Radiating Lines Lanterns

We begin with the same wooden bases described in the Origami Koi Lanterns, but with these lantern covers painted by the Tracks (the 4- and 5-year olds) uses tracing paper. Tracing paper holds the paint (we used both tempera and watercolors) above the surface. This gives the lantern covers a kind of sheen. The tracing paper also gives us the luminosity needed for the candle glow and is not as fragile as rice paper.

The Tracks lanterns traditionally features the final visual word or sentence in a conversation that has flowed over the course of several weeks and even months. Here, the children revisit the sketch process from their Fall Chris Martin paintings using permanent marker to place lines and shapes on the paper. That same day, they applied gold and silver tempera. Then two days later, they applied red and magenta watercolors. These colors were chosen to echo the Klimt paintings from just a few weeks before.

Spring Forward

The older children were finishing up their layered transparency collages when suddenly Spring arrived. It is very early in the year, certainly, but it put all ideas of snow studies with the Leaves right out the now open window. Fortunately, in other parts of the world (love the internet), teachers were already onto Spring-themed works, so it was easy to shake off the ideas of what we usually do for what we actually see.

The crocuses last year's Tracks class planted made their appearance, so we combined the ideas that the current Tracks were working on (layers) and added a science collage project for crocus studies.

The best part of a collage project!

Layered Collage, Layered Transparency

Building on the Inspiration through Sharing post earlier, the children worked on tracing paper using oil pastels. Keeping the paper still was tough, but they pulled it off. Then, during another session, the children cut out shapes and images from a wallpaper sample book. Stay tuned for the final project.