Don't Forget the Simple Crayon

 


The first art media that anyone put in your hand was probably a crayon. You were little and your parents knew that you couldn't poke yourself with it and it showed color. That was perfect because you were just learning your colors.

When I was young my grandmother would buy me new crayons. I would love the pointy-ness of them and the way they smelled. I would hate when the paper came off and the points dulled. It made me a little afraid to draw because I didn't want to break the points off of my new crayons.

But now, I want the paper off and I want them to be broken and dull so I can use them in in new ways. 

 I can lay them on the side to color in large areas.
It is easier to mix colors. What kind of colors were used to mix in the background of this image? 

I can color really, really hard with them and not worry if they break! Or, I can color lightly, mixing colors...




We often think that crayons are common and simple to use. They are not always our first medium of choice. Painting, markers, metalic pencils and sparkle glue just seem so much more fun and exciting to work with. BUT...we need to revisit that simple little crayon and look at exciting possibilities!

We can also do something fun called CRAYON RESIST...

 



This happens when you make heavy marks with the crayon and paint with a water color wash over it. The crayon resists the water color as you can see in the image above. It created a texture of paint and also covers any white areas.

Key Stage Two

Another medium that can look like crayon are oil pastels. They are wonderful to use because they are very oily and creamy. The colors can mix very well together. One color can lay on top of another and be seen.

 

Finding Art Outside

Andy Goldsworthy is an artist. He doesn't use paints or paper. He builds with nature. He would get up in the morning and have breakfast with his children. He would then kiss his wife goodbye and go off to work. He would go to the park, the forest or the ocean and look for artistic possibilities. He patiently waited for something to inspire him. Then he would begin to build. He would use his hands, teeth and found tools to prepare and arrange materials. 

Today, he lives in Scotland and continues to create art from nature. He photographs his work. 

Just look at his work! I am interested in what you think!

 

What kind of objects from nature can you find on the playground or walking  home from school? If you find some inspiring objects, you can bring them to school to be arranged and photographed. 

OR...

Maybe something that you see would inspire a painting or a drawing. You might want to do a little sketch so that you can remember it. If you do not have a sketch book, you could make one in the collage studio. It is pretty handy to have a sketch book. You never know when you will see something that  you would like to document so that you can go back later to look at it and think about it again.

 

So...

My big message to you is this...don't let a single day go by without using your art eyes outside. Notice something about nature... the shape of a leaf, the color of the sky, the texture of bark, the moving clouds or how the outside world smells. It is good for your brain, your soul and your body.  You are part of nature.

What Kind Of A Building Would A Poet Live In?

 

 Today we are talking about new ways to think and build in the architecture studio...

 When my daughter Brynne was a little girl she would draw plans for rooms. She would draw on scraps of paper and I would find these little plans all over the house.

 She is a grown woman now and lives in New York City. She is doing the same thing that she did when she was a little girl...she is designing spaces. She practiced a lot when she was young. What do you like to practice? You just might use those skills when you grow up!

An idea...

Maybe you can build something with a different concept/idea. Here are some questions: 

 

What kind of a building would a poet live in? 

 

 

How about a...

 mountain climber

 

astronomer

 

chef

artist

 

musician

  Look what Benji created...a home for a gardener. The inside was created to look like a big flower. There is a wide entrance with gates opening up to the flower inside. 

 

What other kind of person can you think of? 

Think about where this person's building would be ...woods, city, by the ocean, mountains. How many rooms, how many windows. Why? How will those rooms help them be who they are? 

 

Some people are building tiny houses.

 Why do you think they would want to do that?

 What are the advantages and disadvantages? 

 Could you design one? 

What is the advantage of a  house on wheels?

You can draw your idea one day and build from your plan or blueprint the next art day. 

We can display a photo from your building day with your drawing/plan/blueprint. 

Could you draw a blueprint and make furniture for it that you could move around? 

Maybe you will come up with some ideas!

 

Picasso One Liners

 Today we will be learning a skill that you can use in the

 Drawing Studio

 There is a French word contour...it means outline. 

A contour drawing will show an outline of an object, like this daisy flower.

Do you see any detail in this contour drawing?

 

 A continuous contour line drawing is where the pencil stays on the paper until the object is completed.  The artist never picks it up...it is a continuous line...keeps going. 

The famous Spanish painter, Pablo Picasso made continuous contour drawings. They were called one liners because the were created using just one line! 

 Here are a few examples of his one liners!

When you want to have fun at home, look up Pablo Picasso and see more of his one liners and then look at some of his other work too.  Much of Picasso's work was very rich in line. Here is an example of one of his many paintings.

You can practice using continuous line drawings in the drawing studio. You can do a painting  and use line in your composition.

 

 

Big Idea...an artist feels more confident about drawing when she practices. 

  Try drawing the same thing ten times...think about how you feel when you are finished. 

 

 Key Stage 2

 Blind contour is where the artist looks at an object and draws without looking at the paper. He might look down at the paper to add a small detail such as an eye. His eyes are only on the object that he is drawing...looking very closely.

Watch me...I will show you. Who would like to be my model?

 

 

 

 This is something that is fun to practice in your Artifact Book.