Artist Study: Willem de Kooning

"Light in August"  1947  

In a recent museum class I taught - we explored the world of the gray scale and the work of Willem de Kooning.   We looked at several examples of de Kooning's work and identified the values lightest to darkest (the gray scale).

STEP ONE:  Make your own gray scale tool!

 You will need a paint stick, gray paint chips and glue.

I like the paint chips with the little window.  It is just like a real

gray scale artist's tool!

Glue the paint chips on to the stick going from light to dark.

Ta da!  You have a gray scale tool.

STEP TWO:  Paint a gray scale painting. 

I gave the children black sharpies to draw a picture.

We used gray watercolor (watered down black).

STEP THREE:  Play "Musical Values."

Play upbeat music!

Using construction paper in the different gray scale values - the children

shuffled the paper to create a large swirl of values.

When I stopped the music - they had to stand on a value and name it.

Lightest, lighter, light, dark, darker, or darkest.

STEP FOUR:  Create your own de Kooning style painting.

I cut an old phone book and black construction paper into random shapes.

The children picked what they wanted and glued them down on white paper.

(watered down glue and a foam brush work well)

Next, they painted black abstract lines and shapes.

Here is a peek at some of the work of the class:

Wassily Kandinsky Study, Part 2

This is a project that Kelsey Howard created this summer at art camp.  It was amazing and the children loved it.  I had to video tape it and share it with you.  I wanted to bring a Kandinsky project --- little did I know that Kelsey had a deep understanding of his work.   She created this lesson on sound, shape and color.  You must watch the videos to see her lead the children.  It is magic!

Step One:  Kelsey told a story of the sound of rocks hitting the surface of the water.  The children made the sound with her.   The story told the children how the rocks made a rippling effect - sound, shape, and color.

The children drew the "rock" ripples - circles within circles.  For the rest of the lesson - watch the two videos below!!

Video 1 shows how she used music to add color.

Video 2 shows how she connected the sound, shape and color in a powerful way!

Just a Sprinkle of Salt. . .

It is the fourth day of school tomorrow and I am crazy busy!  So I am posting more photos from summer art camp.  These turned out so lovely in person.  The iphone photos do not do them justice!  I had the children draw with sharpies, paint and then sprinkle salt on the wet paint.  The texture from the salt sprinkling was divine! 

It was a guided drawing.  

Give Me Five!

Another cute idea from Ms. Aubree.  I wanted to have the children watercolor a small art piece for the front of their sketch pads.  In the morning class I had the children make abstract shapes with a sharpie and then watercolor.  

Not bad - they turned out very nicely.  In the afternoon class, I asked Aubree to help the children decorate their paintings.  Here is what she did:

Step One:  She traced their hand with a sharpie in the middle of the page.

Step Two:  She turned the paper another direction.

Step Three:  She traced the child's hand again in the new direction.

Step Four: She traced the child's hand one more time (3x total) in a new direction.

Step Five:  The children painted their abstract hand tracings.  How so cool!

Final product:  A decorated sketch pad!

Shhh - It's a Secret Message, Helper, CVC Word!

This is simply an oldie but goodie!  At a workshop I lead recently, one of the participants reminded me of all the different ways to use this!  I just had to share it with you.

What you will need:  candles, watercolors, and paper (cardstock or watercolor paper is best).  I love the little floating candles.  They are so easy to grip.

MYSTERY SPECIAL HELPER

Who is the Special Helper today?

Prepare by writing the name of the special helper on a card.  Slowly reveal the special helper by brushing paint over each letter, one by one.  Have the children guess who it is with just a few letters revealed!

MYSTERY CVC WORD

What is our word today?

Prepare the card by writing the word with a candle.  

Slowly reveal each letter, having the children sound it out.  

MYSTERY OUTING

Where are we going today?

Prepare by writing the place you will visit on a card.  

Slowly reveal where you are going with watercolor paint.

MYSTERY MESSAGES

The timeless way to use this technique!  This wonderful teacher suggested that older students could write messages to each other.  Love it!

Becoming Scientific Illustrators

This week we are dwelling in the world of flowers and plants.  I told the children I knew a "scientific illustrator" - a person who draws illustrations of nature.   We had our own bean plants growing and I took one and displayed the roots, stem, and leaves.    I told them we were going to be "scientific illustrators" and draw/label a flower plant.   We looked at photographs in books at the parts of real flowers and compared it to our bean plant.

They were so excited when we began drawing.  They kept telling me more to add to the drawing - such as the sun, dirt and rain!  One student inquired, "How do the plants stand up with out falling over?"  We observed the plant we had removed from the soil.  "What do you think?"   It was amazing - they knew!  It was the root system that "anchored" the plant.

Materials needed:  sharpies and cardstock for the drawing, watercolors

Here's how to draw this illustration:

Step One:  Draw a horizon line.  Put the seed in dirt.

Step Two:  Give the seed a solid root system.  Draw these like little wiggly worms.

Step Three:  Add the stem that has grown up out of the seed!  Use two lines to make the stem.

Step Four:  Make a circle at the top of the stem.  Add the pollen as dots.  Add the petals as ovals.

Step Five:  Finally, let's add two leaves.  I like making pointy ovals.

Step Six:  Label the roots.

Step Seven:  Label the seed.

Step Eight:  Label a leaf.

Step Nine:  Label the stem.

Step Ten:  Label the flower, sun, rain and dirt.

Step Eleven:  Watercolor!