In a few weeks, kids will head back to school, where new and exciting things will be explored, and this project fits right in. Drawing the alphabet is a great way for wee ones to learn their letters, and for older kids to try their hand at designing their own. Many themes can be used to make your ABC’s look awesome, like crazy creatures, patterns, plants, even celebrations like Halloween or Christmas.
Filed under drawing
There was no photograph taken of the moment a dog mistook me for a tree, while I innocently sat in a park in Italy. It was, however, recorded in my friend’s sketchbook, with a drawing and accompanying explanation of how I was peed on by a busy little Italian dog. I was still overcome with hysterical laughter when shown that image some twenty years later, as I relived the moment and all the wonderful things that happened on that trip – which beautifully illustrates why journals and sketchbooks are the best, in their ability to capture moments in your life, and take you back in time.
My son took a Moleskine with him while traveling in India last year, and it gave us a tiny glimpse into the amazing experience he had. It’s filled with doodles and drawings, and many thoughts – both humorous and serious, which will help him revisit that time in his life.
And so, with the lazy days of summer upon us, it’s an ideal time for your kids to fill up some of those sketchbook pages with doodles, drawings and stories of all the wonderful things they’ve been up to. Imagine the smiles it will bring later on.
We’re off on another road trip – this time through beautiful eastern Canada. Happy July to all of you, and looking forward to sharing lots of travel inspired ideas when I get back.
These bookmarks are inspired by the work of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, who has a real fondness, if not obsession, with polka dots of every size and colour imaginable. She’s covered everything from floors and canvasses, to naked assistants, but I’m not sure she ever made it to bookmarks. These will, no doubt, make the perfect accompaniment to all those books on your child’s summer reading list.
Even though spring appears to have finally arrived, I still have this nagging feeling that the warmer weather is just temporary, and the fact that I ditched my socks yesterday may not last. Clearly, the lasting effects of a traumatic winter are lingering, so a good dose of flower making should help.
Koinobori, carp-shaped wind socks, are a big part of Japan’s Children’s Day celebration on May 5th, a day which celebrates and honours boys, while March 3rd is reserved for girls. Carps are chosen as a symbol of strength, courage and determination – attributes desired in boys, and are flown from rooftops throughout the country.
I’ve always loved how children like to collect the most random things, and store them in small containers for safe keeping. So instead of making wind socks, we’ll be making small drawings of carps, and decorating a tin to store them in.
Filed under drawing, Japan, Multicultural Art, tins
Long before the beloved book there were scrolls, which first surfaced in ancient Egypt. They were traditionally made from parchment or papyrus, and provided a more practical way of keeping records than clay tablets. No kidding. By the 5th century, use of the codex book format, developed by the Romans, had surpassed that of the scroll. Today, scrolls are reserved primarily for religious purposes, and Harry Potter.
How did I end up with a monster scroll? First, I came across some very cool work by street artist Cranio, who made an extremely long drawing of his favourite characters, Indigenous Brazilian Indians, doing all sorts of fun things – the kind of drawing perfect for a scroll format. Why the monsters? Because my daughter had to draw some for art class, and I joined in and got carried away with how much fun it was.
Designing a graffiti name tag was one of my daughter’s recent assignments for her art class. It involved delving into the history of graffiti, exploring different styles, and learning about the terminology. Her design, above, involved chunky letters and a brightly coloured candy theme as fill. Loved it!
Filed under drawing, graffiti, Graffiti Art
A darling little ice storm hit Toronto on December 22nd, leaving about 300,000 homes without electricity for the holiday season. We chose to stay in our very cold house for two and a half days until the power came back on, and were definitely among the lucky ones, since as of this morning, there are a few hundred people still cold and in the dark. To mark this most unusual holiday season, here’s a project born in a matchbox, a true essential during a power outage.
Matchboox, which inspired this project, is a collection of small books folded accordion style, and neatly housed inside a matchbox. It’s a series created by editor Richard Meier, involving more than 70 artists, making some very cool art in a box.
Filed under Books, collage, drawing, matchbox craft
Working with fingerprints was too much fun to stop after just one project. Get ready to have some colourfully stained fingertips for a few days, as we delve into one of those classic projects – fingerprint people.
Filed under drawing, fingerprints
I couldn’t resist sharing this amazing line drawing technique demonstrated by Ted Edinger on his website Art With Mr. E. The method is fairly simple for children to do, and the results are very effective at demonstrating the wonders of optical illusions. Continue reading
Filed under Art Movements, doodling, drawing, Op Art
ArtClubBlog 