Source: https://joannajune.typepad.com/work_in_progress/art-lessons/
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 20:35:44+00:00

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This lesson talks about Unity and balance. We learned about Mandalas and researched the Rose Windows of Notre Dame. We talked about Native American sand painting and Mandala's in different cultures. I had the kids look up videos on YouTube about different cultures and art and we pulled up all our previous art work and talked about which ones had unity and which ones were the most balanced.
For our Art Assignment I had them create Mandala's of their own. We also talked about planning the emotions of a finished piece before you even start creating it. I wanted them thinking ahead about color, emotion, pattern and texture, using the previous lessons in their work. You can download the lesson here- Download Art13unity. As I often do, I let them choose which medium they wanted to use. Lorali stretched herself and tried chalk but overall I've noticed they gravitate to what they're most comfortable with, they don't tend to get out of their comfort zones. In the future I'm preparing a couple lessons using new mediums and other lessons will be getting comfortable with previously introduced mediums. I'm really looking forward to the next couple lessons that are planned so we may be doing a couple a week for a bit.
Be sure to check back soon though, next lesson is going to be a blast- Surrealism!
Todays art lesson took up most of the day because they were so into it but, it was worth it! We focused on Pattern and Texture.
We talked about Pablo Picasso using patter in many of his paintings to imply movement and direction. We looked at a lot of his work and each of the kids had to point out the patterns they saw in his work.
Then we looked up Vincent Van Gogh and his work talking about real vs. implied texture. We looked at a lot of his work esp. The Starry Night. I had the kids research different kinds of art work like metal work, wood sculpture and tile art.
We went through the house and looked at art we have on the walls, looking for pattern and texture in every piece. Then we talked about different textures/patterns and how to create that in 2 dimensional art. When they were all questioning, "You mean, we have real live art at our house?" I realized that we might need to do this part of the exercise more often.
I had the kids each come up with simple lines and patterns that would display different items and it was amazing to see their creativity. I demonstrated a 'brick' pattern and they went way beyond my simplicity.
The art assignment I had them do two pieces. The first, smaller piece was to have actual texture and pattern. Then they were to glue that textured art into the center of a second sheet of paper and on the edges/border of it continue the art lines using pattern and creating one cohesive art. I showed Ethan how to create texture with card stock and then cover it with tin-foil for a unifying effect but the other kids liked it so much they added tinfoil to their work as well, even though that isn't what they had planned on in the beginning. It is a tricky balancing act to try to have then learn new techniques and have them create individual works of art but they all had fun doing it so it's really an overall win.
To download this weeks lesson click here-Download Art12texture-pattern. Be sure to check back next week- We're learning about Unity in art and doing Mandala's.
Lesson 11 was fun to share with the kids because it was a new unknown medium to them. CHARCOAL. (available here-- Download Art11-Carcoal) For our lesson we pulled out some ashes/charred wood from the fireplace and talked about the marks that it makes. Making our own cave drawings w/ the charcoal pieces. We talked about early cave drawings, and how even with the most basic materials (charcoal and rocks) early humans felt the need to express themselves and their world through art. We watched a couple YouTube videos- (THIS one is inspiring) then we talked about Michelangelo's "Study of a Man Shouting" and how it captures emotion through details and shading. I had them research the history of Ernst Barlach and them look up his 1928 'sef-portrait'. We talked about his emotions and how he may have felt when creating it then we compared his self-portrait to their own self-portrait from last week's lesson.
I had an amazing artist friend (THANKS Arla!) of mine come share with the kids how to use charcoal. She explained to them the differences between med./soft/ex. soft pencils, she taught them how to use a charcoal eraser and how to get different shade of black depending on how hard you push or blend. She showed them how to just work and not erase over and over again and she talked about being proud of the work that you do.
For this week's assignment we had the kids use a still life object (rose) and draw it using depth and shadow. They practiced on a separate paper just to get a hang of the charcoal and then went to town. It was messy but worth it. They loved having someone new to share their work with and being inspired by their work. It was nice to have someone else teaching them and giving them tips. They are begging for her to come back for next weeks art lesson.
Thanks again, Arla. You're a saint and we loved having you join us.
Lesson 10 was self portraits and was a huge success. I decided to do this art lesson because a fellow homeschooling Mom had posted that she made her kids do a self-evaluation once a year in school. They wrote about themselves, they set goals for the future and listed past accomplishments and then they did a self portrait. I loved that idea and wanted to do regular self-portraits as part of that in our homeschool classroom.
For our lesson we looked up Picasso' self portraits and Rembrandts self portraits comparing and contrasting, talking about emotions the artists might have been feeling and how their personal view of themselves changed over time. It was fun to hear their reactions and interpretations of what each piece represented. We've also been learning cursive this past year and practicing signatures so I had the older kids look up close at the artists signatures and how even that changed. The assignment this week was to do a self portrait.
We talked about letting this picture express their own personality or emotions. I wanted to see how they see themselves. We pulled out a large mirror and they went to town. I loved they results! I let them work in whatever medium they wanted to and made sure to do it at the begining of the day so they could have as much time as they'd like to work on it and then I walked away- leaving them free to accomplish it on their own. I actually need to do this more! It was a huge success and they did amazing without me. The kids pulled up YouTube clips on how to draw a person or how to draw eyes and spent time doing a 'practice' portrait before doing the official one in their books. Apparently Owen sees himself as a cute blond headed black boy- because no matter how much the big kids tried to tell him that it wasn't his skin color he refused and said they were wrong. I love it!
They were careful with details like eyes and hair and shapes, they were talking about how to do texture with eachother all on their own and I am confident that after only 10 lessons they have learned a ton. At the end they were proud of themselves and showed it off to anyone and everyone who has walked through the door. You can download and print this week's lesson here- Download Art10-SelfPortrait.
Thanks for checking in- Next week I have a guest artist coming in to work with them on something I've never touched.... Charcoal. Should be messy fun!
That really did get their creativity flowing though and everyone was dying to just pull out the paints and play a little before they did their art work... I was happy to oblige. They experimented with different brushes and colors and once they had the concept down they dove into their artbooks. We worked with acrylics this week because we hadn't used them this year and it provided the most options for them to chose a base.
The assignment this week was to choose 1 color then make a tint/shade chart to experiment then draw a picture and color it using only their tints/shades. I emphisised that it's important for them to draw something from real life. THEIR LIFE. Not just copy or make their own version. The kids picked their color first then ended up having to search around the house for a tangible object that was their color to paint. It was a huge success.
If you're looking for more ideas on teaching kids Tints and Shade check out Art Lesson for Kids. She has some great projects that are perfect for different ages yet teach the same concept.
Lesson 7 was so fun. (Download for free- Download Art7watercolor) We pulled out the watercolors for the first time and taught the kids how to use them, the correct way to care for watercolor brushes and what watercolor paper is. We looked up different things historically that watercolors have been painted on and then I had the big kids research Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Our assignment this week was the perfect activity to re-enforce how important listening skills are because every step had to be demonstrated and if they weren't listening then they wouldn't know how to do it in their own art book. It's also a little scientific and experimental and the kids loved that. We made a watercolor effect chart. It's a chart that showcases different watercolor techniques in one place and it teaches the kids more then one way to use this medium.
Stippling. In this segment dry your brush by squeezing the water out with your fingers and separatingthe bristles a little bit with your fingers. Then dip it lightly in your paint and stamp it on your paper. This could be interesting Stars in a painting, or maybe rain? What can you think of to do with this technique?
Masking Fluid. Use some white glue and draw a design in this segment. Let it dry. (a hair dryer can speed up the process) Once it's dry paint over using your watercolors. Do you see the dimension it adds?
Sandpaper. Paint this segment completely and then let it dry. Once it is dry LIGHTLY rub sandpaper over it. What happens to your paint? Can you think of something with this texture?
Wet Alcohol. Paint your segment and then drip a few drops of rubbing alcohol on the paint. How does the paint react?
Dry Alcohol. Drip rubbing alcohol on this segment first. Once it is dry apply your paint OVER it... how is this different from the last one?
Plastic or Bubble Wrap. Use some crummpled up plastic wrap or bubble wrap to paint this segment instead of using a paintbrush. You could also paint your segment first then lay bubble wrap or plastic across the wet paper and let it set, it gives a completely different effect.
Splatter- Dry. In this segment dry your brush by squeezing the water out with your fingers and separatingthe bristles a little bit with your fingers. Then dip it in your watercolors and instead of brushing it on your segment, flick it with your wrist of fingers to get a 'splash' of paint flecks.
Splatter- Wet. Dip a brush in clean water and brush it on this segment. The repeat what you did with the last splatter segment. How are these different from eachother? Can you imagine what you could Paint using this technique?
Gradient. Use your paint brush to dip paint in one color and paint it on the top of this segment and clean your brush. Then get another color and paint it on the bottom of this segment and use your brush to transition from each color.
Wet-in-Wet. Dip a brush in clean water and brush it on the segment of paper. Now dip the brush into a color and touch the tip into the wet section. The pigment spreads. Add a related color. What could you use this technique for in a painting?
Watercolor Resist. Use a crayon to FIRMLY draw a design in the labeled segment. Go over the design with watercolor. Can you imagine using this to draw details?
Glazing. First start by painting in this segment with a light color, after the paint has dried slightly add more pigment to intensify it. Be careful not to add too much water making the paper 'pill' (make little balls).
Even Wash. Paint horizonal brush strokes of the same value across your segment.
Graduated Wash. Select one hue. In your segment paint the darkest value on the top then dilute it slightly and overlap. Repeat until there is almost no color at the bottom. What can you think of to do this on a painting?
Dry Brush. Remove most of the water from your brush before dipping it into your pigment. The brush it on a scratch paper before applying it to your segment to remove most of the liquid. This technique could make grass or fur, what else can you think of?
Printing w/ Cardboard. Dip the edge of a small piece of cardboard into watery pigment. Drag the paint across your segment. This could be used to put details on fence or wood, what else cnould you use this on?
Sponge Printing. Dip a small piece of sponge into your watercolors and use it instead of a paintbrush in your segment. You could 'stamp' it or wipe. What details could this do? maybe leaves, or waves?
Masking Fluid- Wet. Use some white glue and draw a design in this segment.Instead of letting it dry like last time- paint over using your watercolors while wet. What does it look like?
Scratch into the Paint. Paint your segment and with the back of your brush write/etch into your paper. Could you use this to add texture into future art?
Blotting. Use a paper towl to blot areas of excess water from your painted segment.
Thanks for checking in on us- for the pevious lessons click below- all are downloadable for free.
Then it was time to trace their coloring page/ship... The kids thought I was crazy at this point. They did NOT think it was worth their time to trace straight lines with their pencils, or how it would help them with their artwork... the trick is that they couldn't lift up or move the top paper until they were done tracing. Then we carefully lifted off the coloring page to reveal a sketch of their ship to base their new artwork off of.
The kids traced over the lines to darken them or add detail and then everyone had to add details in the background, foreground and middleground to tell their stories just like the painters we had learned about. I also reviewed with them our lesson on scale/porportion so that they wouldn't have a giant fishhead next to their ships. One rule at our house is that I DO NOT TOUCH THEIR PAPERS. Their artwork is good and they don't need me 'correcting' anything so when it came to adding details for the back/fore/middle ground it was all up to them. They added waterspouts and hurricanes, sharks and flying fish, birds and debris... it was so fun to see them proud of their work and practice their details on scratch paper before adding them to 'the masterpiece'. I loved it!
For this lesson I decided to focus on nature because their science unit asks for sketches and details quite a bit so it's a skill/assignment I want them to fully understand and be able to do at anytime, in any subject going forward. The artist I had them research is Claude Monet and his garden's. I'm sure at some point we'll revisit many of the same artists with a different purpose or lens but that what makes art so wonderful. Today we headed outside to get a new perspective. The kids have a 'view finder' that we made for this activity too, it's just a 4x6 sheet of cardstock with a rectangle cut out of the center. It helps them focus on one thing so they don't get overwhelmed on their papers. Today's assignment was just to go on a walk and find something beautiful to draw. I reminded them of past lessons bout scale, color and lines and let them choose what to draw as long as it from the view of the viewfinder. I also let my kids choose whatever medium they wanted to draw with and they picked pastels, looking back it was probably harder to use messy pastels outside in the dirt because they got frustrated a little too much for an activity that was supposed to be fun but.... lesson learned. Sometimes simple is better.
Since I'm trying to incorporate art into all aspects of our lessons in science, I had them do the same assignment using any bird picture they could find in their bird field guide... It was an even bigger success. (These pictures we taped inside their science workbooks.). You can download this assignment here- Download Art5nature.
When the kids research almost every lesson they pullout/reference The Usborn Book of Famous Paintings. For our Kindergartener, that's enough research but the older kids have to look on the Wikipedia, YouTube or other art reference books we have and I took a lot ideas for our nature lesson from THIS LESSON on TeachingChannel.
This week we're still covering the basics but I wanted to expose the kids to as many artists and styles as possible. So we talked about and looked at the art of Joan Miro, Bridget Riley, Katsushika Housai, Wassilly Kandinsky and Henri Matisse. I had the kids look at how each artist used lines for movement, texture and emotion. I had them notice the color of lines and the thickness and patterns.
My favorite part of this lesson was that they got to examine A BUNCH of art peices, some I pulled up in our art books, others I pulled up online. The kids found that they each have a website devoted to their art and then they also found a few YouTube videos on them too. I pointed out how different they all were and the littles quickly had their favorite styles/artist. The assignment was to choose an artist they learned about and use their styling to create their own work using lines inspired by the artist.
Ethan picked Henri Matisse. Lorali was inspired by Joan Miro. and Owen loved Bridget Riley's work.
This assignment (available for download here - Download Art4line) really lets each of the kids work on the level that they needed to. Some of the kids worked for hours on their work and another only spent 15 minutes but it was exactly what each of them needed.
Next week we're branching out & covering Nature in Art!

References: Art13
 Art12
 Art11
 Art10
 Art7
 Art5
 Art4