We all hate to toss old brushes and we've all seen the Pinterest posts of jewelry and crafts made from old brushes, but here's another option, particularly for the larger brushes. These are some I save up over the years, and to be honest, many were still fine, but I've been itching to do this project for a while now with my 7 to 12 year olds.

This project can still be done with new brushes you can easily find at the Dollar Store. I get my budget brushes through Nasco, and with their 20% off code, it's less than the Dollar Store.
 
I have students choose a brush and trace it onto sketch paper. Then we talk about all the possibilities. Having some sketches on hand may be helpful based on your own personality as the teacher.
 
1. You as a future artist, paint splotches and all.
2. A paintbrush muse to inspire your creative spirit.
3. Create a paintbrush portrait of a famous artist.
4. A monster to blame for when your art doesn't go as planned.
 
Each lends itself to additional connections. Careers in art, Greek & Roman mythology, art history connections, or just silliness, respectively.
 
The nice thing about this little project is that there are many different media you can use for the 3D effect: Sculpt-it, Model Magic, Salt Dough, Air-Dry Clays, Paper Mache Pulp, Plaster, Acrylic Modeling Paste, etc. (We even used Wonder Bread kneaded with white glue as a base!) Each student had about enough to fill a 4 oz paint cup and it turned out to often be too much. So this exploration will use up all your material.
 
Paint it up with whatever you have as well. Add little bobbles and trinkets if you have any handy. When appropriate, some even gave their brush a bit of a haircut!
 
This was a lot of fun, and I may incorporate more recycling in the next go-round.

​I have been thinking about this project for a few years now, but have not found a good way to incorporate paintings with texture in a large class until I found Nasco's Acrylic Model Paste (No commission paid to mention their product, I just like it.)
 
Paint with a heavy body is too expensive to buy for a whole class. I tried mixing paints with plaster which was too brittle. Flour was bad, and colors with both were far too pastel. Then I thought, "why not paint with texture first, then paint over that?!" It seemed to work, and I was able to really focus on texture as an art element. We used brushes to apply the acrylic paste dispensed on paper plates. I cut popsicle sticks to a wedge point on one end to use as a pseudo-pallet knife. I worried that the kids would use too much paste and I might not have enough, but most used a tablespoon or two on our 6 x 8 in. canvases.
 
I have a collection of images for students to choose from and our motivation was to pick an image that would be the beautiful view you'd like out of your vacation home window. This way they had a broad choice. I could also see having students look up landscapes or landmarks from their own cultural backgrounds, researched and printed out as references. Whatever they use, there should be a way to make a personal tie-in so that all have a reference that means something to each individual rather than forcing them to paint what you have chosen for them. This could also work as a plein air impressionism project should you be able to take your class outdoors. 

​The acrylic paste dried faster than expected and students were able to add color the next day. I use foil over heavy duty paper plates as pallets and sorted students by color choices. All the sunset themed painters sat at one group (Reds, oranges, yellows, black), beach scenes at another (Browns, blues, and aquas), jungle and forest at a third (Browns, greens, yellows, & blues). This way they could share pallets of colors and we had little waste. At the end of each session, I coverd pallets with kitchen plastic wrap to stay fresh daily.
 
The examples below were by students ranging in age of 7 through 16 at my summer art camp program. This will definitely be something I will do in my school classroom this coming year. 

FYI: I will be taking a much deserved vacation, and will be gone from this site until late August. If you have enjoyed my posts and would like more in-depth resources, feel free to browse the links to my posters and books to the right of this webpage. If you have an Amazon account, all my books are there too. I hope to have some more amazing stuff to share soon based on my upcoming adventure to Oaxaca and other locations.

​In the last couple of years I have discovered that Sharpie markers on Plexiglas print fairly well using my small etching press. Even without a press there are ways to also monoprint with Sharpie. The key is using rubbing alcohol. (Metallic colored Sharpies do not print well though.)
 
For the cleanest prints, an etching press works best. You put a spray nozzle on bottle of rubbing alcohol, spritz the paper evenly with 6 to 8 sprays. Wait till all the shiny puddles soak in fully, then put the paper on top of the image, and run it through the press. The bold Sharpie colors transfer really well.
 
Without a press, tape the printing paper to one edge of the Plexiglass. Put the plate and paper flat on a table and mist the plastic side with the alcohol. Turn the paper over onto the plate along the taped hinge and press firmly on the back to transfer the image. This will give it a slightly fuzzy print, but the transfer is pretty easy. The tape helps pull a neat print and minimizes "shimmy" or jitter while printing.
 
The nice thing about Plexiglas is that one can trace. We have done animals from magazines, combined animals to make new creatures, traced self-portraits and used color expressively, but the most fun we have had was with our squish face prints.
 
Have one student hold the plastic tightly against their face, twisting or pushing the plastic may give an extra stretch to the image. Their partner traces their features with Sharpie, and we use the press to print. Plates are easily cleaned with the same rubbing alcohol and a tissue or rag. (Room should have good airflow for this exploration.)

​After printing, images can be colored in with nearly any media to create expressive portraits.

​Helpful Tip: When tracing and coloring on Plexiglas with Sharpie, the instinct is to trace and then color. Because new sharpie re-activates older sharpie it is better to color in first, and outline last.

Here are some other images we have created with this same media technique.

This lesson is an example of an art teacher inspired by another, and in turn inspiring my own take on this exploration. Sarah Matthews called them "Scrappy Creatures" in her presentation in Virginia that was attended by Lee Darter who posted about the workshop on Facebook, where I happened to spot the post. As I share it with you, I hope these little delights spread. They are fun, offer several educational connections, and can be done by a broad selection of students.
 
As I share what I did, I made sure to note alternative media and methods. I am a big fan of Nasco, so I have links to their products should you need some materials for this. I am not earning any "kickbacks," and always recommend you call ahead of ordering and ask for free shipping and a 20% off discount code when ordering. Many of the alternate materials can be obtained for free anyway. In my example, I used polyester stuffing, but if you would like to incorporate more recycling, I could have swapped that out for plastic shopping bags. (I just didn't have enough for a whole class)
 
Wrapping and recycling are methods and techniques used by quite a few artists including Christo & Jeanne-Claude's early work, sculptures by Judith Scott, and contemporary artist Jean Draper. 

There are many potential learning opportunities...

• Research an animal that best emulates their personality
• Recycling and its importance
• Artists Christo & Jeanne-Claude, Judith Scott, and, Jean Draper
• Vocabulary: Armature, Bind, Emulate, Recycle

 
Visual Arts National Anchor Standards
Creating:
#1: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
#2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
#3. Refine and complete artistic work.
Performing:
#6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
Responding:
#8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
Connecting:
#10. Synthesize and relate knowledge and personal experiences to make art.
#11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.

The Exploration:
 
It is important that each work be unique to its maker, so students should start by making a list of 5 action words (adjectives) they feel describe themselves. Then looking at that list, decide what animal has all or some of those attributes. This ensures individualized outcomes.
 
Students then do a simple sketch of that animal showing legs, tail, ears. The instructor should do a large sketch as well.
 
(If you have made an example, this is the time you can show it. Do not show it before students have chosen animals or many may copy it.)
 
Explain that the animal needs a skeleton, but in sculpture we call it an armature. The best armature is one that is made from a single wire without any breaks. It is helpful to have students draw a single line armature ON their sketches so they can get an idea of how it might look. Let students know that the wire allows the animal to be posed. 

​Decide how large sculptures should be. I tell my students it should fit inside a basketball. I cut the wire into 3ft sections for them to work with. I have my students hold their wire low and under the table to protect their eyes. In a crowded class, eye protection may be necessary. It's quite possible your school's science teachers have some you could borrow.
 
When armatures are complete, tape corners and connections so they don't move. Then add bundles of polyester fill (or plastic grocery bags) to the fatter areas of the bodies like the head or belly. Thinner body parts don't need filler. 

Wrap all this with long strips of fabric. (aprox. 4inches wide) Stretchy fabric works best for the first bindings. use up bland colors for this because they will be covered up. Tuck ends of strips into previous wrapping for a flat surface. Cover all wire and fill. 

​When the basic shape is achieved, begin to cover the body with scraps of colorful fabric in patches. we used small squares about 4 x 4 inches, but odd shapes work well too. Use yarn to bind these pieces tightly on the surface. Yarn should be used in one continuous piece if at all possible.

Helpful Tip: I got the cheapest stretch polyester fabric from Walmart (99 cents a yard!) , folded it, and and cut it into strips with my paper guillotine. This worked wonders for the initial layer. That said, you can totally just wrap strips and scraps of fabric. I was under a time crunch, so this was a big help to me.

​I am going to end this post with images of my student's work and a list of supplies. I'm starting with the bunny from my example. I found a pocket mixed in with the scraps of fabric, and used some hot glue to put it on the back of my bunny so it has a functional pocket. There are so many opportunities to add fun little items like this to these "Ragimals!"

Materials list
Polyester Stuffing (or recycled Shopping Bags)
Aluminum Armature Wire (or wire clothes hangers)
Wire Cutter(s)
Masking Tape
Fabric Squares (or old clothing cut into strips)
and/or Binding Fabric (cut into aprox. 4" x 48" strips)
Yarn,  or Yarn, or Yarn
Eye protection (or borrow from science lab in school)

A Member of the Art Ed Blogger's Network: Topic - First Day of School

First impressions matter and set the tone for the rest of the year. As students enter, they have certain expectations and questions.
 
After nearly 30 years in the classroom, I have a routine.

• I have assigned seats ready as they enter.
• I introduce myself briefly.
• I go over the class rules on the first day because issues can arise.
• I show the video below to more fully introduce myself.
• I hand every student THIS first day survey and assignment.

September 2017, I created this video (above) as a way to introduce myself to my students. I will update it at some point, but a video slide show may be a good way to let students know about you.
 
My second day is when I cover the topic of "why is art an important subject." After years and years of saying the same thing, I have made these posters and go over them with my class.

​I also explain that I understand that only 10% of my students may consider an art-related career, and another 10% likely do not want to be in this class. The rest are generally happy to have some fun making art. I say, "I need you to understand this important point: If you try, you will not fail. The only students who fail, are those that refuse to participate. I try to make projects fun to explore and easy enough so that everyone will find some kind of success, but the main point is that if you try, you will not fail. If we do portraits, and yours  comes out looking like and alien pickle, don't worry. If your alien pickle is neat, complete, original, and you followed directions to the best of your ability, you can still earn an "A."

For new teachers... 
​I'll add this from my Classroom Management information on my blog:

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

One of the great “Truths” about teaching is it is easier to come on strong and loosen up later.  Displaying your rules in the bulletin board can be an effective reminder of your expectations.

It is always difficult to crack down on bad behavior that you have let escalate. If you set a tone of control, organization, and consistency from day one, it is easier to nip these bad behaviors early. As the year progresses their behavior will be more controlled. As it does, you can loosen the constraints a bit. This does not mean to become lax; but seating assignments can change, maybe music can be played during individual work-time. It can take the form you feel a more “relaxed” situation should be with you in charge.

The beginning of the year is the time to set strict rules and follow through on consequences. It is your time to learn about the individual needs of your students and build relationships. It is your time to find out what motivates them.

Don’t be a “Friend,” be a Teacher OR, Being Fair vs Being Liked

If one of your goals is that you are “liked” by students, you have a long and painful road ahead.

If you are fair, consistent, and respectful of your students, students will like you, but it should never be a goal. Your primary goal is to teach your subject matter and manage your room. It is what you are paid to do and there is nobility in this profession of education.

Personally, I would much more appreciate that my students respect me than like me. 

As teachers, we see unmanageable students from time to time, with parents that have no sympathy or respect for what we do. Some joke that “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” but my own experience is that many of these issues stem from “Friendship Parenting.” Most parents do not receive the training we do about behavior modification, positive reinforcement, and enforcing consequences for choices. They may not have come out of good family situations themselves.

These are the parents that base their discipline on how their children will feel about their parenting. They are afraid they will come off as mean. They want their kids to be their friends, so they are overly lenient and do not set clear boundaries nor do they follow-through in a consistent way with consequences. This sets up a pattern of confusion as expectations cannot be gauged.

These are the parents that agree with their child when a student says, “Mr. So-and-so hates me!” They call, they yell, they assume you are “out to get” their child, when all you are doing is being clear about expectations and holding them to the boundaries you have set. In these cases you should make your supervisor aware of these communications. If they are sent via e-mail, send a copy of all correspondence to your director as well. Do not be an island, especially if you do not have tenure.

​I have nothing against crafts. I even wrote THIS book on how to explore cultural crafts. They are a valuable way to learn about the art of cultures in a very hands-on way. I feel though, with a little planning, crafts can become expressive works of "ART." My best go-to for turning a craft into art is "The Emotional Color Wheel" book. There are 2 posters as well that can be great visual helpers in a classroom setting, and apply to far more classroom projects.
 
In this particular lesson, I partnered with my Latin American students who taught us about the traditions of the Ojo de Dios.  I then had students write 5 words they felt described themselves. (I model this by listing my five words so they understand.) Then another 3 to describe how they perceive their future. (Again, I do the same). We ended with 2 more words to describe their family dynamic.

We paused as I read through the book, referencing the poster as a place to reference if they needed help. It's fairly intuitive, Red = Blood, so it is the most angry color. Orange is like a hot stove burner, so potentially dangerous, but also helpful. Yellow like the sun is joyful and warm. Green, like vegetables, is healthy and represents growth. Blue is life-giving and cool. Purple is calm and quiet. Gray is strong like stone, but boring. Brown is like dirt, full of potential but needs hard work to flourish. Black is not evil, but full of mystery. Gold for riches and achievements. Silver for metallic strength, technology... and the list goes on and on.

You can see that this idea of tying colors and shapes to emotional values could be used in ANY craft-related project. Baskets woven with family descriptions, pinch-pots with points of view, or fiber-works that tell a story as vivid as Madame Defarge's in The Tale of Two Cities. I have more examples of using color and shape expressively in THIS POST as well.
 
The Emotional Color Wheel is a book I wrote and can be had on Amazon, or via NASCO with school funds, or direct from the publisher at 30% off at the bottom of the page HERE.
 
I have 2 helpful posters on my Zazzle page. I always suggest you get it when Zazzle runs a sale, which is pretty often. One focuses on both color and shape, while the other included more detailed information about color.
 
Before you think that my color research is based on opinion, I spent several years researching the topic of color and related emotional values. In the book I make note of cultural differences, like how red is universally thought of as blood, but in China, it is the color of joy and weddings. You can use these resources to go as deeply as you like. This is a lesson I have taught for more than 20 years, with resources I created myself and have now begun to publish as I near retirement. I hope you find them as helpful as I have.

​Every year I close out my intro classes with an art history review. We break into teams and I give each team a set of cards with 13 major styles of art from the Renaissance through Pop Art. My flowchart can be seen below, and more info about it HERE. A poster version is HERE.

I find that this helps students break down the essentials of an image and put it into perspective. 13 styles of art may not seem like much, but it's a good start. As my students make their way through my program I differentiate more, like talking about the differences between Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. For my more advanced classes I use a THIS chart which is more complex. It's hard to see any detail in the preview but here a couple of close-up images below.

It's fine for students to memorize dates and facts, but I find they "get" more out of it by putting ideas into practice. It also helps students compare and contrast at a much deeper level. They spend more time digging up nuances visually before making a determination. Some visit me years after my class telling me about recent museum visits and how they corrected their parents or friends on what they saw. 

“Categorization also facilitates the storage and retrieval of information, and it supplies a principle of organization by which new information can be banked efficiently in memory.” (Bornstein, Arterberry, 2010).