Reclaim the Coloring Book

We all remember the days (perhaps not that long ago) where we would color for hours in our coloring book. We'd make one for each of our family members to hang on the fridge and it would be a badge of honor to see our hard work displayed. If you're like me, this could still be a favorite activity to unwind with, but for most of us we left our coloring days long ago. 

Well I'm here to reclaim the coloring book and I am not alone. Adult coloring books are all the rage right now. I definitely picked one up and so should you! 

I've also been reclaiming the coloring book page in the classroom for many years. I've found it's a really great alternative to value scales and the traditional cone/sphere/cube shading exercises. I've used coloring pages with all grades and even some adults. My students always ask for more and even bring in their own coloring book pages FULLY SHADED! I'm tellin' you, it's like I'm tricking them into learning they have so much fun. 

I alway pick a theme and right now (so close to October) we are shading Halloween/Monster pages. Each one is a half sheet. 

These are the unaltered coloring pages. I simply found them with a Google search and made sure they were for free use. There are TONS out there! I talk about light source, overlapping/cast shadows, gentle transitions between values, rounded surfaces, the whole gamete that makes up the intricacy of shading and then it's dive in and practice! Here are some completed examples:

Right now my classes are pretty focused on colored pencil but I've used coloring pages for pen, pencil, oil pastel, paint mixing, texture and so many other artsy fun techniques. The possibilities are endless. Have the students fill them in with Zentangles or paper collage on top! Whatever it is I promise students will A. learn and B. have a blast. 

Thanks for stopping in!

Collectively Creative

If you have a principal like mine, two days into the new school year they're already asking, "so when are we getting some art up in the hallways?". Although I enjoy that art is wanted and encouraged in the hallway, I get a little WAHHHHHH with the idea of having something up almost immediately.

So this year I took on the challenge and I did it! I got art in the hallway four days into school and it was great! The hallways are so colorful and now we can take our time getting new projects ready for the next display.

Now I have to admit I stole the idea from another blog (check it out here) but let's be honest, some of our best ideas are stollen and adapted. So, here's what we did. Each student (roughly 320) was given 1/4 of a circle. They could get as creative as possible and use a bunch of different supplies. Only one challenge, they had ONE forty minute class to accomplish their masterpiece.

 Here is the stack starting to pile high. As you can see from the top one, there were definitely some students who didn't really DIVE in to the exercise. This left me with some extras for students to help me finish when they finished early.

Here's what I did:
     -Draw a large circle on 18x18 paper
     -Cut each sheet into 9x9 squares
     -Set out whatever 2D materials you don't               mind the students using (I wouldn't
      recommend paint) I had markers, crayons             and oil pastels.

That's it! How easy is that! This was perfect for getting students use to class routines and getting the creative juices flowing.

I went a little overboard with my 3D students. I felt a bad having them not do 3D but also wanted them to participate, so left over scraps of "junk" came in handy! Check out the creativity!

Really loving this student group's use of repetition :)

The students really had a fun time with this and I was able to stop them to correct routiney (making words up) behaviors without spending too much time away from the project. That's what I call a win-win. Check out the final display, along with some of my favorite combinations. 

The display spans three walls! SO MUCH ART :) !

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for stopping in!

Playing Cards and This Week's Sketches

Alright I know you've all heard of "Artist Trading Cards" but have you heard of "Artist Playing Cards"? Well I stumbled upon this really awesome set of playing cards. Each of the 55 cards is created by a talented contemporary artist, compiled together into one awesome set. They just came out with a another! If you haven't heard of this click here. On the website you can view each card and read a little about the artist that made them. Let's get out there and order some decks!

My kiddos had so much fun exploring all the cards and then they got the chance to make their own! We threw in a little on colored pencil shading, symmetry and other fun artsy concepts. I have big plans to expand and make a full set of 55 cards! How fun would this be as a fundraiser?

Do you all have the same anime obsessed kiddos I do? 

Also, just in case you're playing along. Here are my first 7 sketches for the month of May. I can't believe it's May already! Days are ticking by and still so much fun to be had in the Art room!

Tatebanko- Japanese diorama making

For the past two years, I have done a unit called "Art and Social Activism" with my 8th grade students. I had only ever seen a unit like this in the high schools and I felt my students could 100% relate to the topics. I have been pleased with just how well my students handle these difficult topics and how much pride they take in their work as they express themselves creatively.

For my 3D Art students, I had them choose a social issue that effects our local community. They researched statistics and local organizations that help those in need throughout the Fox Cities. I was impressed with the wide variety of topics the students chose.

Next we learned about the Japanese art of diorama making. It was a good way to incorporate 3D knowledge of deconstruction, balance, depth and overall structure building.

If you're not familiar with the art behind Tatebankos, check out this cool video! Even if social activism doesn't fit as a unit in your classroom, this is a really fun project for students. It involves a lot of problem solving and is a really fun take on the classic diorama/tunnel book.

Social Issue: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Step one was to have students thumbnail sketch their ideas. I urged students to use metaphors/similes. This made the imagery a little more unique and personal. Then using colored pencil they labeled each layer so they had a good idea of what needed to go where and I could see how they understood the concepts of creating depth.

Social Issue: Bullying

Social Issue: Depression

Step Two was to conference with each student on what materials would work best for their idea. Most used chipboard (thin cardboard) with paint or colored pencil. As you can see some students resourced alternative materials like transparency paper, puzzle pieces, etc. 

Social Issue: Mental Illness (primarily schizophrenia) 

Social Issue: Depression

To create the "cloud" around the cool colored person this student used sandpaper to create texture on transparency paper! Super fun!

Social Issue: Bullying

Social Issue: Pollution

Social Issue:Bulimia/Anorexia

The final step was layering their pieces on the base and finally building the box. Some students made full boxes and some chose to leave the top off to allow a little more light in. A few students even utilized black light to give their piece a "darker" feel! 

I can't express how happy I am with the outcome of this project. It was exciting to problem solve along side my students and to encourage all their amazingly creative ideas. Each Tatebanko turned out a little different and that is a beautiful thing! These were a hit at our "Art and Social Activism" art show!

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for stopping in!

Installation Art- Rethinking the Classics

I think we've all done the classic Giacometti project where students create a wire armature in some sort of pose. We do these projects because a.) there a good stand-by that we know work and b.) because we understand the importance of the lesson! If you're like me, however, you get a little tired of the same old projects and want a good way to keep the lesson intact but boost the complexity a little bit. Here's what I did to try and re-invent the wheel...

I started with the classic inspiration, Giacometti, then through a little this and a little that to get this really fun installation project.

We started our lesson learning about installation art and how artist often use the "idea" of the human body as a way of representing a collective of everyone. 

Artist Nele Azebedo 

I also tied in this great sculpture by Do-Ho Suh to show students the power of an installation project and how we all needed to work together to be successful. 

Along with the classic lessons of armature, we focused on how installation art expresses a message. The message, "What does the 8th grade class want to work toward before high school?"

We had a really great discussion and came up with five words we all could agree on; Identity, Wisdom, Independence, Success and Creativity. 

Students were allowed to work alone or in groups on their sculptures. We talked about how the words/images they added to their sculptures should reflect what they could add to help the 8th grade class reach their goal. We also discussed how the position of their sculpture could suggest how they feel their journey is going so far. 

This student is "falling" from the installation.

These two students saw the power in help each other reach the goal

These lovely sculptures are climbing the wall for a really fun 3-Dimensional quality. 

Hope you enjoyed our project and perhaps have some new ideas to spice up some of the classic projects we all find ourselves doing over and over again

Science in the Art Room: Creative Zoology--- UPDATE!!!

My 3D student have finally finished their creative creatures, critiqued them and displayed them! I've received such excellent feedback from the students and from my colleagues. I'm really happy with the results.

For the painting portion of this project, students worked on their wet-on-wet painting techniques and also learned a little about dry brushing. The shading is a little difficult to see in some of the pictures, but the kiddo really did an excellent job!

I usually have 8th graders write artist statements for each of their pieces, but for these pieces I had them write discovery stories. I have included a few of the student's stories with their images. Check out those crazy Binomial Nomenclature (scientific names)! They are so creative!

"Carreta horologium"

(Rattlesnake + Clock)

"Vermiliphinae anacusis"

(Ant eater+ Antelope)

"chinchilladraco velociferox" 

(Chincilla + Dragon)

"Equoton feros"

(Frog + Unicorn+ Rattlesnake)

I, Autumn Teal, discovered the Toothless Dramurta on a boat trip to the Great White Sea,

(thats located by the Chimpanzee Island), during the 1980 time period. This ferocious beast took

flight from a tree off of Chimpanzee Island, he swooped through the water and came back up

with seaweed swarming his mouth. The beast looked between a ring­tailed lemur and a dragon,

this is why I have named it Toothless Dramurta. You're probably wondering why on earth I would

ever put the word toothless in front of the name of such a scary beast. Well, I would put it there

do to the fact that yes indeed, this creature had NO teeth. Although this ring­tailed dragon had no

teeth it still had the jaw of an snapping turtle, it would rip you to shreds if you were to harm it or

anything else it loves. Fortunately, the Toothless Dramurta was not at all evil, yes it had wings as

pointy as the needles used to sew your ripped clothing, but it was as gentle as a baby kitten

sitting your lap. Anyways, the creature saw me looking at him and swooped over and dropped

seaweed over my face, then he laughed with this dopey look in his eyes. This beast was pretty

cute, it had fur running down its tail and wagged it around like a little puppy dog.This creature

never grew old, he stayed with me through my entire life, so I told him that if I ever did die to go

back to Chimpanzee Island and be with his family. So, I am 100% positive he is sitting at

Chimpanzee Island with seaweed dangling out of his mouth right now, you just won't be able to

find him.

"Monoclonius ferox"

(Dragon + Unicorn + Snake + Candy)

Long, long, long ago (like we’re talking 1990) I found the Macropus Sylrilagus habros, which I call the Dunnyroo. The Dunnyroo was native in the Midwest. It’s long, fluffy ears had the best hearing in the whole wide world, but that doesn’t mean it listened to you. The Dunnyroo had the attention span of a toddler that just began to crawl/walk. The Marcropus Sylrilagus habros had a long, flexible tail that allowed it to knock stuff down, not only was the animal small and cute, it was destructive. Talking about its smallness and cuteness, this animal happens to be six inches tall, and its body is formed into a ball. The Dunnyroo’s nose and mouth is made like a duck. The reason it’s called a Dunnyroo is because it’s mixed, with a bunny, duck, and a kangaroo. I, Danielle Stadler, was the first person to find this animal. On September 11^th, 2000, I popped out of my mom and I traveled back in time. I traveled all the way back to 1990 (I know, you are all wondering how I could go that far back in time, well I did it.) I landed right on top of a Dunnyroo, and I killed it. So not only was I the first to find the Dunnyroo, but I was the first one to kill, the Dunnyroo. After a while (yes I am still back in time) people started noticing the crazy small animal and then they realized it was a destructive, non-listening animal, so they killed them till they were extinct. After the last one was killed, I was sent back to the hospital room, much more stupid then the average baby. 

I am super excited with the outcome of this project and I know the students are proud of their work. I hope you enjoyed their creations. They would love to hear some feedback from you. Leave them in the comments sections!