SUMI-E or BLACK INK PAINTING

Sumi-e or black ink painting seems to be a very calming art project for every age.

The elegant simplicity of the natural elements and the pleasing contrast of black and white with all shades in between lend themselves to a highly satisfying painting experience.

When a classroom full of 25 energetic children is completely quiet and all are engaged, you know you've found a great project!

The paintings displayed above were made on student quality, cold press watercolor paper using diluted black India ink. In order to achieve a softer look, students first brushed clean water across their paper. After the paper had absorbed the water, they applied their brushstrokes using varying amounts of India ink. 

I have purchased specialty sumi-e brushes for my classroom, but a round #6 or #8 watercolor brush works well too.

My students and I took some time to learn about sumi-e painting before we started. It's purely fascinating, and engaging in the process allows for a deeper appreciation of the art.

WOODEN MANNEQUIN SKETCHES



Third, fourth and fifth grade students sketched wooden mannequins that were placed at each table.



Students focused on using loose lines, and they also paid extra attention to spatial relations. For example, they asked such questions as "Where is the wrist in relation to the hip?" and so on.

Each student appeared to be open to the adventurous spirit that this assignment required. I encouraged them to employ a sense of humor, to do their very best, and to support everyone in their unique approach.

 Displayed together, students are able to appreciate the many different styles, perspectives, and approaches to this project.
EXCELLENT WORK EVERYONE!

MAGAZINE COLLAGE

My students were given a 5" X 5" square of foam core and some National Geographic and Arizona Highways magazines. They were instructed to find a full page landscape scene to be used for their background. When they found a page that they liked, they traced their foam core onto the page, then cut the square out of the magazine page and glued it onto their foam core.

The next step was to find and cut out interesting images. A small ziplock snack bag with their name on it is useful to store images until the next class. When they had a variety of images, students then arranged them in different ways before gluing them onto their foam core to discover what worked best.

After gluing the magazine images onto their foam core, students embellished their collage with yarn, beans, glass beans, sequins, and a final coat of mod podge.

MOLAS of PANAMA, HOPI STYLE!

I started this project by showing my students photographs of some indigenous people of Panama and their famous textiles known as MOLAS. We discussed reverse applique as it is used in the making of a mola and the hard work that it requires. Each student in the fourth grade made their own version of a mola using construction paper, then my early finishers made an oversized paper mola. I hung their work for everyone to see and enjoy.

 My Hopi students almost always infuse some aspect of their culture into their artwork. I love to see where they take their projects. In the large bird posted here, you can see a turquoise necklace, a feather on a headband, and tootsies or moccasins on the feet of the bird. The large piece is framed by a border of geometric designs frequently found in Hopi art (other tribes too).

Excellent Work Fourth Grade!

CLAY BIRD BELLS

Clay Bird Bell!

Clay  Bird Bells Before Firing!

Here are the steps for this fun project: 

1) Build a small pinch pot.

2) Turn it over and attach a ball of clay for the head. Smear it on and smooth it out.

3) Poke a hole from the top of the head out through the bottom. Poke holes for eyes if desired.

4) Scratch designs into the wet clay for feathers and wings.

5) Roll out two little clay carrot sticks for legs. Join them and poke a hole at the top.

5) Air dry and fire.

6) Apply glaze and fire again.

7) Use twine or fishing wire to string up the legs and a few beads on the top and bottom of the bird.

 

BUFFALO SCRATCH ART



For complete instructions on this project, see my blog entry "The Scream".



Check out the incredible detail!



Excellent Work, Second Grade!



GROUP GUITAR PAINTINGS

Begin this project by painting many different styles and sizes of guitars (and other stringed instruments too) using black tempera paint. Don't paint any details on the guitars yet, just basic outlines and holes in the center of the instruments. After painting the guitars, add interesting lines connecting the guitars to one another and to the edges of the paper.

 

Paint all the guitars using warm colors.




Keep going!




Paint the background spaces using cool colors.




Stick with it!



Now paint the details onto your stringed instruments.



Have Fun!




Do your best!




Display for all to see.




Fantastic Work, Hawks!



LINE, SHAPE, CONTRAST





FULL MOON VALUE CHART



Begin this project by adding a dot of blue to some white tempera. Paint a small circle in the middle of the paper. Make sure to leave the very center unpainted as this will be the full moon.




Continue adding a little more blue to the paint in order to create darker tints of blue. Students love to mix and stir the paint! At some point you will switch to pure blue. Paint a ring of pure blue, then begin gradually adding very small amounts of black to create different shades of blue.



While the paint is drying, cut or tear the silhouette of a tree using black paper. Glue the tree to the painting so that it overlaps the moon without covering it up.





Encourage variety in the shape of the trees. Some of my students added silhouettes of owls, bats, and ravens.




Display for all to see and discuss. Review key words like value, tint, shade, gradual, gradation, concentric, subtle, etcetera.
EXCELLENT WORK WILDCATS!



THE SCREAM by EDVARD MUNCH

This project was a blast! My students started by sketching only the most basic shapes found within Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream". Then, while looking at small photocopies of the painting, they colored the picture as closely as possible to the original.  They used oil pastels and colored each section with a thick coat. After they finished coloring their work, they applied a coat of black tempera paint over the entire picture.

 When the paint was dry, we passed each picture through a tub of tap water in order to loosen up the black paint which was then wiped off with a damp cloth. Some of the black paint is left behind which adds an interesting appearance to the overall piece. Each student then used a pair of closed scissors to gently scratch into their piece revealing the brilliant pastels beneath. (Large nails work too!)
 Finally, they cut their own Scream portrait out of a 4x6 print and trimmed it to fit into their picture and glued it to the place where the original spooky image was found.

Each final piece is a little different, and this project is a show stopper on the bulletin board in the hallways of our school. Excellent Work Kids!