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Male Artists who use Hearts in Art & Art Lessons

Posted on February 13, 2022February 26, 2022 by admin

Every year the heart theme comes to play in the art room. Often I wonder will boys have an issue using the heart theme? Yet many famous male artists use the heart symbol. So I keep instructing heart themed lessons. Here are many male artists, who use the hearts in art & art lessons. Since these are male artists, boys may buy in with the use of the heart in their art.

Male Artists Who use Hearts in Art & Art Lessons

Jim Dine

For many years, I focused on Jim Dine, one of the male artists who use hearts in art & here is an art lesson I do with with grade 2. I never gave it a thought that the heart will be an issue for the boys at that grade level. It has not been. Since Jim Dine has many hearts that are very emotional in a variety of ways. His heart paintings and sculptures capture the audience well. We can all relate to a dark and scratched looking heart. Or a heart that is bright red with splatters of other bright colors. So will boys have issues using the heart theme when focusing on how Jim Dine uses the heart to espresso many different feelings.

Color for Male Artists use Hearts

Long ago I would have students make several smaller hearts. Then they would stitch them together into a paper quilt. It was an intensive project. We used mixed media and collage and I would have teach each technique separate for each heart. They looked great in the end. Because we were using so many different media and tearing hearts and scratching hearts, boys did not seem to have an issue with the symbol of the heart at this age. Also color had such an impact on how the feelings were projected.

Burton Morris: Another male artist that uses a heart in his art

Currently, I saw a newer artist that uses the heart. Burton Morris exhibits the pop art style in his artwork. Therefore, last year I thought lets try a different artist to center the art making process. Last year was partly virtual as well, so I could not do the mixed media Jim Dine project anyhow. With Burton Morris, I thought boys will not have an issue with the heart. Because he does this cool thing with making his art look like comic book pages. Also. Morris use comic book characters in his art.

Nope, I was wrong. After introducing the lesson and demonstrating what to do, I got the question from more then one boy, do we have to use a heart? Originally, I did not think that boys have issues using the heart theme. However, as I reflect on it, I can see how 4th graders may not be as receptive to the heart. It does seem like the as the younger grades do not acknowledge the heart as a girl thing. Yet, they completed the assignment and so much better then the girls.

Keith Haring

Several years ago I was introduced to Keith Haring’s artwork. So I did not give up with male artists who use hearts in art & art lessons. I remember when I saw Keith Haring kind of images in the original Music T.V. and a Christmas music cassette from the 80’s. Let’s see if the boys will buy in.

Now I used his art to inspire many different kinds of art lessons, but not totally focused on the heart. I had 5th graders work on drawing people in proportion and then changing them into strange halt animal people. This is all before current day dress. Now I have children coming to school with hats that have unicorn ears and horns or cat ear headbands. During the holiday season many kids had big elf ears and reindeer antlers on the heads. I am waiting for children to come to school with belts that have attached animal tails.

Color for Male Artists use Hearts

Anyway, with the lesson, students put in various symbols, so hearts were displayed. Boys had not issue with the use of the heart. They did this with out my guidance. In addition, Haring’s color is very bright and not really mixed. Thus far three male artists using the heart and I never though to emphasis that they were male.

Peter Max

Now this year has come and I am thinking back to last year with the question, do I have to use the heart? Will boys have an Issue using the heart this year? In order to keep that question from coming up, I purposely choose Peter Max for this years heart artwork. I learned about Peter Max through one of those art education magazines. I used the assignment with grade 4 to tie in male artists who use hearts in art & an art lesson.

When introducing the lesson, I showed a few of Peter Max’s paintings that were not hearts first. I explained that he wants to provoke in a person feelings of goodness. The paintings of the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of hope and desire for a better life. His use of bright colors evokes these feelings. We looked at an angel painting. Resulting in focus on the shapes looking like doughnuts, which I spun around to say don’t we all feel good when we taste the doughy sugary doughnuts. Peter Max has many paintings that are patriotic as well and we discussed how the flag presents feelings of safety and sacrifice for a better future.

Focused on Peter Max being male and he used the heart…

Then we got into how as a man, Peter Max is using these symbols to bring joy and happiness. Therefore, we used the basic heart shape to bring joy and happiness too. The goal was to get all the students to make a connection to how the symbol of the heart is used for more then love. All the male artists have shown that. Will the boys have an issue with the heart if it is sold as a symbol beyond the lovey dove acknowledgement? Out of about 80 students, four 4th grade classes, only one boy asked do we have to use the heart. Knowing this student, it does not surprise me. Therefore, I think the lesson was a win.

What was the lesson that answered the question: Will boys have an issue using the heart?

After sharing some videos on YouTube that showed Peter Max being interviewed and his artwork, we got into the lesson. If you want to see the videos here are the links:

Artist Peter Max’s colorful creations span 50 years

Peter Max: 50 Years of Color

Supplies & Tracers

First, I prepared tracers, pencils, erasers, and a square sheet of paper for the students. Then I gave them a choice with how to draw the heart. Either they trace the tracer, put the tracer on the center of the paper and draw around it to make their heart, or they draw a heart on their own that is in the middle and bigger then their hand.

Do it Together for Success

Next, I point to the chart of lines that is hung in the art room for reference. Every art room should have a line chart. I ask students to help me draw my picture. Someone tells me which line to use. I then ask another student where I should put the line. Should I put it all around the heart? Or just on two of the sides? Student make personal choices and draw then own lines. Then I ask students if I should draw another line around the heart or around the edge of the paper. I ask what kind of line I should draw. Students make choices for their drawing.

Pulling out the Shapes

Then we go back Peter Max heart images and pull out some shapes. These include “X’s”, circles, dash lines, ray lines, curved lines, loopy loops, flower shapes, and rain drop shapes. I ask student which ones I should add and I draw them on my artwork. Students follow up with making their personal choices.

Color for Male Artists use Hearts

Since Peter Max is known for his color, there is an emphasis on what color we use. The warm colors were used inside the heart with some blending. Then directly on the outside of the heart, we used the cool colors. Then they were directed to use warm colors on the border decoration and cool colors per personal decisions.

Student art completed with bright oil pastels in the likeness of male artist Peter Max who uses the heart symbol.

Media Challenge

Now here was the challenge I set for myself. I used oil pastels with the first class. It resulted in just extra mess but beautiful, colorful, and bright hearts.

The next class, I had them use watercolor crayons, which I thought could be fun and lead to a blended bright painting. However, they turned out dull and students got their hands and fingers a mess, because they were holding their art down as they were working.

Student who left some areas white on their Peter Max inspired hearts made a good choice, because the hearts do not look too dull.

The third 4th grade, I purposely had them use crayon, because of their misbehavior. These are looking much brighter and have less mess.

The last class was getting behind in our schedule, so I gave them smaller squares and used marker. The markers were new, so the color is clean and bright, but the paper curled and students still got their fingers a mess. Therefore, if you desire to give this lesson a try, you have read the different takes on the media used. I think the oil pastel and marker are the winners for the color.

Will Boys have an Issue Using the Heart?

No I do not think most boys in the elementary level will have an issue using the heart in their artwork. Especially, when it is pointed out how many male artists use hearts and how they use the heart? The heart is so symbolic that students and adult alike will find it recognizable for their own experiences in life. Just as the students will find a bond with the use of the heart in their art.

Check out these other heart themed blog posts:

One Heart Art Lesson that Gets Kids Excited

No Sharks with Hearts on Valentine’s Day Cards

Art-Based Gift that could be a Mess

Posted on January 29, 2022July 18, 2022 by admin

If you have a creative child in your home, then most likely many art based gifts have left a mess everywhere in your home. My daughter has received many art making gifts for Christmas and birthdays. These include the marker and coloring page/sticker kits, bracelet making kits, paint your own ceramic kits, and so on. This year she received a battery operated pottery wheel. This art-based gift that could be a mess does not have to be. Just do these easy prep steps. Your family will have fun with the inexpensive pottery wheel with less mess. It came with a receipt from Five Below. It is not a master potter’s wheel.

Here is the Art-Based Gift that could be a Mess.

Surprise…another messy arts gift

Now when my daughter opened this art-based gift that could be a mess, she did not know what it was right away. Even I was little confused. I remember potter wheels from collage. They are big and you sit with them between your legs. But when I realized what it was, I thought of the movie Ghost. To which I do not recall much about that movie and yet the scene with the potter’s wheel is popular. Next I thought oh my won’t this led to mess?

My experience with pottery wheels…

One time, my husband and I visited a ceramic shop where costumers paint their own pottery and they had an option to make your own bowl. So we tried it. My husband’s bowl turned out much better then my own, which is humorous because I am the one with art degree. That was my only experience with a potter’s wheel. How do I instruct my children to use this battery operated small one. And I will have to figure out how to not have clay flying everywhere, along with clay hands touching everything.

It can be messy this particular gift, but it really is not.

What we did with the art-based gift that could be a mess that doesn’t have to be…

First we opened it and hoped for some kind of directions. It came with the little plastic wheel, a bag of air-dry clay, a wire to cut the pottery from the suctioned plate, a row of paint, and a flyer with simple direction about how to make the wheel work and how to clean it. There were not directions on how to make a pot, vase, or bowl. So that was disappointing, since at this point no one is an expert. However, we managed to play around and figure it out. Playing around with art materials and learning on the spot with children can be fun.

Be Present…

It is important to be present with the children. Kids need an adult involved to help guide the art making. By being present, the adult can direct how messy it becomes. Also the adult creates good memories with the children. So that when the children look back at the art, they remember who was present and how that made them feel.

You can see how the little pot is off the center of the plate.

Yet she still managed to make a cute little pot.

Organize for less mess with the art-based gift

Second, we organized the space. We took over one side of the table. I got out some clay tools I had from my hand building class back in collage. We had laminated paper as place mat to keep the mess. So all clay was suppose to be either on the laminated place mat, the potter’s wheel, in the water cup, and on the hands. For the most part that is how it turned out. As you see in the following picture the plastic potter’s wheel got super messy.

Because we are turning off and changing the speed, the plastic outer shell became messy.

Let’s make pottery.

Thirdly, we set out to make the pottery. The air-dry clay that came with the kit was very moist and worked well. However, it was not a lot. So we used air dry clay by Crayola that was two years old. After adding water and playing with it, it became malleable. This allowed everyone to make two vessels each. Without directions, each of us figured out how to manipulate the clay and our hands to help form the clay vessels.

Son trying out different hand positions to make the pottery.

What is needed for cleaning up in the end?

Because we are turning it on and off and changing the speed, the plastic outer shell became messy. It was not very difficult to use wet paper towels to wipe it off. The laminated films were washed under the laundry/utility sit. The table was wiped down like the wheel. In the end the most mess was on our hands. In the end that seems like a limited mess and easy clean up for me. The kids had to do the most clean up. Hands had to be doubled washed to get the clay out of finger nails and from between fingers.

No expert, but this doesn’t look to bad.

Playing around this art-based gift that could be messy had led to some pretty pottery pieces.

Letting them dry…

We left the vessels to dry. It took a couple of days. Then the paint came out. Painting can be its own mess. However, we have a system for that too. Everyone choose their colors and we had water containers with paper towels nearby. Many different size brushes to limit the need to wash the brushes between colors helps too. Afterwards, everyone had their own way to paint their pottery, which makes it original.

Mixing the colors to get that favorite color pink that my daughter likes

Complete pottery that wasn’t as messy as expected

How about you?

Are you interested in using an inexpensive pottery wheel with your children, but are afraid of the mess? If so, I hope that you have read enough to know it will be fine. Making functional art with children is a wonderful activity. But I know for some, we are just concerned about the time it takes to clean it all up. Just organize ahead of time and the clean up will be easy. In addition, in the end you have these beautiful and wonderful little pots, bowels, and raised plates.

Check out this blog post where we play with frosting dough:

Sugar and play dough is an interesting mix!

A Quick Christmas Activity to Fill the Time

Posted on December 20, 2021December 23, 2022 by admin

Image by Pexels from Pixabay:
Quick Christmas Activities to Fill the Time Before Winter Holiday Break

It is that time of year to come up with a quick Christmas activity to fill the time before the winter break in the classroom or the art room that is fun. That time before the Christmas holiday is difficult. Because there are many factors that we can list. But there is one factor that requires planning ahead. I do not want to start a project that the students will forget about during their short time away. A Quick Christmas activity that fill the time before winter break are very handy.

Decorate a Tree

Amazingly, I tend to think things up in the spur of hours before a class arrives sometimes. I wonder if other art teachers or creative people can relate? An idea just comes to you and it is great. You may not have fully thought it out but you are going to jump right in and see where it takes you.

That is how this quick Christmas activity came about to fill some time with second grade. I cut out some tree tracers within about 15 minutes from scrap tag board. I knew students would complete the prior weeks assignment early this day and I needed to fill about 20-30 minutes of time and as mentioned I did not want to start a new project before they went on holiday break.

So they all traced their trees. Afterward, I called on students to tell us what we should draw on the tree to decorate it. Of course they said ornaments. Therefore, I had to define the perimeters with examples. Let’s decorate it with funny things and everyday things like different bugs, animals, tools, food, things in the sky on land, in the water, and other small objects. This time we started with a star. And to make the drawing more fun, we increased the number of objects per idea. We started with one star and progressed with two of something else. Then three of another and so forth.

Eventually we got to ten different things and as we progressed students started to relate the activity to the song of The Twelve Days of Christmas, which I did not seen coming, because I had just thought of the activity a few hours before they arrived.

Trace one side of the tree and flip to the other side to trace the other half of the tree.

Credit to

Now I do want to give credit to a book that I have for my daughter that is titled Merry Christmas Mouse! by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond. Whenever I have read that book, I kept thinking it would be fun to illustrate my own tree or have children do it. Finally after several years, it came to be. It was a success, because even though our class was over, the students wanted to color and add more things to their trees.

More Activities that may be of interest:

2 Easy Christmas Art Lessons