Marcia

Marcia

Marcia is an elementary art teacher and loves painting, drawing, sculpture, art journaling and clay. Her blog, Art is Basic, features many exciting art projects for kids.

Top Art Ed blogs

I’m a finalist for one of the top Art Education blogs on Jessica’s website.  If you’ve enjoyed reading my blog, take a second and vote for me!   Also, be sure to check out all of the other blogs, as every…

A free guided drawing book

Stack of drawing guidebooks with purple covers, featuring titles like "Guided Drawing" and "How to Draw a Fish," offering insight into the world of artistry.

Check out this really cool FREE downloadable guided drawing book from Fairy Dust Teaching. Click on over to her website to get the lovely book.  I’m going to print this out and have it in my drawing book section for…

Free Workshop from Strathmore

A colorful abstract painting on paper showcases various shapes and patterns in shades of pink, blue, and purple, featuring the word "think.

This is a repost from my personal blog! I’ve been having lots of fun with Traci Bautista’s online workshop at Strathmore.  Strathmore has a series of FREE online workshops with videos and pdfs.  If you haven’t heard about it, you…

Kindergarten Clay

Red ceramic heart with textured lines and a purple yarn loop for hanging, perfect for a kindergarten art project.

The kindergartners made two clay projects before break.  They made little pinch pots and pressed shells on the sides for texture.  We glazed these with Stroke and Coat glaze. We also made these fun coiled hearts. 1.  Demonstrate how to…

An Ancient Clay Trick

A roughly shaped clay bowl on a tan surface, with small dark spots around it.

In my college clay class I learned this extremely valuable clay trick.  One of my students called it an “ancient clay secret” so I like to call it that too.  This technique may be one that is known to you,…

Buildings in Perspective: 1st Grade

Colorful 1st-grade drawing of a city skyline with buildings in the foreground and the sun in the top right corner.

This was a project that my first graders started when I was absent from school.  I printed off the handout from Art Projects for Kids and the children got their first introduction to perspective.  Thanks for the great project!

Featuring Magazine

Magazine cover with the title "Featuring: Art Journaling, Mixed Media & More" and vibrant artwork in the background.

Have you heard about Featuring Magazine?In the Spring of 2012, an inspiring magazine will see the light: FEATURING.FEATURING is a printed magazine that can be ordered online only.FEATURING will appear as a quarterly publication. I am pleased to tell you…

Painted Korhogo Cloths– 3rd Grade

Child's colorful drawing of a person with flowers and a vibrant angular border.

This project focused on how symbols and designs are used in African art.  The students designed their own painted Korhogo cloth.  They decorated the border with symbols and drew their main figure with Sharpie.  Then, they added paint with watercolors.  1. …

Year in Review

Abstract art featuring a black letter "P," symbols, and vibrant blocks of blue, red, and yellow. Signed "Patrick" at the bottom.

It’s been a great year at Art is Basic.  We’ve made tons of colorful art and expanded our skills.  My blog now has over 300 followers, which is super cool and way more than I ever thought would look at…