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.

Crafty Owl Book Bags - Kids Art Class

This was a super fun and easy project for my kids art class.  We sketched our owls onto canvas book bags (with foil liners inserted to keep from gluing the bags shut!) using fabric markers. Then we cut 1" squares of fabric to make our "feathers" and circles of felt for eyes. I had pre-cut little orange felt triangles for beaks also.  They used fabric glue to attach the feathers in rows starting at the bottom and overlapping upwards. Buttons were used to embellish. Those who finished early were shown how to make fabric circle "yo-yo's" that were then glued down as flowers or eyes.  The fabric markers worked great (much better than the hugely messy fabric paint tubes).  They turned out really cute and personalized!

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). 

Butterfly Watercolor Paintings - Kids' Art Class

This was the first project of my Spring art class.  The kids did an awesome job. I provided several butterfly photos to show a variety of colors and wing designs. Then, I showed how to sketch a basic butterfly, including wing veins. Once they had a drawing they liked, I had them trace one half onto tracing paper, fold down the middle of the body, then trace the opposite side to make a perfectly symmetrical butterfly.  They then traced it onto their watercolor paper with graphite paper.  Sharpie markers and watercolor pencils were used to finish their paintings.