Intro ,  EK Favorite Projects ,  Holiday Projects ,

 Links to More Ideas, & Online Art Exhibits.

Intro

People sure do have some crazy ideas about art! Many people think that only some people have artistic talent. Not true! What is true is that only some people know how to let their talent out. The best way to let your artistic ability blossom is play at art. Stop trying to make "good" art that other people will like, and do art activities that are fun for you -- meaning, fun to do.

For some people, that means simply doodling -- letting your imagination and your fingers wander and seeing what you come up with. But some people like art that is messy, sensory -- stuff you can feel with your fingers or toes. (Even stuff you can smell!)

Try painting with finger paints, pudding, or mud. Splat some soft, wet clay on a piece of tag board or cardboard and see what kind of crazy textures, shapes, or designs you can make. Make handprint art -- with finger-paints or large ink pads (washable please!). Make great designs or add onto the dried handprint with marker or crayon to design funny handprint animals and people.

Meanwhile, still other people go crazy about color. Experiment with mixing your own paints and try to make some colors that you really, really like. Then slap and slither them around on some paper to see what they look like side by side, or try your hand at a tree or an elephant-- what would they look like in bright fuchsia or orange? (And hey, did you notice you can even blend your crayon colors to make new shades? Try it. Lightly color your page with one color, and then repeat over the top with another color.)

Texture is another realm to explore. Try gathering up junk from around the house (ask before you take!), and glue it onto a square of cardboard to make an interesting collage. Your collage could be 'about" something -- like recycling or Summer vacation -- or it could just be a study in shapes and textures. You could even paint your creation when it's dry.

If you think painting or sculpting is not your thing, try doing it really small or really big. I discovered that I was much better at painting big murals than at painting on a little canvas. And it doesn't matter if your work doesn't look like "great art". What matters is that you like looking at it. And if you do, you might be surprised to find that other people do too!

The thing about art is not to make it look like what you've seen everybody else make, but to make something that makes you feel good on the inside. Something that makes you feel happy or excited or satisfied or awed. THAT is art.

The important thing to remember is that doing art is really a time for letting your spirit out to play. Over time, as you experiment -- as you play around with different materials, sizes, shapes, textures -- you will come to better understand how to work with them, and how to organize them, to direct them into a satisfying artistic creation. Learning art is a lot like learning a sport! You have to do it, over and over and over and over and over....to do it really well. Learning to paint a great picture is a lot like learning to shoot hoops. It's not enough to have a picture in your mind of what you want to do, nor even to have a strong desire to do it. You have to let your hands practice the moves over and over and over -- until your hands and mind work so well together, that they become partners, working in effortless unison. As this happens, you become so familiar with your tools and media (just like a player is with his ball), that knowing how to get the right results out of those tools is second nature, something your feel in your body as much as know in your mind. But like I said, this takes practice and repetition -- and most of all, a lot of experimentation, a lot of playing around, trying different things, and seeing what happens.

So remember, to become a great artist, remember to play at art -- and have fun!

 

 

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EK Favorites

Projects for Preschoolers
           (& older children too!)

 

Sensory Recipes

Great things to make that make you go squish, splosh, and ooooooo! Earth's Kids' recipes for homemade playdoughs, "gak", bubble juice, finger paints, and much more.

 

Bubble Art -- Check out this idea for making bubble prints...with bubbles, tempra paint, papers, straws, and lots of fun.

 

Soap Making  -- Make your own shaped soaps. Great gift idea.
 

Make It Yourself -- Recipes and instructions to make your own preschool supplies.

 

 Things to Do

Art & Activity classes in the South Bay area.

More Fun Arts & Crafts Ideas

 

Art Ideas for Kids A few dozen great craft ideas for kids of all ages, but especially pre-k through first grade.  When you exhaust these, click on their cooking page and make some creations you can eat.  Lots of links to more crafts and lesson plan ideas.   Art Teacher On the Net   Top Ten Tricks with Water Color Paints Maybe you have one of those little boxes with the different ovals of color in them, the kind you need a cup of water to dip your brush in first in order to make the paint.  They're fun, for a while.  But how many things can you really do with them?  Try these ideas and see!   How to Draw Manga -- Anime tutorials  Check out these resources: Tutorials from from XBox concept artist Patrick Shettlesworth at Polycarbon.com.  He also offers a library list of books that you may find helpful, both for working in Photoshop and for hand drawing and inking. How To Draw Manga features special sections on drapes, folds, hair styles, faces, female bodies and more.  Extra tutorials on working in Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro. Art Babe is a tutorial on how to create your own comic strip   More Manga Resources   The Idea Box This site contains tons of great ideas for crafts, recipes and more. Great links to all kinds of cool sites. Submit your own good ideas, and you might win a prize.   Learn How to Knit or Crochet Few things are more satisfying than making something that is nice to look at and useful!  You can learn how to make a stylish poncho, a hat, leg warmers, or lots of other things.   This site will also help you hook up with classes and supplies. Presented by the Craft Yarn Council of America. You can also check out StitchGuide.com     Collage Maker   Here's an online collage making project.  To print, you have to use your print screen command

How To Make An Origami Swan     Kidzdraw Get tips and ideas from artist Olwyn Fitzpatrick. . You can even send her your artwork! Separate sections for each age group -- 5 and under, 6-10, and 10 and up    Paint & Draw Unusual and interesting art ideas from Cindy Lukas & friends. Includes batik, block printing, plus...fun with corn syrup, bubble paper-- even art with balloons. Ever thought of painting with Clorox bleach? How about shoe polish? (Better okay it with a grown-up first!)   Crayola Stories, games, craft ideas, coloring pages. You can even learn about the history of crayons and about the factory where they are made. Special sections for preschoolers, parents, and teachers.   Coloring.com Here's a bit of fun for younger kids, online coloring. Dozens and dozens of different coloring pages, plus contests.