mrspicasso's art room

Digital Photography  (Black and White With A Touch Of Color)
Quick Overview: * Students set up their own still life using various holiday decorations * Students take photo using digital camera * Students manipulate photo in computer lab (our computer aide helps with this step- takes 1-2 class periods) * Some tutorials:  Paint Shop Pro Photo (This is what we use)  Photoshop (Basically, any program using layers will work- search for your own program online) * Frames are added using photo program and saved * Each student receives a copy of their photo as a card to give their family * Created with 4th Grade

Holiday Sparkle
Quick Overview: * Ornaments cut from sparkly paper (wrapping paper would work) * We used patterns for the ornaments, but they could be drawn also * Decorate ornaments with others' scraps * Add a topper to the ornaments using gold or silver paper (we used fancy edged scissors to cut one edge so they looked like the real thing) * Glue on to background
* Add details:       Option 1- glue ribbon from top of ornament to the top edge of the paper and add some holly & berries in the corner       Option 2- Add branches using oil pastel before gluing ornaments on * Made with first graders

Frosty!
Quick Overview * 12" X 12" paper background * Head is printed using a circular sponge dipped in white paint * Paper hat and carrot nose * Googly eyes or eye stickers * Buttons for mouth * Recycled ribbon for hat band and scarf * Snowflakes in sky (either paper punched or stamped) * Details drawn with marker (cheeks and lines on carrot nose) * Made by Young Fives Kindergarten 

Directions for this fabric stitching project may be found here.

Use the directions found here and simply change the subject!

Handprint Snowmen
Quick Overview
* Tiny Canvas panels from Dick Blick
* Paint canvas completely with acrylic (any color that white will show up on)
* Hand coated in white acrylic and pressed on to canvas (make sure the palm goes all the way to
the bottom)
* Add "snow" at bottom of canvas with white acrylic
* Add details (scarves, hats, noses) with assorted colors of acrylic
* Eyes and mouth added using Sharpie marker
* Snowflakes added using wrong end of paintbrush dipped in white paint
* Made with kindergarten


*Optional- add names to the bottom and hot glue a ribbon on top so that it may be hung on the tree

Directions may been found here.

Directions may be found here.

Directions can be found here.

Sparkly Winter Trees
Quick Overview * Black tempera trees (see this post for step by step directions) * Watercolor swirling skies in cool colors * Sequin stars * Artist tie-in: Gustav Klimt * Made by 2nd grade

Dancing Santas

Quick Overview
* Scrapbook suit
* Oval paper face
* Cotton ball beard
* Pom pom nose and "jingle" on top of the hat
* 2 black dots for eyes
* Tiny buttons on suit
* Snowflakes (paper punched) in sky
* This is a quick 1 or 2 day project.
* Made with 1st Grade

A few photos of the process:

I cheat- the patterns are drawn out and then photocopied to the back of scrapbook paper.  Feel free to steal this pattern!

We use colorful patterned paper.  We imagine that it is December 26th and Santa is verrry happy to dance around in his pajamas!

I set a bowl of pieces on each table- paper heads, small and large poms, and cotton balls.


Here's how all the pieces fit together. Let the kiddos arrange the arms and legs in their own way.

To attach the beard: 
Add a drop of glue on his chin.

Put a cotton ball on the glue dot.

Draw a line of glue on either side of the face. Hold the cotton ball in place.

Gently pull the cotton ball out to frame Santa's face.

 Adding the de…

I know I have been absent from the blog for quite awhile. I have been swamped with tons of activities (which I will blog about sometime in the near future!) Until then, please enjoy  a photo a day of some of my students' best holiday projects.


Printed Poinsettias
Quick Overview:
* Foam sheets cut in to leaf and petal shapes
* Tempera paint prints
* Watercolor background
* Wrong end of brush dipped in paint to make dots
* Teaching points- tints and shades
* Made with 3rd Grade