The Wizard of Art
This summer I taught a workshop with two other amazing art teachers. We called it "The Wizard of Art" and chose art projects that melt, use tin and incorporate poppies!
Watercolor Poppies
Watercolor paper
Liquid water colors
squirt bottles
watercolor in tubes
small paper plates for paint
small brushes
small water container
Beth, the first up, taught a lesson on painting poppies using liquid watercolor, watercolor paper and watercolor from tubes.
1.Put green and blue liquid watercolor plus water in spray bottles.
2. Provide students with a few small drops of tube watercolor with black, red, yellow and green.
3. Let students spray the sky and green grass foreground, have them wave the paper to dry a little.
4. Show them how to add bright colored poppies with stems and extra leaves.
5. You can add perspective into the lesson by teaching how to have large poppies up close and smaller poppies in the background.
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Hojalatas
Clink the picture link for the workshop handout on "Hojalatas" or "tin leaf".
This is the traditional tin folk art from Mexico. My students in 4th grade use a Texas theme because they study Texas History. 3rd graders learn about the folk art themes of animals, reptiles, hands and hearts. My students do not usually cut theirs out due to not wanting them to cut their fingers, we leave it square but I give them the option to use a hole puncher to decorate, yarn to weave a border or create a background frame with construction paper and paper crimpers.
Aluminum roll 36 Gauge- 12" x 25'
I cut 6" squares and get 4 per foot, so one roll can do around 100 squares
I order from the Sax Arts and Crafts catalog.
scrap paper for origianl drawing
rulers
pencils
glue
sharpies
construction paper
paper crimpers
hole punchers
yarn
1. GET SOME MATH IN THE LESSON!
Students need to use a ruler to mark off a 6"x 6" square. This is because the tin comes in rolls 12" wide by yardage.
2. Show students how to use the corner of the paper that is already a 90 degree angle.
3. Students need to draw the image with "simple lines" , they can add more detail later but it will be hard for a student to "trace" lots of little lines.
4. Use any tape to attach one or more edges of the drawing to the pre-cut tin.
5. Once they have a good drawing, show them how to trace using a pencil (doesn't' have to be overly sharp) and making an indention on the tin. Last year we found it easier to trace with something soft underneath the ten such as the carpet or a magazine.
Some students will need help using the ruler, some will need help making good indentions on the tin. Some art teachers in the workshop used the bottom of a small paintbrush to add texture!
6. Color with Sharpies
7. Let students create background frames using larger square paper, such as 7" x 7" or 8" x 8" to glue their tin onto.
My students like to use Paper crimpers and hole punchers to add texture and tails to their frame.
4th grader with her Texas themed Hojalata.
Help me! Art is Melting!
ART that MELTS!
Students will love these projects just as much as the teachers did in the workshop!
Janean set up 4 stations which can be easily done in an art room or art club.
Station 1- Record bowls: Heat gun, LP's (vinyl records), gloves bowl to hold melting record.
Use a heat gun and large heat glove -both available from Sax but we found heat guns cheaper at Wal Mart- place an LP on top of a bowl or other object that will not melt to the LP. Heat edges around gently shape into a bowl made from the record.
Station 2 -Hot plate crayons: Plate warmers, or hot plates, paper and crayons (I found hot plates at Thrift stores and Ebay.
2. Teach students to avoid touching the hot plate directly, they usually have settings and can withstand a quick touch but not prolonged! Place paper on top and color! We experimented with different types of paper such as wax coated, construction and regular copy paper. Van Gogh projects work well here!!!!
Station 3 - Make a crayon: silicone ice tray shapes, crayons pieces, microwave
Place old crayon bits into silicone trays and heat in the microwave for about a minute, students make their own shaped crayons!
Station 4 - Paint that melts: ice cube trays and paper
Put different colors of liquid tempera paint into ice cube trays and freeze. Students have fun using the frozen crayon blocks as they begin to melt!