A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Art Books

McCalls Golden Do-It Book

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I can’t recall where I picked this book up or even if it’s a hangover from my childhood, all I know is that every time I go a cull of my art books and ask,”Do I REALLY need to keep this one?”, somehow this book ends up back on my shelf.  🙂   Ergo, I thought it was about time for me to share it with you.  My copy of McCalls Golden Do-It Book is getting a bit battered, the spine is loose, the pages a bit worn, but still the ideas are as real as anything.  So much make and do within the pages of this book.

McCalls Golden Do-It Book, collage

What do you get?

A number of different sections divide up this tome.  Each section containing 2-8 projects, great for children 6-14 years old.  (or later if so inclined).   Littles might like to try their hand as well but will most likely need some older person’s help to make the projects turn out well.

  1. Crayons, Paint, Paper, and Paste
  2. Printing
  3. Sculpture
  4. Toys
  5. Weaving
  6. Needlework
  7. Dolls
  8. Music
  9. Puppets
  10. Gifts
  11. How-to Section

You may be wondering, have we even completed any of the projects?   Well we’ve made cars and houses out of boxes, the lad for a while was big into paper craft, we’ve made boats and done some weaving.  Do I have pictures?  Um… no.  That would have been on my hard drive (external) that crashed last year and we’ve been unable to recover the data.  And well.. that’s that!

McCalls Golden Do-It Book, sample page spread

One thing I do want to try yet with my lad is making a seed painting and a yarn painting.  I just think they’d be rather neat to do and see what we could each come up with… or maybe I should save those ideas for co-op days.  🙂  Even to making sample kites to fly over enemy territory…hmm.. the ideas are endless.

McCalls Golden Do-It Book sample page

What do I think?

Some of the instructions could be a bit clearer and some items are used which aren’t as common today (for instance, I’ve never used rubber cement with my lad).   I’ve not heard of excelsior… which when I google it is a woody twine all mixed together.  Where to find I dunno.   It does sound neat to play around with just to see what one could do with it. Most of the instructions are just enough while leaving the rest to common sense.  Will it make the cut next spring?   I dunno, we’ve done most of what we want to in it, so we may just need to pass it along to another family with a creative keener. 🙂  It’s a good book with oodles of images and ideas to go along with each art project.

McCalls Golden Do-It Book, book cover

 McCalls Golden Do-It Book
Hardcover, 160 pages, 6-14 years
Art, crafts, creativity
Where to find Amazon.

 

Adventures in Art

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Next year my son wants to base his studies around Canada and the various wars she’s taken part in.   I look at it as a great time to examine a lot of different parts of the world along with it’s history, geography, science and more.  Doing art I hope will play a big part of that. I decided to dig into my collection of art books for today’s post I felt some inspiration hit. The book?  Adventures in Art.adventures in art, art post on this bookThere are over 200 different art and craft projects listed in this paperback book.  Projects that will appeal to a wide variety of individuals.  I hope my lad will like some of the projects I pull out for him to do, but since there are so many options available to us, if one doesn’t appeal another might.  🙂

I can’t show you all the projects I’ve been looking at, but wouldn’t it be great to make salt dough maps of the different areas?  Or even try to replicate a bridge or two?

adventures in art, sample page

I’ve been thinking through some ideas about how to paint some of the scenes that my son is sure to run across.  or even the idea of making a wind puppet to but I don’t know if wind puppets were used in the war to show where the wind was at.  I”m guessing some variation of that would be used in the Second War, but possibly in the first as a warning about poison gas.

I was thinking about how sometimes children would make small gifts to send to their fathers on the front and the idea of making a bookmark appealed to me. It might be interesting to see what the lad thought a dad far off would like to see from home don’t you think?

adventures in art, sample page

Anyways, this book is just laden with ideas to choose from. from making a banner, or a portable chess board, or even trying our hand at yard painting (instead of doing a salt dough map, do a yard painting one). It’s just fascinating the ideas I am finding. I’ll need to sound some of the off for the lad and see what he thinks. It will be fun don’t you think?

So what do you get?

160 pages, 200+ art ideas.

The first 16 pages are devoted to telling how to use this book.

The remainder of the book is divided into 11 sections

  • the artists’ ways – artists and art styles
  • first impressions – printmaking
  • anything goes – abstract
  • Artful animal
  • portait gallery
  • the third dimension – sculptures
  • garden of delights – botanical art
  • lay of the land – landscapes
  • home, sweet home – architecture
  • fine furnishings – art for the home
  • eye of the beholder – art you can wear

What do you think?   Can we use this technique to do a night time war scene?

adventures in art - sample page

adventures in art, book cover

 

Adventures in art: arts and crafts experiences for 8-13 year olds
Susan Milord
Williamson Publishing
160 pages, softcover, arts and crafts, 8-13 years

Find it on Amazon.

Archidoodle City

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When I opened the pages of my newest review book, Archidoodle City, my heart did this little smile.  I don’t know why.  I am SO not an architect, but as I turned the pages and saw the variety contained therein… my heart smiled.  Come along with me, perhaps your heart will smile too. 🙂

Steve Bowkett is a teacher of architecture and has done so for more than 25 years.  He is currently the senior lecturer at London South Bank University.  He wrote a previous book call Archidoodle.  He has a wife and children, and along with a dog, and a couple of cats, called Buckinghamshire home.   You can see his passion for design within the pages of this lovely tome.  Seriously… I just really like this book.  🙂

archidoodle city

Being the teacher that he is, he opens this book with some lessons talking about the tools of the trade, and the importance of vanishing points. He shows how to create different effects so the student can add definition to their work.

As you work your way through the pages of this book, which says it is geared to architects of all ages, but really.. anyone who likes to draw will enjoy this book, you will find projects of differing levels of complexity.   I loved how he combined real life with opportunities to try your own hand at it.  For instance the Water Towers of Manhattan.  Students did wrap around art on them to “promote the global water crisis”.   In this book the student is encouraged to come up with their own theme to promote and a number of blank water towers to fill. archidoodle city

Real-life architecture from around the globe as used as points of inspiration.  Mr. Bowkett gives the student a groundwork to start from, sparking the imagination to fill in, create and make something all their own. I appreciate how he sparks the imagination by giving it some well defined starting points and parameters to work with in.   Having just a blank sheet can sometimes be intimidating.  Having a starting point, or a space to work with, provides a safety net and allows the imagination to soar. 

archidoodle city

 

Archidoodle City: an Architect’s Activity Book
Steve Bowkett
Laurence King
160 pages, ages 8+
Architecture, Art, Drawing
Activity Book
Reviewed for Raincoast books.
Where to find: Amazon link.

 

My Thoughts:

I think this is a fantastic book that will amuse students from age 8 and up.   Some of the pieces (divided over a two page spread) are more challenging than others, but a challenge is good for any age.   I loved that not every page was presented the same way.  Some of the projects were rather grand, others were smaller (three or six on a two page spread).  We traveled all over the world: Italy, USA, Tokyo and beyond.  We discover toilets, bus stations and ventilation tubes.  There is architecture in places that I wouldn’t have even considered.  Get this book. Be amazed.  Have fun drawing, learning and discovering.  🙂

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My Vacation Drawing Book

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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.

My Vacation Drawing Book

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.

My Vacation Drawing Book, place holder

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).  

My Vacation Drawing Book, sample pages

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

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.

Illustration Workshop

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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. 

Illustration WorkshopMy 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?

Illustrators workshop

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. 

Illustration Workshop

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. 

Illustration Workshop

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.

Illustration Workshop

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.

Illustrations workshopA 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.

Illustrations WorkshopThe 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.  

Illustration Workshop

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

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

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 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

My review of the art book Draw Like an Artist Pop Art by Patricia Geis

 

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?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?

 

Paint by Sticker with free printable

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Saturday night I came home later than I had planned from a homeschool conference, completed the chores I needed to and than sat down tired.  My mind was racing and I felt unsettled.  Watching TV with the boys as they played their computer game was relaxing me so I thought I would pull out my Paint by Sticker book and do a page.   I don’t think I’ve shared this book with you before so let me walk you through it.   Do stay tuned to my ArtWork Notebooking Page at the close of this post.

Paint by Stickers, my reviewThe page I did took me about 30-45 to complete and I have to admit I was TIRED, I wasn’t focused on perfection, I was focused on getting my mind to settle so that I’d be able to get to bed and sleep.  🙂   So the page I did isn’t perfect, but it completed that task I had…the fiddling with stickers, looking for numbers, settled my brain down wonderfully. I think it’s one of the reasons I like colouring, it gives my brain something fiddly to work with that helps it to shut off all the extraneous, and at the end of it I can see I’ve accomplished something.   This Paint by Stickers book does the same thing, but leaves me not having to worry about getting colours right. 

Paint by Sticker gives me 12 different pieces of artwork to complete. What the artwork is, is listed in the table of contents.  This book contains such as the Creation of Adam, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Dance as well as others.  The one I am showing you today is called “House of Parliament, Sunlight Effect” by Claude Monet.  

I admittedly didn’t take a picture of the uncompleted work, so I’m showing you a different page.  🙂  You’ll bear with me right?  The spaces have an alpha-numeric combination. 

Paint by Sticker
The instructions in the beginning of the book tell you to be careful about putting the stickers on, and advise using a tweezer.  I learned that if you don’t stick the pieces on firmly you can do some replacing, but once it is stuck, it’s stuck.   AND if you apply too much pressure it’s too bad, so sad.  Ergo, if you want it to come out just so… take your time, have good lighting, be finicky about your placement.  

Paint by StickerIt’s easy to know which page of stickers you need to use.   Each sticker page has a picture of the completed art work in the top right corner. 

AND each sticker page is perforated so they rip out easily making it super easy to complete each page. And they do… sometimes perforated pages don’t rip out smoothly or easily, these do.   So much better than flipping back and forth in a book trying to reach small stickers.

Paint by StickerYou may have noticed on the page above the stickers are divided into colour coded sections.   This makes it easier to find the sticker that you need to use. I found the colour coded divisions added a bright spot, so helpful and so much nicer than a plain white background eh!  🙂

Paint by StickerMy thought when I started out was that I would start on one side and work my way across but as I worked I changed my mind.  I then started picking out the biggest pieces and fitting them in, I saved the smallest pieces for the end.   You can make your creation in whatever way you want to!

MOST of the stickers I managed to get well.  I was able to reposition three or four of them, one I bungled badly.   But my son said “It looks good mom!”

Paint by StickerYou can probably see the darker purple one in the middle that I messed up with.  I’m thinking if I wanted to I could take a purple pencil crayon and fill in those white lines, but from a distance the lad tells me it looks great and I should just leave things be.  🙂

I did learn that the stickers are definitely not oriented to the page.  I frequently had to turn the sticker around to find the right orientation.   Make sure that you don’t just slap the stickers down.  Take your time and turn them around so you get the sticker on the correct way. 

All in all this was an excellent way to relax without having to fuss about with crayons, paper or markers.   No big colour decisions to make, just a look, sort, place and be finished with a decent looking piece of art.  I urge you, if you like colouring books, to give the paint by sticker books a look.  I know I’ll be looking for more of them (hopefully on sale like this one was).  🙂

Just so you know, some of the art work is more involved and requires two pages of stickers to complete.   All carefully labelled so you know what goes where.  Go on… create a masterpiece… One sticker at a time. 🙂

Paint by Sticker
I was thinking about how this book would be so handy to do with a homeschooling unit. Can’t you just see working with your students/children as you talk about this work that the artist did, and then take small breaks to see other works by the same artist. You could easily pull in history, geography, science and more. Reading to your children fascinating tidbits as they keep their hands and eyes busy recreating works of art!

Click on the image below to download my ArtWork Notebooking Page.

artwork notebooking page