Art

Art Ideas to Inspire

May 30, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

I was working hard today and got to thinking “I haven’t done my art post for today”. I have no book so what can I do?

I remembered some art posts I’ve recently saved to my Art Pinterest board lately and how much fun I thought they would be to do as a class with my homeschool group. Making Dolls was a whole lot of fun and it would be great to do it again. 🙂

Ergo inspiration was born. Why not inspire YOU my faithful readers with a class you might want to teach.

20+ Cute and Original Origami for kids. Don’t these look fun to do? Mind… I don’t know I’d ever do them as I’ve tried origami before and well… struggled a bit more than I would have preferred. but wouldn’t it be a fun art class to teach? Talking about places in the world, or Japan, or critters. You could easily build a whole fun study around them. 🙂

Artists?

Leonardo Da Vinci anyone? I love the ideas found here. Or perhaps Henry Matisse is more your style? What about Rembrandt or Van Gogh? Trying things out and learning about our past…it’s a great thing to do. Conversations that would hopefully be spawned… makes my heart just go pitter pat! 🙂

What about littles?

Generally I like to teach students that are 8 years and up, one time I was asked if I’d consider teaching a class of littles (like preschool/kindergarten). I blanched! 🙂 BUT if I ever did, I’d want to do classes that used fun things like sponges, or potatoes, or tissue paper. Objects that would be easy for them to manipulate on their own and I wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time fussing over. Using unconventional items to express creativity is wonderful to do with littles…but I’ve never been brave enough to tackle it with a group of younglings. Perhaps one day I shall hmm?

What else…

Oh.. one of the ideas that is making my head spin with ideas lately doing a class with olders making gifts for youngers. Like designing a fairy garden, or building a house, or a farm out of popsicles sticks. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful class to teach? To that end I’ve been searching out popsicle craft ideas.

I wanted to teach a leather working class one time but by the time I sussed out the price for the leather, needed tools and what not, I decided I’d price myself right out of a class. I don’t think co-op classes should cost a whole lot of money… It’s hard with leather to make it your own without all the gees gahs to go with it.

There are just so many possibilities for doing art… go out and find something that looks fun and grab up a bunch of kids and go do it together. Art is meant to be enjoyed in one’s own unique way. Let’s celebrate it!

Art with Dolls

May 23, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Do you remember I did a class on making dolls? We had a lot of fun though admittedly we did the class differently than I had planned.

You see my kids wanted to learn how to sew. This wasn’t on my agenda at all. I remember teaching my son to sew and thought two kids, sewing.. NOT. But they really, really (to the extent of begging) wanted to learn so I bite the bullet.

I have to admit, the hardest part was trying to make sure Dad wasn’t helping their lad too much. “Let him do it himself I kept instructing!”. The children had fun learning to make a simple block stuffy, giving them their own personalities and colour.

The final day I gave them three different options for what to make. Paper dolls, Topsy-turvy dolls or Clothespin dolls.

Know what they both chose? Topsy Turvy dolls! What fun! And easy enough to make. Take a sock (like you are going to make a snow man doll) but instead you make a face on both sides and give the doll a cape to you can show which side is up.

I loved how the children made these dolls their own. 🙂

Let’s see what else did we make. OH.. the wooden stick dolls. Which well.. we didn’t use wooden sticks from trees (like we were supposed to) I had long white things (surgical supply I think) and dowels, it was great letting the children decide which they wanted to use, and we had fun being creative! One child decided he wanted to make a cat! The other did a doll with a striped dress. My son did “Dr. Who”.

We also made a doll that could move on strings. But I will have to show you that another day as it’s getting late and I’m rather tired. 🙂

My goal is to teach this class (or another like it) to a different group of children. I am hopeful to do that this summer. Would be fun to teach it again…it was a great class to do.

The Fish and the Cat

May 16, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Have you ever discovered the sheer joy that a wordless book brings? To be able to look at pictures and formulate your own story? I tell you, it is SO MUCH FUN. To sit with a wordless book like “The Fish and the Cat” and tell any old story you choose…it’s a great thing. And then to flip it around and let the child tell the story to you? AH! THIS I LOVE! I love helping children learn to tell their own stories, and having a prop book just helps them along the way you know?

About the book:

The Fish and the Cat is a playful story of pursuit between a cat and pet fish that starts in the house, moves through the neighborhood, and ends in the sky with a chase around the stars and the moon. This wordless picture book, full of action and humor, encourages children to create their own stories and adventures.

Marianne Dubuc brings to life the cat and the fish, using shades of black with splashes of orange-red for the fish. We are privileged to follow the fish and the cat on their journey through the world and even to the moon!

What kind of adventures do you think one fish and one cat could get into?

Geared for ages 4 and up, this hardcover book, with mostly black/white illustrations, is filled with easy to follow illustrations, making it easy to concoct an adventure for fish and cat to get into.

My Thoughts:

I LOVE, dearly love books like this. To be able to sit down with a child with a book in hand that has no words, just pictures to spark conversation and story. It harkens back to the days when I would ask children I was babysitting to give me three words, any three words I would make a story from them. We had SO much fun together it was simply delightful.

The simplicity of the drawings leads to further flights of fancy as I’m not distracted by too much in the illustrations, or I can simply add something not yet seen, only to be imagined. I simply adore the creative process wordless books like these lend themselves too.

One time for my homeschool co-op I taught a story-telling class. I brought in all my story telling props… like story cubes, picture card deck, ghost story box, grammar fish and more. We had a lot of fun using these aids to tell stories and to learn all the parts of a story. A book like The Fish and the Cat would be a welcome addition to my resources. Wouldn’t it be fun to give this book to a bunch of 9-12 year olds and see the story they would each come up with? And then share how they came up with it? Simply marvellous.

Or you could even make it simpler and have a story time with 6-8 year olds… that could be a blast don’t you think? Helping creative minds learn how to tell a good story?

I hope that you are as delighted with this book that I am. Wordless books can be a bit disconcerting at first, but once you discover the joy of telling your own story, or in listening to a child tell their own story, you will find yourself hooked. 🙂

The Fish and The Cat
Marianne Dubuc
Princeton Architectural Press
Hardcover, Wordless Book, Ages 4+
at least 60 pages (I kept losing count)
Wordless, storytelling, creative

My Vacation Drawing Book

May 9, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

My Vacation Drawing Book is a great book to take along with you on your vacation. Geared for 5-8 year olds, this is a creative book that introduces art elements around the theme of going on vacation.

Imagine being able to design your own menu, or draw some of the scenery before you as you go down the road. What about learning to draw some of the interesting animals you will see? Do you know how to draw a bird, or how to turn a box into something new and fun? Staying in a tent? A trailer or a Resort? Wouldn’t it be fun to draw it and see what you can add? How about making a sign post of all the interesting places you will go? Ideas like these and more fill the 72 pages of this hardcover book.

Coming with an elastic band as a placeholder, this book is built to stand the rigors of an early elementary student hauling it with them on their travels.

I loved the space given on each page as well as the variety of activities provided. Lessons are taught using simple lines that children can easily copy, and yet I found the children are pushed a bit to become better at what they are doing (like practicing where to put the horizons, and working with vanishing points).

All in all I found this book to be a well designed one that many children would delight in working through, giving them a keep sake to remember their vacation with. The only page I wish could have been made different was one where they were asked to add captions to images. The space for captions was too small for children of this age bracket to write in. Asking Mom or Dad for help would solved this problem. This is a nice book that I would have no problem giving any child.

My Vacation Drawing Book: How to draw, sketch or scribble your adventures.
Gillian Johnson
Lonely Planet Kids
72 pages, 5-8 years,
Drawing, art, sketch, vacation, activity book
Hardcover with elastic band
Reviewed for: Raincoast books.
Where to find: Amazon link.

642 Awesome Things to Draw

May 2, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Do you have the thought that you would like to draw something and when you sit down to draw all your ideas float out the window? Or do you ever have a child come and say “I want to draw something Mom/Dad but I don’t know what to draw!!!!” 642 Awesome Things to Draw, Young Artist’s Edition is the answer to all those wonderings. It has been my pleasure to review this book.

You might be asking… what can I draw?

a jungle, a beach and a desert coexisting together
a tarantula taking over Japan
sheep organizing a strike
a red, white and blue rollercoaster
A car covered in bumper stickers
a circus run by mice
a jumbo paper clip

So many ideas… it almost makes a body want to try them all.

Can you imagine the stories you could tell as you each drew your own version of the picture prompt? Consider the laughter and conversations that could erupt around you.

For we all know what might come out of “a huge pile of trash”… books filled with tails, forgotten drinks bubbling up, making toy fish float as alligators come bumbling out with leftover turkeys riding their backs, as stuff dragons breathe fire while dancing with hula hoops… what stories could emerge as your budding artists fill the pages, waiting for the next adventure to come their way.

Each space comes in a variety of formats, whole pages, 1/2 and quarters, sometimes on a diagonal. Rectangles and squares, with a few triangles thrown into the mix. No circles to be found in this book.

642 different things to draw on car rides, or while on vacation driving to the beach or the campground, be inspired as you sit inside on a rainy afternoon when no-one can come over to play. Imagine…what could you do? What could your children come up with? Ah the fun to be had!

642 Awesome Things to Draw: Young Artist’s Edition
by Root Division
Trade Paperback, 304 pages
Ages 8-12
Art, Drawing, Creativity, Imagination, Activity Books

Reviewed for Raincoast Books.
Where to find: Amazon Link.

Part of a series of 642 Things to draw. I have reviewed the 642 places to draw, 642 Big Things to draw,and 642 Things about Me. This is a great series of books to spur on your children to creativity (as well as yourself). Relax with your children, be inspired to draw!

What do I think?

642 Things to do does what it sets out to do. Provide 642 different things for children 8-12 (or those who wish they could be again) to draw, things to inspire the imagination, the intellectual curiousity to wonder, and the willingness to try.

Illustration Workshop

April 25, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

Raincoast Books sent me a great book to review called Illustration Workshop. This is a practical book filled with inspiration and exercises to delight those looking for some creative fun as well as educate those looking to broaden their skills as they look towards a career as an illustrator. If you want to create attention-grabbing work, this workshop will help you.

My Thoughts:

I’m going to tell you right up front… I really like this book. There is a firm appreciation for good teaching up front. I love the loads of exercises that the reader is walked through. The graphics and the step by step teaching, and the checklist at the end of lesson is simply marvellous. Great for the student who really wants to learn, and yet loose enough to attract those who just want to get better at something they love without the pressure to do it as a professional … learning but keeping it fun.

Now on to the nitty gritty.

What do you get?

The section illustrating like an illustrator walks you through the ideas of illustrating… from what illustrating is to how to combine concept with style, targeting your audience and more. Well written text that explains each thought simply yet thoroughly. Could lots more the said about each topic? Sure, but there is enough to get you started on your own journey of discovery.

Materials, bright and colourful section with some basic information given to help you determine what your needs are. Each type of implement with it’s pros and cons.

The next section walks us through the steps taken through each of the 36 assignments given. Given examples of how to complete each section so you end up with illustrations that you are happy with.

It is rather nice I think, that the author includes a section on how to do some of your drawings using computer software. She urges the illustrator to complete work by hand as it takes longer but gives you more control, helps you improve your ability to draw and helps you to be more thoughtful about your work. Digitizing your work means it is easier to play around with your colour palette and to make incremental changes more easily.

The Warm up section was just plain fun. Different ideas to get you thinking creatively from using scribbles to make a drawing, using hatch marks to create an image, using shapes to make a picture and more.

36 Assignments

The 36 assignments were created to take away the “what on earth do I draw” dilemma. This gives people an actual project to work on. Call them, if you will, 36 mini projects to give the budding professional illustrator confidence in approaching a paid project of their own. These assignments cover such topics as greeting cards, book covers, bottle packaging, and hankerchiefs. Interesting assignments to delight you the illustrator.

Each assignment follows a similar format:

The assignment page. This page includes with the requirements of the assignment clearly given.

The next steps include thoughts the illustrator might have on the assignment. All these steps help the illustrator come up with ideas to help them create the product needed.

Each of the following steps walks the illustrator through the necessary steps to complete their final product. Brainstorming through text and drawings, developing your concept, creating thumbnails, making rough sketches, and then revising your sketch til it’s about where you want it.

A lovely checklist is provided for each of the assignments, giving you a way to double check that you have completed each of the steps before you finalize your project.

The final step gives you a chance to have fun with your project, choosing your best writing/drawing medium, surface to use, colours needed and so forth. It’s where all your research and activity comes to a conclusion.

In conclusion

At the close of the book are a number of practice sheets where an illustrator can improve their skills drawing some specific targets like hands, bikes, people wearing a gorilla suit, and animals. A chance to practice lettering to demonstrate emotions like fear, energy, and playfulness. These pages allow people to play around with drawing trees, people, buildings and more. Improve skills and just keep drawing.

This well-laid out book gives the illustrator a chance to build for themselves a small portfolio that they can use to showcase their work. It allows the novice art student to experience what an illustrator needs to do in order to be successful and to improve their skills.

This well-laid out book gives the illustrator a chance to build for themselves a small portfolio that they can use to showcase their work. It allows the just for fun learner to experience what an illustrator needs to do in order to be… Share on X

An excellent book for novice and seasoned illustrator alike.

Illustration Workshop

Find your style, practice drawing skills, and build a stellar portfolio.
Mary Kate McDevitt
Chronicle Books
Art, Illustration, Workshop, Drawing
Softcover, 192 pages
Reviewed for Raincoast Books.
Where to find: Amazon Link.

My Favourite Art Books

April 18, 2018 By Annette1 Leave a Comment

It’s that time again eh? To share some of my favourite art books with you. It’s hard to pick I have to admit, but I think I’ve winnowed it down to my top few.

Get Into Art Places: Discover Great Art And Create Your Own!. This is a fantastic book that I wrote about here. It’s not very big at 32 pages but it’s chockful for art and ideas about how to try out the type of art on your own. I’ve used it with art classes and my students had a lot of fun with it.

At the back of the book a Project Checklist was provided, easily letting
me know what supplies I would need to complete each project.

Fantastic Planet: A Coloring Book of Amazing Places Real and Imagined

One of the reasons I chose this book is that not only do I enjoy colouring in these books, but the pictures in this book are taken from pictures of real places on our planet. So it would be really easy to add to almost any homeschool study using these colouring pages. Give your student something to do as you read about Japan, or learn about ocean life. Busy fingers mean listening brains. 🙂 You can learn more about this book here.

Draw Paint Print like the Great Artists

I can’t say this is a highly colourful book and wouldn’t grab my attention at first glance, but once you start looking through it and see the depth at which they explore the methods of different artists, I think you’ll be hooked. There are so many possibilities within this book. I think that YOU will love it to. It makes doing art with your children quite attainable.

Learn more here eh?

Zentangle: The inspiring and mindful drawing workbook with over 70 practice tiles

This is an absolutely fantastic book if you want to learn how to draw Zentangles. I used it for a co-op class and it was amazing to see the work the children did with it. They have done some AMAZING drawings, it is so very cool.

I wrote about this here.

Perhaps you’ll consider this when you are looking for art: Fine Art Adventures. Wouldn’t you just love to explore 18 different masterpieces with your children? And while you are exploring those art pieces, consider adding in Exploring Art Up Close and personal.

Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood

This is not a “let’s do art book”. This is a picture book about how art was used to change a whole neighbourhood, based on a true story.

My son, though he’s beyond the picture book stage, thought this was a very neat book. Wanting to know more led to impromptu research. 🙂 Learn more about it here. 🙂

Another that I have really like is Pop Art

It was so interesting learning more about this type of art. So much variety in it.

Visit my review here.

Oh and what others might I intrigue you with.

Do you remember Beasts from Bricks? Isn’t it fun to create with lego bricks?

Or Duct Tape Engineer?

It could just be that your art is more hands on like it is for my lad lately. Mini Terrariums are a lot of fun to build.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my walk through some of my favourite art books. Won’t you join in the fun of doing art with us?

Art

Art Ideas to Inspire

Artists?

What about littles?

What else…

Art with Dolls

The Fish and the Cat

About the book:

My Thoughts:

My Vacation Drawing Book

642 Awesome Things to Draw

What do I think?

Illustration Workshop

My Thoughts:

What do you get?

36 Assignments

In conclusion

My Favourite Art Books

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Art

Artists?

What about littles?

What else…

About the book:

My Thoughts:

What do I think?

My Thoughts:

What do you get?

36 Assignments

In conclusion

Want to Stay Informed?

Thank you!

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