Posts Tagged ‘chalk’

Gecko & Hibiscus

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

This week’s project is of a FLOWER using MIXED MEDIA (including PRISMACOLOR MARKERS and CHALK PASTELS) as the medium.

 

In this picture, your child explored:

 

  • Mixed media
  • Warm & cool colors
  • Composition, including realistic drawing

 

THE DRAWING:

Gecko & Hibiscus

 

This week’s drawing is a picture of a gecko posing by a hibiscus flower. The hibiscus flower is a bright tropical flower which can be very fun to draw. The Hawaiian hibiscus is the state flower of Hawaii; these flowers bear blooms almost every day, but the blossoms last only for a day, even when on the bush. The flowers bloom from spring through the early summer.

 

Fun facts About Geckos:

 

  • Adult geckos can range in size anywhere from 3/4 inch to 14 inches long. 
  • Most geckos are nocturnal; their large eyes see very well in the dark.
  • Geckos are found on every continent except Antarctica.
  • Most domesticated geckos are leopard geckos. They have an extremely long lifespan (usually 15-20 years – and some have lived up to 30 years!).
  • Geckos are the only reptiles who can use their “voice.”  They can make barking, chirping or clicking noises when interacting socially with other geckos. 
  • Some geckos can be fairly aggressive, and will bite when provoked. Some geckos eat other lizards and small rodents, and some species of geckos are able to spray an irritating liquid from the end of their tails.
  • One of the strangest geckos is the flying gecko (Ptychozoon kuhli), which is found the tropical rain forests of Malaysia. It has wide flaps of skin along its abdomen and webbed feet, legs and tail, which makes it able to glide through the air from tree to tree.
  • Teflon is the only known surface to which geckos cannot cling.

 

THE MEDIUM:

Mixed Media

 

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.

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. When coloring with chalk pastels, it is important for right handed kids to start coloring on the left side of their paper, and vice-versa for left-handed students. This minimizes smearing with the hand as it moves across the page. Start with lighter colors and then add darker colors on top.

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:

·         What he learned about geckos.

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

·         To discuss the techniques he used while mixing prismacolor markers and chalk pastels in his drawing.

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Thunderbird

Monday, 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.

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Tree in Four Seasons

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

 This week’s picture is of a TREE IN FOUR SEASONS, using COLLAGE and CHALK PASTELS as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

  • Working with chalk pastels

  • Creating a collage using paper & glue

  • Using a repeating background to create different pictures

THE DRAWING:

In this week’s picture your child created a scene representing a tree in each of the four seasons. Trees are a wonderful way to demonstrate the progression of the seasons because they experience such drastic changes in each season. First, we created the background by cutting out four tree “skeletons” from black construction paper. We then arranged the trees on blank paper and designed each tree and its background to represent the four seasons, using chalk pastels.

This is a simple picture with lots of room for creativity! Your child’s drawing will include many elements representing what, for him, is most significant about each of the four seasons.

Look at the images below with your child, and discuss different elements of the four seasons. Ask her what is her favorite part of each season, and what is most significant to her. (For example, “What is the first thing you think of when you think of winter? How is that pictured in your drawing?”) This is also a fun opportunity to discuss what the seasons mean in different parts of the U.S. and the world. Use this activity to discuss various aspects of seasons with them – why we have seasons, and why they are different in the northern and southern hemispheres – and talk about the impact this reversal of seasons could have on your child’s life. (Snow during summer vacation, and warm weather during the holiday season!)

Tree in Four Seasons drawing by KidzArt President Chris Cruikshank

The "skeleton" of a tree (like the ones we made from construction paper) are its trunk and branches.

The "skeleton" of a tree (like the ones we made from construction paper) are its trunk and branches.

 

Many trees flower in the spring.

Many trees flower in the spring.

 

In summer, tree leaves mature and often are at their brightest.

In summer, tree leaves mature and often are at their brightest.

 

In fall, leaves turn bright red, gold, and orange.

In fall, leaves turn bright red, gold, and orange.

 

Finally, in winter trees shed their leaves altogether.

Finally, in winter trees shed their leaves altogether.

 

THE MEDIUM:

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 explain how each tree represents his favorite parts of the four seasons.

  • How she used collage to build her picture.

  • To explain the correct use of chalk pastels.

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Tiger

Monday, October 12th, 2009

This week’s picture is a TIGER, using CHALK PASTELS as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

  • Drawing animals

  • Foreground, middle ground, and background

  • Using chalk pastels to create shadow and texture

THE DRAWING:

Fun Facts About Tigers:

  • A group of tigers is called a “streak,” although they are usually solitary animals. (Individual tigers will claim territory of up to 100 square miles.)

  • Female tigers are “grown up” at age 3; males are “grown up” at age 4.

  • Tigers like water, are good swimmers, and will often cool off in rivers.

  • Most tigers have more than 100 stripes, and no two tigers have the same stripe pattern!

  • Tigers are diurnal, which means their peak activity occurs at dawn and dusk.

  • Tigers eat around 6 kilos of meat a day, but can go as long as a week without food.

  • Tiger saliva is antiseptic, and they use it to clean their wounds.

  • If you were to shave off a tiger’s fur, it would still be striped!

  • The heaviest recorded tiger was a Siberian tiger weighing 1,025 pounds.

  • Tiger cubs are blind at birth, and can gain 100 grams in weight per day.

  • All tigers have a similar marking on their foreheads, which resembles the Chinese symbol Wang, meaning “King.”

  • Tigers move both legs on one side of the body simultaneously when they walk.

  • A tiger’s night vision is six times greater than a human’s.

  • A captive tiger can live up to twenty years; a wild tiger usually lives between ten and fifteen years.

In this week’s picture the actual drawing of the tiger is fairly simple. The tricky part comes in drawing the tiger’s habitat. The drawing has a foreground (anything in front of the tiger), a middle ground (where the tiger is standing), and a background (the landscape and sky behind the tiger). We used “bump and jump” to add grasses in front of the tiger. Two fun opportunities for creativity in this picture are in the tiger’s stripe pattern and in the landscape around the tiger.

 Tiger

tiger2

 tigerdrawing2

 

Line Drawing of Tiger

Line Drawing of Tiger

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abstract Tiger by Franz Marc

Abstract Tiger by Franz Marc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE MEDIUM:

Using Prismacolor NuPastels & Mixing Mediums

Prismacolor NuPastels

Prismacolor NuPastels

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.

Mixing mediums (the materials used to create a picture) is a fun technique to create contrast in a picture. In this picture, we used chalk pastels to create texture in the tigers’ fur and in several of the background elements and highlighted other portions using markers. Using black Prismacolor Markers or sharpies for the tigers’ stripes highlights their vivid boldness and makes the stripes really dominate the pictures.

Some mediums are easier to mix than others. Because chalk pastels can be a messy medium, it is best to use the markers first, then work around them with the chalk, to avoid ruining the markers. Encourage your child to try more multimedia projects at home.

Ask Your Child …

  • To point out the foreground, middle ground, and background of the picture.

  • To explain the use of “bump and jump.”

  • To explain any unique items in his landscape.

  • To show how she used chalk pastels to add shadow and texture.

  • Talk about how each tiger’s stripes are unique, and discuss the stripe pattern your child used.

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Crab on Velour

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

This week’s picture is a CRAB, using CHALK PASTELS on VELOUR PAPER as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

  • Using chalk pastels on an unusual surface
  • Blending chalk on velour
  • The concept of constellations as a group of stars connecting to form a figure or picture

THE DRAWING:

Crab

The picture we drew this week is of a crab. This is not just a typical, realistic scene, however! The crab does have many elements of realism, but it also represents Cancer, the crab constellation. (Cancer is Latin for crab.)

The story of the crab constellation is found in the Greek mythology Twelve Labors of Hercules. The goddess Hera sent the Crab to distract Hercules from his battle with the multi-headed monster, Hydra. The crab grabbed onto Hercules’s toe with its claws, but he effortlessly crushed the crab with his foot. Hera, grateful for the little crustacean’s heroic but pitiful effort, gave it a place in the sky.

First, look at these crab photographs with your child:

Yellow Crab
Yellow Crab

Crab (Line Drawing)

Crab (Line Drawing)

Now, compare these to the crab constellation (inside the yellow dashed lines)… can your child figure out why it is called “crab?”

Cancer Constellation

Cancer Constellation

And talk about these other examples of representative constellations:

Scorpius (Scorpion) Constellation

Scorpius (Scorpion) Constellation

 

Leo (Lion) Constellation

Leo (Lion) Constellation

 

Gemini (Twins) Constellation

Gemini (Twins) Constellation

THE MEDIUM:

Using Chalk Pastels on Velour Paper

 

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.

Prismacolor NuPastels

Prismacolor NuPastels

This picture is very different from the other pictures we have done recently using chalk pastels because it is drawn on black velour paper. This velvety paper has a unique finish that is particularly effective when used with chalk pastels. Working on black makes the chalk colors especially vivid, but this paper is available in a variety of colors and some of the lighter colors work well with charcoal drawings.

Velour Paper

Velour Paper

In this picture we taught your children how to layer colors to create a richer, more vivid picture. Layering pastels is always important to add depth, but on the velour paper this is particularly necessary to keep the chalk from “disappearing” into the velour.

 

Ask Your Child …

  • To explain how and where she layered the chalk pastels.
  • How using velour paper is different from using regular paper.
  • What he learned about constellations.
  • How she made her crab realistic, or if it has fantasy elements because it represents a constellation.

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Cow

Monday, March 16th, 2009

 

This week’s picture is a gentle, wide-eyed COW, using CHALK PASTELS as the medium.

 

In this picture, your child explored:

  • Working with chalk pastels
  • Creating a foreground and background
  • Drawing realistic animals

THE DRAWING:

 

This week’s picture reinforces many of the skills learned in last week’s drawing. As with last week’s picture, the overall tone of the drawing is set by the animal’s facial expression. We learned how to leave a white spot in the eye to indicate the reflection in the animal’s eye. Check out these pictures of real cows, and talk to your child about different varieties of cows and their distinguishing characteristics.

 

"Portrait of a Cow"

"Portrait of a Cow"

Guernsey Cow - dairy cow bred on the British Channel Island of Guernsey

Guernsey Cow - dairy cow bred on the British Channel Island of Guernsey

Hinterwald Cow - bred in Germany's Black Forest

Hinterwald Cow - bred in Germany's Black Forest

Jersey Cow - dairy cow bred on the British Channel Island of Jersey

Jersey Cow - dairy cow bred on the British Channel Island of Jersey

Tarentaise Cow - hardy, cheese-producing cows from the Tarentaise Valley in France

Tarentaise Cow - hardy, cheese-producing cows from the Tarentaise Valley in France

Another important element of this picture is its clearly defined foreground and background. The horizon line creates perspective in a picture. Discuss how adding hills behind hills creates a sense of depth or “faraway-ness” in the picture. (This reinforces the depth lessons learned in the panoramic city drawing.)

 

THE MEDIUM:

 

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.

nupastels

Prismacolor NuPastels

 

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:

  • If he learned any new facts about cows.
  • How she used last week’s lesson (on creating expression in animals) to give this week’s picture attitude.
  • Discuss how the cow’s wide eyes can make him look surprised, gentle or scared.
  • Ask your child to identify the “horizon line” dividing the earth from the sky.
  • Discuss the background and details of his picture, and different options he could have created.

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Chalk Porcupine

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

This week’s picture is a “snuggly” PORCUPINE, using CHALK PASTELS as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

  • Using highlights and shadow to show depth
  • Using chalk pastels
  • How to layer color
  • The concepts of foreground and background

 Porcupine Fun Facts:

 The porcupine is a rodent whose name is derived from the Latin for “quill pig;” their scientific name means “irritating back.”

  • There are 22 species of porcupines; the American Porcupine is the most common.
  • Porcupines are herbivores.
  • Porcupines usually only have one baby, called a “porcupette.”
  • Porcupines are best known for their quills; a single porcupine can have more than 30,000 quills – over 100 per square inch!
  • When a porcupine is born, its quills are soft. (They harden within an hour.)
  • Porcupine’s quills are hollow, making them buoyant in water, which helps them swim.
  • Porcupines love salt, and will gnaw on wooden handles of tools to taste the salt from human perspiration.
  • Porcupines are nocturnal, solitary creatures, who sleep during the day and usually live and travel alone.
  • Porcupines are great climbers, and have been spotted as high as 60 feet in the air. 

Adult Porcupine

Adult Porcupine

THE MEDIUM:

Using 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.

Prismacolor NuPastels

Prismacolor NuPastels

In this picture we taught your children how to layer colors to create a richer picture that adds depth and dimension to the porcupine and to the foreground. Layering lighter colors on top of darker colors, make the lighter areas look closer.

To blend the chalk pastels, we show the children how to use their fingers, or a tissue, and how to use a q-tip to get into finer areas. Because of the texture of the medium, the pictures can be easily smeared. We suggest spraying the finished artwork with hairspray to help the chalk adhere to the page.

Ask Your Child …

  • To identify the foreground and the background in the picture.
  • To explain where they used color blending in their picture. See if they can notice a difference between lighter and darker areas.

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