Also in time for the for the Super Bowl, our latest art lesson is inspired by the fun story, Don't Throw it To Mo! written by David Adler and illustrated by Sam Ricks. The main character is a determined young athlete who saves the day for his team. Young artists will learn about multi-media art compositions by completing this art lesson.
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Step 2: I rolled the clay into two balls and sculpted each part into rectangular prisms. I blended the two parts together and made one long base.
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Step 3: I measured the area of the clay and the spaces with the plastic knife to mark the spots for the candles. Then I took the candles and placed them on top of the base. I traced around the bottom of each candle onto the clay base.
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Step 4: After hollowing out a portion of the clay from the space for each candle using the plastic knife, I made sure to leave clay in the bottom. Using my fingers, I smoothed out each space.
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Step 5: I carved a design into the sides of the kinara using the plastic fork, end of a paintbrush and the tip of a marker.
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Nature is an amazing source of inspiration; especially autumn, with it's lovely colors and textures. The works of art displayed below, can be used to create fall inspired art lessons. Click on the links under each picture to discover art resources that will enhance your art lessons.
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We hope you all had an amazing summer. Recently, we've been thinking about and talking with other art teachers about creative clothes to wear to work. There is an old adage that says, "If you dress better, you'll feel better". With the sometimes very messy work that we do as art teachers, large class loads, staff meetings.....etc.,   our daily outfit for work is usually the last things on our minds.  Some days, just getting through the day without a student putting art tools in their mouth is a major accomplishment.  But, since visual expression and representation is a big part of what we do, maybe the old adage should be considered as we head into this new school year. Here are several tips to help you begin the new school year with a new look.
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Fashion Forward
If you enjoy dressing up a little bit more then the average person, then check out these two lovely ladies for some fashion inspiration.

​ Creative Accessories
If you're like me and have more of a "yoga pants" fashion style/preference, then colorful accessories are a great way to spruce up your work wardrobe without losing comfort.

Colorful Aprons
I tend to be a little bit messier in my artistic expression, so an art apron is a necessity for me. The fun thing about being an art teacher is that wearing an apron everyday is totally acceptable. You can purchase, paint or create your own colorful apron from an old t-shirt.

Make sure to visit our Pinterest page for more tips. Have a great school year and share your ideas for creative outfits for art teachers by commenting below.

      We love to use great children's books in the art room to foster creativity. Two of our latest art resources are inspired by two amazing children's books. The Spider Weaver: A Legend of Kente Cloth written by Margaret Musgrove and illustrated by Julia Cairns, is a wonderful story about the origins of kente cloth. After reading the story to your young artists, they will enjoy creating our 3D Spider's Colorful Web Art Lesson.
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Happy Summer!!!! We love the summer months for many reasons. While June is the month in which summer officially begins, it is also highlighted as Black Music month. Music and the visual arts go hand in hand. So this brief post will focus on several outstanding African-American artists who created beautiful art inspired by music. Click on each artist's name to see the fun art resources we offer featuring them.

Romare Bearden loved jazz music and created many spectacular works of art depicting his love for the medium.
In return, Brandford Marsalis created a jazz CD inspired by Romare Bearden's art.

Prolific artist, Laura Wheeler Waring painted this lovely portrait of renowned opera singer Marian Anderson.
​Mrs. Waring painted several beautiful portraits of famous African-Americans.

The beautiful sculpture entitled The Harp by Augusta Savage was displayed in 1939 at the Worlds Fair.
​Augusta Savage was a prolific sculptor who helped shape the Harlem Renaissance.

Who are some of your favorite artists who create art depicting musical themes? Comment below.

 Last week, we had the honor of hosting prolific artist and illustrator, Vanessa Brantley-Newton. She is an award-winning artist, author and vocalist who dazzled our fourth grade art students and teaching staff. After sharing a history about how she was inspired to be an artist by Ezra Jack Keats and her family, she allowed the students to look at several beautiful illustrations she has created. The students were impressed with her work and excited by the fact that they had read several of the books she has illustrated. They also learned about the process of creating a book from start to finish and that she has illustrated over 60 children's book. Vanessa's grand finale included singing to and with the students. Her voice is phenomenal. Many students rushed to hug and greet her at the end of the presentation. Helping students to make real world connections through art is one of the most important things that we do. The impact Vanessa had on our students was amazing.