Stuck in the Mud Pottery - Art and Craft

Art Classroom Organization

2013-03-12T07:32:00.000-07:00

My art room is fairly large with several pieces of red storage furniture. This is great because I have many cupboards and drawers that help me stay organized and keep the clutter somewhat managed. The "Supply Cart" is the Go-To station for older students (I find it easiest to keep elementary supplies and high school supplies serarate). It is loaded with easily accessible art materials that are commonly used for most art projects. This way students know where to go for just about anything they need.

Here is a picture of the Supply Cart, located in the center of the room.

On the left side of the cart are hole punches, scissors, and glue.
The purple bins are filled with oil pastels for easy passing out.

In the middle, are bottles of Elmer's glue, Crayons, Pencils, Erasers and Pencil Cap Erasers. I have a lot more glue and crayons in the cupboard. I just leave out this much for quick and easy access.

On the right, is a box containing General's Drawing Pencils, Blending Stumps and Kneaded Erasers.

All of the drawers are clearly labeled: Drawing Paper, Scrap Paper, 6th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, and Advanced Art. Grade level drawers are used to hold student portfolios. The 6th Grade drawer holds both student portfolios and sketchbooks.

Inside the Scrap Drawer

Inside the 6th Grade Drawer

Inside the 8th Grade Drawer

The large cabinet next to the Supply Cart is filled with several supply bins. I will show a peek inside of that cabinet in another post. I keep my large paper cutter accross the hall in my art closet and a smaller one on top of the cabinet for when I am in a pinch and need to cut paper quick. The fan is used to dry pottery inbetween each coat of glaze.

Happy Organizing!

Up Next: Inside the Supply Cupboard...

Artist Share: Allison Watkins

2013-03-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

I found this image floating around pinterst and immediately loved it. This beautiful piece is Created by Allison Watkins, an American artist based in San Francisco. This is her “Closet in San Francisco”, and the detail and embroidery of the fabric is out of this world!

The Best Art Supplies

2013-03-08T09:29:00.003-08:00

Christmas for Art Teachers is when the supply order arrives in August. You may not all feel this way, burdened by the task of sorting and storing. I, however, love everything about it - from the ordering to the sorting - unwrapping new art supplies makes me giddy.

So, which are the best? Some of the supplies I order I couldn't live without, while others I am only
using because the art teacher before me used them and I have yet to find something else that I like more.

Here is what my general supply order looked like this year....

DRAWING

Pencils go quick! I purchase A TON of Ticonderoga pencils. Most walk off, but I find it easier to keep back-up rather than having students scrabbling to find a pencil at the start of class. For erasers I purchase: School Smart Pencil Caps and Pink Pearl Medium Erasers. I love the pencil caps and so do the kids. It is easier when you are working to flip your pencil over then to put it down and pick up your eraser. Pencil caps are also good for erasing little details in small spaces.

For students in grades 6-12, I order Generals Artist Graphite Drawing Pencils. We use these pencil when creating a still-life drawing and for adding value. I purchase the whole shebang - 2B, 4B, 6B, HB, 2H, 4H, 6H. Are you thinking this is too many? I thought it might have been too many pencils for the students as well. In actuality, I found that students like to learn about all the different pencil grades. It is more technical and they feel like they are real artists using real art materials. I also always gush about how value is like magic, making the image appear to jump right off the page!
I have tried cheap kneaded erasers with no avail. They are super gooey and don't erase well at all. Now, I only buy Prismacolor Kneaded Erasers.

For drawing paper, I buy Sax Sulphite Drawing Paper - Extra White in sizes 9"x12" and 12"x18." So far I happy with this paper. I have heard Tru-Ray White Sulphite Drawing Paper is good too. I have yet to try it though.

I also buy White Pacon Tag board - Heavy Weight in sizes 9"x12", 12"x18", and 18"x24." The 18"x24" tag board is what I use for most of my posters and teacher examples. It is a good size paper and sturdy. Also, I frequently get students who need paper for posters they are creating in other classes, this is great for that too.

Canson Mi-Teintes Multiple Color 24 pack in size 12" x 16" is my new favorite drawing paper. It is great for pencil and charcoal drawings. The size is a nice in between size (large enough but doesn't take weeks to complete). I also like the different colors. Student nature drawings that I posted HERE, were completed on this paper.

All of my construction paper is Tru-Ray Sulphite Construction paper and I think it is the best. It is actually hard for me to part with when other teachers come looking for supplies. It is that good. I order a variety of colors in sizes 9"x12" and 12"x18." I order a few packs of black in size 18"x24" as well.

CRAYONS, COLORED PENCILS, AND SHARPIE

Construction Paper Crayons are awesome! I bought the classpack and that has lasted me awhile. They show up nice and bright (some colors look almost neon) on a variety of surfaces. I strongly recommend them. In addition, every year I buy a couple boxes of Crayola Single Color Crayon Refills - size 3 5/8 x 5/16 - in White, Black, Silver, Gold, and Skin Color.

I order and like (for the most part) Prismacolor Premier Soft Core Colored Pencils. Typically I figure out which colors we are low on and order those. I also make sure that I have every color on the color wheel. This is especially important for the 8th Grade Op Art project which uses complementary colors. Are prismacolor the best? I'm not sure. Where as I really like the quality, they are a pain in the butt to sharpen. I have a pencil sharpener set aside just for sharpening colored pencils (since they will gunk up and clog the regular pencil sharpener) and still they are very hard to sharpen.

I love Sharpie Markers. I order a variety of colors and sizes for various projects - one in particular is 9th Grade Hatching. I order plenty of black Sharpie in fine and ultra fine and then a mix of colors in fine and ultra fine as well. Occasionally, I will use the fine black Sharpie Markers with Elementary students. For the most part, these markers are used by Middle and High School students.

PAINTING

Elementary students use Royal Brush Big Kid Choice Brushes. I ordered the full Classroom Caddy with 72 brushes when I first started here. I like these brushes and the grip is a nice addition. High school and Middle school students use Sax True Flow White Taklon Round and Flat Brushes for just about all painting projects. Again, I order a set of 72 assorted size brushes and I have been pretty happy with them thus far. They work well for watercolor and acrylic paint.

All Middle and High school students are assigned their own School Smart Plastic Paint Tray with Cover. Students will write their name on the cover and they are responsible for cleaning out their own palette. This has cut my time spent cleaning palettes down tremendously. When I can I will reuse the covers from year to year. Though they are a bit flimsy and most seem to crack by the end of the year. I order new COVERS ONLY each year (palettes are reused).

All Acrylic paint is Chromacryl Premium Acrylic Paint. I buy a variety of colors and a lot of black and white. Tempera paint is Crayola Artista II Washable Tempera Paint.

GLUE

Elmer's Extra Strength Permanent Glue Stick is by far my favorite glue stick. The glue is super strong and dries clear. It is perfect for making collages with Elementary students from colored paper. I also have several bottles of Elmer's Glue-All in my room, which is by far my favorite liquid glue.

WATERCOLOR

When I started here there was a large supply of Sax Liquid Watercolor Paints - 8 Ounces - Set of 22 - Multiple Opaque Colors and Canson Watercolor Paper. I don't personally care for either. When we run out, I will be ordering a different brand of each. Any suggestions? I would love to hear what you use and if your happy with it!

Artist Share: ESKE REX

2013-03-07T06:52:00.000-08:00

Big and beautiful orbs drawn with colored ballpoint pen… by a machine. I am always drawn to art created using a standard ballpoint pen. Add this really amazing machine to the mix and my socks are wowed right off! Created by Copenhagen based artist Eske Rex, in the description below he begins to explain the inner-workings of this crazy drawing machine:

Drawing Machine is a construction involving two pendulums, each suspended from a tower construction and connected through “drawing arms” and moveable joints. A ballpoint pen resting on a drawing surface covered with paper is mounted at the point where the pendulums come together. The pendulums are set in motion by hand, and their movements are represented on the paper. The Drawing Machine serves two purposes: On exhibitions where the movements of the pendulums affect the entire room, and the experience engages the beholder’s body. While the rhythmic repetitions cause the beholder to pause, the drawing emerges on the paper. And as a tool where investigations on the relation between time and movement.

NEW BUTTON NECKLACES

2013-02-14T11:28:00.003-08:00

www.buttonsohmy.etsy.com

2nd Grade Clay Rattles

2013-02-11T07:03:00.000-08:00

SECOND GRADE CLAY RATTLES ARE SO MUCH FUN!

This is a project that we bang out in one 45 minute class period. In order for everything to go smoothly, there is a bit of prep that needs to happen before the kids arrive.

Bisqued clay rattles waiting to be glazed!

PREP & MATERIALS

FOR EACH STUDENT PREPARE:
- 1 square slab of clay about 3/4" thick
- 1 small ball of clay (about 1"diameter)
- 1 paper towel

- On each table, place a tub full of clay texture tools (old pencils, texture rollers, small pieces of
congregated cardboard and burlap, paper clips, buttons, etc.)
- Fill table cups with water (to be used later when it is time to Score and Slip)
- MAKE A STEPS SIGN! I have done this lesson a few times now and the very first time I didn't have a steps sign made. I noticed a HUGE difference once my sign was done. I refer to the sign frequently throughout my demonstration.

INTRODUCTION

At the start of class, I show the students several different rattles and maracas. We discuss how the tiny balls inside the rattle are what make noise when the rattle is shaken.

PART 1
- Pass out 1 small ball of clay and 1 paper towel to every student.
- Together break the ball into several smaller pieces, roll the pieces into new balls and cover each ball with a piece of paper towel.

* The paper towels will keep the balls from sticking together inside the rattle and will burn away once inside the kiln.

DEMONSTRATION

I refer step-by-step to my poster and show students how to roll a slab, trace and cut a circle, add texture using the texture tools, place the paper towel/clay balls in the center and then how to close the whole thing up.

CLOSE IT UP

Typically, my students will continue to add texture until I stop them. About 8 minutes before the end of class I will instruct the students to close up their rattle. We do this together and that way the important steps don't get missed. Students need to flip over their circle so that the smooth side is facing up (This is a biggy or the texture will be trapped inside the rattle). Next, place the balls in the center. Using a pencil, student put X's around the entire edge of their rattle and then wet the X's using water and their finger. We fold the circle in half like a taco and pinch the OUTER EDGE ONLY being careful not to smush the balls inside.

Clay rattles are fired in the kiln to Cone 04. Next art class students will glaze their rattles using underglaze. I will post a follow up post once the rattles are done!

Charcoal Warm-Up

2013-01-31T06:46:00.000-08:00

Advanced Art students completed this as a warm up to a still-life drawing using charcoal. I asked the students to create a collage using magazines, Kraft paper, book pages, newspaper and sand paper. Students create their mixed media collage and then use this surface to practice drawing different forms with charcoal.

I spray painted several items white (cereal boxes, oatmeal canisters, round balls, milk cartons) that students use to set up their own still-life. Usually this takes about 2 class periods. So at the end of day 1, I snap a quick photo so that students can easily set up their still-life again the next day.

I try to give students PLENTY of opportunities for practice before starting a final project. This does wonders for their level of confidence and most kinks get worked out early on.

High School Self-Portraits

2013-01-22T08:44:00.000-08:00

High School Student Self-Portraits

Hatching and Coss Hatching Oh My!

2012-12-07T09:27:00.001-08:00

Last year, I taught Linear Shading to Advanced Art Students. This year, I decided to try it with 9th grade Studio Art Students. We completed the project following our unit on observational value drawing using pencil. Students were already warmed up to value and knew all about their core shadows, highlights, reflective light and all that other good drawing stuff. I kept it small (8"x11") for time sake and most finished the project, start to finish, in about a week.

1) I showed the class an Intro to Hatching ppt. with several artist examples. Students then created a scumbling, hatching and crosshating value scale in their sketchbook.

2) Students found an image online (one that was free to use or copy) for their drawing. They drew their image on white paper using the grid method outlined below:

3) Students were given ultra fine sharpie markers and instructed to begin by identifing their darkest areas first.

Student Examples

RECENT RED CLAY FAVORITES

2012-11-29T10:36:00.000-08:00

DIY Easy Fabric Scrap Christmas Wreath

2012-11-28T11:18:00.002-08:00

THIS HOLIDAY SEASON I AM GOING ALL DIY. I am making my christmas decorations and attempting to give only handmade gifts. Fabric wreaths have been around the crafting scene for a while now. They are super simple to make, inexpensive and a great way to use up leftover fabric from other projects. I expecially love this project because no sewing machine or crafting tools are needed. Just a bag of scrap fabric and a wire frame. I also repurposed an old belt for my red Christmas bow.

WANT TO MAKE ONE? YOU WILL NEED:

- Wire
- Hot Glue
- Fabric Scraps

1. I began with one long piece of wire and hot glued the ends together to form a circle. This is what I used for the base of my wreath.

2. Round up all your fabric scraps. I used pattern fabric in two different shades of green. I ripped the fabric into 1" strips, which is WAY easier than using scissors or a rotary cutter. Then I knotted the fabric strips around the wire frame.

3. Continue knotting the fabric until the whole wire frame is covered.

4. I tied an old belt into a bow and then attached it to my frame using hot glue.

It's really that simple!

Screen Printing T-Shirts

2012-11-20T06:26:00.001-08:00

Advanced Art students just finished printing T-Shirts. Students LOVE this project but I really have to pull teeth in order to get them to use original images. Prior to drawing the image for the t-shirt, we spent about a week talking about symbolism and students drew their own personal symbols.

Students used carbon paper to transfer their image to Mask-Ease. The image was cut out of the mask-ease with an x-acto knife and then attached to the screen for printing. This is a very classroom friendly way to screen print with great results. If you have never heard of mask-ease it comes with directions that walk you through the entire process.

I found a very cool interactive site that explains and demonstrates four printmaking techniques that I showed to the students. Check it out HERE!

PREK Watercolor Painting

2012-11-19T07:10:00.001-08:00

Pre K students had a blast last Thursday experimenting and exploring with watercolor paint, color mixing and salt painting!

GIVEAWAY! FREE CLAY EARRINGS!

2012-11-02T06:54:00.002-07:00

GIVEAWAY! To enter to win this awesome pair of Stuck in the Mud Pottery earrings head over to my facebook page Stuck in the Mud Pottery. You MUST LIKE my page, LIKE the photo, and COMMENT under the photo. Winner will be announced! Good luck!

DIY Dream Catcher Jewelry Display

2012-11-01T06:42:00.001-07:00

I have been playing around with my jewelry display lately and I finally figured out an awesome way to display my earrings - with a handmade dream catcher! This is super easy to make and looks great in my bedroom!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

-WIRE (1/8" IN DIAMETER) OR EMBROIDERY HOOP

-FABRIC

-HOT GLUE OR SUPER GLUE

-COLORED STRING

STEP 1: CREATE HOOP AND WRAP FABRIC

I used wire that I had on hand, which was 1/8” in diameter, and hot glued the ends together to form a circle (you could just as easily use an embroidery hoop). I ripped fabric into 1"strips and tied the ends together with a knot to create one long piece. I wrapped the fabric around the wire hoop until all the wire was covered and then secured the end of the fabric in place with super glue.

STEP 2: CREATE THE CENTER

The inside is actually very simple. I used colored hemp and wrapped as shown in the image below. I began with a knot on the outside hoop and ended with a knot when I reached the center.

STEP 3: DECORATE

I added more fabric scraps to the bottom of my dream catcher since I had a bunch left over. I choose a few different fabric strands and added a green bead to the bottom of them. There are A TON of different ways that you could spice up the bottom of your dream catcher - Beads, shells, and feathers would all look great!

Designer Dog Food Container DIY

2012-10-31T06:11:00.001-07:00

Store dry dog food in style!

One of the best, easiest and prettiest places to store your dogs food is certainly not in that oversized floppy bag -- it's in a cute canister!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

- Old Tin Can

- Spray Paint (I used Krylon Indoor/ Outdoor Gloss)
- Black Acrylic Paint

-And that's it!

STEP 1: SPRAY PAINT

I re-purposed an old tin using Krylon spray paint in Celery. I Sprayed 2 coats, letting it dry inbetween each coat.

STEP 2: DOG PAW PRINTS

Advanced Art Value Drawing

2012-10-22T06:27:00.001-07:00

Advanced Art Students began this project by collecting leaves, pine cones and twigs from outside. Students adhered the objects to a piece of cardboard and then created a value drawing of the composition they created.

Handmade Ceramic Stud Earrings

2012-07-06T07:56:00.002-07:00

Get your Ceramic Stud Earrings today!

At Stuck in the Mud Pottery

I Love My ipod!

2012-07-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

And all it's super cool ipod apps - Words with friends, Pandora, Cut the Rope, Instagrams, and my new favorite DashOfColor. It is really easy to use. I use my own photos and edit them using DashOfColor. I used an adorable picture of my neice Pheobe on the example below. I'd love to hear about other great apps! If you have a favorite iPod app, let me know in the comments.

Phoebe in Instagram.

Phoebe in DashOfColor.

Summer Fun at Yaddo Gardens

2012-07-04T13:41:00.002-07:00

My soon–to–be hubby and I have been on the hunt for the perfect wedding site. Yesterday, we took a trip to the Yaddo Gardens in Saratoga Springs. And while we decided not to get married here, it was plenty beautiful and worth the trip. Plus FREE, you can't beat that!

p.s. we did find the perfect spot on top of Prospect Mountain in Lake George!

DIY Brighten up your old jewelry!

2012-07-03T13:21:00.001-07:00

This summer I am on a mission to revamp my wardrobe without spending a dime. I decided to start with the heaps of jewelry that I never wear. All I needed was a little krazy glue and some neon embroidery thread. I spent $0 on this DIY! I had a bunch of embroidery floss already, but if you don’t you can buy it at just about any craft store.

Above: I chose a few necklaces that I hardly ever wore and that I felt really needed some spicing up. There really are not any rules or steps to this DIY – I started by wrapping the floss randomly to see what I could come up with.

Here's what I created:

Using brightly colored embroidery thread, I wrapped the thread around the cord in a random pattern, using the krazy glue to attach it to the cord on the ends – the krazy glue works really well, it hasn’t budged at all!

For the chain like necklace, I dabbed some krazy glue on the end of the embroidery thread and pinched it together. This formed an almost needle-like tip that I used to weave the thread through the chain.

I like the way the neon thread looks with the colors in the stones.

These also look great layered!

Buttons OH MY!

2012-06-29T11:31:00.002-07:00

New Necklaces!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ButtonsOhMy

Thursday DIY Favorites

2012-06-28T06:59:00.001-07:00

Some of my favorite DIY projects found this week via pinterest!

1. Dream Catcher Earring Display

2. Monogram Mug
3. Seed Bombs
4. Image Transfer Votive Holder

Chairs that Tell a Story!

2012-05-15T06:55:00.003-07:00

In October, the University at Albany challenged more than 25 area schools to artistically depict a favorite literary classic on one of the University’s original 1960’s library oak chairs. Two MCS students accepted the challenge! The two have been working diligently to transform the library chair into a magnificent work of art illustrating detailed imagery from Homer’s Greek epic poem The Odyssey. An article about the event can be viewed here.

Our Finished Chair!

Before: Gesso applied and waiting to be painted.

Various painted details on the chair of The Odyssey.

DIY Peace Dove Welcome Mat

2012-04-01T14:17:00.001-07:00

I've always wanted a nice coir rug for my porch. Every one I found seemed to have a cheesy quote or lame design that really wasn't me. Lost in Home Depot this weekend I stumbled upon an inexpensive bristle rug and was inspired to finally make my own.

1. This inexpensive bristly door mat was $6.50 at Home Depot. It was JUST what I wanted since it was design-free. 2. I drew my dove on white tagboard and used an Xacto knife to cut out the image. 3. Place the rug on top of cardboard and then insert push pins to keep the tagboard in place. You can see the push pins a little better in the close-up. They are placed around the edge of the dove and pushed right through the rug into the cardboard.

4. Outside, I painted the inside of my dove white using spray paint. 5. Once I removed the tagboard I used green acrylic paint and a paintbrush to add the green leaves to my doves mouth. Lastly, be sure to let your mat dry before putting it to use. A custom door mat is just what I need on my front porch! It would also make a great housewarming gift. So many possibilities!