Ink-Blown Trees on Warm and Cool Backgrounds

3rd Grade students reviewed Warm and Cool colors as they painted two 6x9 papers with watercolors. We discussed the wet-on-wet watercolor technique to blend colors together. Some students tried this on their background papers.

The next art day I demonstrated how to use a dropper to apply ink to the painting and a straw to blow the ink into tree-like shapes. I love the "Ooos and Ahs" that happens when you demonstrate something the students get excited about!

I set up the tables with small cups of India ink on a paper plate with the dropper. The students placed their papers onto a "placemat" (12x18 contraction paper that we reuse under paintings). When they were set up they got a straw and began to do their trees.

Students were on task and had fun watching the ink roll the direction they blew.

A couple of my classes worked extra well and were finished with their trees early. I had a plan if this happened and I was glad to be able to give it a try. When I saw students were going to finish early I stopped the group and showed how to do an ink monster. I dropped some ink on the center of a 9x12 paper and then blew the ink until it had soaked in and couldn't go anywhere else. This excited the students even more. I told them next class we would add to these ink blobs to create monsters.
Students that had a bit of problems trying to control the ink to create trees were more relaxed and were able to find success at the free-form blown ink blob.

The next art class I helped students glue their warm and cool trees onto a black paper for display. As I worked on this the classes that had time the week before to do an ink blob for a monster began to transform them using googly eyes and colored pencils. 

I honestly think the ink monsters were a huge hit and many came out even better than the trees!

See more of our trees here -- http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=557644

and here -  http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=557651

 See some ink monsters here --http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=562087

Moon & Trees with Tints and Shades

5th Grade students worked with tints and shades while creating these beautiful paintings.

This was another idea found on Pinterest....yes, I know - I'm a thief! This was a quick 2 day art lesson - but may have even been done in less. After doing our color wheel worksheet and then discussing tints and shades, student were given blue and white paint. They began by painting a white moon towards the center of the painting. Then gradually created tints by adding a touch of blue to the white, then a bit more, and so on until the sky was completely painted. 

The second class we discussed what a winter or late fall tree would look like after the leaves have fallen off. We also discussed atmospheric perspective. Students were given blue and black this time. They painted the trees using different shades of blue - the darkest one large so it looked up close and smaller ones with lighter shades to look farther back.

The results were great! Definitely a keeper lesson!

See more at http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=445203