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.

Comics

My comic is a day in an ants shoes. My comic really isn't that funny but it was something that I wanted to draw and I had fun with it. My ant goes from the ant hill, to work, back to the colony, goes to bed, and then wakes up to do it all over again. The object of this project was to use shapes and mix primary colors to make other colors.

Extension: I would have students write up some future goals, long term or short term. Then I would have the students draw pictures of the steps that it will take for the students to get to their final goal. They can write their feelings throughout the comic which could be very funny for creative students.

Sandpaper Art

To start off this project students colored a piece of sandpaper with Native American colors. There were a few other rules that students had to follow. They could only use certain colors and they had to use patterns to create this blanket/rug design. Then after the student was done with that they put a white piece of paper on top and with an iron heated up the crayons. The crayons then melted onto the white piece of paper to make a cool design.

Extension: Students could put white fabric on the other side of the sandpaper and let it melt. Then the students could make a quilt and show off their own designs. Then the quilts could be saved by the teacher so that she can show future students what kinds of art other students created.

Me, Myself, and My Initials

This projects was a very creative idea for students to get to know one another in class. The first step was to find pictures or clippings that meant something to the person doing the art project. Then to cut them into geometric shapes and place them on a sheet of paper in the area that would be shown through on the top of the colored paper. Then after the pictures are paste down you glue the top color on to the pictures and your initials are done.

Extension: This could be a project for students to get to know each other when they first come to school. It is a great way for students to be creative and to help the teacher know what their interests are; if the teacher knows the students right away then the teacher can play off of their likes while teaching. Students could also do this in a group so that they can put their two initials together and work as a team to mix up their likes and dislikes.

Sketch Art

We picked a drawing out of our sketch book and traced it onto the front of the black paper and then added some other etches to create different hues of color.

Extension: Younger students love to work with sketch art. This is a fun and different type of art lesson for younger students. It gives the students a chance to make a picture of anything they want and it comes out color. They can learn about the different shades of color by scratching more of the black off.

Clay Work

We had a chance to work with clay; I didn't know what to make so I imitated my hand. After the clay was dry we then painted it to add some color to the clay work. Working with clay can be relaxing and a creative way for students to make something that they can use.

Extension: The teacher could do a history lesson about the uses of clay or use a relaxation technique like we did in class. Then the students would have a chance to make a pot with a little bit of their own flair. These would be great gifts to give to parents during Christmas or birthdays.

Collages

Open: Calm, relaxing, free flowing


Curious: Questioning, bold, a state of wondering


Disgusting: gross, ugly, unattractive


Brave: Bold, strong, hero

This was a fun project to do as a class. I didn't like the words that I had received at the beginning, so I was glad that I got a chance to work with other vocabulary words. The use of student's different ideas and creativity made the collages a great work of art.

Extension: This collage idea could be a great visual attachment to vocabulary words for students. Some students need a visual connection with the vocabulary words. This would also be a great way to have students learn to work in a group. They can work in a group to accomplish one project and talk about the different medias that they used. This will help students get to know the different kinds of media.

Hidden Safari

For my hidden safari I drew a zebra in sky blue colored pencil. After the zebra was finished I used warm colors in a pattern to cover the entire page. This would cause the blue animal to be lost in the safari. After the picture is done you use red colored glasses to see the zebra completely. The warm colors are not see through the red glasses so you see your animal. This is a great trick project to do with a 6th grade class. For an art project students can draw something that they have lost, or something they misplaced at one time. The could then draw patterns over the top of the lost item and see if students can find the item. Students could also draw several lost items to see how many items can be found. A teacher could link this art project with math by having students use different symbols or numbers. Students could also write math equations and then have students see if the answer is under the safari.

Starry Night

The bright stars shine forth like bright light bulbs in a dark room. They become the focal point above a small dark town below hills of grass. The church hangs over the town like the sky but only the darkness of the earth is shown below the bright starry night. The dark tree in front of the view adds to the darkness shown upon the hills and the town; it is very complementary to the stars in the sky.

This picture was drawn from Vincent Van Gogh's painting called "Stary Night". I painted this picture with my fingers to replicate Van Gogh's picture. If I would implement this in a classroom I would have my students research a artist. After the students researched the artist they would be required to pick a favorite painting and replicate that painting with their fingers and paint. This would allow students to have fun with art class and enhance their report with a unique creation of the artist's work. This project would obviously have to be linked to a social studies class where students would have to research a famous artist. This could also be used with younger students and just exempt the research. Students as young as kindergarten can recreate a finger painting of a picture.

Shape/Pattern

This is my Element and Principle Design. I was the element shape and the principle of pattern. I used my love for quilting to make a cutting out of a piece of material. The different shapes are symmetrical and placed in an interesting pattern. I used the blue hue along with neutral colors. I tried to interpret shades and tints into my project along with some different textures. I used styro-foam balls and wooden stars along with paper and crayons to finish my work of art.
This project could be a great warm up for students that are learning about principles of design as well as shapes. Younger students probably will not learn about the principles of design but they will need to practice with their shapes. Younger students can use shapes to make a picture, but the teacher would make them use a pattern or explain the use of a pattern to the students. This would be linked to their math or geometry class. Older students will be able to understand the principles of design and be able to create great art pieces.

Foot Print

This is my footprint. It is a good representation of what my life truly is, busy. I have always been a busy person so my foot print is an example of my life. I have a softball, snowmobile, gun, tent, cookies, cupcakes, fishing, Ford symbol, books, and picture frames to show my interests. The background is in blue which happens to be my favorite color. This art project would be a great project to do in the first few weeks of school. This will allow students to express themselves in a natural way and allow the teacher to get to know their students. Students don't have any rules that are associated with this project except that they have to use different media. This can be done with younger students at the age of 6 or 7 along with students that are in high school. All the teacher would have to do is change the requirements a little bit and this would be a fun project for any age of a student.

Art Review

Caspar David Friedrich

Cloister Cemetery In The Snow

1817-1819

Description: The artist used lines, shapes, forms, and textures to create this painting. The lines are in the tree branches and in the tall structure in the center of the painting. The shapes and forms are shown throughout the entire painting in the head stones and crosses. The texture was made by breaking up the stones and adding snow to the ground and trees.

Analysis: The artist used a monochromatic color scheme to grasp the emotion wanted. There was also value added into the work by adding fog and shading from black to white. The last principle is space, they used symmetry to have balance in the work.

Interpretation: This art work is a snowy, cold winter out by an abandoned cemetery. This is beautiful in the way that is represents something sad but yet uses the right elements and principles to show something beautiful.

Judgment: I absolutely love this picture, it adds life and death together but at the same time makes it look beautiful. The use of neutral colors makes the photograph seem so fragile and it shows some deep expression in my opinion.

This was my art review piece and older art students should have to analyze other artist's work. It is a good idea to have students analyze other artist's work before they analyze their own work. Students should be allowed to pick their own piece of work and the artist but they have to be able to analyze the work with tasteful criticism. This would help expose students to different art work as well as help them grow as an artist.