"What Does the Fox Say?" Drawings

This was a fun 'extra' project perfect for the last week of school before the December holidays. It's based on the viral video/song "What Does the Fox Say?" by the hilarious Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis. 

The tune was so catchy and cute and the kids were singing it all the time -so I thought I could make a fun art project out of it. I chatted with the kids about what a fox does sound like (because honestly, who really knows?! I sure didn't! haha). Then we watched videos of actual fox sounds (there's alot of Yotube- wow- it's a really disturbing sound! haha)

So I demo-ed how to do some simple fox drawings after discussing fox features (pointy nose, distinctive fur markings, fluffy tail, etc.) I realized it's actually quite tricky to draw a fox so it doesn't look like a cat or a weird cat/raccoon/dog hybrid ;)

Kids drew these in pencil, outlined with a black marker and then coloured (crayons, watercolours or coloured pencils all work well). Then they had to add a speech bubble of what they thought a 'fox says'. 

Warning- the song will be in your head ALL DAY if you do this project!! 

Video: The Chalk Art of Peter Han

Such an inspiring video! Great to show students before a still-life or observational drawing lesson.

Via Colossal

Designer Peter Han (he rejects being called an artist) has worked as a conceptual designer for a number of different video games and films, but has also become known for a drawing class he teaches called Dynamic Sketching. Using only chalk, Han works with his students to let go of their preconceived notions about art and design by working in a fast, impermanent medium that always ends up being erased. The hope is to eventually free them from the idea of permanence and allow their ideas to grow through making mistakes.

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry Documentary Trailer

I've blogged about the famous Chinese artist Weiwei before. Now, a new documentary about his work is coming out. The trailer looks pretty compelling. As an antique lover, I cringed when he dropped the 2000-year old Han Dynasty vase :( But this is what Weiwei does: questions authority, defaces classical objects, and combines old world artifacts with symbols of the modern, consumerist age.

From Youtube:

Plot Summary: Ai Weiwei is China's most famous international artist, and its most outspoken domestic critic. Against a backdrop of strict censorship and an unresponsive legal system, Ai expresses himself and organizes people through art and social media. In response, Chinese authorities have shut down his blog, beat him up, bulldozed his newly built studio, and held him in secret detention. Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry is the revealing inside story of a dissident for the digital age who inspires global audiences and blurs the boundaries of art and politics. First-time director Alison Klayman gained unprecedented access to Ai while working as a journalist in China. Her detailed portrait provides a nuanced exploration of contemporary China and one of its most compelling public figures.

Creativity Needs Time

This sweet video called "Deadlines" (by KreativMagazin) illustrates how innovation and creativity need time.

Fire Drawings: Etsuko Ichikawa

I found this gorgeous video profiling artist Etsuko Ichikawa on the Anthropologie website. She's a Japanese artist who currently works in Seattle. I was absolutely blown away by the originality and subtle beauty of these 'fire drawings'. She essentially makes "pyrographs" by painting onto paper with the fire and smoke of hot glass. Discovering her medium was, like many great discoveries, an accident. Years ago, Ichikawa was assisting a Japanese glass artist, when the glass she'd gathered for him dripped off of the pipe and onto the floor. She gasped at the beautiful mark it left on the concrete. "It was shocking, visually. Really intriguing," she says.

Watch the video below.  Visit her website for more videos and photos of her work.

Iznik Tiles from Turkey

This is a very interesting video on traditional Turkish tile making I found on the cool hunting website.

A celebrated Turkish art form dormant for more than 300 years, Iznik tiles play an integral role in Turkey's Ottoman Empire history and the production of them today is a labor of love.

This video features Istanbul-based architectural historian Gökhan Karakuş, who takes us through the history and modern-day labor-intensive process of making these beautiful tiles.

I love videos that show the process of how things are made, particulary traditional art forms. It makes one appreciate handmade objects much more once they see the time, skill and energy that goes into them.



Cool Hunting Video: Iznik Tiles from Cool Hunting on Vimeo.

The Potters of San Marcos: The Clay and the Pot

This amazing pottery video shows a master potter from San Marcos Tlapatzola in Oaxaca, Mexico. Part I follows the process from digging clay to throwing a pot- without a wheel!!

How to Solve Creative Blocks

Here's an interesting video of actor Rainn Wilson, the guy who plays Dwight on The Office (great show), talking about creative block.

Star Wars in Collage!

A cool music video of Star Wars re-told using paper collage!

Jeremy Messersmith - Tatooine from Eric Power on Vimeo.

Pop-Up Book - Il était une fois...

I find pop-up books so magical- like little paper sculptures. The art behind producing them is quite complicated. This is a charming promotional video for a new, upcoming pop up book by French artist Benjamin Lacombe.
http://www.benjaminlacombe.com/

Art History-themed music video: "70 Million"

An entertaining and cheeky music video for “70 Million”, a song by Franco-American band, Hold Your Horses!, offers a wink at art history as band members playfully reconstruct famous paintings in an off the wall lyrical interpretation all their own.

70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.

Ai Weiwei's Sunflower seeds at the Tate

This exhibition in London looks amazing: 100 million hand made, hand painted porcelain sunflower seeds!!!