Make a Color

For our last project of the session we will be inventing a paint color. Students will pick an object, say ocean, and illustrate what the color "ocean" will look like. They will try and work with a value scale of one color if possible.

This lesson will use color, illustration, interpretation, line, value and shape. 

Lego Portraits

I have a few pet peeves in art that I am sure you have heard over the years. I want all of my students to be able to draw a realistic tree and a portrait in proper proportion.  It is time for a portrait lesson!

First we will work on a face sketch.  I will demonstrate how to divide the head to properly place the features.  They will add hair so the portrait looks a bit less scary!

Then we will have some fun.  We will either make a self-portrait or a favorite character in Lego form!  Here is me as a Lego person. Notice the eyes and mouth are still in the proper portrait place. Color will be added with crayons and/or colored pencils.

Bubbles

Every session I have one lesson that is jam packed with art theory and gets me all charged up for class!  This simple bubble lesson is just that. This black piece of paper contains: 3D shape, observational drawing, depth, space, balance, overlap. fore and back ground and pastel blending.

We will look at some bubbles on the laptop and yes, I may take a chance and blow some in the newly refurbished room, and talk about translucent, reflection and contour.  Students will use various size lids to trace circles in white pencil then add contour and reflective color with oil pastels. Lastly a white highlight will be added to each bubble.  The results are these fun, theory packed bubbles on black paper!

Dr Seuss Meets....

In honor of Dr Seuss' birthday last week, we are doing a fun version of Cat in the Hat.  Students will draw Cat and the hat will be in the style of a famous artist. Students are to pick an artist whose work they would like to mimic on the hat.  Think van Gogh, Kandinsky, O'Keeffe, Monet, Mondrian... 

Sunflowers 2/12/14

Beautiful "Sunflowers" painted with the teen youth group (and moms) at Penn Valley Church in Telford, PA

Charley Harper Stylized Birds

We are beginning our session with a winter bird project in the style of Charley Harper.  Harper was an American Modernist who painted highly stylized birds and animals. His style was called minimal realism which captured the essence of subjects with fewest possible visual elements.  To stylize is art represented in a way that simplifies details rather than trying to show naturalness or reality.

screen shot of Harper bird

screen shot of Harper bird

 

Our project is mixed medium meaning we will be using different supplies to create our finished piece.  Students will be painting snow on the ground, stippling in the sky and painting in their stylized bird.  We will collage the trees using old book pages.

finished example

Weekend Paint Parties

Here are some photos from LuAnne's Birthday Paint Party and a six year old's unicorn birthday party. It was a great two days of creative fun!

hard at work on tree

proudly displaying her great painting

group shot, 2 painters are missing

Adding details

happy unicorns

great job!

Paint Party - January 23, 2015

Here are a few photos from Friday's Whimsical Tree party.  This tree continues to be a favorite!

working on the sky

whimsical tree

beautiful, finished paintings

So Cute!

I love this fun winter painting geared towards kids, but I think a lot of adults would enjoy this cutie!

December Paint Party

Finally, here are some photos from December's paint party at the Boys and Girls Club in Lansdale. It was a great pre-Christmas night out!

working on backgrounds

beautiful paintings

winter version

great job!

Abstract Name Design

Sadly Tuesday November 25 is our last art class for this session.  Most of the students are still working on their "What Makes Me Scream" lesson inspired by Edvard Munch's "The Scream".  I have a quick project for those that finish early or those that want to finish at home.

We will be using our names to create an abstract design.  Abstract is defined as art that does not attempt to represent reality but achieves it's effect by using shape, form, color and texture (some of our elements of art).

Students will be given a square of paper and write their names in large block style.

block style name

The letters will be colored in with marker in one color. We will take care not to scribble with the markers, but to color with even strokes to fill in the letters.

letters colored in with marker

Next the paper will be folded so we get 16 rectangles.  These will be cut up into individual pieces.

cut up name

The pieces will be assembled together to create an abstract design. We do not want to put the name back so we can read it, but play around with the pieces until we achieve an interesting, balanced design.

putting the pieces back together

Students then have the option of adding some color to the background using crayons.

color using crayons

Famous Artist Study - Edvard Munch

"The Scream" (1895) by Expressionist artist Edvard Munch is as famous as van Gogh's " Starry Nights".  Both artists are very similar:  both suffered from mental issues, used bold exaggerated colors and simplified figures and shapes and these two pieces are the most reproduced pieces of art in the world.

Munch, born was born in Norway in 1863 and died in 1944.  He produced four versions of "The Scream" in various mediums. He was an expressionist artist. Expressionism was a modern movement originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Artists typically presented the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect to create a mood or idea.

We will be focusing on Munch for this lesson.  Although the work may be a little disturbing or scary when viewed, it is a great lesson for perspective (the bridge) and creating movement (sky and fjord) and feeling through color.  We will be putting our own twist on the work by replacing the figure of Munch (it is a self portrait) and adding "things that make us scream".

Here is one of the original four that Munch painted.

Here is my background done in oil pastels.  Students will create a simple background focusing on the bridge and bold use of color.

What makes me scream?  Large amounts of laundry!  I hope the kids have fun expressing themselves with this project.

Playful Puppy Birthday Paint Party

Three adorable pups personalized with spots

Cubist looking puppy

Birthday girl's puppy

Saturday Night "Poppies" Paint Party

painting the background

Saturday night I painted with a great group of ladies. Here are a few pictures from the paint party.

Positive/negative

Autumn is my favorite time of year and I enjoy doing fall inspired projects.  We will be working on a positive/negative design.  This project uses symmetry, reverse image, pattern, line and positive/negative space.

Positive/negative space play an important role in determining the overall composition. It creates balance. Positive space is the subject area while negative space is the area around the subject.  The shapes of the negative space are determined by the shapes of the positive space.

Students will be given a color piece of paper (positive) and a black paper (negative).  They will create a simple design (pumpkin, owl or their choice) with cut outs. The design will be glued down creating a reverse image and symmetrical design (equal on both sides).

The next step is to use line and pattern again in a mirror image, creating symmetry. Here is an owl with line patterns being added.

"Playful Puppy" Photos

Saturday October 18th was my first paint party at Proximity Cafe in Pottstown, PA.  Proximity is a super cool coffee house with a great menu and coffee. They feature lots of local musicians and open mic nights.  The Cafe is a church plant/outreach of Penn Valley Church/Grace Christian School where I teach art. 

"Playful Puppy" was geared for ages 6 and up.  Four girls and one adult painted with me. A portion of each fee was donated to Mostly Muttz Dog Rescue.   I don't like "cookie cutter" art so I am open to participants picking their own colors during a paint party. The girls ran with this.  When I start hearing "do we have to do this... can I use this color?" it makes me smile because I know the creative juices are flowing!  Here are the finished paintings as well as photos of the girls working on their paintings.

I will be teaching an adult party this Thursday, October 23. We will be painting "Sunflower". Please contact me to sign up!

Social Painting Fundraiser Event

Please join me this Saturday, October 18th, paint Playful Puppy and help raise money for Mostly Muttz Dog Rescue.

The painting event will be held at Proximity Cafe in Pottstown from 5pm to about 6:30 pm. I will lead kids ages 6 and up (adults are welcome to paint) step by step through this 12"x12" painting. You can personalize Puppy's tag with your dog's name!  The cost is $20 and I will donate $5 from each fee to the dog rescue.  You get to leave with a cool painting AND help dogs in need!  The Cafe has great food and coffee for parents to eat/drink while the kids are in class.

Please email me to register or for further information.

10/14 - Perspective From the Bottom Up

In this class I will combine my annual tree lesson with a perspective lesson.  Perspective is a drawing technique used to illustrate dimension through a flat surface.  Our project will use a worm's eye view - looking from the bottom up.  Worm's eye usually includes three vanishing points: one point at the top, one point to the left and one to the right.  We will be using crayons for this project.

Students will have their choice of tree projects.  This single tree is good for adding some texture and shading since it is larger.

This cluster is trees places the viewer in the middle of a forest, looking up at the canopies.

This drawing takes the viewer's eye skyward, following the trunks up to the colorful leaves.