Wall Vase Art Project

One of my favorite art projects from my childhood was a ceramic wall vase. I used my hand to smash a ball of clay flat to make a slab, but a rolling pin or slab roller can get a more even surface. 

This is a perfect project for kids or adults who are just starting out with clay. My art students started by using a slab roller to make a slab of clay. Then they cut out a shape for the back of the vase and used objects to poke, and roll the surface of the clay to make texture. They made pockets with smaller shapes of clay by scoring and slipping to the surface. And finally a hole was made at the top to hang on a nail. Two holes work as well for a ribbon to make a hanger. Once the vases were bisque fired, my students choose a color to paint their vases. By not using too much paint, or over painting it, the clay can show through and reveal the terracotta color and emphasize the texture. Finally we found little flowers to place in the pockets. It's a fun and easy project that can be used for Mother's Day gifts or a springy look in the home. You know it's a good art lesson if you remember it nearly five decades later.

 

Origami Trees and Diamonds

It's nice that basic folds in origami are the jumping off point for lots of different projects. Paper Christmas trees and diamonds start the same way as the classic fortune teller. 

You begin with folding a square piece of paper in half to make a vertical rectangle and than open and fold it in half to make a horizontal rectangle. Opening to leave a plus sign in the middle of the square. Flip the paper upside down.

Next you fold it in half in diagonaly to make a triangle, first in one direction, than the other, to make a multiplication sign. 

With the right side up, push in on opposite diagonals until a square (1/4th of the paper size) is formed and push down. Keep the open side pointed towards you on the table. 

Bring the right folded side to the center line, making sure the top stays pointed. Than do it on the left side. Flip to do the right and left side on the back. It should be shaped like a kite.

Slide your finger up from the inside to open up one of the flaps, moving the inner fold to the opposide sides to open it up and make the triangle span the whole width of the kite shape. Do the same thing on each of the 3 remaining flaps. From the top point, the folds should be going in and out and in and out, 8 times, the whole way around. Than you'll make 4 slits on each side. Each tree bough is formed and held into place by folding the upper corner down and in to make a point on the lower outside of the branch. You'll do it 4 times for each of the 8 sides. I tried to always do it on the right half for radial symmetry. These can stand on their own or they can have a ribbon or hook attached and used as an ornament.

Now if you want a diamond shaped ornament you'll need to do this on a second piece of paper with a contrasting color or pattern.

You'll flip one upside down so the opening is going up while the other is going on. You'll tuck each of the long pieces into a short piece of it's partner. It helps to use a drop of glue to keep it from coming undone as you move to the other parts. I like a drop of hot glue or two at the beginning and then maybe one or two at the end of the process. No scissors needed.

Design Time: Zentangle Collaboration

Repetition is a Principle of Design, which is used to create pattern, textures, and rhythm in art. Some patterns have names: check board, basketweave, zig zag, polka dots, while others are waiting to be invented. It's good to break out of your doodle comfort zone which is surprisingly small for most visually impaired people and try to repeat marks that you haven't tried before.

My students created their own chart with a handful of different patterns before contributing to the larger group composition. Tables were covered with bulletin board paper and when students finished their own work, they could contribute to this group composition. It's fun to work together to learn and create.

Painted Paper Collages

We're not Eric Carle, but we wish we were.  With an upcoming student show, and the need for a few large collaborative pieces, I thought it might be time to resurrect last year's lesson about illustrator, Eric Carle, and his technique of painting paper and then using that to later collage. Only this time the instead of small individual pieces, we would make much larger, group projects. So I discussed color mixing, and students covered large pieces of paper with tempera. Then they painted glue on the back of the shapes I had cut out of the paper, and attached  them onto 2'X3' pieces of paper.

Here are a couple of our finished products. They make me feel happy.

Muppet Inspired Hand Puppets!

I believe that genius is being able to turn your mother's green coat into a world famous frog, which is why the genius of Jim Henson was the springboard for last week's art project, starting with a slide show discussion and this documentary that shows behind the scenes at The Muppet Show.

The making of the muppet show 1982 - YouTube

My high school students, then got busy creating a character for their very own hand puppet. They researched, sketched, cut and glued. Some puppets were as simple as a couple of pieces of craft felt stitched together and turned inside out before embellishing.

Others were more elaborate puppets with mouths that opened and closed. A variety of materials are important for creative detail work: pompoms, puffy paint, lace, upholstery fabric, glitter, foam, wiggly eyes,  doll hair, and ribbon.
I have planned a field trip to see Muppets up close at the Center for Puppetry Arts museum, and we'll catch "The Wizard of Oz" performed with marionettes while we're there. By the end of the week, it was clear that puppetry arts are a happy marriage between performing and visual arts!

Collaboration Celebration!

We are back in school and my art room is abuzz with busy artists! Last week, as schedules were getting settled and students were trying to learn class procedures, I had them each create a portfolio (giant paper folder). They had their choice of medium, as long as their name is the focal point. Some used foam stamps, others, marker, hot glue, colored pencils and stencils, and pastel. But with a huge range of ability levels, I found that some students, and some classes work more quickly than others. In order to keep each student engaged in the creative process (and out of trouble), I kept a large piece of butcher paper a table.

I used green paint to divide the paper into round shapes, which were then hot glued, so that blind students could feel their boundaries and stay in their section. When anyone had some extra time, they were invited to use pastels or oil pastels and create a pattern within a shape.

My advanced class of low vision students made their own "mural" by dividing black paper with high contrast lines, creating triangles of various sizes.

It was a great introduction to not only shape and repetition, but unity and variety as well. Every class has students who are very unique, but we can be united as a community of learners, just as parts of a "mural" can be visually united. We also discussed the fact that collaboration means having respect for others and their contributions. I have a good feeling about what is possible for my students this school year.