Project Ideas Submitted | southbayhandsonart

Project Ideas Submitted - 2021-22

Below are short descriptions of the projects submitted, along with sample pictures, upgrades, and related links.

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A Not-So-Gory Gorey (Edward Gorey)

Students will learn about Gorey, his pen and ink texturing, “nonsensical” prose and off-kilter sense of humor. Then with some guided drawing, they can create a piece in the spirit of his work. They will draw one human form and one creature in pen and ink with a bit of a story or verse to go with it.

They can make up their own creepy creature and give it a name, or draw something from real life if they prefer. There are a couple of options for writing a little “nonsense” of their own depending on desire and grade level/ability.

Easy upgrades: Cardstock pre-cut into square shape,

Sakura Micron Pen or Black Flair Pen (Sharpie not recommended)

Video Reading of one of his books:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tphhdgi0R9w

Animals in the Jungle (Haitian Folk Art)

Haiti is a country of great beauty, a vibrant Caribbean culture, and a heroic history, populated by people with a natural gift for storytelling. Haitian art reveals the riches of Haiti’s spirit, rendered in vibrant colors and bold patterns. Students can create an animal jungle scene -one or more animals hidden in leaves. Can be drawn on just one paper, or if possible, cut leaves and glue to hide the animals.

Easy upgrades:

- Thicker paper for main drawing and shades of green paper for kids to cut out leaves, and glue sticks to stick them on the paper. (Or other colors for fruit, trees, flowers) Can color on with crayons/pencils to add leave lines.

How to draw a tiger videos for kids:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV6UrvQ20mM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfqGrJOzfg4

Lesson example for tiger with leaves (but with painting)

http://elementsoftheartroom.blogspot.com/2018/09/3rd-grade-painted-paper-tiger-collage.html

Arctic Fox

Follow a guided drawing of an arctic fox! To keep it simple, we can make a version on a single paper, drawing the fox and adding a background with trees or some sort of artic lighting.

Easy upgrade:

Cut out the fox and put on another page for the background. Blue radiating circles are usually done in paint, but if paint isn't possible, we could do some other version or interesting background. Maybe radiating lines. Maybe supply dark blue and use white pencils to draw stars or snow in the sky, or the birch trees.

Extension option:

Add birch trees using masking tape before coloring value sky

Example lesson:

https://artroombritt.blogspot.com/search?q=fox

Art Cars

Art cars are cars that artists use like a blank canvas. Artists (aka Cartists!) decorate or create cars with unique style. Some famous artists, like Warhol, Hockney, Calder, Bansky have even put their art on cars. Sometimes they look like normal cars with a special paint job, but sometimes the whole car is unique - like the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Students can learn about art cars, and after they can design their own art car from their imagination. A regular car with special paint job, a crazy car, a car of the future or in their dreams. A great time to stretch their imagination and practice getting it onto paper!

Note: The chicken picture is a car often seen at a shop on Aviation - a local touch :)

Easy upgrade: gold and silver markers to add final touches

Project lesson example:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Elementary-Art-Lesson-Kooky-Cars-2314807

Example of kids creations for dream cars:

https://www.news24.com/wheels/News/see-is-that-a-flying-toyota-these-awesome-car-drawings-by-talented-sa-kids-will-make-you-smile-20190515

Butterfly Life-Cycle

Create a folded art project using watercolor paper and follow a caterpillar as it munches on a leaf, creates a chrysalis, and then becomes a big beautiful butterfly. Build skills in drawing lines, shapes, curves, and vocabulary: metamorphosis, symmetry, spiral, ovals, circles, line and more.

Easy upgrades: Watercolor or good quality paper, oil pastels, watercolors if allowed

Cacti

Draw cacti in a decorated pot (color or black and white). Lesson could include things like Mexican pot patterns, overlapping, texture (for spines and gravel), balance, shading. Could do multiple pots with one succulent in each if it is easier for K-1. Sample patterns and cacti could be provided for ideas.

Easy upgrades:

- sharpie or thick black markers (to make black extra black)

- cut out cacti/pot and glue on colored paper backing.

-bring cacti and/or pots into classroom to see for examples or refer to to make it more a still-life practice.

- handouts with samples patterns and cacti.

Example lessons:

https://jamestownelementaryartblog.blogspot.com/2014/04/5th-grade-mexican-cacti.html

http://mrosartroom.blogspot.com/2016/04/5th-grade-cacti-still-lifes.html?m=1

Colors (Kandinsky)

Kandinsky did this piece as a study to see how colors work together. Talk about color and mood and have them choose colors that are associated with various emotions for some of the squares... and let them play with color relationships on the rest. Works with markers, crayons and colored pencils.

Easy upgrades: oil pastels

Example lesson video (history): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7d6zscZF5I

Donuts (Wayne Theibaud)

Learn about Wayne Theibaud and create a grid of 4 donuts. (Or maybe less for younger students). A great lesson on form and shading to get the illusion of depth. And it is fun!

Easy Upgrades: oil pastels, drawing paper pre-cut into a square

Extensions:

- Black paper with oil pastels donut lesson

- Cakes!

Sample lesson:

http://kids-finelines.blogspot.com/2015/08/why-doughnut-art.html

Sample video:

https://youtu.be/HPAhm9-Ke18

Dragon Eyes

This is a kid favorite and is a great lesson on blending. Plenty of teacher led instructional videos on Youtube. Can be simplified for littles or more detailed for Middle/High.

Easy upgrades: Oil Pastels, sharpies

Extensions:

- Origami Folded Dragon Eye - Fold and color so it can look like it is blinking

- Dragon in Castle Window - Dragon eye paper taped/glued behind cut out window castle window paper

Sample lesson video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ebaOkRuXnk

Sample video of Origami Eye:

https://youtu.be/bPmdbiJAtF4

Dream Castle

Learn all the parts of a Medieval Castle: Towers, Turets, Battlements, Portcullis, Drawbridge, Moat, Banners & Flags. Then have a royal good time creating a dream castle!

Easy upgrades: sharpie, watercolor, handouts

Possible extensions: More details & architectural elements, Shading, 2D Elements

Example video lesson:

https://youtu.be/z8CynBNlyAM

Fantastic Sunset (Alma Thomas)

Discover abstract artist Alma Thomas and emulate her style using broad tip markers. Crayons work OK too.

Alma Thomas was an African-American artist and teacher who lived and worked in Washington, D.C.. She is best known for the "exuberant", colorful, abstract paintings that she created after her retirement from a 35-year career teaching art.

Upgrade options:

- markers (to ensure they have thick ones and many colors)

- Glue and colored paper stirps...to make a composition with torn or cut paper instead.

Example lesson video:

https://youtu.be/k7c2d1dU4Y8

Folding Fish

Have fun with hungry fish! Students can bring home a surprise...It looks like a kind fish, but open up the paper and perhaps there is more to see! Kids can be creative picking how to decorate their fish, and why their fish might be opening their mouths.

Optional possible extension - have students tell someone else about their fish - it's a name, what type of fish it is, where does it live, why is it opening it's mouth.

Easy upgrades:

- thicker paper so colors don't blead thru if they do it with ink.

- googly eye stickers they can add if they want

- supply markers

Example lesson:

http://mrosartroom.blogspot.com/2020/11/2nd-grade-folding-fish.html?m=1

Example video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk8DyJVe8fk

Giraffe with Personality

Learn how to draw a friendly giraffe who is about to go to a party. What sort of personality does your giraffe have? Learn the basics of drawing the head, face, and neck of a giraffe. Then add your own patterns and personality to finish them.

Easy upgrades: oil pastels, watercolor pencils

Insects

10,000,000,000,000,000,000. It is estimated there are over 10 quintillion insects at any given time on earth! They deserve some love! Think beetles, ants, bees, butterflies, caterpillars, flies, crickets.

There are various 'famous' insect artists. One is Bernard Durin. He painted many beautiful “portraits” of these creatures in watercolor. His very detailed work reveals the ingenious wonders of nature and the wide palettes of colors, textures and details. His work is admired by both natural scientists and art lovers alike.

For our lesson students can have samples of insects to pick from and observe. Then they can draw what they observe. Tips can be given like look for 'shapes' that they see. If needed, can be a more directed drawing for younger students. They can be colored like they observe, or they can come up with their own patterns.

Easy upgrades: nice paper, glitter/metallic pencils (some insects look iridescent!), watercolor if possible

Example lesson with samples:

https://www.deepspacesparkle.com/bug-paintings/

Variation class lesson (interactive)

https://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/intriguing-insects-lesson-plan/

Lampshade Diorama

Create a cool diorama! When a view walks past the 'Character' will appear to move! On a paper, students will design a “character” of their choice, and then cut around it so it protrudes into the void. On the other side of the paper, draw the environment, or scenery to be associated with that character. Once completed, roll the paper and tape the edge to create a tube or “lampshade”. If you walk by it it appears to move because of the the distance between the “character” and the background as well as the shape of the diorama itself.

It offers a lot of flexibility, kids love it and they can be creative. We can adapt it for younger grades that may have trouble with the cutting step.

Mandalas

Learn about Mandalas and then draw your own. Possible key terms/lesson is repeating pattern or symmetry. Various lessons on-line. Some have children use a ruler to make guides to help make circles, or for young kids we could supply templates with just circles. Other lessons have kids just freehand circles or use templates or bowls. Some just freehand the whole thing, start from the center, make a pattern around, then another patter around.

Easy upgrades: metallic sharpies, maybe watercolor

Example Lesson Steps:

https://www.art-is-fun.com/how-to-draw-a-mandala

https://blog.ooly.com/drawing-coloring-art-activities-kids-adults/

Example Video Lesson (for K-1):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGS7Zy7O3-w

Mondrian

Piet Mondrian is well known for his style that looks like an irregular checkerboard drawn with black lines, and with white and primary colors - blue, red, and yellow. Students can create their own Mondrian styled art. Lessons on-line vary:

- use various rectangular templates, trace around them and have them overlap in spots, and color with primary colors. (have seen with other shapes too like circles and triangles, but rectangles are more 'classic')

- draw free-hand lines/shapes or rulers instead of templates

-create a border shape and fill it in his style

Easy upgrades: thick paper, regular and thick sharpies or black markers. Supply black paper strips that can be glued down and trimmed for the lines. Juicy markers for the bold colors (to make sure they have red, yellow, blue)

Easy extensions at home: Use black tape for lines. Do a version with Legos.

Example lesson:

https://www.teachkidsart.net/easy-mondrian/

Example video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEq8J3ldsDU

Night Walk

Create a night walk scene! What will you find with your flashlight? "Flashlight", a picture book by Lizi Boyd with similar artwork, is available to 'watch' on youtube. This requires black paper, and just a little some cutting and gluing - to put the flashlight on the paper. It also uses colored pencils (at least one light one!). We could pre-supply flashlight cut-outs if needed for the younger kids if they can't cut.

Example lesson:

http://florenceturnour.blogspot.com/2014/11/flashlight-art-project.html

Book trailer & pictures on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjRovkoFSE0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeDgkfYFdy8

Extension idea: Create an under the sea magic flashlight (or Halloween scene!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY6lEpsZHDs&ab_channel=DIYLabsICrafts%2CFoodArt%2CLifeHacks%26more

Optical Illusion - US Flag

Learn more about optical illusion art, and perhaps flag art. Then create an US Flag in an optical illusion style.

Example lesson:

https://artbyro.com/how-to-draw-an-op-art-american-flag/

Easy upgrade: maybe watercolor

Rubber Ducks

Learn about community art parade exhibitions, and create your own decorated rubber duck. Classes and schools can put them on display to have their own duck exhibition!

"Cows on Parade" in Chicago is credited by many in helping spur this trend on. But since then many towns have put on art parades with various twists - like the Wild Salmon on Parade in Anchorage, or the Rubber Ducks in Michigan.

Why should we do the rubber duck? "The rubber duck is a symbol of happiness and childhood memories, giving comfort to different people regardless of their nationality, age, and race."

Students can decorate their own rubber duck - modifying for the various ages as needed. Depending on age and classes or schools can display them to create their own art exhibits.

Easy Upgrades: thick paper, sharpies for decorating, glue and magazine/picture scrapes or adds and ends to add to the decoration.

Examples Lesson with lots of samples:

https://www.artisbasic.com/2015/10/rubber-ducky-art-project-for-kids.html