The purpose of this study was to explore the anxiety and stress-reducing effects of drawing, using different drawing materials by promoting the development of student confidence. The drawing activities were designed to foster the exploration of identity, emotion, and sense of self, while encouraging the exploration of materials and mark making.…

This article describes a project that was inspired by the Chinese Festival of Lanterns. In this project, students had the opportunity and challenge of using a variety of media to represent a range of values to create form from shape. The lanterns proved to be an interesting subject for the drawings, as well as a way to increase students' knowledge…

To the general public, the topic of art education conjures up images of pencil drawings and tempera paint. If asked what a student might learn in an art class, a typical response might be that they will be taught how to draw and paint. This interpretation isn't totally incorrect, as drawing and painting are activities preformed in most artrooms.…

In this article, the author describes how students can create a stunning as well as economical mosaic utilizing fall's brilliantly colored leaves, preserved at their peak in color. Start by choosing a beautiful fall day to take students on a nature walk to collect a variety of leaves in different shapes, sizes, and colors. Focus on collecting a…

Best known for his monumental abstract sculptures of reclining figures, Henry Moore's forms are generally pierced or have a hollow space within them. Some say that these "organic undulating forms" are reminiscent of the landscape of his home in Yorkshire, England. Moore was a giant in the world of sculpture and his large cast bronzes and marble…

Oil pastels offer many advantages. They come in a large range of hues, intensities and values, and they lend themselves to blending and shading in a unique way that no other art medium offers. They can be worked and reworked from day to day by the students without the large mess and cleanup time that oil paints require. An artist whose works are a…

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…

Since Pen Argyl High School in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania was in the process of redeveloping its mascot, the Green Knight, the author decided to implement a studio project based on armor. In groups of three, students would research an assigned type of historical armor, replicate it in cardboard, and fit it to a group member. The lesson had heavy…

The drab, cold days of winter were not helping to motivate the author's painting students. Still-life work appeared forced, tight, and overworked. A downed white birch in her front yard provided the author a resource and inspiration. In this article, students do some timed gestural drawings of still life using sticks as paintbrushes. (Contains 1…

Creating a painting with texture is easy, although using heavy gel medium or modeling paste may be pricey ways to go about it. High school artists generally like making collages and mixed-media. In this article, the author suggests ways to capitalize on that interest with inexpensive fabric in a painting project.

As art teachers, it is in their nature to collect everything they get their hands on. They teach their students how to find beauty in the resources they have. Students can improve their portfolios by using innovative materials that allow them to tell a story that is also beneficial to the planet. Most art teachers are experienced in scavenging,…

Junk is an art teacher's best friend. Everyone has junk, but it takes a special eye to see beyond such unwanted items and give them new purpose. In this article, the author describes a lesson completed with her jewelry/metals class. Inspired by the artwork of Barbara Lenart Kazmer, who incorporates found objects into one-of-a-kind pieces, students…

Art teachers need to experiment with new techniques and materials in order to keep their art instruction fresh, and to avoid becoming droning bores with tired, repetitive projects. Usually it only takes a brief flip through any art-supply catalog for an art teacher to happen onto some previously unknown material that will inspire them and--when…

How do you teach the "same old, same old" in an interesting and inexpensive way? Art teachers are forever looking for new angles on the good-old elements and principles. And, as budgets tighten, they are trying to be as frugal as possible while still holding their students' attention. Enter exploding boxes! In conceptualizing the three types of…

In order to inspire her students to work in mixed media, the author chose to highlight the art of Jasper Johns and Robert Indiana, both of whom used numbers and letters as a main focus in their art. In this article, the author describes a mixed-media printmaking project. (Contains 2 online resources.)