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Valentine Op-Art Inspired by Bridget Riley

By Cheryl Trowbridge 17 Comments

a drawing of a hand reaching for a heart

This Valentine Op-Art lesson was inspired by the art of British artist Bridget Riley. I knew that the boys in my 5th grade class were not going to go for the traditional valentine project this year, so adding a heart to an Op-Art hand drawing seemed like the perfect compromise!   I've done this project a few times now, and some of my 5th, 6th and 7th graders have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Drawing, Greeting Cards, Hearts, Holiday / Event, Lessons, Markers / Pen and Ink, Medium, Middle School Art, Op Art, People, Style, Valentine's Day Tagged With: Op-Art, pen and ink, valentine, Valentine's Day

Send a Handmade Postcard to Support the Arts

By Cheryl Trowbridge Leave a Comment

Send a Homemade Postcard to Support the Arts

Show your support for the Arts with a handmade postcard! January’s #CMACIVICKIDS Digital Challenge is a Postcard Party. When you send a postcard to one of your elected officials with your original art on the front, your message is more likely to get noticed. And a self-portrait will make your communication even more personal! You’ll Need: *card stock (if you have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Markers / Pen and Ink, Art Advocacy, Art Education, Drawing, Painting, People, Portraits / Self-Portraits, Watercolor Tagged With: civic engagement, postcards, writing

Mix ‘n Match Faces

By Cheryl Trowbridge Leave a Comment

Mix 'n Match Faces Project for Kids

Each month brings a new challenge with the Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA) CIVIC KIDS campaign! Their theme for November is “Equity”…. perfect for election month, don’t you think?! equity noun 1 the equity of society: fairness, justness, impartiality, egalitarianism; objectivity, balance, open-mindedness." The challenge is open to kids everywhere… you don’t need to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Lessons, Animals, Art Challenges, Bookmaking, Books, Crayon, Creatures / Monsters, Cutting, Drawing, Faces, Folding, Markers / Pen and Ink, Math with Art, Middle School Art, Paper Folding, Pencil, People Tagged With: #cmacivickids, Booklets, books, Bridgett Spicer, Equity, silly

20 Interesting Facts about the Sistine Chapel

By Cheryl Trowbridge 1 Comment

20 Interesting Facts about the Sistine Chapel

If you're reading this post, you're probably a person who enjoys learning about art and the artists who create it. Yet we all know people who don't share this interest, and may even find art history to be dry and boring (gasp!). Well, art history is anything but dry and boring if you know the stories behind the paintings! From DaVinci's Mona Lisa to the diverse works … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art History, Faith, Famous Artists, Fresco, Michelangelo, Old Masters, Painting, People, Quotes & Stories, Realism, Religion, Vatican/Rome Tagged With: infographic, Sistine Chapel

Mona Lisa – Fact or Fiction? 50 Fantastic Things to Know!

By Cheryl Trowbridge 11 Comments

Mona Lisa Montage

My students became experts on all things Mona Lisa the year we ‘adopted’ the Mona Lisa as our Art Class Mascot!  For generations, the Mona Lisa has captivated the imaginations of young and old alike. Her mysterious smile hints that there is much we don't know about this painting, and the woman in it. But there is also a lot we do know... or at least we think we know! I was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art History, Da Vinci, Leonardo, Famous Artists, Lessons, Oil Paint, Old Masters, Painting, People, Portraits / Self-Portraits, Realism Tagged With: legend, masterpiece, Musee du Louvre

Light Has Come!

By Cheryl Trowbridge 1 Comment

Nativity Painting by Rembrandt

Religious paintings were a favorite subject of the Old Masters (trained European painters who worked between the mid 1400's to the early 1800's). In paintings from this time period, Jesus was often depicted with a glowing light that would radiate out from him. This example of the Nativity (or birth) of Christ by Dutch artist Gerard Van Honthorst (1622) is a great example of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christmas, Europe, Faith, Famous Artists, Holiday / Event, Medium, Multicultural, Oil Paint, Old Masters, Painting, People, Portraits / Self-Portraits, Realism, Religion, van Honthorst, Gerard Tagged With: Jesus, Nativity

How Full Is Your Bucket?

By Cheryl Trowbridge 3 Comments

Berry People Cartoons

The books that inspired this lesson have nothing to do with art, and the illustrations were not what attracted me! What I LOVE about these books is their message. And what better way to drive home a great message than with a fun art lesson??! Inspired by a bullying episode at my school, I saw this idea as a way to make a difference, so I had to try it. I figured if even one … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Art Show, Book Reviews, Books, Cartoon, Inspiration, Markers / Pen and Ink, Middle School Art, People, Printmaking Tagged With: bullying, compassion, County Fair display, Have You Filled a Bucket Today?, How Full Is Your Bucket?, kindness, stamping

Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos Projects

By Cheryl Trowbridge 1 Comment

Scratch foam print of a skull inspired by Jose Posada

Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos) is right around the corner!  Don't miss the opportunity to share this important cultural tradition with your students.  Often misunderstood, this popular Mex­i­can hol­i­day hon­or­s ances­tors and loved ones who have died, and is cel­e­brated each year on Novem­ber 1st & 2nd. This family-centered hol­i­day cel­e­brates the cycle of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Painting, Crayon, Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos, Flowers, Mexico, Mixed Media, Paper, People, Posada, Jose, Printmaking, Watercolor Tagged With: culture, Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos, Dia de los Muertos, holidays, Mexico, tradition

“Day of the Dead Prints” inspired by Jose Posada

By Cheryl Trowbridge 10 Comments

We had a blast at my Teach Kids Art: "Day of the Dead" workshop yesterday!  I added a new project this year, "Day of the Dead Prints" - inspired by Jose Posada.  Jose Posada (1852-1913) was a prolific Mexican folk artist and political satirist from Aguascallientes in central Mexico.  Posada began learning lithography (a form of printmaking using a metal plate) at age 16. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Animals, Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos, Famous Artists, Fantasy, Holiday / Event, Lessons, Mexico, Multicultural, People, Posada, Jose, Printmaking, Tempera Tagged With: artist Jose Posada, Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos, holidays, Mexico, multicultural art, printmaking, scratch foam, skulls

Keith Haring “Action Figures”

By Cheryl Trowbridge 10 Comments

I found my inspiration for this lesson at Deep Space Sparkle.  It's the end of the school year, and while this project looks fantastic on regular white paper, I needed to go a step further to really grab my 6th graders' attention!  So, I created my sample on aluminum foil with colorful Sharpies.  The result.... my students said this was their favorite art project this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Drawing, Famous Artists, Haring, Keith, Lessons, Markers / Pen and Ink, Middle School Art, Mixed Media, People, Pop Art Tagged With: artist Keith Haring, markers

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  • Lessons Inspired by Famous Artists
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