Needlework Inspiration

Inspiration Avenue's theme this week is needlework, so I thought I would show you some of the things I have done that goes with this theme.  I have taught some needlework projects as well with my elementary students.

Finger weaving with children

Weaving on straws with children

This was one of my 5th grade students sewn works-- based on micro organisms

Sewn picture on a journal page (mine)

Sewn Mixed Media collage (by me)

Knitted Ornament Ball by Me

Fabric Collage by 3rd grader

Knitted and felted purse by Me

Knitted and felted purse by Me

Knitted and felted purse by Me

Here is a little baby cardigan I made for my daughter (she's already outgrown it!)

Accepting Sponsorships

Do you have an online business?  Are you conducting an online workshop and need more participants?  Do you sell your art on Etsy?  I decided I would like to accept sponsorships for my blog.  I would be happy to promote your website with a simple image link on the side of my blog.  I will also include a monthly spotlight section in a blog post where I will highlight you and your website.   I would especially be interested in promoting other artists and websites that are of particular interest to my readers.  Sound interesting?  Click here for more details.

I can also assure you that any money I earn from sponsorships will be used for purchasing art supplies and educational resources for my teaching and artistic development! 

Abstract Trees Inspired by Piet Mondrian

Fourth and Fifth Grade

The 4/5s drew trees to complement their studies in Science class.
How can line be used creatively to make a stylized picture?  How can oil pastels be used effectively?   The students aimed to use line creatively and made stylized art.  A focus of the lesson was color mixing, blending and layering of the oil pastel.

1.  Show images of Piet Mondrian's abstract trees.  Discuss how he started out with realistic trees, then they became more and more abstract.  Finally, his style progressed to just shapes, lines and colors... the style with primary colors which he is most known for.

2.  Sketch a stylized tree with pencil.  Make sure the trees branches create sections for coloring in.  These lines should touch the edges of the page.

3.  Paint over the tree lines with black tempera paint.  You might need two coats to make it nice and solid.


4.  After the paint is dry, color thickly with oil pastels in each of the white sections (negative space).  Layer colors on top of each other to mix colors.  Then, use your finger to smudge and blend.

Piet Mondrian's abstract trees were viewed and we traced the progression of his artistic style from realistic to non-objective. 

1st Grade Complementary Color Collage

Here is an easy project for first graders to introduce complementary colors.  We started off by coloring a mini-color wheel (did not include the tertiary colors).  Then, we identified the complementary colors on the color wheel.  Next, the children were called up to pick out two sheets of paper that were complementary colors.  I monitored to make sure that these were indeed complementary colors.  Next, the children cut out different types of shapes from the papers and glued them to their paper.  The following class period, I had a little "kit" made up for each of them with things that had "their" colors.  I took a large ziploc bag and placed in the kit things such as colored cellophane, tape, stickers, pom pom balls, foam shapes, crepe paper streamers and so forth. 

Mobiles-- 7th and 8th Grade

Mobiles, by 7th and 8th graders
I wanted to share with you some of the mobiles that the middle school kids are doing at my school.  I share a room with another art teacher, and I see all the projects they create.  This is a really awesome project!  The kids are having a blast and they are learning all about balance, movement, three-dimensional art, and more. They each started with large wires and these sticks (which I didn't know what they were last year, remember?).  They bended and twisted the wire, added jump rings and constructed objects to hang from the wires. 

using wire mesh

tinfoil, wood, wire

cardboard and paint

felted ball, wood pieces, beads, twisteez wire

wood wrapped with wire and a button

little boats!

colored foil

Textured Teddy Bears-- Kindergarten

The focus on this project was learning about texture.  The children used texture plates to create texture rubbings on the fur.  On the inside of the teddy bear's stomach, they drew a creative design.  Then, they learned about patterns and read the book Lots and Lots of Zebra Stripes.   The border was decorated with patterns.  Yeah, they look like Care Bears, don't they?   Sooooooo cute!

Sumerian statues-- Fourth/Fifth grades

We learned about Sumerian art.  The students drew Sumerian statuettes and we also made some figures out of clay!  These statuettes are characterized by large, staring eyes, clasped hands, cylindrical bodies, expressionless faces and bodies devoid of gender differentiation. They have religious and cultural meaning and we will investigate this in class.

Patterned Still Life-- 5/6s

The 5/6s were developing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination through observational drawing of a still-life.  Their goal for this unit was to use proportion, overlap and pattern to create a unified composition of a still-life.  They viewed a slide show presentation of a variety of still life artworks.  

Step One: Arrange a still life set up.  Kids should work collaboratively at their table to do so.
Step Two:  Draw your picture with pencil first.  The objects must touch at least 3 sides of the paper and there must be some overlapping.
Step Three:  Outline in black marker.
Step Four:  Fill in the sections of the still life with various patterns.  A pattern sheet was used for inspiration.

More pics from the Halloween class!

Here are some more pics from my spooky crafts class.