As summer is now in full swing, we are spending a lot more time outdoors with our little ones. Kids of all ages absorb and revel in their surroundings. Now is the perfect time to do some street art observations and scavenger hunts!
Cities are teeming with street art, and the warmer weather brings many new additions to this ever-changing landscape. There is plenty of street art in suburban settings as well now that this art form is becoming increasingly more mainstream. Some businesses commission artists to paint their box trucks or exterior walls. Many artists still paint illegally, essentially using the sides of the trucks as giant moving canvases. Looking out for painted box trucks and snapping pictures of them makes for a fun road trip experience.
Street art and its step sibling, graffiti, are often brightly colored, bold, and graphic by nature. Discussing street art is a way to get kids to begin describing art using art language and the elements of art (line, shape, color, form, texture, space)
“Isn’t street art and graffiti illegal?” And, “Is street art appropriate to discuss with my children?” are some of the questions you are probably asking yourself. Whichever way you feel about it, it is probably the most ubiquitous form of art and so your kids will be exposed to it at some point. Everyone has a certain comfort level with this form of art since illegal street art is a felony in most states, and so it’s up to you how you approach the subject. Here are some ideas:
• Describe what you see using art words: line, shape, color, form, texture, space.
• What is the difference between street art and graffiti? Is there a difference?
• Define and discuss satire and irony, a
• Is street art or graffiti art or vandalism? Why or why not? Get the conversation started about what this form of art represents, and how it impacts communities positively and/or negatively.
• Where is the fine line between art and street art or graffiti?
Inspiration: Visual Scavenger Hunt
Look up legendary street artists, such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Cernesto, and Space Invader to name a few. Next time you are in an urban environment, see if you can find any of these famous “anonymous” artists’ works.
Everyday Art Lesson: Graffiti Art
Concept Focus: Mark Making
Mess Factor: Medium
Ages: Can be modified for ages 0-18 years
Objectives: Students make their mark through mark making.
Suggested Materials:
Babies, toddlers, and younger kids:
• Liquid Chalk (see recipe below)
• Non-porous chalkboard
• Large black and/or white paper
Older Kids:
• Watercolors
• Card stock for wall
• Black paper cut to the same size
• Sponges for texture
• Sharpies
• Scissors
(**Materials are like Ingredients. Many things can be substituted for what you have on hand.)
Babies and Toddlers: Baby Graffiti Art
Babies and toddlers can begin mark making with brightly colored liquid chalk. For an added cool factor, give them chalk board paper or black paper to draw on. Babies and tots love making lines, dots, and circles. Encourage this! Drawing is great for fine motor skills and concentration.
*Most liquid chalk is non-toxic and water-based, but always check for the ASTM d-4236 standard and ACMI AP seal, which should be on all art materials given to children. If you’re not sure, you can always make your own liquid chalk with cornstarch and food coloring. See the link below for the recipe!
Older Children: Banksy-esque Mixed-Media Silhouettes
Older kids can view the latest works of art by controversial British street artist Banksy. Explain the consequences, outlined above, of creating street art without the permission of the property owner or city (if public property).
Sketch 5 different ideas utilizing the concept of irony, and/or visual storytelling, and choose the best one to develop into a final stencil or silhouette painting. Have students draw and paint a brick wall: lay out bricks by drawing horizontal lines and and staggering vertical lines. Or, use the alternative method of drawing rectangles in a horizontal row and staggering the next row. Outline in sharpie.
Next, use the wet-on-wet watercolor technique. Create a surface design for the wall by alternating the color and texture of the bricks by wetting the paper first, then dabbing 2 colors per brick into the wet spaces. Watercolors will spread out and bleed into each other, creating an interesting and unique color and texture. You may also use a piece of a sponge and dip in in the watercolor paints to create a brick texture.
Next, begin the silhouette drawing on black paper from sketched story or ironic scene. Students cut their silhouettes from black paper and glue the finished stencil art on their wall. Finally, add details and any text that adds humor or irony to the image.
Alterations:
*Colored pencils can be substituted for watercolors, and sharpie marker can be used to draw directly on the paper as a substitute for the black paper.
*Students having difficulty with the concept of irony can create a social or political message, or they can create a silhouette that illustrates a story. Students can also cut silhouettes out of black construction paper and collage onto the wall surface.
References:
Cern Sculptures
https://cernesto.com/murals/urban-naturalism/
http://banksy.co.uk/
http://wholelifestylenutrition.com/health/family-friendly-fridays-liquid-sidewalk-chalk-recipe/
http://www.creativespacearts.com/
Box trucks as Rolling Graffiti Marquees: As published in Brooklyn Street Art, posted January 22nd, 2014, photographs by Jaime Rojo: http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/2014/01/22/box-trucks-as-rolling-graffiti-marquees/ - .V2LBlsfFvR0
Feel free to email any questions or comments to info@creativespacearts.com, or visit my website at www.creativespacearts.com. I aim to create an open exchange of ideas and best practices.
Jennifer Barrett is the Arts Liaison and Performing Arts Coordinator at a public junior high school in Brooklyn, and has taught visual arts there since 2002. She founded Creative Space Arts in 2014 to offer a different kind of art studio, always changing and inspired by the immersive environment of galleries and other creative spaces. She has also guided countless students through the rigorous audition process of portfolio development, with many gaining acceptance and even scholarships into some of NYC’s most prestigious art schools. Jennifer’s paper creds include: B.F.A. in Drawing, M.Ed., S.B.L Certification.
About Creative Space Arts:
What do dragons, neighborhood-scapes, rainbow fish, and the moon have in common? They are all possible motifs at Creative Space Arts, a pop-up art studio set in galleries and other creative spaces. Our fun and immersive workshops are inspired by the work currently on view in gallery spaces, or by weekly theme. Through this approach, we aim to ignite curiosity and freedom of artistic expression.
Cities are teeming with street art, and the warmer weather brings many new additions to this ever-changing landscape. There is plenty of street art in suburban settings as well now that this art form is becoming increasingly more mainstream. Some businesses commission artists to paint their box trucks or exterior walls. Many artists still paint illegally, essentially using the sides of the trucks as giant moving canvases. Looking out for painted box trucks and snapping pictures of them makes for a fun road trip experience.
Street art and its step sibling, graffiti, are often brightly colored, bold, and graphic by nature. Discussing street art is a way to get kids to begin describing art using art language and the elements of art (line, shape, color, form, texture, space)
“Isn’t street art and graffiti illegal?” And, “Is street art appropriate to discuss with my children?” are some of the questions you are probably asking yourself. Whichever way you feel about it, it is probably the most ubiquitous form of art and so your kids will be exposed to it at some point. Everyone has a certain comfort level with this form of art since illegal street art is a felony in most states, and so it’s up to you how you approach the subject. Here are some ideas:
• Describe what you see using art words: line, shape, color, form, texture, space.
• What is the difference between street art and graffiti? Is there a difference?
• Define and discuss satire and irony, a
• Is street art or graffiti art or vandalism? Why or why not? Get the conversation started about what this form of art represents, and how it impacts communities positively and/or negatively.
• Where is the fine line between art and street art or graffiti?
Look up legendary street artists, such as Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Cernesto, and Space Invader to name a few. Next time you are in an urban environment, see if you can find any of these famous “anonymous” artists’ works.
Everyday Art Lesson: Graffiti Art
Concept Focus: Mark Making
Mess Factor: Medium
Ages: Can be modified for ages 0-18 years
Objectives: Students make their mark through mark making.
Suggested Materials:
Babies, toddlers, and younger kids:
• Liquid Chalk (see recipe below)
• Non-porous chalkboard
• Large black and/or white paper
• Watercolors
• Card stock for wall
• Black paper cut to the same size
• Sponges for texture
• Sharpies
• Scissors
(**Materials are like Ingredients. Many things can be substituted for what you have on hand.)
Babies and Toddlers: Baby Graffiti Art
Babies and toddlers can begin mark making with brightly colored liquid chalk. For an added cool factor, give them chalk board paper or black paper to draw on. Babies and tots love making lines, dots, and circles. Encourage this! Drawing is great for fine motor skills and concentration.
*Most liquid chalk is non-toxic and water-based, but always check for the ASTM d-4236 standard and ACMI AP seal, which should be on all art materials given to children. If you’re not sure, you can always make your own liquid chalk with cornstarch and food coloring. See the link below for the recipe!
Older Children: Banksy-esque Mixed-Media Silhouettes
Older kids can view the latest works of art by controversial British street artist Banksy. Explain the consequences, outlined above, of creating street art without the permission of the property owner or city (if public property).
Sketch 5 different ideas utilizing the concept of irony, and/or visual storytelling, and choose the best one to develop into a final stencil or silhouette painting. Have students draw and paint a brick wall: lay out bricks by drawing horizontal lines and and staggering vertical lines. Or, use the alternative method of drawing rectangles in a horizontal row and staggering the next row. Outline in sharpie.
Next, use the wet-on-wet watercolor technique. Create a surface design for the wall by alternating the color and texture of the bricks by wetting the paper first, then dabbing 2 colors per brick into the wet spaces. Watercolors will spread out and bleed into each other, creating an interesting and unique color and texture. You may also use a piece of a sponge and dip in in the watercolor paints to create a brick texture.
Next, begin the silhouette drawing on black paper from sketched story or ironic scene. Students cut their silhouettes from black paper and glue the finished stencil art on their wall. Finally, add details and any text that adds humor or irony to the image.
Alterations:
*Colored pencils can be substituted for watercolors, and sharpie marker can be used to draw directly on the paper as a substitute for the black paper.
*Students having difficulty with the concept of irony can create a social or political message, or they can create a silhouette that illustrates a story. Students can also cut silhouettes out of black construction paper and collage onto the wall surface.
References:
Cern Sculptures
https://cernesto.com/murals/urban-naturalism/
http://banksy.co.uk/
http://wholelifestylenutrition.com/health/family-friendly-fridays-liquid-sidewalk-chalk-recipe/
http://www.creativespacearts.com/
Box trucks as Rolling Graffiti Marquees: As published in Brooklyn Street Art, posted January 22nd, 2014, photographs by Jaime Rojo: http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/2014/01/22/box-trucks-as-rolling-graffiti-marquees/ - .V2LBlsfFvR0
Feel free to email any questions or comments to info@creativespacearts.com, or visit my website at www.creativespacearts.com. I aim to create an open exchange of ideas and best practices.
Jennifer Barrett is the Arts Liaison and Performing Arts Coordinator at a public junior high school in Brooklyn, and has taught visual arts there since 2002. She founded Creative Space Arts in 2014 to offer a different kind of art studio, always changing and inspired by the immersive environment of galleries and other creative spaces. She has also guided countless students through the rigorous audition process of portfolio development, with many gaining acceptance and even scholarships into some of NYC’s most prestigious art schools. Jennifer’s paper creds include: B.F.A. in Drawing, M.Ed., S.B.L Certification.
About Creative Space Arts:
What do dragons, neighborhood-scapes, rainbow fish, and the moon have in common? They are all possible motifs at Creative Space Arts, a pop-up art studio set in galleries and other creative spaces. Our fun and immersive workshops are inspired by the work currently on view in gallery spaces, or by weekly theme. Through this approach, we aim to ignite curiosity and freedom of artistic expression.
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