2013 Group Mural: Walking the Line

I saw this idea on pinterest and had my 6th graders create a Walking Line Mural. We had a couple of days were class was 30 minutes due to state testing and that just isn't enough time to work on big projects. To organize the mural I had the students make a single file line with a pencil in their hand. I gave each student a piece a white watercolor paper. The first student was directed draw a squiggly line that went all the way across their paper. The second student had to connect their line to the end of the first one. The students were directed to write their name and their number on the back of their paper so I could display them in order. Each student connected their line to the previous line until every kid had drawn a portion of the mural.

The students were directed to paint their line with 3 different watercolors making it bright and bold. In the white space around the colored line they were instructed to use pencil and divide their space into 10 sections. Each section then had a unique line design drawn in so all 10 spaces looked different. Lastly the students outlined their pencil in sharpie.  This was a simple 2 day project and the kids were excited to see their mural on display and I liked that my white walls looked more creative.

2013 Group Mural: Op Art

I decided this quarter that my early finishers would work on a group mural that I could hang in my clay room.  I saw this idea on pinterest and adjusted it a bit. This mural required little organization on my part. I took 4 pieces of watercolor paper that were 36 in x 24 in and set them in a block of 4. I sketched the outline of an optical illusion in pencil. Then as students finished their art projects they were instructed to begin coloring in the sections to the mural with oil pastel. I gave them no rules and let them color any way they wanted. I love the final result and how bright and colorful it made my wall.

Carlsbad Art Splash (2009)

In the Fall on 2009 I was invited to bring my advanced art class to participate in the Carlsbad Art Splash  for the second year in a row. (Click here to see 2008 mural).  This weekend art festival features professional artists creating artwork live for the public. Sidewalk murals are the highlight of the Carlsbad Art Splash and my art class was privileged to create one along with all the professional artists.

The week prior to Art Splash my advanced art class planned their design and practiced drawing it on the sidewalk at our school. I had students sign up for 3 hour shifts the weekend of the festival and they all worked together to complete the 8x8 ft. mural. The students did an amazing job on the mural and it was definitely a favorite of the young kids at the festival.

**As with any art project I post please email me if you have questions about materials used, processes, or if you would like lesson plans. splattersandsmudges@gmail.com You can also ask questions in the comment section below each post.**

Art Splash 2008

In the fall of 2008 my High School Art 2 class was invited to participate in a weekend art festival. The event is called Carlsbad Art Splash and features professional artists with the highlight of the event being sidewalk murals. In the Spring of 2008 I hired local artist Bland Bizzaro to come teach my art students how to create sidewalk murals. Blane was so impressed with my students artwork (seen here) that he submitted photos of their sidewalk murals to the Art Splash and we were invited to participate in this highly publicized art festival.

This was a challenging task for me to prepare my students for. I was teaching at a new school and these students had never created a sidewalk mural before and the event was only 3 weeks into the school year. But my class did a great job working together to design their own mural. We planned it out and made a rough draft sketch and practiced at school before the big event. The Art Splash was a 2 day art festival and the students had such a fun time creating their mural along side professional artists. They worked through the hot sun for 6 hours a day without complaining! Many artists complimented our group on their fantastic behavior and group work. The final mural was excellent and this was such a rewarding experience for my students to have!

**As with any art project I post please email me if you have questions about materials used, processes, or if you would like lesson plans. splattersandsmudges@gmail.com You can also ask questions in the comment section below each post.**

Sidewalk Murals (2008)

The first school I taught at had an intersession week where teachers got to choose to teach a week long project or take students on an immersion field trip. My intersession class was learning about the art of illusions in sidewalk murals. I hired local artist, Blane Bizzaro, to mentor the students and teach them his craft of sidewalk murals. The students worked along side Blane and got first hand experience from a professional.

The students worked in groups designing a theme for their murals. They first drew rough draft sketches on paper and then transferred their design to the sidewalk on a 8x8 ft. square. Our school was a three story building with a balcony wrapped around the front so the students used the illusion of an aerial perspective knowing their artwork would be viewed from 3 stories above. Blane created a mural as well and it was so fascinating watching him work. The final results were incredible and we had an amazing week!!

                                                 Blane Bizzaro working on his mural of Thor

                                                                 
                                                                   Finished Mural

Student Mural

Students working on their mural

View from the balcony

                                                                      Student Mural

                                                                   Our intersession class

                                                                         Student Mural

                                                                       Student Mural

                                                                      Student Mural

**As with any art project I post please email me if you have questions about materials used, processes, or if you would like lesson plans. splattersandsmudges@gmail.com You can also ask questions in the comment section below each post.**

Student Teaching (part 2)

The second half of my student teaching took place teaching 10th graders in San Diego. This was a very ambitious art project I planned and my master teacher trusted that I could handle it (thanks Shani!)

United States Mural Project (2007)
This project took a lot of hours to plan the logistics of making a huge mural! I projected a map of the US on heavy duty banner paper and traced each state. I then cut out the states for the students to paint. This was the students art history unit covering 20th century art movements (I love the 20th century and teach it every year). 

Students were assigned a state based upon their artistic ability and responsible behavior. I wanted every student to be successful so kids that really didn't like art or ones that I knew were lazy were given the smallest states. Students were given the larger states (Texas, California, Alaska) because I knew they would do an awesome job and could handle that much surface space.

Students were given a brief overview of about ten 20th Century art movements. (Ok...I did let them do Impressionism and Post Impressionism even though they technically weren't in the 20th Century). Students then researched specific topics about their assigned state to help brainstorm ideas for their painting. Topics included: famous landmarks, historical people, historical events, professional sports teams, state bird, flower, tree, animal). Students then chose an art movement to design their painting in the style of...and a lot chose Pop Art!

A couple parent volunteers came and helped cut plywood for the mural to be mounted on and then bolted the wood to the wall. Students were so proud of their mural and love that their artwork became a permanent fixture in the school building. (Last I knew it was still hung). I think I was a little nuts planning such a complex art project but I love the final outcome!

                                                                         Texas: Pop Art

                                                                 North Dakota: Pop Art

                                                              Colorado: Surrealism

                                                                  Montana: Post Impressionism

                                                               Kentucky: Pop Art

**As with any art project I post please email me if you have questions about materials used, processes, or if you would like lesson plans. splattersandsmudges@gmail.com You can also ask questions in the comment section below each post.**