Athletes and their shadows

You need:

1. plywood plate on A4 size
2. jigsaw
3. sandpaper
4. carbon paper
5. pencil
6. strong glue
7. black construction paper for background
8. tempera and brushes

Search in a newspaper, magazine or on the Internet for a photo of an athlete in motion. Note that, if you would print the photo in black, you'll see well what the athlete does. Place carbon paper with the black side down on your board. Lay the picture above. Trace the athlete. Press firmly.
Saw the athlete neat and sand the edges smooth. Paint the two parts in the colours you like. Don't forget the edges! Glue your board on a piece of cardboard and paste the sawn-athletes with some space between.
You will see an athlete with his own shadow!

Waterlilies in the style of Monet

You need:

1. tissue paper in different colors
2. white drawing sheet (A4 size)
3. glue

Claude Monet was a French painter and founder of French impressionist painting. Impressionistic paintings are a kind of snapshots, giving a quick impression. Up close, it will only show spots and streaks, at a distance you see that these spots together represent an image.

After viewing a number of waterlily paintings by Monet, children will make their own waterlilies using tissue paper. To get the spotty Monet effect, the tissue paper should be torn into pieces. For the background, the water, children tear pieces of blue and or green tissuepaper and paste it on their sheet. The flowers are also made of torn pieces of tissue paper.
It is important to work from big to small: first the background, then the pieces of the large flowers, and over them the heart of the flower.
Assign the children that they use minimal of glue to avoid a messy painting.

Face in the mirror

You need:

1. coloured construction paper
2. scissors and glue
3. cutter and mat

During this lessons children will practice with positive and negative space.


Discuss about a face: form, place of ears and eyes (same height), distance between the eyes, hairline (not just on top of the head), the width of the mouth and nose.
Every child gets a construction paper and a half construction paper in two contrasting colours. Draw half of a face to the side of the small sheet.
This face must be cut and placed at the center line of the whole sheet. Cut parts out of the half face and place them on the other side. When all parts are cut, everything cn be pasted.

shelby healey : artists who blog

Shelby's blog: www.shelbyhealey.typepad.com
Shelby's website: www.shelbyhealey.com
Shelby's shop: www.shelbyhealey.etsy.com

Why did you decide to start a blog?

I started blogging about 18 months after opening my Etsy shop because I wanted to bring more traffic to my shop of course, but also because I was working on a few things and I wanted to catalogue my work as I produced it. In addition to this, I live on a small island which is beautiful and very inspirational but I do feel rather isolated at times. I saw starting a blog as a way to connect with like–minded people in the big wide world.



How has blogging affected your work as an artist/designer?

It definately encourages me to get in the studio. If I haven’t posted new work in a week or so I feel really lame. Whether it’s sewing, sketching or making patterned paper for my collages I try to experiment every day.

What are your favorite artist/designer blogs? Why?

I have loads but here are just a few, Bliss for impeccable taste, dear ada for amazing art and wish jar for a stimulating read.



Do you have any advice for artists/designers who are starting a blog?

I’m not the best person to give advice by any means but being a blog reader myself I go back to blogs that are regularly updated and have lots of eye candy!



What has been the most positive and inspirational aspect of having a blog for you?

Having people get in touch and tell you how much they appreciate your work is hugely inspiring. Often when I contact artists whose work I admire and would like to use in my blog we get chatting about our work and life and this is very heartening to me too.



What do you find the most difficult/most rewarding part of having a creative profession?

Making art is not my full–time occupation at the moment but I dream about the days I don’t get woken up by an alarm clock and can spend hours on end in my studio with my paints and sticky bits of paper.



Other than your blog, what has been the most effective way for you to promote your art/design?

I have had a lot of private commissions and freelance work from people who found me through my (rather neglected) website and Etsy. Having your work in a front page treasury is always good for business as is being featured on great blogs.



How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

I try to keep my energy levels up in order to fit in all that I want to so I eat well and practise yoga. I generally spend a few mornings and most evenings in my studio and then enjoy what time I can with my family when we are all free. I love days out at the beach or walking in the hills. I spend as little time as possible at real ‛work’.



What are your main goals for 2009?

I have wanted to write and illustrate a childrens book for ages so I’m going to get round to that this year and I plan to go on holiday to some bustling, colourful city to inspire my creative juices.

Thanks Shelby and good luck with your children's book!

Animal silhouette

You need:

1. white drawing sheet, A3
2. tempera and brushes
3. pictures of animal furs and side views of the corresponding animals
4. black construction paper
5. scissors and glue

For this task the children search the internet for photos of animal fur. The photographs have to be printed in colour. Then they paint the fur as accurately as possible on the white sheet. While drying, children can look for pictures of the animal from which they just painted the fur. This picture has to be a side view.

Print the animal and use a copier to enlarge it. The animal picture must fit on the painting of the fur.

Put the picture of the animal on black paper and tape it down. Then cut exactly along the outer lines of the image, while cutting the black paper also. Glue the silhouette on the painting.

Growing landscape

You need

1. drawing sheets A 3
2. tempera
3. brushes and water
4. photographs (or parts of them) from landscapes

A little piece from a landscape picture or a complete photograph (look for them in travel guides) will make a beautiful painting! Glue the litte piece somewhere on your sheet and paint the landscape as you imagine it would be!

Proud as a peacock

Made by students of grade 5

You need:

1. photographs from peacocks
2. peacock feathers
3. white drawing sheet
4. wasco crayons
5. watercolour paint
6. blue or green construction paper

Male peacocks are notable for their long tail, consisting of long feathers, with eyes at the end.
Look at photo's of peacocks and try to get some peacock feathers in your classroom. How do you recognize a peacock? What does his body look like? And his head? What has he got on his head? Loot at the feathers and discuss the features. What does the eye in the feather look like? What colours do you see?

Children draw a rough pencil sketch of the body and the head of the peacock. It won't be necessary to draw each individual feather, this can be done while colouring.

Colour the peacock wih oilpastel crayons. When ready, paint the whole sheet with light blue watercolour paint. Oil pastel will resist.
Finally glue the drawing on a blue or green sheet.