What do ARTISTS do?

of course they CREATE ART!

We know artists can paint, draw, collage, cut, sculpt, mold, weave, photograph, sketch, bead, glue, sew.

Beyond making art, what else do artists do?

ARTISTS Envision...

they visualize or picture and idea in their mind.

ARTISTS make a plan...

they think through or write the steps to make their artwork.  They sketch what a drawing might look like.  They get their ideas out of their head and onto paper.

\

ARTISTS take care and respect their materials...

including taking care of their studios.  What are some ways you take care of materials? (snap that cap, don't break pencils, organize supply baskets, etc.)

ARTISTS try new things...

they are brave and take risks.  they explore and experiment with new art supplies.  they learn to use new tools, materials and space.

ARTISTS talk about art...

We have share time.  Artists talk about their ideas, the materials they used and the process of making art.

ARTISTS make mistakes... 

and are willing to try again.  We know that if we make a mistake in drawing, we try 3 fixes before a new piece of paper --front and back, beautiful oops and an eraser.  How does an artist fix a mistake in other studios?

ARTISTS observe...

artists look closely, pay attention and notice details.

ARTISTS collaborate...

artists work together.  Artists cooperate and listen to one another to create art. 

ARTISTS reflect...

they think about what went well, what they need to learn and what they can improve.

ARTISTS work hard...

they are focussed and spend time on their art.  Some artists can spend years working on a piece.  We say, "if you just started it today, it really should stay".  (there are some exceptions to this rule, often birthday cards and jewelry)

ARTISTS share materials...

they take turns and are respectful as they collaborate.   

ARTISTS practice and explore...

artists try new ways and methods to create art.  

ARTISTS exhibit their work...

share their creativity with the world

ARTISTS understand the art world...

they go to museums, look at art, read about art and talk to fellow artists, they are part of the art community.

ARTISTS use their visual voice...

artists communicate their ideas, feelings, values, concerns, current events.

Through a massive painting, Picasso expressed being upset and critical of war attacking his country.

ARTISTS contribute to society...

projects like Empty Bowls where artists use their art to raise money for people facing hunger and murals that beautify cities and towns.

Which of these behaviors do you do as an artist?

Artists do more than make a pretty pictures!


*(Thanks Kari Schepker-Mueller for the inspiration for this mini-lesson.)

Artists SOLVE problems!

(Key stage 2) There are several types of MISTAKES:

Stretch mistakes:  when you try something new!   We are bound to make mistakes when we are exploring and learning new skills.  These are POSITIVE!  It's proof we are challenging ourselves to learn something new and being brave!
Aha mistakes:  When we think about the mistakes and learn from them.  For example, mix blue and orange together and you get brown.  Aha, you might not want to mix those two colors together again.   Ouch!  the hot glue gun IS hot!  might be more cautious the next time you use it.

Sloppy mistakes:  Sloppy mistakes happen when we are doing something we already know how to do but we do it incorrectly because we lose concentration.  

Sometimes we envision exactly how we want our art to look. 

 Sometimes our project comes close to what we had imagined and other times when they are not what we had in mind, we can feel frustrated, sad or disappointed.  

Artists can improve through practice.  

Artists develop their skills but this can be a frustrating time working to get better at drawing, painting, sculpting, etc.  

Artists make mistakes and mistakes can make artists great. Think of a time you made a mistake and used it to make something great!

Sometimes what we perceive or see as an accident can lead to a new way of making art. 

Several years ago Melanie Rothschild spilled a whole gallon of paint in her workshop and it pretty much changed her life. It seemed too messy to clean the wet paint at the time and she figured she'd let it dry for a few days and then chip it off bit by bit. When she came back to it later in the week she was amazed when the entire spill, now all dry, peeled up in one glorious piece. She actually became obsessed with deliberately pouring paint, letting it dry and peeling it up. She also became obsessed with the whole idea of how mistakes lead to new ideas

Look at a mistake as a path to a new idea!  

You are a SMART artist.  Turn your mistake into something you WANT in your work.

A mistake can become a  BEAUTIFUL OOPS!

Look at this artwork! Would you agree this artist did a good job?  

Do you see a something that could have made the artist want to throw her paper into the recycling bin?  

How did the artist solve this challenge?

When you think you have made a mistake, here are some solutions SMART ARTISTS use.

Artists don't make mistakes, they make CHANGES!  but not every mistake has to be used...mistakes are a natural and common part of art making.