Junk Art Robots

I don't know about you, but I've got enough junk in my house to make ten robots, so here goes.... Here's my cute lil robot all finished....

And here's some of the "junk" I used to create it...

I used an old magazine for the arms and hands...I looked for pictures of gears and other metal things that reminded me of robots.

I used tin foil for the head and body....

And I made the eyes out of cut toilet paper tubes...

You could certainly use other things for your robot, like buttons, paper clips, the caps from milk jugs, and so much more!  If you're interested in junk robots, here are some more artists who make their livings creating robots out of their trash.  I hope you enjoyed this little lesson in recycling and creative thinking.  Happy art making!

Toilet Paper Roll Printmaking

Hi there little artists,  If you're looking for a project at home, but sick of drawing and low on supplies, this is the one for you....All you need is a toilet paper tube, some paint, paper, and something to color with later (if you choose).

First, to make the stamps...If you're going with round prints, no change to your tp roll needed.  Here's what I did to make the heart printer.

Then, you just pour a little paint, and get your papers ready.  Spread the paint out a bit, so the whole stamp can fit into your paint puddle and stamp away!

Once your paint has dried, you can color in your shapes, write little sayings inside....

Or even make it into a whole picture, by turning the shapes into something like bubbles, sports balls, gumballs....anything you can think of!

I decided to go with a fish and bubbles.  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Pet Portraits

Hi there, first grade friends and art fans!  We are going to talk a bit today about pet portraits. First, we know that a PORTRAIT is a picture of someone, so, it goes without saying that a pet portrait is a portrait of your pet.  A while back, I was stumbling around on the internet, and I found this artist, Carol Lew , who makes her living painting "fancy, Old World" portraits of animals, and I thought they were hilarious and adorable.  What a great idea!  So today, we are going to use Carol Lew as a bit of inspiration for some fancy animal drawings.

First you must decide on your animal.  We will be drawing a "typical" portrait, so really only need your animal to be drawn from the shoulders up (just as if it was your animal's school picture).  Draw big, and remember, EVERYTHING (every animal) can be drawn using simple shapes.

Once your animal has been drawn, think about a costume....is your pet going to be a musician? Artist? Actor?  Superhero?  Business person?  King or queen?

If you are wondering about how to make other animals, there are many resources on how to draw animals online, using simple shapes.  Just search for "step by step simple animal drawing".  Or try on your own! If at first you don't succeed, just keep trying.  You'll only get better with practice.  Happy art making!

Onomatopoeia Agamograph

Hi fifth graders and art fans!  As promised, here are the step by step instructions for creating an "Onomatopoeia Agamograph". Here are two views of your finished product, in case you're wondering "what is an agamograph?"...An agamograph is a piece of art that displays 2 different images, depending on what view you are looking at.

You should start your project by choosing an onomatopoeia word (a sound word), and a picture to go with it.  Here is a list of a few of many many sound words out there...

Once you've chosen your word, draw it out really big on one of the two pieces of paper you have available. I used 2 simple 8.5x11" printer papers.  You can achieve those block or bubble letters by writing your letters out normally, and then trace around the letters.  Then simply erase the middles and BOOM! Block letters! Here are my examples...I chose "Buzz" as my onomatopoeia.

And on my other piece of paper I drew a bee....makes sense, right?

After you've drawn and colored, it is time to incorporate some measuring.  These next parts are a bit tedious, but will make all the difference in the end.  It is important for you to stay very organized during this process.  We will be labeling everything as we go.

First, you need 2 more pieces of paper (same size as before, whatever size you used for your drawings.  Put them right next to each other, horizontally, and tape them together.  Do NOT overlap the papers at all when you go to tape them.  

After you are done with that, you will be making lines all the way across these papers, 1" apart from one another.  You will also be making these lines one the back of each of your drawings, 1" apart from one another, like so...

On the backs of your drawings, you'll be labeling each 1' section...one picture will be labeled with letters (A-K), and one picture will be labeled with numbers (1-11).

The 2 papers that you taped together will also be labeled, but you should label them with alternating letters and numbers.  Sooooo your 2 papers that are taped will be labeled 

1,A,2,B,3,C,4,D, and so on, like this.......

Then you will cut apart your pictures.  DO NOT CUT APART THE BIG TAPED TOGETHER PICTURES, only the two pictures you drew of the word and the picture that goes with.  Cut on the lines you made, and keep track of all your pieces.  You will need to glue them to your taped together papers, eventually.

Once you've got your two pictures cut apart in 1" strips, you should set them up exactly where they will be glued.  I strongly advise you to set all the pieces up first, before applying any glue.  They should be all facing the same way, and they should all be lined up on the correct letter or number, as per your labeling earlier on (tedious, I know, but remember it will be cool in the end).

Last step is to carefully fan fold or accordion fold your artwork, view and enjoy!

You've now created optical illusion art, as well as art that reflects the style of "pop art" .  I hope you hung in there through all those directions and learned a bit about art and measurement!  I look forward to seeing your awesome creations soon.  Happy arting!!

Complementary Monsters

Hi fourth graders and art fans!  Here's a little lesson on COMPLEMENTARY COLORS.... Complementary colors are colors that complement each other. They set each other off, they look nice together. They are very different from one another, and they are positioned on opposite sides of the color wheel.  Complementary colors com in pairs.  Here's a funny little clip introducing the complementary color pairs. Some of you might recognize this video from art class, others maybe not.
See those colors on opposite sides of the wheel?  Purple goes with yellow, orange with blue, and red with green....

For this are lesson, you'll be making a PAIR of complementary color monsters!  You choose your two colors and start your designs.

  Here are some things to consider when creating your monsters...

(Don't forget to draw big!! And start with PENCIL FIRST!!)

Remember to add some "complements".  These are "complementary monsters", after all.  :)

I hope you had fun coming up with these silly creatures and learning a bit more about color theory for artists.  Happy art making, everyone!

Toilet Paper Roll Ocean Critters

Hi there students and families!  If there is one thing that this shutdown is teaching me it is to make use of everything I have at my house, so that is where this little arts and crafts activity comes into play.  I hope you got my memo to save your tp tubes, because today we will be making sculptures out of them!

Today we'll go through how to make a fish/shark and an octopus.  Feel free to make both, if you've got the materials!

Step one for either one is to paint or color your tube.

If you're making the shark, cut a triangle out of one end....

then match that triangle to the other side on the same end of the tube.  Don't get rid of those triangles, as they will later become fins for your shark/fish.

Next, color the back sides of those triangles to match your shark/fish.

Bend one of them at the bottom, and attach it to the top of your tube (shark's back).

Cut a little "V" out of the other triangle and attach it to the open, uncut end of the tube (tail fin).

Add a face...and teeth if you want :)

Now let's go back to that cute little octopus....  After you've painted or colored your tube, make a face for your octopus and glue the eyes near the top of your tube.

Cut 8 even slits at the bottom (I started with 2 slits on the opposite sides, and then divided from there).  Take a pencil and curl the "tentacles" up from the base of the tube.

Add your suction cup circles to the bottom sides of the tentacles....

Admire your little cutie :)

If you've got some string you could even hang these up like they are swimming!  Thanks for checking in everyone!  Keep saving your household goodies for more art lessons coming up soon, and don't forget to send me your pictures! Happy art making :)