Inspired by a beautiful bookmark one of the author's students made for him as a gift, he began a lesson exploring the vibrant bark paintings popular all over Mexico. The majority of his students have Mexican ancestry, so exploring the arts of Mexico is always popular and well received. Amate paintings can also be a great way to introduce the…

Louise Nevelson, who is called the "architect of shadow," was a "dumpster diver" of her time, collecting found objects in the wee hours of the morning before trash pickup. Recognition evaded Nevelson until she created "Mood Garden + One" (1958), when she was almost 60 years old. In this article, students create their own assemblage using…

In this article, the author describes a project wherein students created colorful underwater sea creatures. This project began with a discussion about underwater sea creatures and how they live. The first step was making the multi-colored tissue paper that would become sea creatures and seaweed. Once students had the shapes of their sea creatures…

Describes an art project for beginning drawing students that focuses on abstraction and the work of abstract artists. Explains that the students draw a still-life portrait of a model, but are asked to exaggerate the foreshadowing in their pictures. (CMK)

Discusses an art project that focuses on fine arts prints. Uses three printmaking techniques: (1) stamping, (2) monotypes, and (3) intaglio (drypoint), with a focus on monotypes. Explains that the students created self-portraits using the monoprint technique by drawing their faces on a mirror and pulling the print off this surface. (CMK)

Describes an art project in which students created close-up drawings of animals. Explains that they located photographs of animals, enlarged them with a copier, and completed research on the animals. States that the students used oversized black and white scratchboard. (CMK)

Discusses an art activity that has students create pictures in which they first trace a chameleon pattern and then add camouflage to conceal the chameleon. Explains that different materials and techniques are used for students in grades k-1 and 2-5. (CMK)

Describes a drawing assignment, using colored pencil, that explores color, texture, and relationships among drawn objects. Students use reference photographs to create a drawing in which one object is juxtaposed against a crowd of similar but different objects. (CMK)

Presents an art activity in which first grade students draw dinosaurs in order to learn about the concept of warm and cool colors. Explains how the activity also helped the students learn about the concept of distance when drawing. (CMK)

Focuses on an activity in which the students in a beginning drawing class used middle-value brown paper and earthen shades of conte to draw pictures of bones in a desert environment. Discusses how the assignment teaches appreciation of the colors, sounds, and shapes of the desert. (CMK)

Describes an art lesson in which third-grade students create mounted trophy fish. Explains how the students created the three-dimensional fish, the board on which to mount the fish, and the small paper plaque with information about the trophy fish. (CMK)

Describes an art project used with beginning high school art students that teaches them about continuous line drawing. Explains that the students create portraits of themselves, or another student, using glue, black construction paper, and chalk. (CMK)

Provides historical background on mosaics. Describes an art activity in which students create their own mosaics. Discusses what the students can use as material to make the project much more cost effective and explains the process of creating the mosaics in detail. (CMK)

Explains an art project in which students create a linear still life drawing on A2-size paper, duplicate the still life drawing from another viewpoint, and then use abstract design, integrating dynamic patterns and vibrant colors, that hide the still life images. (CMK)

Describes an assignment that was used in an advanced drawing class in which the students created self-portraits, breaking up their images using planes and angles to suggest their bone structure. Explains that the students also had to include three realistic portions in their drawings. (CMK)