Tag Archives: drawing

April 21, 2015 · 9:22 pm

Doodling

Doodling’s a beautiful thing. Whether you’re thoroughly engaged in it, or absentmindedly filling the corner of a paper, it’s a wonderful activity to get lost in. As I filled my divided page with patterns, I started thinking about a particular style of doodling referred to as Zentangle®. Examples are everywhere. Thousands of images are on Pinterest alone. And while they can be quite beautiful, I was curious as to why they were considered distinct from other doodles, to the extent of having their own trademarked name, and a pending patent application. I started nosing around and discovered it’s definitely a controversial issue.

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Tagged as art club blog, artclubblog, arts and crafts for kids, doodling, drawing, Zentangles

July 1, 2014 · 11:54 am

Summer Doodles

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.

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Tagged as art club blog, artclubblog, doodling, doodling for kids, drawing, journals and sketchbooks, summer crafts

June 2, 2014 · 12:37 pm

Polka Dot Bookmarks

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.

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Filed under bookmarks, drawing

Tagged as art club blog, artclubblog, arts and crafts for kids, bookmark craft, circle bookmarks, drawing, polka dot bookmarks, Yayoi Kusama

May 6, 2014 · 10:26 am

Koinobori Treasure Tin

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.

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Filed under drawing, Japan, Multicultural Art, tins

Tagged as art club blog, artclubblog, arts and crafts for kids, carp crafts, Children's Day Japan, drawing, fish in a tin, koinobori craft, May 5th, tin crafts, treasure tins

February 17, 2014 · 11:48 am

Graffiti Name

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!

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Tagged as artclubblog, arts and crafts for kids, candy letters, drawing, drawing for kids, Graffiti Art, graffiti name, graffiti name drawing for kids, graffiti name tag

December 31, 2013 · 10:35 am

Matchbox Stories

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.

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Filed under Books, collage, drawing, matchbox craft

Tagged as artclubblog, arts and crafts for children, collage, drawing, fireboox, matchboox, matchbox craft, matchbox stories

January 28, 2013 · 2:36 pm

Fingerprint People

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.

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Tagged as artclubblog, arts and crafts for kids, drawing, fingerprint characters, fingerprint craft, fingerprint people, fingerprints

May 9, 2012 · 6:49 pm

Creature Camouflage

Camouflage occurs when animals are either hard to see, like a black panther lurking in the night looking for its prey, or when they blend in with their environment by resembling something else, like a stick insect looking like a twig. When animals are hard to see, it increases their chance of survival. Children can explore this idea by making some background patterns and a few creatures of their own. Continue reading →

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Filed under animals/creatures, Art and Nature, drawing

Tagged as animal prints, animals, arts and crafts for kids, camouflage, camouflage for kids, colouring, creatures, drawing

April 1, 2011 · 12:42 pm

All Thumbs

Some people have the ability to use both hands with equal skill, and are referred to as ambidextrous. This occurs naturally in about 1 in every 100 people. Others teach themselves out of curiosity or necessity, following an injury or illness.

This clumsy challenge involves drawing with your non-dominant hand, and while it may leave you feeling somewhat ham-fisted and uncoordinated, it will also leave you thoroughly impressed by those who can do it all with both hands.

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Pick Your Poison

Dengue Fever Virus (x 30,195) & Influenza A Virus (x 31,710)

Virus means poison in Latin, and is responsible for much misery this time of year. If you know someone who’s bedridden with Influenza or Dengue Fever, why not send them a get well card with your very own rendering of the virus? The lovely muted colours of your watercolour painting, along with your somewhat twisted sense of humour, will surely bring a smile to your sickly friend’s face while they continue on with their violent shivering fits and severe muscle aches. Naturally, you’ll want to mail your card to avoid any of these nasty contagions. All kidding aside, this was a really fun subject to paint because when magnified a few thousand times, viruses can be quite beautiful.

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