COMPLETED CIRCLE WEAVINGS 2013: 3rd Grade

This year's offering of completed circle weavings!!!!  

Here are some links to the directions & such for those of you who may be knew 

here & would like more information!  

http://artwithmre.blogspot.com/2012/12/circle-weaving-step-by-step-guide-tips.html

Clay Coil Pots Painted: 2nd Grade

As I've said before, I do not tend to glaze.  Each class had a class color (black, green, red, brown, & grey were the different classes), as well as a choice between copper, gold, and silver. We discussed bold geometric patterns for the design.  The kids were thrilled, and I'm happy with the results.  I like to change it up a bit each year, and I'm already dreaming of what to do to the coil pots next year!

Jumpin' on the Zentangle Bandwagon : 4th

 Yes...I mocked Zentangles when I first started seeing them pop up all over on the web.I couldn't understand what the big deal was..."Aren't they just glorified doodles?!?"  Though I still feel the answer is yes to that question...I have a greater respect for it now after doing some research.  I watched probably 20+ videos on YOUTUBE & went to countless sites trying to learn more about the process.  I (being the OCDish person I am) like the structure of a Zentangle over just random doodling.  I really love the attention to patterning and design!!!  With this new found respect...I decided to give them a go for my 4th graders.  The twist I put on them was a contour line drawing of a fruit or veggie in the center of the page.  The Zentangle would then take place on/in/over/around that contour drawing.  The images here are day 1 of the project.  I'll share more after the students have finished them up!  OH...and they Zen part of the Zentangle is no joke!!  My 4th graders were as quiet and focused as they are when we do weaving!!!(which is AMAZING!)

Line Design Explained : Deluxe Edition

I was asked if I could go into a bit more detail concerning the Line Design "process".  I think the easiest way is with a few more pictures than my previous post on "how to".  I hope this helps...and as always...if you ever have questions about anything on my blog...e-mail me at artwithmre@yahoo.com 

The materials you need for this project are good drawing paper(9x12...but could be done any size), Sharpie Marker, and your choice of media(see the bottom of this post for some ideas).

Start with a gentle curve line across the paper.  Don't go too crazy hilly with the line...it will make it difficult in the steps that are to come!

Place eight dots on the line spaced at different distances.

Go dot - to - dot across the entire line. Do not continue to do this however...or it will create a kind of boring column like work(going straight up & down).  

As you are going dot -to- dot, you need to "camp out" on some of the segments.  This will help them to balloon out & look oh so cool!  This will also cause others to be "pinched off"...and that is fine.  The lines need to continue off of the paper...and should not just stop cause they are close to the edge. As it gets bigger and bigger, the lines will have to be shared going back to the dot...and yes..they should really go back to the dot.  Going back to the dot each time creates the darker shadow"ish" areas that help create depth.

The two pictures above are the WRONG way to do this.  The lines should NEVER criss-cross each other.  I tell my students that the lines can share a path...but never cross over another line.  The second picture is the "RAINBOW CONNECTION".  It is a lot easier to do it that way..but it is not correct.  

So here you see the results of the ballooning out, pinching off, and going off the edge of your paper.

I thought I'd show you how different media works in this project

1. Watercolor Pencil - A little labor intensive, after you color it..you have to go over with with a brush.

2.  Watercolor - I like this a lot, but you would need to make sure the students understood to not put color beside color because of bleeding.

3. Crayons - This works much like colored pencils, but they are a bit chunkier so it's hard to get into the small spaces.

4. Colored Pencil - This is how I usually do the project with my students...I love colored pencils! 

5. Marker- This kind of takes the shading element out of the project, but if you were going more for color families and such...could work!  

Line Design w/ Shading- Student Work in Progress

Line Design w/ Shading- The Steps

Another MNPS art teacher showed me this project several years ago, and I really liked it.  I tweeked it a bit here and there, but it is basically as he showed me.  The students LOVE IT!  I do this with 4th grade, but I guess you could try it with other grade levels.  All you need is paper, Sharpie, and colored pencils! 

Start by drawing a curve line across the paper.  Think rolling hill...not roller coaster!

Add 8 dots across the line.  They could be(should be) at different lengths apart.  You need a dot at realtively close to the edges of your paper. 

You will then start connecting the dots.  The dots close to the edge will go off the edge of the paper to an imaginary dot.  You can not cross over any lines.  However, you can share a line as you begin going up and out.  The lines should be taken off the edge of the paper as you extend outwords.  Some sections may be pinched off as other sections grow larger...and that is totally ok. 

This is a students work that's a great example of what it should look like.  The students should pick a group of colors they feel work well together.  The will press harder in the corners...and as they near the center get lighter and lighter.  This is a great way to get them practice with pressure control!!!