prismacolor markers « Art Classes in Virginia

Posts Tagged ‘prismacolor markers’

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:

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.

Tags: animal drawings, chalk, flower, KidzArt, mixed media, prismacolor markers
Posted in Drawings - in depth | 2 Comments »

Chinese Opera Mask

Sunday, 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

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).

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

Winter Landscape

Thursday, 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

Thursday, 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 »

Teepee

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

This week’s picture is a TEEPEE, using MIXED MEDIA.

In this picture, your child explored:

Three-dimensional art, sculpture and design
Surface design – drawing on an unusual medium
Art as a cultural expression – world cultures and historical motifs
Functional art

Fun Facts About Teepees:

Teepees were first used by American Indians in the Great Plains. The name is derived from the Lakota tribe’s word “tipi,” which literally means, “they dwell.”
Many Native American tribes did not use teepees for their homes, preferring adobe buildings, wigwams or grass huts.
Teepee frames are constructed from long poles placed in a circle and leaned together to create a point. A rope is lashed around the top of the poles to hold them together, then an animal hide or thick canvas is placed over the poles to create a shelter.
Like modern tents, teepees are designed to set up and break down quickly (which is why they were popular with Plains Indians, who frequently migrated to follow buffalo herds). An entire Plains village could have their teepees packed and ready to move within an hour.
As tribes moved from place to place, each family would travel with their teepee poles and hide tents. Because there were few trees on the Great Plains, it was important for the tribes to carry their long poles from place to place instead of trying to find new ones.
Teepees were originally about 12 feet tall. Once the Plains Indians acquired horses and it became easier to travel with the teepees, they began building them twice as tall.
Teepees are versatile enough to be used in many types of weather conditions. A hole in the top lets inhabitants burn a campfire in the center of the teepee to warm it. In hot weather, teepee walls can be rolled and tied up with ropes to allow airflow.
Extreme weather such as rain, snow or high winds are often dangerous for teepees. To hold teepees in place during high winds, tie the lashing rope in the middle to a rock or other heavy object. The vent holes in the top of the teepees are usually covered in hide or thick fabric to prevent rain from leaking through.

Look at these pictures of teepees with your child:

1938 Department of Interior photograph of Indian woman and her children

Peter Whyte Luxton painting at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary, Alberta.

Photograph of Teepee Construction published in the Chicago Daily News 1904

Timucua Teepee Village in FL, 1562.

Watercolor Painting by Karl Bodmer 1832

Using Prismacolor Markers:

Ask Your Child …

How drawing on cloth is different from drawing on paper.
To explain the Native American patterns he used to decorate his teepee.
To describe how she constructed her teepee for stability.

Tags: KidzArt, mixed media, prismacolor markers
Posted in Drawings - in depth, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Frog & Butterfly

Tuesday, September 29th, 2009

This week’s picture is a FROG & BUTTERFLY, using PRISMACOLOR MARKERS as the medium.

In this picture, your child explored:

The anatomy of a frog
Pattern design and dot painting
Drawing nature scenes

THE DRAWING:

Fun Facts About Frogs:

Frogs don’t drink water with their mouths, they “drink” it with their skin, absorbing the water to keep them hydrated.
When frogs eat, their eyes actually sink back into their head to help force food down their throats!
Frogs have sticky tongues they use to catch the insects and small fish they eat.
A group of fish is called a school … but a group of frogs is called an army!
You can tell if a frog is male or female by looking at its ears, which are found behind its eyes. If the ears are as big as the eyes, it is a boy; if they are smaller than the eyes, it is a girl.
Only male frogs can croak.
Frogs hibernate in winter. When they hibernate, their bones grow layers. When you look at a cross section of a frog bone, you can see rings – just like with trees – and tell how old the frog is by counting them.
Frogs have been around for a long, long time. Frog fossils have been found everywhere but Antarctica (where it is too cold year-round for them to live). Frog fossils have been found that are as old as dinosaurs!
Frogs have appeared in many myths and fairytales. Popular stories include the idea that a kissed frog will turn into a prince, and that touching frogs gives warts. There are many Aesop’s fables about frogs, but most of the stories tend to end badly for the frogs!

For more froggy art, print out some of these frog coloring pages for your child. (Notice how some of the frogs are realistic and some are “cartoon-y.”

Close-Up of Frog Eggs

Litoria Aurea Frog

Black & White Frog Drawing

Imaginative Frog Drawing

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. They also use a dye-based ink and single ink reservoirs, which gives rich color that gives perfect color match all throughout the drawing.

Prismacolor Marker

Prismacolor markers are great for experimenting with texture and pattern. Because this drawing is a landscape scene, there are many opportunities for texturizing. The rhythmic flow of water can be created with long, waving lines from the thick, flat end of the marker. Stippling (ask your child if he remembers using this technique last week) can be used to create the spots on the frog or the look of sand. Cross hatching can be used to create shadowing on rocks and texture on the frog’s skin.

Ask Your Child …

To explain how he made his frog look realistic.
To point out where she used different marker strokes to add texture.
To explain any unique items in his landscape.

Tags: insect, prismacolor markers, texture
Posted in Drawings - in depth | No Comments »

Art Classes in Virginia

Posts Tagged ‘prismacolor markers’

Gecko & Hibiscus

Chinese Opera Mask

Winter Landscape

Owl

Teepee

Frog & Butterfly

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