Describes a watercolor lesson based on autumn leaves. Discusses the process, including but not limited to initial thumbnail sketches, how to start the paintings, and how to paint actual leaves onto the preliminary surface treatment. (CMK)

Presents an art activity for fifth-grade students in which they learn about basic shapes and what happens when shapes overlap, draw seven overlapping geometric shapes, review the use of acrylic paint and mixing colors, and finally paint with primary colors. (CMK)

Focuses on individualized expression resulting from ideas and skills that have developed over time. Describes how students first drew a group of people, then used values and added background details, and finally enlarged the drawings demonstrating their own ideas. (CMK)

Describes a unit on lighthouses, originally a social studies unit, in which students participate in two art projects: (1) a lighthouse printmaking activity and (2) a scratch-etch activity using lighthouses. Describes the steps for printmaking and the process of creating scratch-etch drawings. (CMK)

Provides various activities that museum docents use to help students "see" rather than "look" at art objects. Ideas include playing a looking game, using the five senses to describe the painting, creating stories about the art object, and having a treasure hunt while visiting a museum. (CMK)

Explains that creating paper-pulp bowls is designed to acquaint students with the beginning vocabulary and finger dexterity needed to sculpt clay. Describes the process of making paper-pulp bowls and identifies important vocabulary words. Provides directions for making paper bowl forms and lists the materials. (CMK)

Explores four artistic classifications prominent in depression-era art examining and contrasting examples of each: (1) Regionalism; (2) Social Realism; (3) American Idealism; and (4) Anti-Fascism. Focuses on artworks by the artist Seymour Fogel because his work demonstrates that Regionalism and Social Realism were not mutually exclusive and that…

Provides background information on Grant Wood who was a Regional artist. Includes a list of various activities and a reproduction of Wood's painting "Spring Turning." Explores the characteristics of Wood's art that appear in this painting, such as stylization and the use of landscape views high above normal eye level. (CMK)

Presents an art project where fifth-grade students painted murals of windows in the boys and girls school restrooms. States that they used a technique called "trompe l'oeil" that uses shadows and perspective to achieve realism that tricks the eye. (CMK)

Describes an art lesson for high school students in "Introduction to Art" that focuses on the style of Frank Stella. States that the students chose a theme, such as representational or abstract, and based their "Stella-esque" assemblage on that theme. (CMK)

Presents an art lesson for first-grade students where they painted portraits of their fathers (or the significant male in their lives) for Father's Day. Explains that the students secretly observed their fathers in order to enable them to create the portraits as a surprise. (CMK)

Discusses a fresco assignment taught during a workshop for an art history class where students created their own fresco paintings. Provides background information on the fresco technique and the materials that are used. Describes the process of creating the frescos and lists the needed materials. (CMK)

Describes an art activity that enables beginning art students to practice their skills and techniques using watercolor as a medium. States that the students use paint, paper, and an inexpensive stencil set of the alphabet. Explains that students create a symmetrical design that fills the sheet of paper. (CMK)

Presents a lesson where the students painted water scenes instead of creating traditional landscapes featuring houses, trees, and mountains. States that the students developed their composition and painting skills along with increasing their sense of beauty and imaginations. Discusses the process of creating the waterscapes in detail. (CMK)

Describes an art unit called "Archi-Painting" where high school students in a beginning art class learned about landscapes and some of the world's most important buildings. Explains that the students placed a well-known building into a new environment in their paintings. (CMK)