Outstanding name

By Vincent, grade 3

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A5 size


2. waterproof black marker


3. colour markers


4. black fine marker

Every year we make a birthday calendar in the classroom. For the calendar of this year, we used this lesson. The drawings were pasted on a coloured sheet with the date of the anniversary of the student.



Write your name in elegant letters with a black waterproof marker on a white sheet. Outline the letters with markers in different colors. Divide the background into pieces, by drawing lines from top to bottom and from left to right. Fill out the individual surfaces with patterns drawn with a black fine marker. Make sure that your name really stands out!

Father's Day newspaper

In this lesson students make their own newspaper for Father's Day. Everyone has to make a front page with a fanciful name and three other pages. We gave them six categories (weather, sport, shownews, news from the city, a comic and a puzzle). The rest of the pages had to be filled with self chosen articles.

The articles can be written by hand or on the computer.



During this project several subjects come across: language, spelling, writing and illustrating.

But also themes like layout, headlines, editing, editor and journalist can be discussed.

We worked several weeks to complete these newspapers.

Thanks to Els Wagenaar.

Awesome alphabet

Made by students of grade 6

You need:

1. drawing paper A6 size (postcard)
2. markers
3. fine black marker
4. black cardboard
5. glue

Arrange which students makes which letter of the alphabet. The I and J have to be drawn on one sheet, to make a group work of five by five drawings.

Each student draws one big letter, with about 1 cm free space around. Colour the letter as you like, using patterns. Colour the background as well. Outline the letter and the details with a fine black marker. Make sure the letter 'pops up' from the background, by choosing different colours and patterns.

Paste all letters on a big black cardboard, five by five with 2 cm space between them.

Group work 'Awesome alphabet'

Learning letters

Made by a student of 7 years old

You need:

1. drawing sheet 20 by 20 cm
2. crayons
3. liquid watercolour
4. brushes
5. jar with water

Draw a 5 cm grid and copy it on drawing sheets. Give every student a grid sheet. Students use crayons to write big handwriting letters in the squares. Trace the lines of the squares with crayon too using one colour. Paint the squares with liquid watercolour.

In Holland we call those letters 'lusletters', 'letters with loops' if I translate is. The first letters children learn, at the same time as they start learning to read, are called 'blokletters'. Block letters?

How do you call those letters? Blockletters? Writing letters? Who can help me?

Make your own book

You need:

1. two pieces of plywood measuring 16 cm by 12 cm
2. little stack of white sheets measuring 14 cm by 11 cm
3. hand drill
4. perforator
5. markers or paint/brushes
6. bit of rope

Make a drawing on one of the shelves and colour it with markers or paint or a combination of those. Write a title, and/or put your name on it. Use a perforator to make two holes in the small side of the white sheets.

Place one of the sheets on the painted shelf and mark off where the holes should be. Keep away about 1 cm from the (short) side. Do the same with the second shelf. Drill holes with a hand drill. Place the sheets on the lower shelf and then put the painted shelf on top of it. String a piece of rope through all the layers and bind them together.

Calligram

Our Dutch calligrams; do you recognize the meaning?

You need:

1. drawing sheet A6 size (postcard size)
2. pencil
3. fine black marker

A calligram is a phrase or word in which the typeface, calligraphy or handwriting is arranged in a way that creates a visual image. The image created by the words expresses visually what the word or words say.

Show some calligrams on the smartboard. Discuss them with the students. How was the calligram made? What word(s) do you see? What kind if image is it?

Students choose something they want to draw. With a pencil they draw the outlines of it on a sheet. Using a fine marker they write their drawing full with the words that belong to it. Erase the pencil lines when the ink has dried. There are two ways to do it: fill the drawing completely with words, or write the words only on the outlines of the drawing.

Sometimes it is better, and/or nicer, to colour your calligrams. In the example above, the food calligram, you won't probably recognize the food on the plate. With some colour (colour pencils) it is clear! The butterfly is coloured with coloured ink.

Word art

You need:

1. drawing sheet A6 size
2. colour pencils or markers
3. black fine marker

Each student selects a words to illustrate. The design for the word must reflect what the word represents. Someone who doesn't know the meaning of the word, has to understand what it means by looking at the design of it.

Use colour pencils or markers to colour the letters of the word. Use a fine black marker to outline the letters.

Well: although you don't know the meaning of the Dutch words in the examples my students made, you'll know what they mean thanks to the design! If not, they did a bad job?

Made by students of 11-12 years old

Name tag in the style of Paul Klee

You need:

1. white drawing sheet, 15 by 21 cm (A5 size)
2. pencil
3. ruler
4. eraser
5. markers

This is a great lesson for the beginning of the school: a name tag in the style of painter Paul Klee. This drawing can also be used for the birthday calendar that each group makes at the beginning of the school year.

Paul Klee

Paul Klee (1879 – 1940) is a German/Swiss painter. His work belongs to the modern art. Klee developed mainly as an autodidact and left more than 9000 artworks. In 1912 he saw the work of Picasso and Malevich, and he met Robert Delaunay, who believed colour is the most important element in a painting. After a trip to Tunisia in 1914 Klee started to paint more colorful and abstract. He painted many subjects : landscapes, portraits, animals, mythology, mysterious machines. In his work he combined abstract and figurative shapes. Klee 's work cannot be described in one single word. Surrealism, cubism, abstraction are terms which are applicable to his paintings. He is classified by expressionism. (Source: Wikipedia)

Lesson

Show some artworks of Paul Klee and discuss them. What do you see? Wat zie je? What does strike you? Show finally the work 'Blue Night' and discuss this. Is this like the other works you 've seen? Do you recognize the painting style? What colours are used in Blue Night? How do we call those colours?

Students have to make a drawing in Paul Klee style. Divide the sheets of paper. The sheet must be up with the short side. Using a gray pencil and ruler students divide the sheet into three strips of 5 to 21 cm.

Starting top left, write the first letter of your name in capital. The letter must be 5 cm high and touch the first line and the side and top of the sheet. Write the second letter. Be sure the second letter hits the first one, as well as the writing line and the top of the sheet. Do the same with the rest of the letters of your name. If you're ready with your name, start over again.

Writing lines are pink in this example. Click to enlarge.

Proceed on the second line and make sure the letters touch the top of the first line. The third line goes the same way, but the letters should touch the bottom of the sheet and the letters on the second line. See example above.

Use an eraser to remove the writing lines. Beware: the letters must stay! So: with an E the bottom line is part of the letter, and should therefore not be erased.

The writing lines are erased. Click to enlarge.

Choose four colours markers. Colour the white spots who are completely surrounded by lines. This might be small spots from the letters, but they could be tall as well because of open letters. Make sure won't get twice the same color side by side. You can prevent this by colouring from top to bottom or from left to right. Choose cool colours just like Klee, or let the kids choose themselves. Just four colours!

Four colours. Example is made with Paintshop. Click to enlarge.

When it is finished, outline with a thick marker. In this example is chosen for silver, because it fits well with the cold colours of the work. To make a birthday calendar for the class, the work has to be pasted on a calendar sheet. This can be drawn, but can also be made on the computer as shown below.

Personal portfolio

Personal portfolio, made by a student of 12 years old

You need:

1. portfolio
2. white drawing sheet A4 size
3. pencil
4. eraser
5. compass
6. coloured ink
7. straw
8. scissors
9. glue
10. coloured paper
11. markers
12. fine waterproof black marker
13. split pin

In Holland children go to highschool at the age of 12. Our elementary school is for children aged 4 - 12 years old. At the end of the 8th group, children of our school get their own portfolio with drawings they made that last year. The portfolio's are bought by the school. Of course, the dull gray folders must become personal portfolio's. In the context of the coming up farewell of elementary school, we have therefore made a sort of remembrance medal.

Take a white drawing sheet, a straw and coloured ink. , een rietje en enkele kleurtjes lichte ecoline. Drop some ink on the sheet and blow it with a straw. Repeat with other colours and leave it to dry.

Put the sheet on a newspaper. Determine the middle of the sheet and put a compass in it. Draw concentrich circles with the compass with one centimeter space between them. Make a sprial of these circles, using a pencil and an eraser. Erase a little part of circle 1 and draw a connecting line towards circle 2. Do the same with the other circles and finish the spiral.

Write with a permanent black fine marker words in the spiral that make you think of the elementary school period. Think of courses, activities, teachers, classmates, fun and less good things. Write until the spiral is full.

Detail spiral

Cut the spiral. Draw a circle on coloured paper that is 2 cm larger than the spiral and cut it out too. Use scissors to prick a little hole in the spiral, the coloured circle and the portfolio map. Fasten the two circles with a split pin onto the map. Decorate the folder with pieces of paper or little drawings, and don't forget to write or paste your name on it with big letters! You may use the rest of the ink sheet for the letters.

Special skeletons?

Made by children of 10-11 years old

You need:

1. white copy paper A4 size
2. black construction paper A4 size
3. cutter
4. cutting mat
5. glue
6. scissors

Fold the paper in half lengthways. Write your name in bubbly letters against the fold. Then cut carefully around the outsides of the name. Keep the paper folded at all times. Use a cutter for the negative areas. When finished, unfold the paper to reveal the name in reverse. Paste the name on a black paper. Dan knippen ze de naam uit - pas op dat je de vouw niet doorknipt--, vouwen de dubbele naam open en plakken deze op een zwart vel papier. Turn the sheet a quarter. What do you see? A special skeleton? You name in Chinese? Or an alien?

Printed nameplate

By Anne, 10 years old

You need:

1. one piece of linoleum from 14 x 14 cm
2. drawing paper
3. lino knives
4. mat
5. block printing ink
6. flat piece of glass
7. linoleum roller
8. lino press

Children draw their name in mirror image on the linoleum. They draw something of their own choice, or decorate their name. Use lino knives in different sizes to cut away the background and lines in their drawing if necessary.

Shake the bottle of blockprint carefully to be sure oil will mix with the rest. Drip the paint on the glass and roll it out with the lino roller. Make several prints of your work. Choose the best one to be your artwork.

Help, my name disappears!

You need:

1. white drawing sheet A4 size
2. ruler
3. compasses
4. markers

In this lesson one point perspective is combined with an optical illusion.

Place the paper horizontally. Draw a small dot on the right side of the sheet, about half way. Take a ruler and draw five lines from the dot to the left side of the sheet.Draw five lines from the dot to the top of the paper and five lines to the bottom. Use a compass to draw increasing circles around the dot until the sheet is full.

Draw your name in blockletters between the lines; use the width of three blocks. Make the letters threedimensional by drawing shadows on the left sides and undersides.

Colour the front of the letters. Colour the shadows with a darker colour. Colour the blocks alternately with two colours, like a checker board. You may also use one colour and leave the resting blocks white. Outline the letters with a fine marker to be sure letters will really pop out of the sheet.

Seeking the name

You need:

1. drawing sheet 20 by 20 cm
2. pencil
3. colour pencils or markers
4. black fine marker

With this project kids learn about radial design as well as symmetry.
First fold the paper so you have eight equal triangles. Then write your name in bubble letters inside one triangle. Be sure to touch the top and bottom of the triangle. Outline the name with a black marker. Go to the window and trace the name with pencil in the seven resting sections. Outline the names with black marker. Colour the letters and spaces between them. You can do this in different ways: the letters with colour markers and the negative spaces with colour pencils (see example below), or negative and positive spaces both with markers (see example above). When ready, you've made an incredible symmetrical design!
Seeing the name inside the drawing is very difficult ... you have to seek it!

Made by Danjel, 12 years old

Weather proverb on a tile

Made by students of grade 6

You need:

1. white tile 15 by 15 cm
2. china markers
3. drawing sheet 15 by 15 cm
4. pencil
5. paper towel

During our school project about water and weather, children made their own tile with a Dutch proverb on it. The proverb had to be about water, of course. After making a concept on a drawing sheet, students wrote their proverb on a white tile with china markers. They added decorations with china markers too.

Poem about the sea

Dutch children wrote poems about the sea: Poet near the sea. A jury has selected forty poems. These poems are printed on signs and placed along the coast of the Netherlands. From north to south, you may see them. This lesson is based on that idea.

You need:

1. drawing paper A4 size, cut lengthwise
2. watercolour paint
3. brushes
4. salt
5. black permanent fine marker
6. glue
7. coloured paper for background

Paint a white sheet with watercolour paint in sea colours. Sprinkle salt in the wet paint. Let this work dry and wipe the salt away.

Write a poem about the sea. Tear the painted paper in wavy strips; keep the sheet between your fingers and tear in small 'steps'. Write on every strip one sentence of your poem. Paste the waves on a blue background and decorate your work with small drawings.

Nameplate

You need:

1. white drawing paper A4 size
2. black markers (fine and wide)
3. colour pencils or markers

Children have to draw their name in big letters with a wide marker. Around this name they draw little pictures of anything they want.

The drawing can be coloured, with colouring supplies or with a computer program like Paint or Paint Shop pro (see examples below).

Merry Christmas window

You need:

1. pattern (click on the picture of it)
2. carbon paper
3. cutter and cutting mat
4. green cardboard
5. tissue paper

Pattern (click and enlarge)

Print the pattern and enlarge if you wish till A4 size. Copy the pattern with carbon paper on the cardboard and cut out the grey parts carefully. Be sure the letters will be stuck to the window. Paste tissue paper on the back.
You might prefer to let children draw their own letters. If you let them, give them the exact sizes of the window and tell them to be sure the letters have to be stuck to the window on at least every edge. This can be done with pencil and paper, but also on computer (Wordart).

Neon advertising

You need:

1. Black paper
2. White pencil
3. Coloured chalk

Neon light tubes form coloured lines with which a text can be written or a picture drawn, including various decorations. Neon is often used in advertising and commercial signage. Show some neon advertising or ask children if they know some. Discuss the features of neon light and the restrictions you have to deal with when you use neon lights.

Draw a picture onto a dark paper using a white pencil. Do it lightly and with not too much detail. Keep it simple, big and bold. Pick a colour and carefully go over all of the lines in your picture. Make nice thick lines that follow the original. Then carefully go over all the lines with your finger. Just follow the direction of the lines rubbing backwards and forwards. Try not to smudge the lines outwards!
Now to turn the neon lights on: take a white chalk and go over all the lines again with the sharp edge. Use the sharp edge just to create a thin bright white line down the middle of the existing lines. You could even leave little gaps between the white lines to make them look even more like an electric neon striplight. Lettering looks good too, especially if you do it in a different colour. When you've finished, you'll have a brilliant electric neon drawing.

A lesson from Art Attack.

Famous name

You need:

1. white drawing sheet
2. black marker
3. wasco crayons
4. black sheet for background

Write your name with a black marker several times on a white sheet. Upside down, from the top to the bottom, it doesn't matter. Write your names disorderly, taking care the letters will mix up.

When your sheet is full enough, choose a couple of colours you like. Colour just the white spots who are completely surrounded by black lines. This might be small spots from the letters, but they could be tall as well because they are between the names.

Glue your work on a black background.

Your name in a frame

You need:

1. white sheet
2. black marker
3. wasco crayons
4. black construction paper for background

Another fun idea with your own name!

Draw four diagonal lines on your white sheet to make five compartments. Use capital letters to write your name in the compartments, and take there that the upper and bottom side of the letters will touch the lines.

Colour the letters with a black marker. Colour the compartments with crayons. Glue your drawing on a black sheet.