In the Art Room: Snow Globe Cities!

When I posted this photo on my Instagram a while back it got a whole lot of love. I promised I'd share this lesson with you all and here I am! My fourth graders are ALMOST done with these, hoping to do the last step within the next couple of art classes. I'll be sure to share the end results. Until then, I've created a lesson video for you and your kids! I'll walk you thru the lesson break down and supplies in this blog post. 

I hope you and your students enjoy! 

Supplies:

* Watercolor paint. In the video, and in my room, the kids used Pelikan brand watercolor paint. I'll be sharing more about watercolor in a blog post tomorrow so stay tuned if you have quesions.

* Cardboard pizza rounds. I get mine from a restaurant supply place called GFS or Gordon Food Service. Amazon used to sell them. I usually can get 100 for under $20.

* Paper. I always order 80-90 lbs paper and we use that for EVERYTHING.

* Glitter (ugh!) or fake snow. I found some super cheap after Christmas!

Day 1: I see my fourth graders for an hour. On the first day, we were able to create our practice sketches and paint our final circles.

Day 2: What I didn't show in the video was how we added a little sparkle to our circles. At the start of art, the big circles were passed back. The kids "painted" them with ModPodge mixed with glitter. Once those were done, we chatted on the floor about how to paint these papers for their cities. 

Day 3: Cities! We really talked about how to make a building look 3-D and the kids rocked it. Many of them drew in pencil first...but that was just suggested, not required. 

Up next...cut these out, add or our cities and start on our snow! I'm excited, I cannot wait to see these complete! I'll be sure to pop back by and share more as we finish. 

DIY: Latch Hook and Needlepoint Andy Warhol!

I just finished off my latest latch hook artist series: Andy Warhol! If you recall, I've already done Frida's portrait. I decided to create Andy next and make the pattern available to you! You can find it, along with the Frida pattern, right here. 

 I have not done a needlepoint version of Andy yet...I just got so excited about working on my next pattern that I moved on. I'm hoping to create a needle point version soon. For now, I'm just stuck with a Shaggy Andy. 

My goal is to create a series of these artists...making one big ole latch hook artist rug. Crazy? Yeah...but what else would you expect? 

If you've never latch hooked before, the supplies are available at most craft stores. You can find out details about the process here. 

To give you an idea of what the needlepoint version would look like, just check out the back of my latch hook! Of course this is the design in reverse...but it kinda gives you an idea. I love the back of latch hook just as much as the front...I might have to hang these so they can be seen from the front and the back!

In the Art Room: Penguins with First Grade

 Need a fun lesson for your first graders tomorrow? I think I might have something for you: these adorable penguins! This lesson teaches so stinkin' much: warm colors, brush control, using watercolors, painting spirals, a review of lines and shapes and much more. The kids loved creating these. 

I made  a video just for you to share with your students to walk them through this lesson. Here I'll break it down for you day by day.

 If this image looks familiar, that's because my kindergarten did a slightly similar lesson. You can check that out here. 

I see both my kindergarten and my first graders for 30 minutes twice a week. So here's how we spent Day 1 and 2: Painting spirals! Midway through day 2, most kids were finished painting their 12" X 18" papers with spirals. Once complete, the kids placed their work on the drying rack and worked on the following...

 With my shorter art classes, we don't have sketchbooks. Instead, we sketch on dry erase boards. This cuts down on paper waste...and, added bonus, kids LOVE drawing on dry erase boards. I got mine at the Dollar Tree. I created a step by step penguin so my students could practice independently while their classmates finished their paintings. This is something new I've been doing this year and I love it. Not a moment of instructional/practice/work time wasted...and no wasted paper either!

 Day 3: guided penguin drawing. These guys are huge, measuring in at 12" X 18". We used bingo daubers and drew on the floor. Yes, crazy...but it is the method that I found works best for me and my students. I had each place a messy mat under their penguin so we wouldn't get ink on the floor. Of course we did! It mopped up.

 Day 4: The following art class, we added the chalk to create form and painted. Some classes moved quickly enough that we were also able to cut them out!

 If you are looking for a fun winter collaborative project, that could be it! Skip the background painting and just create these. Add them to a backdrop and, ta da! Instant winter mural!

We hung these up with the kindergarten snowman for a fun and frosty display. Have fun, y'all!

DIY: Latch Hook and Needlepoint Frida!

This pattern is now available! Get you one right here!

Y'all. I had so many artsy-craftsy-teachery goals for my break. And then I went and designed a Frida Kahol latch hook pattern and completely forgot about my other ideas! So, I present to you Frida two ways: Plastic Canvas Frida (left) and Latch Hook Frida (right).

I rediscovered latch hook at year when I bought a kit on a whim at Joann's. Y'all might recall from this blog post. Once complete, I stitched it onto what has become the most petted jacket by my students EVER (saying "please don't pet me" isn't something I thought I'd have to say...but such is the life of an elementary art teacher). I was "hooked" after completing this jacket. When I returned this winter to buy another design I was pretty disappointed by my choices. It seems that latch hook patterns have not been updated since I was a kid...in the 80's. 

That's when I got the idea over break to design my own. I got some graph paper and went to work...then I decided to hook it, not knowing if my design would work or not.

 But she did! I present to you Furry Faced Frida!

 Personally, I LOVE the look of latch hook because it's a multitude of things: tacky, vintage, bizarre, retro, kitsch, you name it. Now, since this design was my own, I did have to cut all of my own yarn. If you are not familiar with latch hook, it is the process of taking a 3" piece of yarn, folding it over a latch hook tool (found in all craft stores for a couple of bucks) and "latching" it to one of the openings in the latch hook canvas (I'm not sure what the stuff is called but you can also buy it blank at the craft stores). It's pretty easy! To cut my own yarn into the correct lengths, I just wrapped it around a 3" piece of cardboard and cut it. I kept the colors organized with this jewelry hanger I found at Five Below:

I have one of these for storing my embroidery floss also...they so handy!

 Since I was bringing back latch hook in all of it's retro glory, I decided to try my Frida design out on plastic canvas too. Y'all...I think I may like her a bit better that way!

 Even if the back looks like Zombie Frida (according to my husband). If you've never used plastic canvas, it's also available in the craft stores for CHEAP. I used the same yarn as I did my latch hook. When using plastic canvas, you'll need a tapestry needle. It can be a touch confusing because of the diagonal line the stitch creates. When counting out the stitches and figuring out your design, simply count the top of the diagonal, not the bottom left, if that makes any sense. 

I think at one point, every grandma was required by law to create a plastic canvas tissue box. So...y'all know that I'm gonna have to create one full of artists! I've already finished my Andy Warhol latch hook...I can't wait to share that with you.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED...this pattern is now available to you! You can buy the pattern here. I'll be creating some how-to videos on plastic canvas and latch hook soon. Also, stay tuned for my Warhol pattern!

In the Art Room: Kindergarten Snowmen!

Every time I post on this blog lately, I find myself apologizing for not posting more. I'm tired of apologizing and I miss it here...and y'all! One of my goals this year is to get back here at least twice a week (my goal is three) to share lessons and whatever else that's goin' on. So, to kick off the new year, I thought I'd share a project I wrapped with kindergarten that they totally loved...and I think your kids will too. 

I created this lesson video for you to share with your students! I'll break it down day by day as to how I taught it in my art room.

Day 1: We painted spirals. I have my kindergarten for 30 minute art classes. Most of them finished their spiral paintings on one day but some wanted to paint the following. We used watercolor paint which is what I demo with in the video. Also, those warm color paintings? Those are by the first grade...and I'll be sharing that lesson with you later this week. 

Teaching kids brush control and proper brush use is no easy task...but it can be fun. Here's a clip of me teaching my students how to correctly use their paint brushes and achieve delicate spiral lines. 

If I have learned one thing about teaching kids, it's that silly sticks! They'll remember things if they are super silly and fun. That's basically my teaching philosophy. 

 Day 2: On the second day, we gathered with a clean 12" X 18" piece of paper and met on the floor with our bingo daubers (we call them paint markers). Because our daubers are filled with permanent ink, we placed another sheet of paper under ours to protect the floor...at least that was the idea. We did have a couple of incidences but we managed to get the floor clean. I did try to have them do a draw along with me while at their seats: TOTAL BUST. The kiddos couldn't focus when they were all spread out and it was just not fun. So we did a Round 2 on the floor and it was great. 

Day 3: We added the chalk and the paint to our snowman.

Day 4: We cut them out and added them to our backgrounds! Most kids added stick hands and a few even added boots. 

 This little guy got carried away decorating the background of his before cutting it out and adding it to his painted paper. I love it so much! Especially that rainbow scarf! 

 Something I was considering for y'all:

* If you are short on time, skip the painted background. Have the kids create their snowman and then just paint the background of that paper when finished.

* If you don't have paint markers or bingo daubers, try using Sharpie markers or black paint! If you use Sharpie markers, work on a sheet of paper that is 9" X 12" as the lines are much smaller than the daubers.

* The kids could color in the scarf and hat, not paint. I did that with a couple of classes when I didn't have time to get out the paint and they look great!

Love to hear from y'all if you give this lesson a go. Your kids will love it!