String Prints

I'm not sure where I saw the idea for this project.  I didn't pin it... shocking I know!

You will need:  a block for each person (square works best), string, paint and paper.

Cut a piece of string or yarn.  Wrap the string around the block, trying not to overlap it too many times.  (FYI, learn from my mistake, wrap it tight!)  Give each person one color of paint and a piece of paper

Dip the block into the paint string-side down.  (one of my boys learned that one the hard way). You may want to test out the print on a separate piece of paper to see if the strings are tight enough.

When you have it working they way you want, start in the top corner of the paper.  Each type you press you should then turn the block for the next one.  Of course you don't have to do that pattern, as you look at ours they are all different.  Let the kids experiement with arrangment, direction and placement.

Layered paint project

I love seeing something on a design show, yep I love to watch HGTV, and then morphing it into something I can do with the boys.  A few weeks ago I was watching the High Low Project (I can't find the exact episode... sorry!), and Sabrina Soto took an expensive piece of art and recreated it herself.  Well I took the Sabrina Soto project and recreated it with the boys.

The first step of the project is to paint light colors onto your canvas, or in our case your paper.  We decided to use yellow, peach, white and blue.  I gave each of the boys a plate with these colors on it so they could mix and mash as much as they want.  The middle picture is Blake's painting and the last one is mine.

 


Next you need to let that dry.  I decided to give it a day, actually two since the next day we were busy.

The next step you need to paint over the whole painting with a dark color the will cover the color you already painted.  Therefore the lighter you do your first layer the lighter you can do your second.  We decided to do either black or mix in a bit of white and do charcoal.

Right after you cover the whole thing you need to start removing the paint.  I had paint scrapers for the boys to use.  Sabrina Soto used a knotched trowel.  You could use anything that would take the paint right off the paper: cut knotched into heavy cardboard, use silverware handles, use your imagination.

The boys had a blast doing this project.  It turned out to be more of a process project than a product project, but that didn't stop me from framing their work.  

Composition Red Yellow Blue, kid style

I am always searching for fun and different art projects to do with the boys. While searching Pinterest, you know this site... right?, I saw a link to Mondrian for Kids Art Project.  I thought this would be a fun, educational and easy art project for the boys.  I showed them the site above as well as more Mondrian images.

I gave each of the boys a white piece of paper, a black marker and a ruler and a square from their tool sets.  I told them to make as many lines on their paper as they would like in as many directions as they'd like.  (Interesting side trip they took.  Both began writing the length of the line on their papers.  You can see the numerals on Blake's finish product.  I think Colby painted over all his measurements.)

I then gave them red, blue and yellow paint.  We talked about the fact that Mondrain did not fill in all the spaces, but left many of them white.  I then let them decide which spaces to fill in and which to leave white.

When the pictures dried I cut them down to size and put them in the frames I have on my credenza.  I try to rotate out their art work every few months.