Surf's Up Baby!
Surfing safari
Take an imaginary trip with us as we create our own little world full of tropical art for surfer girls and boys. Don't forget your sunscreen, these kids are so talented and bright you're bound to get burned!
DAY ONE
Designing and Painting a surf board
Before camp began, surfboard shapes were cut out of foam core board. The mini surfboards were ready for my artists when they arrived on the first day. We discussed different surfboard design ideas then the artist drew and outlined their own creations.
Bright color was everywhere as the artists added paint to their boards. Once the surfboards were a top coating of Modge-Podge was painted on to seal and protect the work. A small piece of ribbon was hot glued onto the back so the boards can be hung when not in "use".
DAY TWO
Surfboard Name Plaque
Our pottery project this week was a surf themed name plaque. The artists drew and painted a beach scene on a rectangular bisque shape, then painted on wrote their names on a small bisque surfboard. The two pieces were given a top coating of clear glaze, fired in my kiln, and topped off with a bit of ribbon for hanging. These turned out so cute, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures.
Surfer Self Portraits
The artists were excited to paint themselves as surfer girls and a surfer boy. We started by dividing the canvas into thirds. The bottom third was painted with a combination of yellow and white acrylic for sand, the middle turquoise and light blue for ocean water and the top third light blue and white for sky.
Once the paint was dry the artists worked on their portraits. The figures were broken down into simple shapes - a circle for the head, a rectangle body, rectangles for legs and arms with small circles added for knees, ankles, and elbows. The artists added hair, facial features, and bathing suits. All pencil lines were outlined with a black sharpie to make the shapes easier to see when painting.
DAY THREE
Painting self portraits
The artists painted their canvas with gorgeous, bright colors - giving a tropical flare to their surfing self portraits.
SNACK TIME
Making cupcakes
While the paintings dried, we headed into the kitchen for one of our favorite activities - snack time!!
Each artist took part in pouring, cracking, and mixing - then worked on another project while the cupcakes baked. We finished eating just in time for the arrival of parents, who were so excited to see what their little artists had created during this weeks surfing safari. All I can say is "Dude, it was awesome - You should have been here!"
