2nd Grade Self Portraits

My 2nd grade students spent 2 class periods toward the end of the year on these observational self portraits. We talked about facial proportions, I gave a demo, then the students looked in mirrors to draw. The first class period was spent exclusively on pencil drawing. In the 2nd class period, the students added color with colored pencils and color sticks. Self portraits can be tricky with kids... Some work really hard and some don't want to put in the effort because they are content with stick people. These are some of the portraits by students who really worked hard and didn't give up.

(The drawings are on 6x9 inch paper. I asked the students to aim for just head and shoulders to fill the space and checked the size of their head before they continued.)

Blonde hair can be confusing... especially when it's that blonde that's almost white. In this case, the student's hair was actually a lighter color than his skin so we tested some colored pencils and came up with a solution. On an unrelated note, the last portrait here demonstrates the most common problem for my 2nd graders: they colored the white part of their eyes a dark color. Hmmm...

I had ordered enough little sets of Crayola's Multicultural Colored Pencils that I could put a couple sets at each table. That would have worked great, if the students could keep the sets together. I get so frustrated with things like that- it should be easy, right? So, tired of sorting colored pencil sets when students did not put them away properly, I turned a plastic chips container into our new mc colored pencil storage. I cut the front of one box off and used packing tape to attach it to the container so it's easily identifiable. Now the students have to come up to choose their skin and hair color, then put it back when they are done.

Crayola Color Sticks- Comparison and Review

I finally have enough Crayola Color Sticks to use with a whole class*. I tested them at a KAEA conference a couple years ago and decided to give them a shot. The students really like them so far and I'm pretty impressed too. I wanted to make sure they were really a good value so I decided to be a little scientific and compare them head to head with Crayola Colored Pencils.

*Last year I didn't notice that a class pack only has 10 of each color so there were not enough for a whole class.

I applied even pressure for both supplies and only put down one layer of color. You can see that the layers of color look almost identical. The students seem to be able to get richer color with the color sticks than the colored pencils. They must be easier for little hands to regulate. Of course, I'm not suggesting we get rid of colored pencils. There are certainly times when colored pencils would be the better choice. For example, when trying to color in small, precise spaces. 

The box boasts "Create think lines & broad strokes" and that works to a certain extent- use the flat side for broad strokes and an edge for thin lines, but once the corners get worn down a little bit, the edges don't work easily, at least for me and my students. I tried using them color sticks on a mandala and found that I was having a hard time getting into small spaces. If I was having a hard time, then the students definitely would have. It would take some getting used to. I'm actually planning to let the students use color sticks and colored pencils together on our next project. It will save them time sharpening when they only need colored pencils for small spaces and when they need different colors.

So up next, a Pros and Cons list for Color Sticks.

Pros	Cons
·      Better value- lasts 4x longer	·      Bigger upfront investment
·      Rich color	·      Not as many color choices
·      Bold, broad strokes	·      Harder to get into little spaces
·      No sharpening required- less wasted time and materials
·      Blends well
·      Seems sturdy
·      Pentagonal shape doesn’t roll off tables easily

And now, the final comparison- PRICE!

At first, the Color Sticks appear to be much more expensive, and they are. But I will argue that they save money in the long run.

*Prices from Sax.

Crayola Colored Pencil Classpack- 12 color set, Pack of 240

$37.99

Crayola Color Sticks- 12 color set, Pack of 120

$59.87

To get the equivalent number of pieces, two boxes of Color Sticks are $119.74

But don't give up on them yet! Since Color Sticks last 4 times longer, here is how the prices really come out.

Crayola Color Sticks $119.74

Crayola Colored Pencils $37.99 x 4= $151.96

If you have room in your budget to invest in some Color Sticks, I recommend them!

8 Things (I'm glad I ordered)

I'm Glad I Ordered

I made some purchases with my Art budget this year that I'm really happy with!  I thought I would share.

#1 Glue Pump: I LOOOOVE the glue pump that I bought!  It is more affordable to order glue in gallons but if you are a messy pourer like me, it can be a bit of an inconvenience.  The pump eliminates most of the mess and really doesn't take too long to refill smaller bottles.

*Ok, I'm revising my statement about the glue pump.  It works great as long as the little cap stays on.  If that falls off, the glue hardens inside and it's useless.  I might try ordering glue pumps one more time.  Hopefully the cap will stay on and I won't have any more trouble.

#2 Crayola Color Sticks: I tested this product at the KAEA Fall Conference and decided they were worth ordering.  I do wish that I would have read the description more carefully before ordering.  I saw "classpack" and added to my list.  It includes 10 sticks of 12 colors.  I didn't end up using them this year because I knew my 20+ students in each class would be fighting over the colors.  I am going to order another set in the fall and then I plan to pretty much replace the traditional colored pencils that are in my classroom.  Don't get me wrong, I love colored pencils.  They are just about my favorite supply to use.  The problem with colored pencils in my classroom is that most of the colored pencils are old, stubby pencils that take forever to sharpen.  It seems like the students spend more time waiting in line at the sharpener than actually drawing.  I think that the color sticks will eliminate this problem since they are pure color, no wood.  That means they do not need to be sharpened and there is no waste.  So even though they are quite a bit more expensive than colored pencils, they will last longer and should be make classroom management easier!

#3 Mr.Sketch Markers: I got a tip about these markers from another Art teacher at the KAEA conference.  I was told that the color lasts a lot longer than Crayola markers so after I found out that they come in "unscented" (yes, I loved how the red ones smell like kool-aide when I was in 4th grade but do we really need to encourage kids to sniff markers?) I put them on my wish list!  The colors are vibrant, the markers are sturdy, and I love the shape of the tip.  The tip of the marker is more square than conical so I showed the students how to pretend they are paintbrushes to apply the color quickly and evenly.  I'm a convert.  (Plus the new Crayola markers that are made with recycled plastic have colored lids but everything else is black.  It's easy to see how little ones get the colors mixed up.)

 #4 Prang Paint Pump: I had wanted to order pumps for my big bottles of tempera paint and I am so glad I did!  For the same reason as the glue pump, I am a messy pourer.  I just realized I photographed the wrong pump!  There were a couple Prang pumps at one of my schools but the pumps I ordered were actually Sargent Art Paint Pumps.  The Sargent Art pumps were a just over $2 compared to the $6 Prang pump.  I have mostly generic tempera paint so I decided to take a gamble hoping that the bottle opening would be the same size.  I am happy to report that the pump fit several different brands of paint bottles.  The only thing I'll warn you about if you've never used a paint pump before, is to apply slow, even pressure when you are squirting paint.  I got in a hurry one day, there was a tiny clog in the pump, and blue paint went EvErYwHeRe!  See below...

 #5 Clay Tools: Believe it or not, there were no true clay tools from previous Art teachers.  I did find plastic cutlery which worked OK but thought I should replace them with some sturdier tools.  I am also glad I got a couple wire tools that make it SOOO much easier to divide the clay for classes.

 #6 Crayola Window Markers: I ordered a box of these with my Artsonia money.  They were fun to have around.  There is a small window by my classroom door and I used these glass markers to decorate it for seasons and Youth Art Month.  I got some cool effects by drawing on both sides of the glass to mix the colors.  They hold up on glass a little better than dry erase markers and wash off with water.  (They will smear or wipe off if you have little fingers that can't resist touching everything in line.)

#7 Masking Tape Dispenser: If you have to hang artwork in the hallway with tape, this will save you time!  It's a lot easier to tear tape from the dispenser than off the roll.

#8 Paint Pipettes: These were pretty affordable and a lot of fun to try out with my students.  You can see one project we used them for here: http://artteacheradventures.blogspot.com/2011/05/splashes-of-color.html

On my list for next year are....

• More metal rulers, enough for each student to have their own.
• A nice stapler!  -The one I had was old and broke all the time.  Then it disappeared.  I wasn't too disappointed.
• Heavy duty scissors for me to use, bigger scissors for my big-handed students.

Have you made any great supply purchases lately?  Share them if you have!  Let me know if you write a blog post with your list and I'll add it here:

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