Subway Art, OPI Style!

 OPI Subway Art

Medium:  Watercolor

Technique: Line and Space

Reason for Lesson:  This lesson will give the students an opportunity to reflect back on their experience at OPI.  This lesson provides each student with a keepsake from their experience at OPI.

Prep Time:  10-15 minutes

Preparation prior to lesson:  Collect materials…liquid watercolors, 8 ½ x 11 paper watercolor paper (no bigger). Students use their own ruler, black sharpies, pencil and clean erasers.  

Class Time:  1 ½   to 2 hours because of the two steps involved in the project.  Having an assistant in the class to help with watercolors will expedite the process. 

Materials:  Liquid Watercolors (multiple colors), watercolor paper, cups for holding watercolor, rinse cups/containers, black sharpie pens, pencil, ruler and clean eraser.

Instructions to Lead Lesson: 

Step 1:Show students several samples of modern day ‘Subway’ Art.  As a class,  discuss the characteristics of the art.   Point out large and small type…closeness of lettering…difference in print type, etc.  Show samples of the artwork they’ll be creating.  Emphasize that their art will look different because their experience was different.

Step 2: With the focus on their experience at OPI, help the students brainstorm words that described their experience.  Break the ‘list’ into two parts…what they experienced and what they learned. Write these words on the white board or on the overhead so they can reference them as they create their art.

Step 3: Instruct the students to ensure their paper is positioned in the vertical direction (short side on the bottom/top, long side of paper on the sides).  Using a pencil have the students draw two light lines (using a ruler) approximately 2 1/2 to 3  inches from each other in the center or off center on the page.   Instruct the students to draw capital letters… O P I using their pencil. For those students not attending OPI they can use the word ECOSYSTEM.

Step 4:  Instruct the students to draw light lines, using their ruler and pencil coming off of the focal word OPI (see below).  Instruct the students to select words (from the brainstormed words... their own) and place it on the line printing neatly. Then instruct the students to repeat the lines (vertical or horizontal) adding words until the entire page is filled with these brainstormed words.

Step 5: After the page is completed in pencil, instruct the students to trace over the words using black sharpies.   Once done, have the students erase any noticeable pencil lines (see below). 

Step 6: The final step, wash the paper with diluted watercolor paint.  Set a station in the classroom or in a pod outside the classroom where they can ‘wash’ their artwork with watercolors.  Using multiple colors let the students have complete artist freedom to add their watercolor.  Make some suggestions to get them started (i.e., vertical rainbow of colors, horizontal rainbow of colors, light ‘controlled’ splattering of paint, etc). 

Use the concept of LESS IS MORE and tell the students they have 2 minutes to ‘wash’ their art then place it in a location where the art can dry.

IMPORTANT TIP: The kids want to spend so much time blending and adding too much watercolor so it’s important to emphasis limited time and the LESS IS MORE concept. 

Credit:  Developed by Art Docent using the concept of subway art.

Taking our Lines for a Walk - with Harold and the Purple Crayon

Taking our Lines for a Walk

Medium: Watercolor paint, Crayons

Reason for Lesson:  To introduce students to the concept of LINE and movement in art.  Lines can be wavy, thick, thin, curvy, parallel, etc.  Lines together create movement in art.  Education.com defines movement as repeated shapes, lines, or colors that are used in a work of art.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Preparation prior to lesson:  15 minutes

Class Time: 1 hour

Materials:  The book Harold and the Purple Crayon, watercolor paper, watercolor paints, crayons, paintbrushes, paper towels.

Instructions to Lead Lesson:  Begin the lesson by reading the story "Harold and the Purple Crayon" to introduce the topic of LINE. Discuss how Harold uses lines to draw all sorts of pictures.  After the story ask the students to look around the classroom and see if they can pick out any "lines".  Take a few minutes allowing as many to participate as possible.

Tell the students that for today's art project they will be taking their lines for a walk, just like Harold. Show example of completed art project. Express to the students the importance of not scribbling so that the line can be seen. I make it very clear how important it is to listen to the directions. Teaching them one step at a time is very helpful for first graders :) Encourage them to do their “Best” work.

Step 1:  Have students use a black crayon to take their line for a walk around their paper. Remind them that the line is “walking” and not “running”.  This will help them take their time and not rush.

Step 2:  Color in the some of the circles and spaces with different colors of crayons.

Step 3:   Have the paint table set up for students to come up and choose ONE color to paint over their project. It's fun to see how the crayon resists the watercolor. This part of the project is where extra hands come in handy. I am planning on using the table in front of the classroom for painting. This way you can have control of the paint and one parent can sit and help the students at the table with painting helping to reduce the mess.

Step 4: use a paper towel to dab the extra paint off the completed project.  Since the crayon resists the watercolor paint, it will be quite wet.  Once their project is dry, have them sign their name "like an artist" on the bottom corner with a black sharpie.

Credit:  Our docent Katie L was inspired by the book Harold and the Purple Crayon and a project by Art Lessons for Kids

Warm Pumpkin in the Cool of Night

Warm Pumpkin in the Cool of Night

Medium:  Tempura Paint

Reason for Lesson:  This lesson is a review on color; warm versus cool.  

Prep Time:  15-minutes

Preparation prior to lesson:  10-minutes

Class Time:  1 to 1.25 hour(s)

Materials: White 12x18 paper, small paint brush, large paint brush, pencil, Sharpie, water waste container, paper plate for paint, tempura paints - orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown.  

Instructions to Lead Lesson:  

Step 1:  Review primary (red, yellow, blue), secondary colors (orange, green purple).  Then review warm (red, orange, yellow) vs. cool (green, blue, purple)

Step 2: Using a pencil, Students draw freehand pumpkin slightly 3” off center on the 12x18 paper. 

Step 3:  Students may use a template if available. Or outline the shape of two circles and put a stem on top.

Step 4:  Draw a circle in the upper right corner.  From the circle in the upper right corner, draw circles throughout paper, going through the pumpkin image.  Lines should have about a 1 inch separation.  IMPORTANT:  If your students have limited art class time, suggest they make only 6-8 lines outside of the circle.  This will reduce the amount of paint time.

Will look like this when done...

Step 5:  Trace penciled outlines using a Sharpie.  Students may start painting.

  

Step 6:  Teach students how to use even thin strokes and not globs.  Also teach them to start it the top of their art so they don’t get paint all over their sleeves; they can also turn their art on the table to prevent getting it on their clothing.

This "Globbed" on paint will take a long time to dry, plus once it is dry it doesn't look good either.

Step 7:  Wait for painting to dry...should take about 15-minutes.  Then have students remark Sharpie outlines.

Then Done!!

Credit: Inspiration from Oodles of Art