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The teacher works to gain an understanding of the students’ prior knowledge and identify any knowledge gaps. It is also important to foster an interest in the upcoming concepts so students will be ready to learn. This is when the students get introduced to the concept for the first time.

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This science center display explores water and sound.

To make this display, I used glass vases from a craft store ($0.99 each). I added liquid watercolor paint to a pitcher of water (you could also use food color), and poured the water into the vases. The little wooden mallet is a guiro mallet from our collection of classroom instruments. Children use the mallet to gently tap the vases as they listen to the musical notes made.

The reason I used the same color of water in each vase is so young children understand it is the amount of water in the vases that makes the sound different, not the color of the water. If you use a different color of water in each vase, young children could get confused and think the color of the water has something to do with the difference in sound.

Extend the Activity

To show children that sound is made by a vibration (in this case, a vibration of the water), try this additional sound vibration activity. Tie a piece of string to a metal spoon. Wrap the string around a child's finger and have the child place their finger in their ear. Tap the spoon with another spoon as it is hanging (not touching anything else). The child may have to tilt their head a bit, so the string and spoon are not touching their body. Talk about how the vibration from your spoon tap traveled up the string to their ear.

Supplies
The Amazon link is an affiliate link - thanks for supporting PreKinders!
Liquid watercolor paint can be purchased online at Discount School Supply, Dick Blick, or Amazon. I have used and can recommend Colorations and Sax brands. Liquid watercolor is an essential in my Pre-K classroom - it can be used for so many things!

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This science center display explores water and sound. To make this display, I used glass vases from a craft store ($0.99 each). I added liquid watercolor paint to a pitcher of water (you could also use food color), and poured the water into the vases.

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Music Craft for Kids: Straw Pan Flute

This simple straw pan flute project is a great way for kids to experience and explore sound!

Supplies: 9 straws (or more), scissors, and clear tape

Step one: Line up the straws evenly on the top and tape them securely.

Try different lengths and arrangements. Try creating a double pan flute and hear the harmonies. Talk to your kids about what happens to the sound when the straw is longer or shorter. If you have straws of different widths, what happens to the sound? What if you cut a tiny hole on one of the straws and then cover it and uncover it as you play? Depending on your kid's age you can talk about anything from music to math to physics. Not too bad for a bunch of straws you had laying around the house, right? 🙂
For more DIY and eco-friendly projects, check out our Pinterest page! If you're not already a Green Kid Crafts subscriber, don't wait another day to join! Single-purchase boxes available, too!

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This simple straw pan flute project is a great way for kids to experience and explore sound! Supplies: 9 straws (or more), scissors, and clear tape Step one: Line up the straws evenly on the top and tape them securely. Try different lengths and arrangements. Try creating a double pan flute and hear the harmonies.

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Analyze famous artwork that can kickstart a conversation about a core topic. The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai can initiate a conversation about Tsunamis.

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Science Arts: Discovering Science Through Art Experiences (Bright Ideas for Learning (TM))

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"ScienceArts" builds upon natural curiosity as children experience and explore basic science concepts as they create over 200 beautiful and amazing art experiments. Projects use common household materials and art supplies. The art activities are open-ended and easy to do with one science-art expe...

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Students actively explore the new concept through concrete learning experiences. They might be asked to go through the scientific method and communicate with their peers to make observations. This phase allows students to learn in a hands-on way.

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Do you have a geology planned for your homeschool classroom. Or maybe you have a Dinosaur Theme Preschool Birthday Party to plan for? Either one would be a wonderful opportunity to try our DIY Fossils Project with your chidlren. Making your own fossils is great fun, and really not as "troublesome," or "messy" as you might think! This craft really drives home the point in how fossils are formed and leaves children with a lasting impression!!

Make Your Own Fossils!
Materials:

Plaster of Paris

Tinfoil

Small objects to fossilize!

Step 1: Making a Fossil Cast

Using your tinfoil, you'll want to crumple and create a small circular container (as shown in the upper right-hand corner). You'll need a tinfoil container for each fossil you want to create.

Next, you'll shape your clay to fit inside the tinfoil container, as shown in the center of the photo. Your tinfoil container should be raised up higher than the clay.

Next, you'll want to make impressions into your clay. You can do this using a variety of plastic children's toys. Try insects, dinosaurs etc....and really push into the clay so that each tiny detail is transfered over.

Using toys that have texture or design to them will make for an extra detailed fossil. Just be sure all the little parts are carefully pressed into the clay.

Step 2: Making Plaster Fossils

In a separate container, you'll want to mix your plaster of paris according to your specific product directions. Obviously, this is a job for Mom, Dad, or the teacher. Always carefully supervise your students when using these types of materials.

Once the plaster is mixed, you can use a small spoon to carefully fill in over the top of your clay impressions. Adding small amounts of plaster with each scoop ensures the plaster reaches inside the tiny areas in your impression.

You can use the back of the spoon to smooth out the top and fill in any areas that might need more coverage.

Once your casts are filled with plaster it's time to wait for them to harden. This can take near an hour, so set them aside somewhere safe and come back to them in about 60 minutes.

Step 3: Reveal Your Fossils

After you are sure they are hardened, carefully peel back the tinfoil to reveal the clay and plaster. The plaster will be stuck to the clay, so you'll want to carefully peel that back as well. Slow and steady so as not to break off any small areas.

Wow! Take a peek inside as your plaster cast! This fossil turnout out amasingly detailed, look at all the lines of texture on this spider!

And here is a peek at how our butterfly turned out! How pretty is that? If you look closely you can see all the lines in the body and wings. Plaster of Paris is fantastic for picking up all the intricate details.

And check out our millipede and all those tiny little legs!

Making your own fossils is a simple, yet exciting activity for students. If you are using this activity for educational purposes these would work well for any geology, biology, or archeology unit. If you are using this for a preschool discovery bin or a dinosaur themed birthday party, these would be fun to bury in a small sensory tub filled with sand for students to unearth and discover!

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Check out this Step-by-Step tutorial for making your own plaster cast fossils. Students can learn how to make dinosaur fossils, insect fossils and more! The possibilities are endless with this simple technique that is sure to engage your students and enrich your classroom.

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This is a teacher-led phase that helps students synthesize new knowledge and ask questions if they need further clarification. This is also when teachers utilize video, computer software, or other aides to boost understanding.

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Giving students space to apply what they’ve learned. This helps them to develop a deeper understanding. Teachers may ask students to create presentations or conduct additional investigations to reinforce new skills. This phase allows students to cement their knowledge before evaluation.

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Teachers can observe their students and see whether they have a complete grasp of the core concepts. It is also helpful to note whether students approach problems in a different way based on what they learned.

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Sometimes a field trip or real life example can spark a kids interest and help them engage more in the topic.

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Sometimes a field trip or real life example can spark a kids interest and help them engage more in the topic.

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To engage students in learning about vision.

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Mixing science with art is fun! Mix it up in art class and try painting with magnets.
Warning: Magnets can be dangerous. A responsible adult MUST supervise this activity. Magnets can be harmful when ingested. If a child ingests a magnet, seek medical help immediately. Never allow children to use magnets without appropriate adult supervision.
Painting with magnets is a fun kids art activity. It's a bit of science, a bit of art and a whole lot of fun. As regular readers of this blog ( Hi!) know, we love to explore with magnets around here. For kids who might need a change of pace from the same-old same-old, this art project might be just the thing they need to spark their creativity.
What you need:

Tray

Paper

Paint (we like washable paint )

Small bowls for paint

Spoons (optional)

Metal objects such as washers, bolts, hinges

Magnets (super-strong magnets work best, we used large magnets we found at the hardware store) REMEMBER: Magnets are dangerous if ingested. Exercise caution and supervision children responsibly. This activity is not recommended for children who still put objects in their mouths.

Easy Instructions:
Place paper on tray.
Place paint in bowls and drop in metal objects. Using spoon or fingers, coat with paint and place on the tray.

Holding the magnet underneath the tray glide the metal objects across the paper. Kids will have fun creating designs and exploring how the moving objects paint the paper. The fun of extra-strong magnets is that often hardware will group together. Let kids experiment with using the different objects.

We tried a variation by taping the paper to a piece of cardboard instead of a tray, producing a textured effect.

When he had finished with the magnets, Kiddo decided he wanted to do a little brush painting. That's good too.

Don't let those magnets sit idle, though! You can re-use them in our magnetic version of I-spy jar, for magnetic building construction set or for a little free play.

This post contains affiliate links.

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Science Art Activity: Painting with Magnets

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Mixing science with art is fun! Mix it up in art class and try painting with magnets. Warning: Magnets can be dangerous. A responsible adult MUST supervise this activity. Magnets can be harmful when ingested. If a child ingests a magnet, seek medical help immediately. Never allow children to use magnets without appropriate adult supervision.

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Water Cycle | Songs For Kids | Sing Along | GoNoodle

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Awesome Sugar Water Density - Science Experiment

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Here’s how to make a rainstick using a cardboard tube and some crafting materials. The kids loved making this homemade instrument and using it to explore sound! Follow our Crafts for Kids Pinterest board! Homemade rainsticks make a great craft for kids and a fun science activity too. The kids lo…

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What Soil Type is Best for Growing Seeds?

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What Soil Type is Best for Growing Seeds?

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How do we know?

If your class is completing NGSS science experiments, then you'll want science experiments that solve real-world problems.

Help kids complete the which soil is best for growing plants science project using these steps.

For this STEM activity, and seed germination experiment we wanted to know what kind of soil was best for sprouting seeds.

My kids created a seed sprouting science experiment to determine the best kind of soil. It's the perfect addition to your spring STEM activities!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.
Which soil is best for growing plants science project

In this seed growth experiment, kids will learn which type of soil is best for growing plants.

Supplies for the seed jar experiment:

How to Do the Seed Growing Experiment

Select a handful of seeds to pre-sprout between layers of damp paper towel inside a plastic bag. We placed our bag over the top of our refrigerator and they sprouted in about five days. This made the experiment yield faster results when we did it with the kids.

Fill your containers with the same amount of your soils. We filled our jars half-way with sand, flower potting soil, vegetable potting soil, dirt from the yard, and a mixture of half-sand/half-potting soil.

Plant three or four seeds in each container. We did three seeds per jar in case some refused to sprout. Use a pencil to push the seeds into the soil.

Water your seeds with the same amount of water per jar. We used about 1/2 a cup per jar.

Place your jars in a sunny location. Our seeds started to sprout leaves within on week. After two weeks, we compared soil types.

My kids thought that the vegetable potting soil would be best for the corn, which proved to be true. The surprise soil, however, was the sand. We thought that the sand would be worst for growing seeds, but our sand seeds were the second-most developed of the entire bunch.

Seed Germination Experiment Results

According to a planting guide we read after conducting our experiment, sandy soil is actually recommended for growing corn. We will keep a close eye on our sand plant to see how it changes and if the pure sand or sand/soil mixture will be best for the corn plant over time.

The worst soil for our corn seedlings was our yard soil, which is clay-heavy, not ideal for growing corn. Only one of the three corn sprouts we planted grew leaves.

Types of Soil Experiment STEM Extensions

We left our seeds in the individual soil jars to see if their growth will change over the lifetime of the plant. We wanted to know if growth changes over time depending on the current needs of the plant.

As seeds have nutrients already built-in, it is possible that soil that worked to sprout the seeds may not produce healthy plants over a period of months. We will keep checking progress until our plants grow too big for their jars or die.

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How do we know? If your class is completing NGSS science experiments, then you'll want science experiments that solve real-world problems. Help kids complete the which soil is best for growing plants science project using these steps. For this STEM activity, and seed germination experiment we wanted to know what kind of soil was best for sprouting seeds.

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Science truly surrounds us even in the sounds we hear! This water xylophone experiment is truly a must do science activity for young kids. So simple to set up, it's kitchen science at it's finest with plenty of room to explore and be playful with it. Try this easy sound waves experiment with water in glass jars for a hands-on science project for kids.

Explore Sounds Waves With Water

Have you ever heard of the phrase kitchen science? Ever wondered what it means? It's probably pretty easy to guess, but I will share anyway! Let's show our kids how cool it is to play with science.
Read more below on how you can extend this sound science experiment, add in the scientific process, and create your own sound waves science experiment.
Kitchen science is science that can come out of the kitchen supplies you have! Easy to do, easy to set up, inexpensive, and perfect science for young kids. Set it up on your counter and go!

For several pretty obvious reasons, a homemade water xylophone experiment is the perfect kitchen science! All you need is mason jars {or other glasses}, food coloring, water, and set up chopsticks or even a spoon or butter knife to explore sound.

ALSO CHECK OUT: 30 Water Experiments For Kids

Did you ever wonder how to make science easy enough to do at home or with a larger group of kids, this is it! We love sharing the simplest of ideas to get you started and comfortable with sharing science with your kids.

What Is The Scientific Method For Kids?

The scientific method is a process or method of research. A problem is identified, information about the problem is gathered, a hypothesis or question is formulated from the information, and the hypothesis is tested with an experiment to prove or disprove its validity.

Sounds heavy... What in the world does that mean?!? It means you don't need to try and solve the world's biggest science questions! The scientific method is all about studying and learning things right around you.

As children develop practices that involve creating, gathering data evaluating, analyzing, and communicating, they can apply these critical thinking skills to any situation.

READ MORE HERE: Using The Scientific Method with Kids

Note: The use of the best Science and Engineering Practices is also relevant to the topic of using the scientific method. Read more here and see if it fits your science planning needs.

Helpful Science Resources To Get You Started

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You'll find helpful free printables throughout.

How Does A Water Xylophone Work

When you tap the empty jars or glasses, they all made the same sound. Adding different amounts of water changes the noise, sound, or pitch.

What do you notice about the amounts of water versus the sound or pitch that is created? The more water, the lower the pitch! The less water, the higher the pitch!

Sound waves are vibrations that travel through the medium which in this case is water! When you change the amount of water in the jars or glasses, you also change the sound waves!

Water Xylophone Experiment

Make sure to have your kids tap the empty jars first to get an idea of the starting sound! Have them predict what will happen when they add water. They can also create a hypothesis to explain what happens when more or less water is added. Read more here on the scientific process for young kids.

Supplies:

Food coloring (we used blue, yellow and green for varying shades of green)

Wooden sticks (we used bamboo skewers)

4+ mason jars

Instructions:

STEP 1. Fill the jars with varying levels of water. You can eyeball the amounts or grab the measuring cups and get a little more scientific with your exploration.

STEP 2. Add food coloring to make different colors for each note. More water equals lower sound or pitch and less water equals a higher sound or pitch. We made our jars pure green, dark green, blue-green, and yellow-green!

Things To Try With Your Water Glass Xylophone

Does tapping the sides of the jars make a purer sound than tapping the tops of the jars?

Try adjusting the water levels to create new sounds.

Try using different liquids and compare results. Different liquids have different densities and the sound waves will travel differently through them. Fill two jars the same amount but with two different liquids and observe the differences!

Try using different tools for tapping the glasses. Can you tell the difference between the wood chopstick and a metal butter knife?

If you want to get super fancy, you can use a tuning app to raise or lower the water level to match specific notes. We tested out a little bit although we are not music experts over here, it's a fun way to take the experiment a step farther for older kids.

More Fun Ways To Explore Water Science

Printable Science Projects For Kids

If you're looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

90+ classic science activities with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information. NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!

Best science practices posters and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!

Be a Collector activities pack introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?

Know the Words Science vocabulary pack includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!

My science journal writing prompts explore what it means to be a scientist!!

Bonus STEAM Project Pack: Art meets science with doable projects!

Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

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Water Xylophone Experiment - Little Bins for Little Hands

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Get rockin and rollin with a homemade water xylophone experiment. Perfect for the young scientist to explore sound waves with water!

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https://www.flashbugsstudio.com/five-tips-to-keep-kids-interested-in-art/

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This school year I'm struggling, struggling to keep my kids interested in art. I know, it doesn't make sense because I'm the art teacher and advocate for anything creative. The thing is, a longer school day and after school activities have taken a sudden precedence. Where I used to draw and play with my children, I find myself now helping with math worksheets, and reading logs. We find ourselves rushing to complete homework, running to soccer games, and spending our Saturday afternoons at Greek school. Not to mention the evenings where I teach private art lessons. These are all activities we value in our family, but I'm sad that our time is not our own anymore. I used to say, "I will never over schedule my kids." Still I find our family struggling to find balance in how we should organize our time. Do you feel the same way in your home?

I recognize there is no way to have it all, but I want to get our creative connection back on track. After doing a bit of soul-searching and researching, I've come up with five tips kids interested in art.

Five Tips to Keep Kids Engaged in Art

1. Make A Space

A sure-fire way to keep kids eager to make art, is to dedicate a creative zone. This could include, a corner at the kitchen table, a playroom, a closet nook, a section of the basement, or even a wall in the laundry room. Find a space that's easy and represents your family's lifestyle. A dedicated art space simply requires some organization and simple materials for your child to explore. Some of our favorite materials are high quality construction paper, metallic markers, watercolor paints, pipe cleaners, crayons, and colored pencils.

Take a look at some of my favorite organized art spaces.

As a parent, it's difficult to prioritize which activities take precedence over others. Some families may have one, two, four, or six children so activities outside the home require an extra financial burden and time commitment. With quick simple planning, a non "artsy" parent can definitely guide their child to keep art and creativity at the forefront of their their day.

Finding teachable moments throughout the day. For example, when driving in the car, notice the colors of the trees, the lines in the sky, what shapes are noticeable, are certain shapes bigger or smaller than others.

Make list of simple art projects you would like to try with your children. Just remember, these projects don't have have perfect endings.

Maximize your time by accomplishing two things at once. For example, while you are cooking have the kids complete a simple drawing prompt. Even better, always keep a sketchbook and pencils in the car to use while one child is waiting for the other to finish an after school activity.

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5 Tips To Keep Your Kids Interested In Art

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This school year I'm struggling, struggling to keep my kids interested in art. I know, it doesn't make sense because I'm the art teacher and advocate for anything creative. The thing is, a longer school day and after school activities have taken a sudden precedence.

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https://www.pinkstripeysocks.com/2016/09/Kids-Projects-that-integrate-STEM-with-art.html

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Seems like everyone's talking about the importance of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) these days. And hey, I get it. We live in a highly technological world that's rapidly advancing in all sorts of new ways. We want our kids to be be creative and adaptive problem solvers.

But maybe you're like me and you deeply love arts and crafts. They're your jam. And maybe you're unsure how to dive into all this STEAM goodness. Hey, I get that too. Hopefully today's post will help. In this post I sharing over 40 ideas for arts and craft projects that also happen to incorporate STEM ideas. Yup. Here are some of my favorite artsy crafty posts...which also happen to have a little STEAM-y oomph to them!

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for the support! For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Here's a quick guide for how to combine STEM learning with Art Projects-

You could try...

Making art materials with kids

Encouraging kids to study and experiment with their art supplies

Making art to illustrate STEM ideas

Building toys with kids

Folding Origami with kids

Alright. You got the quick guide. So now let's roll up our sleeves and break down each of these ideas!

Make Art Materials with Kids

Store bought art materials are awesome. They're quick and easy to use. But did you know that there's a TON of science involved in making these materials? (Side note- I recently read this book and cannot recommend it enough. History, science, intrigue... who knew all these things went on to create colors!)

To help give kids a firsthand experience to this process, try making your own art supplies together! Cutting, mixing, melting, cooking, combining, problem solving..... they get to be a color scientist! With a little bit of science, technology, engineering and mathematics know-how, you can create any of these art supplies from everyday materials!

Experiment with Art Materials

Another easy way to incorporate STEM ideas with arts and crafts is by intentionally exploring and studying the different properties of your supplies. For example, what happens when you apply heat to crayons? What happens when water drips onto marker? Can markers draw on all surfaces? When kids explore questions like these they are being creative and thinking unconventionally. Some examples of these types of activities include...

Use Art to illustrate STEM ideas

Let's face it. Understanding STEM ideas can be tough. Luckily, many concepts are more easily understood with accompanying visual explanations. We can use art projects to help teach or clarify these difficult ideas for kids. Some examples of these types of projects include...

Build Toys with Kids

I'm a lover of all classic toys... as well as a cardboard hoarder. Yup. It's a pretty great combination. (Or a dangerous one... muah ha ha!) I love turning cardboard into all sorts of fun toys with my kids. We get to be artsy-crafty engineers, designers, and mathematicians all at once. Some examples of our favorite handmade toys include...

Use Science to Make Art

Does "art" always have to be created using conventional materials? No! Why not use scientific ideas to create your own STEAM-filled art?

Fold Origami

Origami is such a beautiful art form. You use your creative, artsy side to fold and manipulate a simple flat sheet of paper into something entirely different. You also explore math ideas like geometry in an intuitive way. And, did you know that origami even inspires NASA scientists to think about solar panels in a different way?

Phew. That was a long list. Want more?

Awesome. I'm so glad! Hopefully you try out a couple of the projects above and find yourself really enjoying the whole process with the kiddos. And if you're looking for even more ideas... then I definitely recommend you check out this AWESOME NEW STEAM book for kids!

STEAM KIDS!

It's packed to the brim with over 50 hand-on projects that you can do with the kids... right now.

This book is a collaborative work of love by several STEAM-loving bloggers . We're engineers, homeschoolers, educators, designers, and moms who put together over 50+ fun activities for kids 4-10 years old. Our goal is to excite and motivate kids to explore STEAM ideas in a hands-on-way.

You can visit Amazon topurchase a book today! Or, if you prefer, you can also purchase an e-book version!

And, join our STEAM kids Facebook group to meet over 700 like minded individuals who are trying to tackle STEAM learning as well. (I'll see you there!)

Happy STEAM-ing, friends!

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40+ Projects that combine STEM with Art!

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Blog about Easy and Fun Kid Art and Crafts Activities

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https://artclasscurator.com/art-theories/

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Inside: An explanation of four popular art theories and how each of them defines what makes a work of art good.
What makes an artwork good?
When it adheres to design principles?
If it looks true to life?
Should it turn our worldview upside down?
Must it fill us with emotions?
The issue of what makes an artwork good has probably been debated since the first splotch of pigment touched a cave wall. It is nearly impossible to define what art is, so when we start discussing what makes an artwork impressive or worthy or good, we wade into complicated waters. Ask a group of students whether an individual artwork is good or not and you're likely to get conflicting answers. Ask them what makes an artwork good or not and you'll get as many answers as students you question.

Many art theories have emerged to encompass the wide variety of ideas and opinions about what art is and what it should do. The search for one art theory to rule them all may be futile, but there are arguments to be made on all sides, and everyone has a favorite.

Art Theory: Formalism

Formalism dictates that art is good when it effectively uses the elements of art and principles of design. A formalist will concentrate solely on how an artwork looks-color, line, shape, and texture. The story being told and any historical or social context behind the artwork has no bearing on whether it is considered successful. The composition is all that matters. While artists have always used the elements and principles of art, formalism really came into being with modern art and the rise of abstract and expressionist works since those pieces put special emphasis on using line, shape, and color to create a pleasing composition.

Art Theory: Imitationalism / Mimetic

The imitationalism or mimetic theory of art claims that artwork is best when it imitates life. We've all experienced seeing an artwork from a distance and mistaking it for the real thing, rather than a replica. Those pieces are prized under imitationalism. The most realistic, the better.

In Vermeer's The Milkmaid, we see the creamy milk pouring from the jug. It's easy to imagine the splashing sound it makes hitting the bottom of the container. The texture of the baskets and the woman's clothing look real enough to reach out and touch. The play of light and shadows match what comes through our own windows. We don't have to make any mental leaps to imagine the scene unfolding right in front of us. Mimetic artworks are instantly recognizable because of their devotion to reality.

Art Theory: Instrumentalism

An instrumentalist is not concerned with composition, only context. Through the lens of instrumentalism, the best artworks are those that convey a message or shape how we see the world. Unlike other art theories, instrumentalism says that art is good when it functions as a tool to influence or change society.

The artwork above no doubt drew a visceral reaction the moment you saw it. Did your eyes flick to the title? Were you trying to figure out what the artist was trying to say? Now imagine that you saw this artwork before World War II. As Hitler rose to power, many saw him as a harmless politician, though some knew otherwise. In this piece, Heartfield was using his art as an instrument, sounding an alarm for anyone who thought Hitler was nothing to fear.

Art Theory: Emotionalism

The emotionalism theory places emphasis on the expressive qualities of an artwork. The communication between artwork and viewer is crucial. If the art is able to elicit a feeling from the audience, then the artist has created an excellent piece. Emotionalism is unique among art theories because it is not concerned with how an observer is attracted. Varying components of an artwork can captivate different viewers, but it only matters that the artist was able to evoke a mood or idea, regardless of composition, context, or narrative.
Curated Connections Library Members: Access the PowerPoint and Worksheet for this activity at this link. What do you think makes an artwork good? This post was originally published on June 7, 2018.
Read more about Fate of the Animals on Art Class Curator.

Art Theories Lesson

To teach about art theories in a quick art and aesthetics lesson, I start out with a warm-up discussion question, what makes art an artwork good? I like this question because it gets students thinking more about what goes into the creation of a work of art and that art is more than just making something look pretty.

Then, I divide the students into groups and each group gets one of the above artworks with the following writing prompts:

Make a list of questions you might ask yourself about this art.

What makes this artwork good?

After they've explored their assigned artwork, we discuss their ideas to the class and I tell them about each of the art theories.

Get the Full Lesson!

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What Makes Art Good? A Lesson and Explanation of Art Theories

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Inside: An explanation of four popular art theories and how each of them defines what makes a work of art good. What makes an artwork good? When it adheres to design principles? If it looks true to life? Should it turn our worldview upside down? Must it fill us with emotions?

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https://emptyeasel.com/2018/01/08/how-to-honestly-evaluate-your-own-artwork/

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Who's your worst art critic? Be honest!

It's you, isn't it?

But it's also true you're the person best-suited to correctly evaluating your work, because one knows your intentions for each piece better than you do. No one knows your overall art goals better, either.

The trick to successfully evaluating your artwork is to have a system; a method that provides consistency and removes some of the "I hate everything I do" subjectivity that all-too-often follows after creativity.

I recently shared a few tips for setting up such a system. If you missed it, take a few minutes now to read How to Make A Crit Sheet to Self-evaluate Your Own Artwork.

Today I want to follow that up by sharing several tips for conducting a self-evaluation, hopefully using the crit sheet you made after reading that article. But before we start, here's one very important point:

Remember to evaluate your art in-progress!

While most of us think of evaluating our work when it's finished, there are good reasons to evaluate your work at least once while it's in progress. The best reason is that it's a lot easier to correct problems when they're small, instead of after the work is finished when problems may be much larger.

Sometimes, by the end, a mistake is so huge it's actually impossible to fix!

That's an awful thing to find out at the end of so much work, so regular self-evaluation of each piece is vital. You'll more likely to discover mistakes early, when corrections are easier to make.

So when is the best time to do a self-crit, you ask?

That depends largely on the drawing method you use.

If you draw in stages (first the under-drawing, then layers of color/detail, etc) good times for a self crit are after each stage is completed. For very complicated drawings, you might also consider evaluating your progress halfway through each step.

Other good times for a self evaluation are when you finish or begin work for the day. Personally, I think at the beginning of the day is best because you'll be fresh. The drawing will have "cooled off" over night and you'll be able to look at it with new perspective. What better time to look for potential or developing problems?

And what better time to fix them? At the very least, try evaluating your work at the halfway point.

All right, now that you know WHEN to evaluate your work, here are my tips:

Tip #1 - Remember the reference photo

I believe the absolute best way to do an ongoing self-crit is to spend more time studying the reference photo than your drawing, at least in the early stages. Things to look for are accurately drawn shapes, accurate colors, and accurate values. This applies no matter what drawing method you use.

Tip #2 - Establish a routine

The best way to do good self crits is to do them regularly throughout every drawing. Establish a pattern and stick with it every time. You may have to try different routines to find the right one, but it's worth the effort.

Tip #3 - Make a checklist

Make a list of common problems. For example, I tend to draw right over highlights if I'm not careful. That's something I need to check frequently.

You know the struggles you face with almost every drawing. Those "challenges" you just can't seem to avoid. Those challenges should be on your checklist.
NOTE: If you think you have a lot of problem areas, select one or two to work on improving. Otherwise, it's way too easy to get frustrated over lack of improvement.
Choose the things that would make the most improvement overall and work on them. If you consistently have problems getting values dark enough, drawing even color, and knowing which colors to choose, improving how you draw values will be of the most benefit the most quickly, so that's the first thing you should work on.
As you improve in each one, add something else to the list.

And while we're on the topic. . . keep your checklist close by! Making one is great, but it won't be much help if you forget to use it. Trust me! I know!

So keep your list close at hand. Preferably in a place where you can see it from your working area, like clipped or taped to your drawing board or easel.

Tip #4 - Use a mirror

One excellent way to get a more general evaluation at any time is by viewing your work in reverse. Hold your drawing up to a mirror. Errors you can't see when looking at the drawing from the front become glaring when seen in a mirror.

Scanning the drawing and looking at a reversed digital image is a good way to do this, if that's easier:

Turning it upside down can also help:

It doesn't really matter how you achieve a different viewing perspective; what's important is seeing your work from a different perspective.

Tip #5 - Practice, practice, practice

Getting into the habit of doing self crits on a regular basis is just like developing any other habit. It takes time! So be patient and don't be too hard on yourself.

Yes, it may feel uncomfortable and intimidating at first, but it's a skill-and a habit-worth learning. If you take the time to develop a system, and exercise the discipline to use that system with every drawing, you will see progress.

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How to Honestly Evaluate your Own Artwork - EmptyEasel.com

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By Carrie Lewis in Art Tutorials > Drawing Tips Who's your worst art critic? Be honest! It's you, isn't it? But it's also true you're the person best-suited to correctly evaluating your work, because one knows your intentions for each piece better than you do. No one knows your overall art goals better, either.