Dutch painter, Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), was one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His abstract designs had a huge influence on the graphic design, architecture, and interior design of his day. He was best known for his stylized, geometric designs of black and white grids filled with bright, primary colors. Students are fascinated to see his work still … [Read more...]
Kandinsky for Kinders
I love this color mixing lesson inspired by Russian artist, Wassily Kandinsky! Kandinsky was an accomplished musician as well as an artist, so it's fun to play music while the students are working. You can do variations of this lesson for just about any grade level. Here is what I do for Kindergarten and 1st grade.... perfect for allowing students to experiment and just have … [Read more...]
Valentine Color Mixing
You can mix a "tint" of any color just by adding white to it. Painting with tints lends itself well to Valentine projects, like this colorful card made from a 12"x18" painting folded in half.1. First, place a "quarter-size" amount of red, yellow and turquoise tempera paint on a paper plate. (I like to use "turquoise" rather than "blue", because it's closer to "cyan", or "true … [Read more...]
Cut Paper Symmetry “Pop-Out” Card
This is a fun card to make for any occasion... just vary the colors you use and the shapes you cut to suit the holiday or theme! The pop-out feature inside (see below) is an added bonus!Front of Card: 9” x 12” construction paper (this will form the “base” of your card)3” x 9” paper in a contrasting colorscissors and glue Fold the 9” x 12” paper in half horizontally, to form … [Read more...]
Paper Sculpture Inspired by Alexander Calder
This wonderful sculpture was created at my last Teacher Workshop.... I don't know who to give credit to, so if this is yours, please let me know!Alexander Calder (1898-1976) was an American artist who was born into a family of artists and sculptors and became one of the 20th century’s most influential modern artists. He is also known for inventing the mobile and the "stabile", … [Read more...]
Matisse-Inspired Collage
When Matisse was elderly and too weak to stand at his easel, he began making collages with cut paper, which he called “drawing with scissors”.Henri Matisse, a French artist (1869-1953) known for his originality and strong use of color, was one of the most important artists of the 20th century and a leader in the modern art movement. An art critic once labeled Matisse and his … [Read more...]
Positive/Negative Space Collage #2
This project is similar to the last one I posted, but this one has a mirror image that works vertically as well as horizontally. It's really not that much more difficult, especially if you've already done the first one, but it's definitely impressive! (Both are adapted from the book Wild & Wonderful Art Lessons by Gene Baer, a great resource which unfortunately is long out … [Read more...]
Positive/Negative Space Collage #1
Cut paper collage is a great way to teach the concepts of positive/negative space and symmetry. This lesson is inspired by the art of Japanese 'Notan', which emphasizes the contrast between light and dark. Each student's project will look unique, everyone will feel successful, and it's not even messy! You can't beat that combination! 1. Each student will need two pieces … [Read more...]
Grade 3 Portfolios – The Shapes and Colors of Joy
"Matthew's Dream", by Leo Lionni, is my inspiration for our third grade portfolio project. In this charming fable, a boy named Matthew visits the museum with his classmates and is entranced by the paintings he sees there. That night Matthew has a magical dream which helps him to see the world around him in a whole new way. He becomes a painter and creates beautiful abstract … [Read more...]
Grade 1 Portfolios – Design a Dot!
Every year, I start each of my Art classes by going over my "Art Rules". While this is review for most of my students, it never hurts to hear it again! And reading this book provides a great on-ramp to having this discussion!The Dot, by Peter Reynolds, has to be one of my favorite children's books of all time. If you only read one art-themed book to your students this year, … [Read more...]