Jim Dine Valentines

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

my experiment above

In honor of the approaching Valentines Day I thought I'd have the children create a Jim Dine inspired heart print. This session has been all about finger painting. So that is how we created our base. There were no rules here. I just reminded them to watch out for what colors might create a muddy look: all the complimentary pairs, red and green, yellow and purple, and orange and blue. This was a great little color theory lesson. After our base had dried we cut out styrofoam hearts that we carved designs into with pencils. We printed these hearts with black acrylic. After these were dry some children used oil pastel to finish their pieces. I loved the looseness of this project. It was a nice departure from all the direct line drawing lessons we've been doing.

Jim Dine Valentines II

I did this project last February and decided to give it another go with my Mixed Media Drawing and Painting class. Children used fingers or sponges with acrylics to create a painterly background inspired by Jim Dine's heart series. Next styrofoam heart prints with carved designs were made using black acrylic. Children had the option of using oil pastels to add color on top of their prints.

Beyond Direct Line Draw Lessons

 Abstract Collages

Jim Dine Valentines

Nature Contour Drawings with Bleeding Tissue

Mixed Media Abstract Collage

While the majority of my art lessons tend to be animal subjects using a basis of direct line drawing lessons, I do Love veering into more personal observation and abstract based lessons. Maybe because my personal art is so reality based, I tend to be drawn into the opposite direction. I think abstract lessons level the playing field so to speak, for those children who feel their drawing skills aren't what they'd hope, but have So much to say and a desire to create. 

The above collage student work (observational and abstract - with links to the original post) are some art lessons I've done without the aid of Miss Mary's white board and marker. I will continue to do direct line drawing lessons and make no apologies for it. But I hope to incorporate more observational and student driven thought into my art lessons. (Thank you Phyl! You are such a Great mentor to me.) 

Random Acts of Creativity

Alcohol Ink Tiles with Metal Embossing

We combined alcohol ink tiles and metal embossing for a twist

on Jim Dine Heart pieces. The tiles were a big hit a couple years

ago at my daughter's 11th birthday party here. 

Directions for tiles can be found here.

With a couple coats of Krylon Crystal Clear spray

these tiles can make great trivets or coasters.

Metal Tooling with Metallic Marker Borders

My piece is being gifted to my Mom and Dad

My students and I experimented with metal repousse or embossing on small squares of aluminum. I was inspired by this project from Georgetown Elementary Art Blog. We used dull pencils and ballpoint pens to create designs. We had the option of adding ink to our pieces or flipping them over to use the reverse raised side. It was a medium that my tween students and I thoroughly enjoyed. I offered pieces of black square construction paper and metallic markers to continue or add to their metal designs.

Gelatin Printing

The girls enjoyed experimenting with nature gelatin prints inspired by this post from Cassie Stephens.

They unanimously agreed that the "ghost" prints, (after the leaves were removed) were the most interesting, resembling x-rays.

A special thanks to my Tuesday afternoon group of girls! It was fun exploring new media with you!

Salt Dough Experiments

In the week I have in between art class sessions, I am busy "test driving" art projects. I'm all over the map: Jim Dine, David Hockney, Impressionist fall landscapes and these salt dough inspirations. I was experimenting with texture and watercolor with the flower and shell. I used an actual shell to make a fossil-like creation while the flower was hand formed. The snake and sea turtle were inspired by the gorgeous work of Australian artist, Bronwyn Bancroft. (But I did see some similar creations in clay from Apples Love Oranges that really caught my eye.) I just picked up Bancroft's children's book at the library, "Possom and Wattle, My Big Book of Australian Words." Her work is so wonderfully bright and graphic.

You may be seeing some more similar creations from my classes soon.

Jim

Dine

Inspired

Hearts -

Kindergarten

These collages were created with tissue and starch backgrounds and the hearts were done using chalk pastels. They were glued to small pieces of foam core for a 3D effect.