Art Curriculum- Week 12- Watercolor Winter Scene

Week 12- Watercolor Winter Scene (+salt)

Our last project focused on making adorable little snowmen out of socks! To view it click here.

Category: Winter

What you will need:

-multi purpose paper (you want something with a little texture to soak up the watercolors)
-blue watercolors
-masking/painters tape
-salt
-brushes (we used the cheap foam brushes, easy to buy in bulk and various sizes)
-black marker

Time: 30 minutes. This is a very simple project. It took me 15 minutes to create an example. Time will depend on your group's level. I also taught this same lesson to a a group of over 20 kids (all around 9-11), and it took an hour.

Preparation:

• I drew 5 lines to mark for the kids where they would place the tape (1).
  
  
• I taped the papers to the newspapers. If you have a smooth surface it's helpful to tape directly to the table. However I didn't want to take the chances of our nice tablecloth getting stained with blue paint (2). ;) The tape around the edge will keep the paper from slipping and give the finished produce a clean, professional border.

• They got to put their own tape. I gave each kid one piece at a time.
  
  
• Lay down a quick coat of water.
  
  
• Brush on the blue. I gave some of them dark blue, other light blue for variety. This part you need to do quickly, you don't want it to dry out (3).
  
  
• Sprinkle the salt on!
  
  
• Rub off the salt when it's dry, then you can peel the tape forming the trees (you can use a hairdryer to speed up the drying process)
  
  
• Use a black marker to draw in the lines on the trees. Point out and demonstrate how you can make your lines go from side to side, thick and thin.
  
  
• Peel off the tape and you're done (4)!

In the fourth picture there are branches. This is if you want to be more detailed with the project. I cut smaller pieces of tape at an angle and taped them in.

The Finished Pieces!

Related Posts:

-Week 8- Van Gogh's Fields
-Week 7- Monet's Bridge

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

Art Curriculum- Week 11- Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

 

Week 11- Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

 

Our last craft was on Pointillism. To view it click here.

 

Category: Winter

 

 

What you will need:

 

 

-long white/grey socks, preferably larger sizes

-buttons/caps/something for eyes and buttons on the body

-rubber bands

-broad ribbon for scarfs

-stuffing/baking soda/something to stuff the sock (we used stuffing, but if you use baking soda these cute little guys can double as odor killers in your drawers!)

-hot glue

-scissors

 

Time: 30-45+ minutes (45 minutes for prep, depending on what you can find for materials. I had to scrounge so it took me longer). Each child had to be helped individually with their hats and buttons/eyes.

 

• Cut the foot and heel from the sock. Leave only the rectangle part (top left picture) This will be the body.

• Turn the body piece inside out, fasten a rubber band, then flip it back out again. (top right picture)

• Cut the "toes" off from the remaining sock. (bottom right picture) These will be the hats!

 

• Stuff the body of the sock. You'll probably need more than you think. Fill it to the top and make it has firm as you like. (far left picture)

• Tie the top shut. (middle picture)

• Make your snow man's body with a large rubber band in the center. I tried to make the head a bit smaller than the bottom part but that's up to you. (far right picture)



• Use hot glue to attach the eyes, buttons, and hat. You can arrange the hat in different styles.

 

• Use a piece of broad ribbon or long piece of fabric for the scarf.

• DONE!

Enjoy your cute little snowmen for yourself or give them as gifts. Or use them to decorate your home!

Overall: Easy prep, the younger kids needed help with tying their rubber bands. I had to go one on one with each child for hot gluing on the buttons. I would drop the glue on and they would get to push the button in place. It's a very rewarding project however and a lot of fun!



Related Posts:

-Maleficent Horns- DIY
-TARDIS- Step by Step

Sketchbook #1

I've been working in my sketchbook all of December.

Alas I haven't been posting as much as I would've liked; life has been charging along with its usual energy. :)

I hope everyone has been enjoying their holiday season. Where I am we've had a decent fall of snow (at last!) though the forecast is threatening to send it away.

Here are some excerpts from my sketchbook. :)

Sherlock. I went over it with
watercolor.

I used a sketch I found on a Pinterest as a reference photo

I decided to draw a calendar and then fill it in with dates in
no particular order.

I punched holes in several pages to add texture. :)
The top page contains quotes from
"Atlas" from Catching Fire

Quick sketch of the dragon on my cover of the Hobbit book.
The swirls in the border all have different
locations of middle-earth written around them.

Tardis from Doctor Who.
Colored with prismacolor pencils.

I couldn't resist uploading a picture of the
snow Tardis my niece and I made! :D

What Comes Before - a poem

Breath of Winter?
Original design hand drawn on computer and edited in Pixlr

Tis time for the Thursday/Friday post!

The picture above was originally black and white with her breathing green. Thus "Breath of Winter?" But as is my habit, I played with it, and here's the sepia colored version.

What Comes Before -2011 

They stood before me in a row,  

Cloaked in terror, joy and snow,

One, his face was plump and cheery, 

Another his hands held gray poverty, 

A woman had a gown of water and air, 

And I saw a girl with white flowers in her hair. 

Then I saw a man with eyes full of tears. 

And a man with his back pressed by years. 

They stood with an ethereal glow. 

One at a time I watched them go. 

But three stayed and kissed my head. 

Each was clothed in a fresh blood red. 

The first held a cup filled with thin bread, 

The second wore a cross of heavy lead and in his cup he held scarlet wine. 

The third’s cup held water and a scriven line, 

Then, a last one arrived unheard, 

And he parted swiftly without a word.

In short, this is me worrying not about dying, but about how I will die.