Everyday Art Room: 5 New Mediums for the Creatives in our Lives

On the Everyday Art Room today, I talked about 5 New Mediums for the Creatives in our Lives. Art Teachers might want to give a listen to see if you are missing some of these in your classroom... but what I had intended for this episode is to provide it for teachers so that they can offer it to the families and partners in your lives who are wondering... What do I get my young Artist for the holidays or a birthday? Here are 5 ideas... plus on the podcast it's self, I give one bonus thought. 

1. Solid Tempera Paint Sticks

As I mentioned, I don't have a favorite brand of these paint sticks. I do however know that kids love them... I have used them with students as old as 6th grade and ALL of them love this material! 

2: Semi-Moist Tempera Cakes

I adore this product because of the bold colors. I have recently done some work with them in lessons that Art to Remember has placed on their website... Heres how we used the product in class. 

3: Black Light Studio (Thanks to Sarah Karjewski)

Sarah actually has a pro pack on how to create a Black Light Art Show... Check out the free preview to see how to get this kind of a look in your classroom! OR... Here's some hot tips and tricks in an article she wrote on the same subject! 

4: 3D Printer Gun (Thanks to Abby Schukei) 

Abby not only has the link for the supplies but a great article about the product and how to use it. Check out this article on The Art of Education Magazine

5: Pearlesints Watercolors

These are the Ooly Watercolors I was telling you about on the podcast. Be sure to get your young artist both white watercolor paper and a brush, but also some black paper to explore what that looks like as well. 

Listen to the Everyday Art Room podcast to hear the bonus medium that I would suggest for you to give the young creatives in your life. 

Everyday Day Art Room- A Small Concept in Big Way

Today on Everyday Art Room I'm sharing how we have so many things to cover as Visual Arts Teachers, sometimes it's hard to know what to focus on. For many years now, I have worked on one small aspect, one concept, and made it so big that ALL students will know that term or that idea or concept for the rest of their lives. 

Here is a little more about the Monster Mediums! (Click Here)

Want to see more about the Bit-O-Bios?? Here ya go! 

Or how about Process?? Is Process what you want your kids to truly understand?? Here's how I focused on that small concept in a big way. Check out my Process Pigs by clicking here.

Tag me on social media to share what concept you are focused on this year. I would love to see what you are doing to make that small idea into a Big Deal in your classroom! 

#Crush on the Medium Ink

When I think of Ink... I think of printmaking... one of my favorite ways to create! I adore the smell of a print lab... the feel of mixing the perfect color of ink on a glass top.  I relish the grip a brayer has as it rolls in across a plate. I love, LOVE ink. 

I have used modern technology down to very simple and low technology when using ink in the classroom or in my personal work. The image above was created when printing with a wooden plate that I lazer engraved. This is in stark contrast to the image below... these collographs are created with cardboard. If you didn't see this post about the collographs, you might want to check it out... It was one of my favorites this year.

When I did my #ProcessPigs a couple of years ago, I enjoyed bringing ink in as a new medium. This calligraphy pig was a a learning lesson for both my students and my self. 

But, one of my all time favorite ways to use in was inspired by The Daily Monster. With some in and a straw... These monsters are always fun to do in class. 

#Crush on the Medium Fibers

FIBERS!!! I can't wait to #Crush on Fibers!! It's one of my passions in my personal art. I would like to share some of the ways to use fibers in  your class, but also some of the ways I have shared my personal work using fibers in the past as well. 

This is a simple way to get wet felting into your classroom.  Trolls are so last year... but this project doesn't have to be.  I have three different ways to make trolls and one involve wet felting at on this post. 

These fiber sushi rolls were a blast for the kids to make! They used up a lot of scraps as well. The students then played games with the rolls such as picking up and passing them with chopsticks.

Sew-a-Softie was a fun blog post challenge that I took part in this summer. When I started thinking about these softies, I couldn't stop.  Instead of one post, I made two. Here are the posts for the Softie Owls and the post for the Softie Fish. There were many others who participated in the Sew a Softie event this summer... I have their post on this Padlet. You want inspiration... look here...

I love bringing in fibers to our Artist Trading Cards. Here is a lesson using plastic mesh and yarn.  It's a bit challenging for a whole class but perfect for choice work or small group. Click here for many images and directions on how to create this fiber landscape.

Here is another lesson for choice-based learning. This crafty project allows student so to develop their fine motor skills.  I have provided this to students as young as 1st-grade with success.  Click here for the Fiber Web Lesson and here to see the Crochet Chain self-pace lesson.  I also have a yarn braiding lesson here.

And then there is weaving... So many weaving lessons.  I adore weaving with paper but it is to get to the next level, weaving with fibers.  Click here to see multiple weaving lessons from the MiniMatisse Art Studio, including one lesson with instructional videos, images of students works, and tons of tips and tricks to have a successful loom weaving.

Admittedly, I'm a little behind in bringing fibers into my classroom being I ADORE fibers in my personal work.  Here is a post about how to 'stitch a memory', or make a triangle bag.  I love hand sewing and machine work as well.  Felting is a blast, especially dry felting. I love it all... and really like sharing the skill but find it challenging in a large group.

This year I'm proud of myself for braving a dream I have had for a long time.  I have always wanted to have students design and create their own recorder case for their 3/4/5 grade musical instrument.  I have invited several volunteers to come help me.  This has been a wonderful experience and I'm VERY excited to share it with you upon completion.  We are in the thick of it right now.

#Crush on the Medium Clay

Clay... Wow, this is a love/hate relationship with this Art Teacher.  Many of you know that I have developed an allergy to clay over the years. It is such a bummer because I have LOVED to work with clay in the past. When I was pregnant with my second child I started getting sick when working with clay. I would get cold-like symptoms and then a swollen face. This got worse and worse every year until I one day could not open my eyes because they were so swollen and when they were healing they started to crack and bleed... yep, it wasn't pretty.  

I have created with clay several years before the issues and I have had Artist in Residence and Art Teacher Swaps since so I'm excited to share some SOLID clay ideas in this post. 

I adore this bug project that I did back in the day. The kids loved it because it was created with their handprints and... get this... They created the texture with a shoe print. Yep, this is such a fun project here is this previous post. 

This next lesson I have done several times with kindergarteners. Each time I changed my practice just a little. I love this clay nest lesson and I love sharing it because it's often successful! Here is one post about this lesson that requires no/little finishing touches. This other past post has some finishing touches, like paint, but gives a very different look to the similar lesson.

Moving up to 1st grade...  After learning how to make a pinch pot in Kindergarten, this concept is brought to the next level with a 'Clay-D-Bug'. Students make a pinch pot and add a head.  Embellishments to this project have been wire, clay tiles, paint, and glaze.  Again this project is one that I have done several different ways. There is some GREAT videos tutorial teaching students about clay and creating a clay bug by Sue Davies. 

When finished we have done a couple of extensions such as 'clay bug terrarium'. I also have some ways to reflect on their artwork using Seesaw, click here.

Here is a more advanced pinch pot done by a student teacher, Amanda Loidolt. This was a sgraffito finishing and I thought these pots turned out amazing! Check out more examples here. 

Still, on the pinch pot theme, we did these adorable 'not so angry birds'. That is when Angry Birds were hot so it was fun to jump on the popular culture bandwagon at the time. My posts have definitely developed over the years but here are a couple more images in this previous post.

Here are two ways to bring the pinch pot to a new level! Talking Rocks are so much fun!! I have some great instructions on this previous post. Using a similar method, I have made these piggy banks with my personal kids.  They are treasures in our household. 

 

Here are some slab projects I have done in the past as well. Click here for the post for the pine cone relief project. Here is a short project post on the mosaic heart.  I really loved the sushi plates the 3rd graders did a couple of years ago. I have three posts about the sushi dishes; clay plates, fiber sushi rolls, and games we played with the rolls. 

I can't teach raw clay anymore, but I can do the finishing work with my class. I have a few ideas of how to finish clay with glaze alternatives in this post.  Take a look at some of these end results to pick out your next finishing technique might be. 

We are lucky to have a kiln in every school in our district.  I adore the medium and the kids to too... That is why I work so hard to give students the opportunity to work with clay at least once every year.  I'm excited to announce that this year we will be having Tracy Hare, a local Art Teacher come teach my students for a digital week this year. We call it clay week and you bet you will be hearing about it right here in the near future. 

#Crush on the Medium Chalk

I ADORE getting outside whenever the sun is out... for Minnesota... it's rare. We love the sun and the warmth because it's a precious commodity. Below is one of my favorite lessons we did outside. The kids LOVED it. It's where you mirror a partner and use your whole body to create. 

Another fun lesson for outside chalk enjoyment is this Kandinsky project. 

Super proud to be a Minnesota member when we have projects like Kindness in Chalk. Every fall there is a celebration worldwide for participating families and schools to write words of kindness on the sidewalks. Join us next October. 

When I'm working with chalk I often put a request out there for parents to donate to the classroom.  Here is an example of how I have proposed the need to the families of my school. (click here)

Chalk is a blast, but chalk paint is even better. If you have never played with chalk paint, as soon as it's nice outside, you HAVE to make some up.  Take a look at my favorite recipes from a previous post.