Dry Needle Felting- Teddy Bears.

The Year 6's enjoyed the experience of dry needle felting. After a visual and verbal demo from myself and the talk about the many, many and many ways not to spear ones fingers or hands, they had the chance to felt their own bear. Yes there were a few casualties :-( but they did admit that they were either not concentrating, talking, or just rushing..... Hmmmmm they do live and learn! 99% of students were unharmed in the process.....Imagine 28 felting needles on the go at once, weapons of mass destruction alright, but ever so soft and furry!No matter if the student was male or female, they just wanted to feel and touch how ever so soft the bears were. When you get the pleasure of felting with merino wool all you want to do is keep felting....The Year 6's (all 90 of them!) were real fans of this activity...

The Bad Tempered Ladybug....

The very giggly Year 2 class were introduced to Eric Carle's- "The Bad Tempered Ladybird". We read about the very funny and silly Ladybird who just didn't do himself any favours by thinking the way to gain friends was to fight everyone.... A great story when the class like to behave poorly in the playground! Then we created a very soft and colourful ladybird. We had to choose colours and it was a marathon to finish..... They had to have a sleep on the drying racks to dry after the application of PVA glue and of course the goggle eyes had to dry, some with lashes some without!

Here above are the finished ladybirds, legs bent and ready to eat a few aphids! yummy!

Where is the Green Sheep?

One of the shortest and sweetest picture story books- "Where is the Green Sheep?" by Mem Fox. I just love reading this to my delightful Year 1 students. This afternoon we then had the chance to create our own "Art Sheep". They had to be hairy, colourful and as you can see, many of their legs have specially designed socks!!! We have used real merino wool tops for the hair.....Very cute indeed! This particular student decided that her sheep was a "mum" and therefore had little lambs too!Very hairy, must be a highland sheep ready for the cold! Check out the coloured socks...This sheep below is just hilarious! Don't they say watch the wolf in sheep's clothing??? I think this student has got it spot on!!!

Lizzie Nonsense- Blowing Bubbles...

These mixed media collages were created after we read the Australian set picture story book - "Lizzie Nonsense". A delightful story about a little girl called Lizzie who is growing up in the colonial/ pioneer Australian bush. She uses her imagination and pretends to make the rather mundane days at home with her mama and baby sibling much more interesting.....When Lizzie helps to bathe her baby brother in a tub and exclaims- "You are in a huge boat in the big wide sea!".....Mama always brings Lizzie back to reality and says" Lizzie nonsense!".

These mixed media art collages are the "tub" that Lizzie bathes in. Out of the hot water the steam rises as do the crazy ideas that Lizzie dreams up.... The little creepy crawlies floating up were originally drawn on paper that had yellow, red and blue bubbles blown onto it. I asked student to see what shapes and images they could see from the bubbles and then draw these ideas with a fine liner.After the creepy crawlies were cut, student cut out a metal bath out of corrugated gold or silver cardboard and glued down too. Lastly we finished off with dry pastels. The session was go, go, go but so worth it. Student were really pushed to see what they could see in the bubble patterns. No two mixed media collage were the same and that was the best part....

How wonderful are the creatures that Lizzie dreams up? Pretty amazing.....

Oils.... Why???

What does one do when I like to indulge in art? Right now this has taken my fancy. I am working on a few ideas and playing with oils. No expert in that field, much I have learnt by error.... My skills in oil painting are extremely limited but as I experiment, play and explore, I am learning a lot. They are difficult to control, slow drying and it doesn't help the conditions that my paintings are kept in. Varying difference in heat and cold really play havoc in drying times. Just another medium in artistic expressions I am trying to conquer, I'm really enjoying the challenge. The painting above I painted for my better half, for his birthday in fact. He is making the ultimate sacrifice and walking our baby Henri..... all the students at school just knew it was Henri and loved it....and they so do love to see me create my own things.... This one above was a study in gouache using a canvas.....Although here unfinished it sits in my room and gives me hope..... This one is about half finished now.

I am in the process of painting this to go with the one I have given my better half. This is me and my imagination (the funny bunny).....It still needs work but is getting there!

This last painting is for my brother. I am painting it for his 30th birthday. He has no idea but I decided that at least it shall be a memorable gift for his 30th! I mean already has so much so I have painted him with his partner. I still have almost another 2 months to finish it so it is progressing slowly at the same time as I paint the other one with the bunny.....Rather than finding the ultimate gift, I have though long and hard and decided that it is all about the though. I know I would be very chuffed if someone painted me picture. All about the handmade and one off and unique. I hope that he will be pleased my my gift?

Fox- Dry Pastels

After having a amalgamated class of year 5 and 6 students I decided that I would choose this activity. I would normally aim for year 5 to tackle this activity but I though that today this would be perfect. I read them the picture story book- "Fox" by M. Wild. A wonderful Australian story and author, check it out if you haven't had the pleasure of reading it. I love the dry, bleak and scorched outback images and I also adore the three central characters as they are each so powerful. The story is just very poignant.

Students had to choose a scene and depict it using dry pastels and black cartridge. We spoke about blending colours and really working on getting the background like the parched Australian outback is. Browns, red, oranges and yellows were all gathered to get the feel of the story. After many a smudged and smeared faces (I did warn them to resist touching their faces) these are some of the most interesting and beautiful...

How powerful is the Magpie, alone after being abandoned by Fox deep in the Australian bush, away from Dog, and away from shelter and protection?Magpie in full flight with the help of the cunning and nasty Fox....Here Magpie and Dog down at the water looking at their reflections....Fox telling Magpie to come to the dark side!

Mini- Beasts from the recycled box?

What happens when you study bugs, as well as creepy crawlies and allow free reign when it comes to sculpture and construction? These magnificent 3 dimensional bugs were created after weeks of drawing, collage and study. This session was all about creating a new/ imaginary bug from a multitude of construction material. Wool, tinsel stems, sticky tape, textas, cardboard boxes, plastic containers, ribbon, streamers, glue, coloured paper and the list just goes on and on...-With wings, legs and antennae, it was a free for all...-Some were larger than others, yet each student was able to articulate the "special" features their bug had.-Many were dolled up, with frills and clothes?-No two mini beasts were the same..... Each student had a passion of their own bug!
-Lady butterfly was the older of the day for this student above....

-This bug had beady eyes and aeroplane wings..... as well as a stinger! Ouch!!!

Dragons- Art Element Line

Today's session was all about the Art Element- LINE........ I had the Year 6 students focus on line as the driving force in this activity. It was simple, straight forward and the subject was DRAGONS. How I love dragons, to me they are mythical, imaginary, unique and surreal. Everything about them is just special and the best part is that they can be as unique and different as you want and dream. I think these samples are rather interesting, as I did draw them my own dragon and this was what they then created after. Interesting it is, that many chose a similar pose as my own depiction..... This was not expected, I just asked that it was their own and from their own visions.

Funny how "female" dragons were fire less and "male" dragons were portrayed as evil and fire breathing!!! Happy dragon drawing.....

Washi Folded Paper Dolls

These are the spoils of one of my Year 6 class of paper folded Japanese washi dolls. The students decided to stick them into the table so I could photograph them at the end of the class. They were so happy with them that they tripped ever so lightly out of the class. It was a marathon to finish in the allotted time and the photos don't even begin to convey the amount of work involved in their creation. Both sides of the Japanese washi dolls were executed well and it was a real experience in listening and following directions. Quite a set activity but well worth it. Even my classroom was spotless when we packed up... look at those tables shine!
Look at the cute faces, each different and each quirky in their own unique way.....