Field Trip! Sawtooth Print Shop

I'm excited to share with my students and y'all another installment in that series of videos that I'm calling Field Trip!  I got the idea to visit contemporary artists and film them in action to share with my students. The goal is for them to see living artists creating and know that creating art takes many forms from mural painting to folk art to...printmaking. Which brings me to these two good lookin' folks, Chris Cheney and Nieves Uhl of Sawtooth Print Shop.

They are seriously so much fun!

I met Chris and Nieves at a workshop hosted by The Frist Center for Visual Arts. We had so much fun that when I was dreaming up artists to visit, their studio immediately came to mind. Not surprisingly, they were totally open to the idea and were gracious enough to carve time (see what I did there? "Carve"...get it?!) out of their busy schedule to show me just how they create their prints. They were so thorough in their explanations that I believe kids will understand their process. 

Personally, I just loved exploring their space and snapping photos for their vintage typeface. I was told most are purchased from former printmakers who no longer have a means to print or a desire to do so. 

 I loved how clearly they explained the reasoning behind carving backwards. I know I would mess that up ALL.THE.TIME. I don't know how they do it.

Both artists did their internship at Hatch Show Print which must-see if you are ever visiting beautiful downtown Nashville. 

I felt like I learned so much from this field trip as well! Seeing the process of how their posters are creating was like taking a step back in time. I think that showing this Field Trip! video will be a great introduction to any printmaking unit. 

Since we're talking about printmaking, I thought I'd add some of my favorite printmaking projects and videos to this post. 

You don't need fancy printmaking supplies to create great prints with your students. In a pinch, you can use styrofoam sheets, markers, paper and a damp sponge. If you've never tried marker prints, they are a game changer! First grade created these lovely prints with that method. More details here. 

Last year, third grade tried their hand at printmaking with these beautiful cityscape prints. 

For that, we did use ink but markers could have been used as well. 

Gelli Plates make a great printmaking surface as well, which is what we used for this Andy Warhol-inspired lesson. I've created my own gelatin plates and had the kids use those as well. 

Earlier this year, my third graders created these marker prints and used them in a fall collage. 

Fourth grade created these radial prints for Dot Day and had a ton of fun. 

Seriously, y'all. This poster created by Sawtooth is a kid-fave in my room.  

Special thanks to Chris and Nieves for the fun visit. Y'all are the best! 

In the Art Room: Candy Heart Sculpture UPDATE!

 My fourth graders are wrapping up their Candy Heart Sculptures and I thought I'd share how they turned out. The kids loved creating these and were thrilled with their work. I'm not much of a project-repeater but this one might have to be done again! Here's the process video I created to share with my students and you:

I know several of y'all did this project with your students and mentioned that paint was flaking off. I only saw a little bit of that...so I'm thinking it might be the paint used. It's a constant search to find paint that is both nontoxic and good quality paint without being super expensive. We used a combination of Blick tempra, Sax Versa Temp and Chroma paint. I did seal the hearts with a quick couple swipes of ModPodge to prevent chipping and add a little shine. 

I knew the struggle would be with the lettering...which is why in the video, I cover it so thoroughly. I'm happy I did, I think they did a great job painting their words on that lumpy bumpy plaster. 

Knowing that I'd have some early finishers, I grabbed four large boxes out of the recycling bin and put those kids on candy box painting duty. I had primed the boxes with white paint the night before and just drew on it in pencil. If I have time, my plan is to grab some laminating film and make it like a window in the box. Early finishers also wrapped up this drawing lesson:

I'll be certain to share their drawings soon!

The sayings the kids picked out was my favorite part. I thought it spoke so much about the kid creating the heart. 

 I had printed out a list of the hundreds of sayings that Necco has used every year on their hearts. I told the kids they could come up with their own saying...or use one of Necco's. All I asked was that I check what they planned to write first. I didn't have any issues with inappropriate sayings...but I didn't want to take my chances. 

Love to hear from y'all if you gave this project a go! I'm off to put these on display in the library. 

In the Art Room: Street Art Hearts

Ah...gotta love those early finishers and those pokey little puppies all mixed up in one big ole art class. I have just that currently with my fourth graders finishing their Candy Heart Sculptures (they are SO AMAZING, y'all! I'll share soon) and third graders wrapping up their Heart Shaped Box of Chocolates. What to do? I needed a lesson that would be a one-day event, engaging, reteach the principles of art and introduce the kids to a contemporary artist. So I created this fast and fun lesson on street artist, photographer and fashion designer J Goldcrown. 

When the kids walked in the room, I began the video. While it was playing, I pulled those kids who still needed to work aside, reviewed directions, passed out their supplies and got them settled in and working. By the time I was done, the video was in a great place for me to stop it and review the directions with the kids. Here's the video:

This lesson is so simple and effective that it can be used with students as young as kindergarten on up to middle. I gave my students the chance to use either white or black paper. Some kids enjoyed it so much, they made a masterpiece on both white and black paper. 

I love the work of J Goldcrown. It's been fun to introduce the kids to him and Chris Uphues. I love their heart-filled works! And these look so great hanging in the halls. 

I often get asked what brand of chalk my students use...we love KOSS brand chalk. 

 I don't use expensive fixatives to set the kid's artwork. Instead I use cheapo cans of Aqua Net from the dollar store. Work just as well. 

Each kiddo was super engaged in this lesson which was fab as it allowed me to help those kids painting their hearts.

You'll have to let me know if you give this lesson a go in your art teacherin' world! 

Art Teacherin' 101: Episode 30

Don't forget to join the chat tonight, Wednesday, at 8pm CST over on my official Facebook page. We'll be talking about the Art Teacher in Training badges: how we are using them, how they've been working and the rest. We're also sharing our favorite art supplies. AND, lastly, let's chat about that dreaded thing called CLEAN UP. See you then!

Today I thought I'd share with you how I've been using the Art Teacher in Training badges in my art room and how they've been working for me. I LOVE THEM! Check out this episode of Art Teacherin' 101 to find out more. 

I often times will talk myself out of introducing new things to the kids with the mindset that "I'll do it at the beginning of next year". But now my motto is: Why wait?! I actually think it's the perfect time when the kids are starting to get that spring fever. Anytime I introduce something new and present it in an exciting way, the kids are always game. Here's the video that I've been showing them to explain the badges. Feel free to use it in your art room. 

Be sure and check out these other badges created by art teachers and how they are using them too. See y'all tonight! 

In the Art Room: Third Grade Faux Box of Chocolates!

I have to share with y'all this faux box of chocolates project my third graders are working on...they are so excited! So far, we've chatted about our artist inspiration, Peter Anton, created an armature for our box of chocolates and used newspaper and wheat paste to papier mache our box. Next up, we are using our plaster cast forms to create candy! The above is my example...

 And this would be Peter Anton's! Don't you love it? He's an American sculptor who is often referred to as Candy Warhol. He's created many sweet and savory sculptures but at this time of year, I'm partial to the heart shaped box of chocolates. Here's the lesson video:

Here are the supplies we used:

* Tag board cut into 1" X 24" 

* Tag board cut into an 8" square

* Tape

* Newspaper

* Papier mache paste

* Plaster

* Paint

* PUFFY PAINT!

If you've never used papier mache with kiddos before, just a few things: 

* Check for allergies. I used wheat paste but made sure that we didn't have any gluten allergies before doing so.

* Sensitivity issues. Several of my students have sensitivity issues. Meaning, they don't like the texture of papier mache. For those kids, I had buddies who finished early offer them a hand. 

* This stuff is MESSY. In the best possible way, says me. However, we did a very successful clean-up party after the fact that the kids loved. When most kids were finished with papier mache, I explained to them that if they were standing quietly behind their pushed in chair, I would squirt shaving cream on their table. I gave them five minutes to go bananas, be loud, have fun and draw in the cream. When the five was up, I announced that we would be having a CLEAN UP CONTEST. I placed tubs of water and sponges on each table. My rules were there was to be NO TALKING...only cleaning. The kids were to squeeze their sponges over the tub of water and use it to wipe down the table. I also provided old hotel key cards for the kids to scrape glue off the tables. You can see my kids in action over on Instagram (I'm @cassie_stephenz). Not even gonna lie, they totally rocked clean up! The best tables got the grand prize of lining up first. 

I'll be sure to share an updated blog post when the kids have completed their boxes and candy. My early finishers will not only write about what they've learned but give their candy company a name, make a list of ingredients and design the lid of their box. I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Until then, Ima go eat me some chocolates, y'all!