This blog is focused for teachers and individuals who have found my art resources useful.
Creating Form through Pattern
Students are creating implied three-dimensional form by modifying pattern as it passes over an object.
Stencil Stripe Implied Form Design
Students cut custom stencils to create a striped pattern with implied form.
Centrifuge Markers
This hand-cranked centrifuge works great for forcing the last bit of ink from those “used up markers”.
2021 Pumpkins
Plenty of new pumpkins this year! I update my Facebook page through the season and later post new ones to my pumpkin gallery.
Portrait Progress
Ribbon Compostions
Students are working on compositions of ribbons to imply three-dimensional form and space. I recently updated this resource on TPT.
Metallic Scratch Board Demonstration
Kaleidoscope Heart Designs
Aestheometry Gifts
My daughter is in my class this year. We took her aestheometry design and had it printed on some items for Christmas gifts.
National Custodians Day!
My students created a banner using the cooperative grid technique for National Custodians Day.
Stacking the Deck
I like to begin the year with a series of preinstructional drawings. One of these involves drawing from a small still-life and then drawing from a similar photograph for comparison.
Tissue Issues
I recently found some very inexpensive metal boxes designed to hold tissue boxes or rolls.
Ruler Deposit
I supply 18″ plastic rulers for my students. They are thin, cheap and fit well in our folders. They are, however, smooth and slippery…
School Closing
My district is shifting to distance learning for the remainder of the year. Electives will not be provided. Take care of yourselves and your families. Here is an anitivirus coloring sheet if you’re locked down for a while.
Cooperative Tiger Artwork
This year, students collaborated on this 4×6′ tiger design.
Hidden Lizard Highlights
Students are working on their hidden lizards project. They create a composition featuring a background component and creatures than have a design on their bodies with a special relationship to the background. Students may optionally choose to explore some final touches to their finished design by adding shading, cast shadows, or highlights.
Marker/Colored Pencil Layering
Recently, I put together some example swatches with colored pencil blending on top of marker. This technique gives students the ability to blend and control their color with much bolder and smoother results. It also makes colored-pencil look less like colored-pencil by eliminating the expected white paper texture showing through.
Shop Ticket Holders
Recently, I discovered these shop ticket holders as being available in more sizes than I would have thought. When I found out I could get them to fit 12×18 drawing paper, I knew they would be great for slipping artwork examples inside.
Tessellations 19-20
Pumpkin Carving Tutorial
This is a re-post of a previous tutorial due to an older platform causing some incompatibility.
Scratch-Art Lettering
Scatter Mosaic
Here’s is perhaps another interesting way to create a banner or wall-art. An advantage is than it uses whole sheets of copy paper with no need for cutting.
Pastel Stencil Designs 19-20
Students completed their Pastel Stencil Art recently.
Bird’s Eye View Perspective
Lava Lamp Designs
We are creating original Lava Lamp compositions to showcase our three dimensional form shading and layering techniques.
Pencil Holder Help
This solves a problem with pencil/pen holders…
Posted Resources
I’ve designated a magnetic chalkboard to the side of my classroom as an ideal place to post daily objectives, vocabulary, current activities, extra credit, past due work, etc…
Unit Vocabulary
My intention this year is to work on a set of unit vocabulary posters featuring visual cues.
Goopy Shading Demo
Classroom Entry Signs
This year I am trying posting signs to let students know what they need to retrieve as the arrive in class.
Back in Class
We’re in our third week now and things are progressing as usual. Here’s an outline of the concepts we’ve been experimenting with thus far:
Star Kaleidoscopes
Here are some of this year’s student kaleidoscopes…
Handout Baskets
Nice little baskets for standard copy paper found at Dollar Tree.
Kaleidoscope Design Demo
Tool Control
I got tired of using pencil/marker holders with not quite enough holes and not quite the right size holes. I’ve tried a LOT of holders over the years. Recently, I bought some PVC pipe and cut it into appx. 3.5 inch lengths. These are easily glued together in a honey comb pattern with pvc glue. …
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Near Extinct Artist Palettes
For years, I have used glossy magazine pages as paint mixing palettes in my middle school art classes. They work in most situations where wax paper palettes would be useful. They are free, resistant to liquid paint and, until recently, plentiful. That has been the perceived problem for a while now. Clearly, magazines in our …
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Tempera Cakes in Muffin Tins
Large tempera cakes fit very well in cheap muffin tins. You can buy the cakes in various sets or individual colors. Tempera can be used like watercolor as well as more opaque techniques. Muffin tins are common in 12 or 6 cup varieties. Use hot glue on the bottom of the cakes. If you want …
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Aestheometry Demo
Comic Panel Painting Demo
Marker on Toned Paper Demo
Metallic Emblem Shading Project
Student Emblem Designs on our Facebook Page.
Pumpkin Season
Art Class Bell Ringers
These days I try to consistently use the first few minutes of class for “Bell Ringers” or “Bell Work”. The main benefit for me to transition the students into the routines for my class. It also keeps me consistent with their other classes and an initiative on our campus. We spend anywhere from 5-10 minutes. …
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No Bottles. No Spills.
Pencil Problems
By far the best solution for students without at pencil, in my own experience, has been the stubby, eraserless, “golf” pencils. Students know that they don’t even have to ask. If they don’t have a pencil, grab one. If they only have a mechanical pencil and a wooden one is more suitable for the task, …
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Reflective Metal Illusion Demo
Mystery Grid Drawing Demo
Mr. Cummins’s Art Class on Facebook
After a few of setbacks, I’ve decided to reboot the Facebook page for my art class.
YouTube Channel
I’ve recently begun to update my YouTube channel.
Pastel Paintings 2018
My students completed their Pastel Animal Portraits recently.
Grid Jig
I have a couple of projects that make use of a 2″ grid. Students create their own grid for use in a drawing but there are always a number of absent students, students who fail to complete the grid correctly, and students who have to begin again. There are also new students added mid-project sometimes. …
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Easy Re-Entry
While the security policy allows teachers to have classrooms unlocked on my campus. For a number of reasons, I prefer to leave the actual mechanism in the “always locked” configuration.This way I don’t have to lock and unlock it every time I step away. Students who arrive late, hall pass users, students who are called …
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Puckered Pumpkin
A great pumpkin carving season this year!
Hidden Lizard Designs
Drew Something
Reminiscing about playing with the Draw Something app. I ran across these while sorting photos this weekend.
Watercolor Self Portraits
My eighth grade class is just completing their self portraits in monochromatic watercolor.
Metallic Scratch Art
Students recently completed a scratch-art project on silver or gold metallic scratch board. In this example, the student used a reference animal graphic and chose to fill in the sections on the design using intricate patterns and designs. The lesson emphasizes the use of texture shading and using value and contrast to make details easily …
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Linear Perspective Demo
We’re working with one-point linear perspective in 6th grade at the moment. I like to use my TV display for demonstration. I’m having pretty good results from laminating drawing paper and using wet erase fine-point markers to draw the steps while students follow along. Dry erase was handy but I prefer pens with a finer …
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Fish Project
I’m tinkering around with a new resource with fish themed coloring sheets and reference images.
Shared Student Work
Thanks to Kim & Karen: 2 Soul Sisters (Art Education Blog) for sharing photos and a link with the results of students using some of my resources. Photos of student work is my favorite kind of feedback to receive.
Crayon Blending
My 5th grade classes begin the year with shading and blending activities. This one makes use of crayons and intersecting lines.
Animal Art Projects
By request, this Animal Color Thumbnails (click the link) PDF file depicts color thumbnails of the Animals in my Animal Op-Art TPT product for those who would like a realistic representation of the op-art animal designs. These are also the animals included in my Pastel Animal Project as well as the Animal Op-Art Coloring Book edition.
Resource Booklets
I have a library of resource folders, booklets and sleeves for student use. I keep all resources for a project together in a set for each table that I can provide year after year…updating them as needed. I have manilla sleeves, plastic sleeves (all color coded) containing laminated sheets or stapled booklets of handouts, examples, …
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Kaleidoscope Heart Display
Beste Liner Brushes
I recently purchased some Beste Finest Golden Taklon Hair liner brushes from Jerry’s Artarama for use on our comic panel paintings in tempera paint. I chose these brushes primarily because of the price and I was particular in wanting a long haired liner brush for those students who wished to try outlining their paintings in black …
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Kaleidoscope Hearts
Eighth grade art students are working on their kaleidoscope mechanical drawing. I’ve done several varieties of these over the years. This year we are doing a heart shaped design on 18×18″ paper.
Publishing on Demand
Last year I decided to experiment with on-demand publishing. This refers to companies who offer to print your publishing projects one unit at a time as needed. Automated printing and binding technology now allows this to be done in an affordable way.
Mechanical Drawing Heart Designs
This week, students began creating Kaleidoscope Heart Designs. I like to have them do some variety of this type of art each year. Our first step is to create a blank heart template on 18×18″ white paper. Each student creates theirs from a demonstration I lead using a compass and ruler. One of the primary challenges is …
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64oz. Yeti Growler Handle
I’ve always like taking something to drink to work in a large container. I like to make a beverage (ice tea for example) in the morning, have it last all day at work, and even have quite a bit left to finish up at home. I’ve been through a number of refillable convenience store mugs …
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Surplus Glitter
When I was hired for this job, I inherited a drawer full of glitter from the previous teacher. All colors. I’ve never found a better use for it than visits from the “glitter fairy” when a student decides to take a nap in my class. The best scenario is to do it right before dismissal. I …
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Wander-proof Tables
This semester, I glued my furniture cups to the floor with a clear variety of Gorilla glue. The glue drying clear is an improvement over the amber-brown color of original Gorilla Glue I have used in the past. I tried one in an inconspicuous area first. After a few days the cup was easily removed from …
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Sanitary Wipes
One of the handiest things I have “discovered” for art class use are Pampers Sensitive Wipes. When working with messy materials, chalk pastels for example, my hands would tend to get very dry from all the excessive washing throughout the day. These wipes have a bit of moisturizing effect and are quick and easy for …
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Painting in the Classroom
I have had good results using tempera paint for middle school art. Being water soluble means that I never have to be concerned about paint spills or brushes and materials not being cleaned completely. Tempera paint can sit for a year and still be dissolved easily in water. I recommend avoiding the cheapest tempera and go …
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Comic Panel Paintings
8th grade art students are completing their comic panel painting projects. We use a grid to enlarge a comic panel illustration and then mix primary colors in tempera paint to finish them.
Mail Mirror Man
My box is up pretty high in the mail sorter this year. I like to check it as I pass by the workroom but I couldn’t tell if there was a page or two in it without walking right up to and even putting my hand inside the shelves. I ran across a little convex …
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Photo Booth
Each year, my more advance art classes do a project using a photo of themselves as a reference. I have a number of projects that may use these and I add to the list regularly. Earlier in the year, I have the students take digital photos which I keep on file until we are ready …
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Another pumpkin…
Flower Designs for Student Reference
I just put the finishing touches on some flower inspired graphics for student use. They make great reference material for various media.
Grip strips
In searching for a solution for hanging art in my newly renovated classroom, I settled on Grip Strip rails. I purchased three 4 foot rails and three 8 foot rails for the wall in my room. Inside the rail is a series of plastic cylinders. Slide a paper in the rail and it tucks behind …
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First Pumpkin of 2016
Camera Rig
Moving into my renovated classroom required me to design a new camera rig for my display system. I still haven’t seen a better adjustment solution than the long handled mount that I took from a discarded video camera tripod. I had to purchase a 1/2″ steel rod, which fit perfectly in the camera mount. The …
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Colored Pencil Shading Exercises
Getting back into the swing of things over here. Still plenty of moving in left to do. I’m sure I will be organizing things into the “new” room for most of the year. Students have been practicing good shading techniques in pencil and colored pencil.
Back To School 2016-2017
Getting back into my old classroom after renovations are complete. It’s been a lot of work but day one was successful. Still a lot of supplies to gradually bring back in.
Cooperative Posters 2016
We completed our final project for this year. Three cooperative grid posters.
Animal Op-Art
I’ve recently created some animal face op-art style designs to be used for reference, coloring and shading.
Op-Art Eggs
Last month, my students completed their Op-Art egg designs.We used a combination of marker and colored-pencil to create interesting color schemes on these pre-printed graphics. The focus was on contrast and blending as well as good shading techniques.
Tiki Doodle Art
Scratch Art Tiki Face Designs
We recently completed a scratch-art project using Tiki inspired symmetrical faces as subject matter. For this project, I chose to use the largest student-grade scratch material I could find. I believe the sheets were 11×13″. We discussed and practiced symmetrical transfer to create our own Tiki faces. I also made available a set of pre-printed …
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Tessellating Kaleidoscopes
Earlier this year, my students created tessellating mosaic tiles with individual kaleidoscope designs. The designs stack together for display. We created a common motif in each design so that a black and white stripe element coils continuously through the display. I chose to affix the artworks to a strip of kraft paper and display it like …
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Rennovation Progress
I visited my old classroom last month to check out the progress on the renovations. They had the wallboard up and appeared to be working on the heating/AC duct work. No significant room layout change other than an added storage room, lower ceiling and it appear I will have less windows.
Martin Luther King Pictorial Maze
A free Martin Luther King pictorial maze in honor of the upcoming national holiday. https://goo.gl/BJqZn5
Scratch Art Tiki
We have been working on scratch art activities recently. For our final project, students will create a “carved” tiki-style face. We will emphasize giving the illusion of 3 dimensions while communicating a linear wood texture. Students can create their own face image or use my printable resources.
Student Art Display
Furniture Alignment
My classes meet in a small portable bulding this year. To make better use of the space I have set up my tables in continuous rows. I bought some cheap lashing straps to attached all three tables in each row together. They function as one table and stay neatly aligned. I’ve been pretty pleased with …
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Veterans Day
My wife’s fourth grade class completed the Veterans Day cooperative poster.
Get ready for Veterans Day
A cooperative poster project for Veterans Day.
Spooooky Perspective
My classes are working this week on their Spooky/Autumn Perspective Drawings. I took the opportunity to prepare this lesson as a product for my TPT store. While my students work on theirs, it will remain at an introductory discount. I’ve enjoyed doing this project for years and I always do it a bit differently. This time, …
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Free Mystery Grid Puzzle
Download this free Mystery Grid Art Puzzle of a coyote. Check out my TPT store for more ready-to-go activities. Grid Drawing Tips
Chrome FX in Colored Pencil
At the time of this post, my students are in the middle of working on their chrome emblem design. We apply blends in colored pencil to achieve the illusion of highly polished metal. For the next few days, my Metallic Shading Effect project on TPT will be on sale.