First? Day of Summer

This week my art classes wrapped up their HAND projects (mostly)! I challenged my older student doing a project called "Designer Hands". It begins with drawing a hand holding a writing utensil and then copying it at least two other times. 

Then the fun part begins with her choice of squares or circles (she chose circles) in the background and she can embellish them however she wished.  You can also see the other examples of the similar projects next to her as we scouted for ideas and other inspiration.

Her beautiful finished work is top, left.

I had my younger students on a project called "Textured Hands". This is fun because they stillg et to draw their hand, but they're a little young for the challenge of proportions. Therefore, they get to trace their hand and thenput it in whatever environment they choose. We enjoyed looking at these below examples for inspiration!

Textured Hand 'In Progress'

His Textured Hand "In Progress"

Our 9 year old's completed "Textured Hand"

Our 6 year old's Textured Hand Project

My Textured Hand in Progress

Today is the first day of Summer and it really shouldn't mean anything around here. Summer here tends to start much earlier (Um...April? If we're lucky. When it starts in March, I get really cranky!) than the earth's current position in its yearly resolution of the sun. It gets harder for me every year, but there are ways to deal.  

Here is one:

Yes, that's really my car. Sure, this method won't work everywhere unless you want parking tickets and to be towed, but it works in this particular locale. I really do feel it should be a LAW to provide covered parking everywhere or at least have trees planted all over parking lots to give off that shade.

I've even noticed that I have so much less energy. Usually when I hit the treadmill or head to aerobics, I can just go go go for the 30-60 minutes without having to stop (unless nature calls or I need more water). But lately...especially at aerobics...I'm just exhausted and I feel like a wuss going at about 60% capacity. I know it's the heat. It sucks out your reserves like a vacuum.

Plus, the cabin fever of kids in the house gets to you too. Therefore, another way to deal with the summer is obviously cooling off. We tried to deal with it today by heading to the splash zone at the mall.  Mikelle came too, but she didn't want to play in the water. 

And SOMEONE was thinking when they put that Splash Pad in.  Usually developers around here have no brains. They just want their money and then they go back to whatever other state (not this one) that they live in.  But THIS time, someone was thinking.

It's also shaded.

Now to try to head to the treadmill later...no matter how exhausted I feel...

Fathers Day 2013

As promised, here are the Fathers Day Projects my June Summer Art Students completed last week to present to their Dad's last Sunday! They reported that their Dads loved them!

The blocks with the "We Love Daddy" is by two students that are brother and sister. That way they can work on the same amount of blocks, but their Dad would get just one set. 

7 Year Old Student's Dad Blocks

6 and 9 year old Students' Dad Blocks

As for our Fathers Day, we presented Chris with an Iphone case with the below collage of pictures.  The uneven parts on the sides aren't shown on the actual gift. It's cropped in a nice even vertical rectangle on a metal plate as part of his Iphone case. 

We also gave him a funky photo holder of a shark that looks like it's eating someone (it's more funny than violent), but I didn't get the picture of it. However, I do want to order a print of this picture below of Christian and Alexander from last October for Chris to use for that photo holder:

Now for our Fathers Day pictures. When you have an almost 13 year old, it doesn't matter if you've taken these pictures every Fathers Day/Mothers Day/Easter/Christmas or what-have-you since her birth. 

She'll still act appalled when you ask her to get in the picture (and surprised that you're taking the picture and appalled that she's expected to be in it), and fight you on it even though it means you might be slightly late for church. At least it's summer and all the lucky people have left hell - I mean town - and there were still plenty of soft seats available.

The making of a Fathers Day picture:

I don't recall Christian wanting to hide. This is just what happened with this shot.

Success! Mostly...lol

Awesome Octopuses

Yesterday was class 2 of the June Art Mega-Session. The Fathers Day project is completed, but the pictures to show off their projects will have to wait until after this Sunday. 

After we finished the Fathers Day stuff, we began Awesome Octopuses. 

What better way to conquer the summer then start with "cool colors". Actually, I'm getting ahead of myself!

Here are some examples from the original lesson plan. It is from Grade 3-5 students in Wisconsin. The beauty of a mixed-media project like this is it can be modified for younger and older students.  The students start with pencil and then waterproof black ink pens to draw their 8-legged creatures. Then, the background is embellished with watercolor paint of cool colors such as purples and blues.

And as detailed below (and the first picture on this entry) is 12 year old Brooke's completed Octopus. I permitted some green to be added to the cool color palette as green can go either way. A green with blues and purples gives it a cool effect, and green with yellow and orange sends it more warm on the color wheel. 

 And just like green can go either way, so can its opposite color:Red. If you use red with the blues and purples it gives off the cool appearance as opposed to using it with oranges and yellows.

The other kids are still working on their Octopuses, which is just fine. We have plenty of time to finish them. We're not on a time crunch like the Fathers Day project that we started with. 

Sharpies are great for these kind of projects because the watercolor doesn't react to the ink and causes it to bleed or anything.

As for the home front outside of the art classes, not much is going on because we were in the 112 degree range this week. It is hard to get out and do anything, let alone want to do anything. However, Mikelle is getting ready for Girls Camp in a few weeks (her first year!) and I of course try to throw in my aerobics or treadmill session at least 5 days a week for that therapy. 

Also, one of the hosts of the yearly Halloween party commissioned me to do some artwork for his parents. Therefore, I'm also working on that. As all artworks, I'll post it when it's completed and given to the customer.

X-Man with Mom's Glasses!

The other night, however, Mikelle and I captured Alexander in his genius and comical glory once again. 

And seriously...after all the knowledge about vertical videos, Mikelle committed that transgression with this one. Oh well. The cuteness still works.

Click HERE to view!

Down to Business, Show Business and Back to Business

Today I began my third annual Summer Art classes! Sadly though, this is the last time I'll be doing it here as we'll be in Wickenburg in a year. 

I cannot really post pictures of their project, because this first one is for Fathers Day which is this weekend. So that project will have to wait until after this Sunday. 

Therefore, here's a catch-up of last month's events at the end of the school year. 

On May 18th, Mikelle had her Triple Threat/Crew Show which showcased Pop Culture and Historical Events since the 1950s. Most of the kids dressed in 80s outfits, but Mikelle wore the Groovy Hippie top and some of those duds from my Halloween 2011 costume. She was upset that I sold her 80s costume nine months ago. But I reminded her she was 10 when she wore that costume, so I doubt she would have been able to really fit into it now anyway. Plus, it was good that she and a couple other kids wore outfits from the other decades. Otherwise, it would have been an all "80s Show" despite the music and events from the preceeding decades. 

And even though she didn't want to, I had her wear her Groovy Duds a few days later so we can get a nice close-up.

The day of Mikelle's performance was interesting. We had a birthday celebration for our friend Bruce, so we basically had to leave after seeing a movie with our friends, run to Mikelle's show, and then run back to a restaurant where our group was having dinner. Now that's dedication! (as friends and parents...though the best would have been to magically have the events on different days! haha)

Birthday Bruce with his Vulcan Ears

Meanwhile, Christian dazzled us last Month by making High Honors and receiving a medal for maintaining High Honors scores for the whole school year!

May 22nd Awards Assembly - High Honors Medals

It's been quite a year for Christian! The school-wide Student of the Month for December, ELP (Gifted) Program, enjoying after school music and performances, and working hard with his grades. We are so proud of him!

With his Medal!

And I almost forgot his class performance of 101 Dalmations! He played the Black Labrador! This was cool because it was held on a Monday, so Chris was able to see it too. 

I love this above picture because of the Dalmation helping Cruella De Vil of course, but check out Christian's smile in the background. 

Christian in Character!

It was really cute little production!


And coming back tot he present, Mikelle returned from her Idaho/Wyoming trip last night. 
Yes, she wasn't too pleased that I was taking pictures at the gate. But I feel it was the least she could endure after the pat-down I had to endure going through security en rote to her gate (No, I don't have a picture or video of that). 

The culprit was the under-wire of my bra, but they still had to do the pat down. It's fine. I'm not as cranky with the TSA that many are. I'm just confused why the under-wire didn't set anything off when I was taking her to the airport about 10 days earlier. Therefore, I blame the bra brand. 

Public Service Announcement: Don't wear a Chantelle bra if you have to go through security. Other than that, I have no complaints about the Chantelle bra. They're not cheap, so they're often a tax return splurge once a year, and if I'm lucky, when they go on sale at Nordstrom in July!  I don't know yet if I get to participate in next month's sale, however.  It kind of depends how many more students I have sign up for my art classes! 

And yes, the leash came out at the airport. And I am not kidding, later Alexander jumped on the baggage carousel! 

(No, I don't have a picture or video of that)

 I insisted to make sure this moment above was captured on film (or digital data I guess....)

So now it's back to business! Surviving the Summer!