This piece was made by an incredibly creative 1st grade class. Just like the wooden squares on the birdhouses the students painted these little wood circles, ovals and tear drop shapes. I didn't know what I was going to do with them at first. One night I laid them out to brainstorm I started arranging them and knew that simply framing them would be perfect.
So creative!
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful. Where did you get the small wooden shapes? I would love to do this with my son's class. Please private message me at couponsiwant(at)live(dot)com.
ReplyDeleteSo neat!
ReplyDeleteI would love to know where you purchased the pieces as well. Hoping to recreate something like this for my son's classrooms auction item. Thanks!!
You can buy them at Michaels. They are a very inexpensive, about $3 for a bag. We used Elmers paint pens because the pieces are so small it is difficult to hold them while using a paint brush. ;)
ReplyDeleteHi. What do you have the wood pieces mounted to? Poster board? And then what is that mounted to? Thanks@
ReplyDeleteHi Terri!
DeleteI glued the little pieces to good watercolor paper (I think I bought it at Utrecht) then I glued that paper to the edge of the mat that came with the frame (so the mat was underneath instead of on top). I got the frame at Ikea. Super easy and very inexpensive ;)! I hope that helps!!
holly
Did you have any trouble with the colors running into each other, the pen tips getting dirty with other colors? Also, about how many paint pens did you use for this size piece?
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't have trouble with bleeding ink. I do teach the kids before we work with paint pens to "clean" them if the tips get dirty by rubbing them on a blank piece of paper but they didn't need to use that technique very often. I had a tub of pens (maybe 40) because over 200 kids used them for various pieces but very little ink was actually used to make this actual piece. I still use the same pens this year! ;)
DeleteOne more question. Did you use fine or medium tip paint pens.
ReplyDeleteI used both but if I had to choose one I would use fine. I used Elmers but if you find another good quality paint pen please let me know!
DeleteOk, we are doing this for my daughter's second grade class art auction project. Thanks for the idea and inspiration. What type of glue did you use?
ReplyDeleteElmers Glue all
ReplyDeleteDid you use paint or ink pens? Please clarify- Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHello Dawn!
ReplyDeleteThey are paint pens....the kind that you have to shake a little to get flowing. I probably had some metallic Sharpies in the bin for the kids to use as well but most of them were Elmers paint pens.
I just did this with my kindergarten, and it turned out beautifully. Thank you so much for the inspiration! It looks fantastic- really colorful and put-together.
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome! I would love to see it if you have a picture! You can email me at hwilliams@finadv.org.
Deletewhat size watercolor paper did you use and frame?
ReplyDeleteHi Alma!
DeleteI am pretty sure I used 11x14 but often I buy a big roll and cut it myself. I hope that helps ;).
you can buy ROLLS of watercolor paper? I had NO idea!!! Where and is it good enough quality for adults who paint watercolors?
DeleteThanks!!!!!!!! kate
I can't tell you how excited I am. I am the Spring Soiree art project mom for my son's 1st grade class. I an artisitically challenged! We've colored the pieces, I have laid them out on poster board on a full size cake pan. Now I have to get the paper, glue them down and frame it. To clarify...you used regular Elmer's glue. Not a stick, but the kind I had as a kid? Is there glass on the frame or could you touch the artwork if you put your finger up there?
ReplyDelete;) Yes, I used Elmers glue to glue the pieces down and yes, it is just a white frame that I got at Ikea that has glass. The wood pieces are so thin that the glass on top wasn't an issue. Hope this helps and I hope it's easy!! Thank you!
DeleteLove this project. What type of glue did you use to glue the watercolor paper to the matte?
ReplyDeleteThank you!! I used Elmer's glue all but regular Elmer's glue will work as well.
DeleteI'm a parent volunteer in my daughter's 1st grade class. I'm going to be doing this tomorrow for their class auction piece. I'm SO excited!
ReplyDeleteEach child will get a paper plate with their name on it. I double-stick taped them to the paper plate so that the pieces don't move while they are painting them. There are only 19 in her class so it didn't take me too much time. :)
We'll see how it goes! Thank you for the beautiful inspiration -- I'm definitely going to be bidding on this piece at the auction. I want it! haha!
Melody
I teach first grade and need to make an auction project with my class. I am so doing this! Thank you so much for the great idea!
ReplyDeleteI love your website! Thank you for the beautiful inspiration. My son's 2nd grade class is doing this for an auction project. Do you recall what size of frame you used? Thank you again, Katie
ReplyDeleteThank you Katie!! If I remember correctly I used an 11x14 piece of paper and the frame was bigger but it was made to fit an 11x14 paper. I just did one class on this project too.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering which size wood cutouts uounise for this - my local Michael's has a 330pc pack of small pieces for $6.99 or a 30pc pack of medium for $3.99. It looks like you use the larger option but I wanted to check before buying multiple packages of the wrong size. Thank you! Kendra Lee
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, I have not seen bags with different sizes so I'm not sure. The pieces that we used were only about one inch to one and a half inches large. I hope that helps!! Take care!
Deleteholly
I found this project and am thrilled to use it for my 3rd grader's class auction project. Any thoughts on whether regular Sharpies would work or does it need to be paint pens? Many thanks!!
ReplyDeletePaint pens stay really vibrant on the wood but regular Sharpies would still work. I've been using al lot of neon and metallic permanent markers lately on projects and I'm loving how they look! Would love to see how yours turns out!!
DeleteI am doing this project with markers as they are easier for my kindergarteners. With markers you first need to paint the shapes with gesso; if you don't the marker will just soak into the wood. I found that Sharpies show the color lines. Crayola markers work great on top of the gesso. Another tip: use dbl stick tape to secure the shapes to card stock, giving each child a sheet of card stock with several shapes on it. This way the shapes are easy for little hands to decorate; they stay in place.
Deletelori, do you have a picture of the finished pieces using the gesso crayola markers? Curious how vibrant the colors are using this technique
DeleteWhere did you get the Elmer's Paint Pens? I cannot find them even on Amazon or Google. Do you have a picture of what the box looks like?
ReplyDeleteAlso, were the paints washable?
Hello Gina!
DeleteNo, paint pens are not washable.
Here is a link to Elmer's paint pens.
http://www.amazon.com/Elmers-Painters-Opaque-Markers-Colors/dp/B001KZH282/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1444127292&sr=8-4&keywords=elmer%27s+paint+pens