Cut Paper Flowers

New students have trouble using scissors.   This project helps them to practice and make a beautiful abstract.  I stress moving the paper, not the scissors, when cutting curves.  We often fold construction paper and cut symmetrical shapes to create the flowers.  We make all the paper flowers first, clean up, then get out the glue.  Using glue is often problematic with young artists.  I suggest to the students to use only two drops and spread it with their pinky fingers  "Pinky Glue".

Winter Cardinals

The bottom artist a 3rd grader; the top artist is in Kindergarten, so this lesson is great for all ages and talents.

This project is great for the winter! I give the students a funny shaped template that is just the outline of the bird. Most students don't know what the shape is. I have them draw the side wing, tail, and legs. The branch is added with pencil and the berries and leaves were the students ideas. The sky and bird can be colored with colored pencil or crayon, making sure to press hard when coloring the branch. I usually give students inspiration in the form of printed images of cardinals and branches.

Watercolor Landscape

This watercolor starts with light pencil drawing of the lines of ground, mountains, and sky.  The pencil lines are guidelines for the watercolor layers.  Students must paint each layer of the painting without the colors mixing.  They must leave a thin, white space of paper between colors.

We usually talk about abstract art. We discuss that abstract paintings can look like different things to every person.  I ask questions to try to open their minds to some appreciation of abstract art.

Hex Signs

We lived in Boyertown, PA for 7 years, and we saw plenty of hex signs on barns everyday.  There are more towards Kutztown and surrounding rural areas.  Hex signs are only found in this area of PA and are a tradition of the Pennsylvania Dutch (not the Amish).  We usually start the lesson with examples of hex signs, mostly from things I have collected from the annual Kutztown Festival.  We use a ruler and compass to help the design to be symmetrical. I print out the other elements that are used in Hez sign designs and their meanings: diselfink, rosette, scallop, star, oak leaf, tulip, heart, pentagram. This is usually the first time artists have used a compass in art, so I give them plenty of practice paper to make circles. We use stiff bristol for the finished work.  Hex signs are very colorful, so we use colored pencil or crayon, and paint will work great.

Underwater Watercolor

Do the Gelly Roll

I love this project!  This project is a large size 'doodle' on black paper using metallic 'Gelly-Roll' markers (available at scrapbooking stores and Michaels).  High quality black paper works the best with the roll markers.  Black construction paper is too textured and is not acid free. I usually give an assignment as an ideas starter, for example, a pet or flower to start.  The students are to 'doodle' in the background of the initial drawing, using repeating patterns and connecting objects.  These markers have to be held at a 90 angle, and can be tricky for beginners.

Smelly Marker Still Life

New students love this project. I always make them laugh introducing the markers.  Students don't believe how they smell!  These markers are great for impaired art students.  They can smell the black licorice before they draw with it.
 I have them draw all kinds of fruit with pencil first on a seperate sheet of paper.  We color the fruit with the scented markers, exploring each scent as we color.  I have a collection of wallpaper sample books that we use to cut out the vase shape.  The fruit and vase gets glued onto stiff paper. I usually draw the background wall design and table after everyting is glued.