Artists For Kids

Field Trip to LACMA - Los Angeles County Museum of Art

2012-02-07T23:39:00.000-08:00

Walking through the Jesus Rafael Soto exhibit. Interacting with this sculpture

caused your sense to feel as if you were in tubes of rain that you could move around.

Here is one of the most important reasons why students write about their art that

they choose to have in the art museum. Label copy is how the artist can tell a little

story about how, when and why the work was made.

Standing under Tony Smith's "Smoke". The sculpture completely encompasses the large room of the Ahmanson Building.

Viewing Art of the Ancient Pacific Islands.

Ancient Buddhist sculpture

Louise Nevelson sculpture

The LACMA trip also gives students a chance to practice their art skills. Sketching the work in the museum is important to help connect what is being done in the class with

the important art from our history.

Alberto Giacometti room

Pablo Picasso sculpture

Experiencing the Bruce Nauman video

Discovering ancient sarcophagus

Egyptian art

Paintings during the Renaissance

Kindergarten's Response to Piet Mondrian's - Broadway Boogie Painting

2012-02-07T19:54:00.000-08:00

Piet Mondrian - Broadway Boogie

The conventional or easy way to teach Mondrian's use of color in this classic painting would be to give students only the primary colors, black and white to use and ask them to create perfect geometric shapes. In this lesson I spoke with the students about what a city is like, how it sounds and how, especially in New York City, things are constantly moving. I wanted the students to use what ever colors they felt a connection with then to use the energy you would find in the city to come out in their drawings. You can see how each student blended their oil pastels differently and strongly.

5th Grade Acrylic Painting Techniques

2012-02-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

In this lesson I am teaching the 5th graders various acrylic painting techniques. We initially started with a base background color using long brush strokes, which showed students how to blend paint together. The students then loaded some of their paint with a generous amount of water, applied the wet paint to their canvas and let the watered down paint drip down or across the canvas. Some students stuck with creating a few drips, while others relished in the chance to give the paint a life of its own. A few students even substituted dripping paint with dripping water creating the effects of a reverse painting method.

Step two will incorporate an illustrative painting over the background colors you see here.

Fifth Grade Printmaking

2012-02-06T20:09:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite aspects of printmaking is the ability to print onto a pre made surface.

I cut out specific images from magazines that had interesting colors to serve as a background

to the students prints. The students created various portrait prints using a tracing paper

transfer method. We then spent one whole class time turning the room into a printing studio full of creation and exploration. Here are some examples from the day.

Kindergarten Watercolor and Sea Salt

2011-11-29T15:41:00.000-08:00

Visual Arts Kindergarten

Communication and Expression Through Original Works of Art

2.5 Use lines in drawings and paintings to express feelings.

In this lesson I wanted to infuse various media with musical rhythm.

The first part of the lesson focused on drawing lines with crayons while listening to

different styles of music. Each style of music helped fuel the style of lines created.

Once each student had finished using crayon on the watercolor paper,

we began to use a new painting technique the students had never seen before.

By adding water to the paper first, simply touching watercolor paint to the water

will allow the paint to spread fast through the water.

We discussed how art can act like a science experiment and show chemical reactions.

The paint touching the water, had a direct reaction that was visible to the students.

The students loved to watch the paint act on its own!

While the paint was wet, we created another chemical reaction

using the watercolor paint and coarse sea salt.

The sea salt acts like a sponge to the water, soaking it up and drying the water out.

This chemical reaction creates a very interesting effect to the paint by actually soaking up the color and leaving slightly less opaque spots.

When the paint has dried, scrape away the salt to be used again in

a future sea salt lesson.

First Grade Impressionist Portraits: Parts 1 and 2

2011-11-28T22:31:00.000-08:00

Develop Perceptual Skills and Visual Arts Vocabulary

1.2 Distinguish among various media when looking at works of art (e.g., clay, paints, drawing materials).

Communication and Expression Through Original Works of Art

2.8 Create artwork based on observations of actual objects and everyday scenes

In the first part of one of my favorite painting lessons, the first graders learned

about the Impressionist painters of the late 1800s.

We discussed their radical use of color and how they were viewed by critics and

other members of the art world.

This lesson is conducted in three parts:

1. the pencil sketch - students learn step by step how to

properly draw a human portrait

2. outlining the portrait in crayon and adding a base layer of color using crayons

3. Using watercolor and sea salt to add the second layer of color

Stay tuned for part 3 and the final results, tomorrow November 29!

I placed images of famous Impressionist painters on the table to help

encourage students to use colors they wouldn't normally use to color a portrait.

Forth Grade Portrait Drawings: Part 1 and 2

2011-11-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

Visual Arts Grade Four

Develop Visual Arts Vocabulary

1.4 Describe the concept of proportion (in face, figure) as used in works of art.

Skills, Processes, Materials, and Tools

2.2 Use the conventions of facial and figure proportions in a figure study.

Communication and Expression Through Original Works of Art

2.5 Use accurate proportions to create an expressive portrait or a figure drawing or painting.

This lesson had many goals I wanted the Fourth graders to accomplish:

1. Learn how to cooperatively work with partners to create a work of art

2. learn proper pencil drawing techniques

3. learn how to use proportion to create a portrait

4. Hone their ability to draw what they see, rather than what they think

5. learn to use shapes to draw a human figure rather than directly to details

Below you will see an example of the worksheet I handed out to the class

in order to help them understand how to evenly balance the facial features.

The bottom two portraits were initially empty so students could practice

drawing the portrait looking straight ahead and a portrait looking to the side.

Stay tuned... eventually we will be creating some very colorful backgrounds

to fill behind the portraits!

I handed out pieces of cardboard to the students so they could prop up their paper,

so they would not have to be limited to drawing flat on the table.

One at a time, students drew each other's portraits using proper proportion.

Some students really began to understand that you do not have to draw

a line using one deep, dark definitive line, rather you can use many different

sketch style lines to create a drawing.

When it was their turn to draw, the "artist" discussed with the "model" what

pose or position they were seeking. As you can see here, this is the "lounge" style.

Some students began to draw the body, head and eyes looking into a

specific direction.

Emphasis Drawings Stage One

2011-11-07T21:26:00.001-08:00

Grade Four : Emphasis Drawings,

Media: Pencil, Colored pencil, Marker

Students will use rulers and pencil to create abstract emphasis drawings.

Color theme: Complementary colors

Skills, Processes, Materials, and Tools

2.1Use shading (value) to transform a two-dimensional shape into three-dimensional form (e.g., circle to sphere).

2.8 Use complementary colors in an original composition to show contrast and emphasis.

Develop Visual Arts Vocabulary

1.1 Perceive and describe contrast and emphasis in works of art and in the environment.

1.2 Describe how negative shapes/forms and positive shapes/forms are used in a chosen work of art.

Fourth Grade "Emphasis" Drawings Review

2011-11-06T21:34:00.001-08:00

Grade Four : Emphasis Drawings,

Media: Pencil, Colored pencil, Marker

Students will use rulers and pencil to create abstract emphasis drawings.

Color theme: Complementary colors

Skills, Processes, Materials, and Tools

2.1Use shading (value) to transform a two-dimensional shape into three-dimensional form (e.g., circle to sphere).

2.8 Use complementary colors in an original composition to show contrast and emphasis.

Develop Visual Arts Vocabulary

1.1 Perceive and describe contrast and emphasis in works of art and in the environment.

1.2 Describe how negative shapes/forms and positive shapes/forms are used in a chosen work of art.

November 7th 2011

We will be studying the idea of emphasis in a work of art.

Art History Example: Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte

Rene Magritte, Le Chateau des Pyrenees

Surrealism

Salvador Dali, Rose

Surrealism

Below are other examples or emphasis I showed the class.

First examples will be posted on Monday November 7th @ 8:00 pm.

Fifth Grade Animal Morphs

2011-11-05T17:55:00.000-07:00

Fifth Grade Color Wheel Abstractions

2011-11-05T17:49:00.000-07:00

Paper Sculptures Part 2

2011-11-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

Abstraction with Markers

2011-11-05T17:39:00.001-07:00

Third Grade Paper Sculpture and Drawing - Tints and Shades

2011-10-31T23:32:00.000-07:00

The Third Grade standards for art call for a lesson on tints and shades.

This lesson combines sculpture and drawing and shows the students how to see

and draw shades on an object.

Each student is given an 8x 10 piece of white paper and is asked to

fold it into any shape they feel creating an abstract form.

The children then use pencils to shade in the different values exhibited in the paper sculpture.

Some students finished early, so I asked them to create multiple drawings that overlap each other. I feel that this was easier for some students to do because of an overlapping

drawing they did last year in second grade.

One student really wanted to show half of the paper neat and clean, then the other half crumpled and messy.

Pumpkin Still- Life

2011-10-31T23:15:00.000-07:00

The first grade students began working on still-life art and the subject of our still-life

were pumpkins and gourds.

Here is an example of some of the things we discussed before drawing.

Important vocabulary words were perspective and

curved lines. I asked the students to closely observe the shape of the pumpkin to

understand how to draw the pumpkins realistically.

The pumpkin still-lifes were placed in the center of the table about a foot away from the students. I demonstrated using a specific grip of the pencil

to allow for the students to make light pencil marks, so as to not carve into

or scar the paper showing previously drawn lines.

By shifting the location of their pencil grip slightly higher than normal, it allowed the

children to grip the pencil softer and create softer lines.

Each class used different media to color their still-lifes. Some classes used just oil pastel, while some used a combination of oil pastel, crayon and watercolor.

I demonstrated to the classes how watercolor and crayon or oil pastel resist each other,

to create a colorful mixture of media.

Below you can see an example of how the pencil grip technique translates into

the use of the paint brush.

You can see how the yellow lines drawn into the curved lines of the pumpkins

help make the color pop.

Stay tuned for part two of the Pumpkin Still- Life series.

Pumpkin Still- Life

2011-10-31T23:14:00.000-07:00

Ceramic Tropical Fish

2011-10-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

Imagination Drawings Using Our Feet

2011-10-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

Printmaking Part One

2011-10-17T22:40:00.000-07:00

Painting with Cardboard

2011-10-17T22:08:00.001-07:00

Fifth Grade - David Smith Inspired Drawings

2011-09-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

Last year's trip to LACMA to see the David Smith exhibit was truly an idea spark.

Seeing his metal work helped me create a truly valuable lesson for my fifth graders.

David Smith at his estate in Connecticut.

Selected David Smith work.

David Smith sculpture in the desert.

First example shown to the class.

Second more advanced example shown to the class.

Fifth Grade - David Smith Inspired Drawings

2011-09-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

Mixed media pyramid sculptures

2011-03-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

I received these pieces of cardboard that fold out up into a pyramid.

This project can be done with properly cut poster board or watercolor paper.

In these sculptures, the students used construction paper and oil pastels.

Together as one group, the students and I arranged our

pyramids on the floor.

More still life drawings using oil pastel

2011-03-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

Some work from my private lessons

2011-03-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

Fifth grade watercolor heart design

Watercolor landscape painting

Mixed media still life

Comic book characters

Pencil illustration

Acrylic space painting

Acrylic comic book character painting

Comic book cover art using pencil, colored pencil, and ink

First grade still life drawings and paintings of fruit and flowers

2011-03-16T23:53:00.000-07:00

Still life drawings and paintings

Group abstract oil pastel drawing

2011-03-16T23:39:00.002-07:00

In this project, my goal was to get the students to do multiple drawings then

collaborate on a group art installation.

Start the drawing using simple lines crossing over each other.

This eventually create new geometric shapes that can be filled in

with color.

Each drawing can contain a few shapes with color

repeatedly add more pieces of paper that continue the lines

and colors from the drawing before it.

The distance and amount of drawing are limitless!

When the class has done many drawings,

bring the class together in a group to start putting the group

work together. Have each student continue their drawings from the student's

before theirs.

Walk around it when it's done... sing a song while you walk with the class...

clap out rhythms while you walk

Group abstract drawing

2011-03-16T23:39:00.001-07:00

2011-03-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some projects that I've been working on

in my after-school program.

Photos contain:

Watercolor, name tag for first day of class

Abstract crayon and watercolor resist painting

Watercolor, various size fish painting

"My favorite moment from my day at school" pencil drawing

Fourth grade window drawings with landscape attached

2011-03-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

Motivational images for window drawing project:

Rene Magritte

Salvador Dali

Students were able to become interior designers when they used pastel and pencil

to create these excellent rooms.

Next week, the class will be gluing the previous landscape project inside the square windows.

Stay tuned!

Printmaking with styrofoam plates

2011-01-30T23:05:00.000-08:00

First we used cardboard to scrape paint around the paper.
This gave a good base to the paper for our future printing project.

Scraping paint is a very simple form of printmaking and
mimics how a silk screen printer will create a work of art.

We then used cut styrofoam plates to act as our printing block.
Ball point pens worked well to draw "grooves" into the plates.

Here is a portrait print.

Untouched paint.

Use a brayer to roll through the paint.
I mixed white paint in so that our prints would show up on top of the old cardboard prints.

After printing on the original paintings, each student brought
their printing blocks over to one large piece of paper.
Each class created one group print.

Portraits using classical drawing techniques and collage

2011-01-30T22:54:00.000-08:00

The Circle Project

2011-01-30T22:46:00.001-08:00

The simple theme to this project came from advertisements I saw in magazines.
So many of them revolved around a circle design or style.
I placed the images in a circle for observation and inspiration.
No goals or rules were put on the use of materials.
Simply create something using the idea of a circle.

Fourth grade symmetry drawings

2010-12-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

2010-12-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

This project allows the younger students to be free about creating,
and opens up the idea of abstract art.
Each student is given a blank piece of paper and a piece of string approximately
a foot and a half long.
They drop the string onto the paper.
Wherever it lands, they trace with crayon, then building into oil pastels
and finally regular pastel.

Fourth grade acrylic landscape paintings

2010-12-15T21:13:00.001-08:00

First grade: Continuous line drawings

2010-12-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

Each student gets a piece of white paper and a set of oil pastels.
I read prompts to the students such as,
"Draw a line that does loops like a roller coaster"
or
"Draw a really thick line. Draw a soft line."
After I read ten different prompts, I gave the class a new piece of white paper.
The students were instructed to join this new piece of paper with the drawing,
then continue the lines onto the new paper.

First grade "fingerprinting" painting

2010-12-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

I came across a Chinese artist named Xhang Yu who paints large walls
using fingerprints.
The image below is just a fraction of his paintings, but show his patience
and his craft as a "fingerprinter".

The students were given primary colors and white on a pallet
and were then instructed to use patience and control to complete their
fingerprint paintings. I showed the students the image of Xhang Yu,
and discussed that he did not sloppily put finger marks all over the place,
he took his time and created an elaborate work of art.

This student had a little too much fun.

Some students used minimal amounts of fingerprints.

Once the paintings were dry, we used markers and crayon to add
lines shooting out of the fingerprints, and also to connect dots together.

Third grade eye sketches

2010-12-15T18:07:00.000-08:00

This is a portrait project that my third graders are beginning.
All the students will start their project the same way, by learning how
to draw the eyes, nose and mouth of a human proportionately.
Here is the demonstration I did for the class on the white board.

Here is the artist example, and the beginning of my example of the portrait project.

I began to look through the students' drawings when I realized that
just the drawings of the eyes created a very interesting example of positive and negative space.

It felt as if the eyes created a portrait all by themselves.

Second Grade Abstract Expressions

2010-12-15T17:34:00.000-08:00

Abstract Sculptures
Each student had access to various types of papers.
The entire class started with strips of the paper, then used glue and scissors to assemble their forms. We then mounted all the work on black paper to allow the color to pop.
The students learned a lot from each other by verbalizing

Abstract Drawings
Each student was given a square piece of cardboard.
They were allowed to leave it as a square, or use a scissor to change the shape.
Moving their cardboard shape around the paper,
the repetitious tracing creates various abstract forms.

First graders using paper only to create animals

2010-10-24T23:07:00.000-07:00

During a recent trip to the library, I stumbled upon a book that I feel defines how a children's book should be created. Simple words and eye-catching illustrations.
Being an artist at heart, my eyes naturally go right for the illustrations.
Each image in the book is of an animal or an animal's body part.
Each image of the animal coincides with the actual size of the animal or part
as we would see it in real life.
The catch: Each image is made strictly using various types of paper!
Trust me, I studied this book over and over and even the smallest
details were made with, paper!

"Actual Size" by Steve Jenkins

After reading the first few pages, I knew the first graders were up to the challenge:
Create an animal using only paper!

Some were large fish.

Some were a nuisance, and needed to be flicked away
using your finger.

Some leaped in front of the sun.

Some played games lying on their backs.

Some had colorful wings.

Some had large wings to soar high.

Some only came out at night.

Some were part of a family that lived deep underwater.

Some climbed trees.

Some were household pets.

Some liked acorns.

Some loved bananas so much, they just had to have more than one.

Some had long trunks.

Some made you say EEK!

Some were puppies.

Some were big dogs.

Some were too cool for school.

Some were caught in action.

Some liked to repeat anything you said.

Some liked cheese.

Some had thick shells.

One was a whale eating lunch.

One even wore a hat.

Art Show 2010 - 130 Visions of Youth Creativity

2010-07-03T17:28:00.001-07:00

This year's art show was a great success!
All of the students in our school were represented in one
night of art, creativity, and peace.
Each student not only entered a piece of art in the show,
but also responded to their work in short answer form.
Each answer or response, was typed up and
placed next to where the work of art was hung,
like a real art museum.
Needless to say, the responses were priceless.
The art museum accomplished a large scale exhibit, integration of literacy,
parent involvement, , and an
overwhelming understanding of these student's
creative abilities.

A Very Special Thanks to: our teachers, principal, and most importantly all the parent volunteers who helped with making the show so beautiful. The students really shined that night because of your help!

Please do remember when you are done viewing the art show,
scroll back to the top right of the page,
and become a follower of Artists For Kids!

Enjoy.

Hurry and the Monarch
Kindergarten Mixed Media

Some projects featured a detailed description of
what either the motivation for the lesson was,
or what the kids learned.

First Grade Flower Paintings

Second Grade
Centipede Style Abstract Paintings

Second Grade
Paul Klee Paintings

Second Grade
Abstract Watercolor Circles

First Grade
Three Billy Goats Gruff Drawing

Second Grade
Realistic Animal Drawings

First Grade
Q- Tip Fish Pattern Painting

Second Grade
Mixed Pen Drawing Exercise

Second Grade
Mixed Media Collage

Charcoal Drawings

First Grade
Printmaking Lesson
Painting with Cardboard

First Grade
Wild Things - Mixed Media

Second Grade
Recycled Object Printmaking

Fifth Grade
Recycled Cardboard Sculptures

Fifth Grade
Pencil Shoe Drawings

Fifth Grade
Acrylic Paintbrush Paintings

Fourth Grade
Clay Hand Sculptures

Fourth Grade
Positive and Negative Space Drawings

Fifth Grade
Charcoal Portrait Drawings

Fifth Grade
Recycled Bag Hanging Sculpture

Fifth Grade
Newspaper and Wheat Paste Sculpture

Fourth Grade
Pen and Ink Portraits

Third, Fourth Grade
Illustration Paintings

Fifth Grade
Charcoal Drawings

Fifth Grade
Picasso / Realistic Portrait Painting

Fifth Grade
Watercolor and Pen and Ink Painting

Fifth Grade
Mixed Media Hand Drawings

Pen and Ink Portraits - Third Grade

2010-05-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

Shapes and Colors - Learning Various Media - Kindergarten

2010-05-05T22:19:00.001-07:00

Clown Fish and Anemones Painting - Kindergarten

2010-05-05T22:09:00.002-07:00

"Two of Everything" container project

2010-04-16T20:54:00.000-07:00

Charcoal Drawings

2010-04-16T08:47:00.000-07:00