RaspberryKidz

These Girls are DARLING!

2011-06-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

This was our last PreK Art Lunch class, and I have to say, these girls really are darling. I'm sure I've mentioned it to each of their mothers individually, but they were such a joy to meet with every week. All three of them were sweet and had such nice manners, it made our time together so nice.

I wasn't even planning on posting anything for our last class, but I just had to start taking pictures when Kaylee took out her drink, and it had a fancy little umbrella on the straw....because, for our last day, we read three "Fancy Nancy" books. The umbrella was definitely fancy. Then Madi took out her sandwiches, cut in petite, squares, which reminded me of a fancy tea party. I asked Beatrice what she wanted to show that was fancy, and she chose her fancy raincoat.

All three girls were all familiar with Fancy Nancy, but I don't think any of them read all three that we covered. One thing I really like about Fancy Nancy (besides the adorable illustrations), is that this young girl is so different from the rest of her family (especially her "plain" mom). I can relate to this because sometimes I wonder, about my son and daughter, where did they getthat?

The books are cute and sweet and celebrate being fancy along with unconditional love and doing the right thing. The girls made some magnificent (that's a fancy word for great) fancy picture frames.....

Monet Monet

2011-06-03T10:52:00.001-07:00

I was so disappointed that I forgot to bring my camera to Tuesday's Under the Influence Class. We learned about Monet, and I was so happy with the pictures the children created. I would have loved to post them here.

After looking at Monet paintings, we talked about Impressionism and the effect of light on images. Because the paintings were mostly done with sponges, I knew many of them would be done quickly, so when they finished, students were free to work on a large group "mural" on giant role paper.

Since I did remember my camera for Thursday's class, those are the paintings posted here.

SPLAT!

2011-06-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

I love Splat the Cat books, so we read three of them this week in PreK Art Lunch: the original, the Christmas book and the Valentine book. All of the stories are sweet, and the illustrations are fabulous.

After reading and talkin g, we made puppet cats out of paper lunch bags. The results—adorable!

Comic Inspiration

2011-05-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

This week in Under the Influence, we were inspired by Roy Lichtenstein. The students had two projects to chose from—one based on a starburst and one based on some of his "comic strip" people.

I was excited for this class because I've never taught Lichtenstein before, and I knew there were many options for the kids to take it in their own direction.

They did not disappoint.

Fun with Folding

2011-05-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

I came up with the origami idea for PreK Art Lunch last week, when we made our crocodiles. The croc bodies were folded accordion-style, and I mentioned to the girls that that's how you would make a fan. They seemed really interested in making fans, but by the time our scheduled project was done, we were out of time.

So this week, we read "Yoko's Paper Cranes" by Rosemary Wells (the creator of Max and Ruby). In it, Yoko learned how to make origami paper cranes from her grandfather in Japan. Wben Yoko moved to California with her parents, she made some cranes on her own and mailed them to her grandparents.

Cranes were a bit too complex for our class, so we made fans and hats instead.

Klee Class

2011-05-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

In Under the Influence this week, we studied Paul Klee. I thought it was a good transition from Kandinsky last week, as some of their styles are similar, and we learned that they were colleagues and both taught at the German Bauhaus school of art, design and architecture.

I demonstrated a Paul Klee-inspired portrait, but opened the project up to include shapes, architecture, or really whatever they wanted. They were inspired by everything from hearts to buildings to lifesavers....

Lovin' Lyle

2011-05-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite books is "Lyle the Crocodile." I love the illustrations as much as I love Lyle. My daughter and I enjoy checking out all the Lyle books from the library (there are several). We've even seen "Lyle the Musical" and own the catchy soundtrack.

I picked up "Lyle the Crocodile" the last time I visited the library, along with "Lyle Walks the Dogs," (a counting book I had never seen before). In PreK Art Lunch we started by reading the original "Lyle." It's a long book, so I decided to go right to the craft when we were done. We made .... wait for it ....crocodiles! I showed the girls how to fold the paper like a fan for the body. Then I let them cut out the head, eyes and tail on their own. They added the googly eyes and then were free to dress up their crocs however they chose.

Kaylee gave hers a bow, Beatrice added a flowery hat and Madi made a nice scarf. I love how they all use their imaginations to create something unique.

The popsicle stick legs allow them to use their crocs as puppets, which they did a bit of in the final few minutes of class.

Happy Family

2011-05-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

I felt honored to get this next job. Judy K. is friend of my mom's, and years ago she had Ed Paschke (one of my favorite artists) do a family portrait/mural in her home. This is another family portrait, yet on a much smaller scale. Judy's granddaughter drew this picture of herself with her parents, and it was so much fun to work on. Not only is it a happy family, but the sun is even happy to be shining on the trio. How can you not smile when looking at it?

Kandinsky & Color

2011-05-14T07:25:00.000-07:00

This was the third time I've taught Kandinsky in Under the Influence. The first time, we based our pictures on his triangle/diamond color study. The next time, we did his squares with concentric rings. We used oil pastels both times (I love the way they can blend to look like paint).

This time, I opened up the project by teaching mixed media—how the children could use many different materials in the same piece. They had water colors, oil pastels and paper (to tear) to choose from.

After looking at his paintings, I let them loose to interpret his use of color and shapes through their own eyes and in their own style. What I like so much is that each one is so unique, yet they all work so well together.

Something's Fishy

2011-05-14T07:14:00.000-07:00

In PreK Art Lunch this week–everything was fishy! We read three books: Rainbow Fish to the Rescue, Swimmy and Fish is Fish. All three books were about solving problems through accepting others, and accepting oneself.

So, of course, we made fish. The girls all chose to make "rainbow" fish, and they all did swimmingly!

Kisses for Mother's Day

2011-05-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

This week in Storytime Art, I wanted to read “The Kissing Hand,” because I thought it would be perfect for Mother’s Day. But “The Kissing Hand” was checked out at the library. I did find “A Pocket Full of Kisses,” which seems to be the sequel, and also has a loving mother/child relationship. After that, we read “Sylvester and the Magic Pebble” and “Seeing Stars.” All three books had stars in them, and that was a unifying symbol we incorporated into the craft project.

I had little boxes for the girls to paint, and they added a small pebble from Sylvester, stars from all the books, and some Hershy’s Kisses inside from A Pocket Full of Kisses. The original idea was to be a Mother’s Day gift, but I think they may end up keeping them and just sharing a kiss or two!

Simplicity Rules

2011-05-06T08:49:00.000-07:00

We learned about Keith Haring in Under the Influence of Art this week. On Tuesday, after talking about his style and looking at pictures of his work, I had two projects the kids could work on. One was a small picture, using what we learned about color, bold lines, simple shapes and symbols.

The other was a large-scale outline of their bodies, reflective of what we learned about Keith Haring’s large chalk drawings he did in the NY subways.

The students really got into these projects, and they worked until the last second, with some work left unfinished. So I decided to scale back for the Thursday class. Instead, we stuck with the smaller pictures, something I suggested might make a nice Mother’s Day gift. And, instead of doing a full-scale outline, we usd the large roll paper as ‘Keith Haring-inspired’ wrapping paper.

Rock Me Amedeo

2011-04-29T11:34:00.000-07:00

I thought a good way to start the new session of Under the Influence would be with self portraits. We've done portraits before, but this time we learned about Amedeo Modigliani. The elongated heads and necks he painted gave his portraits an "elegant" look.

I like to start the class learning about an artist and doing a brief demonstration of the project, explaining the guidelines to help the students focus. However, not everyone always wants to do the project the way it is explained. I tell them this class is meant to be fun, and I'm not grading them. I want them to be influenced by what they see, but they don't have to (and shouldn't) copy. They are the artists, so they are free to do what they want. Some students chose to do self portraits, some did portraits of friends or made up people, and some did animals. I think they are all "elegant."

Wild About Books (and Art)

2011-04-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

The spring session has begun, and in PreK Art Lunch we got started with 4 great books, all about reading. We discussed them, picking our favorites, and then made (what else?) bookmarks! Here's to a great session and lots of reading....

BYOB

2011-04-15T16:29:00.001-07:00

In PreK Art Lunch, I asked the children to bring in a book from home that we could read. Before reading each one, we heard why that book was chosen.

Maggie picked the classic Runaway Bunny, Kaylee brought a Dora Easter book, Jimmie had a Star Wars book, and Teo chose Where the Wild Things Are. He was also kind enough to pass out Wild Things pencils to everyone in the class. And Jimmy brought paper from home in case anyone wanted to draw Star Wars characters. Beatrice didn’t have a book, but I had brought some from home, and she chose “Loopy,” but she did not want her picture taken.

Free to Be You & Me

2011-04-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

This was our last week of classes this session, and it’s the week before Spring Break, so I wanted to do something a little different in my classes.

In Tuesday’s Under the Influence class, we briefly reviewed some of the things we learned this session, and then the students were free to draw whatever they wanted, in whatever medium was available. Not having a lesson was a challenge to a few of them, as it was very difficult for them to decide what to draw, but eventually everyone came up with something.

Thursday I was planning to do the same thing. Before class I found out the Movie Making after school class was premiering their movie in the auditorium. So after drawing for a bit, we took a “field trip” to see “The Dark Side of the School....the story of the Fluffy Ruler”—or some such title I can’t seem to remember. It was a fun show and looks like a great clss. When we returned to the room, everyone was ready to finish up their pictures. I enjoyed seeing the variety of subjects drawn and processes used to complete them.

Some Sweet Art

2011-04-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Wayne Thiebaud is the artist we learned about in Under the Influence this week. He's an American artist who is associated with the Pop art movement, repeating everyday objects, such as cakes, lipsticks and gumball machines. I showed the students some samples and had them point out some themes. They came up with "bright colors, repetition and food."

Then I showed them how to make a replica of an image by drawing it first and then turning the paper over onto a new sheet and drawing on the back so the pencil gets transferred to the new sheet. This was difficult for some of them, but when it worked, they were thrilled. I also gave them the option of cutting out a stencil and tracing it or cutting out a few of the repeated shapes and pasting them down. Most of them wanted to try the transfer technique.

Something from Nothing

2011-04-09T07:23:00.000-07:00

This week in PreK Art Lunch, we read one of my favorite books, "Joseph Had a Little Overcoat," about a man who had an overcoat that got old and worn. So he turned it into a jacket. When the jacket got old and worn he turned it into a vest. When the vest got old and worn he turned it into a scarf and so on and so on. The book is neat because there are cutouts throughout, showing the cloth getting smaller and smaller, until all that's left is a little button. At the very end, Joseph loses the button, so he is left with nothing. So what does he do? He writes a book about it and shows how you can make something out of nothing.

The other book we read was based on The Emperor's New Clothes, which in its own way, is about making something out of nothing—or is it about making nothing out of something? Either way, we made little people, complete with clothes made of actual cloth and buttons for accents.

Lunch with Mr. Pine

2011-04-01T07:27:00.000-07:00

Mr. Pine's Purple House was one of my favorite books when I was little. When I had kids of my own, I put it on hold at the library and was happy to find it was as cute as I remembered. When I started teaching this class, I thought Mr. Pine's Purple House would be a perfect book to share.

First we talked about our own homes and what colors the buildings are where we live. Nobody in the group had ever seen a purple house.

The book is about Mr. Pine, who lives on Vine Street, where there are 50 white houses, all in a line. How can Mr. Pine tell which house is his? First, he plants a pine tree in his front yard. All of his neighbors love it, and they all copy him. So now there are 50 white houses with 50 pine trees. So he plants a bush. You guessed it...all of his neighbors do the same.

Finally, Mr. Pine decides to paint his house—purple. When his neighbors, who happen to have last names of "Green," "Gray" and "Gold" decide to paint their houses, he shouts, "NO! Not 50 purple houses all in a line." But they decide to paint their houses all different colors (which do not coincide with their last names, a little twist I find amusing).

For our project, the children created their own unique houses. If they were to see it on the street, they would surely know it was where they lived.

Welcome to Daliwood

2011-04-01T07:21:00.000-07:00

This week we were under the influence of Salvador Dali. After looking at some of his work and discussing surrealism and its dreamlike qualities, the kids were able to pick from a table full of magazine pictures I had previously cut out.

They were to arrange them on their page however they liked, and I encouraged them to draw a background to better illustrate where these objects were—whether they belonged there or not!

If I Could Talk to the Animals...

2011-03-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

....I'd love to talk to the ones created in art class last week! We learned about Henri Rousseau. We looked at some of his tiger pictures, monkeys and apes. Most of them were in the jungle. The students were asked to chose an animal and place it in an environment. I wanted them to try to show some objects in front and some behind the animal to show its position in its surroundings.

All of the kids worked hard, and I was very impressed with the outcomes. This was the first time I've lead this project, and at the end of the hour, some of the kids were already discussing which animal they'll do the next time they take my class....I guess it's a keeper!

PreK Draws Monsters

2011-03-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

It was Monster Week in PreK Art. We read "Jeremy Draws a Monster," "Leonardo the Terrible Monster" and "Where the Wild Things Are"—all three great books.

Then, just like Jeremy did, Beatrice, Teo, Kaylee, Jimmy and Maggie drew their own monsters. Most of them chose to create nice monsters, like Leonardo turned out to be at the end of the book.

Green Scene

2011-03-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

This week in PreK Art lunch we read 3 really good books, appropriate for St. Patrick's Day. A couple of them were kind of long, so after the children ate their lunches, I let them start right in on their coloring pages. Then we all broke out the green play-do I made at home and had fun making and squishing different shapes. Since they took the play-do home, I hope they continued to use it on St. Patrick's Day and beyond.

Coming Full Circle

2011-03-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

This week we learned about Sonia Delaunay, a Ukranian artist born in 1885. We focused, as you’ll see, on her pictures using circles. She was obsessed with color, and her paintings explored the power, versatility and vibrancy of colors.

Before we started, we talked a bit about composition; where things are placed on the page. I wanted to focus more on composition than on medium, so I told them they could use colored pencils, markers, crayons, or a combination of any of those.

They started by tracing circles on the page—varying sizes in different locations, some inside others. I brought some objects to trace from home, and I also suggested they find different circle objects around the classroom. It was a good excuse for them to get up and walk around (something they’re happy to do after a full day of school).

Once their circles were done, they used rulers to divide them into different sections, and they colored each of those sections however they wanted.

Each week I just love how the same directions result in such a variety of styles and interpretations.

Like a Dream

2011-03-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

Last week in Under the Influence, it was all about Chagall. We learned how he tended to do dreamlike paintings, including things you wouldn't see in real life: floating people, mixed up sizes, bright colors. The project was to paint things that didn't quite make sense. They were encouraged to cover the entire paper, though few of them chose to do that. When they were done, they took turns explaining what was in their pictures, and I have to hand it to them....this is a very creative group!

Do YOU have a hat?

2011-03-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

We do!

Who would have guessed there were so many great hat books out there. In PreK Art Lunch we read five of them, and then we decorated our own hats!

The Great Figures!

2011-03-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

I loved this week's Under the Influence of Art project. We learned about Charles DeMuth. We focused on his most famous painting, "The Figure Five in Gold," which was inspired by a poem, "The Great Figure," written by his friend William Carlos William.

The Great Figure

by William Carlos William

Among the rain

and lights

I saw the figure 5

in gold

on a red

fire truck

moving

tense

unheeded

to gong clangs

siren howls

and wheels rumbling

through the dark city

Since our art class is all about being inspired by other artists, this was very appropriate. The students learned you can find inspiration anywhere—in a poem as much as a painting.

So, we turned this idea around, and if they wanted, the children wrote a poem inspired by their picture.

Blast Off!

2011-03-04T11:21:00.001-08:00

This week in PreK Art Lunch, we read three books that had something to do with rockets. "Hush Little Alien" is a play on "Hush Little Baby," with aliens. "A Circle in the Sky" shows how a girl uses various geometric shapes to build a rocket and fly to the moon. And "On the Launch Pad" is a counting book. Counting down from 12, the spaceship blasts off at the end of the book.

Though I didn't plan it this way, the project of making our own rocket pictures was especially timely because Nettel2theMetal was distributed on the same day, and the PreK section featured the students' ideas of where they would choose to blast off if they could.

Kids Love Finger Painting

2011-02-27T09:13:00.000-08:00

....well at least mine do. That's why I always seem to do a Seurat art class. That and the fact that most students are familiar with Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." And if they're not, they can see it at the Art Institute of Chicago. For this class, I told the kids to paint whatever they wanted, but I encouraged them to used dots to fill the entire page with color. Some chose to do that, others did not. But I think they all had fun and ended up with some great pieces.

Happy Happy

2011-02-25T17:08:00.000-08:00

My birthday fell on a Thursday a few weeks ago. I was planning on doing a birthday project during PreK Art Lunch, but we didn't have class because of the blizzard. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't happy with the books I had anyways, so it all worked out.

This past Thursday was Ms. Jane's birthday. Jane Cornett is in charge of all of the Jane's Place after school programming at Nettelhorst. She has always supported me, since I came to her last year with my idea to teach "Under the Influence....of Art." This year, when I told her I wanted to teach a class to Ms. Nakamura's 1/2-day prekindergarten students, she was open to the idea. With the class being in the middle of the day, space was limited, but she helped me work that out as well, and we now have a wonderful class every Thursday.

So, in honor of Ms. Jane's birthday, we finally did a birthday project, though it wasn't the one I had originally planned, and I found a great book for this one. "The Birthday Fish" is about a little girl who always wished for a pony for her birthday and never got one. She even had a name, Marigold, picked out for the pony. When she opened the gift from her parents that she was hoping would be a very small pony, she was disappointed to find it was a fish. The story shows in a whimsical way how she formed a relationship with the fish (the fish begged her not to dump it down the drain), and in the end, she loved the fish and named it Marigold. It teaches us that we might not always get what we wish for, but it might be exactly what we end up wanting.

So, we made fish, and they turned out adorable.

Going, going, going....

2011-02-21T13:40:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year: the spring fundraiser at Nettelhorst. This year we have a raffle (you can win $10,000! so please contact me if you are interested in purchasing a ticket or ten), a gala in downtown Chicago and an online auction. Check it out to bid on everything from jewelry to electronics to sports and entertainment tickets.

This year my contribution is once again a Raspberrykidz gift certificate. However, I also wanted to do something more. My daughter's first grade teacher, Ms. Lennard, helped me out by having all the kids draw what they thought represented First Grade, inside the classroom and out on the playground. They came up with some great interpretations! I then incorporated them to create two pieces: First Grade: INSIDE and First Grade: OUTSIDE. Each piece is matted to fit a standard 11x14 inch size frame, and every student's artwork is represented in one or both of the pictures. Some of the elements are raised up a bit, lending a 3- quality to the scene as well.

Below, you can see both pieces, along with a few of the original drawings from the students. See if you can find where they are used in the larger piece....

First Grade: INSIDE

First Grade: OUTSIDE

If you would like to order a Raspberry inspired by your child's doodles, please contact me, or better yet, bid on the gift certificate in the auction!

A little Joy

2011-02-21T11:57:00.001-08:00

As a member of the Etsy Kids team, I'm excited to start a small mini-series, highlighting other members through occasional interviews. The first interview is with Sarah from Joyfully Sewn Designs. Every item in her Etsy shop has been individually and lovingly made by her. You will find everything from feminine dresses to jumpers, tops, skirts and more. Here's a little bit more about her....

1. How long have you been sewing?
I've grown up sewing little things here and there, but I really got seriously into sewing about 11 years ago right after finishing high school. My grandma taught me to sew and passed on her love of it to me as well as modeling for me the joy of serving others through sewing. I've began doing custom sewing for friends in 2000 and gradually branched out to friends of friends over the years. In the fall of 2009, I decided to step out into the world of online sewing and opened an Etsy shop - Joyfully Sewn Designs.

2. What inspires you?
My biggest inspiration comes from seeing or hearing of the joy my outfits have given to the little (or not so little) girls who have received them. I love to know that I can create something that will give others pleasure! :)

3. What is your favorite time of day to work?
Morning is my favorite time of day to work although I usually enjoy sewing any time of the day. In the morning I'm fresh and ready to tackle whatever project is next on my list!

4. Do you have a favorite item in your shop?
Nope, sorry. :) I like nearly everything I make. :)

5. Who are the adorable models in your shop?
Aren't they cute?! :) My sweet, willing models are girls from church who gladly play dress up for me, and daughters of friends who have generously offered to do pictures for me in exchange for some sewing. :)

6. Can you explain the process of a custom order? Do you send the customer a sketch first?
Most of my custom orders come from someone who has seen something in my shop that they like, but they need it in a different size and/or color. I ask my customer to tell me what they are looking for, and then I go to the fabric store to check on fabric possibilities for them. I then send the customer pictures of fabric choices. Once they have chosen their fabric, I get measurements from them, and start on their order. When I'm doing an order for a specific person, I like to make a custom size to make sure the outfit will fit that person's unique build.

7. What are three words that describe your shop?
Cute, feminine, and modest

8. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I really don't know - wherever the Lord leads me. :)

9. What do you like to do when you're not sewing?
When I'm not sewing, I love to read, cook, bake, play with my niece and nephews or the children at church, enjoy God's beautiful creation, read money saving blogs, and enter blog giveaways! :)

10. Anything else you would like to share?
You can include the coupon code ETSYKIDSPROMOTE for 10% off in my shop through the end of February. Also my blog address is http://whatsoeveryedo.blogspot.com

ROYGBIV

2011-02-20T13:44:00.000-08:00

With the warm weather we've been having, I thought it was the perfect week for "Planting a Rainbow" and "What makes a Rainbow?" After reading both of them, the children were given tissue paper to create their own 'rainbow gardens.' These pictures (and the warmer temperatures) make me smile.

Jean Debuffet Deja Vu

2011-02-20T13:23:00.000-08:00

Sometimes things just work out well. A few weeks ago, because of the blizzard in Chicago, school was cancelled, so we didn't have art class on Thursday. That was the week we were learning about Jean Debuffet. It was a fun class, and I was sorry the Thursday class missed it. This past week, we had a special Tuesday class for heART of the City, which took us off our usual plan. So, that opened up Thursday's class to do a "makeup" class of Jean Debuffet. See how that all worked out?

heART of the City

2011-02-16T11:19:00.000-08:00

This week was a special Under the Influence class. The after school classes at Nettelhorst are made possible through Jane Addams Hull House. On Saturday, February 26, the Hull House Associate Board is presenting "the heART of the City Fundraiser" in support of Hull House community arts programming.

Our class was asked to help with art items for the auction. I called in a few extra children, and the Hull House provided canvases, paints and brushes. The kids had a great time, and I think it shows in their work.

You can view additional photos here.

Valentine on a Dine

2011-02-10T16:21:00.001-08:00

For Valentine's Day in Under the Influence of Art, we learned about Jim Dine. He has so many great heart pictures. They're all different, but they have some elements that tie them together. In other words, he has a recognizable style.

The students folded their paper into 8 sections and were told to draw different hearts in each section. Then they could color them as they wished. I let them choose from paint, water colors, pastels, oil pastels, markers, sharpies, crayons and colored pencils. They could do them all in the same medium or mix them up. You can clearly see how all their hearts are different, yet they each have a unique style that unifies the whole picture. Everyone did a fabulous job.

After I took these pictures, if they wanted, the students could cut them out to make 4 or 8 valentine cards. A few chose to do this, and a couple even made theirs into booklets. I love when they get creative and make the project their own.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I heart art

2011-02-10T16:20:00.001-08:00

For PreK Lunch Art today, we read Valentine books. The graphic designer in me loves 'My Heart is Like a Zoo' because it shows all different animals, made up of heart shapes. ;1•2•3 Valentine's Day; is a cute counting book with a clever ending, and 'If you'll Be My Valentine' is a sweet book with a nice rhyme. We also read 'Love Bugs,' which is a small pop-up book, but I can't seem to find that one now (thank goodness it's the one I own, and not from the library).

I chose to do a classic construction paper heart for the craft today. There are so many things to do with hearts, and so many projects that tell you exactly what to do, but I always liked the basic paper heart. I helped the kids with the folded shape, they did the cutting and presto, a giant heart for them to decorate as they pleased. I put out stickers, markers, stamps, crayons and foam shapes. After these pictures were taken, some of them decided to add some glitter as well.

With our class size growing, I realize the projects will have to stay quite simple. I want to give the kids enough time to eat a good lunch, which works well because that's when I do the reading. With 5 children, all working at their own pace I have to be sure the project isn't too complicated as to where some can't finish. And then there's clean up! Today's project worked well because some of it was structured (they all did hearts), they got to practice cutting, and some of it was open (they could choose how much or how little they wanted to decorate their hearts). After I tied ribbon to the hearts, some of them had fun running around in circles with their 'heart kites.'

Happy Valentine's Day!

Something's Fishy

2011-02-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

Lori sent me fish pictures her twin children, Brooke and Andy, created. I immediately loved them. They have great color and details. They are different, but they work great as a pair (probably just like Brooke and Andy themselves!). Since I just matted them today, I thought I'd post them so she could get a sneak peak before I mail them off.

Lori sent me fish pictures her twin children, Brooke and Andy, created. I immediately loved them. They have great color and details. They are different, but they worked great as a pair (probably just like Brooke and Andy themselves!). Since I just matted them today, I thought I'd post them so she could get a sneak peak before I mail them off.

Under the Influence of Jean Debuffet

2011-02-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

The Big Chicago Blizzard of 2011 started yesterday afternoon. I was so happy that my after-school art class had not been cancelled, as I was very excited for this project. My husband had taken the afternoon off work, so he drove me to school and picked us up after class as the snow really started to fall. Today was the first SNOW DAY Chicago Public Schools have seen in a looong time. And I just found out, tomorrow is another snow day! Tomorrow is my big art day, where I teach preschoolers at 11:30 and Under the Influence after school. (It's also my 40th birthday.) I was planning on reading Birthday Books to the preschoolers and decorating boxes for presents. Though the presents would be cute, the birthday books were not my favorite. So, next week we'll probably move on to something else.

I'm posting the pictures from Under the Influence's Tuesday class now, as there will not be one on Thursday. I hope all of my students enjoy their 2nd SNOW DAY....see you all next week!

This week we learned about Jean Debuffet, a French painter who was fascinated by the art of children and the insane. What a perfect artist for my class: we've got children, and a teacher who might be a bit crazy at times : ).

The students drew pictures (mostly animals or people) with pencil, traced over them in black sharpies and colored them in heavily with crayon. Next, they crumpled the paper up in a ball a few times, flattened it out and then went over it in water color, giving it a fun kind of energy. I love how all of these turned out!

Picasso Portraits

2011-01-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

In Under the Influence of Art, I decided it was time to paint. I repeated a project I've done in previous classes, based on Picasso. We started by looking at portraits Picasso had done, some realistic and some abstract. We looked at his color choice as well. The students drew self portraits in pencil (though, I also let them draw anyone else, including their pets or a fictional character). Then they went over the image in black marker. Lastly, they chose one color with which to work. I gave them that one color, along with a little black and a little white. Using these colors and water, they created different shades and tints. They then labeled the pictures their "blue period" or their "yellow period" depending on their color choice, just as Picasso went through his different periods.

Fairy Focus

2011-01-28T07:18:00.000-08:00

This week in PreK Art Lunch we read 2 great books: The Very Fairy Princess by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton and Alice the Fairy by David Shannon. When we were done, the kids made crowns/tiaras and magic wands/swords. They decorated them with paint, gems and sparkles.

Bedrooms at Nettelhorst

2011-01-21T15:28:00.001-08:00

This week in Under the Influence, we learned about Vincent Van Gogh. In the past, we've done Starry Night, and I loved that project , but this time I wanted to try something different. So, I went with Bedroom at Arles. The students mapped out their own bedrooms in pencil, then added color with colored pencil. If they wanted, they could add even more color with pastels. I also said they could add any colors and or objects to make it their "fantasy" bedroom. I enjoyed seeing the whole process, and the results are great.

You might notice that my daughter Sam is in her pjs. She didn't finish her picture during classtime, but right when we got home, she took out the colored pencils and completed her work. Also, when I took Aidan's photo, he didn't want to hold his picture, but it is one of the ones below. And the picture of him by himself is just so darn cute. : )

Let it Snow

2011-01-21T14:40:00.000-08:00

It's so appropriate that I am posting this art class on the coldest day of the year (or so I heard). This week in PreK Art Lunch we read a bunch of books about snow. Our project was making snowpeople based on Snowballsby Lois Ehlert. The children worked on their cutting skills to make the snowballs and then attached objects with glue to decorate them.

I really look forward to this class. I'm enjoying getting to know Beatrice and Teo. They're both really opening up. The first day, Beatrice didn't want me to take a picture of her project, but this time she let me take a picture of her. And Teo has been talking more, answering questions and offering his opinion. They are both great kids, and I'm loving our Thursday time together.

Fly Your Flag

2011-01-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

This week in Under the Influence, we learned about Jasper Johns. The students learned that he often painted everyday things (a flag, a bullseye, numbers). After looking at samples of his work, I guided their pieces by suggesting a flag (though it wasn't a must, as I want them to do whatever they feel like...within reason) incorporating a bullseye and/or numbers if they chose. They used pencil, Sharpies and oil pastels, learning how to blend the colors to create a painterly effect.

I was so impressed with how focused the children were, and by how great each piece ended up.

The Very Crafty Children

2011-01-14T11:24:00.000-08:00

This week in PreK Art Lunch, we read books by Eric Carle. Starting with Walter the Baker and Ending with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, we also read The Very Clumsy Click Bettle and The Very Busy Spider. We looked at Eric Carle's beautiful artwork and talked about similarities in all the books (a lot seemed to happen early in the morning, and the sun plays a big role). By the time we got to The Very Hungry Caterpillar, lunch had mostly been eaten, and we were all anxious to work on the art project. I had done this project once years ago with one of my kids, on a trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory. I thought it was so cute and clever, I decided to use it myself. As we read through everything the caterpillar ate, the children filled their snack bags with the appropriate number and color pom poms (5 oranges = 5 orange pom poms, though I do admit to letting them choose other colors if they wanted to). I had cut out mini foam shapes to resemble a pickle, slice of watermelon, swiss cheese, etc., so they found those and added them to the bag at the appropriate time. When the caterpillar finally transformed into a butterfly, we put the bags together with a clothespin, added antennae and had our very own butterflies. And this time, even Beatrice let me take a picture of hers. : )

A Sun, A Heart a Rainbow and a Smiling Child....

2011-01-10T08:37:00.000-08:00

....what could make that picture any better?

How about the words "Happy Mudrs Day"? This picture was done by Max, and his mother asked me to turn it into a "raspberry." What better way to save those cards, notes and little doodles your kids draw all the time?

I'll admit, I save almost everything that says "mom" on it. : )

Busy Art Day

2011-01-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday is my big art day at school. I teach a PreK Art Lunch class (see previous post), and I also teach another "Under the Influence" after school class. There are a lot of students signed up for my Thursday class, so I have a lot of art to show off. Again, we learned about Romare Bearden. I am planning on keeping my Tuesday and Thursday art classes the same. If there is a child who comes to both (like my children), I try to encourage them to take the project a step further. So, we did initials again this time (see Tuesday's post), but my son decided to do a picture collage to shake things up a bit.

I love how all of these turned out!

Thursday is a big class, and this was a fairly complicated project to start the semester, with lots of steps. The kids all did a great job!

Note: In the future, I will probably just combine these two classes to make up one post.

PreK Art Lunch-Week 1

2011-01-07T08:59:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was our first PreK Art Lunch Class, and it was lots of fun. This first week there were 2 children, Teo and Beatrice. Others will be joining us in upcoming weeks. For the first day, I thought a great book to start things off would be "The Dot" by Peter Reynolds, one of my favorites. It's about a girl named Vashti who says she can't draw. Her art teacher tells her to "just make a mark and see where it takes you." Vashti angrily jabs her marker onto her paper. Her teacher looks at it and says "Now sign it," so Vashti does. The next week, when she goes to art class, Vashti sees her dot hanging above her teacher's desk, "all framed in swirly gold!" The rest of the story follows where that one mark ends up taking Vashti, how her art teacher encouraged her, and how Vashti goes on to encourage others. I love this book.

We simply started by making our own "dot" paintings. With just dots, it was interesting to see how different the two final pieces turned out. There's really so much you can do with just dots. Beatrice did not want me to take a picture of her artwork, but Teo let me, so I am only posting his. I think it's great, and I too framed it in a little swirly gold.

A New Year....and New Art Classes!

2011-01-05T08:41:00.001-08:00

I'm so excited to be offering 3 art classes this year at my kids' school this year. I am again teaching "Under the Influence....of Art," but on two days instead of just one (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Because I have some repeat students, and just to keep it fresh, I am changing up some of the artists we learn about. Or, if we repeat some of the big artists, the projects might be switched up a bit. I have a new energy for this class.

I'm also super excited for a new class that I will be teaching Thursdays during the day, "PreK Art Lunch" for those preschoolers that are in 1/2-day preschool. They will bring a sack lunch and eat while I read them a story. Then we'll work on a small craft project related to the story. I can't wait for our first story tomorrow.

The first day of "Under the Influence" went really well. We learned about Romare Bearden, and then the students made mixed media pictures containing collage, crayon and water color. We started simple, with their initials (or a letter of their choice—for some reason my son chose "W"), but the outcome looks quite complex. I love the way the final artwork shows so much texture, just like Bearden's work.

I'm planning on posting more of the same project after Thursday's class, and I am also planning on posting pictures from the new PreK Art Lunch class. I think most kids love seeing their artwork on the web (I know mine do!), and I hope it encourages them as well.

2010-11-26T07:52:00.000-08:00

By Georgia, I Think She's Got It!

2010-11-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since my last post. I've been busy working on a couple magazines I design for Chicago Public Schools, illustrating my sister's children's book, and teaching my afterschool art class. Speaking of that last one, the class has been going very well. A few weeks ago, we studied Georgia O'Keeffe. I wasn't completely satisfied with the projects we had done in previous classes, so this session I tried something different. The students drew two flowers, continuing to outline them to the edge of the paper. This created an abstract feel. We discussed "warm" and "cool" colors, and the children painted one flower mostly in warm colors and the other one mainly in cool colors. We discussed how the colors made us feel.

Dindi has been taking my class for a long time. Not only is she a great artist, but she is also one of my daughter's best friends. Her mother asked me to enhance some of her pictures, and the Georgia O'Keeffe project was one of them. I love these, and I think Dindi should be very proud of herself!

With the holidays right around the corner, now is the perfect time to place your order for a one-of-a-kind work of art. Be sure to contact me with any questions.

rachel

jrswits@sbcglobal.net

The Karate Pig

2010-09-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

Abi loves tae kwon do. And she loves pigs. It's a good thing MagnumPIg likes to try everything. Here he is as a black belt, ready to hang around Abi's room.

It Runs in the Family

2010-08-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

I've done artwork in the past inspired by a boy named Alex Pither.

Well, who would have guessed, but his little sister,

Abi, is a talented artist as well!

Here's a picture she drew one day in Sunday School.

Whooos the best?

2010-07-28T15:51:00.000-07:00

I saw my sister Lauren today, and she gave me this beautiful owl bead she made....for no reason. It's not my birthday, it's not a holiday, I didn't have her over for dinner. What a nice surprise! Lauren has always been a great, generous sister, and she's a fabulous lampwork artist as well. You can check out her shop, Maybeads. Infact, if you want to see better pictures of her adorable critter beads (she has everything from owls to dogs, cats and turtles), you should definitely see her shop. Her husband takes professional photos of her beads. I had trouble getting a good shot of the intricate details with my small camera. This picture really doesn't do her work justice. THANKS LAUREN!!

Since I'm working on animals for my own shop, I might try owls next! In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at the turtle I'm working on now. Meet Scooter (named by my daughter Samantha).

BAM!

2010-07-24T09:53:00.001-07:00

I love this picture my daughter drew a while back. I finally had a chance to work on it, and I was happy to have Sam help me with the colors. There were some things I needed clarifying too. I thought the dots were fireworks. When it was time to color them, she decided on white. That reminded me more of stars. But then, she told me it was confetti or the lights from a disco ball (no, we do not have a disco ball in our dining room, but what a great idea!).

I also wasn't sure what the tall pillars were. I asked if they were candles or drinks. She said drinks and then she asked what color wine was. So, I gave us each a glass of red wine (why is his glass bigger than mine?).

Kids' art can be interpreted differently depending on the viewer, but it's always nice to hear what things are from the artists themselves.

Oh, and I'm planning on listing this one on etsy as well, so please check out my shop when you have a chance:

We are a Family

2010-07-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

What's that old saying...the cobbler's kids never have new shoes? Something like that right? Well, if I was a cobbler, my kids would be running around barefoot (ok, they do anyways). As it is, they have been lacking in the custom art area lately. I originally started turning Ethan's art into Raspberries, and even though he's been busy working on Pokemon battle drawings and a new comic ("Hot Dog and the Stampede of Evil Popcorn" about a hot dog with super powers), I have thankfully saved much of his older work, when he was more into drawing girls, fairies and mermaids.

That being said, I haven't done nearly as much with Samantha's drawings (let's not even get into the issues of being the 2nd child!). And she has so many adorable drawings that have inspired me. I finally carved out some time to finish a piece she created a while back. I'm looking forward to doing more. : )

That Was Fast!

2010-07-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much to everyone who entered my pig-naming contest. I love all of the names! It was hard for me to decide on a winner. Initially, I thought "Porkchop" has to be it. Then I changed my mind to "Magnum PIg." It seems to fit my pig perfectly, as he likes to do so many things and dress up in different outfits, just like a private investigator. The winner is Karen from Runs With Scissors! Check out her shop when you have a chance. She chose the Hawaiian PIg as her prize.

I'm hoping to list Magnum PIg in my shop soon. I'll let everyone know through facebook, so if you're not linked to me there, you can do so here.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear what you want to see Magnum PIg doing next. My kids have come up with a bunch of things already, and I'd love to hear from you too!

Mighty Blackhawks!

2010-07-19T08:15:00.000-07:00

When the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup this year, many people went out and bought championship t-shirts. Here's a better way to commemorate the win. 7-1/2 year-old Luke made this great picture that his mom sent me to have enhanced and matted.

This Little Piggy Needs a Name

2010-07-17T10:54:00.000-07:00

Introducing my new pig line! This little piggy can do anything: touch his toes, fly through the air, jumprope, juggle, dance...you name it! Speaking of "naming it," that's the one thing this pig does not have. A name! I'm looking for a name that will suit this pig in all of his adventures. He's ready to make his first appearance on etsy, but how do I introduce him without a name?Whomever comes up with the name I end up using will get an 8x10 matted print of their choice (choose from the pig pictures below).

Just comment here and let me know what you think he should be named. Remember to leave a way for me to contact you if your name is the chosen one!

If this doesn't make you smile....

2010-07-06T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what will! : )

Let's Get Personal

2010-07-01T14:16:00.000-07:00

You've probably seen those cute pictures in some kids' rooms of their names in bubble letters decorated with dots, flowers, hearts, etc. You might have even had one in your own room as a child. Well, why not take that a step further and get even more personal? Have your child design the picture themselves. That's what Claudia did. I love how creative she got with her name. And below her picture are a couple done by her brothers, Ben and Owen. A family of artists!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

This is the first time I've interviewed a child artist. But I thought it was appropriate, as I am featuring her beautiful work for Father's Day. Meet Hannah:

How old are you?

7 years old

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A Teacher

What is your favorite subject in school?

Reading, Math and Art

What do you do for fun?

Art and swimming

What do you like to draw the most?

Nature and snow fall

What medium do you prefer to work in (painting, markers, crayons)?

I like painting the best

Why did you draw a bird for Father's Day?

I just had the idea in my head to draw a bird. I was going to draw a shark with 2 baby sharks, but instead I thought of a bird, and that's what came out!

When do you like to draw (morning, night)?

In the morning.

Where do you like to draw?

Outside. I like feeling the fresh air and it helps me to think of ideas.

Anything else you'd like to share?

I love you Daddy! Happy Father's Day!

Grateful

2010-06-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

My daughter's class learns about different character traits by drawing pictures and writing about each one. You can imagine how happy I was when she came home with her "Grateful" page that had a picture of her holding the hand of a taller woman. Naturally, I thought it was me. Turns out, it was her teacher. I am grateful for her teacher as well. Ms. Hondropoulos is great. And I still loved the picture so much, that I decided to make it into one of Ms. H's end-of-the-year gifts.

I Heart Art

2010-06-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of the Under the Influence of Art class this semester—and this year. In the past we have decorated cookies on the last day, with each cookie being influenced by a different artist. A star is Van Gogh. A flower is O'Keeffe. People for Haring...you get the idea.

This time, my daughter had the idea of spelling out ART with the cookies. So, I baked a bunch of As, Rs and Ts. Then I added Is and hearts for "I love art." The kids could decorate the I and the heart however they liked. They also got a flower-shaped cookie to decorate and eat during class. Each letter in "art" represents a different artist. Can you guess which is Picasso, Seurat and Monet?

Under the Influence of Art-William Wegman

2010-06-01T15:56:00.000-07:00

Although next week is officially the last week of class, I usually make that class more of a celebration by decorating cookies (artfully of course) with the kids. So, this week we learned about our final artist of the session. To end things on a light and fun note, I chose William Wegman. We looked at two books he created and then went on tor create our own dog pictures. Since this was somewhat of a short project, when they were all done, the children took turns standing infront of the class to explain their artwork and answer questions. It was fun to see all of the things their dogs could do, from eating at restaruants to gardening and scuba diving.

YUM YUM!

2010-06-01T09:56:00.001-07:00

We love our pediatric dentist. Dr. Grace Yum practices in Chicago on Lincoln Ave. My daughter Samantha LOVES going to "Yummy Dental" because of her. The office is set up as if you are going on a fun trip. Each time we go in, Sam gets a boarding pass (to Hawaii or Disney Land or some other fun place). She is called when it is time to board. While getting her work done, she watches the inflight movie of her choice. You even get a picture to take home at the end of your "trip." (When we got home, Sam hung it on our fridge....using our Yummy Dental magnet of course.) Can you imagine having so much fun at the dentist?

Dr. Yum bought a few pieces of mine that were being sold at the coffee shop down the street from her office. Here, I have taken her logo and made it into an 8x10 piece for her as well. Though we don't have an appointment for awhile, I'm hoping to drop it off soon.

I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!!!

2010-05-26T11:09:00.001-07:00

When I went to Doug Bruno Basketball camp in the summer before 8th grade, whenever Doug yelled "Basketball!" we all had to yell "I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!" And we did. I don't know if we loved being woken up with a blow horn every morning. And maybe we didn't always love running up and down "Love It Lane" (the path from the indoor courts to the outdoor courts....you were not allowed to walk). Actually, I loved all of it. And I loved basketball too. What a great camp.

I hadn't thought of "I love it I love it I love it" for a long time. Then, I got an order that I absolutely love. Karen's daughter's, Rachel and Hannah, are "graduating" from their preschool this year. They spent 5 good years there, and as a personalized good-bye gift, they put together a bunch of pictures showcasing why they love Prater Lane Play School. I love the idea, I love the energetic drawings, and I loved working on it. In other words, "I love it! I love it! I love it!"

Under the Influence of Art-Monet

2010-05-25T17:02:00.003-07:00

It’s hard to tell how long it will take children to complete an art project. But this week, I just knew they would be quick We learned about Monet, and they created impressionist paintings using sponges. As usual, I had coloring pages for them to work on when they were done. But this week I also laid out a big piece of paper, and they used their extra paint to create a class mural. It was fun seeing them work together to make the finished piece, which is now hanging in the art room. Maybe Miss Jane (the head of after school programming) will move it to the wall right outside her office. I think it would brighten anyone’s work day.

Under the Influence of Art-Picasso

2010-05-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

This week we learned about Picasso. The last time I taught a Picasso class, the students did a collage based on “The Three Musicians,” and I loved the results. This time, we did self-portraits. With Picasso’s Blue Period as inspiration, the children picked a color to use. We learned how to mix the color with black, white, and extra water to achieve different shades and appearances. I was amazed at how much some of these pictures resembled the artist. What do you think?

Art Imitates Art

2010-05-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Emily is a talented artist in my "Under the Influence of Art" class. When we learned about Vincent Van Gogh, each child went home with a piece inspired by "Starry Night". Emily's mom then asked me to create a Raspberry picture based on Emily's "Starry Night." So, Van Gogh's work inspired Emily's work which then inspired my work. Art Imitates Art!

Under the Influence of Art-DalíWood

2010-05-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

This week we stayed on Surrealism and learned about Salvador Dalí. The kids used different images to play with size variations and composition. I think they had a lot of fun creating these masterpieces. : )