ARTASTIC! Miss Oetken's Artists: Folk Art Spanish Guitars

First grade learned about Spanish culture through Folk Art and music working together! Music and art are a vivid part of Spanish Culture! We made our own bright colored painted paper and turned them into a variety of Spanish Guitars! 1st graders also looked at some brightly painted folk art guitars for inspiration. I got this wonderful lesson from another blog, "There's a Dragon in my Art Room". It inspired me to do this wonderful art lesson about Spanish culture!

Miss Oetken's Spanish Folk Art Guitar

First students made texture and painted paper to mimic the painted Folk Art guitars. We used 2 sheets of heavy 12x18 white drawing paper and put our NAME IN THE MIDDLE ON BACKwith our class number ON BOTH. SO important management wise to get it in the middle (for cutting out later, the name would disappear and get cut off!) For painted paper I have all different colors of paint: A different color at each table with a a texture roller and a texture stamper.

a student applying paint with a paintbrush to the roller texture tool

Students get to pick 2 different colors. 1 color for the base color (coat the entire piece of paper) and then a different one for the texture roller/ or stamper on top. I also gave the option of putting a color completely on top and then using a comb to comb through it so the other color shows through underneath ("Brush your paint's hair"). We talked about how to apply paint with a paintbrush to the foam texture roller fast and also apply fast paint to the texture tool. The reason for that is if you don't, students either want to dunk it in the paint and then smoosh it all over their paper-that defeats the purpose of the texture it rolls on the paper. I also talk about barely applying pressure with the foam texture roller when rolling it across paper. I tell students the tools stay at the station...the stations "stays". When I have paint stations I have students push in their chair to encourage standing around stations so they can easily find a free brush.

texture stamping on top with a new color

look how cool the comb texture effect is! Pink was the base color, then tourqoise on top,
then combed through when wet

yellow and tourquoise on top combed through

yellow and yellow-orange dot texture with roller

The next art class when both papers are dry, we looked at and talked about the different parts of a Spanish accoustic guitar: The headstock (the end where the tuning pegs are), the neck (the long part), the body (the big, main part of the guitar), the soundhole, the bridge, tuning keys, strings, and pegs. I drew a diagram on the board labeling the parts, and then the steps of the project.

Turn both papers over so the name side/white side is up. Decide which piece is going to be the for the body, and which piece is going to be for the neck, headstock, and bridge is going to be on.

On one of the pieces, draw a LARGE rectangle for the headstock, a small rectangle for the bridge, circle for sound hole, and a long line along the edge for the neck.

On the other piece on the white side up, I told students to make a large oval on the bottom stretching to all the sides. Then draw another smaller egg sitting on top. Now that both are drawn it's time to cut out! Warn students not to cut through the middle of the body by accident! Oopsies-there's always tape:)

the name and class stay in the middle when you cut out:)

Now it's time to glue and assemble, once everything is cut out! The headstock creates a "t" at the top of the neck. I also encouraged students to bring up scraps to put in a box incase they wanted to pick another color for the bridge...just to create some contrast and color!

large buttons for the ''tuning keys/pegs"

For the strings, I talked about how to measure the yarn. It's always smart to stretch the yarn to measure and cut it too long. You can always trim it later. Then with the piece that was measured correctly, hold it up to the other pieces of yarn, and cut 3 other pieces the same length. We also talked about making a "swimming pool" for your yarn to lay in. I showed how to make 4 small 'pools' on the headstock where the strings will lay in. Also 1 'fret' of glue in the middle of the neck (a line of glue) to help secure the strings. That way, the glue will dry around solid keeping the yarn intact. Then bring the other end to the bridge to a glue pool on that end. While still wet, glue down buttons for the tuning pegs on the headstock. Sequins for the pegs "holding the strings in place".