Concentric Circles Marker Design

This colour theory lesson was the first project of the Year for students in Grades 4-9. It's a great introductory lesson and helps me gauge the ability levels of any new students joining my classes.

There are many versions floating around Pinterest using a hand. I think I saw the original lesson on the excellent website: Art Projects for Kids. 

I made a template on two different sized copy paper: 8 x 11 and 11 x 17. Big paper for faster students and smaller paper for those slower 'perfectionist' types.  I just enlarged the small paper on the photocopier. We started off by discussing/explaining the concept of concentric circles (Math connection!). The they were to choose an object to draw: it could be anything but just the outline. They didn't want anything too simple yet nothing too complicated as well.

They draw their chosen image nice and large on the paper in pencil; then they could outline 

in black Sharpie if they wished.

Because the paper was simply thin photocopy paper, we used markers for the project as I find they work great on copy paper. And because it's the beginning of the year, we had FRESH NEW markers! We know how much kids love those! haha! 

We reviewed different basic types of colour theory as options for colouring their image. They could do warm/cool colours, complementary colours and I also gave them the choice of free-styling any colours they wanted because I was actually curious how they would turn out. 

I encouraged them to start with either the background or the object and 

to start colouring from the center out.

They all came out beautifully and as a display are so bright, cheery and colourful!

Some Grade 4-6 examples:

free-style colouring

warm/cool as well as complementary

free-style

free-style

Symmetrical Mandala Drawings using Reflect-View

This is a fun lesson that was introduced to me by a Math teacher at my school. 

Last year we team-taught a Math + Art cross-curricular class which we call "MART". 

For this mandala lesson, you need to buy these small plastic things called 

"Reflect-View". I found them in the Math section of the educational catalog I order from and they're very inexpensive and sturdy.

In Math, they're used to help teach the basics of geometry, including axes of symmetry, reflections, transformations, and congruence. For Art, we're using them to teach symmetry.

Mandalas are a simple starting point for this lesson but you can also teach face symmetry, insect symmetry, etc.

I found some simple mandala colouring pages online and printed them off. Then I traced three versions of them: the easiest one which is half a mandala. Then a quarter of a mandala, and the last one which is, ummm, I need a Math teacher to help me! (one-eighths?? Math was my WORST subject in school- I struggle with it to this day!) The thin pie one- it's the most difficult because student need to trace it about 7 times to get a completed mandala.

So Grade 2 students picked the sheet of paper they felt most able to do. Most chose the quarter one.

Place the Reflect-View on the middle line of the mandala and you can see it's reflection on the other side of the paper. Students slowly and carefully trace this line. It's really tricky but fun! Once the one section is traced, you keep going around until the mandala is complete. 

The finished mandala looks quite wobbly and such but it's still very charming.

Students coloured these in using coloured pencils or markers.