Fractured Cubist Oil Pastel Drawings

Here's a colourful project good for teaching analytical Cubism. To be honest my students (Grade 7-9) don't love this project so I've put it on the back-burner for now. There's alot of steps involved and you don't see the real quality until close to the end of the process. Also, my students just hate oil pastels in general! haha  

I posted all the steps previously HERE.

  

  

Foil Embossing: tin foil and Sharpies

This project is one of my most viewed projects on my blog. For good reasons: it's a very popular lesson that's found all over Pinterest. 

You will need: cereal boxes, aluminum foil, yarn, white glue, coloured Sharpies.

I posted about it previously HERE. 

Please see that link for detailed instructions and tips that works for my students. 

Some Grade 4 - 6 finished works

Symmetrical Radial Mandala Designs

This is a wonderful project for either the beginning of the school year or the end of the school year. It uses simple materials (printer paper, fine tip Sharpie and coloured pencils) and the kids really need to focus and take their time as it's quite a detailed process. I've been teaching this project for years but I think I originally found it HERE on the Incredible Art Dept website. I teach it to Grades 7-12.

You can start off by giving some art history context about Tibetan mandalas. I like to show a video which shows the process where the monks use coloured sand- it's fascinating! Then they are destroyed at the end. 

Start off by tracing a large circle (plate, bowl, etc) onto a sheet of printer paper (you decide which size). I pre-photocopy this for my students. They cut this out and then fold it in half carefully 3 - 4 times. The more times you fold it, the more complex the design with turn out.

On one section, students draw their design in pencil. 

Then, using a window, trace the design onto each section of the mandala- this 

takes time and usually 2-3 periods.

Simpler designs go faster obviously and some students start colouring.

Once the design is drawn, they outline everything with a fine tip Sharpie.

I encourage them to create gradations or value changes. 

This student used watercolours.

This one the  student cut out her design from red cardstock.