Today's Artistic Inspiration - Robert Delaunay

Robert Delaunay, Color Explosion

Art Activity - Swirled Lollipops Made From Homemade Model Magic

Just a quick post to show one of the projects I made in my search for a homemade substitute to clay-in this case model magic.  I will be posting the recipe in the near future, but for now enjoy these whimsical lollipops.

I was inspired to create these after seeing a post from The Elementary Art Room! .  I didn't have popsicle sticks at the time so instead I used a pencil and a felt marker to create the handles.  I would however use a popsicle stick in the future since I had to re-roll my lollipop after the marker end stuck out the back in my first attempt.  I also found that the lollipops cracked a little bit when they dried, but this wasn't a big deal since they stayed intact.   To colour the lollipops I used my homemade liquid watercolours which gave them a nice soft blended effect.

Art News - Rubik's Cube Art

I wanted to share this story about a local Victoria student who used Rubik's cubes to create the artwork below.  The portrait of past Canadian prime minister Lester B. Pearson uses 1,200 Rubik's cubes!  This could be a great example to bring in when teaching value or to combine art with math, when teaching students about scale.

Click HERE to read more

Pearson College student Leo Yousif stands next to his seven-foot-high portrait of Lester B. Pearson.  Photograph by: Darren Stone, Victoria Times Colonist

Art Fun For Fridays - Puzzles of Famous Artworks

For today's art fun I got this puzzle of Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night from Jigzone.  For more puzzles of artworks you can visit their site by clicking HERE.  You can also upload a photo to create a puzzle out of your own art.

Today's Artistic Inspiration - Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Dance at Bougival, 1883

Art Activity - Sumi-e Ink Brush Painting

I thought I would share some of my students' sumi-e paintings, as well as some information about sumi-e if you decide to create your own ink brush paintings.


What is Sumi-e?

Sumi-e is a Japanese word that means "ink picture." The ink is called "sumi." When you put the "e" on the end of the word, it means "ink picture."

Sumi-e is an art form with deep feeling. The point of sumi-e is not just to reproduce the appearance of the subject matter, but to capture its spirit.  Therefore, to paint a flower, you don't need to perfectly match its colour and paint every petal, instead you paint the flower's essential shape and try to convey its fragrance and how it moves in the breeze.

To create sumi-e paintings artists use special materials.

The first two are the inkstick, or sumi and the inkstone. In Japan artists had to create their own ink for these paintings.

Artists usually grind their inkstick over an inkstone to get their ink. An artist puts a few drops of water on an inkstone and grinds the inkstick in a circular motion until a smooth, black ink is made to the level of darkness the artist wants.

Next are the brushes. Sumi-e brushes are similar to the brushes used for calligraphy and are traditionally made from bamboo with animal hair.

The last material is the paper, which is usually handmade and generically referred to as rice paper.

Sumi-e artists first learn how to create 4 different types of pictures. These pictures are called "The Four Gentlemen".  "The Four Gentlemen" is a term used to refer to four specific subjects (orchid, bamboo, plum blossom, and chrysanthemum) which are some of the first subjects that art students learn. Each subject focuses on a different brush technique. They also represent four seasons and four desirable personality traits. They are called "Gentlemen" because in Japan desirable personality traits were gentlemanly qualities.

The Four Gentlemen

The plum represents winter. The plum symbolizes "a man with great character", an active, positively turned towards life, elderly person. Fragile flowers appear in springtime on its knobby, twisted branches. 
 
The orchid represents spring. The graceful wild orchid corresponds with the Japanese ideal picture of a woman. The orchid symbolizes elegance and simplicity. 
 
The bamboo represents summer. The bamboo symbolizes vitality, enduring strength, integrity. The bamboo has straight, high towering up branches (which portray integrity), evergreen leaves and amazing flexibility.

The chrysanthemum represents autumn. The chrysanthemum exemplifies admirable qualities. Traditionally the chrysanthemum was the royal symbol of the Japanese emperor-house.

Here are some sumi-e examples my younger students did where they painted bamboo:

Art Fun For Fridays - Online Stickman Drawing Game

This week is all about the basics-drawing basics that is.  At drawastickman.com simple drawings that you create come to life in a fun animated adventure game.