Practicum

Fantasy Animal

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The question was asked:

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL?!?

 

 

I began the lesson by reading "The Mixed Up Chameleon" By Eric Carle

(See the video above)

 

Then asked the children to think of what kind of animal they would create if they could mix any animals they wanted.

 

As they contemplated what they would make I created:

The Squidderphant.

 

Once the kids saw how to do it & understood.

They went nuts.

 

So many crazy animals were created & only a few students had a problem.

For example:

McKenna S.

She started to stack animals.

Not combine them together.

 

So...

I asked her to draw her 3 favorite animals.

Which were:

Panda

Fish

Turtle

 

She drew them in full.

I then asked her to cut them into three pieces...

Body, Head, Feet.

She did it willingly.

Then we both started combining them. 

 

A turtle head, panda body and fish tail!!

Combination after combination had her and the students laughing hysterically at the weird creations.

Until she concluded with the Ellasoris, as pictured above.

 

All the students did great, but due to a lack of time the environments they lived in were not created.

 

 

Here are some of the student's work on display in the hallway.

 

This project is a good way for...

> Students to create something wild & crazy <

> Students learn about body characteristics <

> Students learn to combine objects <

> Students learn to think of & create an imaginary animal <

 



Museum Visit

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I honestly can't remember the name of the piece or the artist of which this was inspired by.

 

But.

I love it :)

 

It took me back to my childhood,

where every Fall my dad, sister & I would drive up the canyon to collect leaves.

We would arrange them just like we did in this activity.

Then we would frame them & give them to family members as Christmas presents.

It was my favorite gift to give every year

& to this day they are still hanging up in our house & cabin.

 

I'm excited to add this one to the collection

&

even though it doesn't need to be on here,

I feel like it is very beneficial to children.

 

This Project is a Great Way For...

> Students to experiment with color schemes <

> Students work with warm & cool colors <

> Students learn about the changing of the leaves & why it happens <



Integrated Aboriginal Art

Integrated Aboriginal Art

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I just wanted to share this as an alternative to the aboriginal art work.

Working with natural resources like aboriginals would have was a great experience & I think that students would learn a lot from it.

This project was fun for me to see how the we could incorporate the lesson to fit in with the actual methods and techniques that the people used.

With slight variation of course.

I was very happy with how it turned out and I just wanted to share it.

 

For the aboriginal art I did previously...

Click This Thing.

To see how you can integrate that project into a more hands on nature experience.



Milk Jug Mask

      Masks

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African masks are traditionally used in rituals and ceremonies,

in the African culture.

 

I absolutely loved this assignment!!!
Masks were always a prominent thing that my art instructor in high school would have me design.
Because I loved it,
it was part of my family's culture,
& apparently I was good at it.
So,
When I could make a tangible mask,
not just draw it.
I was ecstatic!

I started by looking at all the possible angles of our milk jug,
staying far away from the handle.
I did not want to make a nose.
Once I found the perfect face I began cutting away.
Once my mask was formed,
I started to lay scotch tape horizontally across the whole mask.
then little pieces around the eye sockets.
I painted it with black shoe polish.
Then added bright colors, beads and hair,
in a fashionable way.

My little mask turned out just like I wanted it to.
but some said it looked like a voodoo head.
the whole,
"Look it's my mother, and she hasn't aged a bit" scene in various movies.
Such as Princess and The Frog.
But my friend from Africa liked it...
so.
I think I did a good job.

Through this project I learned...
That very different & unique things can be made out of the same object.
In this case, a Milk Jug.
I learned that various materials that you wouldn't think to use can create textures and finishes that you would expect.
Like Shoe Polish.
Who woulda thunk?

I did what I did..
because I wanted it to look more tribal,
rather than earthy.
if that makes any sense.
I wanted a dark base with brighter colors to contrast,
& I like black better than brown in general.
It also wasn't too popular with the people in class,
so I liked not being the cookie cutter mold & doing my own thing.

This project is a great way for...
> Students to learn about the African Culture <
> Students to see what they can create with random everyday objects <
> Make something that they are excited about <

To learn how to create other masks like mine
Check This Out



Batik

Batik

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a method (originally used in Java) of producing colored designs on textiles by dyeing them, having first applied wax to the parts to be left un-dyed.



I found this project extremely fascinating.
I loved the idea.
I did have a hard time trying to decide my design,
because there were so many floating through my head.
Regardless,
I liked how mine turned out
& the overall simplicity of it.

Through this project I learned...
That working with fabric is fun.
I wasn't sure how much I would like it because I thought that the paint would bleed through the designs we painted on first.
But.
To my surprise it worked out a lot better than I had anticipated.
This is a great discovery project for children & it was very entertaining.
This project was one of my favorites.
I liked how everyone's turned out.

I did what I did..
Well,
I wanted to do so much with this project but I could only pick one design.
my sketch book was full of ideas & like I said earlier,
it was hard to pick just one.
I ended up choosing the pattern that I did because of its simplicity.
I noticed that all of my designs were a little too complex.
As I walked around the classroom the get some ideas,
a lot of people were going crazy with designs & detail.
I wanted to be a little different.
So I simplified one of my first designs & went for it.

I'm glad I chose to simplify it.
some of the others had a lot of white space and it made the color pop more than the white.
& I wanted the white to pop more than the color.
& in my opinion I did that.

This project is a great way for...
> Students to learn to use white space and color effectively <
> Students explore their creativity in designing <
> Students work in a step by step process <
 

For some further instruction

Click Here or Here :)

Coil/Pinch Pot

Maria Martinez

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Maria took herself and San Ildefonso to world-wide recognition with her pottery work.

 

 

This is what I created.

Now,

I did not like this project.

I have never been good with clay...

&
This project brought back repressed memories.
I won't go into detail.

 

Through this project I learned...

different techniques of how to create a pot,

 Whether it is pinching the sides or swirling a "snake" to create a pot,
every single pot looked different & unique.
I learned that it is fun to work with different mediums.
We had mostly been working with paper, pen & paint type materials,
so,
this was a nice change.
I can only imagine what children do when they get their hands on this stuff!
It is probably the coolest thing for them.

I did what I did...
because I had no clue what to do.
my creativity literally went out the window.
I started making a round pot,
but then the side fell in making it look like an ugly heart.
Then someone pointed out that it looked like a paw print...
I pretended like that was what I was going for.
Thus it was created.
When it came to the painting...
yeah..
I'm not sure.
But I like sunsets and it has a tree in it.
Nature.

This project is a great way for...
> Students to explore with different mediums <
> Students to really get "Hands On" <
> Students to spend a lot of time on something (2 Days) <
> Students will learn the elements of 3-Dimensional objects <

For a Tutorial
Click Right Here



Chinese Brush Painting

Chinese Brush Painting

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Traditional painting involves essentially the same techniques as calligraphy and is done with a brush dipping in black or colored ink; oils are not used. Typical motifs in Chinese brush painting include flowers, birds, animals and landscapes. But even more important than the visual image is the message behind the painting: it expresses the inner spirit of the subject or the feelings of the artist.

 

 

In this project we were able to practice and execute three of the various strokes used when creating these works of art.

We were given kits with different brushes made with goat hair and a ink grinding rock & stick.

It was so much fun making our own ink,

I felt like the real deal...

until I went home & my roommate from China showed me how it really done.

 

Through this project I learned

different painting techniques that the Chinese have mastered and a little taste of the Chinese culture.

I learned that the strokes may seem simple but they take a while to get the hang of.

I also learned patience.

 

I did what I did

because I loved the simplicity of the bamboo.

I also like the rule of thirds.

it was visually appealing & again I loved the simplicity,

I thought it looked more elegant.

 

This project is a great way for...

> Students to explore the Chinese culture <

> Students experience different painting techniques <

> Students become familiar with different art styles <

 

For an amazing tutorial

click HERE :)