Monthly Archives: January 2015

Filling in the Negative Space

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….an art lesson that focuses on the negative space

When I took the on-line course called Table Top: Drawing and Painting by Diane Culhane I knew that I wanted to do one of the assignments with my grades 2 and 3 classes. It was a great lesson on contour drawing and positive and negative space.

I gave the students a variety of bottles and vases to arrange into a pleasing still life. They used a fine tipped black Sharpie and drew a contour drawing of their still life. Then they divided the negative space into smaller areas and filled them in with pencil crayon. They left the positive space blank.

Grade Threes Have Fun With Colour and Line

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…..in this lesson I introduced a variety of lines and the difference between warm and cool colours

To start the lesson the students were instructed to draw a straight line, a thin line, a thick line, a zigzag line, a broken line and a loopy line. They were encouraged to draw the lines in different directions (horizontal, vertical and diagonal) and to extend the lines from one side of the paper to the other.

Then they had to choose two warm colours and one cool colour or two cool colours and one warm colour. Before they started to colour I suggested that they add more lines inside some of the shapes that they had created so that they had smaller blocks of any one colour and they could add some additional marks for added visual texture and variety.

This is a great lesson to leave with a supply teacher.

Kindergarten Winter Owls

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….a two part lesson using pieces of cardboard and their thumbs

Before Christmas I wanted to create a winter scene that used a minimum of paint but would still be fun for the children without making too much mess. I found a  great assignment on Kids’ Artists.

The background is a dark blue or purple paper so that it contrasts with the white trees and looks like a night sky. The trees are created by dipping the edge of the cardboard into the white paint and dabbed onto the paper to form the trunk and branches. Then thumbs are dipped into the paint and stamped onto the branches to make the owl bodies. When the paint is dry the details are added with a fine tipped Black sharpie.

The children loved this project and some of them couldn’t stop stamping owls onto their trees.

 

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – My Favourite Things-Verse One

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…this challenge comes from the song ‘My Favourite Things’ from the Sound of Music

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, Bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens, Brown paper packages tied up with strings, These are a few of my favorite things

Thanks Cee!

IMG_0940P1010220P1030612 IMG_0146

 

Share Your World – 2015 – Week 1

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…..wow a new year of Share Your World with Cee

How do you get rid of pesky phone calls from telemarketers?

If I hear dead air for a second or two after I say Hello I know it’s a telemarketer and I hang up. Simple!

What are you a “natural” at doing?

I don’t know if anyone is a natural at anything. I know that people might think I’m a natural when it comes to art or public speaking but it wasn’t always that way. I had to work at it to gain confidence and even now I still have doubts about my abilities but I am always willing to try new things and take some risks.

How often do you get a haircut?

When my hair is short I try to get it cut every 6 to 8 weeks. When it’s longer it might be every two to three months.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word “fun”?

Fun for me is creating art and being around friends.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

Last week I was grateful for having my entire family home for Christmas and having everyone together to celebrate B and G’s birthday. I also loved visiting and spending time with friends.

This week I’m looking forward to some quiet time with my husband before he has to go back for more surgery on his thyroid next Monday. I’m also looking forward to starting a new on-line year long art class with Carla Sonheim and Lynn Whipple called Year of the Spark.

 

I can't upload my Year of the Spark poster that I made. How frustrating!

I can’t upload my Year of the Spark poster that I made. How frustrating!

Small Stones – January 5, 2015

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….the first day back to work

A New Year

The car instinctively knew where to park

Making its way into a spot that really wasn’t a spot

But the lot had become too small for our growing staff

And no one car pools.

The cold Arctic air bit my face as I gingerly placed

My feet on the icy surface

Hoping that my boots wouldn’t let me down, literally.

The cold easily penetrated my thin inadequate gloves

But I knew that the walk to the door would take less than a minute

Sweet Miss M greeted me, as she does every morning

Opening the door to a warm and welcoming place

This gesture was even more appreciated today

As I had forgotten my swipe key

Had I really been away for two weeks?

The morning was already busy with excitement

Children eager to share their stories and

Teachers busy, preparing for their day

The New Year begins, a new day, just like any other

But with renewed hope and promise of good things to come.

 

© rgb for “On Dragonfly Wings with Buttercup Tea”, 2011 – 2015

What are small stones?

A small stone is a short piece of writing (any style) that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment for you. The process of discovering small stones is as significant as the finished creation. Searching for small stones encourages you to keep your senses on the “alive and alert” status. Involve yourself with a new set of eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers, feelings and mind. In short … OPEN, OPEN, OPEN!

Small Stones – Jan. 4, 2015

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…..Becca Givens writes a Small Stone is “short piece of writing (any style) that precisely captures a fully-engaged moment for you. The process of discovering small stones is as significant as the finished creation. Searching for small stones encourages you to keep your senses on the “alive and alert” status. Involve yourself with a new set of eyes, ears, nose, mouth, fingers, feelings and mind. In short … OPEN, OPEN, OPEN!”

Here is my attempt at a ‘small stone’

A New Day

The rain shatters the morning quiet

Darkness shrouds my bed

I lie there forcing myself to rise

Today is the day I dread

My son leaves us and 

Returns to his new homeIMG_2161