Blog - The Art Pantry

May 11, 2011 by Megan Schiller

So many kinds of Prints!

This week we worked on various print-making techniques. In the older classes we began with a scratch foam activity where the kids used toothpicks to scratch a design into a piece of foam. After making marks with the toothpicks, they rolled paint onto their foam and flipped it onto a piece of paper to make a print. We used basic craft foam that I had in the studio, but next time I’m going to try scratch foam boards that are softer and easier to scratch a design into.

After printing with foam, we moved on to try many other printing materials like leaves…

textured rolling pins…

woodblock stamps… and more!

The kids loved the wood block stamps, dipping them into the paint and banging them down onto the paper.

The 1s classes started off using cookie-cutters to make prints, then moved on to leaves, sponges, and rolling pins.

The kids began to combine all of the techniques and, of course, decided to add glitter as well!

The easels were popular with the 1s classes as they moved around the studio.

The weather was hot and beautiful this week so I decided to bring some of the print-making outside for the last half of class. We first tried out the techniques on a longer scale!

Then I brought out some warm weather fun like ice painting for the 1-yr-olds and water balloons for the older kids. We also tried out some nylon bean bags that make interesting prints when bounced like a yo-yo.

Outdoor messy exploration… so fun!

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May 4, 2011 by Megan Schiller

A new 1s Class!

We have a new group of 1-year-olds who are ready to start their art careers! For their first day of art class, we began with finger and texture painting, as I always do with newbies. On the table were bowls of paint (in the primary colors and white), scoopers, and finger paint paper. I encouraged them to touch the paint with their fingers, but also offered them tools to use when they were first reluctant to get messy.

With toddlers, I always start with tools such as combs, mardi gras beads, toy cars, etc. Not only do these objects create interesting textures, but they also allow young children to get their hands messy little by little (I used to think that all toddlers would dip their hands in paint right away, but many actually are very reluctant!) A standard brush is more removed from the paint, while mardi gras beads get completely painted which accidentally get children’s hands messy. This gives them more confidence to touch the paint.

As the kids began to move around and explore the studio, I offered them some brushes and rollers to use at the easels.

They were excited to check out the materials on the shelves!

After our messy introduction to painting, we went outside for some water play/clean up time.

Smiling painted children= a successful first day!

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May 3, 2011 by Megan Schiller

Flower Fabric Dying and Balloon Painting

It’s spring time and beautiful flowers are in bloom! Because flowers have so much color to offer us, I decided to try out a flower dying technique with the older classes. I gave each child a piece of muslin fabric and a mallet. They chose some flower petals and leaves, placed them on their fabric, folded the fabric over, and pounded away.

As they pounded, the dye began to show through the muslin. When they decided they were finished, they opened it up and peeled off the petals to find their fabric filled with color.

After our fabric dying, we moved on to bigger and messier things… balloon painting! We started off painting with small air-filled balloons (for safety it was important that if any balloons popped, they were thrown away immediately). The kids dipped the balloons in paint and dabbed them on the paper, which created circular swirls of color.

Soon I brought out balloons filled with water for the kids to try out. The water added weight and movement to the balloons and were really fun to squish around!

Things began to get messy and the kids moved around the studio painting at the easels and trying out their balloons in different places.

Some of the water balloons popped and the kids decided that they wanted more water to use in their work.

I recently got some new basters and was excited to have the kids test them out!

So much fun!

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April 27, 2011 by Megan Schiller

1s Oil Pastels, Bleeding Tissue… and Messy fun!

For the last week of the 1s class, we began with oil pastel drawing on watercolor paper. Drawing is still fairly new to these kids, they’re still learning how to scribble and press down at the same time. Oil pastels are great for little ones because they are rich in color and will show up even with the lightest touch.

After using the oil pastels, I offered the children small squares of bleeding tissue paper to place over their drawings. Then they soaked the tissue paper with water (trying hard to squeeze the spray bottle triggers). As the color from the tissues began to bleed onto the paper, the kids added glitter and found some tools to move the tissues around. Once the tissues dry, they will fall off and leave a beautiful painting in their place.

Soon, the kids were moving around the studio, painting at the easels and trying out the splat painting that the older classes were working on.

The 1s group wasn’t so interested in throwing the cotton balls for the splat painting, but they enjoyed working with the materials in other ways!

Towards the end of class a couple of kids saw a plate of paint on the floor and began to take off their shoes. I grabbed some paper and let them go at it!

Making footprints is really slippery, so I made sure to hold them steady as they squished their toes in the paint.

I can’t wait for hot summer days when we can do body painting outside on the grass!

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April 23, 2011 by Megan Schiller

Shrinky Dink Beading and Splat Painting!

As I mentioned last week, we began our final class of the session making “Shrinky Dinks”. The 2s classes drew with colored Sharpies on large sheets of shrinking plastic. Then I punched a hole in the top before baking them so the kids could make them into window hangings.

For the rest of the window hanging, the children beaded a string that will be tied to the finished Srinky Dink.

The 3s/4s kids made small Shrinky Dinks the week before to make jewelry. Once they had strung half of the beads for the necklace, I showed them how to add the Shrinky Dink on as a pendant.

Then they helped each other!

After Shrinky Dinks and beading, I brought out some materials to try a super fun throwing “splat” painting. The kids first began to do their own thing, excited to use the spray bottles and paint, but soon got really into the splat painting!