Plasticine Mood "Paintings"

This is a gorgeous abstract art lesson inspired by a lesson found on the Studio Sprout website. 

It uses the artist Bernice Bing as a starting point for looking at abstract expressionistic art inspired by emotions. 

I keep my plasticine stored on zip lock bags by colour. 

I pre-cut small squares of cardboard for students to work on. They were asked to think of an emotion relevant to them and try to choose colours that they felt matched that feeling. Then, in a loose and expressive way, they smeared and played with the plasticine and applied it to the cardboard however they pleased. 

Grade 4-6 artworks! I love how expressive they all turned out. 

 

Foil Embossing: tin foil and Sharpies

Here's this year's version of the very popular tin foil embossing project!

See all the steps and previous projects posted HERE and HERE.

Draw a simple design on the back of a cereal box. I encourage abstract designs (organic or geometric) but many students like to do some simple realistic images like simple landscapes.

Cut lengths of yarn and glue down using white glue. Let dry overnight.

Cut a piece of heavy duty/barbeque foil one inch larger than the cereal box. 

Cover the yarn side with a liberal amount of glue stick. Place the foil on top, and start burnishing it using a piece of felt. This helps prevent tears. Work from the center outwards, to prevent air bubbles.

Wrap and glue the excess onto the back. You can also test Sharpie colours on the back,

Colour all the sections using coloured permanent markers. 

Some finished Grade 4-6 artworks:

 

 

Abstract Air Dry Clay Sculptures

This is an abstract sculpture lesson using air dry clay. Perfect for teachers like me who don't have a kiln. My students really enjoy this project so I look forward to teaching it!

See my previous posts on this lesson HERE and HERE.

I buy one pack of air dry clay per student. I buy these at Dollarama (Canada).

Most students don't use the whole pack, for whatever reason.

I start off by showing them the work of Jean Arp and Barbara Hepworth. 

We discuss what abstract art is. Then, I do a quick demo and tell them to make any type of abstract sculpture. The only rules is it has to have a hole in it somewhere, and no parts can be thinner than a finger, as they will just break easily. 

Let these dry overnight, longer is better. 

I see my classes once a week, so they are fully dry by the next class.

The next class, students paint them using acrylic paints. They need to mix colours and use at least two.

I show them how to create metallic effects. 

Once dry, they are varnished. 

I paint on water-based varnish but you can also use a spray varnish.

This makes them shiny and helps protect the paint from chipping.

I'm a huge varnish fan and will varnish anything, lol!

Some Grade 7-9 finished sculptures: