Sketchbook cover

We had the opportunity to make the cover for our sketchbook. We were able to paint or add glitter to a piece of paper that would eventually cover our sketchbooks. After the pint dried we cut cardboard to fit the back of the paper and then glued the paper to it. After that was dry we added the paper in between the front and back covers and used dental floss to hold it together. This made a personalized sketchbook for each student.

Extension: Many classrooms have journals that students do creative writing in. This would be a fun art project to do for the covers of the student's journals. You need a few materials and lined paper instead of printer paper, but students can make a creative journal instead of having a plain notebook for their creative writing assignments.

Scrapbooking Made Easy

This art project was fun and allowed students to design anything they wanted to. With the use of pictures and paper students can make anything they want. It can be as simple as backing a few pictures with paper, or as complex as putting stickers on and writing a little story about the pictures. This art project can be something easy and simple or something detailed and complex. It depends on the grade level that you work with. I decided to put on pictures from my trip to Washington, D.C. and then I added a little written explanation for anyone looking at my scrapbook.

Extension: You could link this art project with almost any subject within the curriculum. For math one could make the students use precise measurements and use shapes as a background. You could link it to social studies or science by having the students find pictures of different continents or places that they could travel to. They could then make a poster and hang it up in the classroom to promote the place they studied. They should also write little facts about their place but make sure there are pictures and lots of media used. Then after the posters are all made, students can put them into a huge book to show off.

Pastels

This art project was done using pastels. The objective was to get students to learn about shading and blending of the pastels. First students were required to make a figure and pick a light source. Then with a color, green, we added shades with white and black pastels to add dimensions to object. After we were done with that we were asked to pick a landscape. Then we started with the sky and then went to the ground and made what we found was the most important in our landscape. Mine was a picture of a beach with a beautiful sky.

Extension: Students would be able to use this with science and math class. In science students would be able to draw the different layers of the forest. They would be able to blend their colors to make the perfect drawing. In math they could go from surface area of a two-dimensional object to the volume of a three-dimensional object. It is very helpful for students to draw what they are learning.

Four Seasons Window

This is a great way to introduce students into the changing of seasons. First students used watercolors to paint the backgrounds. Then they used different media to make the different apple trees during each season. They were able to use markers, paint, crayons, paper, glitter, and cotton balls. After they had added all of their leaves, apples, snow, and buds to the trees they put it onto a black or brown piece of paper so that it would look like a window.

Extension: This art lesson pretty much went through the life time of a tree. Students could do the same thing with any other organism. They could show a snake losing their skin during certain times of their life. They could also use it as the life cycle of an animal from small to larger; this would be great to do with toads because their body changes drastically throughout their life. Students will be allowed to use different types of media to demonstrate the changes throughout a animal's life.

Print Making

The print making project was very difficult for me, but it was very fun. There were a lot of different principles and elements of design used to make this fun and simple project. First we had to draw out our design; this project was based on the up and coming holiday, Christmas. Then we had to use tools to smash the styro-foam down so that when we put on the ink it would make a print. It was a very fun and exciting project and the outcome was unknown. I think the project turned out great and they can be used as a gift to anyone during the Christmas or winter season.

Extension: Students could learn how to make numerous books. I would have them do a free writing assignment about their birth or a fun experience. Then I would want them to share this with as many people as they could. I would teach them how they make books and paintings for multiple people with only doing one copy. Then students will be able to make multiple copies and give them to parents, grandparents, or anyone else they decide.

Stepping Into Art

The art project e engaged in was making stepping stones. We drew out our plan, got materials, worked with cement and came out with a beautiful project. it was a very difficult task to work with the cement. One had to smooth it down and work all of the bubbles out of the bottom of the container. Then we had to put all of our decorations on the top and push them down so that they stayed. The water began surfacing before I was done with mine so it made things a little messy. This was a great project for students to decorate and give as a gift to a parent or friend.

Extension: This would be a great project to work off of science. Students will learn about the different types of rocks and the different levels. Students could also talk about chemical reactions that happen with the cement. it goes from a powder, add water to made it a liquid, and then with time and air it hardens. There is no way to make this back into a powder without using tools to break it apart. This could be a fun and exciting project to do at any age to learn about science. Students would then get a chance to decorate it either abstractly or with pictures of family or friends.

Perspective Drawing

Students were slowly introduced to the use of point perspective drawing. We were started off by drawing something simple; we drew a rail road tracks with a fence beside it. We were then asked to take it to the next level and draw a city with a street. The street was our starting pint and then we were able to make buildings with windows, doors, signs, anything that we wanted to everyday life. The further things are away the smaller they get until they are nonexistent. After our drawings were complete we were shown two point perspective drawings, only to expand our minds.

Extension: Students can use this type of drawing in a math class. While students are working on volume or area they can draw figures but use point perspective drawing. Students could also add this perspective to their art works and show a three dimensional work.