Finished Mural at Black Creek School

Really proud of how my first mural turned out! The students did a great job, and the finished product will be displayed at the school for many years to come! It will serve as a daily reminder of how compassion is used every day. 

Sharpie Tie Dye!

 

For my summer school "Field Day" activity we needed a quick project the kids could do in 15 minutes. We did fabric squares with sharpie tie dye! This project was a favorite so far of the summer school artists! The only materials you need are plastic cups, rubber bands, colorful sharpies, rubbing alcohol, and for the fabric I used Muslin because it was cheap and easy to cut. This project could easily be done on a T-shirt or a bandana. We cut 6 by 6 inch squares for the activity today. The students started by drawing on the fabric, we pulled the fabric tight around the cup by doubling up the rubber band. When the students are finished we dropped a few drops of rubbing alcohol and watched the magic happen! The design slowly starts to spread out and blend together, mimicking the look of actual tie dye. After the center design dried, we took the design off of the cup and some students added more designs on the edges. This was a great summer art project!

Progress on the Art Mural..

 With the help of a few of my art helpers we began the beginning process of assembling our first mural at Black Creek. A few years ago I was inspired by a large school community art project that was being done in Appleton School District. It was called the "Compassion Project". Over 10,000 students in Appleton depicted the word "compassion" on a single tile. It was amazing to see in person.

In the beginning of this school year I received some donation money and decided this would be a perfect use for it. I ordered 350 tiles for the students at Black Creek. Each grade had a different media to use for their tile--some are done in sharpie, colored pencil, glaze, paint, pastel ect. The mural will be displayed near the office and should be up before next school year. Take a look at how it is coming together!

Summer School Aboriginal Dream Paintings

What an awesome Dragon!

Aboriginal artists from Australia often make art that depicts some of their dreams. Using a limited color palate, and small dots they would create patterns that are almost "map-like". For this project you need brown paper, a few bold colors of paint, and Q-Tips. We drew out our designs lightly before getting messy with the paint. These students were really excited about this project and had excellent patience when it came to dabbing with the paint.




 

Summer School Clay Projects

 

Pinch Pot Fish, Pinch pot animals, and Gnomes..Oh my!

 

First week of summer school was a blast! I always start right away with a small clay project so it gives me the week to allow them to dry. I showed the students a few examples of pinch pot projects and they were allowed to choose their own idea. I just get a kick out of the fish with the big open mouths!

Technology in the Art Room

Students using the ChromeBooks in Art



One of my goals this year was to incorporate more technology into the art room. New technologies make teaching art and learning art a whole new experience. Students become more engaged, and feel they have more success with their art projects. I am fortunate to have a document camera and projector in my room. The days of transitioning to another table to do demonstrations have long past, instead the students may stay in their seats and watch me demonstrate on the projector in front of the classroom. I use this process every single day, and have found it to be so helpful.

Today, the IPAD has also revolutionized the learning experience. Many of my students have their own portable devices that they bring along with them to class. We also have several sets of Chromebooks that we can reserve for a class period.  Every class has different rules and expectations for these devices, however I feel it benefits their learning process. Students use the devices to search for ideas they can use, quotes, and sometimes just to listen to music quietly while they work. The addition of these technologies allows the student to become more engaged, as well as an active participant in the creative learning.

In a survey I did with my middle school students 82% of my students said that technology helped them learn better in the art room. 75% said they felt that technology made them feel more successful in their art projects. This has become my mission to incorporate new technology in the Art room and to stay up to date on what is out there. It is an exciting time for learning in the art room!

7th Grade Giacometti Sculptures

This is one of my favorite projects to do with Middle School students

 

Materials Needed:

18 Gauge Wire (cut 3 pieces total--2 pieces=18 inches, 1 piece=22 inches)

Tape

Newspaper

Plaster Gauze

Black, Green, and Teal acrylic paint

Silver, Gold, and Bronze metallic acrylic paint

Base- can be wooden, or I have used plastic lids before as well

To do this project I first have the students re-visit a lesson on proportion. We use the wooden mannequins to help the students draw out their design. We talk a lot about human proportion and the accurate measurements. The Giacometti sculptures end up being "exaggerated" proportion, but it is helpful when they are building for them to understand proper proportion.

We started by building an armature using the 18 gauge wire. We use the two 18inch pieces to create the ribcage and the legs. The 22inch piece is used to create the head, neck, and arms.  We tape the three pieces together to help add support. It is nice to build up the wire with newspaper to add form. I often tell the students the wire is like the "skeleton" of the figure, the newspaper is like the muscles, and the plaster is like the skin. We tear newspaper into long strips and wrap it around the wire form like a mummy. We add thicker newspaper into the head, torso, and hips, taping to make it stay. Once through the newspaper we can plaster. It is important that the students apply the plaster and smooth it out around the newspaper form.

I like to give these sculptures a metallic finish. I tell the students to pick an under-color to paint the whole sculpture first.

These combinations seem to work really well--

Teal-Copper
Green-Gold
Black-Silver

However, any of the combinations work GREAT with Black--black looks good with copper, silver, or gold.

They will paint the undercoat first, and then apply the metallic finish when the paint is DRY! Using a small sponge you want to sponge paint the metallic over the paint to allow that color to show through.

This is a great project that parents love too! I have one at home on my mantel that I just love. Hope you enjoy!