Art Room Word Wall

                 

I am in process of redoing my word wall.  It is a task, but I know I'll like the results.  I purchased word strips at Dollar Tree (30 in a pack...3 colors per pack). I place magnets on the back and have a metal word wall.  I place them on my magnetic white board for lessons they apply.  Students need to hear, see and apply vocabulary for it to truly sink in!!  If you don't have ( or use ) a word wall..give it a try!  

        

My helpers!

                                      

                                                   My little helpers today!  Actually..it was crazy.  

                                                   I got very little done. They had fun though!!

                                I'm sure there are some out there that know what I'm talking about!

                                      

A Handbook You Have To Get!!

   

                                        

                                         

This is a handbook written by a good friend of mine that you need to add to your library!  It is a topic that is needed, but with little coverage. She writes with a passion for the topic, the art education knowledge, & years of experience.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Beyond-Eyes-Handbook-Impairments/dp/1497357993/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405987174&sr=1-1&keywords=Daryl+Wilkinson.

   

	Art Beyond the Eyes: A Handbook For Visual Art Teachers Working with Students with Visual Impairments by Daryl Lussen Wilkinson Link: http://amzn.com/1497357993i

Jerry's Artarama

                                 

                                 Jerry's Artarama is now an approved vender for MNPS! 

                          Visit the store located in the Hickory Hollow area to learn more!!

 

                                                        www.jerrysartarama.com

Before the magic....

          

I have a training session I am leading next week...so I have to get my room in some sort of order.  It will not even be close to being ready....but it needs to look better than this! Hahaha!  Then the week after that teachers report!! Super fast summer here in Metro Nashville!!

TAEA Board Meeting

       

I am new this year to the state board for TAEA.  It is interesting to see the inner workings of our association.  These are amazing hard working people...looking out for the progress & development of the visual arts in our state.  If you aren't involved with your state....you should!!  

Mr. E Asks 3: Dan Hanna (Illustrator)

http://www.bluebellylizard.com/

http://www.danhanna.com/

In celebrating the release of the new Pout-Pout fish book...I have another Mr. E Asks 3 

with the illustrator of the series.  He is pretty funny!!!!  I hope you enjoy the interview...and don't forget about the chance to win the Pout-Pout series!!!!!  Leave a comment with a 2 or 3 sentence description of a fish lesson you use in your classroom!  I'll draw a name from those who do this...and the winner will receive a complete set of The Pout Pout Fish Books!  Please "Like" Art With Mr. E on Facebook & "Follow" me on Twitter to see if your name is selected!!! 

1) What was your early inspiration for creating art/illustrations?

My childhood bedroom wall and a box of crayons.  There are so many things that have inspired me:  other artists, picture books that I read when I was a kid, comics, nature and on and on and on… In particular, "The Far Side" single panel comic was one of my favorites when I was younger and one of Gary Larson's anthologies was called "The Prehistory of the Far Side".  It showed his rough ideas before he would clean them up.  This was an epiphany for me because his scribbles looked just like my scribbles and it was the first time I remember thinking "I can do this!"

2) How does your personal art and illustration differ?  

Do they influence each other?

They can't be in the same room together.  My personal art thinks that my illustration art is childish and my illustration art thinks that my personal art is narcissistic and a waste of time.  Only after many interventions and couples counseling sessions have I finally gotten them to start working together.

Actually my personal art is more experimental and my approach with "The Pout-Pout Fish" books derives from some of my more successful experiments.  I used to draw more carefully and deliberately but the results would often look lifeless.  At one point I made an effort to loosen up my style by starting off with scribblier scribbles.  I've found that these small, quick scribbles ultimately lead to drawings that feel more lively and humorous and which surprisingly have better structure.

I've also learned that I get better results if I don't draw from reference images.  I'll usually do a bit of research but then I'll just draw based on my faulty memory.  There is something about mistakes and misinterpretations that tickle the mind.  As a child I remember noticing that the game of telephone often produced a result that was far more interesting than the source.

If you're building a bridge then mistakes are probably something to be avoided.  But if you're an artist, a mistake can be an adventurous friend who takes you to fantastic, out of the way places, that you'd never have thought to visit on your own.

3) What are your words of encouragement for 

those wanting to get into illustration?

Think of pens, pencils and paintbrushes as magic wands.  Everything is possible.  You can draw a simple rabbit being pulled out of a hat or conjure up entire universes filled with nothing but hat wearing rabbits.  To become an illustrator is to become a wizard!  You will astound yourself with the fantastic stuff that tumbles out of your head onto a piece of paper.  So the next time you pick up a pencil – make some magic happen!

BUY A COPY
POUT POUT FISH ON AMAZON
OR  http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780374360955

Mr. E Asks 3: Debbie Diesen (The Pout-Pout Fish)

...OUT JUNE 24...

BUY ON AMAZON

http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780374360955

I hope you all know the joy that is THE POUT POUT FISH!  My students love these books!!!!  Several years ago Debbie Diesen, the author of The Pout Pout Fish, commented on my blog after I had used her book as inspiration for a lesson.  I so appreciated her taking the time to comment....love that she has that kind of connection with her audience!!  Well, I contacted her to see if she would want to be part of Mr. E Asks 3....and she shared that The Pout Pout Fish had another adventure about to take place!!  The Pout Pout Fish Goes to School!!!   I love this...because my oldest daughter will be going to kindergarten this fall, and I can see her connecting with this story!!!  Ok..enough of me going on and on....

I HOPE YOU ENJOY MR. E ASKS 3: Debbie Diesen!!! 

(OH...and read all the way to the bottom of the post for something extra fun!)

Do you have a favorite place to "create" your stories?  

If so where is it & why?

Ideally, I love to be outside when I’m writing, though that’s not always

practical here in Michigan.  But regardless of where I am, I prefer to have

a pen or pencil in hand when I’m writing.  I do use the computer later,

after I have a complete first draft, but pretty much everything I write

starts out handwritten.  Having a pen in my hand helps me tap into the

writing part of my mind.

Were you involved in the arts as a child/teenager?

I loved to write when I was young, and I was very lucky to have parents,

teachers, and school librarians who encouraged me in my writing.  I was

pretty shy and timid back then (something I haven’t yet entirely outgrown!),

but the encouragement I received in those early years gave me confidence in

myself as a writer, then and now.  I am very grateful!

When you first wrote the Pout Pout Fish, 

did you know his story was going to continue? 

When I first wrote the story, I didn’t know Mr. Fish would have more

adventures.  And in fact, I didn’t even know he’d ever see Miss Shimmer

again!  At the time, I imagined the life-changing kiss of the first book to

be a Random Act of Smoochiness.  But after Dan Hanna’s delightful art

brought Mr. Fish and his friends to life, it became clear that Mr. Fish had

more stories to tell.  It has been a joy beyond measure to create and share

those stories with children!

AUTHOR SITE- http://deborahdiesen.com/index.htm

HERE IS DEBBIE'S BLOG - http://jumpingthecandlestick.blogspot.com/

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A SET OF 

THE POUT POUT FISH BOOKS?

Leave a comment with a 2 or 3 sentence description of a fish lesson you use in your classroom!  I'll draw a name from those who do this...and the winner will receive a complete set of The Pout Pout Fish Books!  Please "Like" Art With Mr. E on Facebook & "Follow" me on Twitter to see if your name is selected!!! 

Agency D3 is Here!!

        

This is the week of VBS....I will post about the crafts soon!  The stage came together well though!!  

Father's Day 2014

                     Thankful & Blessed!!  Father/Dada/Daddy....greatest title I've ever had!  

                                                     Hope you all had a great day!

            

What has Mr. E been up to??

    So this is what I have been working on since school let out.....VBS sets!  This year's theme is fun for sets....but not as fun for crafts. Last year was the opposite. The kids will love it all...they always do!  We usually have around 300 or so children. It is a lot of work...but so much fun & totally worth it!!

       

                                 

VBS Prep Family Art Night

This year we're doing Agency D3 for our VBS.  Think Spy Kids meets CSI.  This is the second year we've had a family art night(because this is the second year my wife has been directing the children's ministry at our church).  We have projects that families can work on together that we'll hang up at our VBS.  

Painters Tape & I are not friends!!! ha ha  I was taping off a city scape on large canvases for the teens to paint during the family art night!  

I had pre-drawn images for them to paint..because this was a come and go event.  They used a variety of watercolor techniques to paint the images.

      

Fun & colorful!!!

For the teens helping out...I had them paint these large canvases for a photo booth set.  After they finished up..they helped cut out images the kids had painted. 

Preview of 2014-2015 School Year

This is my art room sign above my door made from Fun Foam.

So I like to get a few things done for "next year" (which is really less than 2 months away) at the end of  "this year"!  With our special area team all on board for doing a "global theme"...I decided blues & greens would be a great choice for my room! (I change my color theme every year...I have enough fabric so I can have 7 yrs in a row be different if I want to...warm colors..cool colors..primary..etc....and I make all my letters and borders by hand each year to match the colors...oh..and the chair footies too!)  

Last week of school every year I have my students make turtles in my room's color theme...that way I have something to hang up at the start of school.  I was just checking to make sure I had enough..I'll store them for summer way from lights.

End Of The Year Awards: GOOD or EVIL?

Every end of the year...the special area team struggles with the same thing...End of the Year Awards.  We're not really a fan.  We have "rules" placed on us....2 from each 4th grade class...they want a boy and a girl...and no special area can select the same student.  Well...we did away with the boy & the girl thing...because that just isn't possible sometimes.  And...over the past few years..we've been giving a deserving student awards in a couple areas.  However..one student today who deserved an award in EVERY special area...did not receive them(we did get her 2 at least!! music & art).  This really bothers me deep down.  I'd rather not give awards at all...but if I have to..shouldn't they go to the most deserving?  I had one class where 4 girls have been consistent(and amazing artists) for their whole time here at TGE.  Another class...I struggled to find 2.  

So...what do you all do?  Do you give awards? Do you have rules as well?  How do you handle it?

There has got to be a better way...and I'm open to suggestions!!  

Monster Bug Masks

As I was grading & handing back work....I couldn't remember if I posted any of these!  I think they are fun.  

MR.E ASKS 3: DALE CHIHULY

    

?WHAT?

People, I'm just as amazed as you all?!?!!? ha ha ha  But yes...Dale Chihuly was willing to be part of Mr. E Asks 3!  I don't know how I'll top this?!?!?!  

 Nashville was blessed to have his work at two locations a few years back.  As a district we created lessons that explored his work...and created Chihuly "like" projects.  I have to say...his work truly excited my students.  They loved what they were learning about....and "FORCED" their parents to take them to the locations that were displaying his work. 

HERE ARE MY CHIHULY LESSONS:  

http://www.artwithmre.com/search/label/Chihuly

HERE ARE THE CHIHULY LESSONS:

http://chihulyelementaryartlessons.weebly.com/

HERE ARE THE RESULTS FROM OUR DISTRICT:

http://mnpschihulyartlessons.blogspot.com

AND NOW....MR.E ASKS 3: DALE CHIHULY

 What inspires you to continue creating art?

"I want to make something that has never been made before, something no one has ever seen, something with power that inspires everyone who sees it, creating an unforgettable experience."

   What is one thing you feel all young people should know about being an artist?

"The whole idea of making art, as far as I'm concerned, comes from doing it over and over and over. You have to make a lot of mistakes. Mistakes made in glassblowing can become some of the most beautiful artworks. Follow your gut and create something no one has seen before."

 Nature seems to be a major source of inspiration in your work. Are there other things that inspire & influence your work?

"Being surrounded by water is really important to me. Glass is so much like water. If you let it go on its own, it almost ends up looking like something that came from the sea. I’ve always lived on or near the water.  It’s always provided a sense of inspiration for me."

PLEASE GO TO CHIHULY'S BE PAGE TO GET ALL THE LATEST INFORMATION!!!!!

http://www.chihuly.com/

Remembering

                                       

My dad would have been 65 today.  This is him at 25.....and baby Mr. E!!  We were really different in our interests(other than Star Trek)....and some of our world views. However...my dad always encouraged me to be the best me I could be! He also always wanted me to go for it....do more, go farther, and work hard at whatever it was.  He didn't want me to be the coal miner/truck driver he was....he wanted me to be uniquely me!  I love that.  I wish he could have met my wife....played with his grandbabies...seen all I have been able to do over the years.  Thankful for this man in my life and the impact he still has!!

TAEA TUESDAY!

Hey friends!!  I am the new Elementary Representative on the TAEA Board(well...TnAEA..don't want Texas to throw a fit! hee hee).  So I'm going to try to do some more "local"  posts on Tuesdays.  Even if you aren't a TnAEA person...please stop by and read them.  You might just want to relocate...or visit our great state!!  So here we go...the first TAEA TUESDAY!!!!  

!!!SUMMER CONFERENCE!!!

This is going to be a wonderful day of creating...catching up...and sharing meaningful experiences from the year that was!!!  What a great way to
"REFUEL YOUR CREATIVE SPIRIT"!!!

If you've never been to a TAEA sponsored conference/workshop....THEY ARE WONDERFUL!  If you haven't yet joined the association....come hang out with those who are & see why it is such a great organization to support!!!  Is your district providing amazing day long workshops this summer to refuel your creative spirit....probably not!  TAEA IS!!!

HERE IS THE LINK!!
http://69.195.124.150/~tnartedu/conferences/

Positively/Negatively Frustrated!

So I'm teaching Postive/Negative Space to my 2nd graders this week.  We've looked at still life art...created some...and now are making the jump to Postive/Negative Space.  I've struggled a good bit with my 2nd graders this year.  I'm not sure exactly why, but I've had to reinvent how I teach some concepts to get them to understand.  So in the midst of scratchin' my head wondering what I did wrong...I came up with this quick idea.  I used my document camera(a Ladybug) to show them.  They thought I was crazy at first when I dumped the sharpener bowl on top of the turtle.  However...they finally "GOT IT" when they saw me remove the turtle from the pile of shavings.  Don't know if you are having the same issues as me, but maybe this idea will help you too!!! 

Mr. E Asks 3: WAYNE THIEBAUD

 

YOU READ CORRECTLY!!!

WAYNE THIEBAUD

 

When I started thinking about people I'd like to interview...Mr. Thiebaud was at the top of my list!!  Though I really enjoy his older pieces...pies, cakes, candies, and such....I LOVE his landscape paintings!   He is a living legend!!!!

 

 

However...I figured I'd probably not get a response.

 

Here was the first reply.

 

"Mr. Thiebaud does not use a computer. However, I can relay the questions to him. There is no guarantee that he will respond. He is inundated with requests on a daily basis. At the age of 93 (94 in November), he does not "work" too much on tasks outside of those in his own studio and at his home. But, it is worth a shot."

 

BUT HE DID!! HE DID RESPOND!!!

I hope you enjoy the mini-interview with Mr. Wayne Thiebaud!  Oh..and I know it is Mr. E Asks 3...but I couldn't stop with just 3!!!! ha ha ha 

1) Did you have art classes in elementary, middle, and/or high school? If so, how much of an impact did it have on you?

" I do recall several "art" classes in elementary schools in southern California. Mostly very general drawing projects and classroom group mural works.  High school provided more specific opportunities. Classes in drawing and watercolor taught by a woman who had been instructed by an experienced person   Long Beach Polytechnic High School housed a major auditorium attended by the civic public for “major” events. The stage manager and technician instructed us in the designing and building and painting of sets in a professional manner."

 

2) What was your family/friends response to your desire to be an artist?

 

 " Very Supportive."

3) What words of encouragement/inspiration do you have for those desiring to pursue a life of art?

"Obtain as much professional formal instruction as possible and work very hard."

 

 

4) What is your motivation to continue creating art?

 

"Love of and long looking at fine works of art."

I'm Baaaaaaack!

 

I took a week and a day off for the birth of my daughter....and now I'm back to finish up the year!

It has felt weird not posting much.  I will do my best to get back on track.  I have some exciting interviews with some BIG NAMES!!!!!!!  So excited!!!  Stay tuned...and tell your friends, ART WITH MR. E IS THE PLACE TO BE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Update on Our New Edition

                                   

Some of you have been asking about our new edition.  She is doing well...though feeding time is a bit rough. She has lost a pound since being born.  Her check up went well though & the doctor isn't to worried...and we don't have to go back for two weeks...so that is good news.  My wife is doing well. This being our smallest of the three(at 8.5lbs)...she is bouncing back physically quicker than the others. I am taking a week off to be home with them.  We have 10 sick days a year that roll over...and I almost never take off.  So a week out of my 160+ days is not a problem.  Thanks for asking!!!

Caroline Joy Is Here!

                                  

The smallest of our three children....she was 8.5 lbs & 20.5 inches long.  Though...that is still pretty healthy!!  She & my wife are doing great!  Blessed!!

NO NOT YET!!!

                                       

                                                       There is no doctor in the room!!

                                   Having a little fun while we wait for Caroline Joy to arrive!!

PERSON WHO JUST WROTE ME AN E-MAIL!!!!

Hey guys..sorry for this very pointed post.  However, I just had someone wrote me a great e-mail asking a question...BUT THE E-MAIL IS LOST IN CYBER SPACE?!?!?!!? I've looked through all my folders, trash, spam...EVERYTHING!  So if you are the person who wrote me an e-mail concerning a move from elementary to middle/high school...PLEASE WRITE ME BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so sorry I lost the e-mail!

Abstraction With Focal Point: 3rd Grade

I love abstract art, but I don't always love kids creating abstract art! ha ha  Sometimes it seems that they are just trying to copy what they see...and aren't listening to the questions that lead them to abstract art.  Know what I mean?  For this lesson I reviewed the Elements of Art & Principles of Design, looking both at realistic & abstract art.  We then focused on Focal Point, Balance, and Color.  During week one I had them create at drawing of an abstract piece with the above mentioned items.  They used marker and crayon to color it.  During week two...I gave them the first 15 min. to finish up their work.  Then I dropped the bomb!!! "YOU ARE NOW GOING TO CUT UP YOUR ART AND REASSEMBLE IT INTO A NEW PIECE!"  The gasps were hysterical.  We first reviewed Focal Point & Balance (color was already taken care of at this point).  They cut their pieces up & had time to arrange, rearrange, and rearrange again before gluing.  Once they came up with an arrangement they were happy with and fulfilled their Focal Point & Balance requirement...they glued their work down.  They did not have to use all of the original piece & overlapping was encouraged.  I then allowed them to use black crayon to outline, shade, segment, connect...WHATEVER!  The kids really enjoyed this project after getting over the shock of cutting up their work! ha ha

Happy Easter!!

                                  

Here is my sweet family today after church!  Amazing to think in the next few days Caroline will be in our arms!! Hope you all had a blessed day...and enjoyed time with your family!!