Candy Cane Art

Title of Lesson:  Candy Cane Art

Grade:  4^th Grade

Medium:  Colored pencils, Oil Pastels (white only), Watercolor

Reason for Lesson:  

Elements of Art: Color, Line, Shape

Prep Time:  10 minutes

Preparation prior to lesson:  Gather supplies in Art Closet (4^th grade bin)

Class Time:  45 minutes

Materials:  Water color paper, Pencil, Candy Cane Stencils for each student, colored pencils and Oil Pastels (white only), water color

Art Lesson on Perspective:

• Briefly teach the concept of perspective in art. 
• Have the children look at the candy cane picture and notice how the candy canes look like they are falling off the page.
• Have the children point out how they know that the candy canes are intact even if they don't all show up on the page. This is perspective in art. We don't have to show the entire candy cane to know that the candy cane is complete.
• Our brain fills in the rest of the picture even when the candy cane is not all on the page.
• Also have the students looks closely at how the candy canes look 3 dimensional. How did the artist create this look?
• Remind them of these lessons as they are creating their artwork
• A good book to use to teach the lesson of perspective is the Napping House by Audrey and Don Wood. As the pictures progress in the book the angle changes so that you see the pictures from the top rather than straight on. The perspective of the artwork changes giving a sense of movement. 
• Show the progression of the perspective as you flip through the pages of the Napping House book. You can also show the beginning, middle and end picture to show the gradual progression.

Instructions to Lead Lesson:  

•   Have the students trace the candy cane stencil an odd number of times.
•  Make sure the students overlap the candy canes. Erase the overlapping lines
• Using a pencil draw lines to divide each candy cane into sections.
•  Choose two colors per candy cane and color in each section with colored pencils. 
• To create a 3-D look have the children color the outer part of each section of the candy cane darkly and move toward the center with less pressure to make it look lighter in the center of each section of the candy cane.
• To create a dimensional look, use white oil pastel in the center only. (see example below)
• Once coloring is finished, have students lightly paint the background with one color using watercolor paints.
• A tip for the water coloring at the end of the lesson: Create a water color station at the back of the classroom with a couple colors the children can use to paint their background. When the children finish their coloring they can bring their artwork to the back of the classroom to lightly paint the background.
• When using liquid water color, to create a light background color, you will only need a few drops of water color per cup of water. Play with the amount to create the light color needed. 

Credit:  artsonia.com

David Shannon: Alice the Fairy Guided Draw

Karla Gerard: Folk Art

Op Art Blobs

Op Art Blobs

Reason for Lesson:  Teaching the Principles of Art, rhythm and movement and using the Elements of Art, lines and color to create Op Art.  The regular repetition (rhythm) of the lines produces the look and feel of movement.  Additionally, when shading is used (darker on the outside edges and light in the middle) we see the lines become 3 dimensional and appear to move across the paper.  

Class Time:  1  hour to 1 and ½ hour (by decreasing the size of the paper you can decrease the art time if necessary).

Materials:  White construction paper, pencils, and colored pencils.

Prep Time:  15 minutes

Prep Prior to Lesson:  Can use the power point from Mrs Brown Art - Op Art Shading Blobs.  Familiarize yourself with Op (Optical) Art.  Optical illusion- when something plays tricks on your eyes.  Op art is artwork that plays tricks on the viewer's eyes.  Get to know two well known artists:  M.C. Escher and Bridget Riley (prints have been made of some of their artwork for example).

Instructions to Lead Lesson:

Introduce “Op” Art and its ties to optical illusion.  Introduce the artists Escher and Riley, displaying and talking about the dynamics of their artwork.  

Start by drawing a curved line across the middle of the width of the paper.  Emphasizing the line as “a rolling hill and not a roller coaster” stretching from one side to the other.

Place eight dots randomly on the line, with the outside dots being near the edge of the paper.  (If you are using a smaller piece of paper you should use six dots instead of the eight).

Now it is time to connect the dots with bumps.  The dots close to the edge of the paper will go off the edge to an imaginary dot.  Continue connecting the dots using bumps until the paper is filled, eventually the lines will go off the top and bottom of the paper.

 Choose a group of colored pencils that you'd like to use.  Randomly color each section of your blob, pushing harder at the corners of each section and then lighter and lighter as you get to the middle.  This is the most time consuming part of the lesson.  It is possible to leave some of the sections white or even a whole column “undone” and still be able to see the effects of the lines and shading.  

Credit:  Mrs. Brown Art and The Virtual Instructor

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

What's your Name, Exercise in Line

Medium: Black Pens and Watercolor Markers

Reason for the Lesson: This is a line drawing lesson with a play on each students name. This lesson teaches how to make block letters and to think a bit outside the box.

Prep Time:  10 minutes to gather supplies and materials

Materials: Black Sharpies, Watercolor Markers (for the brilliant pop of color), white construction paper 24 x 18.

Instructions to Lead Lesson: 

Start with the first letter of your name and place it on the bottom of the page in a block letter format. This letter becomes the “foundation” of the pile.  Then, begin adding the other letters, not necessarily in spelling order, around, behind, in front and on top of the first letter. To help with flow, tell the children to turn their papers around.

Show the students how to add a letter behind another and in front of another. 

After the letters are piled high (repeating letters is encouraged!), fill in the spaces with patterns. It helps to have some sample patterns on the board to kick-start creativity.

Once the patterns (lines) are filled in, bring out the markers and let the children color in the letters. No color rules here: whatever color they chose is fantastic

After I show the students a sample, there is always one student who points out that their name is too short. I mean, what can you do with “Sam” or “Amy”? Lots, I say. It doesn’t matter how many letters the students use (first name, last name, both), layering and toppling the letters in a random, creative way is what its all about.  I suggest using all capital letters, as their are less round shapes, but that can be decided by the students.

Easy to Understand Line Exercise

Line Art
Medium: Black pens (sharpies)

Reason For Lesson: To help the students understand that lines come in all forms (i.e., straight, wavey, hatching, circles, etc. and that you can create art using only lines.  This lesson can be taught at any grade level.  The lower the grade level use larger tip writing instruments.  The picture you see here represents a 4th grade lesson. 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Classroom Time: 45 minutes to 1 hour

Materials: 12x18 paper, black sharpie, scratch paper for practice

Preparation: Very little.  Collect paper and sharpies. Decide what the students will be drawing and provide some ideas and samples of some options.  (i.e., turtles, sea lions, fish, etc.)

Instructions for Teaching Class:   
Open a discussion about lines.  Discuss that a line starts at one point and ends at another and it’s not always a straight line. Lines can be jagged, dashed, curvy, thin, bold, swirl and so on. Have the class warm up by making several of these line.   Given the students a sample of a picture with various types of lines.  With a 2x2 frame cut out (located in Art Supply room), have them isolate an area and draw the lines they see.  After the warm-up, give some samples of animal outlines and  ask the students to pick an animal to draw on their paper.  Instruct the students that the animal should to take up the entire area of the 12x18 paper.  Have the students divide the animal into 5-8 different areas.  Within each area instruct them to make different types of lines in each of the divided areas.  In addition to creating many different types of lines encourage them to make areas of dark and light.  

This lesson can be adapted for upper grade levels.  Use a larger point sharpie and large paper (12x18)  for lower level grades (1st, 2nd and 3rd).  Use a finer point sharpie for the upper grades (4th, 5th and 6th) and a 81/2 x 11 paper.

Credit: Part of this lesson were adapted from the Art Attack Program