We all love a finished masterpiece after spending a lot of time and effort on a work of art, or lesson planning a work of art for our kids. After all, we have limited time and materials, so the pressure is on to produce something great within the time we have. So what happens when all that time and effort produces an unfavorable result?
Let’s reframe that question by thinking of art and materials as play, and having no expectations of or road maps to a finished product. The question now becomes “What can be learned or gained from exploring and playing with materials? What are the surprising results? What was learned from what not to do? What are the limitations of the materials? This goes against many of the things we have learned as educators, as outcomes have become so ingrained in our education climate and culture. While many of the posts I have shared instruct how to produce a finished piece, this one will emphasize a more open-ended approach.
Inspiration: Risk Taking in Art
Throughout the creative process, there are many decisions to make and often a lot of frustrations. When a work of art is not turning out as planned, we often immediately discard it without giving it a chance or working through the problem areas. However, a lot of learning takes place between the frustration and the working through the problems. Working through artistic challenges encourages critical thinking skills and is an example of creative problem solving at its finest!
The next time you or your child is tempted to throw out a piece they have been working on, encourage them to take some risks with it. Risk taking in art is a lot easier when the chips are already down, and when kids take risks in art, sometimes truly amazing things happen! Look at the work in a different way. Is there a different direction they can take with the piece? Can the offending area be reworked into something new and different? These are some of the questions you may ask your child to put him or her back on track and produce a favorable result. If the opposite happens and your child takes the work so far off track that it is too far gone, it then becomes a valuable learning experience. Either way, true learning has taken place.
Everyday Art Lesson:
Concept Focus: Process of Creating: Smashing and Re-smashing Clay
Mess Factor: Low
Ages: Can be modified for ages 0-18 years
Objectives: Students choose their own subject and create works of art with clay modeling compounds. If they are not happy with the results, they can smash the clay and start again.
Suggested Materials:
Babies, toddlers, and younger kids:
• Playdough (see reference below for making your own)
• For ages 3+: Crayola Model Magic or other air dry compounds
Older Kids:
• Crayola Model Magic or other air dry compounds
• Sculpey
• Plastic knife and/or stylus
• Rolling pin
(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.)
Babies and Toddlers: Color mixing, handprint, footprint, basic shapes.
Babies and toddlers can play with clay and create handprints, footprints, and finger prints, and basic shapes. They love the tactile experience of smashing and re-smashing playdough or model magic, and neither one leaves much of a mess.
**Please be aware that these clays present a choking hazard for little ones, so always supervise very carefully.
Colored clays can be mixed to create other colors, so you only need the primary colors (red, yellow, blue) to get started. Mix 2 parts yellow to 1 or ½ part blue to get green, 2 parts yellow to 1 or ½ part red to get orange, 2 parts red to 1 or ½ part blue to get violet.
Older Children: Color Mixing and Intriguing themes
Since modeling compounds are very forgiving, there is no technical hand building knowledge needed to make small scale sculptures. Kids can mix colors the same as the above instructions, and can also add white to lighten and black to darken.
Choose a theme such as “comic book heroes”, “favorite foods” “gardens”, “summer vacation”, or “travel” to name a few. Find postcards or images online that match the theme. Print out and scatter the images across the work area. Kids choose an image or subject that sparks their imagination and recreate it with clay.
References:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/no-bake-play-dough/
http://www.creativespacearts.com/
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.
Let’s reframe that question by thinking of art and materials as play, and having no expectations of or road maps to a finished product. The question now becomes “What can be learned or gained from exploring and playing with materials? What are the surprising results? What was learned from what not to do? What are the limitations of the materials? This goes against many of the things we have learned as educators, as outcomes have become so ingrained in our education climate and culture. While many of the posts I have shared instruct how to produce a finished piece, this one will emphasize a more open-ended approach.
Inspiration: Risk Taking in Art
Throughout the creative process, there are many decisions to make and often a lot of frustrations. When a work of art is not turning out as planned, we often immediately discard it without giving it a chance or working through the problem areas. However, a lot of learning takes place between the frustration and the working through the problems. Working through artistic challenges encourages critical thinking skills and is an example of creative problem solving at its finest!
The next time you or your child is tempted to throw out a piece they have been working on, encourage them to take some risks with it. Risk taking in art is a lot easier when the chips are already down, and when kids take risks in art, sometimes truly amazing things happen! Look at the work in a different way. Is there a different direction they can take with the piece? Can the offending area be reworked into something new and different? These are some of the questions you may ask your child to put him or her back on track and produce a favorable result. If the opposite happens and your child takes the work so far off track that it is too far gone, it then becomes a valuable learning experience. Either way, true learning has taken place.
Everyday Art Lesson:
Concept Focus: Process of Creating: Smashing and Re-smashing Clay
Mess Factor: Low
Ages: Can be modified for ages 0-18 years
Objectives: Students choose their own subject and create works of art with clay modeling compounds. If they are not happy with the results, they can smash the clay and start again.
Suggested Materials:
Babies, toddlers, and younger kids:
• Playdough (see reference below for making your own)
• For ages 3+: Crayola Model Magic or other air dry compounds
Older Kids:
• Crayola Model Magic or other air dry compounds
• Sculpey
• Plastic knife and/or stylus
• Rolling pin
(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.)
Babies and Toddlers: Color mixing, handprint, footprint, basic shapes.
Babies and toddlers can play with clay and create handprints, footprints, and finger prints, and basic shapes. They love the tactile experience of smashing and re-smashing playdough or model magic, and neither one leaves much of a mess.
**Please be aware that these clays present a choking hazard for little ones, so always supervise very carefully.
Colored clays can be mixed to create other colors, so you only need the primary colors (red, yellow, blue) to get started. Mix 2 parts yellow to 1 or ½ part blue to get green, 2 parts yellow to 1 or ½ part red to get orange, 2 parts red to 1 or ½ part blue to get violet.
Older Children: Color Mixing and Intriguing themes
Since modeling compounds are very forgiving, there is no technical hand building knowledge needed to make small scale sculptures. Kids can mix colors the same as the above instructions, and can also add white to lighten and black to darken.
Choose a theme such as “comic book heroes”, “favorite foods” “gardens”, “summer vacation”, or “travel” to name a few. Find postcards or images online that match the theme. Print out and scatter the images across the work area. Kids choose an image or subject that sparks their imagination and recreate it with clay.
References:
http://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-for-kids/no-bake-play-dough/
http://www.creativespacearts.com/
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.
