Heading to New York City!

I have driven myself crazy trying to figure out which sub plans to leave this week as I attend the NAEA conference in New York City. Here I posted some sub plans I have left in the past when I have been out.

Since we just started learning about abstract art (because of that awesome cubist painting I did for the book If Picasso Went on Vacation) I thought this lesson plan would work for the 2nd-5th grade students. The Unique Drawing Experience, I found it in a sub folder that one of our district art teachers put together. However, after an internet search I believe it may have come from Lesson Planet.

 

The Noisy Paint Box is a perfect book to go with this lesson. It's a story about the artist Kandinsky and how his abstract art is a result of the colors and sounds surrounding him that inspires his paintings.

For kindergarten and first grade I left this lesson. I originally found this lesson here. Thank you Mrs. Haake at Apex Elementary. And if you check out my post on sub plans you will see I have used it before.

   

It's about a flamingo and how what they eat affects what color they are. I have students put a border around the the paper to practice with a ruler and to have a place to draw what Sylvie ate to make her the color she is. Then they follow step by step drawing instructions to create Sylvie.

Gotta get ready for my flight up to Long Island to spend the night with my sister and her family before heading into New York City.

Please introduce yourself to me if you see me at the conference! I love being with other art teachers, after all we have the best conferences ever!!

Thanks for reading!!

If Picasso Went on Vacation

 We have established that I am an elementary art teacher.  I really haven't done much in regard to making my own art. I've done crafts, lots of sewing and special requests. But, I'm NOT getting any younger ........ so I have recently decided to put my art out there in the universe.

Last summer on the Art Teacher Facebook page an art teacher, E. J. Gibbons put out a notice that he needed some more art for his 4th book in the "If Picasso" series.  This latest one titled If Picasso Went on Vacation. Since it was the summer and I was (and still am) recovering from back surgery, I decided to give it a try.

 

We decided I should focus on emulating George Braque and what he would see if went to Zambia to visit Victoria Falls. So I researched his work to get a feel for his style and sense of color.

 Researched images and videos of Victoria Falls. Did lots of thumbnail sketches. Which ironically, my son who decided to return to school to study art, asked me about. Guess he was checking with me, as to whether people really do that. Well I DID!

 

I went as far as printing out two separate photographs, cutting them apart and putting them back together all mixed up.  Because my understanding of cubism, which was developed by both Pablo Picasso and George Braque, is that the artist views his subject from a variety of angles and includes them all.

 Then I played around a bit to decide if I could actually do this.

 

I enlarged one of my sketches, transferred it to canvas.

 And started to paint.........

 

 And paint.........

 

 When it was completely finished I needed to turn my photo into 300dpi's. I called my son, the art student and thankfully he has Photoshop and was able to convert it for me.  Converting it created better resolution for being printed in the book.

In early November E. J. sent out a proof page for me to review.

And around the holidays he sent this out. This screen shot is actually part of a slide show and I waited for my painting to view to snap the photo.

This experience was just SO exciting for me! Today my copies of the book arrived and I can't wait to share it with my students tomorrow!! 

Thank you E. J. Gibbons for this opportunity! 

And thank you Peter Depp for your help getting the photo converted.

And NOW for a very limited, early bird SPECIAL offer click here  to purchase YOUR copy!

Thanks for Reading!

Scrap Paper Art

Okay, I am a self admitted hoarder when it comes to making art with my students. Staff members at my school are always bringing me stuff for students to use to make art. And I ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO USE IT!! Now, that we all know I save stuff which includes scrap paper from other projects...... Let's find out what my students do with it!

One of my favorite books which is perfect for this lesson is Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg. To find it on Amazon, click here.

 For set up- you can either have a central location where you keep your scraps or put the scraps out on the tables where your students work. I also put out crayons, markers, scissors, both stick and liquid glue.

Students entered into the art room where I directed them to sit on the rug, I read them the book.The book shows students how much fun they can have with ripped paper, crumbled paper, bent paper and so on. I like to push the "let's not waste what can turn into awesome art" theory with this book. I don't do a sample, I don't model a thing!  I tell them to go find scrap paper that speaks to them and they will know what to make. 

AND THEY SURE DID!!!

   

   

 

Still gotta work on using less glue........ Otherwise it was very successful.
What book is one of your favorites to use with your students??

Thanks for reading! And I hope to meet some of you in New York for The NAEA conference!

Have a Seat: Making Chairs in Art

I was absolutely fascinated at an exhibit at The Tampa Museum of Art a few years ago. It was titled 100 Years, 100 Chairs. I was so glad that I went by myself, because I spent hours looking at and reading about the chairs in the exhibit. Click here for a you.tube video about the exhibit.

Shortly after that at my state conference I attended a workshop presented by Steve Miller on making chairs from recycles. Here is a photo of the examples he brought to inspire us.

 And here is the chair I made.

So I started collecting empty toilet and paper towel rolls. And I would end up using them for something else, so I would start all over again...... Just never getting around to doing the project.

This year I decided to pull out all the stops and just have fun with my students.

Over winter break I made this chair as a starting point for the lesson. I figured they would follow my example and come up with a theme to embellish it with.  I forgot about using the photos I took at the workshop. The chair I had made, I had taken apart for some reason. So I ended up showing my students the 100 Years, 100 Chairs you.tube video of the exhibit to inspire them.

I put out an crazy assortment of cardboard, bottles, cups, tops, empty rolls, paper, yarn, packing materials...... lots of STUFF in which to create a chair. My students did not disappoint. And after seeing the direction they were going in, I started another chair. I always wanted a hand chair, but could never figure out where to put it.

 I did this with my 4th grade and it took a few class sessions for them to complete them. In the mean time my younger students got very curious about what they saw at at the back of the art room.

 

They were so very curious that I decided to see if I could get them displayed in the media center. When everyone has finished I plan to take students on a gallery walk through the exhibit. I'm even thinking of having a closing reception with parents so that the chairs have a chance of making it home in one piece.

Check it out!

   

 

   

     

    

   

   

I wanted students to paper mache and paint the chairs, but the cardboard was not really cooperating when it got wet so some just left them the way they were and some used colored paper to decorate them. They assembled the materials with a low temp hot glue gun and white liquid glue.

Now I couldn't help but notice two different sessions at the NAEA conference next month that includes designing chairs.  I just love it when I'm relevant........

Check it out, I know I want to try to get there. So much to see, so little time!!

Thursday, March 2
11:00 - 11:50 am

STEAM

Creating Designers Out of Today’s Art Students

Ninoshka Boylston Come and learn an art teacher and interior designer’s process of how to engage students in the design process in the art classroom, designing functional chairs and lamps! Lecture

Hilton/Gramercy West/2nd Floor

and 

Saturday, March 4

11:00 - 11:50 AM AICAD Live Learning Lab

University of the Arts (Uarts) Presents: Enhance Your Art + Design Curriculum: Design Thinking Activities Rande Blank,  Barbara Suplee,  Karen Bannett

Teach students to use design thinking as a problem-solving process and cycle through two design thinking workshop stations including creating portraits using office supplies and creating chair prototype designs. Hands-On Demonstration Hilton/Bryant Suite/2nd Floor

It was a wonderful experience for me to have such an open ended lesson. It was also interesting to explore with students what would work and what wouldn't work. For starters the chair had to stand up on it's own. And no, we are making prototypes, I don't have room for life size chairs.......

It was also interesting to hear what they thought would be an important addition to their chairs, like cup holders, leg rests, etc. Some students insisted on putting a person in their chair. They were all so into it and animated about the lesson. Such a wonderful WIN-WIN!!

I would love to know if you have designed chairs with your students.... I also want to know if you are planning to attend the lectures on designing chairs at the NAEA conference next month.

AND if you have made chairs with your students, please share some photos!!!

Thanks for reading!!