Abstract Art

Here's a sneak peek of what I've been teaching in my Art&Design classes this summer. I know some of you might think, "Aw c'mon, Kate, I could paint that..." and you're right, you probably could... but what I teach in my class is that it's all about the process behind the finished product.

This process was to color one piece of paper with a secondary color (orange, purple, or green) and then to color two larger pieces of paper with the two primary colors that make the previous secondary color (for example red and yellow because they make orange, etc.). Then cut the smaller secondary paper in half and glue in the middle of the two primaries... Wallah! The secondary color looks like it's two different colors!!!

This process is to first design a glue stamp and let the stamp dry overnight. The next day, paint the stamp with the desired colors and then stamp another piece of paper... Wallah! Abstract art! The kids loved this project because all the results were so different. Paper mosaics were also a big hit... we were working with organic shapes (aka torn construction paper) to piece together whatever our minds concocted!

And basic line drawings... the rule was that the kids had 10 minutes to draw a shoe, but they couldn't pick up their pencil! Some just started scribbling after a couple minutes, but there were a few that turned out really well.