Crazy Busy Art Prompt 26

Another week has come and gone.  I honestly can't believe that we are on art prompt 26 already!

Today we are going to be focusing on harmony in art.  Harmony is when a work of art is visually satisfying due to the similar elements in the design.  These elements can be shape, color, line, textures, etc.  As you work on this lesson today, see if you can name the elements we are using to create harmony.

Supplies Needed:  2 pieces of paper (one of the pieces should be cut down to the size of a 2.5 x 2.5 inch square), pencil, eraser, crayons

Step 1:  Start with a square piece of paper.  Roughly 2.5 by 2.5 inches.

Step 2:  Fold the square and cut to make a heart shape.  If you need to plan out the shape with a pencil before cutting, do so.

Step 3:  Keep paper folded.  But out heart shape.

Step 4:  Use the heart as a stencil.  Trace the heart numerous times on a piece of paper.  Hearts can go off the paper, but do not have them touching one another.

Step 5:  We will be working with warm and cool colors today.  You need to decide if you plan to do a warm color scheme (reds, yellows, oranges, pink) or if you are doing a cool color scheme (blues, greens, and violets).  Once you decide, these are the only colors you can use for this project today.  I used a warm color scheme.  Using your color scheme, color the hearts in your composition.

Step 6:  Now color an edge around each heart.  Your hearts should look like it is glowing.  Remember to stay with the same color scheme.

Step 7:  If an edge bumps into another edge on a heart, you can make them blend together by overlapping the two colors.

Step 8:  Once you have completed a glowing edge around each heart, go ahead and add a second edge.  This technique may also remind you of a tie-dye t-shirt.

Step 9:  Keep adding more and more edges until all the spaces are filled on your paper.

What elements gave our artwork harmony today?


Answer:  If you answered the repeating of the heart shape, sticking to our color scheme, and our zigzag edge line that caused our hearts to glow, you are correct!

Crazy Busy Art Room Art Prompt 25

Good morning Artists!  Today we are going to be creating a zentangle.  A zentangle is a large space in a drawing that is divided up in numerous sections, each section contains a pattern.  It is the combining of all these patterns that create a zentangle.  Sometimes zentangles are referred to as meditative doodling.  We will be taking it to the high seas for this art prompt today!

Step 1:  Have your paper in a vertical position as you start today.  Draw a line near the top of your paper that looks like a wave.  This is your horizon line.  Remember a horizon line shows us where the sky and ground meet in a composition, or in this case, where the sky and water meet.

Step 2:  Draw multiple curvy lines under the wave.  Keep adding more lines until you reach the bottom of your paper.  Space them apart so you have room to draw patterns and designs between them.

Step 3:  Add a small boat riding the wave line you drew at the top of your paper.  I made a sailboat, but you could make a fishing boat, a pirate ship or perhaps you may want to draw a dolphin or a whale coming up for air.  You decide.

Step 4:  Outline with a permanent black marker.  If you don't have a permanent marker save this step until you are done painting.

Step 5:  Using a black permanent marker, create a pattern in each area that was created underneath the wave.  All of these patterns combined will create our zentangle.  Again, if you don't have a permanent marker save this step until you are done painting.

Step 6:  Paint the water.  You can use blues, greens, violets.  Mix and blend them to your liking.

Step 7:  Paint the boat.

*After your painting is dry, if you did not not have a permanent black marker go ahead and do steps 4 and 5 with whatever black marker you have available to complete your project.

Crazy Busy Art Room Art Prompt 24

Today we are going to be discussing famous artist Paul Cezanne and take a closer look at his apple still life paintings.

Example of our project today.

Paul Cezanne was born in southern France in 1839.  When he first started painting he only used dark colors.  One day, Paul's friend suggested to him to paint in the sunlight.  Paul took his friend's advice and it completely changed how he painted!  Now his painting were filled with bright pops of color.  Paul Cezanne could paint many things, but he spent a great deal of his time painting still life.  A still life is a picture of objects that don't move.  This objects can range from vases of flowers to bowls of fruit.  Paul Cezanne preferred to be by himself and did not like to be around large groups of people.  He passed away in 1906 at the age of 67 years old.

Still Life with Apple and Cup by Artist Paul Cezanne.

Artist Paul Cezanne.

Here is a link that you can view with your child.  It takes a closer peek at one of Paul Cezanne's still life paintings. Still Life with Apples and Peaches by Paul Cezanne

Supplies Needed:  a piece of paper, pencil, eraser, watercolor paints, brushes

Step 1:  Have your paper horizontal in front of you. Using a pencil draw a large oval on your paper.  It does not have to look perfect.  This is going to be a plate for our fruit.

Step 2:  Add 3 or 4 circles inside the oval.  These will be the apples on our plate.

Step 3:  Add a small curved line inside each apple.

Step 4:  Add a little line to each curve to form the stem for the apple.

Step 5:  Paint one or two apples yellow.

Step 6:  Paint one edge of the apple green.  Paint the same side edge on any other apples you painted yellow.  We are demonstrating a light and dark side to our apple.  The yellow side is where the sun is shining the brightest on our apple.

Step 7:  Paint any apples you have left orange. (YES, orange.  Trust me.)

Step 8:  Paint the edge on the orange apples red.  This should be on the same side that you did the green on the yellow apples.  The orange side is where the sun is shining the brightest on the apple.

Step 9:  Now using blue paint, paint a dark blue shadow around each apple.  This should be on the same side as the green and red edges you created on your apples.

Step 10:  Just using WATER, smear the dark blue areas on your paper to cover the rest of the oval.  Do not get more paint on your brush.  We want to see dark blue around the apples and light blue on the rest of the plate where the sun is shining.

Step 11:  Paint half of the background in a color of your choice.

Step 12:  Paint the other half of the background a different color of your choice.

Step 13:  Let painting dry.  Once dry, outline with black paint.

Step 14:  Add vertical or horizontal lines with black paint to one of the colors in your background.

Step 15:  Add polk-a-dots in black paint to the remaining color in your background.

Crazy Busy Art Room Art Prompt 23

Good morning young artists!  It is time for another creativity prompt.  Everyone who participates is going to have their own unique masterpiece.  I just can't wait to see what everyone comes up with today.

Supplies Needed:  a piece of paper, pencil, eraser, black marker, scissors and medium of your choice to color with (crayons, colored pencils, markers)

Step 1:  Take a piece of paper and fold it lengthwise.

Step 2:  Keeping the paper folded, print your name on one side of the paper.  Spread the letters out to fill up the space of the paper.  Use any part of your name that you like:  first, last, middle, nickname or both first and last.  You choose.

Step 3:  Using a black marker draw a line that follows the curve of your name.

Step 4:  Cut on the black line.

Step 5:  Open up the paper.  Make sure your name is on the back.  What do you see?  Can you turn the shape into an animal?  A face?  An alien?  Rotate your paper.  Look again.  What do you see?  Does it look like an insect?  A car?  A tall building?  Keep rotating and looking until you see the idea you want to create.

Step 6:  Draw what you see.

Step 7:  Color your creation.

If you liked this project, try doing the lesson again with different parts of your name or a name of a family member, friend or a teacher you are missing.  For an added bonus, write a letter to that person letting them know you are thinking of them.  Mail the artwork and the letter to give that special person in your life a nice surprise.

Crazy Busy Art Room Art Prompt 22

Happy Monday!  Today we are going to be drawing chickens!  A whole coop full.  We are going to be thinking about the concept of overlapping (placing one object in front of another).  Artists use overlapping techniques to create depth in their artwork.  We will also be reviewing our knowledge of patterns for this mini lesson.  Who's ready to draw with me today?

Supplies Needed:  paper, pencil, eraser, black marker, crayons or markers

Step 1:  Begin by drawing a half circle anywhere you would like on your paper.

Step 2:  Add more half circles to your paper.  I encourage you to go off the paper and overlap.  If you overlap, remember to erase lines that you don't want to show.  This will help the viewer know which half circle is in front and which one is behind.  Think about the space on your paper.  Fill up the space so it is pleasing to the eye.

Step 3:  On one corner of the half circle, add a circle to create an eye for your chicken.

Step 4:  Erase the lines inside the circle.

Step 5:  Add a triangle for a beak.  Add a dot in the eye so your chicken can see.

Step 6:  Add a curvy line to create the comb on the your chicken's head.

Step 7:  Add legs and feet.

Step 8:  Repeat this to all the half circles on your paper.  Have chickens face different directions.  Remember to erase lines where overlapping occurs.

Step 9:  Outline your work with a black marker.

Step 10:  Add a pattern to each chicken body.  Remember a pattern is a design that repeats.

Step 11:  Color your masterpiece using medium of your choice (crayons, colored pencils, markers).