La Primavera Renaissance Figure and Background

Botticelli painted Primavera sometime between 1477 and 1482, probably for the marriage of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco, Lorenzo Medici's cousin. The date is just one of the many facts surrounding the painting that remain unclear. For starters, its original title is unknown; it was first called La Primavera by the artist/art historian Giorgio Vasari, who only saw it some 70 years after it was painted. While it’s generally agreed that on one level Primavera depicts themes of love and marriage and fertility, the work’s precise meaning continues to be debated. Here’s what we think we know:

Primavera depicts a group of figures in an orange grove (which may reflect the fact that the Medici family had adopted the orange tree as its family symbol). To the far left of the painting stands Mercury dissipating the clouds of winter with his staff for spring to come.

Next to Mercury stand the Three Graces, who represent the feminine virtues of Chastity, Beauty, and Love; the pearls on their heads symbolize purity.

Next to them, in the center of the composition, is the Roman goddess Venus, who protects and cares for the institution of marriage. Above her is her son, cupid, blindfolded as he shoots his arrows of love towards the Three Graces.

On the far right of the painting, we see Zephyrus, the west wind, pursuing a nymph named Chloris. After he succeeds in reaching her, Chloris transforms into Flora, goddess of spring. The transformation is indicated by the flowers coming out of Chloris’s mouth. Flora scatters the flowers she gathered on her dress, symbolizing springtime and fertility.

We'll begin by creating a proportional figure.

Video on how to draw a proportional figure video

or you can print out this image at full size and use it (after you glue the pieces together).

Here are clothing examples of how you can dress your figures.

 

NOW FOR THE BACKGROUND

You will need a piece of paper, a set of watercolors, a paintbrush, black paint, black crayola marker, and a circle template of some sort.

Today we're going to create the background for our proportional figure.  Please watch the TWO videos below in order to finish your backgrounds.

Watercoloring the background video

Creating the trees for your background video

Have fun creating.

Toilet Paper Bird Sculpture

 In the youtube video I will give you tips and tricks to making a better toilet paper sculpture. Take your time and try not to overwet the TP. If you do, you can squeeze it out and add more dry paper.

HOW TO MAKE A TISSUE PAPER BIRD SCULPTURE

You can choose to make any type of sculpture that you would like. I just thought that I might make these into Christmas ornaments.

Little Owl's Night Fun Shape Collage

 Little Owl's Night Read Along 

The youtube video will walk you through the creation of this cute little owl. You can find the book by Divya Srinivasan online or in book stores.

It is a sweet story.

Little Owl Collage Video

Georgia O'Keeffe

The Artist Who Loved New Mexico’s Landscape: 

Georgia O’Keeffe 

Georgia O’Keeffe is a very famous American artist who loved to paint nature such as flowers and desert landscapes.  She simplified the shape of flowers and landscapes in unique ways.  She would paint close-ups of different flowers.  She filled a big canvas with one flower painting.  She often said that she wanted to capture the beauty of a flower, color, and form on canvas.  Georgia first visited New Mexico in 1916.  She loved New Mexico’s desert landscape, so she decided to permanently move to New Mexico and continued her work.  She said, “As soon as I saw it, that was my country.  I’d never seen anything like it before, but it fitted to me exactly.  There is something that’s in the air, it’s just different.  The sky is different the starts are different, the wind is different”.   

This video explains more about Georgia O’Keeffe’s life story and artwork.  Enjoy! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djkXEYLkB08  

These are Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings of flowers and the landscapes of New Mexico.  

     

Art Activity: Drawing and coloring a flower or tree leaf like Georgia O’Keeffe 

Materials: white paper, crayons or colored pencils, pencils, erasers 

Find and pick a flower or tree leaf that you found inside or out in your backyard.  Draw a large close-up of the flower or leaf.  Then color your drawing. Think about different colors and forms.  Try to express the beauty of the flower or leaf like Georgia! 

Teacher Example: 

Have fun creating.

  

Painting unrealistic things: Salvador Dali 

by Soo Song

Salvador Dali was a Spanish artist. He painted dreams, fantasies, and random objects

such as clocks, clouds, or elephants in unnatural ways.

In his paintings, a clock is melting, clouds look like faces,

or elephants have long legs like a giraffe.

He combined things and created new places and creatures that cannot exist in the real world.

People called this kind of painting style “surrealism”.

Surrealism was an art movement where an artist drew unreal things in real-life settings.

Salvador Dali’s paintings offered inspiration to many other artists. 

This video explains the meaning of surrealism and introduces other surrealistic artists. Enjoy!

 The artist Salvador Dali

These are Dali’s surrealistic artworks!

 

Art Activity 

Let’s create an unrealistic animal creature like Dali. 

Materials: a piece of white paper, pencils, an eraser, crayons, or colored pencils. 

Instruction: 

1. Think of three different animals.
2. Fold the paper evenly into three sections.
3. Unfold the paper and place it vertically (hot dog style).
4. Draw the head of one of the animals you chose in the top section of the paper.
5. Draw the body of the second animal you chose in the middle section of the paper.
6. Draw the third animal’s feet in the bottom section of the paper.
7. Color! 

This is the instruction video. Watch it and have a fun time drawing! 

Make a Surreal Animal

 

Picasso Bouquet of Peace for Mother's Day

This above artwork was created by Pablo Picasso in 1958. It is called "Bouquet of Peace".

In the artwork, it looks like one person may be handing another a bouquet or a bunch of flowers.

There are many different types of LINES in this artwork. There are horizontal lines, verticle lines, diagonal lines, thick lines, and thin lines. All of these lines come together to make a beautiful picture.

We are going to trace a line around our hand to make a picture like Picasso's.

Picasso believed in promoting harmony among all people, which is what the two hands holding the flowers symbolize. Picasso painted chunky hands that grip the flowers tightly. Various interpretations come from this painting of two people holding a bouquet of flowers. One person may be passing it to the other or two individuals may just be holding the bouquet symbolically. Whichever the case, the Hands with Flowers represent sharing, love, and friendship. Flowers have always had a positive feeling attached to them. They are used to show gratitude, love, and joy, among other sentiments. By drawing the painting for the peace movement in Sweden, Picasso was encouraging people to stay good to one another even with the turmoil going on at the time. The two hands signify unity while the flowers evoke cheerful emotions. The white background allows the bold colors of the flower petals to jump out of the painting.

Supplies you will need: 

A marker or pen to trace around your hand

Colored or patterned papers

Please watch this short video from Mrs. Buck to see how to make your own painted paper for this project, MAKE YOUR OWN PAINTED PAPER

You can also use magazine pages for pretty colored papers or patterned papers you like

Scissors

A green marker or crayon for the flower stems

Glue

Video on how to make the handheld flower bouquet

https://youtu.be/Ly5ioO8CTiI

You will begin by tracing around your hand while it rests on the paper.

Next, you will draw the stems that look like they are in the hand.

Gather your patterned or painted paper.

Cut out flower shapes from the papers.

Glue the flowers cut-outs to the tops of the stems.

If you would like to, write "Happy Mother's Day" on your artwork.

Don't forget to sign your name. The artist must always sign their artwork.

I hope you had fun creating this work of art using lines and the collage method of art. 

You can always email me a picture of what you are working on.

Keep creating and have a great day.

Drawing a Keith Haring Figure
an art lesson by Soo Song

Keith Haring, an American artist, was very famous for his graffiti-inspired drawings during the 1980s. His work started on the streets of New York City. He chalked simple outlines of dogs, people, or stylized images on blank black advertising panels on station walls. He often used bright and vivid colors. He loved to include a sense of humor and fun imagination in his work, but his art had important social and political messages in it as well.

Watch this YouTube video. It talks about his life and artwork.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nscsx9NldA


Do you see the bright and vivid colors in his paintings? I love the bright yellow, red, green, blue, and purple.
Do you think that the figures in the painting are standing still or moving? I see figures putting arms around each other’s shoulders, dancing, holding a big heart on their shoulders, or pulling a ribbon in the painting. There is a lot of movement going on in his art!

Art Activity
Let’s draw Keith Haring inspired figures. The art supplies you will need are paper, pencil,
eraser, colored markers or crayons.
1. Draw a stick figure doing a fun dance move. (follow the video link below for a step by step example)
2. Draw an outline around the figure.
3. Erase the stick figure.
4. Redraw the lines outside if needed.
5. Color the figure.
6. Outline the figure in black.
7. Draw small lines around the figure to show movement.
Watch the video down below to see a step by step example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmhadrYdTVU&feature=youtu.be

Some may find it easier to draw the black outline first and then color the inside. See which way works best for you.

Simple Origami House-Quarantine

Hello my most amazing art students!

How are you today?

We all have been spending a lot of time in our homes lately due to the Coronavirus quarantine.

I have seen cute house projects all over the web. This simple origami fold house is one of them. 

We can honor our homes and al the ways we love them in this simple project.

Please follow the YouTube link below for a quick tutorial on how to fold the house. The only thing you need to start is a piece of 8.5"x11" piece of paper (copy paper).

Afterward you can decorate it any way you like.

I used markers and stickers to decorate my house as well as some colored papers added for doors.

I can't wait to see all of the houses you create. Email me or tag me on Instagram. You can even make a small village of houses for your little people. 

Keep creating.

Wayne Thiebauld Sweet Drawing Lesson

A Sweet Sweet Painting: Wayne Thiebaud

a lesson by visiting teacher Soo Song

Wayne Thiebaud is an American painter who is living in California. He is very famous for painting sweet treats such as cakes, pies, ice cream cones, gumball machines, and candy. Many of his sweet treat paintings are related to his childhood memories of bakeries and diners. He says, “you take a lemon meringue pie. It’s quite a beautiful thing…it’s more than just a subject, it’s also a kind of relationship to the paint itself. You really feel like you’re sort of making the meringue and…working with the pie”. 

Watch this YouTube video. You can learn more about his artwork.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1p65qog__Y

Here are some of his paintings:

Wayne Thiebaud arranged the desserts like bakers do for a window display. The desserts are drawn

multiple times. He drew shadows for each dessert. The shadows make the desserts look like they are

on top of a flat surface.

Art Activity For K‐3rd Grade Students

Do you like gumball machines? I bet you do. Let’s make your own gumball machine.

Material: yogurt lid, coins, pencil, eraser, crayons or markers

Watch the video below. It will tell you how to draw a gumball machine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl60bqv064o

Teacher Example 

Art Activity For 4‐6th Grade Students

Materials: paper, crayons, markers, or watercolor paint.

1. Imagine that you are at a famous bakery. You smell the sweetness of the desserts in

the shop. You see a gumball machine in the right corner of the shop.

2. Pick a sweet dessert that you want to draw. (If you would like to draw a gumball machine, click the Youtube link above.)

3. Draw the dessert you chose four times.

4. Color the four desserts you drew with different colors.

5. Draw the shadow of the dessert like Wayne Thiebaud did.

Teacher Example

Thanks Soo!

Don't forget to email your art to Mrs. Buck or post it on instagram. 

Always keep creating!