Vermont Fall Trees

These little watercolors were a big hit with my third and fourth graders and yielded a great result.  This is a project you can start in the morning and hang in the afternoon to enjoy before the leaves really do fall which is about to happen suddenly up here in Vermont.

To make these paintings you will need: Reference photos that show a variety of tree shapes and structures, a piece of paper, a paint box, and a couple pieces of chalk.  That's it.

Each child started with a 8X5 piece of paper.  Use the side of the chalks to lightly tone the paper.  We used yellow and green for the ground and blue and violet for the sky.  Blend the colors with a paper towel to make them light, misty, and very atmospheric.

For the tree mix a little black and brown in the lid of the watercolor set, or any color you like.  Start  the trunk and a long tapering line.  Add 2 or 3 thick branches on each side.  Make Y-shaped branches at the end of each branch.  Fill in more branches as needed to balance your tree.

Stipple in leaves.  Have your paper towel handy for this step because you will need a relatively dry brush.  Mix e red, yellow, green and orange paint with water in your set.  Dry your brush really well before picking up paint.  Stipple a little on your paper towel to adjust the wetness in your brush and when everything is right, stipple the leaves on your paper.
Kids loved making these little paintings.  And like I said...you can start them in the morning and hang them in the afternoon.
Happy painting and enjoy those fall colors.

More Flower Mandalas for You

I've had mandalas on my mind this week, and here's some more mandala fun.  If you don't want to risk poison  ivy in constructing your mandala you can use flowers from the florist or the the grocery store, but these were made the old fashion way, with leaves and petals we picked in the garden.  After photographing our mandalas I uploaded the photos to Sumo online because I wanted to check out their kaleidoscope effect and found it super simple and completely mesmerizing to move the image around until it was "just right".

When I say easy, I mean easy enough for a child to do it.  Upload photo, go to filters, choose distort from the drop down menu, then click on Kaleidoscope.  That's it.  When you have everything the way you like it save or print.  That's it.

You can use the kaleidoscope effect with any photo you have on your computer, or with any photo you find on-line.  

Check it out.  Here's the link:  Sumo on line.

Enjoy!

Backyard Flower Mandala

Throwing Pots on a Car Axle in India and Beyond

No pottery wheel?  No worries.  These gentlemen will show you how to rig a wheel up in your own back yard.  

Common Core Standards-Freebie

I like referring to Core Standards to guide me in making connections between art and classroom learning but I don't like plowing through them.   Now, thank you to Hopkins Hoppin Happenings there's a way to keep the standards organized and accessible.  See that little tab way over in the right hand margin. It's my new Common Core Standards Widget.   Click on it out fall the standards neatly organized by subject and by grade level.  Because it's so easy to use, I know I'll be checking in with it often.

Try it by clicking on the tab on the right, or hop over to Hopkins Hoppin Happenings or get the code.  The common core is available as widget or app.

Easy Tissue Collage Bowls

These easy glue and tissue paper bowls are another project that will help empty the scrap box before the school year ends and a great way to use up any colorful bits and pieces of paper, yarn, raffia, a fabric left over from other projects.

To make them cover the bottom of any bowl with plastic wrap and tape to secure.  I chose disposable paper bowls for our mold, because I had them on hand and they were small enough for kids to finish in one sitting.  For sake of time I covered the bowls before kids arrived.  I also filled some cups up with white glue thinned with water (about half and half).
Students wrote their names on the tape inside the bowl then flipped them over and brushed glue onto the plastic wrap.  To keep it simple, our motto was 4-4-4...begin by arranging four pieces of colorful yarn, then place four layers of tissue paper, and finish with four pieces of yarn.  Kids brushed glue on each piece of yarn as it was added, then on each bit of paper.  They ended with more colorful strands of yarn, tinsel, feathers, raffia, etc.  brushing glue as each item was added.

Let the bowls dry and gently peel the plastic wrap away....Done.

Sandy's Circus--Back By Popular Demand

                                                          "Circus Pony and Her Trainer"

Alexander Calder's Miniature Circus is well loved by my students and a favorite with my fifth graders who remembered when we did it way back when.   I had a special request by one of my students to bring it back this year.  Great idea!  This lesson provided a fun break from the intensity of portrait drawing and also a wonderful way to deplete, or at least make a dent in, the ever-growing "scrap box"...the place where bits and pieces and all the left-overs go all year long.

Students began by revisiting "Cirque de Calder" ".  We brainstormed a huge list of  circus acts together as a group and talked about the wonder of creating miniature worlds. We looked at pictures of various circus posters and acts.   Kids chose three of their favorite circus acts to sketch  in their sketchbooks paying special attention to costuming and props.  Kids chose their best ideas and began building their acts.  Some work is still in progress, but these were finished today.

"Anna's Trapeze"  The slightest breeze sets the little figure swinging.

"Tight Rope Walker"  about to step onto the wire.  Love her bathing suit.

                                   
   "Giraffe Rides!"  What fun!  This  giraffe has a long ribbon neck.  This artist included movement in her sculpture by attaching the head to a string so the toy could be interactive.

                                              "Bear Act"  a dancing bear with it's trainer.

"Fire Dancers and Jugglers" in a fancy beaded ring.