Palm Tree Paper Collage, Ages 7 to 12

I was in Laguna Beach last week and got a good dose of inspiration. So I showed the students some photos of palm trees and we talked about the shapes and shadows. The students used magazines to find values, cut out shapes and glue on 17x22 inch card stock. Kind of like painting with paper.

Kandinsky Circles and Squares, ages 7-9

We looked at Kandinsky paintings and talked about warm and cool colors and color mixing. The students were encouraged to mix colors to see what they could come up with and then painted the squares being aware of what was warm and cool.

Mixed Media, teen class and student class below

The students picked a subject matter and we talked about layers of that subject. What is the story?.... dogs-where and what do they like, do... Stamps- circulation, paper, trees... shoes- boxes, tissue paper, styles... the city- elements there....
I will post them as they finish. Notice all the layers.

The student class did the same type of project but used a smaller size canvas board.

Simple Screened T-shirts, ages 9,10,11

I researched how to do simple screened t-shirts, tried a few, and decided on this process. You can research online to get more details. We used embroidery hoops, drapery sheer fabric (polyester), latex house paint, sponge and silk screen ink. The students drew their designs on paper. They traced their designs on the drapery fabric that was stretched in the embroidery hoops. Then they painted the negative areas with the latex paint (we used a light gold color...it was left over from one of the rooms in our house). It takes a few coats of paint to completely cover the areas. Be careful to get clean edges. Better to do a few thin coats than one heavy, drippy one. Let it dry till the next day. I put the t-shirt on a drawing board with a paper in between the t-shirt and board. Then the students each took turns using a cut strips of the kitchen sponge and silk screen ink to dab the positive areas. Let dry and turn the t-shirt inside out and iron to set the ink. Then wash and wear!
Link here to see the other class's t-shirts.

Geometric Patterns and Patterns, ages 7, 8 and 9

We looked at The Mitten, by Jan Brett and saw that she used borders that were symmetrical on her pages. We also looked at Ukrainian Easter eggs and talked about the patterns, geometric shapes...
So we took 19x24 inch paper and folded it in half. Then folded one of the halves on itself. This left us with a sheet with a fold in the center. We used markers to design a pattern using a shape in the center that would be divided in half when opened up. Then in the blank center they made a geometric flower shape.
Great designs!!!

Observation Painting, ages 7, 8 and 9

I set up a still life using a teapot, citrus fruit and a strong light source. We talked about using simple shapes to draw the teapot, overlapping, color mixing and shadow placement. The students used acrylic paint on canvas board.