Regina's Big Mistake

My kindergartners just finished this project and I couldn't wait to share it!

First things first I read them this book:

It is really cute, and all about how a girl fixes her mistakes in her art and ends up loving the results.

There are a couple of ways you can do this project. I actually tried both because I wanted them to have some practice turning mistakes into art before they did their final piece.

1. Everyone draws a mark on a page, and then they trade with a neighbor. Now they have to make something out of the neighbors mistake.

2. Give the kiddos a paper with something already on it, and they turn that mistake into something.

This is the "mistake" I started with

I have the students look at the art from all different angles before they decide what the mistake is supposed to be. Once they have decided on something They get to draw in what they need to make the artwork into what they want.

With my drawings filled in

After they have everything they want drawn in, then they use color to finish off the artwork. The cool thing about this project is that you can use anything to make mistakes, (my mistakes were scraps from a painting project) and you can use anything to finish them off. If all you have is crayons, you can use that for both. One group used oil pastels, but another used markers.

My finished off art

Here are a few of my kindergartners work. On the left is the mistake with the pencil of what the student is going to draw. On the right is the finished work.

 

 And here are a few finished products alone:

100% Again

I love participating in the 100% exhibit! It was at the end of March this year, so I didn't share it with you before my school art show sucked all the life out of me.

 Munchy, me, and the Dragon

 M even made one this year.

A fifth grade student and out 2 Pre K classes. 

Timeline of an Art Show

August-  Yay, a new school year! Everything is going to be different this year, I am going to get all of my things in order so I can have an easy go of it in April! Talked to the Tech teacher and we are going to add a digital media component.

September- Plan on the lessons that you would like to put in the art show, and decide roughly when they will fall in the year, Meet with your team and talk about all the plans you have to make this year the BEST EVER! Assure the Music teacher that yes you DO need the choir to preform DO NOT BAIL ON ME!

October-January- Do not think about the art show one time.

February- Freak out! The art show is in 2 months! Have a meeting with my volunteers, dig through the art and find all the pieces that I had planned to put on display, and put them in a secure location, pick a theme that ties the year together, (it is print making this  year) plan to do the projects that I didn't start on yet, fire the kiln like a crazy person, get a parent to be in charge of the food, book the entertainment and get the Creative Learning Leadership Team on board with my plan to make the art show reception more like literacy night. Get a sub.

March- slightly backpedal on all the work that was done because Big Art Day and YAM, 100% and the Book People Show are happening and you have to deal with that. But Film kids like crazy so that the digital media component will work

April-
-Create a volunteer spot so you can get people to help mount the art.
-Forget to send out the volunteer spot so some of the help dates pass
-Add more dates to the volunteer spot and actually send it out
-Tell a very annoyed faculty that the Creative leadership team decided each grade level would be doing some kind of demonstration.
-Hold the mount art happy hour
-Get out of administering STAAR test so you can create all the signs, program, and organize the entertainment.
-Have 4th grade create and select the 5 t-shirts that are going to be voted on for next years school shirt.
-Find script from last years assembly, adjust it, and have art club learn and present it
-Get high school students to create a screen for you
-Check on all the people that have said they are doing things and make sure those things are really happening.
-Set up the art show.
-Be available to put out any fires (what do you mean the QR codes don't work!) so that classes can enjoy the artwork.
-Make sure everything is in place for the evening reception.
-Realize you haven't eaten in HOURS.
-Smile,
-Make sure docents are doing what they should be doing
-Get people to man the screen printing when no one showed up to help!
-Clean up
-tear the show down
-Get all your classes on Monday to help put all the art away and clean the classroom.
-Finally teach again
-Happy hour!

Art Teacher Style #3

This is really not turning into a fashion blog, it is just so easy to share my teacher outfits with you. 

 There is really nothing special about this one, but it felt special because I NEVER wear skinny jeans. amazing what the power of a high-low shirt that covers your butt can do. The jeans were $10 at H&M! (Shoes: Mephesto)

OK, so technically I wore this at Munchy's birthday party (SHES 2 OMG) but it is such a cute outfit. My personal stylist (SIL) picked it out for me. (Dress: Collective Concepts)

Did you Know there are really rad tights at 5 Below? There are, and I'm kind of obsessed with them. Also, did you notice my new accessory? I acquired my MIL's fitbit Charge HR, and I LOVE IT. So glad she didn't. 

Another one I didn't wear to work. I wore this to a coworkers baby shower. I loved the outfit, and it let me wear my new sandals (DSW Clearance $20) for the first time, but the tunic (Old Navy bathing suit cover) didn't quite cover my butt. Even though the tights (H&M) are opaque I can't quite have my butt out at work. 

This was my outfit for the District Art Show. one of my art teacher friends said she was really feeling my look that day. I guess the effort was worth it. (Dress: H&M)

Does anyone have a go to art teacher outfit?

Art Teacher Style #2

Thought I'd pop in and share my art teacher outfit for today-

Good thing I don't work in a high school

One of my coworkers said to me: "Oh I see you are going full on art teacher today." Cute as that is, the real reason is that all of my clean pants are worn out right were my legs rub together. Please tell me that happens to more people then just me. Its super embarrassing. 

Yesterday I was in my same old get up, but I was wearing some lower slung jeans that called for a belt (for the same reason I am in a skirt today, I need to go to Goodwill.) Check out this beauty that I haven't worn in ages. 

My dad found this at a local shop years ago, and it is one of my favorite things ever. I have a co-worker that works in resin, and she is really excited to make some now. If that happens I will take pictures so you can see how to do it. I have been wanting some more art themed belt buckles for a long time.

The Artsy Girl

Art Teacher Style

One of the things I have a hard time with is dressing cute.  I don't know what it is, but something about being an art teacher just lends itself to my natural tendencies of being a total t-shirt and jeans girl. 

Me most days.

Here is the thing though--- I love fashion. I really do. When I worked retail  (and had friends at other stores in the mall that could tell me when sales were happening) my closet was overflowing! I am a total junkie when it comes to blogs about handmade fashion, and I have a Vogue subscription! 

The problem is I spend all day doing things that make me dirty. Painting, clay lessons, chalk pastels (don't even get me started) and a toddler all make me just default to jeans and a T-shirt. I try REALLY hard to at least have a nice top Monday- Wednesday, and limit my total T's to Thursday and Friday (Art related shirt and school shirt if you were wondering.)

Every now and then we have these great art teacher meetings, and I look around at my colleagues, many do the same thing I do, and I love them for not making me look bad. But there are a blessed few that just do not give a fuck what anyone thinks about how they look. In a total good way. The frocks that some of these women wear are totally fabulous- and just scream art teacher. They are not outfits that you would ever think to wear, and they rock them with so much confidence. It makes me truly jealous.

Every now and then I get a wild hair and put together an outfit like that and wear it to work, and no one bats an eyelash. I absolutely have the job where I can get away with dressing however I want and I need to embrace that. 

So I am going to try to encourage myself by posting whenever I have a great art teacher frock on. Here is my first, from a few months ago, because that is how long it has been since I dressed up a little for work. 

Dress: H&M
Cardigan: Target (Merona)
Leggings: Old Navy ($2 On CLEARANCE)
Shoes: Dolce Vida

Ok it isn't the most out there thing I have ever worn, but I like it. 

What do you wear to work?

The Artsy Girl

Pseudo Origami Box.

 I was looking at my auto upload from the past couple of years, and came across this gem from a training a few years ago, and thought I would share.

You might want to click to make it bigger.

I called it a pseudo origami box because if you cut and glue it is not really origami. 

You can put anything inside, but we made them into books in a box. 

To make the pages, you want to fold the paper in a cross and an x then bring the corners together

 It will give you a nice square

you want to glue these together by alternating the direction of the paper and gluing the flat parts of the squares to each other (I'm sorry but Blogger will not let me upload that photo!)

There you have it a quick little project, you can have them write stories or whatever in the book. 

The Artsy Girl