K-5 Embroidery - spring ‘21

We have been stitching up a storm this spring in all grade levels. My youngest artists start out with plastic needles, burlap, and yarn to sew a running stitch, and each year we add some steps to the process. My older students can select from a variety of stitches for their designs and can embellish their work with buttons and beads. We also move to a finer woven cloth and embroidery floss. We all feel a sense of accomplishment when we view our progress each art class. Take a look!

Monet in a Minute

This is a lesson I do almost every year - it is a great one day artist study that packs in lots of curriculum content and is always successful. I usually do it with paint, but this year we tried crayon instead for my at-home friends to be able to participate as well and I may even like them better! Monet’s Impression:Sunrise 

The lesson is available in my TpT shop: 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Knights-Smartest-Artists

Putting everything in PERSPECTIVE

Grades 3-5 have been trying different perspective techniques in their artwork to creat the illusion of space. These are lessons I return to again and again because they offer some personal choices and connections for the students while giving them technical experience.

Let's start with third grade - they researched and selected a bird whose habitat is here in our state of Georgia. We drew the birds in great detail because they were in the foreground of the picture, and then to create an atmospheric perspective we used watercolor and the wet on wet technique to create a blurry, out of focus background, much like a photographer might do.

Fourth grade made drawings called "shape explosions" which help them practice connecting shapes to a vanishing point using a straight edge.

Fifth grade went a step beyond and made drawings using two vanishing points on a horizon line, called two-point perspective.

Mystery drawing (with video!) for February

I have a new Mystery Drawing out and I thought you might like to see how I present them to my students, so I am sharing this video with you. This one involves a special day in February - no spoilers, so watch the video to find out more! Feel free to share with your class if you like.

This one is available in a pack on Teachers Pay Teachers called Mystery Drawings: Seasons and Holidays - it is a bundle that will continue to grow as I add more. I have three other sets of mysteries with five in each that have been very popular with teachers in both the art room and the classroom.

I started using these Mystery Drawings in my class years ago on special days when focusing was a challenge, like the day before a break or a holiday. I discovered that the kids really enjoyed them and it kept them engaged as we revealed the clues. I use them with a variety of elementary grades and I just adapt the lesson to be more or less challenging by simplifying shapes or adding more detail. Now we do one per quarter and it has been a fun way to draw together, whether remotely or in the art room. Let me know if you have any questions!

If you don't see the video below, click "view web version" at the bottom of the page on your device.

Book release day and giveaway!

I am so excited to announce that my new book, ABC Arts, is releasing today! I am celebrating with a giveaway - just leave a comment on this blog post and I will select a random winner tonight, 1/26.

This book is part of the STEAM Baby series for very young readers - it is an ABC book with very jazzy vocabulary all about the fine arts. I am super proud of it and it would be a great baby gift, birthday gift, or an addition to your classroom or home library. You can get your own copy here: https://amzn.to/37z2a2o

Thank you so much for the preorders and reviews -  I appreciate each and every one. 

My ABC Arts book

Big day - the e-book is live! Just go to the link and select Format>Kindle if you want to have the digital copy for kids on the go. Although real books are my favorite, ebooks are a handy alternative. The paperbacks are pre-ordering now on Amazon and will be sold at other locations too starting 1/26.

You can also leave a review here and it will show up for the paperback AND the Kindle version. Thank you so much to all the folks who have offered to leave a review, offered support, or purchased your own copy! It means the world to me.

My ABC Arts Book is part of the STEAM baby series and teaches young readers about fine arts vocabulary, featuring a variety of visual and performing arts. https://amzn.to/37z2a2o