Arts & Activities articles from March 2007

Arts & Activities archives from March 2007

Editor's note.
March 1, 2007... Jumping into color this month with an assortment of lesson plans will surely get your students excited about drawing. To start, students at the elementary level will enjoy the subject matter of our Cover Story, "An All-Encompassing Rain Forest"...

Art resources available.
March 1, 2007... The American Library Association Public Programs Office, in collaboration with the National Endowment for the Humanities, are offering a grant opportunity for schools. "Picturing America" aims to promote the teaching, study and understanding of...

2007 Duck[R] brand duct tape 'Stuck at Prom[R]' contest.
March 1, 2007... Rather than blending in with the rest of the predictable, off-the-rack ensembles, high-schoolers are being challenged to create unique, fashion-forward outfits out of duct tape that are sure to steal the spotlight. Not only can students get...

Self-Portraits.(Video recording review)
March 1, 2007... SELF-PORTRAITS. VHS or DVD/24 min./$29.95. Level: Middle School. Crystal Productions, P.O. Box 2159, Glenview, IL 60025; (800) 255-8629; www.crystalproductions.com. After showing viewers the basic proportions of the oval-shaped face, art...

Artists Communities: A Directory of Residencies that Offer Time and Space for Creating.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2007... ARTISTS COMMUNITIES: A Directory of Residencies that Offer Time and Space for Creating (2005; $24.95), introduction by Robert MacNeil. Alliance of Artists Communities; Allworth Press, 10 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010. This third...

Anatomy For Fantasy Artists: An Illustrator's Guide to Creating Action Figures and Fantastical Forms.(Brief article)(Book review)
March 1, 2007... ANATOMY FOR FANTASY ARTISTS: An Illustrator's Guide to Creating Action Figures and Fantastical Forms (2005; $21.95), by Glenn Fabry, additional text by Ben Cormack. Barron's Educational Series, 250 Wireless Blvd., Hauppauge, NY 11788. As a...

Triarco[R] Arts & Crafts.(shop talk)
March 1, 2007... For 61 years, TRIARCO[R] ARTS & CRAFTS has established the tradition and reputation of quality merchandise at competitive pricing, pride in customer service and guaranteed satisfaction. The new 2007 catalog offers an array of products that will...

Sargent Art, Inc.'s.(shop talk)
March 1, 2007... SARGENT ART, INC.'s 30-count set of colorful, long-lasting Jumbo SideWalk Chalks offers children an economical, fun way to express their outdoor creativity. Each set of AP-Certified chalks includes three each of 10 bright, nontoxic colors. The...

Canson, Inc.
March 1, 2007... CANSON, INC. offers a system designed to help consumers choose the paper they need and has expanded its Drawing papers line. The additional papers, made by France's Canson mills, which have been producing fine-quality art papers since 1492,...

Artograph, Inc.
March 1, 2007... This past fall, ARTOGRAPH, INC. introduced its Animation Light Box and Animation Disc, which are designed to serve as a work center for animation and cartooning projects. Constructed of stainless steel, this light box offers a comfortably...

Phelps Publishing.
March 1, 2007... PHELPS PUBLISHING presents How to Draw Magnificent Mammals, a guide to creating nearly 20 different animals from around the globe. This book is intended for children or beginning adult artists who want to create simple drawings of such...

Blick Art Materials.
March 1, 2007... BLICK ART MATERIALS presents Blick Studio[R] Artists' Colored Pencils. These highly pigmented pencils offer silky smooth color laydown that's ideal for drawing, illustrating and coloring. In 72 brilliantly balanced shades for superior blending,...

Royal & Langnickel Brush Mfg.'s.(shop talk)
March 1, 2007... Made specifically with the young artist in mind, ROYAL & LANGNICKEL BRUSH MFG.'s new, brightly colored Big Kids Choice[TM] Lil' Artist Easel can stand alone or be used on a tabletop. The easel is durable, two-sided, folds up for easy storage...

An all-encompassing rain forest.
March 1, 2007... Tropical bird songs float through the air, as thunder rumbles in the distance. A South American paradise? Close. It's a Midwestern rain forest! Once again our third-graders have become totally immersed in a two-month-long investigation of...

Magnificent motorcycles.(teaching students to draw)
March 1, 2007... What I know about motorcycles is... very little. But I do know that a large portion of the student body finds them fascinating. You might say people long for them! (More about that later.) They can be sleek and shiny, colorful and, yes, cool....

Pastel Picassos.(teaching how to paint)
March 1, 2007... Searching for an affordable and fairly easy project that could be applied to all levels of students, an idea came to me after finding some paintings by Picasso that were inspired by other famous artists' works. It was a great idea for several...

Shed some light on figure drawing.
March 1, 2007... I always found it easy to recruit volunteers to pose for figure drawing, but it's those artists in the class who practice their craft, who actually create the artwork, who are the big winners. You'll surely take a shine to this assignment in...

Clip & save art notes.(La Primavera by Sandro Botticelli )
March 1, 2007... ABOUT THIS PAINTING With the coming of spring, this month's Clip & Save Art Print features one of art history's most debated works of art. La Primavera, by the quattrocento Florentine painter. Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510). Italian for...

Classroom use of the art print.(Sandro Botticelli)
March 1, 2007... Sandro Botticelli (1444-1510). La Primavera (Spring), 1477. Tempera on wood panel; 203 x 314 cm. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. THINGS TO LEARN * Sandro Botticelli was born Alessandro Filipepi in Florence, Italy, in 1445. The word...

Fishing for fun.(Paul Klee)
March 1, 2007... Paul Klee (1879-1940) seems to me to be an artist of whimsy. Therefore, he's the perfect artist for young children to relate to. He appeals to the imagination and he uses color and shape in such a way that kindergartners are easily drawn into...

Fantastic castles.
March 1, 2007... When I see any of my art-education interns do an interesting project at their assigned schools, I often try it with the students I teach at East Carolina University. The following project was designed and taught by Ashley Birkmaier when she was...

Pastel pet and people portraits.
March 1, 2007... In the area of design and color, students have an opportunity to explore the relationship of these two factors to particular design areas. The basic need of the student is to recognize an imaginative use of art elements and to solve aesthetic...

Mondays with Matisse.(Henri Matisse)
March 1, 2007... Are you planning for a Monday morning art class, yearning for that special learning experience for your students? Would you like a standards-based lesson plan that includes artistic elements and principles, infuses art history and, oh yes,...

Young artist.(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... I began taking an interest in art when I was very young. I love drawing real-life images because I see beauty in nature and all living things. My style could be described as loose and free because I enjoy sketching, inking and light paint...

Once upon a time.(graphic arts)
March 1, 2007... Art class is a hands-on experience in any case, but graphic-arts class is a hands-on creative experience as well as an exploration of all that computer programs have to offer. When it comes to teaching graphic arts, I am a "self-made woman." I...

Summer art, experiences.
March 1, 2007... PACIFIC COAST California Three-day sculpting classes focusing on sculpting a head, including lectures and instruction. Live models are used. Beginners and professionals welcome. Honeoye, N.Y., July 23-27 and South Lake Tahoe, Calif.,...

To Russia with love.(People to People Ambassador Programs, art teacher's travel to Russia)(Travel narrative)
March 1, 2007... An invitation from People to People Ambassador Programs to be a delegate to the Russia/USA Education Conference in St. Petersburg this past fall sparked one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life as an art educator. Our Russian...

Delve into drawing.
March 1, 2007... Drawing seems to be the genesis for most works of art--perhaps a quick sketch for a sculpture or painting, or an idea for a print or piece of pottery. Drawing is the essence of art... so elemental and basic, but an important learning tool that...