Flying witches, ghosts, monsters, and haunted houses. Days getting shorter, nights getting darker and colder. Costumes, jack-o-lanterns, and a crispness in the air. All of these images conjure one thing: Halloween!
Inspiration:
Once I get past the idea that summer is over, I look forward to October and all things Halloween. It is widely believed that Halloween’s origins began as an ancient Celtic harvest festival called Samhain (pronounced "sah-win"), translated to “summer’s end”. People gathered to light bonfires, gather resources for the winter, wear costumes to ward off roaming spirits, and honor those who passed. The holiday evolved over time into the Halloween we know today, with kids of all ages dressing up, trick-or-treating in our neighborhoods, and trading candy.
There are so many fun ways to celebrate Halloween, as well as fun projects to decorate for the season. Traditional pumpkin carving is a classic, family fun (albeit messy), project. Costume making is another great way to involve the family and get imaginations fired up. Here are a couple of low cost ideas to spark creativity and reflect the spookiness of the season:
Everyday Art Lesson:
Concept Focus: Imaginative Costumes, Spooky Atmospheres, Haunted Houses
Mess Factor: Moderate
Ages: Can be modified for ages 0-18 years
Objectives: Younger kids will create their own costumes with open-ended materials and the help of an adult. Older kids will create a haunted house collage that evokes a creepy atmosphere and mood through the use of materials. Architectural elements will be broken down into geometric shapes with the added element of line for details. Students will then utilize cutting techniques to incorporate 3-D architectural elements such as opening doors and windows.
Suggested Materials:
Babies, toddlers, and younger kids: Newspaper Costumes
• Old Newspapers
• Masking tape
Little kids love dressing up! Let their imaginations run wild as they make their own Halloween costumes out of newspaper and masking tape, very open-ended materials. This is such a fun project because you can literally wrap kids up in newspaper to create dresses, hats, and other costume accessories. Kids can tear the newspaper into shapes, wrinkle it up and put pieces together with tape to sculpt hats, props, etc. Capes can easily be made from 1 or 2 sheets of newspaper taped together around your child. Let their imaginations take off, and in no time they will be acting out their favorite character!
Older Kids: Atmospheric Haunted House
• Black and dark blue construction paper
• White and black colored pencils
• Reproductions of haunted houses for reference
• Scissors and glue
• Regular pencils
On the black paper, break architectural elements like roofs, doors, and windows, down into geometric shapes and lines. Once the haunted house is sketched out, outline with white colored pencil to give a ghostly effect. Cut the outer outline of the haunted house out of the black paper.
How to cut windows and doors: First, pinch the middle of the window together. Cut a snip in the middle, and then wiggle scissors in to cut the rest of the shape. To create window shutters, draw a square with a line down the middle perpendicular. Fold along the middle line of the window, and cut along the perpendicular line of the bottom of the window. Cut along the center line that was folded, then along the top lines. Keep the sides of the window intact, and fold the paper out to create open shutters.
Once doors and windows are cut, glue onto dark blue background. Draw scary background elements on the dark blue paper with the white and black colored pencil, such as a full moon, dead trees, etc. Draw ghosts and shadows in the windows and doors.
Differentiation:
• Students who have difficulty drawing can start with a rectangle and triangle for the roof, and then fill in the rest of the smaller shapes for windows and doors.
• Students who have difficulty cutting can practice cutting the outside of the shape of the house and draw scary scenes in the windows.
(TIP: Always check for the ASTM d-4236 standard and ACMI AP seal, which should be on all art materials given to children. Materials are like ingredients. Many things can be substituted for what you have on hand.)
References:
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
http://www.livescience.com/40596-history-of-halloween.html
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.
Inspiration:
Once I get past the idea that summer is over, I look forward to October and all things Halloween. It is widely believed that Halloween’s origins began as an ancient Celtic harvest festival called Samhain (pronounced "sah-win"), translated to “summer’s end”. People gathered to light bonfires, gather resources for the winter, wear costumes to ward off roaming spirits, and honor those who passed. The holiday evolved over time into the Halloween we know today, with kids of all ages dressing up, trick-or-treating in our neighborhoods, and trading candy.
There are so many fun ways to celebrate Halloween, as well as fun projects to decorate for the season. Traditional pumpkin carving is a classic, family fun (albeit messy), project. Costume making is another great way to involve the family and get imaginations fired up. Here are a couple of low cost ideas to spark creativity and reflect the spookiness of the season:
Everyday Art Lesson:
Concept Focus: Imaginative Costumes, Spooky Atmospheres, Haunted Houses
Mess Factor: Moderate
Ages: Can be modified for ages 0-18 years
Objectives: Younger kids will create their own costumes with open-ended materials and the help of an adult. Older kids will create a haunted house collage that evokes a creepy atmosphere and mood through the use of materials. Architectural elements will be broken down into geometric shapes with the added element of line for details. Students will then utilize cutting techniques to incorporate 3-D architectural elements such as opening doors and windows.
Suggested Materials:
Babies, toddlers, and younger kids: Newspaper Costumes
• Old Newspapers
• Masking tape
Little kids love dressing up! Let their imaginations run wild as they make their own Halloween costumes out of newspaper and masking tape, very open-ended materials. This is such a fun project because you can literally wrap kids up in newspaper to create dresses, hats, and other costume accessories. Kids can tear the newspaper into shapes, wrinkle it up and put pieces together with tape to sculpt hats, props, etc. Capes can easily be made from 1 or 2 sheets of newspaper taped together around your child. Let their imaginations take off, and in no time they will be acting out their favorite character!
Older Kids: Atmospheric Haunted House
• Black and dark blue construction paper
• White and black colored pencils
• Reproductions of haunted houses for reference
• Scissors and glue
• Regular pencils
On the black paper, break architectural elements like roofs, doors, and windows, down into geometric shapes and lines. Once the haunted house is sketched out, outline with white colored pencil to give a ghostly effect. Cut the outer outline of the haunted house out of the black paper.
How to cut windows and doors: First, pinch the middle of the window together. Cut a snip in the middle, and then wiggle scissors in to cut the rest of the shape. To create window shutters, draw a square with a line down the middle perpendicular. Fold along the middle line of the window, and cut along the perpendicular line of the bottom of the window. Cut along the center line that was folded, then along the top lines. Keep the sides of the window intact, and fold the paper out to create open shutters.
Once doors and windows are cut, glue onto dark blue background. Draw scary background elements on the dark blue paper with the white and black colored pencil, such as a full moon, dead trees, etc. Draw ghosts and shadows in the windows and doors.
Differentiation:
• Students who have difficulty drawing can start with a rectangle and triangle for the roof, and then fill in the rest of the smaller shapes for windows and doors.
• Students who have difficulty cutting can practice cutting the outside of the shape of the house and draw scary scenes in the windows.
(TIP: Always check for the ASTM d-4236 standard and ACMI AP seal, which should be on all art materials given to children. Materials are like ingredients. Many things can be substituted for what you have on hand.)
References:
http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
http://www.livescience.com/40596-history-of-halloween.html
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.
