Welcome to Lines, Dots, and Doodles. This is the place for students, parents, and teachers to find out what has been going on in my art class. I have included pictures of my student's artwork and basic explanations of the projects. I hope when you leave this blog, you feel inspired to create. Feel free to browse this blog and borrow any of my art lessons.


Thursday, May 16, 2013

Art Advice Needed

My colleagues and I have been pondering ways to make the school more beautiful.  One suggestion was to paint the ceiling tiles in the school.  (You know, those ugly white ceiling tiles that can be easily taken down).  Well, I thought it was a wonderful idea, but now I am pondering the logistics.  I need some advice.  First, Has anyone done this in their school?  Second, If we did do this, What kind of paint should I use?.  Third, Will this break fire codes, and will the fire marshall make us take it down?  I would love to hear some ideas on this.

14 comments:

  1. I think the easiest thing to do is to cut kraft paper a bit bigger, paint on that, wrap them around the tiles and put the times back up. Acrylic or Tempera!

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  2. I've done it several times!. My tablet isn't playing nice w/ comment box. Drop me an email ad I'll tell ya the particulars! Also, you can see a bit of one in this old blog pic

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  3. I wouldn't do the paper-wrap idea - it would be a fire hazard.

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  4. Holly, we are in the same county, I have seen many schools do this and I've even considered doing it. Painting is the best option. As far as I know it's just getting the ok from administration. One of the ideas we came up with last year was to have each class break up into teams and design maybe 4 tiles per class that you meet with. That way you can do the project each year and add them randomly throughout the school. By the time the school is full of these beautiful designs you can flip the tile over and use the other side. :) love the idea.

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  5. Every year my kiddos "Jackson Pollock" tiles in groups. He used big canvases, and liked to stand over them while he worked. I teach values of color first, so they all don't end up the same. They look amazing!

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  6. I did some about 10 years ago for our administration area at another school. I had a parent prime the tiles first with a base coat of white kilz paint. We used Tempera paints and I had each group of 5th graders come up with a theme for their mural. The tiles were long rectangles. Some did landscapes, some did candy collages etc. We finished them after school and I had some nice parents that helped clean up the lines at the end of the project. I should go back and see if they are still there!

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  7. I did ceiling tiles in my room during my first 6 years of teaching. I haven't done them since because I got tired of them....I did it as a group Art History assignment with 6th grade. Some were amazing and some I just couldn't stand to look at day in and day out, so I painted over them or exchanged them for new ones once they graduated 8th grade. Now, I'm kind of sick of looking at all of them as some of them are 11 years old!!
    The best thing to do is to ask your head of maintenance if they have some stained tiles you can use {i bet they do!!}. Then, you don't have to have a hole in your ceiling while you are working. Acrylic paint works just fine, as does sharpie marker and you don't need to prime/gesso it first.
    My administration loves showing them off to tours ... it impresses some people I guess! :)
    Have fun!

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  8. I saw some at a school I was visiting that were beautiful and the art teacher said she does hers with art club BUT she has the parents come too and the parents and their children paint them together. She said they look better, she spends less time helping and managing kids, and the kids are definitely picked up on time. Depending on the parents (hers had a lot of stay at home moms), I thought that was a great idea!

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  9. Thanks for all of the suggestions. I think I will definitely be trying this idea out soon.

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  10. There are many schools doing the same strategy to make their classroom more interesting and lively, thus encouraging more and more students to take part in classroom activities. It would be a daunting task, but the beautiful outcome will, in turn, give you great opportunity to make your students attentive in class.


    My Webblog: http://online-phd-uk.co.uk/

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  11. Holly,
    I have done this a lot with my students. We have over 100 painted tiles at our school. I got the janitor to bring some unpainted tiles to my room. In our county they don't cost the school anything. This way, there are no holes in the ceiling while you are in the painting/drying process and the janitor only has to get up there once to change them out. I had the kids draw the picture in pencil and paint with tempera. The only thing that you need to watch out for is that they get quite heavy when the paint is wet. You will need a flat place for them to dry-may take a week depending on the humidity. You can't lean them against a wall as they will bend when the paint is wet. Our fire marshall is pretty strict and hasn't said anything.
    Good Luck!

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  12. we have this for a reward at our school. 300 power tickets earns the right to paint a portion of a tile. I divide the tiles into 8 equal parts. Tempera paint works fine on the tiles and not aware of any fire code violations as long as the tiles are put back up when dry. Kids really enjoy it and my art room is bright! see pic of art room at pppselementaryartrooms.blogspot.com

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  13. At one of my small schools I "inherited" this idea, a graduation requirement. We had our maintenance person order extra tiles and she puts them up just prior to graduation. I came up with some guidelines - a border was required, and their name large enough to see. We used tempera paint- the smooth side (typically the back side) is easier for students to paint, and doesn't seem to be a fire code issue. I also had them go over the edges of the painted areas with a sharpie, to clean up the edges. The panels need to lay out flat to dry, but it goes pretty quickly with a fan. We used the cafeteria to do this project,but then again we only 10 or so 6th graders that graduate every year (did I mention it is a very small school?)It's great to see all the tiles over the years, I suppose we will swap them out someday- they cover the cafeteria ceiling, and down the main hallway.
    I have a friend who years had her students do an artist tile for an art history project. THese are really great- students can look up and see the artist name and style prominently. She also used tempera paint. It helps to give it a coat of KILZ, but I have done them without, if you do not have the money, or get a business to donate a gallon. For larger schools I like the idea of a group working on it. Set clear criteria ahead of time. The ceiling grid hides a bit of the edge, so besides a border we had them make 3/4-1" line around the tile as a guide to what would be hidden. IF they get them very wet they have warped, so have them keep the paint thin, and do two coats in some of the areas where needed. My current school does not do this project- and or art room ceilings are two stories high!
    Have fun!

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