#K12ArtChallenge, Week 2

Did you see Week 1?!?!  Some of us at the #k12ArtChat were discussing how the numbers aren't huge... we have a small group of people in the challenge this time around, but the Quality is AMAZING!!  The processes you put out there last week ROCKED my world!

OK, enough with the exclamation points.  Let's get down to business. This week I would challenge you to explore a Medium.  Choose one that you love, or want to try.  Do a little research online and discover new ways of using the medium... or show us the skills you have already.  Practice your art.  

I choose to do watercolor.  I love so many mediums it was hard to find one that I really wanted to go with, but this was really fun.  For me these cards take days... I could hardly wait for the paint to dry to move forward with the cards... In fact, one night I dreamt in ATC's.  Don't tell anyone, I don't want people thinking I'm obsessed.

Even though this week is all about mediums, I'm going to share the process of a couple of the cards I made.

The first card above is tree was a wet on wet method letting bubble wrap sit on the paper while it dried.  I removed some color with water to make the moon.  The tree and ground was applied with water and then watercolor pencil shavings off from sand paper.  Ta- da... Card one!

Card two, Pumpkin. Started with masking fluid to cover the pumpkin shape.  Applied the paint as a wet on wet again and then layed down some medical gauze adding a little more paint on top. After it was dry I removed the masking and gauze and painted the pumpkin with paint and watercolor pencil shavings.

And the last card above.  The gauze created the background again.  The spider was created on a separate paper with water and watercolor pencil, cut out after drying, and glued onto the textured background.

Above are the two rejects from this medium.  I used a masking fluid.  After drying the color was added and then the mask removed.

Stay tuned for the next celebration on Oct. 16th and the #K12ArtChallenge on Sat. Oct. 17th.

Blow Art-- Artist Trading Cards

It's spring so our numbers were down with track and tennis in full swing... but our art club had it's final meeting of 2012/13 school year.  We did some 'Blow' art.  You can use a lot fo different mediums with these cards, we are using ink.  And then we turned our color blobs into art.  Thanks to all my Art Club kids this year!  We had a great time!

Artist Trading Cards- Latch Hook

In Art Club this year we have been trading all over the world.  We have created over 400 Artist Trading Cards this school year.  I try to offer the middle school students something new and different every time they come to Art Club.  I want to offer something that they might not get a chance to work with in class or at home.  Going through our supplies... this time we did Latch Hook Artist Trading Cards.  

This is how I prepped the activity.

I cut sections off a large grid

I used masking tap on the sides of the strips and then cut it into ATC size.

I added the masking tape on all sides of the grid.

We created the designs as I show in the video below and placed our ATC information on the back as always.  I had to offer to sign out our latch hooks because so many students wanted to make a second one.  It was a hit.

District 728 visits the Textile Center

I was HONORED to receive a two grants from the Textile Center of Minneapolis.  I wrote a grant for my art club to have the opportunity to go on a field trip because there is no budget and I DO NOT want to have the kids pay to be in art club.  This grant was perfect allowing us to bus our kids down, meet after school, learn about fibers (a medium missed in our curriculum) and experience something new (in this case felting).

As I was writing the grant I thought, wouldn't it be nice to have parent volunteers write a grant or two for the school.  Then it dawned on me... I'm a parent.  I then wrote a second grant for my son's 1st grade class to attend.  What a treat!  I was allowed to chaperone the event and help the teacher out completely with all the paper work and so forth.  

I was able to provide something for my students and my son and his classmates because of this generous grant.  

Students started in the gallery viewing a members show.  The title was Common Thread.  Some of the favorite pieces were made of wire, crocheting  and there was one felted with poodle hair:)  The class included a interactive scavenger hunt.  The kids were given a image of a portion of a piece on display and they were asked to find the art work the photo was from.  It really helped the kids 'look' at the artwork.  

Both times the kids were lucky to have an adult class going on.  My middle school students had a demonstration of spinning.  They had so many questions and the general consciences was it would be fun to do ("in front of the TV").  Our first graders were able to learn about weaving.  They used LARGE looms and again... they were soooo into it!  They hung on the words of all the artist weaving.

First graders were got to wet felt a small project.  They all thought it would be so much fun but some were frustrated with the amount of time one needs to agitate the wool to make it stick together.  It reminded me how a first grade 5 minutes is an adulte hour... Thanks for the reminder kids:)

1st grade finished felted project.

Our middle schoolers  got to take the lesson in several directions.  They learned how to wet felt as well.  The thought was they could make an Artist Trading Card as this is our activity every art club.  Some made one but most did not want to trade.  This group also had an option to dry felt and make felt beads.

dry felting

felt bead.  They called these geodes... they remind me of a jaw breaker.

Overall, It was an amazing opportunity.  I appreciate all the chaperones we had for both trips and want to say thanks one more time publicly to the Textile Center.

December Art Club

Art Club is getting Art from all over the world.  We have a lot of fun opening our packages together and looking through the ATC sent to us.  These kids are excited to trade their work.  This last month we received art from California and two different location from Australia!  

Every month we create new cards too.  So here is December Cards.  You can see that we used coper tooling and created a raised design.  We used a scratch pad to rub off some of the coper and show the silver behind. The best part of art club is working with a small group on things I couldn't do/afford/maintain with a large group setting.

Looking for schools to trade with...

As I mentioned in a recent post, I'm looking for middle schools (as well as elementary, and high schools) to trade Artist Trading Cards with.  Here's how I plan to run it this year.  I will have a club that meets once a month.  We will learn a new technique/medium.  They will make cards over the month and for every one they turn in, is one they can add to their collection.  I would like trades going out at the end of every month.  I will not have themes or an exact number so most schools should work for to trade.  We will work to the request of our other schools.

I have made a ATC google doc to fill up my year with trades.  If you would like to trade, email me. (Nicholechahn@yahoo.com)  I will add you as a contact to the google doc and get you on the schedule!