I love aluminum foil!

Check out these great pieces of abstract art made by using tissue paper, glitter and Mod Podge on a giant sheet of aluminum foil!  An instant masterpiece every time!

Edvard Munch and "Things that make us want to scream!"

Edvard Munch
Norwegian Expressionist painter
1863-1944

His best known painting is The Scream.
His art explored many topics such as life, love and fear.


Materials:
- Heavy white paper (11x14)
- Cardboard pre-cut by teacher into a tracing shape for the body of "The Screamer"
- Rulers
- Pencils
- Tempera paint and brushes
- A copy of The Scream

Directions:
1.  Look at the copy of The Scream and start a conversation about what the guy in the painting might be thinking.  Is he screaming because he is scared or annoyed or mad?  Ask the kids to start thinking about the things that would make them scream.  Some of the funniest responses for me were; "My brother", "Broccoli", "Republicans", "Homework"...you get the idea.
2.  Start by having the kids turn their paper vertically and trace the pre-cut shape of the body, front and center 
3.  Older kids can then use the ruler to help create and mimic the shape of the bridge in the original painting.
4.  Point of the people in the background of the original, the deep orange in the sky and the shades blues in the water
5.  After they kids have their pencil sketch then they can apply paint. Encourage color mixing to get those unique, beautiful colors.
6.  While the painting is drying, help the kids make out a list of "Things that make me want to scream!"  Then you can attach that list to the back of the painting when you send the project home.  It is sure to get some laughs.

Sabrina Ward Harrison Collage

Sabrina Ward Harrison is one of my favorite contemporary artists.  I personally draw a lot of inspiration from her work.  She makes images that are a collaboration of many mediums - drawing, painting, photography, text, etc.  Essentially, it's like journaling but going beyond the typical pen and paper.  She asks questions and explores feelings about life and about growing up.
She has published many books of her work.  My favorite is "Spilling Open - The Art of Becoming Yourself."

Here is a collage we made in class, inspired by Sabrina Ward Harrison.

Materials needed:
- Watercolor paper
- Brushes
- Sharpie Markers
- Photos....(You can take some yourself of the kids or ask the parents to give you some extra duplicates of photos they have at home.  You can incorporate photos of their family, their house, their vacations, whatever)
- Glue
- Magazines
- and anything else you may want to add to a collage
- Mod Podge

Directions:
1.  We began by painting our paper in big colored blocks.  I encouraged them to use their favorite colors because this piece of art is all about them.
2.  Once the paper was dry, we glued on photos, magazine pics of their favorite foods, etc.
3.  We added text with Sharpies...(I gave the younger kids sentences to finish such as "I like art because it makes me feel __________."  and then I helped them write it on their paper.  They can also practice writing their names over and over.  The older kids we told to to think about the same sentence and write down how it makes them feel, elaborating more or they could choose to write about whatever they wanted.)
4.  Add anything else you want to your collage and seal it all up by painting it with a nice coat of Mod Podge!

Easy-Peasy Homemade Scratch Art

I love scratch art paper and was curious to see if I could make my own.  Here's how we did it:

Materials needed:

• white paper (heavy enough to take paint)
• crayons in bright colors (take out the black, brown and dark blues)
• black tempera paint (tip - drop a few drops of dishsoap in it, for some reason it helps)
• paintbrushes or sponge brushes
• wood dowel with a sharp end or toothpick

1. First, have the kids draw a big rectangle on the white paper that fills up almost the whole page. (Having a border will help later, so kids don't paint to the edge of the paper and get paint everywhere)
2. Then, pressing hard color with crayons on the white paper inside the rectangle.  Encourage them to fill up the whole rectangle!  Don't leave ANY white showing!  Suggest to them that they might want to just draw designs or bold strips of color because we will be painting over the crayon. 
3. Next, the kids will paint with black tempera covering their entire colored rectangle!
4. Let dry thoroughly.
5. Last, give the kids their scratching tool and scratch away!

Mondrian Style Painting!

Piet Mondrian
Dutch Painter
1872-1944
He is best known for his non-representational paintings that he called "compositions", consisting of rectangluar forms or red, yellow, blue, white or black, seperated by thick black lines.


Materials needed:

• BIG white paper (heavy enough to handle paint)
• BIG black paper, pre-cut into long strips (approx. 1 inch wide)
• Tempera paint in red, yellow & blue
• Paint brushes
• Glue sticks
• Scissors

Directions:

1. Show the children examples of Mondrian's work.  This may be a good project for introducing the concept of PRIMARY COLORS (red, blue, yellow) vs. complementary colors (purple, green, orange)
2. Have them first glue strips down on the white paper, arranging them either vertical or horizontal, creating squares and rectangles.  Point out that Mondrian does not use diagonal lines.  Kids can cut the strips to fit them onto their paper.
3. Next, the kids can pick out a few squares or rectangles to paint, choosing between the 3 colors.  Reminding them that we are only using primary colors, not mixing the colors.  Encourage them to leave a few spaces white.

Using BIG paper really makes an impact.  The end result is always simple but awesome and ready for display!

hello there

so, new to this as a blog writer, but long time blog reader, i figured this was a good place to share my lesson plans, ideas, brainstorms, etc. about all things arts, crafts and design....

Spooky Tree!

Made with recycled brown grocery bags, crayon, watercolor and tissue paper.  Perfect for fall!