Onate Bark Paintings

Based on "Folk Art Lesson" in the book Art Projects from Around the World (Scholastic 2006), I adapted the images to create a very cool "bark" painting for fourth grade.

Supplies:

• 6 x 9" brown or tan paper (paper bags or craft paper works well as does construction paper)

• Tempera paints in red, white, yellow, green and blue (to make regular tempera paint stand out against the brown paper, add a bit of white to the green, yellow and blue. It'll brighten it just enough)

• Black "Sharpie" marker

I began this lesson by talking a bit about Amate Bark Paintings used by the Otomi Indians of San Pablito, Mexico. If you've ever made home-made paper before (I did when I was sixteen!), you'll know that you can put almost anything into a blender, whoosh it up, smooth it out and strain it. Once it dries, you have paper. It's the same for bark painting. the kids seem amazed that tree bark can actually turn into paper!
Anyway...instead of mushing bark into pulp, we torn the edges off the paper. I demonstrated the proper technique for ripping paper: use thumb and pointer fingers on both hands and slowly tear.

Then, using images I found on the Internet representing Mexican Folk Art, the kids drew a border around the paper then added fanciful birds, Mexican suns and flowers to the middle. I used the rule of three to encourage repetition: 3 of the same birds (can be different sizes) or three of the same flower, or one large sun and 2 birds of equal size. It mostly worked but many kids still tried to fit every image onto their paintings. Oh well, it's all fun!
After the drawing was done, it was time to paint. I used tempera paints but fluorescent might be better.

This is a good time to review the difference between a LINE and a SHAPE. Paint inside the shapes, but not over the lines. It helps.
Once the paint is dry, the kids can add details with a black pen and go over all their lines (we didn't do this yet).

Fourth Grade Results!

Poinsettia Plant Multi-Media for Third Grade

My third grade students completed this project before Christmas, but with the holiday break, I forgot to post it. The project is as about as easy as you can get. The only area of "struggle" was cutting out the pot. Despite it's challenges, this component of the project provides a valuable opportunity to understand symmetry.
Supplies:
12" x 18" white construction/sulphite paper
12" x 18" Black construction paper
Tempera Paints (I selected red, yellow, rose, white, etc)
Sponges cut in "petal" shapes
6" x 6" colored construction paper
Paint brushes
Yellow or orange tempera paint
Gold metallic tempera paint
Tissue paper
Scissors
White School glue
Glitter

Step One: Stamping the Petals
With a paint brush, add the centers of the flowers on the top section of the white paper. The kids can use the backs of the brushes for small dots, or paint larger circles with the bristles.
Using a paintbrush, paint desired color onto a sponge. As the kids get good at this, let them experiment by adding two or more colors to the sponge. One color at the tip, another at the bottom, etc. Most likely, they'll ask before you suggest it.

Press painted sponge gently on paper, pointing tip of sponge towards the center of the flower. Keep going. The paint will begin to weaken after the third or fourth press.

Step Two: Making the Vase
While the poinsettia's dry (I usually put these aside for the next class), bring out the supplies to make the vase.
To make the pot symmetrical, fold the square of paper in half. Now this part is tricky. (I'd recommend trying this yourself so you can pick the right verbiage to teach the kids.)
Start at the bottom of the folded paper (left hand holding the paper and right hand holding scissors), begin the cut in the middle of the bottom edge. Cut upwards and on an angle. You might find it easier to cut the notch of the pot out first, then cut the diagonal line.
Open up the fold and you have a perfect pot!
Using a small sponge, dab gold metallic paint onto Vase surface. Let dry.

Step Three: Adding Tissue Paper to the pot
Gently fold small squares of tissue paper and tape or glue onto the backs of the pot. The tissue paper should ruffle slightly when the pot is turned over.

Step Four: Putting all the pieces together

Now that the poinsettias are dry, cut around the flowers. If a flower is not connected to any of the others and you end up with more than one piece, no problem. The goal is to glue them back together onto a piece of black construction paper.

Glue the flower section to the black paper and then glue the pot with the tissue paper. For an added feature, my students outlined selected areas of their flowers (the dots, the stems, etc) with white glue and we added glitter.
This added a nice holiday touch and a much needed sparkle to our classroom!

Third Grade Results!

Easy Winter Landscape for Second and Third Grade

Here is a super easy lesson that incorporates many art principals. It only takes one 45-minute art class to complete this project if you use small sheets. I used half-sheets of colored construction paper (6" x 9"). If you have more time, use full sheets (12" x 18") and the results will be even better.
Supplies:
6" x 9" colored paper
Tray of white, black, light gray and dark gray tempera paint

Step One: Lay down a layer of "snow". Draw a line across the top third of the paper and fill the space below it with white paint.

Step Two: Using the lightest gray paint, paint a winter tree: thick tree trunk and spindly branches. These trees are in the background and therefore are the lightest color. Start at the snow line and paint towards the top of the paper. Paint right off the top.

Step Three: Using the medium gray, paint the middle-ground trees. Begin painting in the center of the snow. Paint as many as you would like and make sure the tree branches extend off the top of the paper and over the background tree branches.

Step Four: Using the black paint, paint the trees closest to you. These trees are near the bottom of the paper. Extend the branches off to the side and top of the paper. Kids at this age want to stop painting the branches before they go off the edge and will often resist painting over the other branches. Help them see that the tangle of colors and branches is a good thing!

Add a snowman if you have time.

Second and Third Grade Results!

Classroom Management: A step in the positive direction!

Do you ever arrive at work with a new and exciting lesson prepared only to have the class arrive with less than stellar attention spans?
Don't answer that. I know what you're going to say. We all dream of the perfect class, filled with well-behaved, little angels (wink!) but then reality hits. Slowly and surely, all the excitement of unveiling a brand new lesson floats away as you try to corral the little ones back to their seats (or at least get them looking in the right direction!)
Sometimes, it's not about the cool project, but basic classroom management. You know, dealing with the late arrivals, kids who need a drink of water, the girls who can't sit with anyone but their best friend and I'm sorry, but the girl sitting beside me just isn't my BFF. That sort of thing.
I've gotten better at dealing with it all. A few years ago, I was eating lunch in the teacher's lounge when a teacher asked the principal how to handle a problem. One of her students was doing something he shouldn't. The principal responded by saying, Remember, every moment is a teaching moment. Be positive with the child. Instead of saying, 'don't do that', say 'do this' instead.
I'll always remember that little piece of advise, even though it was not directed at me.
So when my students come into art class, I choose positive words as I instruct them.
"Sit at a spot with a blue paper," instead of "Don't sit there."
"Put your hands on your lap," instead of "Stop touching the supplies."
I think it helps.
I certainly don't know the psychology behind it, but I do believe that teaching in a positive tone makes all the difference between an engaged class and a distracted one.
As you practice positive dialogue, you'll catch yourself when you say something negative. Your brain will beep into action and you'll notice it. And if you notice it, so will the kids.
Just something to think about!

Big Fat Hen: Chalk and Oil Pastel Drawing

A trip to the library last fall yielded a plethora of art ideas. Keith Baker's Big Fat Hen is filled with fabulous illustrations. Colorful, vibrant, detailed and adorable. Perfect for fifth grade! Similar to my chalk lizard project, this lesson produces fabulous results even for the self-proclaimed artistically-challenged student's.

I photocopied a few of the hens from the book and handed out the images to the students. We talked in detail about the different patterns and silhouettes Baker uses in his illustrations. I encouraged the students to become the illustrator...to draw as well as they could, in Keith Baker's style.

Supplies:
Blue 12" x 18" drawing paper
Black oil pastel
Oil Pastels in a variety of colors
Chalk Pastels

Step One: Drawing the Hen

I use the same basic technique for drawing the hen as I do for most animals: Start with the eye placement, then draw the head"cap" (the head looks like a sideways letter "U"), then the beak (two triangles), then the body. Try looking at the pictures in the book and drawing the hen for yourself. Make note of what you draw first and how you might explain that to a student. Often, if you can't figure out why you draw something first or last, that indecisiveness translates back to the student. Keep the shapes simple, and you'll be fine. Fill the page as best you can!

Step Two: Adding Patterns with Oil Pastel

The next step is fun. Set out the oil pastels and let the children color as they see fit. Keeping the illustrations in mind, encourage whimsical colors. No black and white hens please! Here's a tip: layer a section of the hen (feathers, wings, etc) with one color then add patterns on top of that color using black or another strong contrast color. Again, check out the book for Barker's incredible color combo's.

Step Three: Background

The background is meant to be simple. Using chalk pastels, add sweeping layers of colors. No need to draw anything in particular, just swaths of color are fine.


Fourth and Fifth Grade Results!