Hello! This is the last post of a trilogy on the mini art projects in my Explosion book. If you want to know more in depth what an Explosion book is, I talk about it a lot in my other posts here and here. Here is a picture:
I’ve been sharing some of the mini art projects as potential tools for the K-12 art classroom or for fun in general. I definitely had fun making them, even though they were geared towards a younger audience.
This project in particular could be used to discuss symmetry. I dipped a string in paint and placed it on one half of the paper. Then, by folding it in half and pulling the string out, you get a symmetrical design. A simpler way my art elementary teacher used to illustrate symmetry was just putting blobs of paint on one half of the paper and folding it. Personally, I found the method with the string to show more movement, but both are an engaging way to involve students in symmetrical art.
This one I made by scribbling with a darker color and then coloring in the different sections with various colors. I remember making a lot of these when I was younger and bored. I think it’s a great tool for students, and since it is abstract, there’s an opportunity to tie in a lot of educational elements. Whether you want to have the students use a specific color scheme, introduce abstract artists, or hone skills like coloring in the lines and crayon pressure. It can also serve as a mini assignment for those who finish their art projects early. One of my favorite applications for this project is using it as a meditative exercise. The act of scribbling releases any restriction, and then coloring in the lines centers oneself again. Due to the versatility of this project, I think it could be adapted to fit all ages as well.
I had a few more projects in the Explosion Book, but I really just wanted to share the ones I thought would be the most helpful and educational. I had a lot of fun making this project and searching for mini art activities. I know in the future it will absolutely be helpful to compile a variety of art resources.
Thanks for reading!
~Eleora