Piet Mondrian

Literature/Images:
Print: Piet Mondrian, Composition in Red, Yellow & Blue (shown above)

Materials:
12x18 construction paper, white
Brushes (if using tempra)
Red, Yellow, Blue tempra paint, markers, or crayons
Black tape - 1/2 " wide

Scissors



Introduction:
We are going to create a work of art like Piet Mondrian. To get his straight lines on the canvas he used a roll of tape and would move it around working out a design then he would paint in a black line with his brush. Sometimes he would leave the tape on his canvas.

Steps:
1) Write name on back.
2) Start with your paper vertically. Just like Mondrian move your black tape around deciding where to stick it down. Make sure tape goes all the way from one end of paper to the other and cut off any overlapping ends. Add about four to five tape lines.

3) Turn paper horizontally. Use three-four more tape lines. Tape tines should end into another line. What shapes do you see? Squares, rectangles.

5) Now you are ready for paint (or markers or crayons). Use red, blue, yellow – do not mix. Try to keep the paint within the tape lines, we want a clean look just like Mondrian.

6) Leave at least one square white.

Additional:
If you have time do more than one picture be sure to hang them all together to create one large Mondrian. It is a great effect, and it is more realistic to the size of Mondrian's actual paintings. Mondrian also turned his studio into a giant painting of sorts. His walls were all white and he had large canvases painted in just blue, red and yellow. He would move these from place to place on his walls, creating an ever changing studio space.

Doodle Drawings

Literature/Images:
Completed Doodle Drawing
Print: Joan Miro, People and Dog in Sun

(shown below)

Materials:
12x18 construction paper, white
Permanent Marker
Oil pastels

Introduction:
Discuss abstract art, ask if the students know what it is. Bring out print for students to observe, give them about thirty seconds to just look at it. Begin to ask them questions. What do you see: what kind of lines, what kind of colors (primary), do you see anything you recognize in this painting? Some students see one person, two people, the dog, and/or the sun. Ask them if this is how people really look? Do they think the artist was concerned that they look realistic? After discussing this read title, some students will want to know where the second person is, turn picture upside down to see more clearly. Begin discussing how Miro used his dreams to come up with his abstract paintings. Do we have time to go to sleep? No, so we have another way to come up with an abstract drawing, a large doodle. Most students are familiar with doodling. Begin the demonstration.

Steps:
1) Write name on back.
2) Using a black permanent marker put it down anywhere on the paper, do not lift, begin moving around paper in large shapes, can be curvy, looping, sagging, jagged, geometric. Be sure to use entire paper, but keep large shapes, do not have students do tight little spaces as will be more difficult to color in later.
3) Lift marker and students will have large doodle drawing.
4) Ask students if they see anything in the doodle, is it looking like anything? Start coloring in various shapes made by the doodle drawing. Maybe something will begin to appear.
5) As an abstract image begins to emerge encourage students to enhance it. Some examples in past classes have been: mermaids, turtles, fish, crazy monsters. Students can add teeth, hair, scales, large eyes, etc. Students have great deal of fun.
6) Name your picture, very important, put it on the front. Miro’s painting really helped us see all that he had in the painting because of its title. Sometimes people don’t realize there are two people or a sun. Some people think it’s a cat, not a dog.

Review steps and allow students to begin creating. Walk around classroom and advise on doodle drawing as needed; there are usually a couple students that do very small doodles or very tiny shapes that will very difficult to color in.

Wrap Up:
Have a showing of the artwork. Talk about how everyone followed the exact same steps but came up with such unique and interesting work, each student made the work their very own.

Paul Klee's Castle

Objectives:
Students will learn about the artist Paul Klee. Students will also learn about symmetry and use this to build a castle

Language:
Symmetry, shapes, foundation

Skills:
Building a foundation and developing a vertical castle with symmetrical cuts only.

Literature/Photos:
Image of Paul Klee’s “Castle and Sun” (shown below)



Materials:
Black construction paper (12x18 or larger if class time allows)
2”x 2” construction paper squares in many different colors
Orange or yellow construction paper circles – 2”or 3” diameter
Gluestick
Oil Pastels in Gold or Silver

Introduction:
Spend as little or as much time as allows on Paul Klee’s history and artistic influences.
Review Paul Klee’s painting “Castle and Sun”:
What shapes do you see?
What colors?
What time of day is it?
Where is the door? Is there a door? Drawbridge?

Demonstration:
1) Write name on back of 12 x 18 black construction paper.
2) Start with the foundation of your castle. Glue a row of 2”x 2”squares across the bottom, choose any colors you like and leave a small space between each square.
3) Beginning with the second row, you can create many new shapes by making SYMMETRICAL cuts in the 2”x 2” squares.
4) Take a moment to see how many shapes you can make:
a. Try cutting the square in half – you get two rectangles, now cut those in half, you get four small squares and so on.
b. Try cutting diagonal, you get two right angle triangles.
5) Continue to build up you castle with all your new shapes, be sure to lay out your castle towers before you glue it down.
6) Once the castle is complete, glue your sun in the sky.
7) Now outline your castle and the sun in either silver or gold oil pastel, your castle will glow and shimmer just like Paul Klee’s.

After demonstration, review steps and allow students to begin creating. Some students forget to begin with foundation of castle, be sure they glue this down so they have something to build their castle towers on.

Wrap Up:
Share work as much as time allows, gallery walk around tables. Ask the group to share their experience building a castle.

Ice Cream Tints

Objectives:
Each student will learn to mix tints and secondary colors using the primary colors and white tempra paint.

Language:
Tints, secondary colors, shapes

Skills:
Mixing primary colors to create secondary colors and then mixing again with white to create a tint of each color.

Literature/Photos:
Ice Cream Cones For Sale
Images and fun facts about ice cream cones (ie: World’s Tallest Ice Cream Cone was 13-in)

Materials:
Range of brown and or tan construction paper in small rectangle shapes (4”x6” or so)
Markers in range of browns
Gluestick
Fingerpainting paper
Tempra Primary Colors and White
Paper towels
Introduction:
Read book. Make note of pastel color scheme of book. Talk about how does ice cream feel, cool and slippery.

Demonstration:
1) Write name on back of fingerpainting paper.
2) Begin with making the cone: cut or tear out a triangle cone shape.
3) Glue cone at the bottom of fingerpainting paper.
4) Use left-over construction paper or markers to make a design on your cone.
5) When cone is completed each student will receive a palette with red, blue, yellow and white – quarter size amount.
6) Using two fingers only begin to mix your secondary colors – green, orange and purple.
7) After colors are mixed begin to mix your six colors with white to create a pastel color of each – remember two fingers only.
8) Start your first scoop of ice cream at the top of the cone. Continue with different colored scoops one on top of the other – how tall will your ice cream be?
9) After all scoops are done students can add “goodies” to each of their scoops: ie: use end of paint brush or popsicle stick to create swirly designs, use paints to create polka-dots, sprinkle on bits of construction paper remnants. And don’t forget the cherry on top!


After demonstration, review steps and allow students to begin creating. Some are very creative and jump right in, some need encouragement especially with getting their fingers “messy”.

Additional:
Emphasize that two fingers only, proper color mixing (we are not making mud), use paper towels to keep your fingers clean between mixings. As students are working ask them what flavors they are mixing, how many scoops do they think will fit, what kind of goodies will they add, how does the paint feel?

Wrap Up:
Share work as much as time allows, gallery walk around tables. Ask the group to share their experience making ice cream.

Project of the Week - Decorative Pinch Pots

Materials:

1. 1 tennis ball size lump of air dry clay
2. water bowls
3. newsprint to cover tables
4. texturing items (tools and things found in nature) for imprinting patterns


Make a ball shape out of your lump of clay. Once the ball is smooth and round, stick your thumb into the center of the ball of clay, make sure you don't go all the way through the bottom of the ball. Keeping your thumb in the clay ball begin to create a pinching motion with your hands while turning the pot, pinching from the bottom while continuing to rotate. This can take some practice, just re-shape your clay into a ball until you create a hollow bowl.

If the edges of your clay begin to crack while you are working with it, wet your fingertips in the water and work it into the cracks, smoothing them out. Just a few drops only, you don't want your clay to be soaking wet.

The goal with the pinch pot is to create a uniform thickness. Tap the bottom of the bowl on the table to get a flat bottom.

Once the bowl is formed try out some texturing tools to add patterns, lines and designs.

Let the pots dry overnight.

Use markers or paints (watercolor or acrylic), allow the textures to come through.

Enjoy!