Art Classes in Virginia

Chinese Opera Mask

February 21st, 2010

This week’s picture is of a CHINESE OPERA MASK using PRISMACOLOR MARKERS as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

The visual arts in other cultures (China)
The visual arts in relation to other artistic disciplines (theater, opera)
Elements of design, pattern, and symmetry

THE DRAWING:

Chinese Opera Mask

This week’s drawing is of a Chinese Opera Mask. Chinese opera is a popular form of drama and musical theatre in China, dating back as far as the third century. The art form is characterized by performers in brightly colored costumes moving to dramatic music. Chinese opera varies dramatically from our western version of opera; it is complicated performing art combining singing, music, dialogue, acrobatics, martial arts and pantomime.

Most prominent in Chinese opera are actors wearing masks, which are frequently changed throughout the performance. These masks can be either actual masks, often made from wood, or thick face paint applied directly to the performer’s face.

The faces on the masks were often dramatically exaggerated, and used color to describe different characters’ personalities. Through the use of color, the audience would be able to instantly interpret a character’s nature.

Red indicated devotion, courage & uprightness.
Yellow signifies fierceness, ambition & coolheadedness.
Blue represents staunchness, fierceness & astuteness.
White suggests treacherousness, suspiciousness & craftiness.
Black symbolizes roughness & fierceness.
Purple stands for uprightness, sophistication & coolheadedness.
Gold & silver are reserved for gods and spirits.

This site has further interesting explanations of different uses of color and design in Chinese opera masks.

THE MEDIUM:

Using Prismacolor Markers

Prismacolor Markers are fun and easy to use. These artist quality markers have two tips: a fine tip for coloring small spaces, and a broad, flat tip for coloring larger areas. These markers provide rich color saturation and smooth ink coverage.

Ask Your Child:

· To describe their Chinese opera mask’s unique patterns and symbols and interpret their face’s character using the color meanings listed above.

· To explain how this is an example of functional art.

· To explain the relationship between visual art and other art forms such as theater and opera (older children).

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Flower Collage

February 11th, 2010

This week’s project is of a FLOWER using MIXED MEDIA (including COLLAGE) as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

Collage and mixed media
Choices in art
Composition, including symmetry and design

THE PROJECT:

Flower

In preparation for Valentine’s Day, your child created a card featuring a lovely flower. Typically during a class session the teacher and all students will create together a specific drawing. This class was somewhat different; instead of the entire class creating the same flower, children were given wide latitude in creating their own, unique flower.

For some children, this is exciting; for others, who are hesitant of creativity and enjoy the structure of following the teacher’s work, this may have been more challenging. This project encouraged children to carefully consider their composition before beginning, as well as emphasizing lessons in symmetry and design, complementary color schemes, and even motor skills (cutting paper to create collage elements).

THE MEDIUM:

Collage & Mixed Media

Most children enjoy creating collages because of the myriad of possibilities and options for unique compositions. Collage is the perfect mixture of messiness and creativity to engage a child’s interest. In this picture, the primary collage element was paper, in varying colors and textures, but the possibilities for collage are endless. Mixing many elements – anything from feathers and buttons to paper and string – will keep children intrigued and entertained for hours! Collage can often be a very “green” form of art, as well, and was one of the many art styles we highlighted in our 2009 Save the Earth with Art summer camp.

One famous collage artist of the early 20^th century was Henri Matisse. Matisse was a French painter who turned to collage when his health began to fail. Matisse wrote, “The paper cutouts allow me to draw with color. For me, it is a simplification. Instead of drawing an outline and then filling in with color - with one modifying the other - I draw directly in color … It is not a starting point, it is a completion.” Mattise’s final and most works evolved into a collection of mixed-media collages. Matisse arranged brightly colored paper cutouts into intense compositions, and added text in his own handwriting to produce a book entitled Jazz, a powerful visual representation of jazz music.

If your child enjoyed this week’s collage project, enjoy this Matisse-inspired project with them.

Mixing mediums (the materials used to create a picture) is a fun technique to create contrast in a picture. Encourage your child to try more multimedia projects at home. Mixing mediums encourages children to think carefully about the effect created by different mediums – the contrast between the texture created by markers and that created by chalk, for example, can be better understood by children when the elements are presented side-by-side.

Ask Your Child:

· To explain how he planned his flower before creating it.

· To explain various design elements (symmetry, color, etc) within her flower.

· To discuss other elements (besides paper) which could be effectively introduced into his collage. (For example, buttons make great flower centers.)

Tags: collage, flower, KidzArt, mixed media
Posted in Drawings - in depth | No Comments »

Tattooed Maori Face

February 8th, 2010

This week’s picture is of a TATTOOED MAORI FACE using SHARPIES on FOLIA RAINBOW PAPER as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

The history of Ta Moko – the sacred tattoos of the Maori people of New Zealand.
Symbols and motifs in art
Repetition, pattern, and symmetry

THE DRAWING:

Tattooed Maori Face

This week’s drawing is of a tattooed Maori face. Ta Moko is the sacred art of tattooing, often characterized by patterns on the face. This ancient tradition was practiced by the Maori peoples of New Zealand.

The Legend

Maori mythology tells the story of a love affair between a young man named Mataora (”Face of Vitality”) and a young underworld princess named Niwareka. One day Mataora beat Niwareka, and she ran away from him, back her father’s realm. Mataora was filled with guilt and heartbreak, and followed after his princess. When he finally arrived, his face paint was messed and dirty after his voyage. Her family taunted and mocked him for his bedraggled appearance. Humbled, Mataora begged Niwareka for forgiveness, which she eventually accepted. Niwareka’s father then offered to teach Mataora the art of tattooing. The lovers eventually returned together to the human world, bringing with them the art of ta moko.

The Art of Ta Moko

Traditionally, the Maori used tattooing as a means of personal identification. Moko – carving –was used to create a genealogy through the patterns on the skin. It was also a history of a person’s achievements, representing tribal status like a resume. It served to remind the bearer of their responsibilities in life.

A chisel, or a sharp bladed tool, was carved from the bird’s bone, and then was used to cut the skin. The chisel was then dipped into dark pigment made from the local Kauri tree or soot made from burnt caterpillars or leaves. This dark pigment was then tapped into the skin. It was a very painful and long process, but was a great honor; those without tattoos were considered to have no social status.

Tattoo Meanings

Moko is similar to an identity card or passport. For men, Moko showed rank, status and ferocity, instantly demonstrating the bearer’s power and authority. Certain outward signs, combined with tattoos, could instantly define someone’s identity. For example, a chief with Moko wearing a dog cloak could be identified as a person in charge of warriors. It would be a great insult if the chief was not appropriately recognized, and this insult could lead to utu - vengeance.

The male facial tattoo is generally divided into eight sections:*

Ngakaipikirau (rank) – center forehead
Ngunga (position) – eyebrows
Uirere (hapu rank) – eye/ nose area
Uma (first or second marriage) – temples
Raurau (signature) – under-nose area
Taiohou (work) – cheeks
Wairua (mana) – chin
Taitoto (birth status) – jaw

*Source: Maori Face Tattoo

Ancestry is indicated on each side of the face; typically the father’s side is depicted on the left and the mother’s on the right. Descent was a foremost requirement before a Moko could be undertaken. If one side of a person’s ancestry was not of rank, that side would have no design. Similarly, no tattoo in the forehead center means the wearer has no rank.

THE MEDIUM:

Sharpies on Folia Paper

At KidzArt we use sharpies for almost all our drawings. In this picture, instead of adding color through other mediums once the drawing is completed, we drew the picture (using sharpies) on colored paper.

This rainbow colored paper we used is called Folia Paper. This paper adds an intense punch of color to any project. Often used for origami projects, this paper is lightweight, with a high-gloss surface. These rainbow packs can be purchased in a variety of color variations.

Ask Your Child:

· To describe the unique patterns and symbols on her Maori face mask.

· To talk about the history behind the Maori face tattoos and the Maori people of New Zealand.

· To explain possible meanings for his unique tattoo design.

· To describe unique elements in her drawing, such as borders and other embellishments.

Tags: faces, KidzArt, prismacolor markers, symbols, tribal
Posted in Drawings - in depth | 1 Comment »

Thunderbird

February 8th, 2010

This week’s picture is of an NATIVE AMERICAN THUNDERBIRD using CHALK PASTELS as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

Designs and history of the Native American Thunderbird symbol
Symbols and motifs in art
Repetition, pattern, and symmetry

THE DRAWING:

Native American Thunderbird

This week’s drawing is of the Native American Thunderbird. Some fun facts about the thunderbird symbol:

The Thunderbird’s name comes from the idea that its enormous wings create thunder. The Lakota name for the Thunderbird is Wakį́ya, a word formed from two words meaning “sacred” and “winged.”
According to Indian legend in the Pacific Northwest Coast, the Thunderbird is powerful enough to hurt and even carry off the giant Killer Whale. This is the basis for the legend “The Thunderbird and the Whale.”
Some tribes saw the Thunderbird as an individual entity, some as plural.
The singular Thunderbird was said to be the servant of the Great Spirit, residing on the top of a mountain. It only flew about to carry messages from one spirit to another.
The plural form of the thunderbirds were believed to be able to shape shift into human form by tilting back their beaks like a mask, and removing their feathers like feather-covered blankets. There are even stories of thunderbirds in human form marrying into pure human families; some Native American families trace their lineage to such an event.
Some legends saw the Thunderbird as protective, keeping Indian tribes safe from harm. Others saw it as a fearful creature, carrying off any who dared cross its sacred mountain.

The Air Force Thunderbirds adopted the name, influenced by the strong Indian culture and folklore of the southwestern U.S. where the team was activated. Indian legends regarded the Thunderbird with fear and respect; when it took to the skies, the earth trembled with the thunder of its great wings. Nothing in nature could challenge the Thunderbird. This was just the commanding presence the Air Force Thunderbirds wished to inspire.

THE MEDIUM:

Using NuPastel Chalk Pastels

At KidzArt we use Prismacolor NuPastel color sticks. This form of chalk has a slightly varnished surface, which keeps it harder and cleaner than other varieties. They come in thin sticks which can be easily broken to be more manageable for small hands.

We show the kids how to use their fingers or a tissue to blend the chalk pastels; q-tips blend well in smaller areas. Because of the medium’s texture, the pictures can smear easily; you may want to spray the finished artwork with hairspray to help the chalk adhere to the page.

Ask Your Child:

· To describe their Thunderbird’s unique patterns and symbols.

· To talk about the history behind the Thunderbird symbol.

· To explain the chalk pastel techniques she used in her picture.

Tags: animal drawings, chalk, KidzArt, nature, symbols
Posted in Drawings - in depth | No Comments »

African Wild Dog

February 8th, 2010

This week’s picture is of an AFRICAN WILD DOG using WATERCOLOR PENCILS and LIQUID WATERCOLOR as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

Using watercolor pencils lightly and darkly to show depth and shadow
Technique to make surfaces look wet or shiny (white paper on nose and pupils)
The African wild dog

THE DRAWING:

African Wild Dog

This week’s drawing is of the African wild dog. Some fun facts about this animal:

Their scientific name is Lycaon pictus, Latin for “painted wolf.”
African wild dogs are the second most endangered carnivore in Africa. This is due to habitat loss and fragmentation, as people are moving into more and more of the dogs’ territory. Packs needs between 80 and 800 square miles of land to roam and hunt. Most national parks in Africa are not large enough for even one wild dog pack, and family groups living outside protected areas are often killed by farmers and ranchers.
African wild dogs are most like wolves in their social structure but seem to be gentler within their pack. The average pack is between 5 - 20 dogs
Each dog has an individual pattern of splotches and splashes of black and different shades of brown-and-white markings. These marking give it one of its common names: African painted dog. Their “disruptive coloration” makes the pack look much larger than it really is.
African wild dogs hunt twice a day, usually at dawn and dusk.
When chasing prey they can run up to 60 km/ hr and sustain this for several kilometers.
Wild dogs are very efficient hunters, with a 38-85% success rate – almost always more efficient than lions and spotted hyenas.
Packs begin each day with a greeting ceremony. The dogs fill the morning air with excited chirps and twitters as they gear up for the first hunt of the day. They run shoulder to shoulder and then pause to leap over and dive under each other. The dogs appear to “kiss” one another, licking and poking at the corners of each other’s mouths. This is a food-begging behavior that plays an important role in social bonding within the pack.
There is one dominant male and female, the “alpha pair,” in a wild dog pack.
The alpha female can have up to 21 pups in one litter, more than any other dog species. All the pack members help care for the puppies.
With most social mammals, the females stay with the group and raise their young while the males leave to start new groups. The African wild dogs do just the opposite! The females leave the pack, sometimes as a group of sisters, to join a new pack, when they are about three years old. Males generally remain in the pack they were born into. Therefore, packs are mostly made up of males and have very few females, sometimes only one.

THE MEDIUM:

Using Watercolor Pencils & Liquid Watercolor

At KidzArt we use Watercolor Crayons, a great medium for creating lovely watercolor pictures without the mess. (Some classes also used liquid watercolor to color the background of the picture.) We use several brands of watercolor crayons; one is Caran d’Ache Neocolor II Artists’ Crayons.

Watercolor crayons look just like regular crayons; pictures are colored just as any normal picture would be, allowing children more control over color than they can often manage with traditional or liquid watercolors. Once the drawing is colored, however, a paint-brush or q-tip is used to add water over the color. The crayon seemingly “melts,” creating a beautiful watercolor picture!

Ask Your Child:

· To describe their dog’s unique “painted” pattern.

· To point out and describe any unique elements in the African landscape he may have added.

· To explain the watercolor crayons and liquid watercolor techniques she used in her picture.

Tags: animal drawings, KidzArt, watercolor
Posted in Drawings - in depth | No Comments »

Snowy Landscape

February 8th, 2010

This week’s picture is of a SNOWY LANDSCAPE using POSTERBOARD and white ART STIX or COLORED PENCILS as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

· Three-dimensional black and white art.

· Creating a drawing with a notable light source.

· Using contrasting light and dark shades and values to add depth and perspective to a drawing.

THE DRAWING:

Functional Art

This week’s drawing is integrated with a very basic craft which makes it an example of functional art: something which is both beautiful and useful. Functional art can be very rewarding for children, who enjoy putting their art to good use. Creating a portfolio is also an encouragement to children to continue creating; a safe place of their own to store art can encourage children to take ownership of and pride in their work.

Three Dimensional Art & Light Sources

The interest in this black-and-white picture comes from its realism, despite the presence of just two colors. So what makes a picture appear realistic and three-dimensional?

Point out the importance of proportion in creating a unified composition; for example, the snowman, the tree and the house should not be the same size. In this picture, much of the three dimensionality of the picture comes from the “roundness” of the snowman and the moon; they should appear to be round balls, not flat circles. Look at this picture of a moon and observe how the shades and brightness show it is a sphere, not a flat object.

Shading and light source are also important - to craft realistic shades there are a few things to keep in mind:

* you must recognize where exactly the light comes from
* notice which angle and direction the moonlight is shining at
* the proper silhouette/outline of the shadow cast by the moonlight shining on each object

For a great explanation on the effect of light source on a picture, look at this article and the extremely helpful (kid-friendly!) drawing demonstrating the different ways it is possible to draw light sources.

THE MEDIUM:

Using Art Stix & Colored Pencils

At KidzArt we often use Prismacolor Art Stix, which are simply woodless colored pencils, in lieu of actual pencils. Similar in shape and size to the NuPastels we use for chalk drawings, their consistency is smooth, hard and almost waxy, creating clean, rich color. The thick lead comes in a wide variety of colors. Art Stix work well on large areas, and are excellent for layering.

In this picture, with white as the only color, the pencils should be used softly at first, adding layers of colors to add dimension and realism. The pencil should also be used to create texture and interest, such as in the tree bark and the ground.

Art Stix’s unique size makes it easy to lay colors down fast, without the constant need to sharpen pencils or worry about broken pencil tips. Colored pencil, with or without lead, is a very “forgiving” medium if applied lightly at first; this makes it particularly effective in a drawing such as this, where shading and values are crucial.

Ask Your Child:

· To explain the light source in the picture – how the moon is shining over the landscape.

· To point out unique elements in the landscape.

· To demonstrate how he added layers with the Art Stix to create depth and texture.

Tags: art stix, black and white, KidzArt, landscape
Posted in Drawings - in depth | No Comments »

Winter Landscape

December 17th, 2009

This week’s picture is a chilly WINTER LANDSCAPE, using PRISMACOLOR MARKERS as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

Using positive and negative space in drawing.
Using cool colors to create a winter landscape.
Adding shadows to create realism.
The concept of a focal point in a landscape drawing.

THE DRAWING

Winter Landscape

This week we shifted away to animal drawings and focused on a realistic winter landscape. Winter drawings can be difficult; these pictures often feature large amounts of white space and require subtle shading in blues and grays to appear cool.

For some interesting ideas, read this article about drawing winter scenes, and examine these pictures of mountains in wintertime with your child. Look carefully at the different shades of white, gray, and blue see, as well as any other colors your child may point out. If your child notices colors such as pinks and yellows, talk about the different between warm and cool tones in different colors.

Winter landscape in the Berkshires.

Kjalarnes, Iceland

Mt. Shuksan, Cascades, Washington

Whistler, Canada

Winter sun on a mountain in Norway.

THE MEDIUM:

Using Prismacolor Markers & Mixing Mediums

Some classes may have added details and texture to their pictures with chalk or colored pencil. Mixing mediums (the materials used to create a picture) is a fun technique to create contrast in a picture. At KidzArt we use Prismacolor NuPastel color sticks. This form of chalk has a slightly varnished surface, which keeps it harder and cleaner than other varieties. They come in thin sticks which can be easily broken to be more manageable for small hands. Encourage your child to try more multimedia projects at home.

Ask Your Child …

To describe how the use of cool colors makes the winter landscape appear chilly.
To point out the focal point of the drawing.
To point out and describe the negative and positive spaces in the drawing.
To point out details that make her drawing unique and/or realistic.

Tags: KidzArt, landscape, mixed media, prismacolor markers
Posted in Drawings - in depth | No Comments »

Owl

December 17th, 2009

This week’s picture is a wise OWL, using PRISMACOLOR MARKERS as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

Creating depth and realism by layering color and shading with markers
Using repetition of shape and pattern
Creating pattern and texture with lines and shading

Fun Facts about Owls:

Throughout history, owls have been a part of human folklore and legend. They have been found depicted in cave paintings in France dating back as far as 20,000 years ago. They were also used in Egyptian hieroglyphics. They have represented a wide variety of symbols, ranging from misfortune and death to prosperity and wisdom.
Owls’ eyes are fixed in their sockets. To look around they have to move their entire head. They have extra vertebrate in their spines that allow them to turn their head three-quarters of the way around.
The color of owl eyes indicate what time of day the owl hunts in; owls with dark eyes hunt at night; orange eyes indicate dawn or dusk hunters, and yellow-eyed owls hunt during the day.
Owls can make a wide variety of sounds. The owl uses its familiar “hoot” noise to declare its territory, though not all species can actually hoot. Other sounds include screeches, hisses, and screams.
Many owls have special flight feathers which enable them to fly in almost complete silence.
Most owls don’t make their own nests; instead they often “squat” in tree cavities or old crow, raven, or hawk nests. The tiny Elf Owl usually nests in woodpecker holes dug into large cactus plants.
The smallest owl is the Elf Owl; it is 5-6 inches tall and weighs about 1.5 ounces. The Great Horned Owls weigh about 4 pounds. Its eyes weigh almost an ounce – more than the eyes of a 200 pound human!
Owls lack the senses of smell and taste – which allows the Great Horned Owl to regularly make a meal of skunk.
Owls possess acute sense of hearing; their unevenly aligned ears augment their ability to receive sound. Most owls can hunt in complete darkness, and are even able to hear and catch small animals moving beneath snow.
Owls mate for life, but because they have an innate fear of one another, it takes a lot of time and courage to proceed through courtship.

Look at these pictures of various representations of owls in art:

This owl was drawn with just two lines, similar to the owls often represented in hieroglyps.

This owl was drawn with just two lines, similar to the owls often represented in hieroglyphs.

This owl depicts a familiar modern representation of owls as wise and scholarly.

: This humorous drawing also reflects the popular impression of owls as wise leaders. (Drawing by Andreas Bloch.)

This drawing portrays another concept of the owl: cute and whimsical.This stone owl represents bravery, strength, and wisdom.

Using Prismacolor Markers:

Mixing mediums (the materials used to create a picture) is a fun technique to create contrast in a picture. Some classes may have added details and texture to their pictures with chalk or colored pencil. At KidzArt we use Prismacolor NuPastel color sticks. This form of chalk has a slightly varnished surface, which keeps it harder and cleaner than other varieties. They come in thin sticks which can be easily broken to be more manageable for small hands.

Ask Your Child …

To explain the techniques he used to make his owl look realistic.
How she used lines, pattern, and repetition to make her tree realistic and textured.
To explain any unusual background or scenery details.
If your child used mixed media, ask him to explain how the picture was enhanced by the addition of chalk or colored pencils.

Tags: animal drawings, birds, KidzArt, mixed media, prismacolor markers
Posted in Drawings - in depth | No Comments »