Middle School Christmas Ornaments in Oil Pastel - with PowerPoint and handout

This is my first year with my middle-schoolers, and I have had a rough time knowing what skills they have, and which they still really need to work on.

After our last value study project seemed like a real struggle, I thought I'd take it easy with a step-by-step guide on drawing and shading color values with Christmas ornaments.  This project is not concerned so much with the reflections of the ornaments.  We only concentrated on 3 parts: cast shadow, mid-tones, and highlight.  We also practiced building layers with our oil pastels and mixing tints and shades.  Also, I teach in a Catholic school - so Christmas ornaments are A-OKay.

I started with a handout full of stolen images from the Internet and a PowerPoint too.  We discussed the parts of light and shade that create value and the difference between grayscale and monochromatic color schemes.

The handout coincides with the slides on the PowerPoint and discusses vocabulary.
Next, I take the students step-by-step through the process of drawing and coloring and rendering their Christmas ornament in 3D. They do actually have an ornament in front of them to look at and draw.  The slides were up on the TV as the kids worked, so we mostly all stayed together, but some friends needed additional help.

      

Included in the handout is a rubric for this lesson.  Overall I am pleased with the results!  I only see my middle schoolers once a week for 45 minutes.  It was a learning process at the beginning of the year, and I felt I was never going to get through any sort of curriculum.  We've started working smaller and less independently, and that seems to work.  Here are some student works:

Your community needs an art teacher. Part II: Teach where you can, 'cause you are teaching

This is part two in a three part series. Revisit Part I

June 4th, 2014 will be a day long remembered.  It was the end of my long non-teaching teaching-streak, and it was the beginning of No Corner Suns the business.

On June 4th, 2014 I hosted my first wine + paint event.  I wrote a little about it on the blog, but more importantly, I was teaching. I was actually teaching.  Whippee!  I'm an art teacher!

I turned No Corner Suns the blog into No Corner Suns the business that year. I can't type out the proper word to describe how I remember that time.  Let me think.

Have you ever made frozen French fries?  You pull the hot cookie sheet out of the oven and put it on the stove top to cool for a bit.  You rummage around in the cabinet for a serving dish, and get ready to slide the piping hot fries off the pan.  As you reach for the spatula you snag a rogue fry on the countertop and pop it in your mouth, but that fry ain't hot, and that fry ain't cooked. You just ate a cold uncooked french fry. Your mouth is filled with little chalky, mushy, greasy potato, and your chewing, and swallowing, and spitting all at the same time.  That's the word I would use to describe that time.

If you are driving to school thinking, "Hey, maybe I'll get into a car accident and wont have to go to work!" Then you probably don't have a job you love.  The cold greasy french fry feeling of your life might be a better alternative.

It started off with getting classes hosted at our park district (yes, I had to talk to real people).  They were very eager to have programs for their guides, so that wasn't too bad- it's getting students to actually sign up for your classes that is the issue.  I got my name out there and started spreading the word. ART CLASSES!

Mid 2014 was the year that kicked my ass.  I started to teach where I could, 'cause I was teaching. Library classes? Yes! Wine + paint parties? Yes!  Private events? Yes!  Children's birthday parties? Yes!  A volunteer art booth here, there, & everywhere? Yes! Yes! Yes!  I was also determined to get my name everywhere.  I emailed every art teacher and principal in close vicinity. I passed out flyers, hung up posters,  and became a general nuisance.

I started renting a classroom.  I advertised everywhere I could (that was free) and offered classes and events for cheap.  I took every job I could manage. No wait.  I took every job.  I wasn't managing anything.

I'm smiling like a crazy person. Everything will be Allllllll right.  There's nothing creepy happening behind you.

I was still teaching in my school .75 time

I was not supporting myself doing this.  My .75 job was supporting my family, all the crazy extra teaching was supporting the business.  Furniture, rent, supplies, advertisements - everything was going back into the business. Why would I possibly be doing this?  I was actually teaching.  My days at real school were mostly miserable. My time in the studio was not.  I was hoping it would pay off at some point, I just had to hang in there.

Draft Folder Clean-Up: Franz Cizek

This post was originally started March, 2014

That's all I wrote.  The title of the blog "Franz Cizek."  I am sure it had something to do with him being the "Father of Art Education," and his techniques and tough as nails step-by-step teaching methods. 
I think I was feeling overwhelmed with students saying, "I can't do this..." and I wanted to show them the near perfect drawings of Cizek's 8 year old students.  If you haven't read up on this guy, you should.

Draft folder clean-up: A million ideas for Still Life drawing!

Recently in the Art Teacher's group on Facebook, a member asked a simple question:

"Have any observational drawing subjects for 10-15 minute warm ups? I'm a little tired of shoes and bottles."

Over 100 hundred responses later, the conclusion I came up with was, "draw whatever you feel like drawing, gosh!"

Here is the list of Still Life objects (never proofed and ready for you!) Good Luck!

This post was originally started in February, 2014

List of Art Teachers on TeacherPayTeachers.

My district has allotted some funds to purchase resources on TeachersPayTeachers.  I have used the site a few times to purchase or download free things, and try to sell some of my own resources there too.  I was having a hard time finding quality resources that were specifically for the art room, or were created with visual art in mind.  I thought others might find it tough to navigate too, so I've started a list of stores I found that had art resources:

Me!  No Corner Suns
Klaire Pearson
Expressive Monkey
Share2Learn
Emily Berry
Scott Cummins - Outside the Lines
Katherine Yamashita
Masterpiece Momma
Create to Inspire
Art is Basic
Artsy Cat
Ms Artastic
Art Lesson Launchpad
Deep Space Sparkle
Art Wizard
Grass Carpet Studio
Art Studio FM
A Space to Create

I have purchased or downloaded from a few of these.  I've found many TPT resources useful as supplements to something I am already teaching.  I waste a lot of time reinventing what somebody else has already done!  I'll gladly pay them for the trouble.

There must be a TON more art teachers selling on TPT!  Let me know, and I will add you to the list.

No Corner Suns has 120 pins on Pinterest!

I just realized the crazy amount of free resources and lessons I have compiled on my Pinterest boards.  If you are interested in pinning and saving some of these much loved resources, check out my pin board.

My most popular pin is Ande Cook's "Drawing Masks" and really... anything else with the word "handout" in it!

Your Art Room's a Mess: Pencils.

Here is another excerpt from  "Your Art Room's a Mess" available on ITunes.

Pencils

What is this used for?

• Used almost every class period for writing names on papers or drawing.

How should this supply be stored?

• In a centrally accessible area, sharpened and ready for students at the beginning of class.

How should this supply be distributed?

• Students come and retrieve, or they are passed out after directions.

What is the student going to do with this supply?

• Tap on the table like a drumstick, roll across the table, blow it across the table or break the tip.

Are there any special concerns with this supply?

• Keep several sharpened pencils on hand so that if a pencil breaks, the student can just exchange it for a sharp one.
• Do not let students sharpen their pencils and keep sharpeners out of sight.

One supply your students will probably use every single week will be a pencil. Having students bringing them sounds like the most ideal.  Even having pencils on the tables as students enter, or passed out at the very top of class seems to make the most sense.  But, some students play with their pencils constantly at their table while you are giving directions.  Rolling it to the kid across from them, blowing it back and forth, tapping it like a drumstick, tossing it, biting it, this is why it is not a good idea to have students bring a pencil with them, or pass them out while you are trying to teach.  If it is one child being disruptive with the pencil, a hand on the shoulder or a look, or taking the pencil away for 5 minutes is a quick fix….when it got to be all 23 first graders tapping and rolling…I thought, “I need new strategy!”

I have a really good electric pencil sharpener that only I use.  I can usually sharpen about 40 pencils in 2 minutes.  I am in the habit of sharpening a whole pencil case full of pencils once per day.  If  I know I will not have time, I ask a student to sharpen them at the end of their class.  When it is time to write our names on our papers, I give each student a sharp pencil and their own pink eraser.  None of the pencils have erasers on them anymore, they’ve been quickly used up or broken off!  If in the course of the hour the student’s pencil breaks they bring it up to the pencil 

case and trade it for a sharp one.  I have tried cute things like a red cup for dull pencils, and a green cup for sharp ones which sometimes works.  No one is allowed to sharpen pencils.  My nice sharpeners are hidden from view.  They are covered with a decorative box.  There is already so much action and activity in the art room the pencil sharpener often became another distraction.  Even if a child didn’t need to sharpen their pencil a line would form and much time would be wasted.  I even tried telling the kids I would sharpen their pencils for them but then I was simply walking around sharpening pencils for an hour or exhaustedly telling them they didn’t need sharpening.  When we are using colored pencils for a project I open the pencil sharpeners and allow students to use them during studio time.  I lay down the guidelines and only have them open for short amounts of time.

If you like what you've read here, check out other free chapters:
Management Plan
Behavior Plan
Student Area
Teacher Storage Area


Or download the whole book on iTunes or TeachersPayTeachers

Your Art Room's a Mess: Teacher Storage Area

In July of 2013, "Your Art Room's a Mess" was published on iTunes.  It was written to help the new or disorganized art teacher get a handle on their room and supplies.  "Your Art Room's A Mess" teaches you:
•What an art supply is used for
•How it should be stored
•How it should be distributed
AND
•What your elementary student is going to do with it.
All this in a quick reference style accompanied by real experiences from the art room.  

I have decided to share some sections from "Your Art Room's A Mess" right here on my blog.  Enjoy!

Teacher Storage Area

Keeping students away from things they should not have their hands on, or rather—keeping these things out of their way during work time—is another way to successfully manage your classroom.  Supplies in the art room are everywhere and in a great abundance.  Most supplies should be kept away from students and be placed in the teacher’s storage area.  This would preferably be in drawers, cabinets, and closets.  However, many classrooms are not equipped with the type of storage necessary for an art room. The teacher’s storage areas may be a bookshelf with a curtain or a counter covered in a box.  They should be covered, draped, and kept separate as much as possible from the student area.  If students see supplies, their tendency is to want to use it.  Students should know which areas are off limits to them.  It is important to draw boundaries so that students do not take advantage of using extra supplies or taking supplies they were not supposed to.  It may not bother you if one student takes an extra sheet of 12” x 18” 80lb. drawing paper without asking, or even if 10 students do, but before you know it the ream will be gone and you will not have it when you need it. 

If you like what you've read here, check out other free chapters:
Management Plan
Behavior Plan
Student Area


Or download the whole book on iTunes or TeachersPayTeachers

Art Education inspiration on Tumblr

I follow several art educators on Tumblr.  The majority of them are either preservice, or first, or second year teachers.  I draw from their inspiration, feel their frustrations, and share their excitement daily.

I had an idea for something I wanted to do for my first day of class this year.  It was nagging in the back of my head and required a little bit of prep work...and I kept putting it off.

I definitely wanted to steer clear of the boring blah blah lecture about rules and routines.  I've taught all my kids since kindergarten, and they pretty much know what is up.  After the blah blah discussion, the rest of the hour usually involves a basic mini project.  I like to have the kids do something with their table color, or decorate their sketchbook with a theme, or maybe minimal centers time.

Then, I came across this Tumblr post by Artful Artsy Amy, and I loved it.  I found her slideshow "What is art?" and loved that too!  I decided I wanted to do that with my kids on the first day and it was a beautiful success.

This wasn't the first time I drew inspiration from Tumblr.  I like to heart and reblog things!  But, I gotta be honest, I don't really understand it...do you always have to interact through reblogs?  Anyway, I thought it was a good idea to compile a list of the Tumblr art teachers I knew of.  I would love for you to add to this list too!

artbrarian.tumblr.com
artedadventures.tumblr.com
artfulartsyamy.tumblr.com
artteacheradventures.tumblr.com
coloringbookpress.tumblr.com
drawing-interrupted.tumblr.com
heymstee.tumblr.com
mpinaire.tumblr.com
msleahhbic.tumblr.com
ndrummond.tumblr.com
nomorewirehangersever.tumblr.com
oilsandglitter.tumblr.com
thingsforartteachers.tumblr.com
workhardmakeart.tumblr.com

And a little self-promotion:
nocornersuns.tumblr.com is me, and I pretty much post the same things there as I post here.
mrskostal.tumblr.com is also me, this one is meant more for my families, and other non-art educators
ponytailsandnorthface.tumblr.com is also me.  This one is more my personal junk that I find interesting. Oh man, cannot get enough of the social media.
If you don't want to commit to following a bunch of blogs, just track the art education tags.  It's fun!

Art Teachers on Pinterest.

I opened my Pinterest email today to find a nice link to boards for every grade level...even an Art Teacher board!  I already spent way too much time browsing the lessons and photos.  I was getting excited for all the cool things I could do this year.  Then I figured, I should share this!

My Pinterest Board - everything you see on the blog, repinned for others
Art Teachers - Looks like a group of 15 teachers pooling their lessons
Teachers on Pinterest - directly from the email.

Happy pinning.

New books - Coming soon!

The Art Teacher's Substitute Notebook:  The Basics and The Art Teacher's Substitute Notebook: K-2 Lessons are now available for download!  

Click Here!

Learn more about these fabulous notebooks in the No Corner Suns Store!