Class Catalog
Due to the wide variance of age, ability and arts exposure in the
populations we serve, each program is customized and adaptive
to ensure age and ability appropriate programming while gently
pushing participant limitations in a positive and sensitive manner.
The following pages list many projects we can offer. If you have an
idea for a project not listed here, please contact us to discuss your
idea.
[email protected]
804-726-5119
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 1
Acrylic Techniques
2 sessions
First seen in the 1950’s as house paint, acrylic paint was soon refined and
marketed as a more economical and less toxic medium for painting. Embraced by
Mexican muralists, the medium quickly rose to popularity in the early 1960’s. In
this class, students will be introduced to acrylic paint by exploring the flexibility
offered by a wide variety of techniques, including collage, gel transfers, texture
painting and glazing, among many more.
Gel Transfer: Students layer gel medium onto photocopies, or
magazine pages. Once dry, the paper is dampened and removed
leaving the image adhered to the gel medium. This transparent
image can then be transferred onto a wide variety of porous
surfaces.
Collage: Very popular in early 20th century art, Collage is a
technique where students adhere paper, images or a variety of
small objects to a canvas to create an image.
Acrylic Skins: Students expand their understanding of the
possibilities of paint in this unique process. By allowing paint
to dry on a nonstick surface, students can cut sheets of paint
into custom shapes. Once prepared, pieces are glued onto a glass
surface, to create beautiful colorful candle votives.
Action Painting
1 session
Action Painting is a fun way to introduce motion into art. Children create paintings
by rolling paint covered objects such as marbles, toy cars, and other items around
on their paper. Layering pattern and color, action painting engages the students
while developing coordination and the ability to anticipate and predict results.
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 2
Batik 2 sessions
Batiking is a dying technique that uses a wax resist to create images. It is
commonly thought to have spread through trade routes from the island of Java in
Indonesia where batiking was traditionally used to make exquisite patterns and
designs on clothing for royalty or families of wealth and position. In this class
students will apply hot wax with a tjanting tool to heavy cotton or linen to create a
resist when submerged in a dye bath.
Bookbinding
sessions vary
As early as 1 A.D., ancient Romans first developed the craft of bookbinding through
the codex, made from folded and sewn parchment or vellum. These early books
became the preferred method over scrolls for preserving manuscripts, as they were
easier to handle and allowed writing on both sides. Students may choose to bind
blank pages or pre-made pages to create durable, custom hardbound books, with
applications ranging from journals to sketchbooks, photo albums, keepsakes, gifts or
travel portfolios.
Book Illustration sessions vary
Building conceptualization, critical thinking skills and cognitive development,
illustrations are images that depict a part of a story or written text. The earliest
forms of illustration are cave paintings. This group project can be done with a
variety of materials or processes, with each student illustrating a different part of a
particular story or poem, that are then bound together to create a book.
Bubble Painting
1 session
Bubble Painting is a hit with young children, who blow colored bubbles onto
paper, allow them to pop and let them dry! Colors can be layered to create unique
compositions, or kept separate to aid in learning color identification. This simple,
fun process helps teach children about color mixing, and cause and effect.
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 3
Candle Making
1 session
Many ancient civilizations appear to have developed candle making separately
using a variety of indigenous materials and techniques. It is widely believed that
Egyptians were using wicked beeswax candles by 3000 B.C. Candles were used for
illumination, timekeeping, street lighting, and religious ceremonies. In time, less
expensive candle making traditions developing, and candles were frequently used to
light homes. Participants will create pillar candles using moulds in this introductory
class.
Clay
2 sessions
Clay works are one of the most ancient industries on the planet, dating as far
back as 24,000 BC. Spanning the world over, humans have been discovering new
materials and techniques to harden and color clay for nearly 30,000 years. Students
create and paint clay pieces in this introductory course. Handbuilding Techniques
include: Slab Pots or Coil Pots.
Clay Sculpture
3 sessions
Since humans discovered clay in prehistoric times, artists have been using it to
create sculptures. This versatile medium has been used to make many famous works
of art, including works from Donatello, Rodin, Picasso, and Abakanowicz. In this
class, students will created a wire base to sculpt their form around. Once dried the
sculptures will be painted to the students liking.
Collage Votives
1 session
Very popular in early 20th century art, Collage is the process of adhering paper to a
surface. In this class, bits of tissue paper are collaged onto glass to create colorful,
decorative votive candle holders!
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 4
Collagraph
2 sessions
In this class, a variety of low relief materials are glued collage-style to create
images utilizing different textures and patterns. This process is a wonderful
introduction to printmaking for younger students, allowing the opportunity to
experiment with creating a unified composition from many separate elements.
The finished plates are inked with a rubber brayer and printed in the portable
printmaking press.
Cyanotype
2 sessions
Though invented by English Scientist and Astronomer Sir John Herschel in 1842,
it was Anna Atkins, regarded as the first female photographer, who brought the
cyanotype into the public eye by publishing the first book illustrated exclusively
with the photographs. The cyanotype was then seized by architects as an
inexpensive method to produce large scale copies of their work, which came to be
called blueprints. Students emulsify and develop their photographs in a fascinating
class that explores this early photographic process!
Drawing Games
1 session
Le Cadavre Exquis: In this class, students will be divided
into small groups, taking turns drawing without seeing the
work that has been done by other class members. Encouraging
teamwork in art-making, drawings resulting from Le Cadavre
Exquis are an unusual and outlandish combination of the
personalities of each artist.
Visual Telephone: A classic children’s game get’s a new twist
when students take turns drawing and interpreting an idea.
This fun, engaging class reveals hilarious results, encourages
literacy skills, creativity, and creative problem solving.
Drypoint
2 sessions
A printmaking technique developed during the Middle Ages from the metalworking
techniques of goldsmiths and armorers, drypoint was used by some of the most
famous printmakers in history, including Rembrandt Van Rijn, Albrecht Dürer, and
Francisco Goya. This technique evolved into etching, a highly regarded process still
used today. In this class students will create their own drypoint, using tools to
carve grooves into a plate. Ink is then wiped across the plate and printed through a
printmaking press.
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 5
Fantastic Fossils
2 sessions
In this fun and engaging class, students create their very own excavation bed full
of fossils of their own design! Students create “sea bed” or “forest floor” fossils
using sculpture wire to make their drawings of fossil skeletons come to life, and
other objects such as leaves and shells to add realism to their piece. Small objects
and models are provided for students who lack the dexterity to create their own
fossilized creatures. Fossils are buried under layers of tissue paper, and colored with
charcoal to create the finished look.
Flexi-Cut Collagraph
2 sessions
Collagraph is a method of printmaking in which materials are attached to a flat
base to create a printmaking surface. Using the soft, adhesive material Flexi-Cut,
students use scissors to cut shapes of their image, then peel and stick them to the
base. Water based markers and a printing press complete the project, for colorful,
fun prints every time!
Group Painting
Sessions Vary
Are you looking for a mural project to engage anywhere between 5 - 500 people?
Group Painting is a simple, approachable activity which yields great results with
participants of all ages and abilities! Participants paint freestyle on panel using
sponges and sponge rollers. Subject matter is flexible, and customized.
Handmade Collage Journals 1 session
As early as 1 A.D., ancient Romans first developed the craft of bookbinding through
the codex, made from folded and sewn parchment or vellum. These early books
became the preferred method over scrolls in preserving manuscripts, as they were
easier to handle and allowed for writing on both sides. In this simple bookbinding
technique, participants will create their very own personal journal, decorated with a
variety of collaged materials. These books can be used as journals or scrapbooks to
fill with personal stories, poetry, sketches, or photos.
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 6
Huichol Yarn Painting
2 sessions
Living high in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico, the Huichol Native American
people have preserved their vibrant cultural heritage largely unchanged since PreColombian times. Without a written language to pass on traditions, the Huichol
people rely on time honored artisan traditions. In this class, students explore a
modified version of the ancient Yarn Painting Technique. Using adhesive-backed felt
instead of the traditional wooden board and beeswax, students lay brightly colored
yarn in a design to create their image, “painting” a fun and colorful image in yarn!
Japanese Screens
2 sessions
Also called Byobu (translates roughly as protection from the wind), Japanese
screens originated in China and were adopted by Japan in the eight century AD.
Often depicting scenes from nature, screens are used as backdrops for concerts
or dances, tea ceremonies, or room subdivision. Students use black ink to create
traditional ink wash paintings on fine papers, with are placed in wooden frames to
create miniature decorative Japanese screens!
Marbling
1 session
Introduced to Europe by way of the Middle East, marbling was developed in east
Asia around the 10th century. Marbling is the process of floating paint on the
surface of sized water. The paint is moved around the surface creating a swirling
effect and paper or fabric is placed on the surface to pick up the paint. Very popular
in Europe in the 19th century it was commonly used as a decorative material for
covers and end papers of books, and lining chests, drawers and bookshelves. Using
silk handkerchiefs, this simple and fun process yields amazing results at any ability
level.
Marionettes
2 sessions
A marionette is a puppet with articulated limbs that are controlled with wire or
string. It is believed that puppetry is one of the most ancient forms of performance,
with evidence dating to Egyptian tombs as far back as 2000 BCE. There are many
references to puppetry in ancient Greek literature, and Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey
were presented using puppetry. In this class, students use air-dry clay to create
small marionette figurines, which are then decorated with marker. Simple string
attachments bring the puppets to life in this enchanting class for young and old
alike!
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 7
Metal Embossing
2 sessions
Metal Embossing is the art of achieving high and low relief with special laminated
metals. Originating in the Middle East around 500 B.C., embossing techniques
have been used to add luster, radiance, texture and dimension to metal ornaments.
Students will learn how to make designs in a metal sheet using a variety of different
types of embossing tools, and use watercolor to embellish their design. Embossed
pieces can then be wrapped around a firm surface and displayed on the wall, or used
as a book cover for a handmade book!
Monotype
1 session
Despite its origins in the Italian Renaissance, the monotype was not commonly used
before Edgar Degas, who helped bring the process to the public eye. Popular with
painters, the monotype gives the artist the ability to quickly create unique, one-ofa-kind, painterly prints. By manipulating ink on a plexiglass palette with a variety
of tools, the monotype is an excellent way to explore texture and create color fields.
Students will explore the multitude of different effects possible using additive and
subtractive methods. Once the painting on plexiglass is complete, a hand-cranked
printmaking press is used to create the finished piece, which can be displayed as a
work of art, or used as a greeting card.
Mosaics
2 sessions
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored
glass, stone, or other materials. Dating as far back as 2000 B.C., mosaics are often
found in along the interior walls and ceilings of churches, cathedrals, temples and
mosques depicting religious scenes or indigenous designs. Students use the direct
method to create and image or design on a surface.
Mural Painting
sessions vary
Dating as far back as the origins of image making, murals are a time-honored way
to beautify a public space for the entire community to enjoy. They can be found all
across the world in endless places including caves, churches, government buildings,
museums, public parks, and alley walls. Throughout history, murals eternalize a
plethora of objectives from commemoration and inspiration to propaganda and
advertisement. Participants will collaborate to create a large scale mural with a
common theme appropriate to the group. Murals can either be created directly onto
the surface of a wall, on a large stretched canvas, or wooden panels.
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 8
Music Enrichment
sessions vary
Exploration in music provides cognitive engagement and important socialization
for all ages, and is additionally accessible to participants with sight limitations. A
musical therapist will activate these sessions with cherished classic songs for singa-long time, as well as provide props such as percussion shakers to help engage the
students in song and movement.
Music Makers: Rain Sticks
1 session
Rain Sticks offer a great way to explore sound, rhythm and movement with young
children. As children become more aware of cause and effect, Rain Sticks are a fun
way to combine these learning points in a creative way. In this class, children will
decorate and assemble rain stick noise makers using cardboard tubing, beans and
decorative items.
Painted Eggshell Boxes 2 sessions
Traditionally, eggshell mosaics are made by first dying then positioning each shard
individually — a time-consuming and delicate process. This project introduces a new
way to crush and color eggshells, creating intricate veining and texture all at once
without pre-dying or arranging each fragment. The simple glue-and-paint process
and satisfying “crunch!” of breaking eggshells will delight children of all ages
and skill levels.
Paint Flowers
2 sessions
These beautiful, colorful flowers are created by using flexible wire to shape petals
and leaves, and then using a flexible, transparent paint which was originally
formulated to create window clings. Once dry, posable petals are grouped and
twisted together to create enchanting, glass-like flowers and bouquets!
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 9
Paper Flowers
1 session
Made using crepe paper and a simple wrapping technique, each flower is unique and
an explosion of color! Students can create a bouquet of different colored flowers to
be displayed in a vase, or added to other projects as decorative embellishments.
Paper Coil Vases
2 sessions
Using a special material called Paper Coiling Core, paper rope is coiled around a
glass base, and anchored using glue. After drying, creations can be painted and
embellished using acrylic paints. This class builds on fine motor skills and offers
each student a great introduction to exploring three dimensional art.
Paper Lithography
1 session
After the discovery of toner from laser copiers as a medium for lithographers, artists
began searching for new ways to make prints with it. It was soon learned that a
fresh xerox copy could be inked up and printed just like a traditional lithograph on
an aluminum plate or limestone. Paper Lithography is a simple process where students explore a more spontaneous and free form of printmaking by collaging several
copies to make one print.
Paper Making
1 session
Developed in China during the 1st century, the modern method of making paper
from wood pulp was reputedly inspired by the building methods of wasps and
bees. In this class students work with natural elements and colored pulps to
create beautiful textured hand made paper, perfect for keepsakes, bookmarks and
stationary.
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 10
Photo Collagraph
3 sessions
Photo collagraph is a recent advancement in collagraph printing using silk-screen
emulsion applied to a thin wood panel. It is a very versatile process that can yield
many different effects depending on the materials used. After the plate is exposed,
the image can be easily reworked by hand. Students will use a photograph or a
hand made transparency to expose an image onto the emulsified wood plate. After
washing out the image, the plate can be carved, scratched, or built up by adding
materials such as modeling paste. Plates are then inked and printed intaglio style.
Photogram
1 session
A process made popular by the Surrealist artist Man Ray, the photogram was actually
one of the first photographic processes, developed by Talbot in the mid 19th
century. This simple and unique introduction to darkroom photography incorporates
a variety of everyday and natural objects with different transparencies which are
placed on light sensitive paper. Easily developed in the sun and resembling an x-ray,
the photogram is a fascinating way to explore transparency, light sensitivity and the
origins of photography.
Plate Lithography 2 sessions
Lithography, a form of printmaking traditionally created from images drawn onto a
limestone, was first introduced in the late 18th century to reproduce sheet music.
Later made popular by a variety of artists such as Francisco Goya, Honoré Daumier
and Toulouse-Lautrec, students will learn how the process developed, as well as
its great importance throughout the history of art. Utilizing the resist of grease
from water, students will draw on a polyester plate and print it in the same way a
traditional lithograph is printed, on a hand-cranked press.
Quilt Making
sessions vary
Examples of quilted fabric (a top piece, insulation or batting and a back piece) date
back to 3400 BC in Egypt, and were used for warmth throughout history. Colonial
era “Crazy Quilts’ were popular among wealthy women, using odd shaped scraps
of fabric stitched together. It was the invention of the cotton gin in the mid 19th
Century that made a large variety of printed fabrics available and affordable and led
to the widespread popularity of patchwork quilts. Students work collaboratively to
paint, print or collage patchwork squares into a large group quilt.
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 11
Reductive Sculpture
3 sessions
Reductive sculpture is the technique of chiseling or carving away from a stone,
wood, or clay block to create a sculpture in the round. Arguably the oldest known
sculpture the Venus of Willendorf (24,000 BC) demonstrates reductive sculpture
to be one of the earliest forms of art making. Starting with a soapstone or soft
balsa wood block, students will carve their very own sculpture using the reductive
technique.
Relief Printing
1 or 2 sessions
Invented as a method for printing designs on textiles in ancient China, the
oldest form of relief printmaking, the woodcut is still very much alive today, with
advancements in materials now making relief printmaking a fascinating technique
for all ages to explore. From Styrofoam printing blocks to linoleum blocks to
woodblocks, students will explore relief printmaking through manageable, ageappropriate materials in an effort to gain understanding of this ancient process.
Completed blocks are inked and printed using a hand-cranked printing press.
Relief Sculpture
3 sessions
Relief is sculpted artwork that is either raised or sunken from a flat surface. Found
as far back as ancient Egypt in hieroglyphics telling stories of the Egyptian culture.
Often depicting religious or historical scenes relief sculpture was greatly used in
Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical architecture. Using a soft balsa wood
block, students will safely carve using a variety of tools to create a wall hanging
relief sculpture.
Reverse Pastel
2 sessions
The technique of painting on clear glass so that the image is viewed from the other
side has been practiced for centuries in cultures around the world. Because the glass
provides permanent protection from wear and a durable, clear gloss finish, it has
often been combined with gilding in religious artwork, on furniture items and in
clockmaking. This class provides an easy way to create reverse paintings in a safe
manner, using oil pastels, and a picture frame. A backing of metallic foil reflects
light through the pastel in the same manner as gilding.
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 12
Scratch Art Cyanotype
2 sessions
A Cyanotype is a photograph made by exposing photo-sensitive paper to UV light.
This early photography process was pioneered in the 19th century, and later became
popular with architects as an inexpensive way of reproducing drawings, leading to
the term “blueprint”. In this class, students scratch their design onto treated film
using metal tools to create an interesting image. The Scratch Art drawings are then
placed on the photo-sensitive paper to expose in the sun, similar to how architects
would have reproduced their own drawings in the early 20th century.
Screen Printing
3 sessions
Screen Printing first appeared in China during the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD). It
wasn’t until the 18th century when it was introduced to the western world. Screenprinting, a technique where ink is pushed through a stencil on a meshed screen,
became a common industrial form of printing since it didn’t require heavy machinery
and could be printed on a wide variety of surfaces. This process was readopted by
artists in the early 2oth century and popularized by Andy Warhol during the Pop Art
movement. In this class students will learn either a direct hand drawn process to
create prints on paper or tote bags.
Secco Fresco
3 sessions
Believed to have spread from the island of Crete through trade routes, fresco
painting has played an integral role throughout the history of art. From the wall
paintings of ancient Egyptian tombs, to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel of the Italian
Renaissance, the fresco developed as a visual history, decoration, and a record
of each cultures sacred myths and teachings. Students will learn the importance
of the fresco in addition to working with materials to create their own, portable
masterpiece.
Silk Painting
2 sessions
With a rich and varied history spanning 3500 years, silk is truly a gift from the
natural world. Long valued as a prized possession, items made from silk were
indicators of wealth and luxury- often given as gifts of peace between warring
tribes and monarchies. In this introductory class, students will explore a variety of
coloring and resist techniques to create their own hand painted silk scarf, truly a
wearable work of art!
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 13
Silk Sun Catchers
2 sessions
With a rich and varied history spanning 3500 years, silk is truly a gift from the
natural world. Long valued as a prized possession, items made from silk were
indicators of wealth and luxury- often given as gifts of peace between warring
tribes and monarchies. In this introductory class, students will explore a variety of
coloring and resist techniques to create their own Silk Sun Catcher, perfect for a
sunny window, or as a wall hanging!
String Painting
1 session
String Painting shows toddlers a new ways to create marks with paint. Improving
upon coordination, fine motor skills, and depth perception, toddlers drop paint
covered string onto paper to create unique and interesting marks. Different color
options and sponges give children added variety and fun with this project.
Tissue Paper Collage
2 sessions
In this engaging project, students use color and shape to explore landscape painting! Using pieces of tissue paper students can create colorful, dynamic landscapes
collaged onto canvas, while learning about the way foreground, midground and
background interact with color to create space.
Tissue Paper Lanterns
1 session
Far more than just decoration, Chinese paper lanterns have silently signaled births,
deaths, social status and approaching danger through color and shape since 250
BC. Symbols of long life and good luck, lanterns are created by applying layers of
colored tissue paper using paper mache onto a balloon. Once the lantern has dried
the balloon is popped and removed, resulting in a fun and colorful paper lantern!
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 14
Toddler Art Napkins
1 session
Toddler Art Napkins is a fun project for children to keep and use for years! A plain
white dinner napkin is transformed into a colorful and creative conversation piece.
Fabric markers keep the children’s drawings vibrant through washings and wear. Soft
foam pads on the markers allow toddlers to experiment with mark-making - dots,
dabs and lines combine to increase interest and variety.
Watercolor and Resist
sessions vary
Students use wax media to learn about the resist technique with watercolors.
Watercolor and Salt
sessions vary
Students sprinkle salt onto areas of their watercolor painting to explore this technique of creating added interest in the paint.
Watercolor and Texture
sessions vary
Students experiment with plastic wrap to create interesting textures in abstract
watercolor paintings.
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
Class Catalog: Page 15
Watercolor Casts
2 sessions
Using modeling clay, paints, and plaster students create their own colorful casts.
First, textured items such as shells and other materials are pressed into clay. Next,
the plaster is poured into the clay mould and allowed to dry. Finally, watercolor
completes the project - creating a soft, beautiful plaster cast, perfect for hanging
on the wall!
Waterless Lithography 2 sessions
Waterless lithography represents some of the most exciting recent developments
in printmaking. Safer and easier than traditional techniques, it is steadily gaining
popularity with printmakers around the world. In this class, students will have a
unique opportunity to create a lithograph using the waterless process.
Weaving
2 sessions
Weaving is thought to be one of the first crafts developed by prehistoric humans,
and likely arose from observations from nature such as spider webs, birds nests
and beaver dams. Weaving was an important development for prehistoric life,
enabling early peoples to make nets for hunting and fishing, and rugs and clothing
for warmth and insulation. Today, weaving is widely used in many types of
manufacturing, and maintains popularity as a craft. Students use small looms to
weave colorful creations such as woven coasters or small drawstring bags.
Woodcraft Birdhouses
2 sessions
This class introduces students to the pleasures of painting and embellishing 3D
wood crafts. In the first session, students paint the surfaces of their bird house,
while the second session is used to embellish the bird house with paint, images,
trinkets and small objects. The result is a truly unique and functional work of art!
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org
3108 1/2 West Leigh Street #7
Richmond, VA 23230
www.artonwheels-va.org
[email protected]
804.726.5119
© 2007 - 2012 Art on Wheels a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization / www.artonwheels-va.org