Watercolor Still Life on Newsprint

Here are some gorgeous paintings we created, staying with the recycled theme. Newsprint can be a tougher surface than you might imagine. It also adds pattern and dimension to these still life paintings, not to mention that is being saved from the trash. Try to use pages with all type and no images, which may detract from the final piece. I can not remember where I was inspired by this lesson, so please speak up if you know. The children first drew their subject with as much detail as possible, using black and white cray pas. Then they were asked to add color using watercolors. Brilliant!

I found the blog that inspired this lesson! It's from Briargrove Elementary. They have lots of great recycled art projects! Thanks!

Recycled Robots

Here's another project from this summer's Recycled Art camp. I took this idea from the Deep Space Sparkle site— one of my favorites! The kids each worked on a 12x18 colored paper of their choice and printed using recycled materials such as empty spools of thread, pop lids, paper tubes etc. After their prints were dry they selected from the box of recycled goodies I've been amassing for the past few months. Can you see any product placement? We talked about trying not to think of packaging as the product it used to hold, but as lovely choices for shapes and colors. We also discussed the thought, time and money put into packaging—a great reason to take advantage of its use as art materials!

Magazine Flowers

I saw this lesson on the Teach Kids Art site, and had to make it part of my Recycled Art Camp this summer. We used recycled lids as our templates to trace four different sized circles on magazine pages of our choosing. Then we folded each circle in half three times and cut petal patterns onto the outer edge. Our smallest circle was left untouched to become the center of the flower. We also cut out a pair of leaves, and rolled up a half page from a magazine to become the stem. I also encouraged the students to add bits and pieces of their cutouts to fill the negative space of their compositions and to give them some pattern. Here are a few of our beautiful flowers.

More Monoprints

I gave an introductory class recently and had the kids produce monoprints. It is one of my favorite lessons to teach because it requires little prep time and materials. It's also quick, fun, and is such a magical process. After making their print It's great to watch the children peeling  back their paper to see what they've created.

Fruit Contour Drawings

I took this lesson from the Art for Small Hands website. A piece of fruit is placed on each table, resting on a white sheet of background paper. The children are then asked to observe carefully and draw the contour of the fruit, as well as any defining lines. They may sketch in pencil first and add final lines with permanent black marker. Each fruit is then cut in half, and they repeat the exercise. Repeat again as a quarter piece, and finally only a core or peel etc. When all drawings are done, the children add color to their drawings with watercolor. We used apples and oranges and the children really took to taking a closer look at things that they wouldn't usually think too much about. Plus we had a lovely snack by the end of the lesson!

Styrofoam Plate Printmaking

Here is a lesson for a series of classes on printmaking and collage. We used 6x9 inch styrofoam plates and created simple geometric designs. I explained that the lines that they drew on the plate would be the white areas of their print, and the places they left blank would print the ink color. I shared a book of Native American designs and set out various round lids to trace if they liked. They drew out their designs in ball point pen. Then the children pressed their lines deep into the styrofoam again with the pen, a wood stylus, or a popsicle stick. I told them to feel the surface of the foam to see whether they had pressed deeply enough to create the valleys necessary to print a crisp image. We then used water-based printmaking ink and printed on white and colored paper to see the various effects on the printed image.

Word Play

If you know your art terminology, positive space refers to the space occupied by an element or form in an artwork. I use it for my classroom because what I want most is for it to be a supportive place for creativity and growth. So I guess enjoy a little word play. Another term we like to discuss in my classes is the use of artistic license. The children really love the idea of having choice in how you create a piece of art to make it your own. For students who have taken many classes with me, I make them this gift, and place it in a little acrylic frame. The children take pride in having an actual artistic license to display at home!