Mrs. Macre's Art Class

DIY Painted Pumpkin on Canvas

2017-09-30T14:16:00.010-05:00

Some affiliate links are included below for supplies that I have used in this post.

How to Paint a Pumpkin
For Art Teachers and Personal Use
I decided I needed a few more Fall decorations but I didn't want to spend too much, so I pulled out my paints and a canvas that I already had. I decided I would share my steps here in a tutorial. You can use the same colors that I used or you can use traditional fall colors if you prefer.

I have also included my line drawing of the pumpkin. You can download it here and trace it onto your canvas if you need to or you can draw your own pumpkin.

Supplies I used:

White Chalk Pencil (optional)
6"x 6" Canvas
Variety of Paintbrushes
Acrylic Paint
Colors I Used:
Master's Touch: Viridi, Titanium White, & Yellow Medium
Blickrylic Burnt Umber (Master's Touch also has a Burnt Umber)
See links below for some of the supplies I am using.

Step 1 - Preparing the canvas
Paint the entire canvas with a thin coat of Burnt Umber (brown). I always paint the canvas with a contrasting, but complementary color. This prevents the white of the canvas from showing through. It also adds some interest to the layers of paint.

Step 2 - Drawing
Draw the outline of the pumpkin using the white chalk pencil. Download my sketch here.
You can use a regular pencil, but I like the white chalk pencil because it can easily be erased to make corrections, and the white shows up on the dark background.
Transferring the drawing - You can freehand draw the pumpkin OR transfer my drawing onto your canvas. You can use the chalk pencil to color on the back of the printed line sketch then trace over the line drawing. If you do not have a chalk pencil or a piece of chalk you could use carbon tracing paper.

Step 3 - Background
Using the aqua blue (Master's Touch Viridi) color and a thin liner brush, I painted around the outside edge of the pumpkin. Then I used a wider brush to fill in the entire background and sides of the canvas with the turquoise blue. I add white (Titanium white) paint to my brush to add highlights to the brushstrokes.
Tips:
I leave the brushstrokes to add texture.
After the first layer dries I go over the background again with another layer of color allowing some of the first layer to show through in places. This adds depth to the background and covers most of the brown surface.

Step 4 - Pumpkin
I mix white with a little Burnt Umber (brown) in two or three shades of off-white. Using the darkest shade, I use a thin brush to outline the edge of the pumpkin. Then using the lighter shade of white+brown mixture (mostly white), I fill in the sections of the pumpkin leaving the darker outlines showing. (I go back later to finish the white parts and add more shading.)

Step 5 - Stem
Using the Burnt Umber (brown), I use a thin brush to paint the stem of the pumpkin. While the paint is still wet I dip the same brush into the off-white paint and paint streaks onto the stem to create the ridges. These ridges are usually not perfectly straight. They kind of twist on the stem like a candy cane stripe. Alternate between the brown and the off-white, using more brown, making sure the two colors partially mix and do not leave solid stripes.

Step 6 - Leaf
The leaf is optional. You can leave it off if you just want the stem.
Mix a little yellow and off-white paint with the aqua blue (Master's Touch Viridi) that I used for the background to get a soft green. I wanted the color to be soft like the rest of the colors in the painting. I did not want a bright green. I used my thin brush to paint the outline of the leaf and then filled in the center with the same soft green color. After the first layer dried I added a highlight of a lighter shade of the same green on one edge of the leaf.

Step 7 - Pumpkin shading
After adding the stem and leaf details, the first layer of the pumpkin was dry, so I went back to add some shading. By adding shadows and highlights you can create the illusion of the round forms that you see on a pumpkin. Using a half-inch flat brush and the darker shade of off-white, I painted along the edge of one section of the pumpkin. While that paint was wet, I added a lighter shade of off-white. The two colors partially blend together. Use strokes that go up and down and follow the curve of the edges of the pumpkin. I also added some pure white paint strokes in the center of each section of the pumpkin. The lighter white creates highlights that come forward creating the illusion of form. Paint the lighter highlights in the middle and the same side of each section.
Repeat this step for each section of the pumpkin.
Tips for shading:

Shadows recede.
Highlights come forward.

Step 8 - Finish and touch-ups
Finally, look over your painting and darken any shadows that need it and add highlights where needed. More shading and highlights will add more dimension and depth to your pumpkin.
Go over any edges that need sharpening to avoid losing details.
Make sure all sides of the canvas are painted with the same brushstrokes used on the front of the canvas. The painted sides of the canvas look more finished and can be displayed without a frame.

Step 9 - Sign and Seal
Sign your art in an inconspicuous place.
I always sign my art but I don't like the signature to be a distraction so on this one I decided to paint my signature on the side edge. If there is room I usually paint it on the bottom right side corner.

To Seal or Not to Seal
An acrylic varnish or sealant will protect the painting and even out the sheen of the painting.
Some acrylic paints have a different sheen to them. Some are flat, some are glossy, some are somewhere in between. In order to even out the sheen all over the canvas, you can use an acrylic varnish. I like to use a spray-on varnish. There are both spray-on and brush-on that are good. I have used both with success.

Have fun and go paint a Pumpkin!
I hope this is helpful to anyone who wants to paint a pumpkin. Please let me know in the comments below if this was helpful to you or your students or if you have any questions.

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Supply Source Links:

Paint:

Master's Touch Acrylics Set of 36 colors

Canvas:

Blick Art Supplies: Gallery Style Stretched Canvas

Amazon: 6x6 Gallery Style Stretched Canvas

Brushes:

I have a variety of brushes that I purchased. I used these while I was teaching and continue to use these brushes. They are quality brushes but economical.

Scholastic Wonder White Acrylic Brushes

Watercolor Doodles

2017-07-15T21:40:00.002-05:00

Doodling with Paint or Pens
on Watercolor Test Pages

Doodling can be so fun and relaxing. I have always been the doodler in class or meetings to keep the boredom away. I would much rather be in the studio drawing or painting.

Lately, I have taken to doodling on my watercolor/color test pages. When I'm stuck about what to paint, I just fill a page with shapes and colors as you can see in the above photo.

I thought I would share my process.

Supplies I Use:
Watercolor Paper or Mixed Media Paper
Watercolor Brushes
Watercolor Paint Pans
(I use a variety of pan watercolor paints and some in tubes.)
Fine Point Black Sharpie Pens
Gold Sharpie Paint Pen
Silver Sharpie Paint Pen
Sharpie Paint Pens
(This is not a paid ad for Sharpies. I just like the brand and it is affordable. I plan to try some other brands soon.)

When painting with watercolor, I keep an extra piece of mixed media paper on the side. I use that paper to test the colors that I am using. I paint thin washes of color all over the page. The washes that I create are random.

Tip:
Leave some spaces white or barely painted. Those are the areas that can be drawn over with the pens. Using a marking pen on thicker paint tends to ruin the tip of some types of pens.

After I fill up a page of color testing, I cut them into smaller pieces. For this set of doodles, I chose a rectangular plaque shape. I purchased this paper punch last year and had not used it, so I decided to use it for this project. But these could easily be cut into any shape with scissors or an x-acto knife.

Ideas for shapes:

Paper punch shapes on hand
Bookmark style rectangular shapes
Squares (Mini square or larger)
Rectangles
Circles
Hearts

After you cut the shapes out of the watercolor test papers, bring out your favorite drawing tools or paint pens. You can use marker pens, paint pens, brush pens, colored pens or pencils. I love trying out new supplies. I am a little art supply obsessed. Especially with pens and drawing materials.

Just Doodle

Using a paint pen, I start drawing lines. Sometimes I start with a border around the edge of the paper and other times I just start drawing shapes inside. Use your own ideas and style. That is the fun part. You may want to use a sketchbook to doodle with a pen or pencil to get some ideas and variations of your ideas. I have also doodled with white pens on black art paper. You can read about it on my personal Art Journal blog here.

Once I start doodling, I get ideas for the next one. I think about what would look good with the one I am currently working on. If I don't get a new idea, I will recreate the last one except change up the direction of the shapes or change the colors, or both.

What To Do With The Finished Cards
String them up across on a Chalkboard, Bulletin Board or on your wall.
They also make great gift tags, thank you cards, name tags or accessories in planners or scrapbooks. I'm sure there are many more ways they could be used. I would love to hear your ideas! Leave your ideas in the comments below.

Get Creative
Go ahead and get creative! Experiment with watercolor and pens. If you do not have the supplies for watercolor, just use plain drawing paper or cardstock. Cut them into any shape you want and doodle with pens and markers. I plan to do the same with Acrylic paint.

A Lesson on Surrealism

2015-02-02T10:11:00.000-06:00

Jr. High - High School Lesson by Beth Macre
Surrealism and Salvador Dali

This project is an introduction to Surrealism, Salvador Dali, Renee Magritte (or other Surrealist artists that you have examples of...)

Salvador Dali – ‘Persistence of Memory’
Known for Surrealism and his famous painting with the melting clocks.

● For a short Bio of Salvador Dali and short video about his life, click on this link:
Biography: Salvador Dali

● For the official Salvador Dali website, Click here for: SalvadorDali.com

"Pink"
by Beth S Macre

Assignment: Create a

Mixed Media Collage that creates a unified theme using a variety of pictures and graphics from magazines.

Steps to Assignment:

1. Go through magazines and cut out 10-20 images that:

● can be combined to create and tell

a story.

● are interesting and colorful

● easy to cut out. (definite edges)

● graphic designs (letters shapes)

2. Choose a theme based on the pictures that you have cut out.

● Brainstorm ideas with pictures.

● Find more pictures to complete the

story.

3. Temporarily tape pictures onto the

background paper (18x24 paper)

● Use one small piece of tape,

rolled inside out, to stick the

picture down, temporarily.

● try different compositions before

finalizing your design.

4. Draw the background, using outlines, in pencil:

● Draw lines around your magazine pictures that are taped down.

● Drawn background should pull all of the pictures together and tell a story

and create a unified design.

5. Add color to background with markers (I used the large size Crayola markers)

● Color around your pictures that are still temporarily taped on the paper.

It’s easier to color around them before they are glued down.

● Do not color underneath them, as the glue can cause bleeding through the pictures

on some papers.

6. Glue pictures down when color is added.

● Remove tape carefully!

● Glue either by sections, as sections are complete, or when all of the color is

finished.

Tips for Success:

Make sure that you do not lose or tear your pictures. You could draw outlines where they go (label what goes where) and remove them.

Store the pictures in an envelope while you are working on the project.

(We made envelopes with old dot matrix printing paper by folding and stapling the sides, or you could use gallon size Ziploc bags if you have them.)

Cut pictures out neatly, with smooth edges.

Do not use too much glue, as it causes the paper to bubble. Glue sticks do not, but they do not stick as well. Use whatever type glue you have, but be sure they use it properly.

Vocabulary:

Surrealism Creativity Theme Collage

Salvador Dali Graphic Design Composition Mixed Media

For more examples, see below:

"It's America"
by Beth S. Macre

"Weird, Wild, World"
by Beth S. Macre

Mrs. Macre ♥ Loves Art!

Relax, It's December

2014-12-05T19:27:00.000-06:00

Hey Guys!

It's December!

Almost time for a break for the teachers out there! Yay!!!

I know teachers are counting down the days until Christmas break! I did every year!

It was/is always a crazy busy time of year for teachers, especially art teachers. For some teachers, the end of the semester brings a slower pace to start reviewing for end of semester exams and grade papers. I don't know about other art teachers, but this one always had students who were working on finishing big art assignments up until the last day of finals! I always gave a deadline, but if a student was trying their best to finish up a great project in time, on top of studying for other finals, I didn't have the heart to not allow them that extra day to finish. So this always lead to me also being frazzled with grading end of semester projects and giving exams. (We were required to give a final exam...not a fan of that!)

Even though I am 'retired' (I use that term loosely), I am also in the middle of being in the busiest time of year! I am getting ready for 2 more shows, plus the commissions that I have taken on that have to be finished BEFORE Christmas! So...

...this is my work space chaos!

Hopefully after the holidays I will be ready to create some short lessons to add to this blog!

Until then....

Breath

Relax

Create

Relax

Repeat

Mrs. Macre ♥ Loves Art!

Mrs. Macre's Art Class

2014-10-28T11:06:00.000-06:00

Hello! Welcome back to the art class blog!

I haven't blogged lately because we've been busy moving across the state. But I have plans to continue adding to this blog with lesson ideas and tips for teaching art, as I can. These lessons should be helpful to current teachers, homeschooling moms, or Dads, or just budding artists who need a little extra help or tips for learning about art!

Some things that I will continue to share on the blog are:

1. Tips for working with clay.

2. 'How to' posts for creating things from clay.

3. Tips for drawing with pencil, colored pencils, and ink.

4. Tips for working with mixed media.

5. My favorite art supplies.

6. Anything else that I find to share along the way!

I hope you will check back often to see what I am up to and check out the older posts from my teaching years. There are some very cool projects created by some very talented high school students.

Mrs. Macre ♥ Loves Art!

Life as an Artist...

2013-01-02T21:22:00.001-06:00

Mixed Styles
Beth S. Macre©2012

...is pretty amazing! Although I am a retired art teacher, I am still very active with my art! I would say even more so than when I was teaching. I get to do what I love every day! It has kept me busy and I have been very happy with my decision to retire, so far. I don't have those constant student samples to share anymore, so for now, (see update below) I will not continue to add student work to this blog. I will leave it up for the samples that I have already shared though. It was fun to write on the blog while I could. I wish I had started years ago. For now, enjoy my blog and enjoy your own classrooms!

UPDATE
Update: I love to try new things so I will be sharing projects and tutorials on the blog as I come across interesting projects. I will also update some of the old blog posts with more instructional tips and step-by-step photos. Check out this blog and its' archives for interesting projects or check my Pinterest page to see if there is anything you are interested in!
Here is a link to my Pinterest Page Board dedicated to this blog and links to other blogs that are related to my blog posts.
Pinterest Board: Mrs. Macre's Art Class.
My Entire Pinterest Page: Beth Macre

Mrs. Macre♥Art

School will be starting soon...

2012-08-11T18:10:00.003-05:00

Plaster Masks
with Acrylic and Miscellaneous found objects

It is a very strange feeling, not thinking about lesson plans and purchasing art supplies and all of the other preparations. But it's okay. I can still share some of the projects that I have done with my students in the past. I still find myself pinning great ideas on Pinterest! Boy, do I wish I had Pinterest when I started teaching! But looking at all of the great ideas art teachers have gives me inspiration for my own artwork!

Just thought I would share some photos from projects done in my class in the past. Hope some of you will get some ideas from my assignments and make them work for you!

These masks were made out of Plastercraft on mask molds. Students added their own details like buttons and other found objects or cutout cardboard, attached, and painted for extra details.

We used Plastercraft like this:

Blick Art Supplies: Blick Plaster Craft

Have a wonderful year for all of the teachers, but especially the art teachers!

Mrs. Macre♥Art

The End of School

2012-06-22T16:49:00.000-05:00

Art 3 & 4 Last Lunch Birthday Party
Senior Going Away Party Celebration

It's been awhile since I posted last! The end of the school year is always busy, but this year was especially busy! After the District Art School, there were papers to send home, Seniors to get wrapped up (they finish a couple of weeks earlier than the rest of the 'underclassmen'). So, the usual end of school activities is very hectic...but a week before school was out, I made the decision to retire from teaching! So 'The End of School' really means the end of school for me. I had a lot of packing and cleaning out to do...especially after 25 years in the same room! I feel like I was moving out of my home away from home, but that I was finally graduating to the next part of my career. I taught Art for 29 years and it was time for me to retire. I have been thinking about it all year, but I was afraid to make that change! But because of a lot of changes going on around me at school, I just decided that it was time for me to move on too. I am excited about the future. I plan to be the full time artist that I have been trying to be while teaching, but that just doesn't work very well. So, although this is a new path for me, it is an exciting one. I am already busy at work creating new art and learning about the business side of art.

In this photo are the students that I had in Art 3 and 4 this year. This was a great group of students to work with! All girls except for one boy! Javon enjoyed being the only boy in a class room full of girls, but he did get kidded a lot and had to listen to some really 'interesting' conversations! But he was a very good sport about it all! All but 2 of the students in this group graduated this year and I will miss seeing the other two in class next year. I loved this class because they were all eager to come in and create every day! They loved being in the Art room! We also enjoyed the birthday parties. Periodically we would celebrate the birthdays and bring food items for lunch to the art room and celebrate the birthdays! This photo was from our last party of the year. I think they had a great time!

As for this blog, I will post more project ideas from this year and some from in the past. In the future, I may be teaching some other art classes privately, so I plan to use this blog for that. This blog is not going to go away. I may eventually change directions, but for now, I hope to continue to get and to give advice and ideas to/from other art teachers.

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Tips for working with Plastercraft

2012-04-08T21:40:00.002-05:00

Creations with Plastercraft

Another 3 day weekend is over and we are in the last stretch of school until summer break! Seven more weeks!
The end of the year goes by so fast!
By the second semester of the year, my students begin to get bored with all of our usual supplies. We are all tired by this time of year, so it is a great time to pull out the plastercraft.

JimmyBob the Giraffe
Meet one of the 3D Plaster Sculptures that is currently decorating the Art Room. JimmyBob the Giraffe was created by Sam (Samantha). JimmyBob was formed out of a lot of rolled up newspaper. You can see in the second photo how Samantha is adding layers of Plastercraft to the legs of her sculpture.

Preparation Tips for Teachers

1. Size of class matters.
I teach this lesson to my Art 3 students. Mainly because it is always a smaller class than my Art 1 and Art 2 classes. It is easier to manage the mess and these supplies can get expensive with a large class.

2. Collect Recyclables.

Start a collection of paper towel and toilet paper tubes, newspaper, empty containers made of cardboard. These items can be used to form the foundation of your student's sculptures.

Empty plastic ice cream containers are great for carrying water to student work spaces. I may or may not have eaten lots of ice cream to contribute to this collection.

Let other teachers know what supplies you need. Maybe they can save you from over indulging in ice cream. ;)

3. Keep a sketchbook.

Have students keep a sketchbook to sketch out their ideas for projects. They should use those sketches to plan the shapes that are needed to put together their sculpture.

4. Buy masking tape in bulk.

Have plenty of masking tape to tape the shapes together as they are formed. I always purchased masking tape in bulk. It will be used for many projects.

5. Buy Plastercraft in a large package.

One small roll does not go very far. I purchase a large box similar to this photo. Whatever you do not use can be used next year. This is a picture of the type I purchased.

For more tips and techniques for using the Plastercraft., visit this post here:
Up to Our Elbows in Newspaper, tape, and plaster

Now start collecting those paper towel rolls and ice cream buckets!

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Finished Plastercraft Sculpture Update

2012-03-24T21:02:00.000-06:00

Finishing Projects

Spring Break is almost over and we are into the last quarter of the school year...already! This year is going by very quickly and the last quarter always goes by even more quickly because of the end of year testing and graduation activities and getting ready for our district Art Show!

My trusty computer suddenly died recently. It had my photoshop program on it, so I haven't updated the blog because I feel lost on this borrowed computer without my photoshop. I downloaded a preview of a newer version of photoshop so I can do some editing and posting. I'm still trying to post the results of our plaster sculptures.

Here is the owl and Pink Dog that I created for the project samples and demonstration.

The Turtle, Giraffe, and Penguin are all created this year by some of my students in Art 3.

To see the project from the beginning, check it out here:
Up to Our Elbows in Newspaper and Tape

Mrs. Macre♥Art

3D Plaster Sculptures Complete

2012-02-19T18:57:00.001-06:00

Sculpture in the Art Room

The Sculptures from my Art 3 and 4 class are finished and I've been taking photos and editing the photos. I will include a few examples of the finished pieces in this post and a few more in the next post. Both the students and I enjoyed this project. They all come up with a variety of ideas and must come up with their own technique for creating their idea from the form to the final painting. The students are good about sharing suggestions, so they work well together as a class. The students in my Art 2, 3 and 4 classes are made up of students who REALLY want to create and try new things. They make my day!

To see the work in project pictures, check them out here:
Creating the Forms
Plastering
More Finished Projects

Hayley's Peace Sign

Bridgette's Pink Guitar - back side

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Plastercraft Sculptures...Update from the Art Room

2012-01-29T14:53:00.002-06:00

So we have a Giraffe, an elephant, a duck, a penguin, a guitar, a peace sign, a glitter high heel shoe, a very unique cat, a purse...some of the sculptures are finished and decorating the art room. But you can't see the finished projects yet...

So in my last post, I posted about the plaster sculptures that my students in my Art 3 and 4 classes were just starting. They were taping forms to get ready for plastering. In this post, I post pictures of the plastering process. I buy the plaster craft rolls by the large box.

Like this: https://amzn.to/36qFZe9

We use old buckets for warm water, old scissors to cut the plaster with (it's very messy work), and place newspaper on the tables and we are ready to go to work.

In my next post, I will post pictures of the sculptures in the painting stage. They are looking 'awesomely' cute! *I know that is not correct grammar, but it just doesn't come across the same with just 'so cute!'*

There are a few that are still getting some painted details, including mine! One of the cool things about my job is that I get to play with the supplies too, especially in my Art 3 and 4 class! When I demonstrate how to use supplies and techniques, I try to work in some time, while they are working, to finish the demo project. So I will post pictures of my demo when it gets its finishing touches.

*Update: Finished Project Update

I hope you enjoy your visit!

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Up to our Elbows in newspaper, tape, and Plaster.

2012-01-13T19:22:00.000-06:00

Plastercraft Sculptures

After the Christmas break, we came back and jumped right into making lots of creative messes. Art 1 students are drawing portraits, Art 2 students are painting textured abstracts on canvas, and Art 3 and 4 students are creating 3-dimensional sculptures using newspaper and masking tape forms, covered with plaster and then paint. So my classroom has been quite a mess! But that's a good sign that good things are happening, right? Yeah, well that is what I tell myself, after apologizing to my custodian!

My Art 3 and 4 students love to experiment with new materials and try new techniques. Which is great. They love the hands on projects! They started these sculptures right after New Years, and they are doing very well. I will post the start of some of their projects in this post and update them along the way.

Supplies needed:
Masking tape
Plastercraft Rolls
Buckets for warm water
Scissors
Acrylic Paint

For more tips to use in the classroom to teach this project, check out this post:
Tips for Working with Plastercraft

Here are some of the projects after creating the forms and wrapping areas in newspaper and masking tape. My next post will show the plastering process and then painting. Be ready for some awesome cuteness! **Update: Adding Plastercraft

Mrs. Macre♥Art

One Point Perspective Drawing

2011-12-10T12:30:00.001-06:00

Colored Pencil Version by Madison
1 point perspective assignment

Teaching 1 Point Perspective
High School Art

This lesson is a refresher lesson for my 2nd year Art students. I teach 2 point linear perspective in beginning Art. It seems backwards, but I found that teaching 2 point perspective step by step in Art 1, teaches them the basics of perspective with good results. In the fall of 2nd year Art I use this Room Project with my Art 2 students using 1 point perspective. This project shows the students how perspective can be applied to drawing everyday objects.

Supplies Needed: (+ a few tips)
Drawing Pencils
Erasers
Sketchbook
Clear T-square
+Tip: I like the clear, so they can see their
previously drawn lines.
Colored Pencil Classpack:
+Tip: I like to use the classpack because it becomes the student's responsibility to return their colored pencils back to the correct spot in the box, which helped eliminate the misplaced colors. When using individual boxes, all of the colors did not seem to stay in each box.

Drawing Assignment
Their assignment is to include:
-At least one door
-At least one window
-2 pieces of furniture
-A wall decoration
-A floor decoration (tile, rug, wood floor, etc)
-A ceiling fixture (lighting, etc).

Step 1: They were introduced to 1 and 2 pt. perspective in Art 1, so they have some experience with the linear perspective techniques. But even with that experience, they must have a little refresher assignment. I demonstrate to them how to change 9 squares into 9 cubes to by using 1 vanishing point in the center of the page. This can be done any way you choose to teach one point perspective.

Step 2: After they practice that assignment, where I also teach them to use a T-square, they start drawing their rooms. I show them samples of rooms drawn by former students, to get ideas for types of rooms, furnishings, and other ideas that they could create.

Step 3: Students use their sketchbook to sketch ideas and to practice drawing difficult details.

Step 4: Students transfer their ideas onto the final drawing paper, being careful to draw with a light touch. Many lines will be erased, so drawing lightly is important. Heavy lines are difficult, if not impossible, to erase. Check perspective before proceeding to Step 5.

Step 5: Add color or value to the drawing.
Sometimes I give them a choice between using colored pencils or just to use pencils to add shading to their drawings to create a value study with their graphite pencils. Some students are better with pencils and some are better with color. One thing we need to work on is adding values with the colored pencils. That is a little difficult to do with student grade colored pencils.

So here are some of the results from the assignment with both the value studies and colored pencils.

Colored Pencil

Graphite Pencils

Mrs. Macre♥Art

National Contest Winners

2011-11-19T09:48:00.001-06:00

The DAR organization sponsors an art contest, called the JAC contest, each year with a patriotic theme. My Advanced Art classes just completed their projects for this year and will be delivered this weekend. So I thought I would share a photo of my students who had projects from last year that won 1st, 2nd or 3rd place, all the way up to the District and National level. They are very proud of their achievement. They had to win 1st place to get to the National competition.
This patriotic theme based assignment really challenges my students to think about historical and social issues in a creative way. The students really work hard at coming up with their idea and how to tie their idea into the theme. Its a challenge, but I think its a really good experience for the students.

There was another national winner, but she graduated and is away at college.

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Color on the Walls!

2011-10-29T15:15:00.001-05:00

Positive/Negative Space Design

After a full quarter of the year, my walls are full of color again. My Art 1 students are mostly 9th and 10th graders with some 11th and 12th graders too. The project I'm sharing this week is an Art 1 project from the first quarter.

This project teaches students about Positive and Negative Space and how to create a good composition. It is a good way to teach my beginners to pay attention to both the negative space (background) and the positive space (the subject).

Supplies Needed:
Drawing Paper - We used 12 x 18 inch
Colored Pencils or Markers
Pencil
Tag board or thick cardstock for patterns
Scissors

The students are asked to choose one simple shape, with interesting edges, to repeat all over the page to create a pattern. Some students chose to use 2 shapes or variations of one. They could draw their shape onto a piece of cardstock or tag board and cut it out to trace onto their page. After drawing the Positive shapes onto the page, they were to color the Negative Space (background).

Steps for design project:
1. Draw and cut out the shape out of cardstock or tagboard.
2. Trace the shapes onto the drawing paper.
Overlap the shapes to create interesting positive and negative spaces.
2. Erase the lines where the shapes overlap.
3. Add color to the background with colored pencils or markers. (We used colored pencils)
The background could be one color or they could choose the colors and patterns to enhance their design.
Tip: When adding color using colored pencils, make sure you use medium to heavy pressure with the pencils, to cover the white of the paper. This will get a good contrast between the white of the positive space and the color of the negative spaces. The design will stand out much better with strong color.
Option 2: Another option is to use markers to get a strong color contrast.

I always get some nice designs from this project; this year was no exception. This photo is only half of the artwork that I chose to display.

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Art 1 Line Designs Lesson

2011-10-13T22:18:00.001-05:00

LINE - Designs

Bulletin Board with Examples

Art 1 at the High School Level is set up for students who have had little, if any, art background. Some students have had some classes in art along the way, but many do not. So my class starts out studying about the elements of design (art). The first one that we study is Line. So we start out drawing creative line designs. This project is like giving a student permission to doodle! But it sad to say that many students cannot even doodle! Some have lost their ability to think creatively. But I am also happy to say that many students are wonderfully creative.
Elements of Design
I start out the lesson showing the students the bulletin board, shown above, and discuss the different kinds and variations of lines. We also talk about how to get started, in case you are completely blank with no ideas at all. They also are required to included some color. When I first started doing this projects, I only required black and white. But now we add some color to go with the black pen. We use the new black sharpie pens to draw/doodle with. Then they go back and add some color. The others are examples of the project before we added color.

2017 UPDATE: This project is very similar to Adult Coloring Pages that are so popular today. Teachers can teach their students how to create their own coloring pages. Go a step further and have your students scan them into a computer and print copies for other students to decorate and color.

Small group of line designs as displayed in the classroom.

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Update on Abstract Letter Designs

2011-10-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

After this past week of Homecoming and dress up days, I'll be happy to get back to the business of classwork. It was very limited in some classes due to sign painting and the excitement of the dress up activities. Our door did not win the competition, but its okay. The students were a little upset, but they were proud of our door decoration.
So here are some of the results of the Abstract letter designs that I showed works in progress a couple of weeks ago. They were to choose a theme and take words that are related to that theme and create an abstract/semi abstract composition that illustrates that theme.

Hayley and Hannah's artwork

Samantha and Courtney's artwork

Ta'chun and Brooke's artwork

Example of Themed Abstract Art
(partially incomplete bottom left corner)

Close up of Example

This project is done in my advance art class. Next I will be posting Art 1 and Art 2 projects. Thanks for looking. I hope you enjoy the students artwork.

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Time for Homecoming!

2011-09-27T22:02:00.000-05:00

Homecoming Door Decorating Contest
Art 1st Period Decorated My Door

Doors are supposed to be judged tomorrow. I hope to be able to report that we won...again. But we'll see!

More homecoming activity photos to come.

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Abstract Letter Designs

2011-09-17T11:40:00.002-05:00

It was a busy week at school, but I just wanted to post a few things that are in progress in the artroom at BHS. I will post final projects as soon as I can get photos of the finished works. This project is a design project that involves choosing a theme and using words and abstracting the words by overlapping them, placing them in different directions, and then painting the designs on canvas boards.

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Value Study of the Sheet

2011-09-12T20:25:00.000-05:00

So here are some of the results of the value study of the sheet from the first of school along with a couple of pictures of students hard at work. I've been so busy, I haven't had time to add more pictures of projects. But I have pictures, I just need to get caught up on the dreaded 'paperwork' (grading), and will be posting pictures of projects soon. For now, here is my Art 3 class working on their value studies of the sheet. (below)

Colorful Portfolios...

2011-09-04T10:12:00.001-05:00

...to hold the artwork that will be created this year have been made by my 2nd, 3rd, & 4th year art students. Each year I begin the semester by giving them a few days to make and decorate their portfolios. My only requirement is that they have their name on it and that they create a design. Some students really like to spruce it up. Shown here are few examples of their portfolios. We just use poster board, paint or markers, and yarn to tie the poster boards together and the students add their creativity. Next I will be working with Art 1 to create their Portfolios.

Mrs. Macre♥Art

Drawing from Life with High School Students

2011-08-27T21:39:00.001-05:00

Beginning of School

After two weeks the High School Art Room is beginning to look more like my typical art room. Lots of projects are in progress, art supplies are out, students are beginning to relax a little. I've been trying to stay caught up with paperwork, but I am already sick of that! If I could just teach art and not do 'paperwork', I think this would be the 'ideal' job! So far, my classes have been great and I am looking forward to a wonderful year.

Value Studies

Supplies Needed:
Drawing Pencils - 2B-6B
White Drawing Paper - 18x24
White Sheet or piece of fabric
Lamp to Shine on the Fabric

I usually start off my Art 2 and 3 with a value study drawing. I hang a sheet and another piece of fabric (to give them a choice) and place a lamp to shine onto the fabrics to enhance the highlights and shadows. I also place samples of drawings that I have done or former student drawings on the wall for them to see how the drawing should fill the page and the range of values that is possible when drawing something that is only black and white. The goal is for the students to learn how to add values to add depth to their drawings and to give them more experience in drawing from life. You can see some of my students' work from this project here: Value Studies

Mrs. Macre♥Art

First Things First...

2011-08-15T18:57:00.004-05:00

...is what we call our First Day of School. That was today. I spent part of my weekend getting my classroom ready for today, but I finally got it done and today went smoothly. The first day is important because we invite parents of our students to go through our students schedules with them. It was a shortened schedule, but we are able to introduce ourselves to the parents and tell them what our expectations are for the year. We started this program several years ago to get more parents involved and informed about what the High School is all about. And it sure does help to get the parents involved and understand what we do!

In the future, I have to remember to take photos in my classroom. I was so busy today, I didn't take a photo, so I am including a photo of the lobby of our school with an art show from a couple of years ago. (I have to include a photo!)

So with the first day over...I'm exhausted and hope that the rest of the week goes smoothly.
Hope everyone had a great first day of school!

I Mrs. Macre♥Art

Drawing/Painting Grid Portraits

2011-08-02T12:39:00.003-05:00

Grid Self Portraits

Time to get ready...

...to go back to school....already? It seems like just a couple of weeks ago I was celebrating the beginning of summer! Classes do not start for 3 weeks, but there are supplies to order, workshops to attend, and my classroom has to be put back together. The maintenance department came through sometime in the last 2 weeks and waxed my concrete floor (looks great!) but now I have to put everything back into place. They move things out to wax and stack things on tables, so it takes a little time and muscle. I want to get organized before school starts, so I have some work to do!

Grid Self Portraits - Chuck Close Style

I thought I would share a project that I have been doing with my Art 3 and 4 classes for a few years now. This pair decided to make their portraits connect, but they are 2 separate paintings. The photo above is the end project (2 canvases are being held together by the students). Below is the photo that I took of them. After they drew the grid on the 2 separate canvases they each drew their own portrait, using the grid method. Then they painted their grid portraits using their own techniques. But the emphasis was using patterns like Chuck Close does on his grid portraits. So in the bottom picture, you can see the two canvases that are in progress. On the parts that are unpainted, you can see the grid that is drawn on the canvas. (Click on the picture to see it larger to see the details.) I will post more grid portraits in the future. We do some type of grid portrait each year. The students seem to really enjoy them because they can get a good likeness of the person that they are drawing.

Check back for more details and instructions on this project.

More to come...

Photo Reference

Work in progress

Have a great year!

Mrs. Macre♥Art