snowman multi-media art

Pin It We spent a cold-winter's afternoon making our rendition of a snowman, using multi-media. Originally inspired by Deep Space Sparkle, this is a great way to have the kids use different forms of media to create one thing. And, it makes for beautiful art to display this time of year... even if you can't go out and make a real one.
Steps:

Using thick paper, paint your "landscape" in layers... then set aside to dry, and return to it later {or use a blowdryer if you're impatient like us :) }



Trace and cut three different sizes of circles....



Dig into your box of fabrics, buttons, yarn - whatever you have on hand to start to repurpose as the snowman's face and clothes.






Hang to dry and display your winter scene! {From left: Noah, Ava and Me!}

3 techniques, 2 days, 1 mr. seahorse

Pin It Inspired by this assignment from Deep Space Sparkle - a fantastic art blog - we set out to produce artwork like the great Eric Carle too. I thought this would be a fun project to try on this summer day - because A&N love Mr. Seahorse and it brings back memories of our beach trip.  The layers, techniques, and two-day process was part of the beauty of this art project. Most of the time when kids do "art" they have an idea in mind. Here, they discovered how "art" itself can be pieced together - to make even bigger art.

First step - Mr. Seahorse {Tempera Paint}
On plain white butcher paper, or what ever you have on hand, create colorful textures with tempera paint and using different brushes and strokes to fill the page.



Colors should bleed together.


Try sponges, rollers, big and small brushes. "Water-down" your colors so that they blend and bleed together - covering all of the white underneath.



While Noah's art was still wet, he sprinkled white glitter on top. You could also coat the sheet with clear-drying glue and apply glitter or crayon-shavings for fun.



Second Step - the Sea {Watercolors}
Use a large sheet of white paper, or butcher paper, to create the background. Water colors {which we haven't used in a long time} was fun for the kids - as the application and results are entirely different. Set both sheets aside to dry.





Third Step - Coral reef {food coloring}
This was something new for even me to try. Use what you have at home to add another dimensional art piece. We used coffee filters and food coloring. Our filters are the pocket kind, so I opened these up and folded it accordion style. Then the kids squirted drops of food color on the filter.



Making unique patterns with the 4 colors.



Use a water bottle and spray away!



You'll have to jiggle the tray a bit to blend the colors. Set outside to dry.




Day Two!
If you have the book Mr. Seahorse, trace him directly from there or try this link for the template. Cut out a "seahorse" from the middle of the painted paper the kids made from Day One.



First Step: Setting the Scene
We began with the water-colored sheet - and I described how what they created resembles the reeds - like in the book. They glued their dyed filter or "reef" and the unfinished seahorse to set the scene for Mr. Seahorse.



Second Step: Finish Mr. Seahorse
Using the painted paper left overs, the kids practiced using their scissors and cut out a "fin" and "spikes" and then glued them on.





A googly-eye later... and ta-da!



Final Step: Proud Art-work Presentations

dinosaur dioramas

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Making diorama's is by far one of my favorite art projects to do with the kids. There's something about its smallness that makes me want to crawl inside. I can still remember the the very first time I saw a diorama put together - Dad worked on it for a school project for my sister. And I was mesmerized by the detail of the cutting, gluing, and layering. He made a library. And oh... I wish we still had it.

a page full of polka dots

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On SavvySource today, talking about art activities with polka dots. Share your ideas here.

mini art studio - painting with acrylics

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Painting with acrylics is very different than our usual tempera paints we use - it makes the kids feel like little artists, using canvases and easels, and "thicker" paint.

paper blue bird in 30 minutes

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Making a blue bird can be a bit messy - but as it turns out, it was a lot of fun. There's lots of painting, blotting, drying, cutting, and gluing going on.... and in less than 30 minutes - we had 2 blue birds made out of paper plates!

We had pizza tonight, so Aaron picked up a few extra white paper plates. We painted them blue with tempera paint on both sides.

The instructions in our craft book told us to set it aside to dry before moving on to step 2. Well we didn't have that luxury - but, we did have a blow dryer...

holiday masks

Pin It The holidays are another great time to get crafty. Wooden ornaments and masks are just a few ideas to bring home and let the kids get creative with paint...and cotton balls...

souvenir beach tees

Pin It Just as vacations are personalized - why not wear a matching t-shirt to go with it? Especially on family trips, matching tees are another way to mark the reunion event in time as a souvenir - and wear all summer long for other to see.

Grab a pack of Hanes white cotton toddler tees, 5-pack for under $7 at Target. Be sure to jump a size, as a pre-wash will shrink your canvas space. If you have time, freehand sea concepts or pick up a pack of stencils from Michaels, for $2. The coral reef turned out to be my favorite... [hidden in the background of this pic below].