Art Curriculum- Week 20- Stained Glass Trees in Watercolor

Week 20- Stained Glass Trees in Watercolor

Movement: Abstract Expressionism

A project that goes hand in hand with this one is our painting that uses a wet on wet technique to make splatter painted trees in watercolors. To view it click here.

This project was ultimately taught to 3 different groups. Kindergarten-3rd + 4th-6th + our ordinary group of 6 kids (all of whom take the other 2 classes only split up to fit their age groups).

What you will need:

-multipurpose paper
-watercolors
-sharpie
-brushes
-paint palettes

Time: 1 hour

Prep:

The tree is based on a picture I saw on pinterest that I expanded on a bit... So design for the tree is not mine. Each of the trees had to be drawn/traced on by hand and then gone over with sharpie because the paper was too big to fit in the printer.

The hearts are designed by my sister, Sarah, for the younger class.

Execution:

• Each child gets a brush, a paint palette (or shares depending on how many you have), a cup of water, and a blank sheet of paper with 8 sections on it.
• First we practiced with the blank sheet. I had them always try to lay down the lightest color first before adding the darker color (for example, yellow and then blue). Once we were comfortable with laying down color in a neat fashion had practice making the colors run and blend with each other we moved on to the Tree.
  
• For my older class of 4-6th graders I could let them go at it themselves. Filling in each panel with separate color schemes. Some of them were really creative and ended up with cool patterns.
  
• For the the younger ones, I don't think some of them quite got the part about "keeping the panels separate so that they don't run into each other and make mud) but the colors are still fun and vibrant!

older class 4th-6th grade

Remember to lay down your paint quickly and don't overwork your colors!

Enjoy!

Related blog posts:

-Expressions in Color

(logging 3 hours for prep and execution - includes teach 2 separate groups)

Trees of Orange... Gold... and Blue? - Easy Watercolor Project

One of the girls' trees!

Trees of Orange... Gold... and Blue? - Easy Watercolor Project

A bonus project for the art curriculum this week!

This is a simple project to prep for, I gathered and planned most of it this morning right before putting it into action.

The final result is so charming it's suitable for all ages: colorful and fun for younglings; sophisticated and lovely for any modern decor.

What you need:

-watercolors (it doesn't need to be expensive, we have large bottles of brilliantly colored kids watercolors)
-multipurpose paper
-brushes (cheap, but not plastic, plastic doesn't hold water)
-spray bottle
-paint palettes or bowls/cups to hold the paint

We did two pieces. The first one was just to get the technique down and play with colors.

We all used the same 3 colors: blue, red, orange. You can use whatever (and however many) colors you desire.

Time: 45 minutes for Both pieces

• Thoroughly soak your brush in the first color
• Hover the brush over the paper and use your finger on your other hand to tap and splatter the paint - don't be shy when splattering! Cover the page with blobs and splatters of all different sizes!
• Rinse your brush and move on to the next color and repeat with all the different colors.

• Now the super fun part! Take the spray bottle and spritz those colors! Take it slow at first, it'll depend on the amount of paint on your paper and how thickly you spray the water as to how the colors will run and retain their vibrancy. When it comes to adding water to watercolors, less is more.
  
• For fun, we added salt to our first masterpieces. The more salt you add, the less bold your colors will be. However it creates some fantastic texture.

Left half "After Spritzing"
Right half "After Salt"

• The second piece we made trees. I drew light, rough ovals on the paper as a guide for the kids. We used the same colors: blue, red, orange. And we were only allowed to splatter within the oval as best we could.
• Spritz with water!
• We manage to direct the dribbles by tilting and bending the paper so we ended up with tree trunks!
  

Overall: Fun. Easy. Prepare for speckled faces and arms from the splattering. I suggest a good layer of newspaper on the table to help with easy cleanup and spills. :)

Related art projects:

-Perspective With Watercolors
-Watercolor Winter Scene
-Expressions in Color

(logging 1 1/2 hours for prep and execution)

Art Curriculum- Week 17/18- Expressions in Color

Art Curriculum- Expressionism + Abstract Expressionism

Movements: Expressionism/Abstract Expressionism (who knew?!)

Last week we did 2 paintings, one on expressionism and one on abstract expressionism. We smashed 2 projects into one week because the past 8 days I've been on vacation in Italy (maybe I'll have a blog post coming about that too... *hint hint*)

Expressionism: a style of painting, music, or drama in which the artist or writer seeks to express emotional experience rather than impressions of the external world.

What you will need:

-brushes (we used the cheap foam sponge brushes)
-watercolor paints
-multimedia paper

I allowed each child to pick their own colors. A limit of three. We made our backgrounds (which we tried to give a vaguely checkered pattern), then I instructed them on making their swirly trees.

I think they all turned out beautifully.

I don't know why it refuses to post right side up!

Abstract Expressionism: a development of abstract art that originated in New York in the 1940s and 1950s and aimed at subjective emotional expression with particular emphasis on the creative spontaneous act (e.g., action painting). Leading figures were Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.

(See how I emphasized spontaneous there?)

What you will need:

-tempera paints
-multipurpose paper
-brushes (any kind/any sizes)
-a timer (optional)

This one was a challenge for the kids! We always focus on making the smooth and tidy strokes, planning and gliding along. This required the kids to be spontaneous and limited how much they could do.

This one is fast, so you could do multiple pieces and experiment in different ways.

First you plop 2-3 colors on every child's paper in random splotches or patterns. Because they each have their favorite color they pick EVERY SINGLE TIME I deliberately gave them colors they never use or don't like! That already made them uneasy.

We gave them 30 seconds.

That was too long, a lot of the kids work turned to mush. I suggest (depending on your age group) 10-15 seconds.

Finished trial of the first.

The second time everyone got the same colors. And we didn't time it, instead we went one brush stroke at a time. For the younger ones this was a bit difficult and they required a lot of guidance. Each child could brush up/down/diagonal/big/small. But they could ONLY do one stroke.

It was interesting to watch.

The finished results of the second trial.

Overall: Both projects were quick and fun. However if your kids are younger, they could find it challenging. Abstract art is hard to grasp.

Related blog posts:

-Cubism Portraits
-Watercolor Winter Scene

(logging 2 1/2 hours for prep and execution of both projects)

Art Curriculum- Week 14- Snowman Handprints

Week 14- Snowman Hands

Last week's project was creating a 3D Snowflake. To view it click here.

This is a very simple project. :)

Category: Winter

What you will need:

-blue construction paper
-white/black/orange paint (acrylic/tempera/craft)
-smaller brushes (for the detailed little buttons and noses)
-1 larger brush (for applying the paint to their hands)
-"Snowmen at Night" by Mark Buehner and Caralyn Buehner (optional)

Time: 30-45 minutes

• Use the large brush to apply white paint to each child's hand. Be liberal with the paint, you will probably need more than you think.

• Press the hand into the paper. The paint will dry quickly so you need to press the hand quickly. Don't let them wiggle their fingers! :) I had to press down their fingers and hands to make sure they made contact with the paper all over.

• Slowly lift the hand and send them to wash up!

• While the handprints dry, you can read them a story. The story that goes with this project is called "Snowmen at Night" by Mark Buehner and Caralyn Buehner.

• You can read it online for free. --> "Snowmen at Night."

• After you finish reading break out the brushes and paint. I worked each part step by step with them. (Hat, buttons, carrot nose).

And that's all there is to it! I hope you enjoy making these happy little fellows!

Overall: A very quick and easy winter project! Good for younger ones and the story is more engaging for the older ones.

Related Posts:

-Watercolor Winter Scene
Make a Snowman Out of Socks!

(logging 1 hour for prep and execution)