It's a Creative Journey

Jim Dine Inspired, 1st Grade

2012-01-20T20:41:00.000-05:00

I don't remember where I have seen this but I think many art teachers use this idea for Jim Dine and February. I love how different each piece is and kids love the resist of watercolors and oil pastels.

Winter Birch Trees

2012-01-19T21:35:00.000-05:00

I've done this project before with my 4th graders and just love it. Got this idea from: www.artprojectsforkids.org/search/label/winter Use liquid watercolors and kosher salt for the background, tagboard for trees marked with pencil and glitter.

2012 AND THE CLEANUP BEGINS

2012-01-16T19:27:00.000-05:00

Got started on my art studio. This is now in my upstairs hall. Took an idea from another blog to hang up my artwork that is being worked on. This helps out because I don't have much room. The green piece I bought last year, it was red at the time. I keep receipts, wire, small tools, snaps, glitter and small scraps of paper in the drawers.

Cleaned out my plastic drawers and re-organized them. Labelled the fronts so it's easier to grab things. I keep bags, tissue paper, notecards, glue guns, staple guns, pens and pencils, cut paper, watercolor cards, plastic sleeves, mailing labels and blank cards in these and they slide under my work area.

Back to school tomorrow for the end of the quarter/semester. Will be busy grading, cleaning up and preparing for the next quarter. Also have a bunch of artwork to photograph for Artsonia.

Creativity

2012-01-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

Have you ever checked out the Converse website? My son love's his converse. He needed a new pair and you can design your own, so this is what he designed. You can choose pretty much everything: color, lining, laces, stitching, tongue color. This was one of his Christmas presents.

Here he is with his other present. A new bass guitar. He has blisters from playing. So glad he enjoys music and art. He is way talented(well I'm his mom), planning on graphic design in college.

Getting Organized

2012-01-12T20:34:00.000-05:00

Recently I moved my studio space from my basement to my upstairs hallway. I have half the space I had before but feel things are in a better environment on the 2nd floor of my home. Our basement is finished but it gets very damp even with a dehumidifier.

I need to go through my things and get organized. I have the pictures of things I have purchased for organization and am hoping I can make the space work for me.

Love all my art magazines. When I need inspiration I pull a bunch out and disappear for a while.

These are great for copy paper. These will probably stay downstairs on the desk by the printer.

I am obsessed with ribbon. I think I have 8 of these and still will need some other options for ribbon storage.

My other obsession is paper. Have used these plastic containers in the past for decorative papers. Am thinking I may use these for in process work?

Have this and love it! Just needs some clean-up.

More storage boxes. Seems there is never enough.

Have used these slide out shelves to store small artwork on. Will probably keep them for that.

Boxes that fit inside of each other. Not sure yet what will end up in these. Maybe yarn?

I have the long weekend so hopefully I can post pics of my newly organized space on Monday.

Winter Wonderland

2012-01-10T18:39:00.000-05:00

Well, we don't have any snow outside but in art we have plenty! The first week I taught 3rd graders how to draw evergreen trees. We created distance by making our trees smaller in the background. We used crayons for color. This week we used white tempera paint to winterize our pictures.

Yearbook Photography

2012-01-08T21:29:00.000-05:00

I have taken on the middle school yearbook this year. I really didn't know what I was getting myself into. Time is ticking away and I need 50 pages complete by the end of this month. It's hard being the only adult taking care of this. I have a great group of kids but never any time to meet with them, a disadvantage of teaching at both elementary and middle school.

The one thing I am enjoying is taking pictures with our school camera. Now I want a new camera after seeing how clear these photos are. The cello shots were taken at our Christmas concert and the basketball shot was our girl's first game at home last week.

Love the reflection of the floor on this shot!

Transformation, 8th Grade

2012-01-05T21:03:00.001-05:00

This was a new project this year. It went well and students worked hard and seemed to enjoy the process. They were to take images from a magazine and transform them.

Student could choose 3-6 images from a magazine and cut these images into 2x2 squares. They created a 2x2 grid on their paper and glued the pictures to the squares wherever they wanted to. From there they could re-draw the image and square by square transform the image. They could use color, shape, line and texture to accomplish this. Some took two of the images and melded them together.

They could choose to use pencil, markers, colored pencils or crayons.

A Few of My Favorite Things, Kitchen Edition

2012-01-04T20:22:00.000-05:00

Chicken Marsala

So, ONE of my favorite things is this meal. I was going to put the recipe on here and realized that every time I make this it is from my head. I guess I need to take the time to write it down before it changes into something else. I'm one of those cooks who just throws things together so writing a recipe will be difficult. I digress. A few more of my favorite things.

TWO

Eden Wild Rice. Cooks up so well. I mix it with brown rice and use half water and half chicken broth.

THREE

My Wusthof knife from Williams Sonoma. Love it!! Yes, it was expensive but definitely worth it. I bought mine last year with some gift cards I had gotten.

FOUR

My sis-in-law's garlic. She grows and sells organic garlic and it is the best I've ever had. Has twice the flavor of any grocery store.

FIVE

My Cuisinart pots and pans. My favorite of the set is the deep dish fry pan. Love that these can go into the oven.

So, there is a partial list of my favorite things from the kitchen. I'm sure I can come up with more. Will save that for another post.

Kindergarten Cardinals

2012-01-03T20:30:00.000-05:00

I just love Kindergarten! It's taken me a long time to say that. When I first started at the elementary school I had such a hard time coming up with lesson plans for these 5 and 6 year olds. Now I set up stations to keep them moving and busy. They have a short attention span and are still developing their fine motor skills. For these cardinals I demonstrated a step by step drawing and also gave them a step by step handout at the drawing station. They outlined everything with crayon to create a resist for the watercolors at another station. I set up two other stations, one with a coloring page and the other with puzzles. Every bird is unique just like my students.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun." - Mary Lou Cook
So here we are. Another new year is upon us and I can't help but think of making some changes and having a better life experience. I know we all do the new year's resolutions but I think we all need a reason to start something new. There are things we cannot change like our age and whether our job is secure but there are so many things we can.
Here is my list of things so far to accomplish in 2012:

1. Follow the quote at the top of this post and be creative everyday.

2. Produce a yearbook that is well put together, makes a profit and the students like. (It's my first year doing this)

3. Organize my home. (add more color to my wardrobe, too.)

4. Follow a gluten-free diet and try new foods/recipes.

5. Exercise!!!!

6. Get into the Bible daily.

So, what's on your list this year?

Positive and Negative Space, 3rd Grade

2011-12-30T22:13:00.000-05:00

I think this idea has been around for a very long time and I tend to go for new stuff but I have to admit that this project is a great learning experience and fun. My students took off running on this idea and enjoyed the process. What really surprised me was that no one complained about it being only black and white. They understood the impact black and white have on this design.

Paint Splatter Abstract Art

2011-12-26T13:54:00.000-05:00

4th graders have been looking at abstract art. They used liquid watercolors with droppers to create their paint splatters. In the next class they used a fine tip permanent marker and outlined the paint paying attention to where there where color changes. I love the colors that were created and how the marker makes this stand out.

Check it out!

2011-11-27T16:07:00.000-05:00

Have just opened my etsy shop for the holidays. Will be adding new artwork daily.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/enjoyjourney

Pumpkins with Shadows, 1st Grade

2011-10-31T20:30:00.000-04:00

1st graders were given step by step instructions on drawing their pumpkins with shadows. We talked about the horizon line for our background and used tempera paint for color.

Word Art, 8th Grade

2011-10-15T17:04:00.000-04:00

This artwork was inspired by Austin Kleon. Check out his website: http://www.austinkleon.com/newspaperblackout/

I loved his concept. My students were quite inspired after viewing his blog and trying their hand at creating poetry with the horoscopes from the newspaper. For their project they were given a few perimeters to follow: create layers to the project, include words, and have a message. These are from the end of last year but I still wanted to share them.

3rd Grade Van Gogh Inspired Flowers

2011-10-12T21:04:00.000-04:00

3rd graders really impressed me with these. They listened to directions and also got creative. I asked them to include the table top and background, a vase, and flowers which had to include at least one sunflower. We decided it would be cool to sign our vases like Van Gogh did in his paintings. I have started using liquid watercolors and really like the results. The only problem I've had is if a student forgets to rinse their brush and dips into another color, but that's only happened a few times. I've found the pan watercolors have gotten cheaper- are gooey and don't last very long.

1st Grade Fall Trees

2011-10-08T19:16:00.000-04:00

We spent two separate art classes to create our fall paintings. The first week we talked about what a background is and than painted ours. Where do kids get that whole idea that you paint the sky up high and the grass down low and leave a big white space in between? How many times I said no white spaces I don't know.

The second week we painted our trunks and used straws to blow the paint for the branches. The leaves were made with q-tips. Two paint spills and I stayed clean!

2nd Grade Autumn Leaf

2011-10-05T23:12:00.001-04:00

First off, I'm back, I think....every time I think I have everything under control and scheduled something gets pushed off the edge. So, I'm sorry I've been absent so long but I am going to try to post twice a week during the school year.
This project isn't difficult but makes a nice presentation. I enlarged an oak leaf and had my students paint them with warm colors after drawing the veins of the leaf with crayons. The following week they cut them out and glued them to construction paper that I had hole punched. Using yarn they "sewed" a border. Happy to have my first fall project photographed and ready to hang in the halls.

The Blues

2011-04-10T09:41:00.000-04:00

This project is from February for Black History Month. I feel like I never get caught up with everything. Anyway, for this project I play some blues music and have the 2nd graders identify the instruments. We talk about the beat and what feelings we get from this type of music. We than talk about how many different blue colors there are. Students realize there are infinite possibilities. They divide there paper up into squares/rectangles and are given watercolor paints to make as many blues as they can. This becomes the background for our pictures. I have templates they can choose from to use for their foreground which they trace, color and cut out. The following week we put these on with 3-DO's. While they are creating I read the book A Blue So Blue, by Jean Francois Dumont. Has beautiful illustrations and a cute storyline.

Camouflage

2011-04-05T22:07:00.001-04:00

2nd graders study animal habitats and one of the things they learn about animals is how many of them are camouflaged. So in Art students learned how to draw a lizard, colored it with oil pastels and cut it out. Using watercolors they created a background that the lizards would be camouflaged on and glued them down.

Kindergarten Robots

2011-04-04T20:44:00.000-04:00

The robots are coming! I read this book to my kindergarten students. Love the illustrations. I took photos of each page and made a keynote of it so that my students could see the illustrations on my big screen. In the first class students chose pre-cut pieces of cardboard and painted them. The following class they made a background and glued the cardboard pieces onto it. The final step was using "fun junk" to add details to their robots. This was a fun project and students learned about recycling cardboard and how to use shapes to make robots.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

2011-03-29T20:37:00.000-04:00

Our school does a giant pbl(problem based learning) in the Spring. This year our school is decorated as an airport and each grade is studying a different continent. 1st graders have Australia. This is our first project. Students drew the bridge from a photograph, outlined everything with a permanent marker and painted with watercolors.

After School Drawing Class

2011-03-28T21:29:00.000-04:00

Just did an after school drawing class for Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade and this is some of the work. We met for an hour for three sessions. We did all of our drawing from real items. When they came into the room we would start with a large still life drawing. We would than have a lesson on shading, shadow or line weight and than spend time on mini-drawings with different items each week. I think their favorites were the beanie babies and plastic dinosaurs.

Is it really Spring?

2011-03-27T11:10:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I haven't posted in so long. Life has been a bit overwhelming at times and I figure you don't come here to read a whining commentary on my life so......anyway, I am hopefully coming out of this slump and onto better things. Spring break is coming to an end today without the spring part. I am so ready for warmer weather!!! Have accomplished a few things around the house and have been re-organizing my studio space, which I hope to finish by next weekend so I can actually paint. This is the mantel in my studio space. Have decided to use it as an ongoing art display. Some pieces completed, some not. Hoping this will inspire me to keep moving forward with my own artwork. Will photograph each time I change the display.

Black History Month Bulletin Boards

2011-02-18T14:45:00.001-05:00

Lois Mailou Jones

This lesson plan is from Kathy Barbro at http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/

These masks were done by my 4th graders.

The kente cloth I came up with last year. I take a piece of 9x12 construction paper and fold it twice vertically to create three columns. The students look at kente cloth pictures and imitate the patterns to create their own. The African dancers are also from Kathy Barbro.

7th Grade Greek Vases

2011-01-18T19:52:00.001-05:00

Students in 7th grade learned about the ancient Greeks through their artwork. They learned about vase shapes and their uses, the different patterns they incorporated into their artwork and their gods and goddesses. Students chose a vase shape and a god and drew them. They used watercolors to add color and labelled their pieces with the name of the vase and god.

Thank you MLK!!

2011-01-17T19:03:00.000-05:00

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together." Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

This mural is from http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/ and was done by my 3rd graders. They thought it was cool how they each did a piece that turned into a mural.

Triangle Trees

2011-01-16T17:04:00.001-05:00

Finally back. Have had a few things going on and just haven't been able to blog. One of those things is my diet. I have had a lot of issues with food all my life and than about 2 months ago I started to get hives. So right after the holidays I started on an elimination diet. It has been a lot of headaches and just not feeling well from withdrawal but now I feel great, though I miss certain foods. Right now I am wheat, gluten, sugar and dairy free. I've lost 8 lbs. and have 2 more weeks before I start re-introducing other foods.

Anywho, here is a kindergarten project and I apologize because I can't remember where I got this lesson from. I simplified it a bit for kindergarten but basically it is based on triangles. The kids could either draw their own or trace templates that I made. Went over the lines with crayon and than painted.

2nd Grade Kente Cloth

2011-01-04T22:24:00.001-05:00

In January I start art projects for Black History Month. Today my 2nd graders were introduced to kente cloth from Ghana. After viewing some of the cloth, they created their own with oil pastels and construction paper. We talked about the importance of color and pattern in our designs.

Welcome 2011!

2011-01-01T20:48:00.000-05:00

I love the New year. Maybe it is what everyone does(or thinks about doing) but I can't wait to start re-organizing. It's probably because I am not the most organized person and am always looking for my supplies to be easily accessible.

#1 item that I love for organizing - wheeled basket cart. Have decided that it will hold my rubber stamp supplies. This fits under my work table so I can pull it out as needed. Garage sale item but you can get these everywhere.

#2 item - 3 drawer file, 12x12. Love this for all of my papers and stencils. Used to have this under my work table, but have moved it up top because I use paper a lot. This is from Michael's. These will be on sale this week, 40% off.

Item #3 - These are from The Container Store. I keep buying these magazine holders whenever they go on sale, since I cannot part with my magazine collections. The flat files hold my copy paper for my printer. Need another set for my colored printer paper.

Item #4 - Plastic storage boxes from The Container Store. Light weight and inexpensive. I think I will put part of my fabric collection in these. I am a sucker for all fabrics. I always want to buy people towels, linens, etc... when giving gifts.

Item #5 - Wire ribbon holders. See, I love ribbon too. After all it's fabric. These are part of Marie Osmond's collection. Got these online and they stack on each other.

A Few of My Favorite Things, Christmas Edition

2010-12-29T00:16:00.001-05:00

Love this recipe. Made this for Christmas Eve.
Butternut Squash Supreme (from allrecipes.com)

3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and

cubed

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Place squash in a saucepan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until very tender. drain well and place in a large bowl; mash. In another bowl, combine the eggs, cheese, onion, milk, salt and pepper; add to the mashed squash and mix well.

Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Dot with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

Trans Siberian Orchestra

This was our Christmas gift from one of my brothers. A lot of fun and reminiscent of the 80's. Lots of big hair!! The light show and most of the music is great.

New Cuisinart Pots and Pans

Gift from my bro and sis-inlaw. Can't wait to start cooking!!

Chocolate Cracker Candy

Love this!! Find the recipe here: http://domestic-fashionista.blogspot.com/2010/12/chocolate-cracker-candy-guest-post.html

Best Gift

My son gave me the best gift. When I woke there was a note on my door with a clue. The first "find" was chocolate covered pretzels. 2nd was a bottle of carbonated lemonade, 3rd was frozen pizzas and the 4th was my son to enjoy a movie night together. It doesn't get better than that!!!!

Kindergarten Penguins

2010-12-16T22:50:00.000-05:00

Got this lesson plan from Kristin Thomas. My kids loved this project!! Wasn't too difficult for them. Was a great step by step lesson for students to follow.

The Eyes Have It

2010-12-14T18:40:00.000-05:00

8th graders followed a lesson plan from United Art and Education, which is part of a competition. I can't decide if I like the realistic eyes or the abstracted eyes.

Students in 8th grade art learn more about themselves and modern art. Following this assignment they started their self-portraits.

Art Teacher Blog Directory

2010-12-11T20:46:00.002-05:00

Art Teacher Blog Directory

Do you want to join an art teacher blog directory? Add your link and then copy and paste the whole thing to your blog. Pretty soon you will be linked up with art teachers from all over the world.

1. Marcia Beckett	2. Greg Percy	3. Mini Matisse	4. Barb's Students	5. The Teaching Palette	6. Artspiration
7. eleni	8. Mrs. Picasso's Art Room	9. Trish ackerman	10. Use Your Coloured Pencils	11. Art Makes Kids Smart	12. Draw, Paint, and Cut
13. LeAnne	14. Katie Morris	15. Art on the Move	16. The ART of Education	17. Rachel Motta	18. Tami Smith
19. Waitsfield Elementary Art	20. Fayston Elementary Art	21. Barb's Thought of the Day	22. Tana	23. Art Teachers Hate Glitter	24. Stuck In The Mud Pottery
25. phyl	26. Lines, Dots and Doodles	27. Mary	28. Kthomas	29. Kathy	30. Artful Artsy Amy
31. Art with Mrs. Smith	32. ARTolazzi	33. Studio-Kids	34. Lori	35. Laura	36. Brenda Leentjes
37. Angie

(Submissions close in 291d 12h 31m)

Link tool by inlinkz.com

Middle School Lobby

2010-12-11T19:32:00.000-05:00

Some students splatter painted the ornaments that we had, since they were all different colors. Pretty cool, huh?

We got a new tree this year. I guided the decision so that it would be tall enough for our lobby. Love that it is pre-lit.

Elementary Christmas Bulletin Boards, cont.

2010-12-07T20:32:00.000-05:00

My second graders made these nutcrackers. The lesson plan for this is from http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/. Students also made round pattern ornaments and pipe cleaner candy canes.

Kindergarteners almost always do stations. Guess what the lesson was on? Yes, stars. Station 1 was learning to draw stars, Station 2 was coloring the large "stained glass" star, Station 3 was glitter stars and Station 4 was a puzzle activity.

I came up with this template last year. This is an easy lesson. I copy the template onto 12x18 paper and students cut the angels out. Students draw faces and decorate the robes with tissue paper. Last step is to create the halos with glitter.

That is it for my Christmas decorating for the elementary school. The middle school we just got a new tree for the lobby. Hope to get that done tomorrow. The theme is a Graffiti Christmas.

Elementary Christmas Bulletin Boards

2010-12-05T14:06:00.000-05:00

3rd Grade

This project is from deepspacesparkle.

Love this and the kids really enjoyed the sponge painting.

4th Grade

Students said this was their favorite art project ever. Who wouldn't love to throw, spray, drip and sprinkle paint randomly? We checked out Jackson Pollock and his action paintings. I used this audio from MOMA to introduce Jackson Pollock.

Christmas Bulletin Board

2010-12-01T21:09:00.000-05:00

This isn't the best photograph but this case is very hard to get a good picture of. I turned out the lights but there is a skylight right above it and there are glass sliders on the case. I feel like Christmas decorating always sneaks up on me. All of a sudden the schools need to be Christmasfied. Tomorrow I will get the elementary bulletin boards done and will post those pics. The middle school lobby will have to wait until next week when I can get some students to help out.

Thanksgiving Pics

2010-11-30T21:32:00.000-05:00

My brother carving

Our whole family together!!

Rain on friday means, play time at the Castle

I miss this guy!

Racing family

Great times with my family, especially my bro, sis-n-law and nephew from Colorado.

Drawing, 4th Grade

2010-11-29T21:28:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We had our whole family together which the last time was 1 1/2 years ago. It was nice to have my three brothers together.

I took pics but they didn't turn out very well. So, any advice on a camera? No more than $300-. I want one that doesn't have such a delay and has better focus. The camera I have takes great stills but everything else, bleck.

4th graders were so excited when they saw one of the tables set up for a still life. I usually only do this with middle schoolers, but now I know better. They were happy to draw the entire class time! I also turned out the overhead lights and put a spot light on half way through. "Oooh, shadows!" one of them said. Love when I can get them to actually observe something.

Van Gogh Inspired Still Life, 4th grade

2010-11-21T20:26:00.000-05:00

Students looked at Van Gogh's Sunflowers. We talked about what was included in his paintings: background, table top, flowers, vase. Students created their own still life including those items. We used watercolors for the background and table top and tempera paints for the flowers. Next time I would like to add some modeling paste to the temperas to create texture.

Bragging

2010-11-18T18:26:00.000-05:00

My son is very talented in the arts. He has quite an imagination. His drawings remind me a bit of Tim Burton. We went to see Burton's collection when it was at MOMA this past year. Nathaniel really enjoyed his dark humor.
Thought I would share a few of my son's drawings. Most are made while he is in school-shh! He seems to learn through it. Being an artist I let him go and leave it up to his teachers to decide if it is a distraction.

The Best Candles

2010-11-14T21:48:00.001-05:00

A little plug for my other business.

These really are the best candles ever. Long lasting with strong aromas. Visit my website and check out these great products. www15.mygc.com/brendaleentjes

5th Grade Sea Turtles

2010-11-10T19:26:00.000-05:00

Students learned about sea turtles thru a keynote presentation and a short video. They experimented with watercolor techniques and used one of them to create their background. When they paint their turtles I give a demonstration on blending colors, lights and darks and how to use brushes.

Getting ready!

2010-11-07T16:31:00.000-05:00

This week is my open house so I am finishing up some projects and thinking about displays and packaging. So many details! A few of the goodies that will be available.

It is the beginning of a new quarter at school. At the middle school my classes switch from 5th and 6th to 7th and 8th. A bit more challenging in projects and personalities. Working on lesson plans. 7th grade starts with making their art journals and going thru different stations to learn about critiquing artwork.

8th graders will also make their art journals and start a still life drawing.

Kindergarten Fall Trees

2010-11-02T20:56:00.000-04:00

I used to have a hard time with kindergarten. It was a challenge coming up with projects that they were able to do and turned out the way I anticipated. I have learned that you have to let children experience things in order for them to learn and every project doesn't necessarily need to look the "right" way. I've also been able to let go and let things get messy. Paint no longer freaks me out and even yesterday when we used chalk pastels I was okay with wiping a few faces at the end. These trees to me show what the child has heard from me and shows how they interpret my examples. I also can see their personalities in each one. Love them!!
I need to let you know that if you leave me a comment the only way I can respond is thru your email or own blog. For some reason I can't comment on comments. Anyone know how to fix this on blogger?

2010-10-31T23:22:00.000-04:00

Sunday night is always a mix of finishing things and getting ready for the new week. Lesson planning seems to be consuming me lately. I need some art time. Thought I would share a few of my favorite pieces and hopefully will have some new artwork soon.

2010-10-26T21:31:00.000-04:00

Aren't these cute? Followed some ideas from a few blogs and right now I can't remember who-sorry, will let you know. These were done by my 1st graders. I usually am positive but I feel like it should be Friday already. Had a visit to the ER with my son on Sunday and things have just been overwhelming. He is fine after a visit to a specialist today, thank God! I guess this has just thrown me off. Looking for a better tomorrow.

Open House!!!

2010-10-24T18:49:00.000-04:00

Can't make it or need directions? Please e-mail me at: brendaleentjes@yahoo.com

My Side of the Mountain

2010-10-21T20:48:00.000-04:00

6th graders have been reading My Side of the
Mountain in their Language Arts class. I have them create an art journal that must include 3 things Sam made, 3 foods and 3 animals/wildlife. This is always a great project and I love the book! Students are given a demonstration on colored pencil drawing and asked to include a background or border for each picture.

Kindergarten Snow Leopards

2010-10-19T21:13:00.001-04:00

I have been using The Water Hole by Graeme Base with my kindergarteners as a base for the projects we have been doing. Love his books! This week we painted snow leopards. I traced the outline of the leopard head and the students used the tan to fill it in and than were given black, yellow and white for the details. I have also made number books for them with a world map and we have been putting small photos of the animals on the continents they come from.

My "New" Laptop Bag

2010-10-17T15:24:00.000-04:00

Sorry it has been over a week since I have posted. Have started to post my students artwork on artsonia and it has taken a lot of time to get things off and running. Here is the link if you want to check our galleries out. www.artsonia.com/schools/Eastern33 Had also decided we had to have a garage sale this weekend to get rid of stuff. So time consuming but have a little more room in the garage and basement now.
So I have been looking for a laptop bag that wasn't office black(boring) and couldn't find one. I finally took matters into my own hands and painted a black one. Here are the results but I need to know what I can seal it with. I use gel medium or spray varnish on my canvases but am unsure of an item that is touched all the time. Can anyone help me out?

3rd Grade Cityscapes

2010-10-10T09:20:00.000-04:00

3rd graders learned about foreground, middleground and background. They had to draw 3 sets of buildings, outline with sharpies and paint each area a different color. They glued them all down in layers and ta-daaa. This lesson kept them thinking about the different areas and how when things get further away they look smaller.

Beginner Art Journaling

2010-10-03T21:46:00.000-04:00

What is art journaling? It is the freedom to make mistakes, try new things, express yourself and have fun. Anybody can do this! Join me for a journey into Art Journaling. Journaling isn't just words. Sometimes we don't need words, just an image says it all. Either way you can learn the following techniques to incorporate into your own personal journal: design transfer, paint overs, drawing, rubber stamps, building layers, altered photography and painting with watercolors and acrylics. We will work in a pre-made journal and create one of your own. When you complete this class you will have 2 journals started and the skills to complete them on your own. High School students and above are welcome to take this course. Materials are included, but you may want to bring personal items to add.
If you live in northern NJ and are interested in this class please e-mail me at: brendaleentjes@yahoo.com The cost is $110-

5th Grade Photography Project

2010-10-01T20:58:00.000-04:00

Ta-daaaa! This project that my 5th graders have accomplished I am so proud of. They have worked very hard with great results. The first part of the project is the photography. They are taught how to use the cameras and are introduced to Ansel Adams. From there they learn how to create a drawing of their photo using a grid. Students were taught how to use colored pencils in layers to create shading over their grid drawing. The last part of the project is to create a Matisse style cut paper piece inspired by the photo. All of this was started with taking a closer look at God's creation and asking the question "What is art?" So the final thing students were responsible for was to answer that question in writing. I will post some of their answers next week.

Gustav Klimt, 4th Grade

2010-09-29T18:57:00.001-04:00

4th graders looked at the Tree of Life from Gustav Klimt. We talked about his use of gold and all the ornamentation. For their projects they first drew the trees and outlined them with markers. They drew ornaments with metallic colored pencils and used a wet paintbrush to blur the marker lines. They added gold watercolor paint and the last touch, dots of glitter.

Paul Klee with 1st Grade

2010-09-27T20:45:00.001-04:00

I introduced my 1st graders to Paul Klee after doing Piet Mondrian because we are focusing on shape and color. I love Paul Klee's work! This is the piece we looked at and than created our own.

I love how different each one is and yet they all followed the instructions. We started with a circle template that they traced around. Using a ruler they divided the circle into different shapes. Features of the face were added and oil pastels were used to color in the shapes. Black markers to trace over the lines and a watercolor background.

2010-09-26T21:39:00.000-04:00

KEEP THE ART ROOM HEALTHY! NO MORE COOKIE CUTTER PROJECTS!

Amen, sister! Visit http://artprojectgirl.blogspot.com/ for the scoop.

Italian Dressing

2010-09-25T20:09:00.000-04:00

This is probably the most used item I have purchased from Pampered Chef. I have been making my own salad dressing for quite some time and this makes it so easy. The recipe for italian dressing is printed on the side. It is excellent. Measurements are on the side of the cylinder and the cap has an attachment to mix the dressing.

Jersey tomatoes are the best! Can't believe how soon we will no longer be able to get them. Made a yummy salad with the above ingredients over baby greens and the dressing.

Italian dressing recipe:

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 pressed garlic cloves

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup olive oil

Hallway Bulletin Boards

2010-09-24T18:21:00.001-04:00

I made this canvas over the summer to hang outside of the middle school art room. Just wanted something more personal than the usual "Welcome" sign.

At the middle school I am in charge of the general bulletin boards. These are the ones that are up for September. I now will have a bulletin board team of students to help me out. Can't wait to meet with them and see what ideas they have!

By front office

Middle hallway...these are our core values which students will be adding to.

Sorry these are not the best pics! The lighting in our hallways is flourescent and the sun wasn't shining.

Weaving with 6th Grade

2010-09-21T20:26:00.000-04:00

6th graders are weaving and really enjoying it. We are studying the art of American Indians and have seen the rugs and blankets that the Navajos make. The two other projects will be coil pots and sand art. This will cross over to Writing Workshop with My Side of the Mountain and a sketch journal the students make.

5th Grade Shading

2010-09-19T22:27:00.000-04:00

I will be teaching my students how to use colored pencils to create their drawings from the photographs they took last week. There will be a handout available for those who like to work independently and a mini-lesson available for those who need more instruction. This is a new way of teaching for me. My students have been given their rubric and an activity sheet. They will choose what activities they need in order to meet the expectations on the rubric.

5th Grade Art

2010-09-16T21:53:00.000-04:00

The first unit in 5th grade art is titled God's Creation. Our first project involves photography. I wanted to share a few of the great photographs my students have taken. Next they will be learning how to draw their photograph and use colored pencils to create layers of color by blending.

Piet Mondrian, cont.

2010-09-14T19:27:00.000-04:00

These projects are from my 4th graders. We talked about this painting of Piet Mondrian's, Red Tree. Students were instructed to draw a tree, any style and than choose complementary colors. One for the background and one for the tree.

What did you do with your weekend?

2010-09-11T22:41:00.000-04:00

A huge mess! So this is what happens every so often and than I have to do a major cleanup. I get so into creating I don't even see it. Today though I couldn't take it anymore. It took forever, but here are the results.

Okay, so now I'm exhausted. Goodnight.

Art Journal, continuing

2010-09-10T20:11:00.000-04:00

The cover with it's first layer. I dry brushed black and white and than watered down blue and magenta to drip down.

The inside cover is painted with shades of purple and stenciled in black. This alphabet book is all words to describe God. More to come.

Student Art Journals

2010-09-08T21:18:00.001-04:00

This corner of my art room at the middle school is where my students keep their art journals. 5th graders use their sketchbooks for brainstorming, sketching for projects and when they have extra time. 6th graders are doing an art journal on American Indians and the book they are reading for LA, My Side of the Mountain. This book has a great story that you can do a lot of comparison/contrast with how American Indians lived off the land and how the character Sam survives in the wild.

The bulletin board has a list of ideas for their sketchbooks and some pics from art journals that were online.

Piet Mondrian

2010-09-07T20:16:00.002-04:00

All students in the elementary school are studying Piet Mondrian. For the lower grades we looked at Mondrian's later work. We talked about what we saw in his artwork- line, shape and color. The following pics are from our first projects for grades k-2.

These pieces are from kindergarten. Students were given square and rectangle sponges to use in the primary colors and black paint to create line with a paint brush.

This project was done by my 1st graders. This project is from Teach Kids Art.

These are from my 2nd graders. The glue wasn't dry yet, hence the spots. Students used black construction paper with "foamy" sheets that I cut into different sizes. They were instructed to make abstract art and to leave spaces between the pieces.

I will have Mondrian trees from the 3rd and 4th graders soon.

Art Journal

2010-09-05T14:37:00.001-04:00

I am going to be teaching an art journaling class and this is going to be one of my examples. It is an abc book. The cover is made from cardboard.

The binding is made from a paper bag, folded in a zig zag. The pages are large tags that I made from cardstock.

The pages are painted with acrylics and than stenciled with the letters.

Working on this today and will show you my progress.

Elementary Art Room

2010-09-01T20:49:00.001-04:00

First day of school was great! We had an awesome chapel at middle school and fun with 5 & 6 orientation. Went over to the elementary school and taught my 3rd graders. For all of my elementary classes we are looking at Piet Mondrian. Third graders drew trees and than used chalk pastels in white, grey and black. Will have some on the blog next week.

This is my wall of windows. Both of my art rooms have great natural light.

This wall starts with my carpet corner, the door to the faculty room, garbage and sink.

This is the marker board above the rug. I put my artist who is in the spotlight there. Next to that is a bookshelf with supplies. Students may help themselves to these supplies after they have finished their project.

Another choice for free time is the rug area. The books are very popular. Love my bookcase that was donated.

This is the corner at the other end of the window wall. This is my desk area. The cars on the shades are revved up for good behavior.

My chalk boards which I mainly use to draw examples and hold art elements and principles. The WRITE YOUR NAME bulletin board I got from Art with Mr. E.

This is the continuation of the sink wall. The door to the hallway is to the right. The bulletin board is where I display what artist's each grade has studied.

School Starts!!

2010-08-31T21:41:00.002-04:00

Time has flown by and I haven't even finished my vacation pics. Sorry about that. I will have to share those another time. It is time. School begins tomorrow. Happy and sad. I have a hard time giving up my freedom but I do much better when I am on a schedule and doing something I feel passionate about. Not that the time I have had to do my own artwork hasn't been fulfilling, it's just with school I feel called to my work and maybe can make a difference in a child's life. I started to take some pics of my middle school classroom. Still have things that haven't found a home but for the most part this is what my room looks like in part.

This is the entrance to my classroom. Bookcase by door will hold hand sanitizer, lotion, sign out sheet and recycle box.

To the left of the entrance is my computer station. This computer is used for student research. I also have a scanner and my own color printer. Want to put fabric across shelf to hide storage of ink, old art books for projects and drawing boards. Under this are mesh boxes that hold my collection of bottle caps that the community has been saving for an art project.

This corner has an area rug for working on the floor. The white bins are for student journals. In my larger classes I also use these tables for seating. Will show more close-up pics next time.

My desk is here with bookshelves against the wall. As you can see I still have some organizing to do.

This is the bulletin board behind my desk. It is divided up for different uses. The area that has the map of North America is for 6th grade.

This is the other bulletin board on the same wall. Between these two boards is one of my white boards. May God bless all of you who have started or are starting your school year. It is going to be an exciting year.

Day 4 & 5

2010-08-24T17:15:00.000-04:00

Nathaniel and I visited the Fred Harman Museum. He is known for his Red Ryder and Little Beaver comic strips and his western paintings. It is a small museum but for me to see his studio was inspiring. If you have ever watched The Christmas Story you are familiar with the Red Ryder bb gun. Mr. Harman's son is the only living heir and he is 82. The museum guide said they are not sure what will happen to the museum once he dies.
We spent some time in downtown Pagosa Springs shopping.

We always go to this shop. Lots of pottery, housewares, jewelry.

"You are my Sunshine" is what I always sang to Nathaniel when he was little. I also like Cinderella's quote, because I love shoes!

We had dinner at JJ's with the family. It is where Bob and Danyelle had their wedding reception. Great food and fun! Afterwards we had a early birthday party for Heath. He loved his cupcake. He doesn't get much sugar.

Day 3

2010-08-23T19:50:00.002-04:00

So one of the best ways to see the scenery and get to experience a train ride the way people did during the 1800's is to take the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway.

Leaving the station

This is the original train that has been in operation for 128 years!

The train tracks run along the Animas River. This bridge is a stop along the way where hikers get off to enter the wilderness.

An old entrance to a silver mine

When you arrive in Silverton you have a couple hours to visit shops, have some lunch and enjoy the view.

Day 2

2010-08-22T21:09:00.004-04:00

Our second day in Pagosa Springs we hung out at the springs. The pictures are taken across the road from the springs. It is heavenly sitting in the springs. There are many temperatures from 89 degrees in the large pool to the "Lobster Pot' which is 112 degrees. It is amazing that this is water coming out of the earth. It is full of minerals and many people come to the springs for the healing effects.

Colorado, Day 1

2010-08-18T20:43:00.000-04:00

We arrived in Pagosa, CO late Saturday. Met Bob and Danyelle at Grace Church--great church if you are ever in the area. From there we went to Bob and Danyelle's for dinner. She is such a good cook. Of course, the main event was Heath!

Nathaniel spent alot of time playing with Heath. Tomorrow, onto the Springs!

Colorado

2010-08-06T21:28:00.000-04:00

So, I am going to Colorado to see my brother, sis-in-law and my nephew. Yeah! Have decided not to take my laptop so I probably will not be posting until I get back. Will have lots of pics to share when I return. Enjoy each moment!

Weekend in the Country

2010-08-02T15:25:00.003-04:00

Beautiful! What a great time in New York. We travelled up to my brother's house to celebrate my nephew Eli's graduation from high school. Can you believe I forgot my camera--so frustrating not being able to take pics. Paul and Tina have a beautiful place with cows, chickens and a huge garden. We had lots of yummy food, visited with family and friends and sat by a bonfire. From there we stayed at our neighbor's house about 20 minutes from my brother. We played cards late into the night, had a huge breakfast that Christine prepared and for my first time I drove a four wheeler--so fun!! and gorgeous scenery thru the woods. Ate wild blackberries, picked wildflowers and relaxed. Hated to come home.

Color

2010-07-26T18:33:00.001-04:00

I love color. I think I have said it before. This is a piece that I created using the metal top from a watercolor set. Have been cleaning up my studio space and re-organizing. Putting all my finished work in one area. Trying to price everything and put all the items that are on etsy together. My brother was visiting yesterday and took a look at my artwork. Was nice to have some positive feedback from him. He is very visual and artistic. The picture below is his business and he designed every part of it. His mind never stops. We are so different and yet so the same. He is an extrovert and I am an introvert, but when it comes to design we totally relate.

http://www.thecastlefuncenter.com/

Cabana update

2010-07-25T15:59:00.000-04:00

Okay, I must admite defeat. I am not "every woman". I started to stain the cabana and first I noticed that the nail holes were showing on the trim so they needed to be puttied. The second thing was I lasted an hour and felt like I was going to throw up from the smell and heat. So, we were hiring someone to stain the outside-same color that it is- and now they are going to finish the inside for me. I must admit I hate painting!! Love to paint as an artist but not rooms.

New Items

2010-07-18T15:07:00.001-04:00

Wanted to share with you some of the items I will be putting up on etsy this week. The notecards are from artwork I have made and the journal is original artwork with ribbon and metal details.

Hot!!

2010-07-15T12:15:00.001-04:00

Bought the stain for the inside of the cabana. Will take before and after pics to show you. Was advised by the paint store not to stain until late in the day, when the temperature goes down. I think I will do it in my bathing suit so I can jump in once in a while.

My main problem with projects is finishing them. I love starting things. So I will continue to post on my projects to push thru the end. The pic shows the cabana with the door open. The inside is wainscoting. The fridge is on the ground outside the door. Need to spray paint that white. The adirondack chair is from llbean. Have another one to put together yet--see I told you I have a hard time finishing things.

RAIN???

2010-07-11T10:06:00.000-04:00

Oh where are you rain? Would love a day of rain. It's funny how you miss it, isn't it? We are on water restrictions here and everything is losing it's color. I know Colorado is looking for rain too, how about you?

Summer Bulletin Board

2010-07-06T19:45:00.002-04:00

Painted this bulletin board for the summer at the elementary school.

Happy 4th of July!!

2010-07-04T20:55:00.000-04:00

Great weekend! Spent time up at my brother's. Had lunch at The Castle my brother's business, went to the Goshen Great American Fair, hung out by the pool and went to Greenwood Lake for dinner and fireworks.

Backgrounds

2010-07-01T23:04:00.000-04:00

I love painting. Love not really having a direction just mixing colors and seeing what happens. I needed some backgrounds to use on the new website for school so I had an excuse to paint. Color has always been my favorite thing about art. I loved color theory when I was in college and now I love creating new combinations.

Open the Door

2010-06-29T20:32:00.001-04:00

This piece developed in stages. It is close to my heart. I think because following my dream took quite a while for me to figure out. Like peeling an onion, layer by layer. This piece will be available in my etsy shop.

Is it really summer?

2010-06-27T18:29:00.002-04:00

Okay, with the heat we have been having yes, I know it is summer but I still haven't experienced summer yet. Last week I had to finish packing up my art rooms for the summer and started a class. This class is intense. I know it will improve my teaching, but I want a break. The pics are from today. Took a short walk around the yard. Trying to just see the beauty and not all the projects that I would like to get done this summer.

Radial Designs

2010-06-18T20:38:00.004-04:00

This will be my last school post. School is officially over, though I still have some grades to do, two rooms to clean up and a class I am taking starting next week. These photos are from my 4th grade class. They learned about radial designs and used knowledge from a previous lesson on blending to create their artwork. For an extension of this lesson we went outside and created radial designs in groups using chalk. Messy, fun and great review.

Flying

2010-06-15T20:47:00.002-04:00

Starting to fly....taking a class right now with Kelly Rae Roberts called Flying Lessons. This class has gotten me back on track with my own art. My fingers are itching to create and I am starting to realize the possibilities for growing my business. Thank you to all my fellow classmates for stopping by and commenting.

Color

2010-06-12T14:50:00.002-04:00

Have been saving bottle caps at school this year. Will be making a mural with students in the fall. Just love all the colors after they were sorted. Michelle Stitzlein has a great site for ideas. http://www.artgrange.com/michelleworkshop.html

Six More Days

2010-06-10T20:08:00.000-04:00

Wow, the end of the school year is almost here. Spent 3 hours grading today. Glad to have most of it done. Looking forward to re-organizing supplies and re-arranging my art rooms. Looking forward to my own time. Doing artwork, gardening, cooking, studying, reading, vacationing.....freedom.

Too busy!!!

2010-05-23T20:14:00.000-04:00

Well, there is about a month of school left and it is getting crazy. Have found that I don't have time to post right now but will start as soon as school is done. Just wanted to let you know that I will be at the Golden Nugget Antique Market in Lambertville, NJ selling my artwork on Saturday, June 5. This is close to New Hope, PA. Great day trip!!

Okay, I missed March....

2010-04-04T20:00:00.000-04:00

I try to put up new artwork every month and try to have a color theme. Things just didn't happen. I have started sitting down and actually creating--ahhh, it's so relaxing and what I need but it always seems to be the last thing on my list. I am going to make time from now on. I cleaned up my studio, so no more excuses. Oh and the color of April is green. Love seeing all the green that is appearing in creation.

Places I Love

2010-03-28T21:32:00.003-04:00

My son and I spent saturday in Lambertville, NJ. We went to The Golden Nugget Flea Market and visited the town. I found some great things to use in my artwork, had a great lunch, spent time with my son and shopped. It definitely is worth the trip. Capital of column is from a stone church in town, rr sign in town, printer letters at flea market and my son checking out cd's at the flea market.

Wow--it's spring!

2010-03-24T15:25:00.002-04:00

Where have I been? Can't believe I haven't posted in over a month. School has been super busy. PBL (problem based learning) has taken a lot of my time. I wouldn't trade the time for what we have created. I worked on this with our Horizons teacher Holly. She came up with the idea of transforming our school into a town. Every grade has a problem in the town to solve. For example, the 3rd grade has the town museum and they are investigating what you would include in a museum. What is important? worth saving? Each teacher helped with their building facade and they look so cool. We put it up in one evening so when the kids came in for the introduction of their problem the next morning they were very excited. Will let you know how things progress. Wish I had some photos--can't find my wire to transfer my pics. Okay, time for me to get some painting done.

Places I Love

2010-02-14T15:23:00.004-05:00

Been a long while since I have posted. School is sooo busy. Now that I am on winter break I hope to catch up on other things. The pics are from The Antique & Design Center. I love walking around this place. This place carries antiques along with new items. It is located on Route 17 North in Upper Saddle River, NJ.

This was yesterday, my first day off from school. The antique store was a side trip when I went out to buy glass for my desktop. That was quite an adventure in itself. Let's just say if you need glass and live in Bergen County go to Mayfair on Goffle Road in Hawthorne.

2010-01-28T20:47:00.003-05:00

I love paint. Love the smoothness, color, thickness, feel and smell. I use acrylics mostly and some watercolors. A student asked me today if I thought art was fun. I said yes, of course. He didn't feel the same. When asked what would make it fun he didn't have an answer. I sometimes have to remind myself that not everyone loves art like I do. Picture how I felt in math class, way back when. That was torture. How could art ever be torture?

2010-01-28T20:44:00.000-05:00

It's just around the corner.

2010-01-25T20:49:00.002-05:00

A couple of my "love" pieces.