Eric Carle Inspired Story Collage

This art project was a tribute to Eric Carle and his creations of children literature through stories illustrated with painted, tissue paper collages. For my story I used tissue paper to create the sunset on the first page and painted paper for the night sky on the next page. The ground, moon, and ants were cut from other classmates painted papers. The inspiration for the story depicted came from the idea that Eric Carle's stories seem to have more than one purpose to them. For example, "Brown Bear" has colors and animals. In a classroom, the book could be used for either of those concepts. The story I created talks about the changes in nature. Leaves turning brown, sun and moon rising and setting each day, and children growing up.
The baby ant is concerned that the sun will go away forever but the mother ant assures the baby that the sun will come back just as the moon has on the next page.
An extension activity for this project would be for the students to pair up and come up with their own storyline that can introduce at least 2 concepts to younger children. The partners will have to illustrate the book and then present it to a group of kindergarteners.

Lei Day

This lei was created using construction paper and watercolor paper. The flowers were cut from squares of construction paper and from a watercolor picture using crayon resist and paint blowing techniques. The lei is created by punching holes into the paper flowers and stringing them on to a length of yarn alternating between a flower and a 1 inch length of straw. Once the lei is fully strung, the artist ties off the yarn and can then wear the lei. The inspiration for the project was to learn about the significance of Lei Day celebrated in Hawaii on May 1st of each year. People make and give away their leis to important people in their life.
An extension activity for this project could be to have the students learn how to perform a traditional Hawaiian hula dance and then perform it for the faculty and the younger students in the school.

Marbled Sightseeing

This bulletin board is a presentation of an art lesson created by students marbling their drawings of attractions from around the world. The students had to draw a particular attraction using another picture as a reference. Once they had outlined their drawing in permanent marker the students marbled their picture using paint and shaving cream. The students added their choice of paint colors to a layer of shaving cream, swirled the paint however they chose, and then pressed their drawing, face down, into the paint. When the page is pulled up from the paint/shaving cream mixture, a scraper is used to remove the excess shaving cream. The paint remains, leaving a marbled effect. After the students had framed and labeled their work, the teachers; my partner and myself; created a map of the attractions to visit. The background of the bulletin board is the world with the continents cut out of different colored paper. The attractions are then placed on the board as near to the exact location on the map as possible. Yarn is used to show where the attraction actually belongs taking care to not obstruct the view of any other student's art.
An extension activity for this bulletin board would be to give the students, as groups, the task of creating a tour on Google Earth. Specific sights would need to be included in the tour along with features of the program that zoom-in to view the attractions through photos of the location. Then the groups will present their different tours to the rest of the class so everyone has a chance to travel the world.

Marbled Kremlin

This art project was a demonstration of a marbling technique using shaving cream and paint. The paint remained but the shaving cream is scraped away. The requirements of the project were to free hand a picture of a landmark or piece of architecture using a coloring page as a source. This picture of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia was drawn with permanent marker and then marbled using the colors purple, orange, and red. The picture was then glued to a piece of construction paper and then cut to frame the piece. The label was added with a metallic marker.
An extension activity for this project would be to have the students research the demographics of the city or country that houses their attraction. The students will then create a pamphlet advertising their attraction by using the information they discovered with the cover photo being their marbled depiction of the sight.

Crazy for Coils

This pot was created using air drying clay in the coil technique. The inspiration behind the project was Egyptian culture that included handmade pottery. A requirement of the project was to create a design or a symbol that represents my culture. The symbol I chose was a sun which was placed inside my pot. The sun symbolizes my love for summer days and the necessity of the sun for the agricultural centered region I grew up in. The rainbow on the outside of the pot symbolizes the need for rain and the beauty that nature gives us.
An extension activity for this project could be to have the students research a culture of their choosing and then create a poster of symbols significant to these cultures. The students will then present their research to their classmates. If time allows, the students will compare symbols to see if there is any similar symbols or meanings of the symbols across the different cultures.

Obstacle Course

This project is an example of 3-D paper art. The different 3-D shapes were created by folding, twisting, and gluing the shapes to a piece of paper. The paper was meant to give the project the effect of depth using 2-D paper manipulated to stand up from the surface. The inspiration for the project was Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go." In the book, the illustrations are of scenes that have architecture and landscapes that give the illusion of depth in the drawings. In my artwork, I felt that the best illustration of 3-D art would be the tubes, hoops, and stairs that dogs have to manipulate when they are performing at a dog show. Because of that idea, I decided to create the Whoville's Dog Show Obstacle Course. The dogs start at the orange hoop, continue through until the end at the yellow funnel, and then take their place on the winners' stand.
This project could be an introduction or extension activity to a math lesson in which the students are starting a geometry unit about computing volume of 3-D figures.

Printed Railroad

This art project was created by the technique of printmaking. The stamping process was used to create the train cars of a freight train carrying a resource from South Dakota. Because the requirement of the project stated that the artist needed to portray South Dakota landscapes, I decided to draw a bridge over a little creek. My train is carrying corn from a South Dakota farmer's field to a city far from our flat state.
An extension activity for this project could be to have the students use the printmaking technique to create a stamp that is 3x3 inches in size. The students can then use their stamps to stamp an envelope that has a letter written during their Language Arts class. It is an opportunity for the students to show the person they addressed their letter to a piece of their writing and artwork.

Macrame

This piece of art is the art of tying knots without the use of needles or hooks. It is called Macrame and we learned how to create a spiraled key chain or bracelet. Though there are many different ways to create your braided works, the spiral was the form used for this three beaded key chain. The beads I chose were about the same size and I thought the black bead in the center would match my vehicle key. The red beads gave the piece a sense of balance and now I can find my keys easier in my purse.
An extension activity would be to teach the students other forms of Macrame and then give them opportunities to create pieces of art. If the students were really interested in their projects, they could give them away to the younger students at the school or sell them at the school craft fair to help their school. I would let the children decide what to do since it is their artwork under discussion.

Patterned Puzzle Piece

This art project was an activity that emphasized the use of cool colors used exclusively in a work of art. Another requirement of the activity was that the background had to have an element of art; either lines, patterns, or texture. For my picture, I had to use cool colors and pattern on the background of my puzzle piece. My pattern represents the water flow of a stream or ocean and the seaweed that the fish would encounter. In the picture you are able to see other pieces that surround my piece within the cool color's puzzle.
An extension activity for this project would be for the students to do a scavenger hunt for different patterns, textures, and animals of the ocean. Books with pictures, videos, and any other sources the students think of can be used. The students will document what they found and make a booklet of the different elements of art that they are able to be find under the water.

Hoppy in Plaid

Hoppy in Plaid was a lesson that featured the plaid pattern. The inspiration for the project was a story about a little girl that finds a plaid purse that will turn who ever holds it to plaid. The project was created by painting different sized horizontal and vertical stripes in complimentary colors. The shapes of the rabbit parts were cut out of the plaid painted paper and then glued to a construction paper background. The facial details were added at the end along with the cotton ball tail.
An extension activity for this project could be to have the students create other patterned animal characters. The students could then create a play or storyboard of their own creativity featuring their characters.

Contour/Blind Drawing

This project was created while completely blind! Actually that is only partially true. The white lines that create the flowers were done behind a blinder but the paint was applied without the blinder. The inspiration for the project was Georgia O'Keefe's floral artwork. I was put to the task to create a flower using a white crayon without looking. Then I applied watercolor paint to the picture to demonstrate the crayon resist technique of watercolor painting. The finished project is featured above.
An extension activity I would use with this project is to have the students, if weather permits, go outside and hunt for foliage that they could then use in another art project that highlights color, texture, and the beauty of nature through their personal display of botany. As a cross curriculum activity, the students could begin learning about the process of photosynthesis. If it were younger students, the explanation could be as simple as explaining that the sun and water are food for the plants. However, if the students are older and the standards require it, the students can learn more details about the energy chain within a plant's leaf.

Hidden Safari

For this art project, I chose to create a hidden safari scene using a cool color as my subject and then covering the image with warm colored patterns on top to hide it. The only way to observe the image below the warm colors is with a pair of glasses with red lenses. Can you see my alligator?
As an extension activity, I would discuss animal camouflage in my science class. The students would learn about different animals, different forms of camouflage, and the benefits of being able to camouflage oneself. We would then practice camouflaging ourselves by making masks with colors and textures similar to a chosen surrounding. For example, if the student wanted to look like the exit door, that student would need to try to draw a wooden pattern and texture it to match the doors texture and then color the mask the same shades of brown and gold.

Van Gogh Fingerpainting

This project was inspired by Van Gogh's landscapes of, what to me, seems like the countryside of the Europe Van Gogh would have called home. In this project, I finger painted a scene that is behind my parent's home. The swirling style of the sky and the creek follow Van Gogh's painting style along with the mixing of colors and bold lines.

An extension activity I would use with this project would be to have the students create and write a story that went along with the scene. It could be non-fiction or fiction, but the character they choose would have to describe the scene, and how it makes them feel. It's a great writing activity that will result from their own creativity.

Van Gogh Inspired Collage

This project was created using tissue paper, glue, oil pastels, and a metallic Sharpie. The idea was to create our own version of Starry Night by Van Gogh, with a skyline of our choosing. The tissue paper was cut into swirls and glued down. The trees were cut out of construction paper. After everything was laid out and glued, I took a coat of clear adhesive to give the complete project the shine.

An extension activity I would do with this project would be to study the night sky through the use of photography and film. The Northern Lights along with a full moon's glow to a cloudy night with only the stars out. It's a great unit if a class were studying Earth's orbit or the moon phases.

Art Elements & Principles

 Value

 The darkness or lightness of a color; depending on the light touching the object.

 

 Depth

A 3-D area that could be filled with objects.

 

 Balance

Equality on both sides of the work of art.

 Movement

The appearance that the subject is in action.

 

 Unity

The objects in the artwork look like they belong together.

Autobiographical Footprints

This is a photo-example of my Autobiographical Footprints. The project required me to trace one or both of my feet and then using at least 3 medias, I had to represent myself. I chose to represent myself through books. My name is written across the covers of the books and each book, when opened, shows a particular chapter in my life.



The first book holds the basics. A picture of my family, the initials (magazine clippings) of the state I grew up in, and a Venus symbol (made from a key ring and yarn, not visible) to represent my feminine gender. The second book represents my high school years. A photo of my trip to Europe, a picture of our foreign exchange student, a feather to represent my participation in show choir, and an ambulance referencing my vehicle accident. The green "OR" sign (made from felt) is my crossing into adulthood when I moved to the state of Oregon for college. The third book represents my life at the time of creating this project; NSU in winter (cotton ball) and a photo of my other-half.


An extension activity to be used with this art project is to have the students read an autobiography, or biography, of someone they look up to in their Language Arts/Reading class. After reading the biography, they can create footprints to show that person's life. The students would then present their person's feet to their fellow classmates without the need of writing a formal book report.