To Dump or Not To Dump... That is the question

Hello fellow art teachers and followers,
   I have a question... When painting do you let your students "dump" their water when it gets too dirty? Or do you have them keep the same water all through class?

I hate having dirty water when I paint so I wanted my kids to be able to have clean water for as long as possible. My first year teaching we used these cups that would only hold about 1 1/2 cups of water. Students were having to go to the sink constantly. Especially when we used liquid tempera or acrylic. 

Now, I use huge buckets of water for painting. They are used dog treat buckets which hold about a quart of water (we fill them halfway). The buckets never tip over because of their size, they are still easy for kids to pick up, and they may have to be refilled once during a lesson. I used to ask kids to raise their hand for me to check if the water was too dirty and tell them to "dump" or not. That became too much. So now I tell the kids to dump their own water when it turns to mud and they can no longer see their brush when pressed against the inside of the bucket. 

This water needs changing! 

So, my fellow teachers, what do you use as water containers and when do you "dump"?

Abstract Warm-up

   The first day of class with my 6th graders can be a bit overwhelming. I preach rules, procedures, and expectations. They are usually surprised at the new things they will be expected to do in "Middle School" art and can be a little timid. 

   After all the speeches are said and done I like for them to start creating.  I always begin 6th grade with Abstract Art. I try to find an interesting youtube video to show that gets the kids excited. I won't tell them what abstract art is though. I ask them at the end of the video to tell me. 9 times out of 10 they will get it.

   It is now time to create. As wide a topic and endless the ideas for abstract is, I have always found that it is hard for most students to begin an abstract work. So I help them along with this abstract warm-up:

Materials:

Markers, crayons, oil pastels, colored pencils, or paint.

12"x18" paper

Teacher reads the directions as students follow along.

Please be sure to allow at least a minute for each step. 

Abstract Warm-Up:

1. Turn your paper in any direction

2. With your marker make three straight lines anywhere on your paper, but start each line on an edge and end on an edge. Lines may cross if you wish.

3. Make three dots any size, anywhere on your paper. Remember to color your dots in. 

4. Place the tip of your marker on one of the dots. Now make a curved line or a lot of curved lines that go in any direction as long as they go to an edge.

5. With your marker make one circle that touches something else on your paper. 

6. You may add to your design by making more lines and shapes if you wish.

7. Complete your abstract work by adding as many colors as you wish. Remember to leave only one space blank on your design. 

Abstract warm up with steps 1 - 5. I always use oil pastel on black paper. 

Wish I had taken more pictures of this lesson... The students always have great success with this project because they are given a little "push" into the creative process. I find that it builds their confidence. 

If you liked this warm up and would like some more ideas, send me your email. I have 3 more equally as popular with the students and greater in difficulty. 

Special thanks to Pam Hickman who gave me these abstracts when I was student teaching.

Sand Pyramid?

I am currently on vacation on beautiful Hilton Head Island, SC. My family and I have been coming here for 21 years and counting. This year was the first time that I set out with a goal that did not include completely draining my head of all thought and just relax... Well, I will of course still do that, but onto the goal. 

I wanted to build some kind of sand castle. I have never made one. I thought it might be too hard to pull off and the rest of my family really didn't seem too interested. I don't blame them, because it is a lot of work. My wonderful husband who is what I would call a "Craftsman" set out with a plan. He also has an engineering mind so I just smiled and nodded when he showed me the plans. 

We decided on a pyramid! Here are some process photos. In the pictures are me, my husband Wes (in the hat), and my cousin Mica. 

1. Build the foundation.

2. Level and smooth.

3. Stair steps that begin at the top. Our approaches to this were all different. My strategy was to insert my tool (plastic putty knife) vertically and and then rotate down (like pulling a lever) so that the tool lay horizontally. This would cut the step and then pack down the sand for the top of the next step. I think my husband would cut in vertically and then cut in horizontally and scoop out. (My way went a lot faster)

 4. Make an entrance by building up more sand and smoothing.

 5. Carve stones in entrance way

6. Feel proud of a job well done!

 7. Even though our steps were not all perfectly level and smooth, it gave our pyramid a nice ancient look. 

 This little crab stayed with my cousin the whole time and then decided he would move in. 

If you're going on a beach vacation and want to.... Build a sand creation and share it!

Happy Building!

Art Test

   The end of the year was fast upon us. 1st grade had one more day of art class before the "Good Behavior Art Party" day. Should I have them watch a movie or free draw.... Neither.
   I decided to see what my little 1st graders had learned from the year. In 1st grade we begin to apply the "basics" to projects that reflect around the Elements and Principles. We concentrate on drawing with pencils, coloring like an artist, painting, and collages. So I decided to test them to see how much they had retained. Will they remember to draw lightly? Swish, wipe, and blot? Let's find out...

Students were told that this was a test. I wanted to see if they remembered elements, principles, procedures and processes we had worked on all year in class. 

Create a flower: Any kind. Real or imaginary. 
You have 3 choices of how to make it: Drawing and coloring with crayon, Collage with scissors and glue, or draw and paint. 
All students were given 9"x12" white paper. All materials they needed were out and ready. The rest was up to them. 

Tracing the drawing with a black crayon to make it "POP" when it is painted.

Some students made two types and wanted to turn in the best one. Here you can see paints and crayons out. 

Correct paint procedure setup!

When I asked this student where his sky would stop he said, "All the way to the ground SILLY!"

Me: "Why is this flower so much bigger?"

Student: "It's in the foreground!" 

This student went on to paint the rest of the sky blue and leave the clouds white. It made the cloud shapes more organic. 

One student creating a collage and another one coloring. Notice how her petals are in a stack. She stacked the papers together and cut them all at the same time. "Why did you do that?" I asked. "Because I wanted them all the same." she said. 

Many imaginary color choices!

This little girl pointed out to me that she let one color dry, painted something somewhere else, and then came back to paint beside the first color. She remembered that the colors may bleed together. 

Paint setup for two. You can tell that they did some good blotting on their paper towel.

I was very pleased with all the results. Only 2 students forgot a couple of things. I believe I will now give a test at the end of the year similar to this for all grades. It was a HUGE SUCCESS and the students loved showing me what they learned. One even told me that this should be on the TCAP! 

ART SHOW 2011

   May 5th, 2011 marked our 2nd Annual Art Show. Here is how it all went from start to finish. (Thanks Phyl for getting my brain engaged with your post.)

   I am very fortunate to have the use of the school’s all purpose room (playroom). Think mini gym without the basket ball hoops and no bleachers. With the help of some close friends and parents the show went up without a hitch. I am not given release time to hang the show so my parent volunteers and I will have the classes that I have that day help out. I send home volunteer letters at least 2 weeks ahead. 

   I have the show in the Spring because I want students to have lots of work to choose from for the show. This year the Kindergarten teachers and I have struck a deal. The Pre-k and K registration is the Monday after the Thursday evening art show. They always decorate for registration and now I have taken care of that. They want the art show left up as decoration and they will have their teacher assistants take the whole thing down the following day!! No take down for me!! We're going to keep this arrangement next year. 

   I display the work of all students. They choose on portfolio review day! About two weeks before the show. The art show is not a competition. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I do however have door prizes. I have a volunteer take names at the door. They register students for the prize they wish to win. I draw names once the show is over and announce the next day at school.

   I send flyers home with students two weeks before and little art tickets the week of. I also have a giant poster that I staple to a display board that I put out for car riders to see at arrival and dismissal the week of the show.

   The walls are concrete. I use 2” masking tape to hang everything. 2 – 3 pieces of tape to hang each work. My 5th grade class that morning makes tape rolls and places them on drawing mats for us to use while hanging. Because of this, I saved about an hour during setup. I do have 6 display boards which I staple work to. I also use hot glue to attach to those less tape friendly services. As you can see below. It's our climbing wall with the floor mats hanging from it. 

   I don’t mount, just not in the budget… I write the students’ names on the bottom right hand corner of their work as they choose their art show piece.

   The highlight of the show is always the slideshow. I create a slideshow of students working during the year and display it with a white board, laptop, and projector which is set up on a table. 

   Last year's show was a huge success and I was anxious to have a good turn out this year. I really talked it up to the kids, made art show “tickets”, a countdown calendar, and displayed the door prizes that could be won (Thanks Erica!). I had a guest book for people to sign in so I would know the numbers. A donation jar is also set up outside the entrance to the playroom. 

   I serve fruit punch and cookies. This year I asked teachers to bring in one package of cookies!! Thanks Mr. E for the idea. A volunteer or two mans the refreshment table.

   Turn out was a bit lower than last year's, but we still raised a lot of money in donations. The families that attended thanked me for having a such an event. Next year, I may have the show on a Friday evening and include art activities.