Mary Azarian lesson extension activities

The snowflake prints that you made are stunning!  Great job!  

Complete project instructions available at libertyhillhouse.com

Mary Azarian’s beautiful painted woodcut prints highlight life in rural Vermont.  Her folk-art is featured in more than 50 books, and earned her the Caldecott medal in 1999 for her work illustrating “Snowflake Bentley.”

Read:

There are many books illustrated by Mary Azarian that you can borrow from your local library.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Snowflake Bentley  

  The Race of the Birkebeiners  

  A Christmas Like Helen's  

Watch:

Watch a video of Mary Azarian describing her work on Snowflake Bentley & other woodcuts:

Learn:

Read about Mary Azarian’s print making process

Visit the artist’s own site

Create: 

Now that you've made your own print block, you can print it as many times as you would like.  Turn it into a tee-shirt with these simple directions.

Mary Azarian

This month's featured artist is Mary Azarian.  Her beautiful wood-cuts beautifully capture the New England landscape.  I'm looking forward to creating our own Christmas gift tags!

Please take some time to study the following image before class.  Can you describe the relationship between the people in this image?

A Gardener's Alphabet
Mary Azarian

To complete this month's project you will need the following items:

• Scissors *1 per student

• 12x18" construction paper, white - cut down to 12x15" 2 sheets per student 
• 6-8 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11" scrap paper

• Crayons - minimum 8 color set, we recommend Prang *can be shared

• 9x12" Printing foam *1 sheet per student (can substitute a foam tray or plate cut flat)

• safety gloves child size *1 pair per student (optional - to keep hands clean when handling ink)

• Masking tape *can be shared

• Acrylic paint,12 piece set, we recommend Reeves *can be shared

• everyday pencil - *2 per student, any quality.  You may also want a pencil sharpener if your child tends to press very hard.

• Paint Palette (can substitute a few paper plates) *1 per student

• glue stick or white glue

Looking forward to seeing you on Friday, November 20th at 6:30!

Chagall Glass-work display

Our artwork is on display at the Bedford Public Library!  Stop by to take a look.  Hours and directions available here.

Chagall Extension Activities

Chagall was a pioneer of modern art. His brightly colored work drew from memories of his childhood, Judaism, and Russian folktales. Filled with fantastical creatures and surreal events, the creativity of these pieces continues to inspire viewers to search for meaning in his images.

Read:

A Picture for Marc  - This fictional story is based on Marc Chagall's claim that he never saw a drawing until age 16, when a classmate taught him to trace a magazine picture.

Papa Chagall, Tell Us a Story  - Reviews the life of Marc Chagall through stories that he tells his twin grandchildren.  Beautiful illustrations.

Create:

• Try making your own gravity defying drawings using these instructions Bake your art! 
• Stained glass window cookies are just as beautiful as they are delicious. Recipe

Explore:

• View images along with discussions of Chagall's work at artstory 
• Color "I and the Village" online 

Consider:  

Marc Chagall once said "When I am finishing a picture, I hold some God-made object up to it - a rock, a flower, the branch of a tree or my hand - as a final test. If the painting stands up beside a thing man cannot make, the painting is authentic. If there's a clash between the two, it's bad art." 
Do you agree?
 

Marc Chagall

We are going to be studying an early modernist who worked in almost every medium you can imagine, Marc Chagall.

Marc Chagall
1912
Calvary (Golgotha) Christus gewidmet
oil on canvas
Museum of Modern Art, New York

This month we will be working with glass. How fun is that?!  Please feel free to bring in a stroller or high chair to keep babies contained - we will do our best to keep the shards off of the floor, but I can't guarantee safety for little ones.



To complete this month's project you will need:

• glass kit - *There are a limited number of glass kits available from our supplier, if you do not see your name on this list with the correct number, please get in touch with me as soon as possible  

• Crayons - minimum 8 color set, we recommend Prang *can be shared

• White glue, 4oz *can be shared (glue sticks can not be substituted for white glue)

• Black drawing marker - a Sharpie is fine *1 per student

• safety glasses child size *1 per student

• safety gloves child size *1 pair per student

• Size 6 bright (flat) synthetic brush *1 per student

• everyday pencil -any quality

See you on October 16th at 6:30!

Renoir Lesson Extension Activities

Renoir is best known for helping to establish Impressionism.  This style concentrated on natural unposed outdoor scenes, and dappled light. Instead of focusing on details, they used quick brush strokes to capture bold color rather than precise form. Renoir’s paintings were generally devoted to pleasant scenes of children and landscapes.  

Vote:

The artwork we created this month will be printed onto gospels by the Pocket Testament League! Please volunteer to help with assembly if you can, and vote for your favorite two images.  The winning artwork will be professionally printed and distributed.

Read:

(note: the links below are affiliate links - thank you for your support.) 

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, The Primary Source Library of Famous Artists by Catherine Nichols

A simple yet detailed biography

 

Renoir and the Boy with the Long Hair by Wendy Wax

Fun story with a mixture of real art pieces and illustrations

 

Play:

• Do you know where impressionism started?  Check out these great maps, and play online games
• Learn vocabulary - print your own word search
• Watch to learn more about the beginning of impressionism

Create:

• If you missed class, full instructions are available: Renoir inspired artwork
• Don't forget to take out your supplies and experiment with them!  Lots of great oil pastel and watercolor resist inspiration is available here
  

Consider:

Renoir once wrote, “I believe that I am nearer to God by being humble before this splendor (nature); by accepting the role I have been given to play in life; by honoring this majesty without self-interest, and, above all, without asking for anything, being confident that He who has created everything has forgotten nothing.” -source

What helps you to feel near to God?

Look up the word humility.  Do you think it is an important trait?

Pierre Auguste Renoir

Welcome to the 6th season of SKETCH!!!  I am thrilled to be able to share yet another year with you learning about amazing artists and their work.

Our first class is always a bit busy with supply distribution and introductory information.  I appreciate everyone's patience as we get started.  

Feel free to enter through either the front or the side door of the church. (directions here) I will have the registration table set up in the sanctuary, so just stop by on your way in and choose any table you'd like to work at.

When you arrive please sign-in and write name-tags for each child (and parents too!).  I try to use the kids' names as often as possible, but fully admit that I don't have everyone memorized despite my best efforts.  You can then pick up any materials that you ordered.  It is essential that you check your order for accuracy.  I will include a copy of your order form and will note if anything is backordered. Please let me know asap if there are materials that you are missing.

Self Portrait
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
1910
Oil on Canvas
Private Collection

PICTURE STUDY:

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. These are low resolution, and can be printed for educational purposes only.  If you are looking for art to decorate your home, please purchase prints.  The artists and museums will appreciate your support.

Place the assigned image where your child will see it often. Personally, I like to hang prints 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:

Pierre-Auguste Renoir 

February 25, 1841 – December 3, 1919

French

Impressionist

Girl with a Watering Can
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
1876
Oil on Canvas
National Gallery of Art

We will be learning about impressionism as we create using a resist technique with oil pastels & watercolors. 

Supplies:

You do not need to bring every item on our supply list to class each month.  In order to complete this month's project each student will need to bring to class:

• Watercolors - 8 color set, we recommend Prang  *can be shared
• White glue, 4oz  or glue stick *can be shared
• Water brush medium point *1 per student (Note: this is not the same as a watercolor brush) click through to see exactly what is recommended for the class.  If you can not find a water brush students may use any brush, however the techniques you will use in class will be a bit different.  Please come with your water brush filled - they do not leak when capped properly.
• 9x12" Watercolor paper - 1 sheet per student
• Oil Pastels, 12 piece set, we recommend Pentel *can be shared
• Masking tape *can be shared
• everyday pencil of any quality for use on introductory exercises 
• Crayons - minimum 8 color set, we recommend Prang *can be shared for use on introductory exercises (crayons do not need to be new)

Optional supplies:

• Case large enough to hold & carry all of your supplies
• 14x20” cardboard folder to protect artwork
• Small package of baby wipes or paper towels to keep fingers clean

Parents, please remember that this is not a drop-off group.  Come prepared to enjoy working alongside your child.

See you at 6:30 on Friday, September 25th!