Our sold-out Comic Book class this past month was an absolute blast! Over the course of four sessions, young artists brought their imaginations to life—dreaming up original characters, experimenting with facial expressions, poses, and costumes, and learning how to arrange panels to tell a story. By the end, each student proudly walked away with a short comic or strip that was uniquely their own, filled with creativity, humor, and adventure.
Embracing Self-Directed Artmaking
At the Deco Arts Camp at Glen Echo, creativity knows no bounds, and self-directed artmaking takes center stage! I am thrilled to share how I have devised a unique and empowering approach to art education, allowing campers to explore their creativity freely while still benefiting from structured and guided projects. Balancing Structure and Freedom Deco... Continue Reading →
Second Grade Leaf Plates
In Second Grade we started our ceramics unit by tying in their number corner's look at pinnate vs. palmate leaf types. The resource I used from the American Museum of Natural History's website is here. We left our campus and explored the amazing Capital Crescent Trail as a class. We collected various pinnate and palmate... Continue Reading →
Grade 4 Makes An Impression
I tried drawing from observation and impressionist style paint application with my 4th graders and they did a fantastic job! The results are phenomenal and I hope you enjoy some photos of their process and final pieces.
Becoming Kieth Haring
My Second graders started out the year learning about the term "Public Art". They looked at Kieth Haring and other artists and learned the term "Mural Art" as well. Once we had a good handle on this type of art we started on a journey to create a design with a variety of lines just... Continue Reading →
Art Club is a Wild Ride
To start the year off, my after-school art club made paper roller coasters. Part of my new job includes running two after-school art clubs. One for grades two and three, and another for grades four and five. It is an awesome opportunity to try out projects with the kids, and see what works and what... Continue Reading →
New, New Digs!
I have recently accepted a job at the Washington Episcopal School, just outside of DC in Bethesda Maryland as their elementary art teacher. I am following my children into what I hope will be their school until 8th grade! I am going to be teaching 2nd-5th grade art classes, and I couldn't be happier! The... Continue Reading →
Marbelizing Paper With Miss Katie!
Marbelized paper has always been a feature of the Deco Arts Camp, and I mean always. When Sinclair Hamilton founded the Decorative and Fine Arts Camp, now Deco Arts Camp, marbleizing paper was a project that was done from the beginning. Still, it's probably one of the projects that has also changed the most. We... Continue Reading →
Fabulous Figure Drawing!
In my sophomore Studio I class we have been practicing different approaches to the figure. For the most part, we used vine charcoal and a little bit of black chalk pastel for extra oomph! We started this unit with sweeping gesture drawings, focusing on capturing the overall movement of the figure. Then we looked at... Continue Reading →
Small Boxes of Personality
Inspired by the weird box of boxes I hoarded over the years and saved from the giant purge of our old art classroom, I started the year with this quick warm-up project. Students were asked to create small works of art inside (and outside) of these small boxes. The whole process was completely up to... Continue Reading →
