Art projects by Mrs. Cole

Project :  Students get to use their imagination for this project that uses a clay pinch pots to make fun creatures!  To begin, we started by looking at finished clay creature examples. We then created a sketch of what we would like our clay creature to look like. I decided to make mine look like an axolotl as a gift for my son who is VERY into this specific aquatic species at the moment.  After sketching ideas, we were given a piece of clay. And now the fun begins! Wedging: The first step is wedging the clay to get rid of air bubbles. To do this you kneading the clay with your hands and finish by creating a smooth ball.  Pinch pot: We then started to make the clay into a pinch pot. This will be the base of the monster. To make a pinch pot you use gentle pinching motions to thin out the walls, working in circles around the sides at the same rate.  Smooth: After the pot was the correct size and shape, we used a few drops of water and our hands to smooth out the c...

  Project:  For this lesson, we learned about pattern design.  Warmup: To get in the pattern making mood, we made multiple practice patterns on scratch paper.  Students were instructed to think about where they would like to hang their craft, do help with color and design choice.  We then chose our favorite eight patterns to use on our craft, along with three different colored sharpie markers and two colors of yarn.  The sticks were then tied together using the yarn to create a wall fun wall hanging.  Extension:  A fun social emotional extension that would work with this project would be to add goals or motivational words to the hanging for student's rooms. Students could create fun patterns on one side and add their goals to the other. 

Description:  This activity included learning about abstract art and then creating our own abstract art.  Warmup: To get students comfortable with creating their own piece of abstract art, we started by making similar designs by following the teachers instructions (place four circles in the bottom right, add two triangles in to the left in the middle, add four lines on the top right corner.)  After making similar designs we were tasked with creating our own abstract art using different lines and shapes. We made the initial design with pencil and then traced using sharpie markers.  To color them, we made patterns on tinfoil using washable markers. The paper with the sharpie design was sprayed with water and placed on the tinfoil to transfer the colors.  Extension: An extension activity that would work well with this lesson would be to incorporate learning shapes into an abstract art lesson for younger grades.  Example: Students must include five lines, four ...

This fun art lesson is designed to pair with a science lesson about animals and their habitats. There are so many different animals that can be made out of a handprint if you use your imagination!  Description:  For a warmup activity students will trace their hand with a crayon. They will then put on their thinking caps to create an animal out of their handprint that matches the color they chose. Students will think - pair - share with a partner about the animal they designed.  After the warmup activity students will think about an animal they would like to paint using their handprint; it could be the same animal or a different one. They will also include three elements from the animals habitat and write three facts about their animal to attach to the painting (this is the science integration.)  I love this project, and it is a great example of how art can be included with other core subjects. Full lesson:  Class presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentatio...

  Project: This project was all about printmaking. As an introduction we learned about a famous print called "The Great Wave". The interesting thing about this print is that it was made with wood.  For a warmup activity we created three thumbnail sketches of a symbol that would represent us. I drew wheat because I grew up on a farm, three birds to represent my children, and trees and a sun because I love being outdoors.   We then chose the symbol we liked the most we transferred it to a thin piece of foam by carving over the drawing with a pencil. We then used warm colored markers to color our foam, sprayed water on a piece watercolor paper, and pressed our foam down using a roller to transfer the print onto paper. We repeated this process with cool colors.    Extension:  A fun extension activity that kids would enjoy would be to create a print using their initials. This could be used to mark their desks or lockers. 

No, not the dance move. We're learning about Grid Art! Description:   This lesson started by learning about a grid artist, along with examples of interesting grid art.  We then drew a grid on our paper and chose two complimentary colors. I chose blue and orange, with lighter and darker versions as secondary options.  After the grid was created we sketched our name or initials in bubble letters making sure the letters didn't overlap. We then colored the grid alternating colors to create the hidden name effect.  Extension:  This activity could be used to incorporate art with a math lesson on measuring using a ruler. Students would be asked to create a name grid with 42 squares, they would have to figure out different measurement options that would work to create their grid. 

Description:  For this hidden safari art lesson we learned about the artist Henri Rousseau. He was famous for detailed paintings of jungles.  We started the project by creating special glasses to see our hidden art. The glasses use a red film to filter out specific colors.   We then chose an animal to draw using the "upside down" technique, another visual trick! This technique helps students practice recognizing shapes and lines in a subject. I chose to draw an elephant, my grandmother's favorite animal. The next step is to add patterns over the animal drawing so the animal is "hidden". My pattern included large leaves with flowers to keep with the jungle theme.  The elephant was drawn with a blue pencil that can be seen when looking through the special glasses, but is still hidden in the warm tones that used to make the patterns.  We also included three written clues about our hidden animal on the page.  As you can tell from the photos, the blue ...

  Description:  This lesson included an artist integration. We learned about Vincent Van Gogh, his early works, influences, style, self-portraits, and his final years including selling only one painting during his life. We also discussed his Starry Night painting.  We then created our own version of the famous Starry Night painting. To start, we glued multiple pieces of tissue paper to a large sheet of construction paper (18" x 24"). After we had our construction paper covered with tissue paper we added a layer of Modge Podge. We then added oil pastel and sharpie designs to the background.  We were then able to choose a landscape to add to our background. The landscape was drawn on black construction paper and cut out. This was glued to the bottom of the paper. We then added more details using oil pastels.  My inspiration for this project was the view from my kitchen window. This project was done in the middle of winter, and my home is in the country surrounded ...

Creating and sharing art takes courage, and that's what international Dot Day is all all about!  "International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration, began when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot on September 15, 2009." Source:  https://www.internationaldotday.org/ Project: After reading the book "The Dot", students are encouraged to create their own unique dot. For this dot project we used coffee filters, water resistant mediums, and water colors. First we cut the coffee filter into either a circle or heart. We then decorated the dot using white crayons and oil pastels. We finished by using water colors and washable markers to make our own unique dots. Extension: An extension activity that would fit well for older stude...

Project:  This project includes multiple photos that represent the different elements and principles of design. I created an online quiz for students to match definitions with elements or principles. Each question has a photograph example included. There is also an option for a paper version of the quiz, linked below.  Extension:  An extension opportunity for this project would be for students to match a photograph with a piece of art that encompasses the same concepts. They could then research the artist or artwork chosen.  These are five of the photos used in the quiz created

Description : For this introduction activity students traced an outline of their foot and included objects and cutouts to introduce themselves. My footprint includes a photo of my family on a rollercoaster and they are making silly faces. I think this cutout represents my family well and shows us genuinely having fun.  The foot and name text are two of my favorite colors, blue and green. There is a whistle and cutout of a volleyball and basketball because I coach youth sports. I've included a book because I love to read, and if you look closely this book is filled with some of my favorite motivational quotes.  I also use to work for the Aberdeen American News for fifteen years, so I included some newsprint cutouts. There are also other hints about some of my favorite activities included! Extension activities:  An extension option for this project for middle school students in a Language Arts class would be a reading walk. Students could write the name of their favorite bo...