Creating Art Inspired by AI

With all the buzz about AI art, I decided to do a little experiment with it to see how it could be applied to an artist or art teacher.  Here's a video I made of the process along with some quick painting examples I made using an app called "Leonardo AI":

AI Generated Reference Image

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Reference #3

Flower Vase Painting Tutorial

This video is a step by step narrated tutorial on how to make a sunflower vase still life.  We use basic painting techniques and instructions that are easy to follow.  Don't worry if you don't have painting experience or don't feel like you're good at art.  I'm convinced that if you follow these steps, you will be able to create a painting that looks very similar to this one.  Art makes a great personal gift for special occasions.  Don't just buy someone flowers...paint them flowers!

Sunset Cityscapes - Art Lesson 3rd-5th Grade

In this project we learn about the wet on wet watercolor technique using warm colors to make a sunset.  Then we talk about silhouettes and about using the tips of our brush to color in the fine areas of our buildings and skyscrapers.  Here's the demonstration video:

I think these turned out pretty nice!  It took students about 4ish class sessions to complete.  Here are a few student examples:

Olympic Medal Relief Sculptures - 4th and 5th Grade

This was a fun lesson my student teacher gave to the kids during the winter Olympics.  Each student made a cardboard relief sculpture then covered it with tin foil.  After that, they added a patina effect to the metal using sharpies and steel wool.   This project could be turned into just plain relief sculptures that have nothing to do with the Olympics as well.



We first had students sketch out what their medals would look like.  Students thought about elements from their culture or family traditions to give them ideas.  They designed a front and a back, then labeled foreground, middle-ground, and background:

 

Then students began cutting posterboard medal shapes (Circles, squares or whatever they wanted) and then cut out smaller pieces to glue to the surface.  They layered objects on top of one another to created depth:

Once finished building, students sprayed the pieces with Elmers spray glue then lay aluminum foil on top.  Then students press down using their fingers and or erasers to smooth out the edges trying not to let any wrinkles develop.  Finally, they trim the edges with scissors:

To add the "patina" to the medals kids cover them with sharpie.  We used black and gold, but any colors could be used.  Once the color is applied, they took steel wool and rubbed the metals in a circular motion.

For the last step, students made their ribbon by finger weaving or braiding yarn or string together.  They also had the option to use actual ribbon. 

STUDENT EXAMPLES:

Aspen Trees - Mixed Media Art Project

Who doesn't love Rocky Mountain golden aspen trees!  This project can be done anywhere from 1st - 5th grade and is super easy to follow along with.  Some of the art concepts covered include: overlapping, shadows/light source, splattering technique, and positive/negative space.


Step 1:

Draw vertical lines with a pencil to create the first tree. Add diagonal lines behind the first tree to add two more.  Add another in the corner.  Then add lines coming from the tree trunks for branches.

Step 2:

Now, paint in the negative space with a black water based paint.

Step 3:

Next, splatter wet, black paint all over the picture to give the aspens their spotty texture.  

Step 4: 

Then, outline the edges of the trees over the original pencil lines with oil pastel (or something dark) to make them stand out.

Step 5:

Finger paint using a thick acrylic yellow/orange paint to add leaves between the tree branches.

All done!

Here are a few student examples from 2nd grade: 

Art Lesson - Pattern Design Creatures

Grade: 3rd-8th
Time: 2-4 class periods
Materials: Pencil, paper, marker/pen


In this project students follow along with the teacher and draw the outline of a creature or animal.  Then we draw lines inside the animal to create different shapes.  Within each shape students use a pen or marker to create a unique pattern that fills that specific shape.  Once all the shapes within the animals are filled in with unique patterns, we use graphite to add the shadows in/around the creature to give them a little 3D effect. 


Here's a timelapse video of the process from the teacher example:

The process is very simple and easy, but also requires patience and some thought and creativity to invent new patters.  The animals/creatures turn out well and each one looks different from the others.  I did the projet with 4th graders but, it could definitely be appropriate for higher grades as well.


Student Examples:

How to make a Clay Piggy Bank

Our signature 5th grade ceramics projects at Prairie Ridge are themed piggy banks.  Students combine two pinch pots together to create a hollow form and decorate them in unique ways.  Slots are cut at the top for the coins.  Here is a demonstration video on how to make a ceramic piggy bank:

Once the piggy banks are built, we let them dry (bone dry) and bisque fire them in the kiln.  Then students paint them with low fire glaze for the glaze firing.  The finished products look awesome!

Here are a few examples: