Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Smacking Squeezing Tapping
Hammering Tees
TAPPING
Hammering golf tees into a foam block is a delightfully non-messy action art technique enjoyed by all ages and abilities. One big block works well for either a small group sculpture or an individual sculpture. Adding individually selected collage materials will make the hammered sculpture unique to each artist.
A first session of practice without collage materials was a good introduction for three-year-old artists who hammered golf tees into a foam block. Later, more collage materials were offered to extend the activity. The trend that day was hammering tees through objects directly into the foam.
~ MAK
Materials
* Golf tees, variety of colors, in a low-sided container or bowl
* Hammer, mallet, or toy mallet from pounding toy
* Block of packing foam (from shipping computers, appliances, or other products)
* Scissors and glue, optional
* Choice of collage materials spread out in a tray or box with low sides. Some suggestions are –
Beads
Bottle caps
Buttons
Cotton balls
Faux flowers
Gems
Leaves, supple
Paper scraps
Pipe cleaners
Ribbons
Scraps of art tissue
Small pinecones
Stickers
Yarn
Action Process
1. Arrange all the materials on the workspace in easy reach for either an individual, for partners, or for a small group.
2. Pounding the Golf Tee: To insert a golf tee in the foam block, hold the tee in the non-drawing hand pinscer fingers, just below the flat head of the tee. Carefully pound the tee into the foam block with a hammer or mallet with the drawing hand. Another technique is to push the tee into the block by hand until it stands on its own, and then hammer the rest of it into the block. Some artists like to hammer it all the way in, and others like to leave the tee sticking out of the block.
3. Continue hammering golf tees into the foam block in any design or arrangement, many or few, tall or short, all over the top and even the sides of the block.
4. Once the desired number of tees is complete, collage items may be added to the sculpture. Some ideas:
• Glue single items on the head of each golf tee, or tie ribbons or yarn from one tee to another.
• Push another golf tee through a scrap of paper and then pound in the tee, pinning the paper in place.
~ Suggestion ~
Repeat art activities often to build skill, confidence, and technique.
More Ideas to Explore
Cover the foam with one of the following paper ideas, and then hammer in the tees. Add collage items:
* painting or drawing
* colorful wrapping paper, aluminum foil or foil paper, colorful art tissue paper
* other paper, including: doilies, cupcake papers, used greeting cards
Art Hockey
SMACKING
Chopsticks work like hockey sticks and marbles work like pucks for this very active art experience using quick action, movement, and genuine laughter.
At one time, my preschool boys would have declared this hockey activity "boysonly"! Things have definitely changed! Now it's art for everyone together, with everyone playing and laughing as they smack a marble flying back and forth through paint.
~BBZ
Materials
* Big box with sides cut to about 2"–3" high
* Paper to fit the bottom of the box
* Tempera paints, choices of colors
* Bowls or containers, one for each color of paint
* Marbles, 2–3 for each color, and spoons
* Chopstick "hockey sticks" (choose from spoons, dowels, straws, or other sticks), one per artist
* Two artists
Action Process
1. Set the box on a low table or on the floor. Place a sheet of paper in the bottom of the box. Artists stand or kneel on either side of the box.
2. Pour about an inch of paint in the bowls. Place two to three marbles in each bowl.
3. Spoon a paint-dipped marble onto the paper.
4. One of the artists begins the action by smacking the marble across the paper and the two continue smacking the marble back and forth until they need more paint.
5. Change marbles and colors whenever artists say they are ready.
More Ideas to Explore
* Try two or three marbles in the box simultaneously.
* Try golf balls, rubber balls, spiky balls, or ping pong balls. Stronger "hockey sticks" will be needed, like spatulas or kitchen spoons.
* One artist can play Art Hockey alone on a tray or in a box.
Wood Block Smack 'n' Tap
SMACKING/TAPPING
Two choices of art ideas with wooden blocks make these press-and-print activities twice the fun! Artists will think of even more wood printing techniques, guaranteed!
Richard is often hard to please with art activities, but when wood is involved, he's 100% on board. His favorites are sanding, hammering, and working with nuts and bolts. To quote Richard, "You gotta know how to use wood, Mrs. Kohl. There's a lot to know." And Richard is right about that!
~ MAK
Materials
* Wood block, approximately 4" square by 1" thick
* Tempera paints in cups, with spoons and paintbrushes
* Construction paper, any colors or size
* Rags or old towel, optional
Action Process
1. Use a paintbrush or a spoon to dribble and drop a few blobs of paint on the flat surface of the block, not too thick and not too thin (about as thick as a quarter). Some artists cover their blocks with paint, and other artists use less paint. Both ways work.
2. Ready for the action? Gently turn the block over and press it very firmly on paper. Do not wiggle the block. Just press firmly down and press hard, holding briefly.
3. When ready, lift the block and see the print on the paper.
Hint: Peeling the paper from the block may be necessary.
Add more paint and make more prints!
Suggestions:
- Overlap a dry print with a new fresh print.
- See how paint colors look on different colors of paper.
Hint: The block may be washed in the sink and dried with rags or paper towels, and then used again.
More Ideas to Explore
* Glue cardboard shapes on the wooden block, press in paint, and then press on paper to make prints.
* Dribble paint on a sheet of paper and cover lightly with a second sheet of paper. Press the block firmly on the paper, moving the block to a new area and pressing each time. Then peel the papers apart to see the action revealed.
Bingo Bottle Tap
TAPPING
Bingo bottles filled with liquid watercolors make cheerful paint splots with splashes radiating out from the centers. Use one color, or try many colors all on one paper.
We found pre-filled bingo bottles at the dollar store, which we have refilled many many times! We work with multiple ages, and this art experience works well for all ages together. Bingo bottles are less messy than some painting activities – nice when you need a break.
~ MAK
Materials
* Bingo bottles (small sponge-tip plastic bottles), one for each color
* Liquid watercolors
* White paper or construction paper in lighter colors (try a variety of papers: paper plates, white tissue paper, paper towels, watercolor painting paper, newsprint)
Reminder: Most artists need more than one piece of paper to experiment with and test their painting techniques and ideas.
Action Process
1. Fill each bingo bottle about 1/3 full with one color choice of liquid watercolors.
Hint: Paint may be thinned to make liquid watercolors last longer. Simply add a little water to each bottle.
2. Turn the bingo bottle upside down and lightly tap, smash, dab, smoosh, or press it on the paper. Experiment to create splash and splot designs with radiating color spikes coming off from the center.
Note: Some artists like to practice techniques on scrap paper, while still others like to jump right in! To get the idea, artists can practice making splots with bingo bottles and clear water, tapping them on colored paper.
3. Explore making splots with light pressure and with heavy pressure. Other techniques like dragging or pushing will give unique results.
4. Try overlapping dots or colors. Add a little glitter to wet paint if you like, and you won't even need glue. Glitter glue is also a nice touch.
* No bingo bottles? No worries! Try one of these ideas:
– Cut a kitchen sponge into several little cubes and attach a pinching clothespin to each cube as a handle.
– Roll a damp sponge cube and push it tightly into the top of any small bottle. (See an example to the left.)
More Ideas to Explore
* When the painting is dry, trace around shapes and colors with a permanent or water-based maker. Artists who look closely will see many surprise designs hidden within the splots.
* Multi-Bingo Bottles: Try two-handed painting with a bingo bottle in each hand. Next try two bottles in each hand. Would someone like to try even more?
Tube-a-Roo
SMACKING
Smacking paint splots with a paper towel tube or other smacking tool has impressive results that all ages enjoy. Try it, you'll see! Explore with a big smack and a light smack to experiment with the variety of design possibilities.
I taught a preschool group including a little boy who would never choose to do art. Never. He was usually building with LEGOs or blocks, also creative. This active art activity appealed to him, and he forsook his beloved blocks to try it. The great thing was that once he'd tried, he revisited the art table again and again to try other activities.
~ BBZ
Materials
* Tempera paints, several colors
* Small containers or paper cups, one for each color
* Plastic spoons, one for each color
* Large sheet of paper (newsprint, butcher paper, craft paper, back of a used poster)
* Paper towel tubes
Action Process
1. Spread a sheet of paper on the workspace. Pour tempera paints into small cups. Place a spoon by each cup on the workspace. Place the paper towel tubes on the workspace too.
2. Spoon a small puddle or splot of paint on the paper.
3. Pick up the paper towel tube and "smack" the splot with the tube. A hard action smack will spread the paint out more and may even cause a considerable splash! A gentle smack will simply press the paint into a wider shape. Consider other motions to explore, like rolling, poking, and twisting.
4. Add another paint splot and repeat the smacking action. Keep adding splots and smacking them. The paint will spread in different ways depending on what kind of spatula is used and how much energy is put into the action. (A spatula with holes in it will be quite different from a flat solid spatula.)
5. Explore techniques, pressures, action, energy, and tools.
More Ideas to Explore
* Try all kinds of smacking tools: flyswatter, pool noodles, hands, feet, block of wood, sock filled with rice or sand, spatula. Look around the art corner, garage, or kitchen for more utensils or tools that might be interesting to try.
* Soak a small sponge with thinned paint. Place it on large paper. Then WHAP the sponge with a smacking tool to make splashy designs.
* Dip a smacking tool in a pan of paint. Smack the paper with the tool. Overlap prints and mix colors in any way. Splash warning!
* Fill knee-high socks with sand and tie off. Swing and splat!
Squeezy Sponges
SQUEEZING
Squeezing paint from a sponge involves feeling paint on one's hands and using paint in new ways. This activity can involve a lot of paint, so begin with small amounts. You can always add more.
I thought squeezing paint from sponges might sound like a whole lot more fun than it would turn out to be. I was so wrong! We ended up making a giant mural that almost everyone worked on. And two boys didn't want to quit, even as our morning wore down.
~ BBZ
Materials
* Tarp or protected surface
* Large pieces of paper
* Tempera or washable paints
* Bowls or shallow containers
* Kitchen sponges, or larger sponges cut down for artist use
* Water in a bucket or tub
* Old towels, rags, or paper towels
Action Process
1. Set paint, tarps or other protection, and sheets of paper out ready to use. Pour a little paint in shallow bowls or containers. Use as many colors as you like, one bowl for each color. Begin with less paint, and add more as needed.
2. Sponges must be moist to begin. Soak sponges in water and squeeze out as much as possible to keep sponges from instantly absorbing all the paint. Artists like to help.
3. Ready for action? Dip a damp sponge in a bowl of paint. Some children will dip one color per sponge, while others will mix several colors per sponge. This is normal and is one of the reasons that starting with less paint helps keep colors fresh.
4. Squeeze the paint out of a sponge over the paper. Artists can move the squeezing effect slowly over the paper, or stay in one place and watch the paint landing. Some artists will want to print with the sponges or make handprints, while others will want to stand and squeeze with the joy of exploring a new technique. Both are welcome and honored techniques.
5. Allow the paintings to dry. The thickness of the paint squeezing may require overnight drying. Some artists will want to save their explorations, while others will only remember the process.
More Ideas to Explore
* Once artists have tried the squeezing technique, bring out additional painting tools, such as, eye-droppers, pipettes, spoons, or Q-tips (cotton buds). Combine the use of different tools to see different effects.
* Press a damp sponge into paint, and press it gently on paper to make a sponge print. Slapping a painty sponge on paper is another action-filled art activity to explore.
Slap Glove Paint
SMACKING
This surprising and enjoyable art activity of slapping paint covered rubber gloves on paper is a favorite. Fill the gloves, for stability, with sand, rice, or dry beans; then dip in paint, and WHAP on paper! Painting in new ways stirs the desire to create and explore.
Yesterday, this activity was full of noisy-glove slapping and even more noisy laughter. However, one girl chose to place the painted gloves carefully on her paper, creating art with her own specific process. Meanwhile, all around her was the chaos of exuberant smacking, which didn't bother her as she continued with her own art idea.
~ BBZ
Materials
* Paper, any kind (large newsprint works well)
* Rubber gloves, one for each color (dishwashing gloves, latex cooking gloves or medical gloves)
* Dry beans to fill the gloves (or rice, sand, crumbled paper, or other materials to give the gloves heft)
* Tempera paints, several colors of choice
* Paper plates, one for each color
* Tape, optional, to stabilize
* Yarn, for tying off gloves
Action Process
1. Set up the art table for painting with protection and paper. Fill the rubber gloves with beans, crumbled paper, cotton balls, or another material you have on hand. Slightly heavy materials give the gloves heft and control, but any materials are fun to experiment with. Then tie off the wrists of the gloves with yarn, giving several wraps and pulling tightly.
2. Pour a different color puddle of paint on each paper plate Place a filled-and-tied rubber glove on each plate.
3. Ready for the action? Pick up the glove, prepare to slap, and whap! Slap it on the newsprint. What a pattern it makes!
4. Repeat the action. Repaint the glove as needed and keep slapping designs. Note: Don't be surprised if some artists experiment to see what other movements might make interesting paint designs, including: dragging, pushing, twirling, and pressing. (Artists have many experimental ideas for this activity!)
5. Change gloves to slap paint with different colors.
6. Repeat until satisfied with the painting. Want more? Bring out fresh paper, and slap-paint a new painting. Artists often want more than one turn before they are ready to move on.
More Ideas to Explore
* Fill each glove with a different material and experience how weight influences design and slap-power.
* Group: Cover a table with a large sheet of paper taped down, and set out at least one glove for each artist. Trade colors or gloves anytime. Everyone slap-paints together!
* Let's talk slap-painting! Use words to encourage or define designs, like "rub, tap, slide, dance, skate, hop, or fly!"
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Action ART"
by .
Copyright © 2015 MaryAnn F. Kohl.
Excerpted by permission of Bright Ring Publishing, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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