Kandinsky Extension Activities

Wassily Kandinsky's abstract art was fun to explore together.  Take a look at the great Random Acts of Kindness cards that we made.  Aren't they wonderful?  It will be fun to hand them out next month.  Start thinking about some ways to use them!

Compared to many of the other famous artists we have studied, there aren't a whole lot of Kandinsky  resources available for kids.  If this subject has captured your child's interest here is where I would start:

Read:

Kandinsky 1866-1944 A Revolution in Painting by Hajo Duchting
Color Your Own Abstract Art Masterpieces a Dover Art coloring book
What's the Big Idea?: Activities and Adventures in Abstract Art by Joyce Raimondo

Explore the Web:

Making Art Fun has a few fun Kandinsky resources including a word-search and coloring page.  (Parents, there are advertisements on this page, and one in particular looked like a game when I last was there.  I would preview it before allowing the kids on this site.)

Watch:

Want to see Kandinsky in action?  Check out this old silent movie from 1926.

Create:

Ready to make some more art?  Try using your oil pastels to write your name in an abstract style.  K-6 has some fun instructions.  Remember, pastels are not crayons.  Peel off the paper and use them sideways sometimes, and don't forget to blend the colors together!

You can also take a look at some of the other oil pastel ideas we have used over the years.

Have fun!

January - Wassily Kandinsky

Welcome back to Sketch! I am so excited for Friday's class.

A few housekeeping details: When you arrive, please have your registration form and payment ready. You will need these as you enter the door.

 For those of you joining us for the first time, our church is part of an office building. As strange as it sounds, please do not enter through the front door. It is locked at night. The easiest way to enter the building is to park in the side lot and enter through that door. You will see a banner that says "New Hope Christian Fellowship." You can find driving directions on our class site.

Each month I will be sending you an image to study prior to class. This will help your child to become familiar with the artist, and will give them time to really appreciate the different techniques that are used. Please place it where your child will see it often. Personally, I like to purchase copies of each month's art and place it beside the children's bathroom mirror where they can look at it while brushing their teeth. This may seem a bit irreverent, but really, where else will they have time to simply gaze at a picture several times every single day? Other options include sliding it inside the front cover of the child's favorite school binder, posting it on the refrigerator with magnets, or using it as the screen saver on your computer.

This month we are going to be looking at the work of:

Wassily Kandinsky

(1866-1944)
Russian

 Okay, first things first. Yes, his name really is Wassily, and it truly is a kinda' silly name. Makes me giggle every time. It is pronounced [vas-sil-lee] in the American version of Russian, and that is about as good as you will hear from me, no matter how hard I try. If you'd like to hear it pronounced properly, you can listen here.

To prepare your student for this month's class, please place "Improvisation 31" (which is commonly referred to as "Sea Battle")  in a location where your child will see if often.

Click here for an enlarged version.

This month we will be making small "random acts of kindness" cards using our pastels, that you will be able to surprise friends and even strangers with.  You will need to bring the following supplies to class:

• Prang water paints, 8 color set - 1 per student
• Grumbacher round watercolor brush (size 6 to 9) - 1 per student
• Pentel oil pastels - 16 color set (Make sure to get “non toxic”) - can be shared
• Tru Ray Acid Free Construction Paper 
• 1 piece of white 12”x18” paper per student.  AT HOME, please lightly mark your paper into six equal rectangles with a pencil - Use a ruler and pencil to lightly draw a horizontal line to halve the paper.  Then make 2 vertical lines, creating 6 equal sized boxes.   See image below.
• Scotch 3M clear glue stick - can be shared
• Several paper towels
• Small container (baby food jar size) for water - 1 per student
• An everyday pencil - 1 per student

Note - As a result of your feedback, I have updated the course supply list with links to the products I suggest.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

See you on Friday, January 18th at 6:30!