#creativethroughcorona - Join the CAC Color Wheel Challenge!

Here at CAC, we truly believe art and creativity bring us all together. And, since we cannot be physically together at the moment, we wanted to create a space to dig into some art supplies, share our ideas and, let’s be honest, give these kids something to do! We know these two weeks (and potentially beyond) are going to be incredibly challenging for parents, but we can get through it together.

With all of that in mind, we’re thrilled to share the CAC Color Wheel Challenge with you! Here’s how it works:

  1. Download your color wheel sheet here.

  2. Each day, have your child choose one activity to complete. Once it’s done, your child can color in their space on the wheel using the appropriate color. We want to see all the amazing work coming out this challenge, so please share it on Facebook and tag us (@chesapeakeartscenter), on Instagram (@chesapeakeartscenter) and use the hashtag #creativethroughcorona. If you’re not on social media, we’d still LOVE to see it so please email us at colorwheel@chesapeakearts.org

  3. Once CAC reopens, bring your completed color wheel to the center. We will have an exciting prize for each artist!

A few things to note:

  1. We did our best to keep the supplies needed to a minimum. Please feel free to edit any of these projects and work with what you have on hand.

  2. You can go at this at your own pace, or follow along with us in our stories on Instagram and Facebook starting tomorrow, March 19, 2020. We will be starting at YELLOW and working our way clockwise.

  3. While this challenge is targeted towards kids of all ages, parents are welcome to join! Art is a great stress relief tool!

If you have any questions, please email us at colorwheel@chesapeakearts.org.

Have fun! We can’t wait to see what everyone creates!

YELLOW: Aluminum Foil Sculptures

Materials:

  • Aluminum Foil

  • optional: additional materials such as tempura or acrylic paint, paint markers, or chalk

What is a sculpture? A sculpture is three dimensional art usually made by casting, carving, modeling or constructing various materials.

Directions: Create a sculpture of your choice by bending and shaping aluminum foil. Ideas include animals, trees, or something abstract. What else can you add to your sculpture? Does it need to be painted? Does your animal need a googly eye? You decide!

YELLOW ORANGE: Draw your stuffy or other favorite toy

Materials:

  • Favorite stuffy, doll or toy

  • Pencils, markers or crayons

  • Paper

Directions: Prop your stuffy or toy on the table and draw what you see. Now, draw your stuffy’s imaginary best friend!

ORANGE: Go on a virtual museum tour!

Materials:

  • Device (computer, table, phone, etc)

  • Paper

  • Pencils, crayons, markers or paint

Directions: Go on a virtual tour of one of the following museums:

Draw or paint your own rendition of a piece of art that you love. (For older kids, write 2-3 sentences about why you were drawn to the artist).

RED ORANGE: Make a Monoprint

Materials:

  • Plastic baggy (quart or gallon are best) OR cookie sheet

  • Tempura or acrylic paint

  • Paintbrushes

  • Q-tips

  • Paper

What is a monoprint? Printmaking is making art using a reprintable block such as metal or wood plate. Monoprinting is a type of print-making where you make only one impression from each piece of artwork. In this exercise your bag or sheet is serving as your printing plate.

Directions: Paint a background on your plastic bag or cookie sheet. Then, use a Q-tip to remove the paint and create a design. If you don’t have a q-tip, a toothpick or end of a paintbrush works just fine! Once your design is complete, press a piece of paper on top of the bag, gently rub and peel back the paper. Voila! You can wash the paint off your bag or sheet and do it again!

For older kids: Can you write your name in your design so that it reads correctly on your print? Remember, a print is a mirror copy of whatever you make.

RED: Single-Color Collage

Materials:

  • Sheet of paper or recycled cardboard for background

  • Collage materials such as old magazines, wrapping paper, buttons, feathers, fabric…whatever you have laying around the house!

  • Glue (Stick for paper, squeeze or glue gun for heavier materials)

  • Scissors

What is a collage? A collage is a piece of art that is created by combining different materials such as paper and photos onto a surface.

Directions: Choose your favorite color, then go on a hunt through your collage materials to gather everything in that color. Once you’ve found your materials, glue them on your paper surface. Think about how you might arrange your material before you start gluing. Is your collage abstract and full of texture? Or, does your collage make a recognizable image, like a red apple or blue bird?

Tips for toddlers and preschoolers: Instead of using a squeeze bottle, consider putting the glue in a cup and offering with a paintbrush. This will control the amount of glue they use. If they are not able to use scissors and do not want help, suggest they tear things instead.

RED VIOLET: Rolled Paper Sculpture

Materials:

  • Small square of recycled cardboard for base

  • Colorful paper

  • Squeeze glue

  • Scissors

Directions: Complete directions can be found here: https://www.artbarblog.com/rolled-paper-sculptures/

VIOLET: Collaborative Family Art

  • Large cardboard, paper or canvas (A grocery bag cut to a large piece of paper works great for this!)

  • Markers, watercolors, tempura paint, pencils, etc. Anything goes!

Directions: There are no real directions for this one besides everyone taking a breath (we all need this right now!), putting on some music and making collaborative art together! A few tips that might be helpful:

  • Before your start, decide as a family about color palette. Are you going to keep it to blues and greens? Reds and purples? Rainbow? Black and white? Everyone gets a vote! (If you are working with little ones in paint, try to keep the colors to four next to each other on the color wheel, otherwise you will likely end up with all brown!)

  • To keep interest, you may want to consider offering one material at a time. For example, first give black markers and everyone can make outlines of shapes and lines on the paper. Next, add markers or paint. Then chalk, etc. Don’t forget that everyone signs the corner when it’s complete!

BLUE VIOLET: Black & White

Materials:

  • White paper

  • Pencil or black marker

Directions: Set a timer for 15 minutes and draw an interesting picture using only these materials. Without color, artists need to be creative in how they add intrigue to their work! What happens if you press hard with your pencil? What happens if you press softly? How can you add texture? (Hint: think lines, shapes and patterns). Be sure to keep adding details until the timer goes off!

BLUE: Send a Picture

Materials:

  • Paper

  • Pencils, markers, crayons, etc

  • Stickers (optional)

  • Envelope & Stamp

Directions: Draw a picture for a friend or family member and send it in the mail.

BLUE GREEN: Abstract Painting & Collage

Materials:

  • Watercolors & paintbrush (Or markers/crayons)

  • Paper

  • Scissors

  • Glue

What is abstract art? Abstract art is art that does not represent anything in particular. Instead the artist uses shapes, lines and forms to create their desired feeling or effect.

Directions: Make 2-3 different abstract paintings. Once they are dry (watercolor is quick, but you may need to wait a few hours for regular tempura paint), cut up your paintings into various shapes and create a new piece of art.

To extend this activity: google or read an Eric Carle book before starting this project. His book illustrations utilize this technique!

GREEN: Illustrate your favorite book

Materials:

  • A favorite book

  • Paper

  • Pencils, markers, crayons, etc

Directions: Open to a page in your favorite book and illustrate what’s going on in the story.

YELLOW GREEN: Nature Art

Materials:

  • Rocks, sticks, leaves… anything found in nature

  • Optional: paint, glue, etc.

Directions: Go on a nature scavenger hunt and gather things to make art! Challenge your child to find at least one thing that isn’t brown or green! Bring them home and create something out of them! Can you make a face out of what you found? Or, here’s a few other ideas:

Education, Art TutorialAshley Lines