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.

Scrap Faces

A simple face drawing featuring yarn hair, a bow, and colorful paper for eyes and mouth on a white background.

 The 1st graders learned about recycled art and how to use unconventional materials in art.  We read 2 books by Hanoch Piven, which feature portraits made out of objects.  The children brought in objects from home that represented aspects of…

Finished String Ball Mobiles

String Ball Mobiles of various sizes hang from the ceiling in a vibrant art installation in a room with white walls.

. We made 3 mobiles out of the string balls.  You can see my posts about the string balls here.  To make the base of the mobile, we took thick cardboard rings and wrapped fabric around them.  We secured the…

String Balls pt. 2

A person wrapping yarn around a balloon at a craft table covered with newspapers and supplies, creating String Balls.

    So, in one of my previous posts, I talked about making string balls.  All you need to do is blow up a balloon, dip yarn in glue and wrap the balloon.  When it dries, pop the balloon and take…

Art is…

Colorful text "ART IS AN EXPLOSION" with paint splatters and shapes on a white background, celebrating creativity.

The 3rd/4th grade classes thought about what art means to them.  We also read the book Art Is, by Bob Raczka.  They made a poster that used a slogan about what art can be.

The Dot

The Dot features a colorful abstract composition with various shapes and sizes of circles and polygons in bright hues on a light background.

Grade K learned about the most very basic marks in art… DOTS and CIRCLES.  The class read the book The Dot, by Peter Reynolds. They also looked at a slide show of artwork that uses dots.  These are some examples:…

1st grade Sunflowers

A drawing of two sunflowers with black centers in a blue vase, featuring green leaves in the background.

Sunflowers Last year, when the 1st graders were in kindergarten, they planted sunflower seeds in the garden in the back of the school. Over the summer, these flowers grew tall and bloomed radiantly. Each child also brought home a small…

Making a fabric cone doll

A handmade fabric cone doll with white curly hair, button eyes, a blue scarf, and a colorful outfit lies on a white surface.

I was playing around with how to make a fun art doll for 1st grade.  You will need to get either parent volunteers or older helpers to hot glue.  I am lucky to have a K-8 school where there is…

String Balls

A spherical craft made of intertwined blue and white yarn hanging from the ceiling in a cluttered room, resembling decorative balls.

I have this cool idea to make a mobile out of string balls.  It’s a project where you blow up a balloon, dip strings in glue and place around the balloon.  When the glue dries, you pop the balloon and…

How I organize my paints

plastic containers filled with various colors of paint, neatly stacked on a table.

I know many people have different ways to organize painting days.  I just pour the paints into little cups with lids.  I get them fairly cheaply from a local restaurant supply store.  The kids share the colors with the kids…

Bubble Prints!

Colorful abstract painting with splashes and circles in blue, green, pink, and yellow on a white background. Incorporating elements of Bubble Prints gives it a unique touch.

After experimenting with several ways of doing bubble prints, I think I found a way that works well.  I poured some kids bubbles into small containers.  Then, I mixed a few drops of food coloring into the containers.  The bubbles…

New School Year

A handwritten list of children's classroom rules bordered with green and blue tape, adds a touch of excitement to the new school year.

Welcome back to a new school year! Clean Classroom Origami Hanging from Ceiling Conduct Contract taped to inside of sketchbook Decorating the sketchbook covers with our names

Women Artists

Two abstract, ghostly figures: one dark with a hat, the other light and faceless, holding flowers, set against a muted background.

I would like to introduce to you some of my favorite women artists.  Molly, over at Her Speak, posted about some of her favorites.  Without further introduction, here are some to get you thinking, exploring and looking. Shinique Smith Media: …