Abstract Art using Watercolor Pencils

I must admit, watercolor pencils are the least of my favorites when it comes to working with different mediums.  However, as much as I dislike it, I do feel it is necessary to introduce the students to as many mediums as possible.  I felt like most of the class I was at the pencil sharpener sharpening these watercolor pencils!  The tips wear out so fast and within minutes you can be down to just a stub for a pencil.  I do love the soft effect it does leave on the paper and it has such a "magical" way about it.

I spoke to the students about closed and open shapes.  We discussed shapes such as spheres, stars, triangles, and basic shapes.  Each shape must be completely closed so we can fill it in with color. Sometimes I feel that an hour is just not enough!  I want to be able to talk more about what they are learning, but they just want to dig in and get started, so its a tough balance sometimes.

We first made 2 lines, one at the top of the paper and one at the bottom.  They were suppose to have a flow to it and not just be straight across the paper.  Next, the students drew the shapes on and off those anchor lines we first drew. 

Once the paper was filled with shapes and lots of individual spaces, they then colored each space in with a watercolor pencil.  After it was completely filled in, the "magic" happened.  They used their paintbrush and dipped it into water and colored each section in.  When the water mixed with the pencils, it created a beautiful semi-transparent space.   Each piece was vibrant and full of character. 

More classes to teach this lesson to, but here is a small gallery of what the class did today!
 Enjoy!

Ladies Night Pics

Time For Art Kids Studio had its last Ladies Night of the year on Saturday.  We had such a good time, as we always do, and the ladies made some amazing art. 

We used a combination of flexible modeling paste and pouring medium to create this fun, whimsy flowers.  Our canvas was 12x12, the perfect size to paint a beautiful work of art.

Congrats to Gwyen who won a voucher for a FREE Ladies Night of her choice!  I look forward to seeing everyone in the New Year!

Kandinsky Trees Continued

My little friends who take Art Classes on Saturday mornings wanted me to post their pictures very badly on my blog.  So, here are a few more of the Kandinsky Trees. Enjoy!

Kandinsky Mixed Media Trees

Blogger decided to work this morning!

This was a combination of watercolors for the background, newspaper for the trees and assorted paper for the blossoms.  You wouldnt believe how many students did not know how to cut a circle.  What are they teaching in school these days! :)  We glued them on with a layer of my favorite, Mod Podge and then applied one more coat to make it look like one unified piece.  I loved all the results and still have 2 more classes to teach to take more pics!

Kandinsky

I couldnt wait for this weeks lesson.  I am being drawn to mixed media lessons lately and this was another one that I could incorporate a lesson about a famous artist as well as how to replicate their work but in a totally new way! 

Kandinsky is famous for his abstract works of art.  A few years back, I had taught a lesson on one of his more famous ones, Color Theory Squares shown below.  The students did this lesson with oil pastels on black card stock.

Now, I am introducing this same Color Theory Squares Art, but having them replicate it in a totally new way used mixed media.  Stay tuned for some of their art work that I will be posting over the next several days!

Oh My! Op Art

Op Art

Last weeks lesson blew me away!  It had its pros and cons.  It was very difficult to teach, although a simple concept.  You wouldnt believe how many children did not know how to use a ruler.  Is it because of all the computers we use now and we dont need to measure anything, the computer does so much for us? 

The lesson was Op Art, which stands for Optical Illusion Art.  By teaching the children how to make a few simple lines, they could achieve something that looks like an optical illusion.  The results were amazing!  I was so happy to see it finally click with the students, thats what makes my job so well worth it!

Here are the results:

Introducing NEW Paperless System

I want to let everyone know that I am now introducing a new paperless system.  At the end of each class I usually give the students a piece of paper that explains the lesson and how we created the work.  As more and more students join my class, I am using more and more paper and ink.  More paper and ink equals more money that I spend on paper and ink.  SO, I would love to spend the money towards the students and buying art supplies for them rather than on ink. 

I also would like to direct people towards visiting my blog more often because I feel it is a great resource for parents and students and I do dedicate alot of time blogging the information. 

With that being said, here is the first lesson I am using for my Paperless System.

This weeks lesson was pretty Spooktacular!  I love when the holidays come along, I get to do some holiday themed lessons with them.  Since we only had 1 more week left till Halloween, I wanted to get in one more lesson that represented the season.

VAMPIRE BATIK LESSON 

The lesson is called Vampire Batik.  It is a combination of chalk pastels, oil pastels and a black acrylic wash.  It was so interesting to see the results. 

The students first sketched out their vampire on a sheet of sketch paper.  Once they mastered the vampire, they transferred that image onto a Watercolor Paper using a chalk pastel.   They then colored in the vampire using oil pastels.  They were told to make it thick and cover the entire surface.  Once they colored it all in, they painted over the entire surface using the black acrylic wash.  I let it sit for about a minute and then ran it under water to wash away any remaining black paint.  Wherever they applied the chalk pastel is where the black paint stuck to, leaving a great batik effect on the paper. 

The kids did a great job.  Here is some of theire work: