ArtEngine

Materials Workshop: Organizing with COLOR

markers organized by hue and temperature The local thrift store in my neighborhood organizes their articles of clothing by type and by COLOR. This method of categorization is what excites my senses and motivates me to search, touch and discover great finds. But this is not the first time I have seen this done, for…

Shape Collage

Collage is a meaningful experience. It helps develop eye hand coordination and fine motor skills. It creates a deeper understanding of shape, form and detail…and of course it’s fun! You can vary your learning experiences during each lesson, while teaching collage through a variety of motivations. Today I am going to discuss the tried and…

Hand Painted Paper

Ever wonder how Eric Carle creates such vibrant and crisp, delicious illustrations? His secret is painting on archival tissue paper. The papers above were made with tempera on tissue paper. If this photo excites you, read on. Construction paper collage can be a become redundant when you work with the same colors and textures. I…

Nature Prints in Clay

Much of the texture of an object goes undiscovered when we study something with our eyes. But when we feel it with our fingers or even our cheek, we are able to discover the bumps, nooks and crannies of an object. Printing allows a viewer to discover the textural qualities of an object by sight….

Expressing Emotions through Color and Line

Music can transform any ordinary experience into something profound. Humans are inherently musical beings. As one of the first art forms, it is written in our DNA. For this selection of art activities, I play a collection of songs that have a strong emotional quality and allow students to explore color and line to express…

Materials Workshop: Painting with Children

This image displays all the necessary tools for a self-service painting session appropriate for children ages 5 and up. I will set up one muffin tin, sponge and water bucket for two students to share. You can of course use this set up with younger students, just know that the act of filling each circle…

Clay Fairy Houses and Geometry

How do you transform something that is flat into something 3-D? A clay slab can help you make that magic happen. A little rolling, folding, pinching, smoothing and voila! Such a malleable material, clay offers children the opportunity to create any shape, form or figure that they dreamed about last night. When studying geometric forms…

Joseph Cornell Inspired Assemblage

An assemblage is a work of art that is three-dimensional and is made up of found objects. It’s cousin the collage is primarily flat (2-dimensional) and made up of various torn or cut paper scraps. When you begin to add textured fabric or bottle caps and buttons to your collage, you may want to spice…

Watercolor Blow Painting

This unconventional way of painting will open up students to new ways of using tools to make art. They usually think it is silly and therefore their care free demeanor helps to create a fun and relaxed atmosphere. controlled blow painting creating a tree A more mindful and controlled work of art, this tree painting…