ABSTRACT ADJECTIVES - ART LESSON

As I sit here and stew about when my body will shape up enough to allow me to go back to work, I started thinking about what I would be doing in my class next week.  In addition to letting our Africa Open House Unit take over, I would spend a little time in the afternoon just lovin' on my babes and taking time for art.  

I've done this project for years and it's always a favorite of mine . . . the kids dig it too. The best part is that it incorporates language arts with visual arts. Two birds with one stone, baby!  Oh yeah . . . and it's super easy and low-prep.

All you are really doing here is making a print - it's a spin off from a lesson I learned in NCAP Art Camp two years ago.  You need thick paper (I like to use pre-cut scrapbooking squares), tin foil cut to the same size as your paper, and warm/cool paint colors.  The steps are outlined below.

1. Host a quick art review discussion focusing on color and line.  We sorted warm/hot colors and cool/cold colors and practiced drawing different types of line (zig-zag, dotted, straight, loopy, and so on).  This is also a wonderful time to showcase different abstract artists and their work.
2. Invite your students to select a tempra color palate - warm or cool.
3. Model how to paint various lines directly on the tin foil.  Invite them to use all of the colors on their palate. The lines and colors should overlap on their tin foil.  Just warn them about going crazy mixing colors - it will look icky if they go too wild.
4. They must work quickly because if the paint dries this will NOT work. When they finish with their lines, carefully place the painted tin foil on top of the scrapbook paper and smooth your hand over the top.  
5. Carefully peel the tin foil off to reveal a snazzy looking print.
6. While the art is drying host a quick adjective brainstorm session.  I like to record the words on the board in "hot/lots of feeling" adjectives and "cool/calming" adjectives.  
7. Have your kiddos look at their work and decide which adjective matches their work the best (i.e. what does their piece make them feel). 
8. Pass out sentence strip pieces and have them record their adjective on the lines.  Staple up and/or hang for the cutest bulletin board!

Overlap the colors a bit more than here . . . I just wanted to show the lines. 

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