Painted Collaborative Wings

Leave a Comment / Collaborative Art, STEAM Night / bloomingartaz

Our school wide art project

Wings

She was here!! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!

Kelsey Montague! She was here in my town painting beautiful interactive murals all over my city and I missed it! Here I am teaching my kiddos all about her, watching her videos, looking at her work and creating our very own tribute to her beautiful murals and she was here… last month. Oh, what I would have given to be able to go see her in action, painting wings and -gasp, meet her! But, I missed it…

Wings in Scottsdale!

One of my students came up to me and casually said “I saw the wings.” What? Where? “At the hockey arena.” Wait. What? I frantically typed her name and PHOENIX into the search engine and there were not one but FIVE new beautiful murals around town!

How could I have missed her? For the past few weeks my classes have been talking about murals and looking at the beautiful work of Ms. Kelsey Montague. We are in the process of creating beautiful painted wings for a mural that students can interact with and invite our community into our annual art walk. This year our art walk is combined with our science night for a fabulous STEAM night event we are calling A Night in our Museum!

We started by painting papers. Each grade level focused on painting different color values of our chosen color palette. Students used their color with white and then black to create beautiful value scales on mixed media paper. By the end of the week, we had A LOT of painted papers!

Students then used white prisma color pencils to design their individual feathers. My amazing PTO moms helped me assemble and seal the painted paper feathers to two 4×8 painted wood boards.

Our finished mural was 4 feet tall and 16 feet wide and it is SO fabulous! It was a hit at the STEAM night! The kids loved standing in front of the installation for a photo opportunity!

Our amazing collaborative mural inspired by the fabulous Kelsey Montague now proudly hangs in our school hall.

Click here to find Kelsey Montague Art wings close to you!

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Polar Bears in Beanies – Winter Art Fun

The days are getting shorter and colder but things are heating up in the art room. This week we are snuggling up and drawing polar bears in cozy winter hats. Second grade artists are showing off their drawing skills and mixing in a little fiber arts as we learn how to draw these adorable polar bears in warm, winter hats.

How to Draw a Polar Bear in a Hat

I love this project because after following a few simple directions to draw the bear, my students can go crazy and express themselves as they add their own details. My goal while teaching drawing lessons is to find a balance of providing some guidelines while still allowing for individual creativity. I want each child to take ownership of their art and feel safe to create and make it their own unique piece. This cute little bear is very simple to draw in just a few easy steps. If you want to take the lesson a step further and make 3-D pom-poms to top them off, these bears become mixed media masterpieces!

Materials Needed

mixed media drawing paper
pencil
sharpie marker
colored markers
yarn or pre-made pom-poms
glue stick

Remember to Draw Light

Before starting to draw, we talked about the importance of drawing very lightly. It is much easier to erase a line drawn very light than a pencil line drawn with all your might. Hey! The art teacher is a rhymer! Our classroom mantra: “Draw Light Until You Get It Right!”

Drawing Steps

Place paper in the portrait position and draw a large upside down U shape
Add a curved line (sad face line) to draw the hat
Add curved lines for ears
Draw the eyes. We had a long discussion about the eyes. Is the bear awake or asleep? Most of my kids drew sleepy eyes, thinking their bear was snuggly and sleepy.
Draw the muzzle. We used dashed lines to draw the “avocado” shaped muzzle.
The nose is a “rounded triangle” shape pointing down.
We talked a lot about the mouth and the different ways it could be drawn. Some chose an anchor type mouth, others added a smile. My favorite is the side smirk!
We added some curved lines on the hat for drawing in the patterns, lines and designs of the winter hat.
That’s it! After students were happy with their sketches, I passed out sharpies and they went to town “sharpie-ing” everything and then finally added color patterns to the hats.
The final step is to add the pom-pom to the top of the hat.
Here is a pom-pom making tutorial.

how to draw a bear in a hat — Cozy Polar Bear in blue and yellow Beanie

IF you are brave enough to make pom-poms out of yarn with a classroom of kids who are just learning to tie knots, it can be done in a separate lesson. You may call me crazy, but I discovered that about half my second grade kiddos knew how to tie a knot. So in my infinite wisdom, I paired up the non-tiers with the tiers and they helped each other make pom-poms! I loved having them work together in pairs, not only did they have a great time learning how to make pom-poms, the results were adorable! Incidentally, when I taught this lesson to my combo first and second grade class, we opted to use a bag of store bought pom-poms. The students loved choosing the perfect color and size to glue on their bear’s hat. Both options looked great!

Don’t you just love them?

What winter projects are your favorite? Let me know in the comments below.

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Chinese painted paper Lanterns hanging outside in garden

How to make Chinese Paper Lanterns in a few easy steps

Leave a Comment / Chinese New Year / bloomingartaz

Making paper lanterns is a fun way for kids to celebrate the lantern festival, the culmination of the Chinese New Year celebration.

The Spring Festival or Chinese New Year is the most important celebration observed in China. The festival signals the beginning of spring and the start of the new year. The celebration lasts 16 days and culminates with the fabulous lantern festival. This time of year is my favorite time to introduce my students to the fabulous art and culture of China.

How to Make Chinese Paper Lanterns

These paper lanterns are easy to make either at home or in the classroom and can be embellished as much as you would like. I like to paint my papers first so each one is as unique and individual as the child who makes it.

Step 1
Start with a rectangular piece of paper. It can be any size but I use 9X12 mixed media paper. You can use construction paper as well if you aren’t painting it first.

Painted paper Chinese Lanterns paint 9 x 12 mixed media paper

Step 2
If you are painting the paper first, paint strips of color across the paper. Any kind of paint can be used, however, if you are using watercolor paint, crayon designs in white or light colors can be added for a cool wax resist effect!
Let dry. If you aren’t painting, skip to step 3.

How to make Chinese paper Lanterns Painted Paper with wax resist

Step 3
Cut a 1″ strip across the long edge of the paper to be used for the handle. Set strip aside.

Step 4
Fold in half horizontally. Cut strips 1″ wide from the folded edge to the raw edge. Stop about 1″ from the edge, be careful not to cut off completely.

How to make Chinese paper Lanterns cut painted paper image

Step 5
Unfold paper and attach the short ends together with tape or staples forming a tube.

Step 6
Attach the previously cut strip to form a handle.

Embellish finished lantern as much or as little as you want:
Glitter, sequins, beads, streamers can be added for extra BLING!

For more art projects for the Chinese New year click HERE. What do you teach for the Chinese New Year? I would love to hear about the in the comments below.

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5 Ways to embrace teaching in December and keep your sanity

Leave a Comment / Classroom Tips, Holidays / bloomingartaz

It’s December and teachers are certainly in the thick of it! Let’s face it, teaching in December is HARD! Keeping the classroom ship sailing amidst holiday hustle and bustle and the excitement of the holiday season is no easy feat. Kids are excited, very, very excited, and teachers are tired, very tired -challenged with juggling meetings, lesson planning, school celebrations and ACTUALLY teaching while trying to scrape their students off the ceiling. While it is good to allow our kids to be excited about the season, we need to stay the course, stay focused and finish the semester strong.

Here are 5 tips on teaching in December, managing chaos and maintaining your sanity.

Keep your routines and expectations in place. The busy days leading up to winter break are some of the most challenging times for teachers. Kids are excited about the upcoming vacation and all that goes with the December holidays. Now is not the time to ease up on classroom expectations. Children need and thrive with familiar routines. Coming off eighteen months of uncertainty, kids need the confidence that comes with a predictable set of routines now more than ever.

“I can’t control the wind but I can adjust the sail.” ― Ricky Skaggs
Be flexible. While it is important to stick with routines, we know that with December comes many activities, presentations and celebrations and, although well intentioned, they can be inconvenient to a normal classroom routine. If there is a time to be flexible and roll with the punches, now is the time. We can’t control the wind, but we can adjust our sails!
Don’t lose your sense of humor!
Smile! Did you know that when you smile your brain releases little molecules called neuropeptides to help you fight off stress? Then, other neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and endorphins come into play. These endorphins act like pain relievers and serotonin is actually an antidepressant. Going into the day with a positive and playful mindset has rich benefits for teachers and kids alike. We also look much nicer when we smile and kids respond and are more receptive. Although many of my students are still in masks, and I miss their smiling faces SO much, I can see their eyes light up when I smile at them. That is my superpower- I can see a kid’s smile through a mask!!I
Participate in a holiday a game or gift exchange.
Teachers at our school are participating in an activity we call The 12 days of Holiday Spirit. Each day there is a simple theme to help celebrate the season. It may be something as simple as silly socks, or a hat -not a huge deal, but it’s fun to be silly sometimes and it certainly helps in deciding what to wear! Who doesn’t need help with that?! It’s also the perfect excuse to wear a fun graphic T-shirt, jeans or flannel pajama pants to school which kids always find entertaining!

and finally…
Exude gratitude!
Tis’ the season to be grateful for all our gifts and for those around us. Gratitude helps people feel positive emotions, it improves their state of mind by relishing good experiences. Believe it or not being grateful can actually help when dealing with adversity. Gratitude can also strengthen relationships with staff and administrators as well as boost job satisfaction.

This week our fabulous school librarian for the past eleven years moved on to an exciting new opportunity at our district office. She is the most amazing, strong and beautiful woman both inside and out. She has an extraordinary way with kids and also has the most infectious laugh I have ever heard! Just being around her makes you happy. Her departure blindsided me. I think it did for our whole staff. I wonder if she knew how much she meant to the teachers, students and families at our school. If she didn’t, she certainly did by the end of the day on Friday.
There are angels walking among us. Do you have some at your school? If so, tell them how much you appreciate them today! It will make you feel wonderful, I promise!

Teaching in December is downright hard. I hope you find these ideas helpful in getting through the days and weeks that lead up to winter break. I also hope you find the energy to enjoy the season with your students and families. What other ideas do you have for teaching the last few weeks of the year? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

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How to Weave on a Cardboard Loom!

Leave a Comment / 3rd Grade Lessons, Fall Art Projects, Fiber Arts / bloomingartaz

Fall is my favorite season in the art room. While we don’t focus too much on holidays, we embrace the seasons and fall is a time for fibers! Weaving is my go to lesson to teach fibers to kids and we are weaving on cardboard looms!

Getting Ready to Weave!

I like to start my weaving lessons by reading one of my favorite books on the subject: The Goat in the Rug by Charles L. Blood and Martin Link. I love this book because not only does it do a great job of describing the process and history of weaving but the story is told from the perspective of the goat. It is hilarious! If you don’t have a copy you can watch me read it HERE.

I love this book!!

How to weave on cardboard

Third grade students are weaving on a rectangular cardboard loom. You can buy cardboard looms from art suppliers like Dick Blick or you can make your own like I did. For third graders, I use a 5×7 piece cardboard with slits across the top. My looms have either 7 or 9 slits across the top and bottom. We use colorful yard to weave some amazing designs.

Teaching kids to weave

After we get our looms wrapped with the warp string, the students set off weaving. We start with a basic tabby weave the first day or two then move on to more advanced designs.

Dollar Store combs are great for tamping down the fibers

Keeping all those colorful yarns organized can be a little tricky! I have tried many different ways of organizing it and this new system is by far the best. Each skein is placed in its own little compartment and the yarn is dispensed from the middle of the skein. Taking the time to teach this little procedure will save your sanity. Trust me!

Pretty little yarns each in their own little house!

I encourage all my students to attempt a box design and of course they love to learn the rya. Most of my students choose the fringed rya at the bottom of their weaving.

Once all the weft yarns are woven, the kids helped each other tie up all the loose ends and took off the cardboard. They got really good at tying knots!

Here are our finished projects at last year’s art walk.

I am so proud of my amazing weavers!

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Scream Portraits

Leave a Comment / 3rd Grade Lessons, Fall Art Projects, Self Portraits / bloomingartaz

Inspired by Edvard Munch

I painted the picture, and in the colors the rhythm of the music quivers. I painted the colors I saw.
Edvard Munch

This week my third grade students created self portraits inspired by Edvard Munch’s The Scream. We added our own twist by using the tried and true straw blow watercolor painting for the hair. I love this project because it combines drawing portraits with the process art of straw blow painting.

Day one – Drawing the Portrait

After a discussion about the artwork we set off to draw our portraits. Students used mirrors to look at themselves and what their face would look like with their mouths open. We used a simple guide for the placement of facial features and proportion and set off drawing very lightly with pencil.

After drawing the outline of their portrait, students designed their t-shirt or whatever they were wearing that day. Finally, they chose skin tone crayons to color in the face and neck. It is important to have some multicultural or skin toned crayons on hand in the art room. I love the people colored crayons that I got from Lakeshore. The students took great pride in choosing their exact skin color.

Day two – Fun Stuff! Blowing the Paint!

The second day we set up our workspace for the straw blow painting. I placed a palette of liquid watercolor paint between every two kids. We practiced dipping our straws in the paint and placed ONE drop on the top of the head and tapped out the excess paint in the straw on to a paper towel. This step is important because any paint left in the straw will SPLAT on the paper instead of streaming up the paper.

Once the drop was in place, the students blew air through the straw to direct the paint to travel up the page. Blow painting with straws is a fun activity for children because it provides such a great opportunity to experiment with color and color mixing and different ways to paint other than using a paintbrush.

This is a show stopping project, kids love the process and parents love the product. I love it because it is a perfect fall portrait project that combines technique with all of the above!

Take a look of some of these amazing screaming portraits!

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For the Love of Eric Carle

Leave a Comment / 1st Grade Lessons, 2nd Grade Lessons, Collaborative Art, Eric Carle / bloomingartaz

Collaborative mural by Blooming Artists – Enrichment Class Spring 2020

My heart broke the day I heard that our beloved Eric Carle had passed away. For 91 years he filled the hearts of children, and the young at heart, with joy with his whimsical and colorful art made especially for kids.

“In the light of the moon, holding on to a good star, a painter of rainbows is now traveling across the night sky”

In case it is your first day on this planet and you have never heard of Eric Carle, he is the author and illustrator of wonderful children’s books such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Busy Spider, The Grouchy Ladybug and so many more. I have read them hundreds of times to my children and students alike. So many of my art lessons are inspired by his colorful and whimsical illustrations. Every one of my students know how to create beautiful painted papers and use them for their collage art in the fabulous Carle style.

One of my bucket list items was to visit the Eric Carle picture book museum in Amherst, Massachusetts.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit, for Carle lovers, it is a dream to see his original artwork and story boards for his books. Housed in a museum filled with his enormous playful paintings, walking into this museum is like walking into one of his books! For a quick glimpse inside click HERE.

This week my kindergarten classes have been learning about Eric Carle’s collage art style. We have been reading his books and having lengthy discussions about how he created his beautiful painted papers. We painted papers to create these adorable painted paper texture turkeys.

Aren’t these little texture turkeys fabulous?

The process is easy:

We used very well used messy mats (12×18 construction paper) that were pretty much covered with all colors of paint anyway.

Paint the entire paper with one color tempera paint
Add dots or stripes in a second color
Use texture tools, rollers or scrapers to add texture
Repeat as long as time allows

I love this process for children of all ages. It is such a wonderful process in creating beautiful papers for very rich looking artworks.

Students had fun painting their papers and using the various tools to create interesting and varied designs and textures on their papers.

What Eric Carle inspired projects do your classes create? Let me know in the comments below.

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