In the Art Room: A Henri Rousseau-Inspired Mix Media Collage

Currently, my eyeballs feel like they are made of broken glass and are just barely staying open. However, I'm thrilled to say that pulling those close to 12 hour days at school this week has paid off: All of my students 400 Henri Rousseau-inspired masterpieces are up and on display for our Open House! Whew! If you follow me here, you've seen my students progress. We've all learned about the artist and created a tiger-tastic work of art (side note: our school mascot is also a tiger and we have a Tiger Run coming up next month. So now the halls are decked out for that occasion as well!). I'll be sharing each of the projects here over the next coupla weeks so stay tuned! Today, I present to you the work of my fourth grade artists!

 To conquer this Jungle-tastic Project, we used the following supplies:

*  Model Magic by Crayola
*  Sax Versa Temp paint
*  Chalk pastels
*  Oil pastels
*  9" X 12" painted construction paper
*  9" X 12" poster board to back the construction paper

This project began on the very first day of art when, after covering the rules and such, we set about making painted paper. This idea of painting paper on the very first day came from my good friend and art teacherin' genius Laura Lohmann. 

My Monday and Tuesday classes painted a variety of green papers for our jungle-y projects (used mucho by my third graders for their project, details to come) while my Wednesday and Thursday kids painted orange papers. My fourth graders ended up using these as the background for their collages.

We painted, we scraped with texture combs, we tried out different paint application techniques. 

We pulled prints which we thought was just about the coolest thing ever and that was it for our first day! On our second day of art, we learned more about the artist Henri Rousseau and studied his jungle paintings. I even created a Jungle Lounge in my art room for the occasion!

Complete with Clean Up Gong, of course. Over the next two art classes, the students were allowed access to a ton of books featuring photos of tigers and information about their habitats and eating habits. With that in mind, they were given about golf ball size of Model Magic to create their tiger. I did show them some simple basics but really encouraged them to experiment, look at the visuals and come up with a creation of their own. 

The following art class, those were painted. I thought the students would spend about thirty minutes painting but they were so excited to do detailed work on their tigers that they ended up using the entire 60 minutes to paint!

They might have been a lil influenced by this guy hanging out in the Jungle Lounge. 

The kids have been spending the first 5-7 minutes of each class in the lounge sketching in their newly created sketchbooks! They love this area. I can't wait to create some more seating for them. 

Creating the background took the kids another 60 minutes. They were allowed to pick any of the textured and painted papers they created on that first day to serve as their background. Then they could use either all warm or all cool colored chalk for their sky. Once the sky was complete, the kids could create the land portion of their work with any colors they liked. 

We talked a lot about the habitats of tigers and again studied the visuals. The kids created lakes, rivers, jungles, mountain ranges, you get the idea. I was so impressed with their diverse ideas. 

I mean, check out this: I was informed by the artist that her tiger was jumping from a rock to the top of a tree. This is her ariel view. 

Once the chalk portion was complete, the kids were allowed to add more plants with oil pastels. They also used some remnants of the painted paper to create plants, trees, suns or moons and whatever else they could dream up. 

Once both the background and the tiger were complete, the kids brought their tigers to me and told me where to hot glue them to the work. I also hot glued their work to a pieces of poster board as the construction paper was not strong enough to support the weight of their tiger. It was a little bit of added work on my part but I didn't mind. We were just so happy with the end result! 

Have y'all used Model Magic before? I'd love to hear about your projects, I'm always looking to steal, er, borrow new ideas! 

Winner-Winner Chicken Dinner! The Results are In!

 Well, y'all, the results of the What the Art Teacher(s) Wore//Back to Art Teacherin' Contest are in! Thank you so much to all of you who entered and took the time to vote! Without further ado, I present to you our winners:

First Place with 994 votes, Katie Romanic! Her hand painted zentangle-inspired dress, bow and shoes were adorable. Katie will not only be featured in School Arts Magazine but also receive a free year's subscription. Congrats, Katie! 

Second Place with 934 votes, David Meade! It was a seriously close race between David and Katie. David also created his colorful look by crocheting his beret and making his mustache. He also wears that apron everyday to teach art! David will also be featured in School Arts Magazine. Congrats to you, buddy!

Third Place winner is Cheryl Buchett! Cheryl's hand sewn dress in that super cute art teacher print was definitely a hit! You'll be seeing Cheryl in School Arts Magazine as well! Congrats, friend!

Fourth Place winner is Dorie Mishael! Everyone was just smitten with Dorie's hair, handmade skirt and Kandinsky-inspired rug! Her colorful personality shines through in her clothing and her classroom environment! You'll also find Dorie featured in School Arts soon! Congrats, Dorie!

Thanks again for taking the time to vote! 

DIY: A (Brush)Stroke of Genius Dress!

Hello there, friends! Allow me to introduce to you the cutest art teacherin' fabric ever created in the universe: Carrie Bloomston's Paint line for Windham Fabrics (No, I'm not an endorser. Yes, I'm a total fan girl. Fabric-gasm much?). 

When I spotted this fabric on that one website which I just sign all my paychecks over to, I literally let out a gasp and hollered "Take All My Moneys!" I mean, just look at it, y'all. Gaze at the wonderment of the best dern artsy fabric there ever was...

Is Carrie a fabric-designing genius or what, y'all? You can still find some of the stencil and paint brush fabric here but for the other'n (as my grandma usta say), you'll have to hit up those sweet etsy sellers. Try here.  

I knew I had to use both fabrics together (with a pop of polka dotted purple at the waist). So I used my trusty Simplicity 2444. Y'all might remember when we had that lovely ice storm last winter and I successfully turned my school Snow Days into Sew Days, stitching up not one but THREE versions of this pattern. There was that Mondrian number, that marker-tastic dress and the pencil dress complete with bolero. So, me and this here pattern, we go way back. 

I did do something a lil dif this time around. I sized down the bodice. I noticed that the bodice of each of those dresses was a pinch large and I do like my bodice to hug me just right, nice and tight. So even tho I'm usually a 36" bust (sorry if this is too much info for y'all. Just deal with it.) I went down to a 34" and I love the fit! I do recall reading somewhere that one should size down in bust when stitching (was it Gertie's book?) and I'm much more pleased with the fit. I will say that it did shrink the armholes a bit which I didn't love. I have this weird thing that if something is touching my armpits, Ima gonna sweat on it (again, TMI? It's a sharing-is-caring kind of post this evening. I repeat: Deal.Wit.It.) So there's that. I smell but I got a good fit. Not a bad trade off says moi. 

What I dig about this design is that I can tie a big fat bow in the front, in the back, wrap it around the back and add a simple knot in the front, you name it. Of course, I do also love me some fit and flair.  

 Of course I just HAD to wear this dress with my Paint Brush Tiara! 

No, I did not create this masterpiece. I scored it at the NAEA convention in NOLA. They have this great vendor's market and there were so many amazing art teachers selling their creations. I do wish I could recall who created this headpiece as I scored the last one! If any of y'all attended NAEA and know of the artist, would you mind dropping a line in the comments? I'd really love to give this awesome lady some credit!

I decided to debut this ensemble on the day we were using recycled paint! I have this small group of 4th graders that come to my room for about 10 minutes each morning. They take down my chairs and attempt to help me organize my art room. Last week, their mission was to test ALL of my markers and find the "deceased" ones. We placed those in cups filled with just a pinch of water to drain out the remaining ink from the marker. 

With that "marker juice", my second graders created splatter paintings! We'll be using these in an upcoming self-portrait project. They thought this was just about the best thing ever.

 "Mrs. Stephens, I have purple freckles now!"

"That means you are hitting your paint brush too hard. No more splatter freckles!" 

Meh, we all ended up with a rainbow of freckles. All part of the fun!

And there you have it! A Brushstroke-tastic dress, purrrrfect for the art room, says Asha the Cat. Actually, I believe she said, "Stop taking pictures and fed me, fool!" (she likes to channel Mr. T when she's hangry). Adios!

In the Art Room: Sketchbooks for Kids!

Hey, y'all! I'm so excited to share something that I'm sure many of you already do but I feel like I just discovered: sketchbooks! In the elementary art room! I've never successfully attempted sketchbooks with my students before as I just couldn't figure out how to afford 'em if we bought them and how to make 'em if we didn't buy them. Recently, however, art teacherin' buddy Jane Shores recommended using old manilla folders with paper stapled inside and I was like, ahhhhh, I think we can do that! I'm thrilled to say that my students love the result and have enjoyed working in them. I made a wee video to walk you through the sketchbook-making/how we're gonna use 'em steps. 

 

I hope you can focus on my video and not so much on the fact that I missed a button on my sweater! Geesh. 

 To make our sketchbooks, we used the following:
* Recycled manilla folders. The central office in my district was kind enough to send me a mountain of the ones they were going to otherwise recycle!
* 20 sheets of copy paper per folder. 
* Dollar Store faux-duct tape. Works just as great for half the cost.
* Baseball card sleeves. For holding our Artist Trading Cards, thank you SO MUCH for the idea, Nic Hahn! 
* Electric stapler. I picked one up off Amazon. Works like a dream going through the folder, papers and sleeve. 

 On the first day of sketchbook making, I gave the kids the folders and told them they could paint their folder either all warm or all cool colors. They could paint fast and furious or delicate and detailed but they had to have it done in 30 minutes. The following art class, when they came to art, I had already stapled the 20 sheets of paper and the baseball card sleeve into the folders. We were ready to start sketching! 
 
 For that we met in the "Jungle Lounge" in the art room (more details on this and my painted window to come). Once the sketchbooks and pencils were passed out, I did a palming activity with the children (video clip below). While their eyes were closed I played my rainstick and told them to imagine a rainstorm in a jungle. What are the animals doing? Is the wind blowing? Is the weather getting worse? When they opened their eyes, they were allowed to sketch at their seats or on the floor but they were not allowed to talk. 

Palming is a great way to chill those kiddos out and help them refocus! Worked like a dream for this sketching activity! 

While they sketched, I called them up to add the duct tape of their choosing to the spine of the book and to create a label. This really was a special moment for them as it really made their sketchbook their own. I was able to catch a glimpse of their sketches as they came to see me. I was floored by their great drawings.

Most of these third grade students sketched without stopping for a good 45 minutes. I did ask them to take a break with me on the floor when I was finished with the taping. We chatted about our experience sketching so far (consensus: they LOVED it!) and how it would look during a normal art class. I plan to use this as an art class starter for the first 5-10 minutes of most art classes...I'll keep you posted. 

At this point, I told the kids about Artist Trading Cards. These are baseball-sized works of art created by artists of all ages. I told the kids that their ATC cards were going to be kept in those baseball sleeves. I have a sign in my room that lists the Topic and the Media for the ATC cards. This week, it was "Tigers" and "Colored Pencils and Sharpies" (yes, we're on a tiger-kick. Lesson details to come!) 

So, those finished with their sketches, were allowed to start their ATC's. 

The great thing about those sleeves is it's the perfect spot to keep unfinished ATC's! 

"In my jungle, a mysterious animals is afraid of the rain and is hiding". ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Love! 

The kids absolutely loved their sketchbooks and I'm thrilled! I'll definitely keep y'all updated on their progress...but I gotta know:

Do you use sketchbooks in your art room? How? Any tips or tricks? Please share in the comments, friends!

What the Art Teachers Wore//Back to Art Teacherin' Contest!

 Dorie Mishael! Isn't Dorie just the cutest thing?! I totally wanna join her on that fun -n- funky carpet and create some art. Check out that super cute skirt she made AND that rug for her art room that she's both sewing and needle felting. What a fab-o Back-to-Art-Teacherin' ensemble!

Welcome to the What the Art Teacher Wore/Back to Art Teacherin' Contest! These incredible educators got all dressed up to teach the best subject ever, ART! If you would take a moment to vote for your favorites, that would be much appreciated. If you are viewing this from your laptop, the poll is to your right. If you are on your phone, click on "view web version" way at the bottom of the page. These contestants stand a chance to win a free subscription to SchoolArts Magazine as well as an opportunity to see their beautiful faces there! Thanks all y'all who sent me snaps and for those of you taking the time to read about these hard working art teacherin' peeps. 

 Amanda Holloway and her mama! I seriously think that I just about died of cuteness overload when I saw this sweet mama/daughter art teacherin' duo. They made their dresses outta just about the cutest fabric I think I've seen. Both teach elementary art in Jacksonville, Florida to some seriously lucky young artists!

 Jennifer Love Gironda! If you don't read Jennifer's blog, you really should. She's truly inspirational to me because she's creating art ALL THE STINKIN' TIME! Truly! I believe she creates a painting a day all while whipping up super cute crayon necklaces like this one. I need one of these, stat.

Cheryl Burchett! Cheryl is a serious art teacherin' force to be reckoned with. She recently switched to teach at a new school and then raised over $2000 for the art program. And she stitched up this art teacherin' dress which I seriously love. You can follow Cheryl's awesomeness on her blog here! 

 SuzAnne! SuzAnne wore this super awesome get up on the first day to go over rules. Her school's theme is S.A.I.L. which stands for "students active in learning". To incorporate that theme as well has Monay she created that Capt. Mona you see on the left. What a clever and fun way to welcome her students back!

 Amanda Koonlaba! Amanda is a seriously sweet art teacher in Tupelo, Mississsippi. She welcomed back her students wearing a flower crown inspired by everyone's fave unibrow artist, Frida Kahlo. I'm sure her students were thrilled by her floral headpiece awesomeness!

 Karen Williams! Karen has amazing taste, I mean, check out that super cute palette fabric she used for her dress! Karen has recently started stitching again and is excited to begin creating more art teacherin' outfits (it's additive, Karen!). I love how she accented this dress with different colors at both he waist and the hem. She looks so colorful and cute.

 David Meade! Oh my goodness, this photo just cracks me up! Elementary art teacher David wore this glorious tie-dye number to greet the kids on their first day back to school. David crocheted his beret and wears his tie-dye coat daily to teach art! Imagine how thrilled the kids were to have this fun -n- funkiness open the door for them. I can't decide if the mustache, the beret or those pants are my fave. So much colorful goodness!

Cynthia Gaub! This pop-art themed dress worn by the lovely Cynthia Gaub is so fun! In fact, sewers, you can find this fab-o fabric at fabric.com! AND, non-sewers, have no fear, this dress can be found at ModCloth. Thank you, Cynthia, you look delish!

 Marcia Beckett! Y'all might recognize Marcia from her awesome art teacherin' blog, Art is Basic. What Marcia doesn't know about this back to art teacherin' t-shirt of hers it that I have the very same one in black from Forever21. If y'all haven't picked up their artist-inspired duds, you might wanna. You could look as cute as Marcia!

 Katie Romantic! Okay, this girl, lemme tell ya, she's killin' it. Katie made this entire zentangle dress using Tulip brand fabric paint. Now, while you digest that, I'll have you know that she also embellished those shoes and that hair bow. Not to mention, this is one of a handful of incredible outfit snaps that Katie sent me! You know I dig her style!

 Lauren Luna! Lauren sent me so many super cute photos that it was hard to chose! Isn't she totes adorbs? I'm lovin' this t-shirt of hers. Y'all have go to check out her art teacherin' blog here and her personal art making blog here! Love her energy!

 Amy Neiwirth! When super cute art teacher Amy Neiwirth sent me her photo (love that dress, gurl!) she failed to mention that she's also an incredible creator of cuteness. You guys have gotta check out her website, you won't believe the adorable jewelry this art teacherin' rock star creates!

Ashley Gonzalez! Doncha just love Ashley's apron? So did her student! She dressed just like her on one of their first days back to school, complete with a Starry Night apron! I love Ashley's hand painted apron, don't y'all?

Natalie Friedl! Can I just go all pun-tastic on y'all? I mean, let's face it, Natalie is looking sharp. Her dress is on point. She's not in the slightest bit sketchy in this super cute ensemble. I love this dress so much I have one myself. That's right, Natalie and I are twinkies! 

 Carrie Mann! Okay, y'all. I think Carrie should when in the special Awesomely Electric Ensemble category. Did you see, her skirt LIGHTS UP! She created it to read to her students The Very Lonely Firefly. You know they'll remember that experience for years to come.

 Jamia Weir! Sometimes, when I see people have a genius idea, I shake my fist at the heavens and say, "Argh! Why didn't I think of that?!" This here TWISTER GAME APRON was one of those times. That's right, Jamia created her back to art teacherin' apron from a vinyl Twister mat! How smart is that, y'all?!

 Joan Wheeler! Joan has caught the needle felting bug! I am so loving her Forever21 dress that she needle felted the palette onto, aren't you? Not only that but she created her jewelry using paint from a watercolor tray. How smart! I love her happy, colorful look.

 Kim Schulster! Kim doesn't know this but I have some serious fabric envy. If you look closely, there are lovely Frida's around the bottom of her dress! She looks absolutely fabulous. She and Amanda need to teach a Frida Kahlo unit together, doncha think?! Adorbs, Kim!

 Nicki Leatherwood! Art teacher Nicki from Austin, Texas chose her fabric based on her students love for Dr. Who. I'm sure they loved her skirt! She stitched it herself from the book Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes, a book I'd love to get my kitten mittens on. It looks like she did a fabulous job!

Teresa Euken! I have been going bananas over Teresa's top every since she sent me this photo. I love that fabric, a JoAnn's score, as well as that blouse pattern. She looks fabulous! I'm sure her students got a kick out of her back to art teacherin' top!

Lisa Hirkaler! Lisa is a high school art teacher who wore this dress back to school to introduce her students to Monet! You know, I bet not too many high school teachers go too wild -n- crazy with their outfits so I'm sure Lisa's students were thrilled to see how she'd coordinated her lesson with her flowery frock. Way to go, Lisa!