New Art teacher

[computerlab]

I 'm a new art teacher working at a school with no money and no supplies. I have started the 18 week art class off with free hand drawing. But I know I can't keep that going for the rest of the 18 weeks of school. I am a computer teacher that loves art. I want to give them a good experience. And a lot of different things to do that look good are fun but I have a money problem. I need help and ideas and ways to get these meterials. Thanks for what ever help you can give.

[Mkent41616]

I 'm a new art teacher working at a school with no money and no supplies. I have started the 18 week art class off with free hand drawing. But I know I can't keep that going for the rest of the 18 weeks of school. I am a computer teacher that loves art. I want to give them a good experience. And a lot of different things to do that look good are fun but I have a money problem. I need help and ideas and ways to get these meterials. Thanks for what ever help you can give.


I can understand you haven't mentioned what grade level your students are. I'm going to guess that they are probably middle school students or even highschool students. Often schools can get a supply fee from students of 1 or 2 dollars. I know it doesn't seem like much but if you have a total of 100 students that would be about 100-200 dollars.
Walmart is known to offer grants to schools you should check with an administrator to see if they kjnow how to apply. The money would likely come later. Often companies in the community can be asked to donate supplies and materials. Printing companies can often give you paper that they will not be uising and local newspapers often have large rolls of newsprint that are end sheets they will not use again. you might be able to persuade them to give those to you but more than likely you would have to make arrangements to pick it up yourself.

the cheapest place i have found for many of the art supplies i regularly use that is fairly expensivve is mollyhawkins house. you can reach thier web ssite at www.mollyhawkins.com finally never underestimate the value of crayons.

and just as a thought have you asked your administrator if there is either a chance for a fund raiser or if there is a budget or any funds for the arts program?

As for lessons you might try sanford.com they have some online lesson plans and they have a nice site with manya rt games including a lesson on art history that is also a game called a. pintura.

[busy91]

I think what you first should do is sit down and decide what do you want to teach them. What medium(s). Then go from there. Obviously you won't be teaching them oils (too $$). After you have decided what you want to teach, price things. The site Mkent mentioned is pretty inexpensive. I don't know where you are, but here is one from my neck of the woods:
http://www.economyhandicrafts.com/storev4/index.asp
They have a lot of student grade fine art supplies, you just have to get through all the craft stuff.

As far as raising the money. 18 weeks isn't much time to do much. And I don't know how old the kids are. But perhaps for next semester you can get a jump on now. Maybe have a bake sale or something like that.

[LarrySeiler]

I had $2600 cut from my budget teaching kids K-12...and now operating with what I had back when I taught in a parochial school in 1981, only supplies have gone up a bit in costs since then.

I have a thread here in this forum on using crayons and markers. Do check it out. You can bring the students thru understanding the shape types, from there the line families, from there coloring based on warm and cool color, light and dark values and basic theory. While I have not enjoyed the cuts, (our district of 300 students lost $300,000 this past year), it has resulted in the students really REALLY starting to see, to get it. It has amounted to building foundations that hopefully we can spring from if and when money is available to continue on from here.

You could minimally expect students to buy their own set of crayons. You could buy a couple dozen lumber crayons for sketching as my thread shows, and black markers by the bulk are not TOO expensive.

In time...add powdered tempera paints, and get Rubbermaid ketchup plastic disenser bottles to hold paint in. You use the tempera as watercolor by putting out a bit of paint on freezer wrap paper (shiny side up) taped down on the kids tables. They use water like watercolors and the color is quite similar to regular watercolors though for a fraction of the cost. Tempera used this way will save you.

The expense will be paper, and I buy mine from SAX or Nasco, 60# and 80# and I buy enough to keep me going.

Newsprint pads, large...are good for you to demonstrate on and kids can follow.

If you have a dvd you can use or borrow with a television, you have a ready made resource of endless things the kids relate to and enjoy to sketch from.

This is shoestring budget operation.

Next...again depending upon age...consider getting oil based clays, as the kids can work and rework the clay for fun. You can make dough based clays with numerous recipes out there, that can be baked and painted.

As for acrylics, I buy Chromacryl half-gallon paints with pumps that insert, and this student quality paint goes a long long way. I buy styrofoam plates for the kids to mix paint on.

but...back to the drawing/crayons...you'd be surprised how much you can teach with those and the kids can be expected to supply their own. Even the high school kids can learn a great deal about color, rendering, expression and so forth with crayons. By executing your own fine drawings with them, they do not buy into the demeaning idea that crayons are for smaller children only.

good luck...

Larry

[Phyllis Rennie]

Check out this site--you might find some good ideas. www.kinderart.com.

[newday]

I 'm a new art teacher working at a school with no money and no supplies. I have started the 18 week art class off with free hand drawing. But I know I can't keep that going for the rest of the 18 weeks of school. I am a computer teacher that loves art. I want to give them a good experience. And a lot of different things to do that look good are fun but I have a money problem. I need help and ideas and ways to get these meterials. Thanks for what ever help you can give.

I do not know if this will help you as I live in Australia. But, we have a system of recycling of overruns, imperfects and outdated materials which are distributed for the use of artists and teachers. The term used is 'reverse garbage'. These collection and distribution centres are usually run by the local council authorities with various opening times where each private client pays $10 AU for which you receive a large black plastic garbage bag. For the $10 you can pick and choose whatever will fit into the bag for you to take away with you. Schools pay an annual fee of $25 and can collect as much as they like. I have collected tiles (for mosaic), buttons for mandala collages, paint samples in small tins, color cards (also great for collage) laces, sandpaper, fabrics and timber to make stretched canvas, fake flowers etc.etc.etc. This has proven to be a great resource for very little cost. There must be something similar in your area. Good luck.



Newday.

[CarlyHardy]

And don't overlook the fact that today's kids have a lot of spendable cash! Decide on your goals for the year....make a supply list and give it to the kids! Of course everyone won't come up with everything, but you can also head over to local art guilds and find out if they have any grant money available for kids in the schools.

I used to be amazed at the grants our local group was able to acquire for groups of students! Also, here in Atlanta, if you're an art teacher, you have access to a supplies outlet in a warehouse downtown. I don't recall the name of it...but local businesses and groups donate art materials and supplies (they get a write-off) and then teachers just go in and select what they need! Of course you never know what may be available!

I also get a lot of materials from local retailers. Check with a printshop for end rolls of newsprint or other paper. They usually toss these in the dumpster!
Paint/wallpaper stores save their old books for teachers...they are wonderful for collage work and for using as print materials. Some have those awesome surfaces like leather!

For kids, I will ask for anything!
carly

[Rac]

You can make a little tempera last for a whole week if you keep each student's paint in a closed egg carton so it won't dry out. My husband used to buy the cartons from an egg outlet as the first time I asked my inner city students to bring in egg cartons they looked at me like I was crazy. I put in the primary colors and black and white and they had to be careful not to spoil the whole box by turning it upside down. However, you only had to give them a few spoonfuls of additional paint after that and if they mixed a special color, it was there the next day.
My students drew from an enormous still life I piled up on a table in the classroom. Each chose their own section to draw and paint but no one was allowed to move anything. If you give them a list of things to include(in complete sentences concerning use of ): repetition, contrast, detail, good craftsmanship...etc. they will spend time making sure it is all accomplished and not think they are done in a few minutes. The best remark I ever overheard one student tell another was, "Don't bother to ask her if you are done. I can tell you you have not dealt with numbers 3, 7, and 9!" I taught this lesson to both middle and high school students with variations on the requirements. Rac

[talkingbanana]

. . . By executing your own fine drawings with them, they do not buy into the demeaning idea that crayons are for smaller children only . . .

Speaking as a high school student, I can't stress this enough. Whatever you decide to use, do it with the kids! My teacher doesn't bother to work with us, and several of us are convinced she can't draw (one classmate last year even went so far as to say the only reason she's a teacher is because she couldn't make it as a real artist) - doing projects with the students will earn their respect.

They're not going to believe you can do anything with crayons. You may have a couple students who have extensive art experience already and will sneer at tempera paints and markers. But don't tell them they're wrong - show them. Actions speak louder than words. ;)

Your students will likely be willing to buy a sketchbook and drawing pencils/erasers, bare minimum (assuming you're working with middle/high school kids). Then offer extra credit for anything else they bring in (give a list, of course) - you can get boxes of crayons this way, as well as student grade oil pastels (Cray-Pas Junior Artist are cheap), watercolors (at least Crayola or Prang pans), and colored pencils (again, the Prang are the best of the super cheap).

Good luck! :)

[Deb McLaren]

First of all, shame on your school board for cutting funding for the arts. Maybe you should ask for a little money they had ear marked for the sports program.

There were many helpful suggestions. Fundraising sounds interesting because not only can you raise the funds you need, but you call attention to your plight, and hopefully embarass your school board in the process.

[azur]

There were many wonderful replies and suggestions for this post. I wanted to add that the funding is a problem I think for most art teachers. If the budget has not been cut then a lot of times there is a problem with the principal allocating the amount of dollars that are supposed to be allocated for the program. Many times they will use the money for something else.

We have an email group of the art teachers in the school system that I work for. We regularly discuss problems like this. We found out that if the money has been allocated for consumable art supplies and the principal uses it for something else they can be liable. Talk with your art coordinator for your school system and find out how much per child you are supposed to receive and then approach your principal. Fundraising is good also and is something I am considering for next year. I want to sell the children's framed art work. You can get some inexpensive frames at Walmart for $2 each for 8x10. You could easily sell them for $5 -$10 each depending on the economic makeup of the area in which you teach.

Good luck and let us know how it everything turns out for you.

[baquitania]

2 words my friend, DUMPSTER DIVE!!!

You know those cardboard boxes tvs and whatever come in... We use to cut them up into 4 x5 pieces and gesso those for something to paint on. Let's not forget the shoe box diorama everyone had to make in 3rd grade...

My point is, plenty of found objects can be applied to your creativity, and that not all art has to be paper & pencil... Alot of great suggestions above, and definitely make it a point for the parents to donate. Infact I would suggest making it into a Registry much like a wedding one. Make a list of the items you can't live without, and put out a flier to the parents asking them what they can give... You could place their name on it, something like

"This box of 1000 crayons is made possible by a generous grant from the __________ Family"

Goodluck to you...

Bobby

[fineartist65622]

Dumpster dive, heeeeeeeeee!

Uh yeah, and do send out list of recyclable items that parents and grandparents can send to school. Things they would normally throw away, like Styrofoam meat trays--for printing plates, fabric scraps, beads, old jewelry, cardboard, toilet paper rolls--you can take plaster and powdered tempera mixed up and put in toilet paper rolls with one end covered in tape and make ginourmous side walk chalk--etc.

Sometimes parents who work in print shops will donate end rolls of paper, lots of great paper left, just not for their printing needs, bad for them, good for you.

Don't be afraid to solicit the help of your parents and grand folks, for sure. They really do love to help out in any way they can, for the most part.

[muralpainter75]

I'm looking into teaching elementary schoolers in an after school program....it just sickens me that schools can spend tons of money on sports equipment, stadiums, uniforms for sports, and anything else they want yet art programs now have to be an after school luxury????

Anyway....one of my other jobs is a writer/editor for a preschool website as the arts and crafts writer. I come up with fun, cheap and easy ways to make art. A lot of the suggestions from above are very helpful and I'd take their advice if I were in your shoes in a heart beat.

And, sometimes my older daughter will come home with a letter from her teachers asking for donations of supplies from parents. Ask the parents of your students for any donations of common, yet usable material. I'm sure some can donate paper, maybe pencils or pastels, crayons, etc...

Check out orientaltrading.com too...they have a section called Hands On Fun and you can get art and craft supplies super cheap and by the bulk, too. They have class packs of glue, crayons, pastels, markers, paint, paint brushes, scissors, etc...and shipping is usually free if you order over $60 of stuff.

Good luck....

[JTGMTZ]

Since you are also the computer lab teacher, are they freed up enough to get your art kids on there too. You can download GIMP for free to each system and let them learn some digital art skills no extra cost because there are no real-world art supplies. In leiu of printing, perhaps you can upload the finished 'paintings' to a school website.

I am a homeschool mom and professional portrait artist. My kids will chose to do a computer art project over a hands on projects any day. hehehehe. I have to admit, when I get to chose the medium for a portait, I prefer digital as well.

[cricketswool]

I agree; you can do an awful lot with ordinary wax crayons. They are highly under-rated as an art material.

Another good material is papier maché. Used newspaper is free, and you can either buy art paste cheaply or cook up your own from flour or cornstarch and water. For armatures, you can use cardboard tubes from paper towels, wrapping paper, or toilet paper, milk cartons, cereal boxes, etc. -- all free.

I teach pre-K through middle school art classes on a budget of just over $2 per student per year. I let everyone know that I'm collecting things they might throw away, and the word gets around. The janitor saves cardboard tubes for me, the music teacher gets surplus rolls of paper from her brother in publishing, a teacher who sews gives me her leftover fabric, a neighbor who does carpentry provides wood scraps now and then, and my dentist's office manager gives me their old magazines for collage.

When kids clean out their desks at the end of the year, I put a collection box in each classroom, and pick out everything that's usable or recyclable before it goes in the trash. Four markers here, four there, and soon I've got a full set; crayons stubs can be melted down into new crayons or used for rubbings ... Some kids may have barely a pencil, but others throw away stuff like you wouldn't believe. I don't even have to buy crayons, colored pencils, or markers anymore except for black ones.

You're undoubtedly yearning to give your classes better materials, but they're already many times better off now simply because they've got you.