One of my goals this year was to incorporate as much technology as possible without compromising art-production time. I have done that by using QR codes in art centers, and also by teaching students to create animations.

Over Christmas break, an awesome fourth grade teacher in my building asked me if I would be willing to design a Valentine's project that would be ready in time for parent-teacher conferences that her students could combine with a writing project using an app called Aurasma.

As soon as I looked into Aurasma, an augmented technology app, I knew that I had to get on board with the project. Also, this project allowed me to meet one of my other goals for the year: collaboration! It allowed me to collaborate with a classroom teacher on an art project.

Basically, students can record themselves reading (something they wrote) and when the app is opened on top of the their artwork, the recording plays. Sort of like how a QR code will take you to a link or recording, this app allows you to use any image in that way. Her blog (link above) explains it a little better.

For the art project, I decided to incorporate many layers of materials.

Week 1
Students brushed watered down glue on to a piece of paper and covered it with squares of tissue paper. I encouraged them to smooth down the tissue paper.

Week 2
At an art center, students painted black on top of the tissue paper. They could make a heart-shaped-frame, paint lots of repeating hearts, it was up to them. The tempera paint a really cool texture and allows the color to show through, especially if it cracks on the surface.

Week 3
Some kids RUINED their beautiful tissue paper with the black paint so I gave everyone an opportunity to add oil pastels on top. This also added a cool texture and layer to the project.

None of these activities took an entire art time, so it was easy to squeeze them in...even though we were working around snow days!

Last month, while introducing the January 'Artist of the Month' a student asked an interesting question. Did Picasso invent Mine Craft?

Using my best VTS questioning skills I responded, 'What do you see that makes you ask that?'

He pointed to a large reproduction in my classroom of the Three Musicians.

Brilliant! The student had connected something in his real life with a work of art that he might not otherwise have made a connection with, and I explained his connection to all of my other classes and related the work of art to students in a completely new way.

No, Picasso did not invent 'mine craft' but in what ways is this work of art similar to your game?
How are Cubism and Mine Craft visually similar?
In what ways are the two things different?
Think-pair-share: Find someone in the room who is an expert on Mine Craft. Ask them to explain the concept of the game. Find someone in the room who is an expert on Cubism. Ask them to explain the concept.

Higher order thinking to the max!

From that point, students were directed to design a collage based on one of three of Picasso's ideas: a guitar, another instrument, or The Three Musicians. I encouraged the Mine Craft lovers in my school to use their game as a visual reference if they wanted to recreate the Three Musicians.

Students had to work with a partner to design their work of art by sketching and coloring a small version the first week. On week two, they had to make a large 18"X24" collage of their sketch. Both artists had to give input on the design and both had to work on the collage to make it look neat and well-crafted.

Some of the designs came out more 'Mine Craft'-centric and a little less 'Picasso' influenced, but it was a fun activity and it allowed students with an interest in a video game to incorporate it into our classroom. Also, some of the students felt more comfortable drawing a figure as a 'cube' like a mine-craft musician than if they had to draw a guitar or other instrument, so it gave that element of variety and confidence to many artists!

As a tribute to Pablo Picasso, our Artist of the Month, we created these 18X24 chicken paintings in 1st grade.

I demonstrated how to draw the chicken step-by-step on the big white paper using black oil pastels.

In their egg-carton pallets (shared amongst about 4 students per table), I gave them red, yellow and blue tempera paint and a brush.

First, we painted a few things yellow...then we mixed with red to make orange...then we used straight red....(we didn't wash our brush between these hot colors). Remind them not to use all the yellow, we will need it for green later!!

I demonstrated and painted right along with them, on my own version at the front of the room.

THEN I let them wash out their brushes before we painted with the cool colors.

Blue on the rooster first; then we mixed with yellow to make green. Finally, we rinsed our brushes and made purple, mixing what was left of the blue and red.

Then they could finish off the painting with any colors they wanted, I just told them not to mix every color together (it would make gray).

Last, I squirted white into their pallets and allowed them to experiment with tints to finish the background.

Finally, when the paintings were done, we used oil pastels to 're-draw' some of our mistakes and add a bit of texture on the feathers.

***Edit: I had a comment requesting a step-by-step example on what I demonstrated for the drawing. At the front of the room, using a black oil pastel, I drew a big 'candy cane' for the top of the head. Most kids could do that pretty good. The paper was 18X24 so it is much larger than anything we normally use! From there, we added the face and details, adding the body and legs and tail at the end. My quick sketch above illustrates the basics. Hope this helps!

Shapes, lines, colors, OH MY!!

This incredibly simple painting project is one of my favorite new projects for kindergarten.

Step 1: Write names on craft brown paper. Draw shapes with pencil. Encourage the kinders to draw BIG shapes: this is hard for them. Connect the shapes with lines. Make lines that go to the edge of the paper.

Step 2: Paint over the pencil lines and shapes with black paint.  Should we have waited a week for the black to dry...SURE...but did we? NO! If you have 2 thirty minute sessions, I would suggest saving the color for the 2nd session, letting the black dry. I have one 50 minute session each week with kindergarten so I'm always looking for an activity to last a while.

Step 3: While the paint is drying, demonstrate how to paint 1st with yellow. Try to pick the shape that is the most dry. Then (using the document camera), demonstrate how to mix a little red into an empty egg carton spot with yellow to make orange. Paint one shape orange, then paint one shape red. At that time, pass out the water cups. Put the brushes in the water (letting paint dry a little more).

Step 4: Demonstrate how to mix yellow and blue to make green. Paint one shape green. Then rinse, paint one shape blue. Rinse, and mix to make purple. Encourage students to paint with GREEN, then BLUE, and Purple last.

Step 5: Once students have finished with the secondary colors, add some white to palette, tell them to rinse out the brush really good, and add some white to one of the colors, watching it change to pink or a lighter version of the green. Paint the whole paper, if time allows.

The results are so sophisticated looking: I am so proud of how these turned out!