Staying True To Your Own Style

Maybe it's just the sunshine we have been experiencing lately, but I have been in the mood to paint. So much so that I could have easily cleared the art store out of canvas.   I have sketch book after sketch book full of ideas and paintings just waiting to happen.  This week I did two simple ideas came to mind.  For me, I love when I can find a meaning in what I paint and I also love how often others have their own interpretation as well.  I always say art is the one universal language that can speak to anyone.

Trying to stay true to my style, I set out to paint these two new paintings.  However, while painting them I found some of my old mindsets trying to set in again.  I had to battle them and let's just say it wasn't easy.  What do I mean by old mindsets?  I began to think about what I thought people would like to see on my canvas.  I began to look on the internet for inspiration (which for me is a big mistake). While looking, I seem to loose my unique style and instead try make things look like what I see.  In the process of that,  I start feeling really frustrated and it steals the joy of painting.  So once again I knew I needed to turn the computer off and look through my daily doodles instead for inspiration.  Let me just be clear... if you look on the net for your inspiration I am not putting that down.  People get inspired from other people's work all the time and I believe we are made to inspire one another.  I just can't do that.

As I began to let my style come out through my doodles I began to feel much better about what I was painting.  There is a lot that goes into planning a painting.  Not just the idea of the painting, but how to compose a painting.  How to make it look balanced and pleasing to they eye.  What colours work together and having proper perspective.  Maybe at later date I will blog more on composing a painting but for now here are the two new paintings I have created.  Enjoy!

Free to fly

Free to fly 

fly to the sky

Nothing holding back

Breaking free from that shack

Beat to your own drum

Beat to your own drum

Don't just let the crowd lead you

Nothing new will ever come

If you don't try something new.

Inspiring You And Your Kids Through the Creative Power of the Sketchbook!

I love to take time each day to draw in my sketchbook.  Except my sketches are more like whimsical doodles.  I have found that taking 15 minutes a day to doodle has really changed my creativity and helped me come into my own style.  So I wanted to pass this simple exercise onto my kids since they already love to draw.   With the numerous papers of their drawings all over the house,  I had to do something to keep track of them all.   A sketchbook seemed like a logical idea since it keeps all of their wonderful creations in one place.  So recently we purchased bound sketchbooks for the kids and I am encouraging them to use their new books.  

How do you inspire sketches/doodles for you and your kids to add to your sketchbooks?  Here are a few thoughts.

1.  Doodle:  I normally doodle without any kind of expectation of what to draw.  I just make lines and shapes and don't really pay much attention to what I am drawing, I just see what comes out on the page.   I love this because it has taken all the pressure off to try to draw something really great.  When I'm finished I'm often amazed to see what I find in my doodles.  Characters with little stories to tell, and sometimes even reflections of what I currently am going through.  Somedays I add colour with watercolours or markers and it brings even more imagination out!   I find that for kids, when you ask them to doodle they will often begin to draw pictures.  So to get them out of this mode I take them through something called taking your pen for a workout.  I explain that your pen is going to workout today and sometimes it is walking, running, jumping, twirling and so on.  They love it and begin to naturally doodle.  We then fill the lines with colours.  It's important when doing doodling that you don't erase your lines.  Just go with what you draw and don't worry about making any mistakes.  I love to doodle in black tip markers.

2. Sketch from your imagination:  I find this is the most common one my kids do.  At ages 2,4 and 6 they haven't had any formal art lessons on how to draw.   I just let them create and draw what comes to mind.   I will often find my son drawing images from his favourite movie.   My six year old draws lots of pictures of her family.   My two year old loves to draw with tons of colour.   They will naturally have things in their heads that they like to draw.   At this age, I don't worry about trying to correct them or train them on how to draw, but rather let them have fun!   As for me, I too love to draw from my imagination and have found that it is a skill I have had to develop over time.

 

  

3.  Sketch an object:  Again, with having young kids I don't tell them that we are going to draw this object on the table but rather I set up clues of things for them to draw.   I may place a toy or a flower on the table and begin to sketch it myself.  Usually if my six year old sees this, she too begins to do the same.   My four year old may do this too if it is something that peeked his interest such as Toothless from the movie How To Train Your Dragon.

There are some simple things to do when opening your sketchbook!   I want to leave you with a challenge this week!  The family sketchbook challenge.  I recommend that each member of your family that is participating whether one or 5 purchases a brand new sketch book and takes about 15 minutes a day to sketch or doodle.   Let me know how it goes and I would love to take a peek at what comes out in your sketchbooks if you want to post pics! 

                                

One last thing,  I would recommend a sketch book with a coil ring for yourself, and a bound sketchbook for younger kids if you want to keep all their art in one place.  If you are going to use markers or watercolours,  I really love mixed media sketch books since you can use all kinds of media on it.   For my kids, I just got simple hardcover sketchbooks that they couldn't easily rip the pages out of!  

Happy sketching!

Trish

Print Making With Kids

My daughter loves to make cards!  She loves collecting used envelopes to re-use and then add them to her collection of cards.  So for something different I thought I would do some printmaking with the kids for a different way of making cards.  This is a fun activity that is easy for kids too, and they can repeat it over and over.  We created our own template but there are also many other things you can use to print make.  Potatoes and apples work well, or anything with a cool pattern.  I also like to encourage kids to come up with their own pattern and designs.  It gives them some freedom as well as allows them to create out of the uniqueness inside of them.

Some things you will need are foam, a pen, a brier, a plastic plate, paper or card stock, and paint.

You can use paint, however I really like to use block printing ink.  It is much thicker and applies really nice with the brier. 

I use pieces of foam with a ballpoint pen.  I press fairly hard so that what I am drawing leaves an imprint on the foam.

Why not make a doodle print. The nice thing about making a print is you can use  the template over and over trying different colours.

I like to mix more then one colour when I do a print. Here I have chosen two colours that I know will blend together nicely. I press fairly firm with my brier and cover the entire foam surface.

I then place it face down on my card stock.  Anna is helping by applying pressure on the other side.

I generally find the second print is better. The first one usually has a little too much paint on it. This is my doodle print.

Anna's requested print...Strawberry Shortcake.  We mixed yellow and pink together.

Nathan's print of Toothless from How to Train a Dragon.

Typically I like to eat these and not paint them, but I had few extra's kicking around and thought they would make some interesting prints if painted.  I used acrylic paint with a brush to make these stamps.

The grapefruit!

The apple.

The pepper!

Happy Creating! 

Trish

The Art of Passing Creativity On!

Pass the paint.  It's time to pass on some creativity!

Did you know that you are creative?  Yes you!  Perhaps you already knew that, but maybe some of you never saw yourself as creative.  I believe that everyone is creative.  It just looks very different from one person to the next.  I have come to realize that creativity is like any other talent and it is something that grows and develops the more you use it.  I find that many people want to do something creatively but often don't know where to start!  So I feel that as a person who loves to create, I can help create opportunities to do so.

When I first started painting, it really was about me and me learning and painting in my little corner. However, as I developed more of that ability, I soon realized that I needed to share what I have learned with others so they too can have an opportunity to develop what is inside of them.  I am by no means an expert and there are always people that are more advanced in their abilities than I am, but there are always people that are less advanced as well.  So in helping others, I start at the likely place of helping those with less experience and ability.  This can change in a hurry, as I have found that some people just need a starting place and in only a short time are beyond my ability!  This sometimes can be a test of the heart as you watch others goes beyond you!  However, I do believe that we should encourage this!  I take it as a great honour to be able to impart what I have to someone to only see them go beyond me!  Who knows the creative destiny that may be awaiting them!

The joy of collaborating together teaches us so much!  Lucy and I are working on a heart.  I love mixing our styles together.

I recently got asked to attend my friend Rachael's business, Social Art!  It is a business where anyone can come out and paint.  They receive step by step instruction from Rachael and at the end of the night they have a masterpiece!  The setting in which this takes place is in a restaurant where you are able to order food or drinks.  It really is a great night out!  I looked around as I saw a variety of people out for the event.  Some older, some young.  Both men and women.  Some had never painted before while others had more experience!  But what I loved about the night was that Rachael was taking her gifting and ability and using it to bless others.  She was taking the time to impart what she has learned over the years to others.  It was really amazing to see as so many left encouraged and I believe even wowed at what they had painted!  All they needed was an opportunity!  I know for myself, one painting leads to another!

Rachael and I at one of her events.

I realize not everyone is a teacher or likes speaking in large groups, but the point is  to pass on the gift of creativity.  When I first was introduced to paint it was by a lady in South Africa who had been fabric painting.  She invited me into her home and shared all of her paints and supplies with me.  She gave me an opportunity.  It wasn't so much about imparting what she had learned to me as much as it was about imparting the resources and materials she had.  It was the beginning of my creative journey.

Kristyn has been a great helper by passing on creativity with kids in my art class.

As important as it is to pass on creativity, it is also important to keep receiving creativity.  So as you give out, make sure you also find people that you too can learn from as well.  That may be through online tutorials, lessons, or just watching those that have gone before you!  Do it so that you can keep growing in your ability to impart and bless the world in a greater way!

Happy creating, and remember...YOU ARE CREATIVE!

Trish

The kids learn from one another as they create together!

Teaching and Creating With Kids

After having a few years off, I have recently returned to teaching art lessons for kids, and after completing my first class it all is coming back to me.  I realized how much I really love watching kids create and being able to have some input in teaching them more about art.  How can you not have fun when you are offering a smorgasbord of art...or in other words a smorgasbord of messy!  So on today's blog I am going to share with you a bit about teaching and creating with kids.

The first step to teaching art to kids involves having a plan!  I have learned that having a good pre-planned lesson is very important.  Not only having a lesson planned, but also having first done the project that you are planning on doing with your students.

I try to come up with fresh and new ideas for kids to create.  Ideas that allow them to try a variety of mediums.  I find that most creative people tend to like dabbling in a few different mediums and the best way to find out what you like is to try new things.  So I like to give my students the opportunity to work with a different medium each week.  I find the same goes true if you are doing arts and crafts at home with your children.  They love to experiment and try new things and create new big messes!
Going through the aisles in art stores and craft stores there is so much material out there it can be overwhelming as to where to begin.  So I mostly design my lessons around what I have an interest in and the overflow of what I myself have created.  I find that creating themes works very well too.  The themes I choose also revolve around things I enjoy. I find it much better if you are teaching about things that you really have an interest in and the kids too begin to catch your passion!

One of the most challenging thing I find in teaching kids is planning enough projects for a class.  This is challenging because you have some students that finish very fast and others that take twice as long as you had thought.  So I always come over prepared with extra projects.  But I have also learned to set reasonable time frames for the kids to complete a project and those that are done early have to sketch or wait for the others.  My first experience in running a camp was a real learning curve for me as I had one student who finished everything very fast.  I wanted to accommodate him so I kept coming up with more and more projects for him to do.  Let's just say that by the end of the camp I was exhausted and learned this isn't the best plan!

I have also seen the benefit of making the lessons fun! Although I do desire for them to learn new skills, I also believe in having lots of fun while doing so.  I often come up with art games that allows the students to grow in skill but also play at the same time.  This also gets everyone working together!

Having some incentives are always a good thing when you are teaching theory.  They may not all love coming to a Saturday morning class to hear about art theory so I throw some candy in the mix and theory isn't so bad!  I also keep it to a minimum and we do as much hands on as possible.

My most favourite thing is to encourage my students in their uniqueness!  I love it when people embrace how truly unique and special they are!  After all there is not another person like you!  I love to see my students creating from their own style and the uniqueness that is in them.  If you are comfortable in who you are you often are comfortable in what you create.  So I love to comment on at least one thing that I love about what the kids are creating!

So there are just a few tips that I have learned about teaching kids art!  There is much more to share, so I am currently writing a Funtastical Studios Art Curriculum Volume 1. that should be available  to purchase in early spring!  That will include art lessons from start to finish as well as some more of my tips on teaching!  Stay tuned for more.

Happy creating, and for those that have little ones, have fun creating with them!  Enjoy the moment!

Trish

 Week one: liquid watercolours!

Teaching watercolour techniques. 

Just look at what you can do! Rubbing alcohol on water-colour.

Lucy's ink on watercolour.

Doodling with oil pastels.

A fun game of musical watercolours!

Anna-Grace gets all the left over paint.  She's a little too young for this class, although she wouldn't think so.

Creating in the Snow

How much do I love winter?  Not that much!  I think I could easily adjust to living in the summer all year round, however that just isn't going to happen in Canada.  So as long as I live here I need to make the best of the winter.  I must say, winter can be very pretty and wondrous!  That is if you can get past my frozen toes, shovelling snow, and getting into a freezing car.
This week there has been a lot of snow falling, leaving a fresh patch of snow on the ground.  With everything so white I thought we needed to add a little colour to winter.  So the kids and I went out for some creative time in the snow ! You should try it.  It may just brighten up your winter day.  I know it did for me!  Check out some of the pictures of the day down below!

First things first time to create a doodle snow garden

I love seeing cardinals in the winter so I decided to plant one in my garden

Hello doodle garden welcome to winter 

Liquid watercolours show up nice in the white snow.

Sprinkling the snow with the rainbow.

Colour blending in the snow.

Snow makes a great brush holder.

Hello colour!