. My students always enjoy learning about the lives of famous artists, and the story of prolific artist Laurel Burch (1945-2007) really inspired them! Her highly … [Read more...]
Computer Art ala Picasso!
There are so many ways to be creative with a computer! Here's a site where you can click and drag to create your very own Picasso-like portrait. This would be a fun activity for students after learning about the real Picasso! Be sure to check out this site's "gallery" to see the fun others have had at PicassoHead.com!1. Go to http://www.picassohead.com/create.html 2. … [Read more...]
Name Tangles
"Name Tangles" are a fun way to create a cool design using your name or another word of your choice. Try adapting this idea for a unique greeting card design!Materials:9x12 white construction paperPencil and eraserBlack markers, fine and broad pointDirections:1. Use large stick letters to write your name, beginning with the first letter touching both the bottom and left side of … [Read more...]
Stained Glass Name Designs
This is a simple project, and a great introduction to the concept of positive and negative space for younger kids. Any project using their names is typically a guaranteed hit!!Materials:White paper, any sizePencil and eraserBlack chisel tip markersWater-based markers in a variety of colorsVocabulary:Positive Space - the object or objects you are drawing (in this case, the … [Read more...]
Kaleidoscope Lettering Design
Upper grade "Allison" , colored in warm colors with colored pencilsLower grade "Allison", colored in cool colors with markers (the same lettering, but traced only four times instead of eight!) Kids love to create interesting designs with their names... a fun project to start off a new school year and a great way to create motivation and make each project personal! Here are two … [Read more...]