Drawing is Taking a Line for a Walk-Paul Klee

It amazes me how stressed kids get when it comes to an art project. The other day in a grade 5 classroom we were doing one line art drawings. I had one chiId crying because his work did not look like what he wanted. Others did not want to follow the simple rule of lines not drawn on top of another.

Maya, age 9

By the time kids get to the junior years, kids begin to feel that they have natural talent or they don't. Kids equate drawing realistically with being good at art. So many lose interest. This is a shame. We need kids to feel that thinking creatively is valuable. Our world is complex and we will need creative problem solvers to help us in the future.

This is why I like to do more abstract art projects in the junior years. I also emphasize that if they wanted to learn to draw realistically, that they must practice like any other skill they want to learn.

I really like Paul Klee. A Swiss artist who produced many diverse pieces of artwork. I like to show students some examples of artwork with simple lines and how colour is used to enhance a picture. Here is a more detailed biography.

I begin by asking student to draw something simple: flower, trees, house, cars etc.
Then I ask them to practice drawing a one line drawing.
The students trace over it with a sharpie.
Then they use watercolours to finish the paintings.

Seurat Vases

Georges Seurat was best known for pointilism. So it made sense that our art project focussed on creating points.  Since our participants were mostly 6-8 year olds, we gave them a small piece of paper.

They first sketched out their design with pencil. Next time, I think I would use a yellow peice of chalk to avoid pencil marks.

The kids used the bottom of their pencil as the "point". We quickly switched over to cotton swabs.

It retains the paint better and it goes much quicker. We also have them a small piece of paper to work with. Any larger, the kids would have lost.  We gave them 5x7 card.

Another option to try next time is bingo dabbers. The only problem with them is the limited number of colours available (or at least at our local dollar store).

Once everything was dry. I scanned the artwork and printed it on water slide paper. I love water slide paper. I use this for attaching images to anything smooth such as candles, lamps and soaps
Water slide paper is like a tattoo.

First you must print it on a laser printer. Make sure your printer has been printing before you print on water slide paper. The printer needs to be super hot.  Once you have successfully printed your image, cut it out and place in lukewarm water for 30seconds and 60 seconds. Time will depend on how warm the water is.

Then quickly slide it off the paper and adhere to your product.  I usually add glue form a glue stick on the surface in order for the "tattoo" to stick. Make sure you smooth it over to remove any air bubbles.

I bought some cheap dollar store  vases and quickly slipped the image on to the vase. You can also add a candle and use it as a hurricane lamp. Either way, aren't they precious! I think there will be some happy Mothers. Happy Mother's Day!

Mondigliani Portraits

This past Saturday, under the supervision of Paddy, the kids in our "Crafting the Masters"  workshop created their own self-portraits using oil pastels and blue construction paper in the style of Amedeo Mondigliani. Turned out fantastic!

Spotlight on Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci was born on April 15th, 1452 in Vinci, just outside of Florence, Italy. He was the illegitimate son of Ser Piero, a legal notary, and a peasant girl by the name of Caterina. Despite his illegitimacy, Da Vinci spent much of his youth in his father's care. It was there that he was introduced to scholarly texts and the beginnings of his informal education. At the age of 15, he was apprenticed by his father to Andrea del Verrocchio, a famous local artist that had seen the likes of Botticelli, Perugino and Domenico Ghirlandaio associated with his workshop. It was there that he received more formal training, that would have included, among other things, drafting, metallurgy, leather working, as well as drawing, painting and sculpting. It was also during this time that he was accepted into the famous Guild of St Luke, which was an artist guild in Florence. He continued to work out of the Verrocchio workshop until 1477, at which time he struck out on his own.

The Last Supper

Da Vinci continued to work in Florence until 1482 when he relocated to Milan. In Milan, He found employment with Duke Ludovico Sforza, where he was commissioned to create paintings, bronze sculptures, draw up architectural plans, as well as to design military equipment and even floats for parades. It was during his 17 years in Milan that he painted "The Last Supper" for the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which subsequently became one of his most famous paintings.When the French invaded Milan and overthrew the Duke, Da Vinci fled back to Florence, leaving behind him a fantastic period of creativity that spanned much scientific research, many weaponry designs, the study of geometry, mechanics, municipal construction, and perhaps even the first conceived helicopter. With his attention divided between so many interests, he found it hard to focus on any one thing, but between frequent forays into nature, meticulous transcribing of his studies of anatomy, painting, mechanics and architecture in several journals, he also managed to paint "The Virgin on the Rocks".

Mona Lisa

In 1502, Da Vinci gained employment with Pope Alexander the VI's son, Cesare Borgia. He travelled extensively around Italy as a Senior Military Architect and General Engineer, where he surveyed cities and sketched some of the first maps available. By 1503, he moved back to Florence and rejoined the Guild of St Luke. It is also believed that during that year, he began work on his most famous painting, the Mona Lisa. It is with this painting that he established "Sfumato", which was a style of painting that used a shadowy quality that he became well known for.

Between 1506-1508, Da Vinci moved between Florence and Milan, focusing mostly on his study of anatomy and architecture. By 1513, he moved to Rome, where he was offered a home at the Vatican, by his good friend Giuliano de'Medici. He stayed there until 1516, when the King of France, Francis I, offered him the position of First Painter, Architect and Engineer to the King. The famed Renaissance Painter left behind Italy, never to return again. He died on May 2nd, 1519.

 "The Vitruvian Man"

While Da Vinci is lauded as a brilliant painter, he is equally as well known for his drawings, inventions, journals, scientific studies, engineering and anatomical understandings. All of these pursuits helped to better hone his skills, which established him as a master in many things in his day and beyond. In fact, his width and breadth of knowledge is obviously noted in his ability to capture the human form, as well as mastering the art of the "vanishing point" (ability to capture depth and three-dimensionality).

On October 1st, 2011, at the Western Fair Farmer's Market, children aged 5-12 years will get the chance to learn more about Leonardo Da Vinci through the use of games, stories and art history lessons with the folks from Budding Artists. In a 90-minute workshop, children will learn basic art techniques and be able to take home a masterpiece of their own making, based on the styling of this famous Renaissance Painter. This is the second in a course of workshops that will feature a new master artist every week. If you think your little budding artist could use some helpful hints or new techniques, register them now! You will find us on the second floor ready to get creative and have fun. See you there!

Book Plates

Another idea from D.I.Y. Kids and Scholastic.com. Make your own bookplates. Again, you must have some computer skills and a printer. I created mine on Adobe Photoshop. There is a tutorial on eHow.

Art Soap

I have been wondering what was the best way for kids to paint on soap. I have made soap bars using special laser paper using clear and opaque soap. But it's a more complicated process and kids aren't usually part of the process except to make the artwork.

I wanted an art activity that only required one class to complete.  I was happy to find this idea on a website while doing late night art cruising.  

All you need is one bar of opaque soap like Ivory, acrylic paint, small brushes and paraffin wax.

Yesterday, my daughter decorated two bars of soap.
1. She began by designing an image directly on the soap.
2. While she was painting (1 inch cube), I found a small amount of parafin wax and broke into two small pieces to melt quickly. I chose to use the microwave.
3. Once the art was dried, I quickly dipped the top of the art in the wax ( 3-5 seconds will suffice). Don't let the artwork touch the bottom of the container.
4. Voila! Ready to use or gift wrap. It's an easy activity to do.

Wrapping Paper

I have written about Pinky Bear before. This week, I took 2 drawings Maya made of Pinky and  I created wrapping paper. This idea is from the D.I.Y. Kids book. You must have some computer skills. I used Adobe Photoshop and the largest piece of wrapping paper I can print is 8.5 x 14.