Art Room/ Organization

Welcome to Art!

ART ROOM at ROOSEVELT ELEMENTARY

I found out in the summer of 2018 that I was no longer going to have to teach art from a cart at Roosevelt, and I’d have my very own art room! Of course, as you can imagine I was thrilled with this exciting news!! I had been teaching from a cart, rolling it with art supplies for each class, down the hallways to each classroom for 4 years. 

I bought all my twinkly curtain lights from Amazon, which are not just up for the holidays but I am keeping them up all year round. I think it adds a nice warm, cozy, inviting environment.

I took the video below in early December 2018 before the holidays, so that’s why you’re hearing “Christmas Time is Here” by the Vince Guaraldi Trio in the background.

ARTWORK FOLDERS

To store student artwork and current art projects they are working on, they are stashed away in these folders (above) in shelves labeled by grade level. The individual folders are for each class. When it’s time to work on something from the folder, I just take the folder out and have students pass out the art work.

The largest size artwork students create for any grade is 12×18″, so I laminated a sheet of 24″ x18″ tagboard for each class for durability and then folded in half. Then I tape on the class list that I get from the school secretary on each cover with packaging tape and write the class day and time with sharpie. I re-use these same art folders every year, so all I do is tape on a new class sheet over the old one each year.  As you can see in the photo above, I took out the students names for privacy. 

I also place these artwork folders in the top shelf of the drying rack to identify what artwork is currently in the drying rack, like below. Then when they artwork is dry, I just put them all back into that folder. 

 MESSY MATS

 I cut large sheets of thick tagboard down to 14″ x 20″ (just a couple inches bigger all the way around the largest artwork size (12″x 18″) to use as messy mats to place underneath artwork while students paint, or print or use any messy art medium. I ordered way to many colored tag sheets one year for a 5th grade project (“mixed-media bouquet of flowers”) so I just decided to use some of those to create messy mats. They are pretty thick and durable, so I don’t need to laminate them and are re-usable for classes all year at least! When kids paint or print I have them take both the messy mat and their artwork and place it in the drying rack together. This helps support the entire sheet of any wet artwork ( no floppy artwork!) AND from touching the actual artwork when carrying it to the drying rack!

When artwork is dry I just pile the messy mats up and put them all on the top shelf of the drying rack for later like below.

And the messy mats themselves become beautiful artwork as well over time! I often re-purpose some to frame student artwork for displays, or to mount art lesson descriptions for displays (like below) or can be cut up and used for future collage projects!

SKETCHBOOK BINS

Every year for all classes (1st grade- 5th grade have art in my district) I have students create their own sketchbook in the beginning of the year. Students create a particular drawing for the cover, then it gets stapled to the front of a folded 12×18″ 60# sheet, with 15 papers (just regular white copy paper) inside to draw on.

The sketchbooks stay in the art room and are stashed in individual plastic storage bins and labeled by class.

Sketchbooks are great for early finishers, to free draw in if kids finish a lesson early, as well as to practice drawing before creating a final version for a lesson, and are sometimes used to copy down information that they’ve learned about a particular lesson to help them remember better!

Once the pages are filled up, (I tell students to use the fronts and backs) they can take them home!

FREE DRAW STATION

If students finish a project early, sometimes I offer free draw on loose copy paper as well. I have a small table next to the drying rack with a stack of copy paper, pencil sharpeners, erasers, a small drawer with step-by-step how to draw sheets inside, and my “What Should I Draw?” Jar. Kids can take a couple sheets back to their table and free draw with usually just crayons, markers, or colored pencils. The jar has lots of fun, silly drawing ideas I came up with on slips of paper if they can’t think of what to draw. I have a free download of these ideas from my TpT page HERE

STACKABLE CLEAR ART SUPPLY BINS

Can you see them?!?! I forgot to get a good photo of this, but in the photo below you can kinda see them! I have better photos of these bins from my other art room at AMVET ELEMENTARY (discussed further down below).

I love these clear, stackable bins for art supplies! I have multiples of the same materials (10 for crayons, 10 for colored pencils, 10 for oil pastels, 10 for markers etc. and some for sharpies, rulers, glue sticks, scissors, hole punchers etc.) I labeled the area where each one is with masking tape on that shelf as well, so kids know where to put them back when it’s clean up time. I put out 2 bins per table so kids can reach from where their sitting and I have students that want to be helpers, go grab the bins for each table when we need them, and have students that want to clean up at the end of art collect them and put them back. Students can carry no more than 3 bins, but inevitably kiddos sometimes need a reminder when they are trying to carry bins that go up to their eyes!

These bins also help raise up my document camera when I need a bit more height to show the entire sheet of paper I’m demonstrating on too!

SUPPLIES TABLE

I LOVE having this extra table under my white board for so many reasons.

I use it everyday to put the artwork folders on that we’ll use for the day, put art supplies on like a certain size cut paper, or if I want students to get a certain tool that’s not out for students to use all year long, certain handouts, my teacher examples when they don’t need to be hung up yet on the whiteboard, paper plate palettes and certain colored paints etc. It’s used for SO MANY REASONS day to day!

I also stash artwork folders and other supplies needed later in the day underneath it too, to make it easier for myself when switching gears for another class.

By the way, that table to the left of it, with my doc camera and computer, has a table “skirt” ( attached using super strong velcro adhesive strips that is stapled to the fabric and adhered along the edge of the table) to store/hide other art stuff stashed away underneath it. Right now there’s just extra stacks of colored construction paper, large paint jugs, and some seasonal decorations for the art room under there. But I didn’t want it all to be out in the open and viewable so the cute fabric skirt hides it all and stuff can still be easily accessed when needed!

Better pic of it below

TABLE LAYOUT AND COLOR CODING TABLES

Four tables are arranged vertically, side by side with space and walking room around each. The 5th table is set up horizontally, in the back facing towards to whiteboard. Creating a “U” shape, students at each table can see the whiteboard easily this way.

Each table has certain colored pencil caddies on them so students can be called up or dismissed by table color. I have 5 tables at Roosevelt, so one table is the yellow table, one table is the purple table, one is the green table, one is the blue table, and one is the red table. I got these pencil caddies from the dollar tree (packs of 4 of each color). I keep 2 caddies per table out all the time for students to be able to reach from any seat at their table.

SEATING CHARTS

After the first week of classes in September, I create seating charts for each class for the remainder of the year. I just draw one chart out and then photocopy it and then write in students names in pencil on each class’s chart. I smudged out the names of students in the photo above for privacy. I keep these seating charts stapled together in my teacher planner and will sometimes move students spots if needed throughout the year. It’s helpful for also remembering students names and I keep a copy for the sub binder as well.

ART ROOM WALL DECOR

Collaborative mural art projects are a great addition for decorating your art room. I had several classes create this one above in the first weeks of school. Students created mini monochromatic self-portraits using colored pencils on 5″x5″ paper. Each class had a particular color to work with. I had my 3rd, 4th and 5th graders (2 classes per grade) create these. Then I hot glued each drawing onto a large sheet of roll paper, and stapled to the curtain along that wall. Students love seeing their art displayed up on the art room wall!

Here’s another collaborative mural my 1st and 2nd graders created during the first 2 weeks of school (below).

Another time I had 4th graders create one small section of a flower painting by Georgia O’Keeffe using oil pastels (photos below). It was a continuation on learning about Georgia O’Keefe after creating their own individual enlarged flower drawings. Once each 5″ square was complete, I pieced it all together with hot glue onto a large sheet and stapled to my art room wall. (To learn more about this lesson and how they created these, go to my “4th grade Art Lessons” page and scroll down.)

I made the clock (above) by hot-gluing old marker caps around the edge of the clock and a pair of wings (from an angel costume for halloween).

Posters bought online, pictures downloaded and printed (or screen shots of free images and printed) on cardstock, pages torn out from my own collection of art books, my art teacher examples for students lessons (we accumulate so many each time we do a demo, so why not hang them up!) as well as some artwork that I’ve created, were also added to my art room walls like below.

ART BOOKS

Students can read a book if they finish an art project early, and are easily accessible along the windows of my art room at Roosevelt. Of course, some books I’ll also read to students before or during a lesson as well, as many tie into what they are learning about, or about that particular artist. I’ve been purchasing books here and there since teaching in North Attleboro and have a decent collection growing so far!

I also bought some really great collapsable book display stands, but other books are sturdy enough to stand up by themselves as well. I also love how it brings in more color to the art room too with all their beautiful covers!

Also, as you can see in the pics above I have some plants as well. I love bringing in real plants in the art room and the windows next to them are a perfect spot for them to grow!

PAINT TRAYS AND WATER CUPS

I love using liquid watercolors due to their vivid color! So when I have liquid colors out for lessons, I pour them into these ice cube trays. I bought the ice cube trays for a pack of 5 for $1 at the dollar tree.

I label each section of color using a colored sharpie according to that color, around the rim, since the colors look super dark and are hard to see.

I know the photo below shows them on a cart, which is exactly where I keep these trays at both schools! This photo is taken at Amvet, and the cart can be stored away in a closet within my art room there. I have old carts at Roosevelt in my art room (from when I was teaching off a cart), and I have a cart at my other school (Amvet) to teach one Special Ed. class where I travel to their classroom). Anyhoo- Not the best pic, but you get the idea!

I also use these ice cube trays at times for liquid tempera paints too. The size of these trays, and how it can hold ALL the colors and be easily cleaned out in the sink (or dishwasher) is just so awesome.

I’ve seen ice cube trays other teachers use with lids, BUT that was after the fact that I bought these ones. I’ll probably purchase those ones with lids soon, but I’ve found that wrapping them in heavy duty tinfoil works great too! The tinfoil keeps both liquid watercolor trays and liquid tempera trays for at least a few weeks! Not bad. Then I just re-fill them as needed. Oftentimes, I’ll add water and dilute the liquid watercolor ones too. But just a small splash of water per section.

I recycle plastic take out containers (wash them of course first in the dishwasher!) for my water cups as seen below. I think bigger is better, as the water does tend to get pretty muddy after just a few kids use one, but I like the stackable-ness of them, they rinse easily, and I usually just swap out a dirty cup with a clean one when needed while kids are working.

I sometimes like to use styrofoam bowls like below too for things like watered down glue for tissue paper projects, and just pour the remaining glue mixture into a plastic storage container with a lid and rinse out the styrofoam bowls, let dry, and re-use them again and again for other classes.

ART ROOM AT AMVET ELEMENTARY!

I LOVE these clear, plastic, stackable containers for art tools and materials!

Makes storage so much easier, kids can see what’s inside, they’re narrow, and just the right size (so it doesn’t take up too much space on the tables).

I made the cloth table “skirt” using hemming tape with an iron and super durable sticky velcro tape to fasten it to the tables edges. Underneath the table I store extra large plastic storage bins (below) that are stackable and labeled by grade level to store my art examples for all grades. Easy to pull out what you need for lessons, and then tuck back under the table. The table skirt is also great for hiding other stuff you don’t want out all the time as well!

Here is an updated pic of my art room–I got a new wall mounted projector (instead of the one on a cart), and had to move the Large “CREATE” letters, and re-do the construction paper along that wall. 

Extra large stackable storage bins that contain my grade level art lesson examples. These are stored under this table. Although in this pic, they’re on the table with the table skirt lifted so custodians could clean under there (this pic was taken on the last day of school).

I created this sign using thin, wooden letters (bought from A.C. Moore or Michael’s) then hot glued colored pencils, pom-poms, crumpled tissue paper, faux flower heads, and buttons. The letters are hung up using 3M velcro adhesive, and a few clear thumb tacks here and there for extra support.

“Stained Glass” windows were created using a glue stick, colored tissue paper and black electrical tape.  Unfortunately the window on the right with the primary colors gets beaten by the sun quite a bit and fades about halfway through the year. When that happens, I sometimes paint over the colored tissue paper (very carefully!) with a “more dry than wet” brush, to make the colors more vibrant.

I found these handmade posters on Etsy from MookaInk — SOOOooo cute and love the messege!

Sketchbook bins– Every year I have all classes create their own sketchbooks for the first art lesson of the year. ( Additional info. in grade level art lessons). Students in each grade level create a different drawing for the cover of their sketchbooks. They are all stored in this cabinet, in class labeled bins for use during art. Students draw in them if they finish an art lesson early, earn a “choice day” (more on that under “star chart”), or to practice sketching or plan out ideas before creating a final version. Students get to bring them home at the end of the year.

Artwork Folders are also stored on shelves here labeled by grade level on the edge of the shelf with masking tape. Each artwork folder is made from a sheet of 24″ x18″ laminated tagboard then folded in half, as mentioned above under Roosevelt art room. Current art lessons are stored inside and pulled out as needed.

The “What should I draw”? Jar

Inside this jar are strips of paper with various silly and fun drawing ideas that I typed up. Kids can visit the jar if they have a hard time coming up with an idea for something to draw when they have free time after finishing up their artwork, or if they earned a “choice day” (choice day is explained under “star chart” in the menu).

***I have free printable copies of these drawing ideas listed under “free printable handouts” in the menu.*** or click here OR HERE!

On the backs of the A-R-T paint palettes list warnings for voice level during art. The letter A has “warning # 1”,  the letter R has “warning # 2”, and the letter T has “silent art”. If it gets too noisy during art, I flip them over, one at a time, to reveal the other side (picture with the backs are shown below).

Tissue paper flowers that I made lining my white board for a pop of color, (and to attract attention to the white board when projecting Powerpoints and listing directions!)

Mason jars that are filled with dollar store stuff (jax, toy cars, rubber balls, pom poms and other fun things) sorted in rainbow order for a fun decoration! I spray painted a bunch of things that weren’t that color as well so the jars would look fuller.

This bookcase was once an old, dusty, sad brown thing with peeling contact paper all over the shelves. I rescued it with a good scrub and a can of spray paint!

My growing collection of art books! 

Art room rules poster- (goes along with the art STAR CHART )

WAYS TO HANG UP ARTWORK IN HALLS THAT HAVE CEMENT OR BRICK!