Paint Party Friday: Papier Mache

 Linda and I are the decorators for an October banquet.  

In preparation for the upcoming banquet my classroom has become the crafting center.  

We are creating a tree! 

This is the beginning.  

I will post additional pictures as we progress.  

The photo here is of the main trunk.  Branches will drop down from the ceiling as if the tree grew through.  Only one branch has been constructed so far (not pictured).  So far, I have done this with one small roll of chicken wire.  I need another for the branches.

The assignment for a few of my advanced students has been to assist me in the making of a papier mache tree. We started by measuring out the chicken wire and creating an armature of sorts from it.  (In retrospect I would now start with wooden slats or something more substantial and attach the chicken wire to that so it would be sturdier. As it is, we have had to make wire hangers along the edge of the tree to catch nails to secure to the wall.  This will have to be moved on a trailer and set up on location.)

 Next we taped full sheets of dry newspaper over the chicken wire to completely cover it before beginning to paste anything.

The paste is flour and a little salt mixed with water about as thick of pancake batter.  

The paste is applied directly onto the tree, layering dry newspaper, paste, dry newspaper, paste, etc.  Smoothing as you go.  We did several layers and then allowed it to dry overnight before adding more. When enough layers are applied to make a hard surface when dry it is ready for the next step which will be to apply colored paper an /or paint the surface.  

More next week.

Oh, the painting in the photo is the work of one of my Art IV students.  It is his first attempt at watercolor and the white part is the bridge that has not been painted yet.  It is going to be beautiful.   

There are so many different projects going on in this room it is hard to photograph the room without catching other projects in progress.  What an exciting time to be a teacher!

Happy Paint Party Friday!

View the completion of this tree! 
Here!

We now change it seasonally. 
Right now, we have added willow leaves and hanging moss and that is my favorite look so far. I will have to update the photos.

Buddy Walk 2011

Buddy Walk 2011

Our family has joined together in an effort to support people with Down Syndrome every year for the last eight years.  There was a time in our lives that we never thought about those with DS but when one of our own was born with it we educated ourselves and began to take notice of this special population.
The Down Syndrome Association organization sponsors an annual event called Buddy Walk all over the nation to help local families and help with the local organizations as well as support research.

As many of our family members who can make the walk in the Texas heat will do the walk. (There are 21 in our immediate family, 19 were there plus aunts, uncles, friends and neighbors equaling 37 for our team this year, I think.)  Sometimes, we groan that the weather is too hot and we are not up to dealing with the heat but once we get our family together, joined in the effort we always have a good time.

This year was no different. 

Not only did we do the walk but the kids got to ride the train and do the bouncy castles.

It was fun.  Then we all met at Chester's for hamburgers.

Paint Party Friday:Mixed Media

Mixed Media

Completely unplanned!

Mixed Media using
Layers:
acrylic then a splash of alcohol,
acrylic then a splash of alcohol again, different colors this time,
collage of magazine clippings of fonts to add texture and multi-layers,
acrylic paint squeegee'd off,
and again, different color. 

And then the work began.  

Once I had layered in all the textures I could stand I finished this piece by detailing with more  paint, colored pencils, Sharpie marker and even glued in some silk flowers I found on the floor of my art room(glued, painted and the buffed then outlined with Sharpie).  

I am forcing myself to stop. 

It is so fun I want to keep going but then I will overwork it.

I want to leave a bit of mystic in it.  

I am guiding a few of my students at a time through this process.  I wouldn't make it through the month if I did all of them at one time.  

They are loving it!
It is just play!!!

Happy Paint Party Friday!

Below: Just doodling with a random acrylic wash, pen & ink  and a quiet evening.

Just playing around mindlessly.

Paint Party Friday: Notes for Linda notebook cover

Last week I did the sketch book cover for a demonstration piece for my classes.  This week I made a notebook cover for my sister who requested "make me one and make me skinny, too".  So here is Linda's notebook.  Linda's passions are all about quilting and she loves to bake cakes and has the biggest collection of pedestal cake plates I have ever seen.
(Oh, no!  My mice are missing.  I drew them in after I scanned this!  Shucks! They were cute!)

For the record this has been a very random week starting off with a holiday and family in to visit on Monday, Tuesday a new baby born in the family, Wednesday another visit to the hospital after teaching all day, Thursday they came home from the hospital and I spent a chunk of time in Walgreen's  getting a prescription for Gaby and now, thankfully....
it is Friday!
So as I put this tiring work week to rest let's hear it for    
Happy Paint Party Friday!
(not that Saturday is not a work day.  It is just another kind of work.)

See Paint Party Friday here.
See Linda's Buzzing and Bumbling here.
See a picture of the baby on my previous post here.

You may also, notice a new page on my blog entitled Art Teachers Blog. 
It is linked to Artists in Blogland, a new art blog directory with two directories one for art blogs and one for art teachers blogs.  I found both interesting.

 

Eason

Eason finally arrives!

It wasn't all fun and games but finally Eason arrived, healthy and content.  

What a sweet little one he is; the second son to my second son.

It amazes me when I look at the children born in our family and I see the thread of commonalities. 

There is no mistaking the children born into this family as one of us. 

If the look is a little different a thread connects them to another who looks like another who looks like another and on and on through the family!

I can see it in his eyes, his nose, ...and blended so well with his mouth's sweet rose bud lips and dark hair.  

I am going to label him a "heart-throb" from day one!

Paint Party Friday: Sketch Book Covers & Zentangles

Friday we are finishing up our second week! 
Second football game!
Second pep rally!
Second project!
Students are now going to complete a drawing combining Zentangle design and cartooning to create a sketch book cover which they will be using in their art classes.   

My Sketch Book Cover (8 1/2" x 11")

The project has a good bit of  flexibility built into it yet  it can be used to teach several concepts such as:  focal point, design and composition and we can even touch on a little bit of color theory and application of color, "painting" with  washable markers. 

This is my demonstration piece I have been working on during the classes to model to my students.  I will use this for my Sketch Book. ( I am not sure I am finished but if not, it is nearly finished. )

*And yes, that is another cartoon of myself again. My students think it looks like me.  Hum-m!

I also posted a small Zentangle completed last week or the beginning of this week that had color added using washable Crayola markers.   (I have lost track of my days.)

I am still having fun!  Have a Happy Paint Party Friday. 

Adding color to Zentangle (4 1/2" by 6")