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| Crane Fly, photo by Mrs. Nichols |
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| Leaf Footed Beetle, photo by Peter, grade 5, (Mrs. Nichols' son) |
Your assignment this week is to make art inspired by the beauty of insects! God is an amazing designer, incredibly creative and imaginative. He invented millions of species of insects, each one more unique than the last. I am working on some insect art of my own this week, so stay tuned for more videos! You are never too old to enjoy a good bug hunt. They are fascinating!
I will look over all the entries this weekend and pick a winner to be announced on Monday. Each winner so far has received a prize of $5.00 in the mail! I am so excited to see what you come up with and award the next prize winner!
I will look over all the entries this weekend and pick a winner to be announced on Monday. Each winner so far has received a prize of $5.00 in the mail! I am so excited to see what you come up with and award the next prize winner!
Step 1: Go outside with your camera and find some bugs. The best images are taken when you are very still and the bug is still, too. If you move, the image will be blurry. So, take several photos if you can get them in before the little guy flies away! Usually, I only end up with one or two great shots out of 10. To take good pictures, take a LOT of pictures!
Step 2: If you didn't find any bugs or the weather wasn't cooperating, do a Google search for your favorite insects. Find a really clear, detailed image. Make sure to send in only ORIGINAL photos of insects if that is your submission. However, if you do a drawing or a sculpture it is great to use resource images you found online.
Step 3: Decide what kind of art you would like to make after studying your insect photo. Is the bug's body more circular, oval, or tear-drop shaped? Are its legs tall and spindly or short? Does it have incredibly long antennae? What about it's color? There is an amazing variety of colors in insects - it is truly astounding! You can do a drawing or a sculpture, or even make more edible art! I tried making an edible "insect" out of cookies, pretzel sticks, chocolate, and hazelnut spread earlier today and failed. I haven't given up, yet, though. I will try something different tomorrow!
Step 4: Try making insect art. What materials do you have around your house that you could transform into an insect? I have toothpicks, wire bread-ties, paper, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, lots of thin cardboard from cereal boxes, scissors, tape, and glue. You really do not need fancy art supplies to make art! I used to sit for hours making little toothpick art pieces at my parents' kitchen table. I also used to dream up lots of artistic creations with my "ingredients" of dirt, grasses, seed-pods, and anything else I could find outside.
If your first attempt doesn't work, try again. I can't wait to see your photographs!
Here is the video I made today about making a crane fly out of household objects (suitable for all ages, but students younger than 9 years old will need help from parents):
This video is about using the thin cardboard from a cereal box to create insects:
Step 5: Photograph yourself with your art and email to Mrs. Nichols at annanichols@hcachristian.org before the end of the day on Saturday, May 2nd. I will look over all the artwork this weekend and announce the winner on Monday, May 4th! I will mail the prize of $5.00 once I verify your address.
Last week's first place winner was 4th grader Ruthie for her Jonah and the Whale creation. Congratulations, Ruthie! Your prize of $5.00 will be in the mail today! Click on this link to see the other entries from last week:
"Butterfly" by Bruce Larsen at the Mobile Botanical Gardens, brucelarsenart.com/installations
BRUCE LARSEN: ALABAMA SCULPTOR
BRUCE LARSEN: ALABAMA SCULPTOR
Bruce Larsen is a professional sculptor and special effects artist. He is actually quite famous! There are many celebrities who collect his work. Bruce has a workshop full of junk such as old car parts, driftwood, or even metal pipes. He is inspired by the shapes that he sees in the objects: he is a genius in working with metal.
"'I am the monster guy and the junk art guy,' says Larsen. 'I have been putting things together since I was a kid and glued rocks together for my mother’s Christmas presents. When I was in college I saw the movie ‘Alien’ and I knew I wanted to make monsters. I have fun making things that interest or scare me. It makes me feel alive.'”
Fairhope's Bruce Larsen creates art featured in movies, celebrity homes and the Gulf Coast, article by Lynn Oldshue, al.com
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| "Dragonfly" by Bruce Larsen at Delano Park in Decatur, Alabama, steel and found objects, photo by Brent Moore, flicker.com |
ROBERT LANG: ORIGAMI ARTIST
Robert Lang is a former physicist who left NASA to work as an origami artist! He had a life-long fascination with the art of folded paper. His innovations have led to breakthroughs at NASA, including satellites that fold out based on Lang's origami folds. Click on the link to see his insect creations:
Insects Archives - Robert J. Lang Origami
See a NASA Physicist's Incredible Origami, Robert Lang, YouTube
For more information about how Robert Lang makes his origami insects, here is a link to a list of YouTube videos! Origami Insects By Robert Lang
LEVON BISS: INSECT PHOTOGRAPHER
Levon Biss is a British sports photographer who decided to start taking microscopic images of insects after his son found a pretty neat bug in the yard! He takes thousands of photos and then fits each one together like a puzzle piece. Then, he works with a printer to create huge images of these magnificent insects.
Beauty Through the Microscope: Bugs Like You’ve Never Seen Them Before | Short Film Showcase (Levon Biss, YouTube)
For more amazing photos, visit Levon Biss' website: Microsculpture - The Insect Portraits of Levon Biss (from the collections of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History).
For more ideas about insect art, check out this blog article by British high school art teacher Sarah Crowther:
Artists Who Create Artworks of Insects, the artyteacher.com (Rosalind Monks, Lucy Arnold, Kelly Stanford, Christopher Marley, Mike Libby, Jennifer Angus)
GRADE LEVEL RESOURCES FOR MAKING YOUR OWN INSECT ART
(If these videos are blocked, ask a parent if you may use their device. Let me know, too!)
GRADES 7-12:
This project challenges you to use several techniques in designing a drawing based on a beautiful animal. This is for those of you who love to draw as well as a great exercise in graphic design.
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| photo credit: Michelle East |
Idea #2: Build a Realistic Insect From Wire, instructables.com...Use wire to make an insect sculpture - this is a great exercise in thinking three-dimensionally as well as wire attachment techniques.
Idea #3: Insect Morph Drawing:
Starting with a tool or other object that is NOT an insect, transform it into an insect through a series of drawings. Below is a screenshot of several drawings I found online based on this "Insect Morph" idea: #1 is a Swiss Army knife that morphs into a beetle, #2 is an acorn that morphs into a bee, and #3 is a lightbulb that morphs into a dragonfly. This is an awesome drawing and creativity exercise.
Idea #4: Make magazine paper bugs with wire and glue:
GRADES 5-7:
Idea #1: A Fantastic Symmetrical Insect, drawing lesson by Miriam Paternoster at arteascuola.com
Idea #2: This YouTube video creator uses cardboard toilet paper tubes, a sharp knife, hot glue, paint, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and ribbon. (Ask your parents first before using sharp knives and a hot glue gun.)
Idea #3: Here are origami grasshopper and butterfly tutorials! Start with a good size square sheet of thin paper. If you use construction paper, making the folds will be more challenging as it is a bit thicker than origami paper. Copy paper or notebook paper will work, but it needs to be cut into a square, first.
3RD-5TH GRADES:
Idea #1: Art For Kids Hub "How To Draw Insects" Archives: This is a huge collection of step-by-step drawing videos.
Idea #2: Dragonfly origami
2ND AND 3RD GRADES:
Idea #1: This YouTube creator uses red and black paper, scissors, a stapler, googly eyes, and glue to make a ladybug sculpture! (Ask your parents first before using the stapler.)
Idea #1: This YouTube creator uses red and black paper, scissors, a stapler, googly eyes, and glue to make a ladybug sculpture! (Ask your parents first before using the stapler.)
Idea #3: Easy paper butterfly: YouTube
PK-1ST GRADE:
Idea #1: Here is a playlist on YouTube of Eric Carle's storybooks about insects such as the Very Hungry Caterpillar: Illuminated Films Eric Carle Playlist.
Idea #2: All you need is colored paper, scissors, a marker, and a straw to make this caterpillar that moves! (Preschool students and some kindergarteners will need an adult to help cut and fold the paper.)
Idea #1: Here is a playlist on YouTube of Eric Carle's storybooks about insects such as the Very Hungry Caterpillar: Illuminated Films Eric Carle Playlist.
Idea #2: All you need is colored paper, scissors, a marker, and a straw to make this caterpillar that moves! (Preschool students and some kindergarteners will need an adult to help cut and fold the paper.)
Idea #3: Below is a video about a butterfly symmetrical painting for kindergarten by art teacher Cassie Stephens:
Idea #4: Shooter Toys: you will need paper, tape, markers or crayons, and straws:
PRESCHOOL:
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