Animals! Oil Pastel & Watercolor (dividing into shapes) - Summer Art Class

In this art project/exercise the kids drew their favorite "animal" and then divided it up into shapes and the background too if they wanted. You can see the different interpretations of the assignment! Different ages, different perspectives! Each one of them are completely different. Some used many colors to divide into shapes and others just one or two...

See our other watercolor and oil pastel projects here: "Oil Pastels with Watercolors (doodle shapes)!- Summer Art Class"

• First they did a pencil drawing on water color paper.
• Then they traced their drawing with a variety of oil pastels.
• Last they water colored inside the shapes to make the colors pop!

(ages 6-10 years) 

Oil pastels generally repel water colors - you can see it in the water bubbles. 

A beautiful way to display artwork - Summer Art Class

For Summer Art Class this year I had 17 kids choose their favorite watercolor/oil pastel drawing for display. Many of their artwork will be posted throughout the summer! They are so creative! I had such fun kids to teach. Here's how we "framed" their artwork...

Materials Needed:

• artwork
• pre-stretched canvas
• Mod Podge
• brush
• plastic wrap
• heavy book 

• Each of them designed and painted with acrylic the edges of a pre-stretched canvas, the canvas just a few inches larger than their painting.  

• I adhered their artwork to the canvas by brushing Mod Podge on the back side of the watercolor (sometimes Mod Podge can make watercolor bleed, so try not to get any on the artwork).

• Place plastic wrap over the artwork and place a heavy book on top so that the artwork will dry flat to the canvas! 

Enjoy displaying their artwork or yours!

{tutorial} Make your own "mini" Water Color Abstract Murals- Summer Art Class

Wee water color murals (inspired from our Huge Wassily Kandinsky Abstract Mural we made) for the bathroom or small wall space! They can go anywhere. You can make one or a set of 2 or 4 or more. There are endless ideas with these! Just don't be scared to jump in, it's really simple...

(Obviously they need to be framed, I just balanced one on top of the black frame with glass)

Materials Needed:

• Mod Podge
• plastic wrap
• pre-stretched canvas- your choice in size (we used both stretched canvas & canvas on hard board- the hard board is longer lasting-less cracking/flexing)
• large brush
• heavy books for stacking/weight/drying
• your WATERCOLOR circle artwork - cut water color paper rectangles (pre-measured to fit on your own canvas) or you can paint circles with ACRYLIC - my short painting circle tuturial is HERE (Part 1-painting the circles)

I took plenty of photos to give you visual directions so you don't have to read...

After you have cut and measured the water  color paper to fit on your preferred size of canvas, painted them, and they are completely dry... 

(I always like to arrange things to make sure they fit and the color scheme works.)

Apply the Mod Podge a little less generously to the back of the square paper...

Place the square in one of the corners and smooth over with your hand on top of the plastic wrap. The plastic protects the artwork and the books and anything else that wants to stick to the Mod Podge!...

Place heavy books on top of the artwork with plastic wrap and allow at least 15+ mins. for dry time for each application...

You can see I am drying (and smashing) both murals... I usually do at least 2 rectangles at a time...

Almost done...

Okay, now both are completely dry (they dried overnight).  Now I am applying the exterior protective coat to both...

In the photo you can see the thickness of Mod Podge applied. I applied 3 exterior coats to both murals (I like to wait a few extra hours to make sure they are completely dry).

Aren't these cool? You can frame them or paint the edges to finish them up.

Thanks for looking! I love these. Hope you enjoyed and will make one or two yourself or with your kids!

We're making "mini" murals, water color! - Summer Art Class

Hey, remember that humongo ABSTRACT CIRCLE MURAL the 2nd graders made with me back in May?... 

(Click here to see the {tutorial -DIY} CIRCLE ABSTRACT ART MURAL)

...Well, we're making just wee ones! Only instead of painting with acrylic, we're using water colors...

Last art project this summer with my 5 - 8 year-olds... aren't they wonderful?

  

Painting together... ah sweet!

I'll keep you posted on the "wee abstract mural tutorial" soon...

sEa cReAtUrE Drawings - Summer Art Class

 From the imaginations of 5-8 year-old kids...

*(pen, white crayon & water color)

We will be making hanging mobiles with our SeA cReAtUrEs this week. Update: check out the hanging mobiles here.

What do you think, are they incredibly fun?

Thanks for looking!

Red House - GORBEA

... a few of my favorite colors   

 

Well, here it is! I water colored this print a month ago but ran out of aqua for the sky! Always one of my favorites to paint and print on the press...
Thanks for looking!


To see this print before it was painted go here.

This print is currently FOR SALE visit my online shop here.

Orange Fence... touch

I added watercolor in a plethora(my husband loves that word) of yellows, oranges and reds to my "Gorbea" print.

The "Gorbea" print has the most ink and paper depth of all my prints...

tactile...

3-dimensional grooves...

Yes, slowly it's coming along. Summer is proving to be a distraction!

To see my Gorbea print fully painted go here. 

Painting Gorbea

This is one of my favorite prints to paint (after it's pulled off the print press).

There is so much ink, depth and texture pressed into this paper, I wish you could reach out and touch it to feel for yourself.

My water color palettes, with fishies. NOT FOR SALE - I get asked often "How much for the plates?"

Red is one of my choice colors for Gorbea.

Crooked house, you're almost painted.

Shingles, a few trees, and a small home painted...

Check back with me - I will be updating this post until complete!

Did I say already this is one of my favorites to paint?




To follow the painting progress of this print go here.

FALL LEAVES art for kids!!! {tutorial}

Fall Leaves Scene is fun to make with ages 5+

1st- Watercolor two pages, one with grass and sky (however you like, be creative), and the other page with various fall colors (for the leaves). You can use white construction paper or watercolor paper. Let it dry overnight.

2nd- Draw and then cut out your tree, either black (for higher contrast) or brown (realistic). I made this example for the kids at my daughter's 2nd grade class, and the majority of the kids chose to make a brown tree.

3rd- Then cut the Fall colors page into triangle-shaped pieces for the leaves and glue/paste onto the other page. You can get creative and involve wind blowing them around... falling off the tree... piling up so high... whatever you like!

Unfortunately I don't have any of the kids' creations right now because it snowed the day we were going to finish them and they closed school for the following 3 days! Hopefully they will finish them in class and I can take pictures of them. The trees were so wild and fun!

                                                                 Whenever I see projects for kids, I always to try to change them up a little bit. I found this project on this amazing website for children's art 

ART PROJECTS FOR KIDS.                         

*To see my daughter's 2nd grade class' Fall Leaves art go here.