A Net in Time

Curriculum and book reviews, faith, homeschooling and more!

Art Series

Art Book: Splash of Color

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 Ah… I need to apologize to you all.. being away last week totally wrecked up my routine for getting posts ready for the blog.  TOTALLY!!!    I need to figure out a way to get caught back up!  

Anyways, I have a neat book here for you today… it’s not a little book by any means, rather long… think the size of those big sketch books you can buy for art … NOT the HUGE ones, but those middle sized ones.   It’s called Splash of Color.  It’s a painting and colouring book.

I know I know.. SAY WHAT?  

It’s a painting and colouring book, it’s made on watercolour paper so you can colour the pages with watercolour brushes or pens, or use paints OR use pencil crayons. 

The point is to colour.  🙂

 Isn’t that welcome lovely?   Makes me think of the pleasure it brings to share art with each other doesn’t it with you too?   And this book calls you to make art, to share that art on the easy tear off sheets. 

I have GOT to show you my favourite design in the whole book.  I have this major thing for chickens.  🙂  So guess what!   I found a chicken!!!!!

Though admittedly I also like this one: 

Lest you think they only have animals in this book, let me show you some of the variety.

The paper is a very sturdy watercolour paper, able to be pulled out easily to be displayed.  They are designed so they will fit in 9 x 12 frame.  The pages, as you can see pull up from the top.

The opening cover fits smoothly behind each page to provide additional support in your painting & colouring endeavors. 

I definitely recommend this book you and if you do get it, you might want to consider trying out their watercolor pencils as well!

 Splash of Color: Painting & Coloring Book
Author:  Liz Libre of Linda & Harriett 
Pages: 50
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

Where can you find it?
Amazon.com – Splash of Color Painting & Coloring Book

Amazon.ca – Splash of Color Painting & Coloring Book

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Series: Hand Lettering A to Z

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You know how some people have a skill that amazes you?   I have a friend on the crew that regularly hand letters bible verses and her skill amazes me.  It really does!  And later I’ll be sharing some of her work with you because I have this oh so lovely book to share with you today.   Hand Lettering from A to Z.  It’s a book that is designed to give people who hand letter, creative ideas that they might want to try (or for people like me .. at least give me a clue about how to do it!)  (grin)

Abbey Ly has put together a book where she talks about three styles of lettering, why they are called that, and the different forms those letters can take.  Serif (6), Sans Serif (4) and Script (4).

She calls in four different artists to help illustrate these different ways to hand letter.

BUT before she gets to that, she has an introduction to the book where she teaches about different papers, different utensils, and different places to find creative ideas. I learned so much in this section.

Like…did you know that watercolour paper comes is three different styles?   Did you know that different paints work better for doing lettering or that pencil crayons can bring a vibrancy to your work?   Read and find out more eh?  🙂

So let’s say you want to do hand lettering…what should you do first?
Start with simple.  Seriously.  Write out a simple alphabet, learn a basic lettering of the alphabet.. make the letters smaller, bigger, squishy or wider, play around with just the basic lettering.

Then.. once you are comfortable with that…add a bit of width to it.  Draw a letter and just change one side of it. Maybe angle it a bit or make it wider all around.  Just slowly keep changing it, then as you go.. play around with it a bit, add some colour and pizzazz.  Just take it step by step and make a font that is all your own.  Who knows… perhaps your style might look like this: 

I love the bright colours found throughout this book.  Careful illustrations to show how you might replicate a style.

As you see different styles, learn the names of them.  Replicate them, become more confident in your own abilities.  Learn to create your own style all the more.  🙂

As you get more confident, consider adding some embellishment to your work.

At the close of book, Abbey Ly showcases the work of her guest artists.   It was so interesting seeing the different styles.  This one is a serif style (see!   I learned something eh!).   Good to do that you know?

I thought I would share some hand lettering that I just adore from people mostly on the crew.   Don’t they do a great job?

This one is by Lisa.

These are by Carol, aren’t her verses lovely? 

and this one by her daughter.  You can find a post here. 

And if you go to the bottom of Deann’s post here, you can see a lovely one she did.  🙂   If you find that this book intrigues the socks off you, you might find The Postman’s Knock a good blog to follow.

Title: Hand Lettering A to Z: a world of creative ideas for drawing and designing alphabets
Author: Abbey Ly
Publisher: Rockport
Pages: 128
Type: art book
Form: trade paperback
Reviewed for: Quarto Group

Where can you find this lovely book?
 Amazon.ca – Hand Lettering A to Z: A World of Creative Ideas for Drawing and Designing Alphabets

Amazon.com – Hand Lettering A to Z: A World of Creative Ideas for Drawing and Designing Alphabets

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Series: Mom & Me

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Do you have a desire to connect with your child in a fun, non-threatening way?  A desire to go beyond the “nothing” and “stuff” when you ask what your child did at school or an event?  Lacy Mucklow has  produced a book intended to help you out.  Draw out the conversation as you do an art journal together.

 I opened this lovely art journal and it immediately brought me back to the days when my son and I were having fun doing art with an art prompt book.

We’d search out an art prompt … such as  “tree house” and we’d sit down and draw whatever popped into our brain about what a tree house would be like.   We had so much fun coming up with ideas, drawing and just talking to each other. Each doing our own thing, but spending time together talking and laughing as we did an art project together.

THAT is exactly what this mom and me art journal is supposed to.   Instead of looking up art prompts in a book and then using our own art papers. we can just use this journal.  A perfect time for a mom and child to chatter away with each other.

You have to check out some of these pages.  They are really quite nice.

The pages follow different styles: from shapes to fill out, to large blocky shapes, to full pages.   Each two page sets is unique from all others in this book. Printed on a nice thick paper so you can colour or draw in whatever way the prompt moves you to do so. 

Author Lacy Mucklow (MA. ATR-BC, LPAT, LCPAT) is a registered, board
certified, and licensed art therapist who has been practicing art
therapy in the Washington, DC area since 1999. She has experience
working with a variety of mental health populations and settings,
including schools, home-based counseling, and hospitals with
adolescents, families, and adults. Lacy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Psychology with a minor in Studio Art from Oklahoma State University,
and a Master of Arts degree in Art Therapy from The George Washington
University.

She wants moms and their children to connect with each other in a meaningful way. So she has intentionally included feelings like happy, sad, angry.  She covers topics like family and friends, heros, and imagination.   Hopes and dreams are always fun to discuss together.. drawing whatever you feel inspired to do, knowing that there is no right or wrong, just a responding to a prompt and chatting as you do so.   It is good yes?

One of the things I like in this book is the word prompts aren’t just single words or ideas.

Do you see how this would be different for every person?   How it could provide excellent talking points?  The scene is set…how will you respond?   What is your happiness point?

128 pages of colouring, drawing, filling in fun while having a grand ‘ole time with each other.  It would be great to display them as works of art, but also good to just keep as a keepsake to look back upon.

Illustrator Bethany Robertson has done an excellent job of bringing details into each page while allowing room for creative expression.

Bethany Robertson is an illustrator and designer
based in Brooklyn, New York. She has a Master’s of Fine Arts from
Rutgers University and a Master’s of Science in Art Education from the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Bethany enjoys drawing, pizza,
flowers, ice cream, and the beach.

The only concern I have is this:
My son and I like elbow room when we draw.  Trying to share a book and both draw a picture at the same time would drive us batty.  🙂  Therefore I wish the pages were perforated and one sided so I could pull them out and work with lots of space around me.  That way the lad and I could do what we like.  Sit side by side with a good foot between us, or sit opposite each other so we can surprise each other when we’re done (after all the hints and clues we give .. guessing with clues is fun.. especially with art). 

Mom and Me – An art Journal to Share.
Author: Lacy Mucklow
Illustrator: Bethany Robertson
Pages: 128
Publisher: Race Point Publishing
Format: Trade Paperback
Reviewed for: The Quarto Group
Series: A Side-by-side book

Where can you find it?
Amazon.ca – Mom and Me: An Art Journal to Share: Create and Connect Side by Side

Amazon.com – Mom and Me: An Art Journal to Share: Create and Connect Side by Side (A Side-by-Side Book)

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Series: Stick It To ‘Em

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Do you like having fun with doodling?   Have you ever considered turning that art form into sticker art?   Bailey Fleming has put together a book to help you explore the sticker side of you!  🙂   It’s a bright, quirky, fun book that I think you will enjoy!

 Bailey Fleming is an Arkansas born lass whose sister introduced her to the world of stickers.  She claims not to be an artist, but rather a person who likes to show some sass  in her stickers and to encourage others to not let their awkwardness or cynicism from stopping their creative expression.

To wit, she created a book to encourage that exploration.

 I like how she started off her book.   Explaining her thinking.  Doodles .. into stickers… equals making others smile.   So have fun in your doodling.

The first 31 pages are dedicated to teaching and training.   From what type of materials to use, to how to draw some of the artwork seen throughout the book. I really appreciated this section.  To see the different steps you need to create the end product, and the full colour pictures in the tool section, just marvellous! 

The remainder of the book is divided into
Coloured stickers:

Black and white outline Stickers.  Wouldn’t they be fun to fill in, stick on a card and send along to make someone’s day?

Make your own stickers. Each box makes it own sticker for you to share with other and hopefully bring about smiles on your friends faces.   Discover your own sass and style.

You see…that’s the point of the whole book.  Not just for an artist to show off her work, but seriously… to help people be inspired and create their own work.   

More than 275 stickers, divided by rough estimate into a third each.  Give them to your friends, your family and even your frenemies.  Share the joy and the sass with everyone.  🙂

AND you get lots of stickers that are full colour so you can share them on cards or notes, others that you can fill in and start to discover your own style, and then spread your wings and fly, sharing your style with those around you and bringing smiles to their faces. 

 Title: Stick it to ’em – Playful stickers to color and create.
Author: Bailey Fleming
Publisher: Walter Foster 

Reviewed for The Quatro Group

Where can you find it?
 Amazon.ca – Stick it to ‘Em: Playful Stickers to Color & Create: 275+ stickers with sass for family, friends, and frenemies

Amazon.com – Stick it to ‘Em: Playful Stickers to Color & Create: 275+ stickers with sass for family, friends, and frenemies

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Series: A Boy Named Giotto.

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 I want to thank Kirsten for coming to my rescue this week with another guest post with an art book.  I am SO pleased to have learned about this neat book.   Won’t you join me in learning about it?

This is a wonderful treasure of a book that tells the
life of Giotto and explains his drive to create art that led him to
become one of the greatest painters of all time.

This is a book that tells most in its pictures and has
little text, although the reading level is beyond the reach of little
ones. It is a perfect book to give to older school-aged children and even
teens. But I used it as a read aloud book so my children could listen,
look at the glorious pictures, and discuss ideas that came up along the
way.

You can pair this book with a number of other activities
like painting with egg (as Giotto did), reading a short biography of
his life, and perusing a book by Madeline L’Engle that is filled with
his pictures telling the story of the life of Jesus.

So pick up “A Boy Named Giotto” at a bookstore or library today and open up a window to the past for your children.

Additional resources:



Egg painting activity – just like Giotto

The Glorious Impossible by Madeline L’Engle:A retelling of the 25 important events in the life of Jesus in a beautiful picture book.

Title: A Boy Named Giotto
Author: Paolo Guarnieri

Where can you find it?
Amazon.ca: A Boy Named Giotto

Amazon.com: A Boy Named Giotto

Kirsten West is a Christian Homeschooling Mom who blogs at DoodleMom’s Homeschooling Life.  Isn’t she a delight?   She found time in the midst of a crazy busy week to share this lovely find with us.  THANK YOU Kirsten!  🙂

Learn more about Giotto, through Amazon.com:

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Book Series: Spot the Differences

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HI!   Guess what, Joanna is nice enough to guest post for me with what sounds like a fascinating book.  Joanna commented on my blog about this book and I asked if she’d please please please write a blog post for me as I wanted you all to know about it too!   Come check it out with me eh? 
I am always looking for ways to keep my boys interested in learning about art. 

We
have read many great books about artists, carried out artist studies
complete with copied works, and go on field trips to local art museums.  

But
I always wanted my boys to really stop and study the works of art.
 Look for the nuances that make them so spectacular, learn the names of
major works of art and the artists who painted them.  

I
was so thrilled when I stumbled upon the Spot the Differences book!  So
far we only have book 1 but there are 4 of them in the series.  

I love this series because my boys were excited about using it!  

The
book has 25 famous paintings– each painting is pictured twice.  The
first page shows the original painting complete with name and date it
was painted.  The opposing page shows the same picture with anywhere
from 6-14 change and you are challenged to find all the differences
between the original work of art and the changed picture.  There is an
answer key in the back of the book if you get stumped and a handy box
for checking off all the differences you have found. 



 Surrounding
both pictures are snippets of information about the artist, the
painting itself, and some facts about the historical period in which the
artist lived and painted. 

It has made art study so fun! 

  You can find Joanna over at Our Unschooling Journey Through Life.   Do be sure to visit her there as well eh?

Where can you find it:
 Amazon.com: Spot the Differences Book 1: Art Masterpiece Mysteries (Dover Children’s Activity Books)

Amazon.ca: Spot the Differences Book 1: Art Masterpiece Mysteries




Joanne Rawson is the author of the blog Our Unschooling Journey.
Known around the web as Mother of 3, Joanne began her blog when she
first started homeschooling her three boys in 2012. She lives in
Connecticut with her family and enjoys reading, crafting, and
travelling… all of which usually ends up on her blog.

Social Media:

 

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Book Series; How to Draw

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Every artist can use a bit a help in learning how to draw, particularly images that can be difficult.  How to Draw, 21 lessons in 48 pages.  All you need to get you well started on your artistic journey. 

I have to admit, I have a couple of books in this series.   How to Paint and How to Draw. But today I want to talk to you about the How to Draw book.  🙂

As I mentioned early, 21 lessons are included in this book, lessons that cover how to draw a variety of animals and vehicles, 8 lessons focus on various aspects of the human body, the remaining four lessons focus on cartoons.

One of the things I like is how the drawings look like they are in perspective, and directions are very clear about why you want to draw certain shapes to suit the object you are trying to draw, like a large plant eating dinosaur would have block-like limbs to hold him up, whereas an dinosaur built to run would have angular limbs and more circles where their joints would be. 

Drawing a horse would use bigger circles and triangles with straight lines joining them.  And cat would be circles, small squares and triangle eyes.   It’s neat to watch it all come together, smoothing out the lines to form the sleek animals one sees around them.

I have been told that drawing people is hard (and coming from someone who draws stick figure people I believe it).   So having eight pages of different ways to draw people is an important part to have in a book.

How would you draw a football player?

But if you learn to draw the lines and the circles so that you can fill in the rest, don’t you think it would make it easier to draw a person?   I look at these drawings and I think… even “I” could learn how to do that!   What do you think?   Could you learn to do that too?

How to Draw
Author: Helen Webster
Pages: 48
Type: Art Book, softcover
Publisher: Capella
Series: How to

Where to find:
Amazon.ca: How to Draw

Amazon.com: How to Draw

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/