Teachers can help students become more fluent and confident in creating their own art, as well as being consciously aware of the art elements--line, color, shape/form, texture, space and value--when they view the art of others. In this article, the author reviews and defines the characteristics of each element separately, basic elements that are…

Children can be motivated to transform their thoughts, feelings and perceptions into visual expressions for drawing and painting. A variety of means are available to help them produce diverse and creative artworks. This article offers a few challenging ideas to get one's class whizzing along.

When one creates an artwork, the "ingredients" are the elements of art: (1) line; (2) color; (3) shape/form; (4) texture; and (5) value. How they are used makes up the principles of art: (1) balance; (2) emphasis; (3) proportion; (4) movement; (5) rhythm, repetition and pattern; (6) variety; and (7) unity. Students will gain a better understanding…

Having a career in art is based on strong inner feelings that tell a person what it is he or she wants to be, regardless of one's age. By becoming familiar with the lives of artists and what has inspired them, with knowledge of their working processes, teachers can better plan activities for the students in their care. This article takes a look at…

Artworks are not produced in a vacuum, but by the interaction of experiences, and interrelationships of ideas, perceptions and feelings acknowledged and expressed in some form. Students, like mature artists, may be inspired and motivated by their memories and observations of their surroundings. Like adult artists, students may find that their own…

A field trip to an art museum is a very special occasion for students, one they will long remember and that will initiate an association with museums that will endure throughout their lives. When teachers plan ahead and schedule a date and time for their class to attend, the museum will probably provide some pertinent information. Some museums may…

Teachers can function more effectively in the lives of their students when they are aware of the divergent work habits students as individuals and professional artists encounter, share, and utilize. A study of the lives of artists often tells things they have said or written--or what has been written about them in regard to the way they create and…

The National Art Education Association (NAEA) has clearly defined the role of art with six content and achievement standards that are broad in coverage and designed specifically to ensure a thorough and comprehensive art program for K-4, 5-8 and 9-12. To meet the standards, students learn vocabularies and concepts associated with various types of…

In this article, the author presents a checklist of basic materials for two-dimensional activities that are necessary for an elementary-school art program. She also provides a few tips on how to use them.

In this article, the author discusses the different two- and three-dimensional art forms. She also describes the different media that can be used in these art forms.

Students have taken a look at a number of artworks--sculptures, paintings, buildings, murals, masks and other art forms--and have learned who made them, in what country the artist lived and when they were made. They may even remember in which museum a painting now resides. But, do students have any idea as to why these artworks were created? In…

A rich and stimulating opportunity awaits teachers who plan to connect or bring together an art project with another subject area of the curriculum, thus addressing the sixth listing in the National Visual Arts Standards. While art is important in its own right, the reality is there is often too much content in the curriculum nowadays and not…

Edgar Degas was not yet famous, but was on the point of aesthetic and commercial success when he left Paris in the fall for his New Orleans visit of about four months, during which time he painted 22 major works. It might be said that he was having a midlife crisis at this time. He had been painting ballet and horse pictures to assist his father's…

This text is designed for use by college and university students who plan to teach art to children. After an introduction that briefly explains the four components of discipline-based art education, the text is organized in six chapters. (1) "Artists and the Images They Make" introduces students to ideas about how several specific…

Provides background information on the lives and works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Focuses on the artwork of the artists and the museums where their work is displayed. Includes museum photographs of their work. (CMK)