Easy Tree Painting - Kids Art Project

This was a really great painting project I did with my art class. I let them choose a neutral background color and then we painted in the details of the trees with credit cards and sea sponges.  It was a very easy project and the kids did a great job.  We focused on the shadows and highlights on the trees to make them a little dimensional. They also used their fingers to smear paint underneath the trees and sometimes even in the trees.

Here is my YouTube instructional video for this project.

Profile Silhouette Collage - Kids Art Project

This is a project I did with my art class back in the fall 2014. I am just now getting around to posting it! This was really fun for the kids.  I think they enjoyed finding images in the magazines as much as anything.  We used canvas panels and mod podge to adhere the pictures, but we could have easily done the whole thing on paper with glue (and I kinda wish we had because the mod podge was pretty messy).

To start with, I took profile photos of the kids the week before and printed them out on a full page sheet.  In class we cut out around the photos leaving a silhouette to use as a template.  I did it this way because we did not have time to try to trace our shadows (and I had a hard time in testing it at home trying to get a good outline that way).  We traced our templates onto a large 12" x 12" scrapbook paper and then onto our 9"x12" canvas panels (making sure to line up the templates in the same place.  Using the outline as a rough guide I had the kids fill in their faces with magazine images and words. They used mod podge to glue the pieces onto the canvas panels (going over the outline so that the edges would be covered). While they worked, I cut out all the silhouettes and trimmed down the scrapbook paper to 9"x12".  To finish they again used mod podge to glue down the scrapbook paper outline of their face which covered up all the rough edges and made a clean silhouette.  We used up all of our 1.5 hour time slot.  The kids were very creative with their image choices.  Some were pretty funny (see BACON).  The photos are a little cloudy because the mod podge was still drying.

Polymer Clay Bird Ornaments - Kids Art Class

Okay, I guess didn't really think this through when I planned this for my May art class.  It wasn't intended to be a Christmas project but even if I choose denial and call it a "wall hanging" we all know it's really an ornament. Oh well! The kids loved it.

It actually took very little time since we used a cookie cutter to make the bird shapes. I had a template for them to trace and cut out the wings also.  Then they used various stamps and tools to create texture in their clay.  Glass beads were also used to embellish.  I baked them for 45 minutes at 265 degrees.  And the cookie cutter (purchased on Amazon) is now relegated to clay use only.   I glazed them with a clay varnish and added ribbon to hang (not shown). 

Mixed Media Nest Painting Video Tutorial

Here is the mixed media version of my nest artwork video series.  Hope you enjoy!

Pumpkin Zentangle - Kids Art Class

My kids art class started off our fall schedule with a fun pumpkin zentangle.  I showed them how to draw a simple dimensional pumpkin and how to layer them to create a grouping.  And then they were able to fill in the spaces with different patterns.  We used sharpie markers so that the ink wouldn't bleed when we added watercolors.  I showed my students how to layer colors with watercolor pencils (darker colors in the creases and along edges, lighter colors in center) and then they added water to blend.  They did such a good job with their drawings that I had several parents ask if they really drew them!  What a compliment!  They did it all on their own (what's the point in taking a class if the teacher does all the work?).  I have found that kids can do just about any project as long as you take time to break it down into easy steps. And it doesn't hurt that I have some super talented kids too!

Here is my YouTube Tutorial for this project.

Mixed Media Journals - Summer Art Camp 2013

I started out the week of our summer art camp with a mixed media journal project.  The girls used stamps and scrapbook papers to create a mosaic tile pattern on the covers.  Then they embellished with buttons, flowers, ribbon, brads and fun objects.  It was a great project.  The girls really enjoyed personalizing their journals.