Lois Ehlert Inspired Bird Collages

My experiment made from leftover paper from my 

Abstract Art Fun class collage project

I was inspired by this Winter Bird Art Lesson from Deep Space Sparkle. My Children's Book Art group looked at the collage work of Lois Ehlert in her books, Snowballs, Pie in the Sky, and Top Cat. My students created a variety of patterned paper using watercolors and acrylics. A background in chalk pastels was created and next some birch trees (inspired by Ehlert's work in Snowballs) using cardboard and black acrylics. Birds were then created using templates and placed around their base to create an interesting composition. This is a great project to utilize any leftover patterned or textured paper.

In Monet's Garden

My Children's Book Art Class looked at Linnea in Monet's Garden by Christina Bjork and Lena Anderson. This is a gem of a book that introduces children to the life and work of Monet and the Impressionist Art movement in general. Of particular interest to my students was the fact that Monet painted the same scene of his garden and Japanese bridge in Giverny for years, even after almost blind from cataracts.

The children created a first layer of sky and pond using watercolors. Acrylics were added to give their pieces an Impressionist flair. They were encouraged to load their brush in multiple colors to create this effect. And of course adding their image to their piece is always a fun addition.  

Chameleons, Cats and Crocodiles

Watercolor explorations inspired by this lesson from

Deep Space Sparkle

Chalk pastel

                             

Watercolor and salt and splatters

My Children's Book Art Fun class has looked at the illustrations from  Chameleons Are Cool, Skippyjon Jones, and Solomon Crocodile. They created works of art inspired by these artists' styles, techniques, and media. Artwork by ages 6-10.

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.

One-Point Perspective Spooky Landscapes

 My example on light paper

My example on black paper

I know! My students were quick to point out that it wasn't October. But I have been doing quite a bit of animal themed projects lately and I was inspired by this wonderful One Point Perspective Lesson from SmART Class and this lesson by Shine Brite Zamorano inspired by this artwork . My students chose between black or light colored construction paper to set their mood. I used Natalie's incredibly helpful guidelines to help the children set up their landscape. Chalk pastel was used to set the atmosphere for sky, ground, roads, and shadows. Oil pastel was used for the trees. The trickiest part for the kids seemed to be making those first trees in the foreground Large and working down from there.It is a bit advance for younger children, but they did a great job! These were created by children 6-9. More to post!

Giraffes by Moonlight

This project is inspired by the book "Giraffes Can't Dance." I have done the dancing giraffe version which is a real favorite among the children. This go around, we focused on layered moonlit giraffe portraits. Giraffes were created using the wet on wet technique that created the "bleeding" spot effect. The children created the backgrounds using oil pastels for the leaves and moon followed by a watercolor night sky.  To create an added layer, the children cut out leaves from watercolor and salt paper they had made earlier. I encouraged them just to cut organic leaf-like shapes and not worry about drawing them out first. Last, they added stars with the backs of their brushes using white acrylic. This project required the children to follow quite a few directions and keep it moving along at a brisk pace to finish them up in one afternoon. Well done kids! These are full of personality! (Ages 6-10)

Cats on Color Fields

My 6-9 year old group created their gray tabby cats first using watercolor and charcoal. For a background twist, they looked at Mark Rothko's Color Field paintings and created their own with chalk pastels choosing color combinations to convey a certain mood.