Photo Mosaic Generator

March 31, 2009 by Theresa McGee · Leave a Comment 

picture-3A few weeks ago, I came across a photo mosaic tool that I couldn’t resist sharing. Image Mosaic Generator creates photo mosaics with a few clicks in just a few seconds. Simply choose a digital picture and the rest is done for you. The only limitation is that you can’t customize the tiled photos within the mosaic. If you want more control of your tiled images, you could try other free photo mosaic software MacOSaiX for Mac or AndreaMosaic for a PC.

Image Mosaic Generator can be used as an extension of an art project such as “guess the artwork” art history game or an “I Spy” on the images within the picture.

mona-example

Example of a Mona Lisa picture converted into an image mosaic

Do you use photo mosaic art in your curriculum? Share your ideas in the comments area below.

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Review: Busy Beetles and Batty Lizards

March 31, 2009 by admin · 2 Comments 

busy-beetles-2

Submitted by: Susan Tiemstra, elementary art teacher from Clarendon Hills, Illinois

Art Game Title: Busy Beetles and Batty Lizards

Grade Level(s): K – 5

Category: Art Production, Citizenship, Teaching Resource

Product Review: Busy Beetles and Batty Lizards are puzzles that integrate the subject of mathematical tessellation and art, as pattern, color and a connection to the art of M.C. Escher. Each puzzle comes with suggested patterns that can challenge students, however, there are endless ways these puzzles can be created either individually, in groups or as a whole class! These puzzles are a great after finishing art projects, keeps their minds engaged, and provides an opportunity to improve leadership and citizenship skills whether you have 5 minutes or more. I own several of each of the Busy Beetles and Batty Lizards, and my students from kindergarten through 5th grade never get tired of creating with them!

Bucket Rating (out of 5):

(5) Love it! Need it! Gotta have it now!

(5) Love it! Need it! Gotta have it now!

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Picasso Carnival / Using Multiple Intelligence Theory in the Art Room

March 16, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment 

The following is a guest post written by Tricia Fuglestad.  She has taught elementary art at Dryden Elementary in Arlington Heights, Illinois for 17 years.  

After taking a six week online course in Multiple Intelligence theory in the classroom offered through PBS Teacherline, I designed a lesson about the artwork of Pablo Picasso that would engage my diverse learners through their multiple intelligences.
I set up six centers in the art room for students to rotate through. Prior to our first day of this Picasso Carnival, students watched an intro movie, shown below, to give them an overview of each center.

Intro to our Picasso Carnival from Tricia Fuglestad on Vimeo.

Center One: Pin the Feature on the Face (Kinesthetic)
In this center students take turns blindfolding themselves and pinning a feature of the face onto a blank head. This will result in a portrait with randomly placed features much like the look of Pablo Picasso’s cubistic portraits.

Center Two: Mr. Picassohead (logical, visual, and interpersonal)
In this center, students use the online game, http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html
to virtually design a Picasso-styled portrait. Students are to work collaboratively, read through the posted instructions together, take turns, and make group decisions to create one final design. This design can then be save with a screenshot (apple shift 3) to the desktop. This center will be set up on the classroom’s interactive whiteboard.

Center Three: The Picasso Polka  (Musical, linguistic, interpersonal)
In this center, students will listen to the Picasso Polka Song by Greg Percy individually on iPods while reading the lyrics. Then they will discuss and interpret the meaning of the lyrics with the group.

  
Center Four:  Art Critics (interpersonal, linguistic, visual)
In this center students evaluate the cubistic styled Picasso painting called, Girl Before a Mirror. They read these questions and discuss as a group their responses.
1.What colors did Picasso use?
2.Are they bold, faded, mixed, or pure?
3.Look at one color. Does the color show up more than once?
4.Is each color balanced throughout the composition?
5.What shapes do you see?
6.Do the shapes repeat?
7.What line patterns do you see?
8.Do the line patterns repeat?
9.Can you find the face and the reflection of the face?
10.Is it Realistic (looking real) or Abstract (not looking real)?

 
Center Five: The Grouping Group (logical/mathematical)
In this center students will categorize 65 small printed images of different pieces of art by Pablo Picasso. The instructions will ask students to group the images according to different criteria, first being Abstract (not trying to look real) vs Realistic (trying to look real). If time allows, students can then pull out images and sort them into another group for those created during the Blue Period (sad looking, painted in mostly blue hues) vs cubistic (scrambled up with multiple views of objects all at once).

Center Six: Playing the Blues (Kinesthetic and Intrapersonal)
In this center, students take turns becoming the Old Guitarist, the title and subject of a Picasso’s paintings created during his blue period.
They put on a blue sweatshirt and sit cross-legged on a blue blanket and hold a guitar (a made a guitar out of foam core scaled to their body size). One group member uses a flip video camera to videotape while the other holds up the “cue card” for the actor. The actor reads, “I am the old guitarist. Pablo Picasso painted me when he was feeling sad. The last time I was playing the blues was when…” At this point the actor fills in the blank with a personal story. Then the students can switch roles if there is time.

The art room is a perfect place to reach all learners, not just the visual/spatial. So far my students have wowed me with their enthusiasm for this interactive learning experience. My role during this time is more of an eavesdropper spying on some excellent learning. Below is a video reflection on the use of Multiple Intelligence theory in my art room.

MI Class Reflection from Tricia Fuglestad on Vimeo.

Teaching Palette guest blogger: Tricia Fuglestad
Dryden Elementary Art Teacher
Arlington Heights, IL

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Create Interactive Quizzes in MyStudiyo

March 6, 2009 by Theresa McGee · 4 Comments 

My StudiyoA common practice in my art room is to use a few minutes at the beginning or end of class to revisit art concepts. I often make a review game by holding up art prints and asking the students to identify an artist, art media, element of art, etc.
I recently found MyStudiyo, a great online resource that allows you to use images to create your own quiz game. Instead of pulling out a pile a prints, I just project the customized game and have each table work in groups to figure out the answers. Once each table makes a guess, the correct answer is revealed and we move on to the next question.
Try the game below using images from The Art Institute of Chicago.

Can’t view the image above or want to try more? Click here.
Want to share quizzes you make on Mystudiyo? Add the link in the comments area below!

Update 6/2/09:  Thanks to Samantha Melvin for sharing a MyStudiyo quiz she created.  You can try “All About Color” with your students by clicking here.

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