Drawing- Contour Line

For our second drawing class we learned about contour line...

Now that we know how to use our pencils to show sensitivity to light and dark we can use line to create volume and emphasize dimension.

We talked about the difference between an outline and a contour drawing. The assignment was to create a contour line drawing of your shoe. 

We were really busy so I didn't get many photos this week and lots of students took these home to finish... 

Drawing- Texture

Drawing Class

During our first drawing class we focused on texture. I have to give credit to this wonderful site for the ideas behind my drawing class lesson plans. The lessons are great and it has been really fun to see how my age range of students (6yrs to 12 yrs) handled the assignment!

This was our first class together so we began by discussing our drawing tools. We have pencils of different hardness, kneaded erasers, and some fine tip pens for later.

We talked about the meaning of texture and what words describe texture. Then we discussed how we could interpret texture into drawings primarily by using line. I gave each student a grid of 12 boxes and they filled each box with a different visual texture.

Next I had them cut a simple shape out of cardboard. On their drawing paper they made a one inch border and then traced the shape over and over to form a pattern. At this point we discussed positive and negative space as well as contrast between our darkest pencil marks and lightest. We talked about the importance of balance between darks and lights in the final work.

Finally the students began to fill in the spaces they created with texture. The results were really cool.

Here are a few of the finished pieces.

Storybook Art - Jabuti

In our final storybook class we read the book "Jabuti". It is a very engaging story about a tricky turtle and how his shell changed from smooth and shiny to segmented and rough. The art work in Gerald McDermott's books is amazing. We talked a lot about the use of color and contrast as we read the story.

For our project we created our own Jabuti! The kids each painted their own shell and then cut out their own legs, tail and head from construction paper. I love to see what kids this age come up with when they are NOT given a template for these types of body parts. As you can see each turtle turned out quite unique!

Storybook Art - Harold and the Purple Crayon

As part of our storybook art unit in preschool / kinder art class we read "Harold and the Purple Crayon". This story is a great way to teach children that they can express their imagination through art. 

After reading the book I gave the kids some shapes in purple and purple crayons and asked them to take us on an adventure in purple too!

When these were completed we had a ton of fun going around the room and listening to everyone's wild stories! I love it when pre-reader/writers learn that they can "write" a story in art.

Next we broke up into groups and worked on a collaborative story in purple crayon on a long sheet of paper. This was a really fun experiment. It was interesting to see how kids at this age (3yrs-6yrs) decided who would work on what and how the story would flow. One group tried to come up with a cohesive story and then draw (although at this age imaginations ruled the day and the story changed during the process). The other group diplomatically divided the paper into sections and gave each member a section to work on.... no further discussion. I LOVE how the stories evolved as each member told his/her part. One started at a boy's house and ended with dragons making friends with flying squirrels!!

Summer ART Camps!

This summer I will be offering the following art camps at my studio. We will explore all kinds of fun art projects in a variety of mediums.

Register today by email at artwithaubrey@gmail.com or by phone at 765-237-9002!

For artists 7 years and up 

June 11-14 from 10-11:00 am each day

Cost = $35 per student

For artists 3-6 years 

June 18-21 from 10-11:00 am each day 

Cost = $35 per student

Watercolor Lesson 4

Black glue and watercolors!

This week we tried something completed new. 

We drew with black glue and then painted with our watercolors. 

To make the black glue I simply added black acrylic paint to white glue. I have a few tips on this! 1. You can obviously use any color of paint you would like to tint the glue, 2. if you warm the glue slighting in the microwave (10-15 seconds) it makes it easier to mix it by shaking the bottle, 3. use a skewer to stir at the very bottom of glue bottle, 4. it is ok if the glue still appears dark gray when wet- it always dried black, and 5. I used school glue and it worked great. It did dry relatively flat so if you wanted it to stay more beaded up you might try regular white glue.

So, the kids created a simple line drawing on watercolor paper in pencil. Then drew over it with the glue. Once it was all dry (several hours) it was fun to paint inside the "cells" created by the black glue.

We continued to use what we learned in the first few classes about mixing color and using wet on wet vs. wet on dry techniques. 

The results are amazing. I think some of them have a stained glass look. There are so many fun things you could use this for. Happy experimenting!

Watercolor Lesson 3

Landscapes!

This week we put the techniques and skills that we have learned so far into a landscape painting.

We used the wet on wet technique to add a ground and sky to our papers.

We added plastic wrap to our landscape to give it texture. We added salt to our sky to add interest and a sort of "starry" effect. Finally, we learned how to lift color to create a moon. To do this we used wooden cylinder blocks covered in paper towel. While the paint is still wet simply place the covered block where you want to lift the color and you have a moon!  It is fun to think of all the different shapes and ways this could be used!

Once the backgrounds were dry we added the details with a wet on dry technique.

 I love how each painting turned out so unique even though we were all following the same basic instructions. My goal is to teach students the information they need to feel confident with a media so that they will explore and be artists rather than simply copy. These turned out beautiful!

We also created pocket books to hold all of our technique cards! For full instructions on how to create this great book that can also be used to display your art go here!