Multimedia Pandas

 Today we learned about pandas and their environments.
We learned many pandas live in China.

 We created a panda using a drawing technique which is a step by step instructor led process.

We created an environment for our pandas. We used paper as bamboo and used chalk pastels and paint to add interest to our compositions.

Did you know that the Giant Panda Bear does not hibernate- like other bears?

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FIRST FRIDAY @ BAM!

Featured Artist:  Kelly Connole -"Push Pull"

Date: Friday, June 1st
Location:  Bellevue Arts Museum
Workshop Name:  First Friday @ BAM
Time:  5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Ages:  5 and up
Cost:  $30.00/$25.00 for siblings
Register:  www.smartwithart.net

Your kids can discover the world of fine arts and crafts at the Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) this Friday evening.  The museum is open late the first Friday of every month and we offer, in partnership with BAM, a kid-friendly workshop!  Kids get to meet other young artists from around the area, take an age appropriate tour of the highlighted exhibit, eat a pizza dinner, and create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece inspired by the artist they toured in the exhibit! All while parents get to have a nice dinner out or do some shopping at local Bellevue Square!

In our project honoring artist Kelly Connole we will be making a scene from a memory or a favorite place. Our scene will draw from our thoughts, good feelings and creatures we encounter in the  places we like to play. After seeing the artists display the children will be inspired to remember a favorite from; birds of prey at the state park or dogs and cats in our own back yards. We will create them in playful scenery with air dry clay, graphite drawing pencils and charcoal in order to mimic Kelly Connole’s black and white imagery.

 

 

Please click on this link to view information about summer classes and camps.

 

Thank you!

More Monochromatic Landscapes

Here are some pictures of some finished monochromatic landscapes.

Everyone did a wonderful job mixing colors to create a variety of tints and shades for their arwork.
Students who were finished early, began a drawing exercise sheet  to sharpen their observation skills.

This will help us in next week's drawing lesson.

Monochromatic Acrylic Landscapes

 Today we learned about monochromatic landscape paintings.
We learned how to mix colors with paints.
We created tints and shades by mixing white and black paint with the color (hue) purple.

 We began our landscape drawings on a canvas board.
Objects that appear farther away are lighter in color and objects that appear in the
foreground are darker in color.

  We worked with acrylic paint on the canvas boards to create this large scale work of art!   We will be finishing these projects next Wednesday.

Our last class for this session is on June 13th.   We have 4 more sessions left and some great new projects coming up!

The Wonders of Watercolor Pencils

Today we worked with watercolor pencils and
learned a variety of interesting techniques.

 We learned about symmetrical design. This visual art lesson integrated math concepts
to develop a sense of how to balance line, shape and color in a work of art.
We also learned what a non-objective work of art is.

We used rulers in this work to create symmetrical reflections in our designs.
We could work with watercolor pencils by coloring them on wet paper or coloring with
them dry and then taking a wet paint brush to the art piece to create a different
effect.
We focused on our designs and lines when creating this work of art!

Next week we will finish working with colored pencils and matte our artwork.  

Adding to our art work

Dear Parents,
Today we went back and added more shading to our charcoal pieces and then matted them on black backgrounds.   Your children did a wonderful job blending the charcoal.

We also added to our chalk pastel cityscapes.

Both pieces of artwork will go home with your child next week.


Next week we will be working with watercolor pencils!

Chalk Pastel CityScapes

We had another fun day at the Lakeview Art Room!

 Today we created a cityscape with chalk pastels on black paper.
We looked at the paintings of Kandinsky and other modern artists for inspiration.
These artist incorporated bold, vibrant colors into their work.
We designed a cityscape, creating a horizon line and using both vertical and
horizontal lines.

 Soft, hard and oil pastels are the most common but there are also water-based pastels
and pastel pencils. They all can be smudged and blended during the drawing process.
Although pastels offer a little more control than paint; they need special treatment
when finished; spraying with a pastel fixative or framing under glass prevents further
smudging.

We learned the different properties of chalk pastels and realized they can be messy if
not used correctly. Our cityscapes are exciting and full of energy.

Students will get a chance to work more with charcoal and chalk pastel next week when we spend time  finishing their cityscapes (as well as their charcoal pieces).  Students who finish early, will get to experiment some more with blending chalk and blending charcoal.

Good News!  Kids aprons and portfolios are for sale NOW for $20.00 each.  Check out www.smartwithart.net (click on Register  under "Goodies") or email Michelle Dutton michelle@smartwithart.net to order.  We will have them available for pickup at the next class.

Charcoal

Welcome to Smart With Art's Spring Session:  Back to the Drawing Board.
We have a wonderful group of artists and an exciting new curriculum for this session.

Today we learned about drawing with charcoal.

 Charcoal drawings remain an essential skill for budding artists. Working with
charcoal serves the dual purpose of building artistic creation skills and
developing art appreciation skills.
We worked with vine charcoal and used gum erasers and blending stumps to
create a still life.

 We learned the properties of charcoal and how to work with this material.
We discovered that erasing charcoal creates light areas; smudging charcoal
creates value; and drawing lightly with charcoal creates contour lines.

 We also discussed overlapping shapes, and where it exists in a still life set up

Students practiced on newsprint and then did a final still life on white charcoal paper.   Final projects are being sprayed with a fixative and then will be mounted on black paper.   We will post pictures of the final pieces after they have been matted.


Next week, students will learn about drawing landscapes and they will use chalk pastels.
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