Creating Boxtrolls: A Creative Lesson In A Local School

Today I had the joy of going into a public school and doing an art workshop with a class of kids.  It was so much fun!  I did a demonstration with clay and we created mixed media box trolls.  I recently watched the Boxtrolls movie and loved the claymation that they used.  It really was quite interesting and very creative.  So, I decided to create my own box trolls.  In the movie the trolls each lived in a box and took on the name of the box that they were wearing.  So, each child made their own box and designed their own label.  It was awesome to see so much creativity coming out of the students and that each one was unique in its own way.  I love how you can give kids a pile of materials and they make use of them making things I would of never think of.

So how did we create these one of a kind box trolls?  We started with some air dry clay and designed heads.  We moulded and sculpted eyes, noses, mouths, teeth, and even tongues.  I loved to see how some made hats, hair, and even accessories to go with their trolls.   Each face took on a personality of its own and I soon got to see the interests of the students coming to life in what they were creating.  After all you create what you like.

Next we took small paper boxes and had a smorgasbord of materials out for the kids to play with! They began to poke holes and make pipe cleaner arms, clay feet, decorative feather dresses, plaid tape ties, and much more. Some added paint and markers, and others used lots of tape!  There was no right or wrong way and they all looked great!

The last step was to allow the clay heads to dry and then glue them to the top of the box! There you have it!  A uniquely designed box troll.  My highlight was to be able to watch the kids create and to see how much they enjoyed it!  Give it a shot with your kids.  Believe me, they'll love it!
Happy creating.

Trish

A Sneak Peek Into Funtastical Studios Art Classes For Kids

Coming this fall I will be teaching some new classes to kids ages 6-10!  I have been busy trying and experimenting with lots of mediums to make this a funtastical experience for kids.  I love the diversity in art and the varieties of materials you can work with.  I know that kids love that too!  So, I have intentionally mixed up a lot of the media to allow kids to really experiment and get the creative juices flowing!  Each week the kids will be introduced to a new medium and learn new technique while having lots of fun.  This fall the theme will be artsy animals.  We will be looking at all kinds of different animals that we will re-create and even invent.  We will be doing drawing labs, printmaking, sculpture, acrylics,  watercolours, and more!  There will also be a fun art game to play each week.
Here are a few of the projects we will be creating!

Mixed media sculpture: creating your own creature 

Mixed media birds

Drawing lab: doodling your favourite animal/bird

Contour giraffes: watercolour

Paper Mache: underwater creatures

So there you have it.  I will be developing a few more ideas over the summer.  Keep watch on our blog, Facebook page, and website as we get closer to the fall.  We'll make sure to post how you can sign up if you live in our area.

Trish

Easy To Use Resources For Creative Young Minds: A Sneak Peek Into Our New Curriculums.

At last Steve and I have created some art and music books for you parents to use and learn at your own home!  We often have people asking us for ideas that they can use with their kids for art or music.  Finally we've got some practical ideas and guidance for you to use not only with your kids, but for you to use and learn from as well.

Introducing Art lessons for Kids, a step by step guide to teaching art lessons for your kids.  There are 8 weeks of lessons and in it you will see a diversity of art lessons, a complete list of materials, art games that kids love, and even my favourite snacks to serve.  We get our hands in all kinds of fun materials from clay to paint to learning sketching.  The kids will have opportunity to express their own creativity as well as learn skills along the way.  These are all lessons I have personally done with kids and have found to be fun and helpful for teaching children.

Steve has been teaching children and adults guitar lessons for years.  A few years ago he wrote Guitar Made Easy,  a teaching book to assist his guitar students in learning the basics of technique, chords, theory, and a number of other topics.   He's used this very method successfully with all his beginner students over the years.  At last he is making it available to purchase.  Even if you have never played guitar, this is a step by step guide that is easy for the beginner to learn with.  With his colourful pictures you will be able understand his explanations with ease.
Check out the photos below for a sneak peek into our new books.  They are selling for $20 each and you can purchase them on our website.

Happy Creating!!

Trish

10 Great Ways to Create A Culture of Creativity With Your Kids

Recently I had the opportunity to speak at a homeschoolers conference and share a bit about coaching an artistic heart in your kids.  As I prepared and gathered information on this subject, I realized it really was about creating a creative culture.  So today I've decided to share a few things I have learned and discovered along the way.

1. Creativity really starts with YOU!  Even if you think you are not creative, I beg to differ.  There is something inside of you that is creative in nature.  It may be buried deep down inside or perhaps it may look differently than you think.   The attitude you carry about yourself and what you can and cannot do speaks volumes to your children.  So I would say use your words wisely and don't put yourself down or your creative abilities.  Rather, be willing to try new things and see what it is you like.

2. Incorporate a creative space in your home.  Find a space that is not tucked away in a dark corner, but somewhere with light and that would be inspiring.  As I am sure you already know, if you have little ones, they want to be where you are.  I personally have had to make a space in my kitchen and empty out a nearby closet for art supplies.

3. Have an art caddy full of your favourite art supplies.  Have these readily available and the kids will use them much more and you just might as well!  On my art caddy I have some things that are a must in our home (liquid watercolours, markers, oil pastels, glue, glitter, acrylic paint, watercolour paper, pencils and stamps).  DIVERSITY is great!



4. Invest in a sketchbook for you and your children.  Honestly, being able to just doodle for 10 minutes a day has made such a big impact in my creativity.  I also find that my children love to get their sketch books out and do the same.  Sometimes they will draw pictures from something they have just watched on TV or something that they see.  It's a great way to encourage creativity throughout the day.

5. Speak to your kids about their artwork.  Don't just assume you know what they are drawing or painting.  Instead ask them to tell you about their painting.  I also suggest that you be specific in saying what it is you like about their artwork.  If it's the colours, or the lines they used, the uniqueness that they show in their drawing, then make sure to tell them.

6. Encourage their style.  I could do a whole other post on this topic alone.  For now I will just say to help them develop their style by seeing what it is they like about their art, looking at other artists work they like,  and daily doodling without any preconceived ideas about what they should draw. Encouraging their uniqueness.  Look for their personality traits in their creativity.

7. Take time as a family to create together.  The kids love this and you may find yourself smiling too! Do family drawings and paintings together where everyone adds their own flavour.  Pick a project that you could all do and even add storytelling or music into the mix.

8. Put out drawing prompts for your kids to get inspired (I did a post on this in the past).  Some ideas you could try are to glue googley eyes to paper and have them finish the picture,  place their toys out for them to sketch, start a picture and have them finish it,  or have an inspirational wall with inspiring pictures for them to incorporate in their drawings or paintings.



9. Create with the season you are in!  I love that we are approaching spring and summer because there are so many creative things you can do outside.  From creating a really colourful doodle garden, to gathering and painting sticks, painting stepping stones that tell a story, to making an imaginary land with cardboard boxes under a big tree. (hmmm this is topic to blog on more!)

10. Display your kids artwork!  Somewhere as we get older, we can lose that excitement of wanting everyone to see what we've just created.  As a kid, you can't hang up your artwork fast enough.  As we get older that changes and we don't want anyone to see what we just did.  I think that's really sad. It's all part of a journey and what you and your child create is an expression of you on that day and time.  So I say display!  Have things such as a wire to hang artwork on, frames, cork boards, a clipboard wall filled with artwork, or make some of the artwork into a journal for keepsakes to look back on.  I only wish I had a journal like that, that I could look back on and see what I had done as a little girl.  Celebrate the creativity!

So there are just a few things that you can do to create a culture of creativity. ! I hope you enjoy and happy creating!!!

Trish

A Funtastical Family Portrait Experience

Recently we decided to make our very own family portraits.  I'm not talking about the kind that you create by using a nice camera!  Instead, we designed and made our own pictures.  Ok it may not be exactly as we look but I would say the kids and Steve did a great job and we had lots of fun doing it.  I started by using a large roll of butcher paper that I rolled out on our kitchen floor. One by one Steve, I, and the kids traced each other for a somewhat similar body outline.  The kids really loved doing this and it was lots of fun to see the results after we each got up!

With our outlines a little distorted from how we really look,  it left us to be a little more creative as we then took oil pastels and filled in our body with fun clothing and of course a face and hair.  And there we had them...life-size portraits that we hung on our walls.
Here is a re-cap of the experience!  Hope you enjoy!  Have fun creating your own family portraits and creating memories.

Trish

Sneak Peak: My New Funtastical Painting Line!

I have been working over the past few months on some new paintings to go with The  Lucy Collection.  Many people have been asking me to do paintings for little boys, and I've been busy working on these.   Introducing The Little Nate Line!

There are six paintings in all and they all come with little stories that are going to be made into a book for boys and girls.  All of the paintings have been created on cradle board and are 16" x 20" in size.  They are all done in acrylic paint.  So for your enjoyment, here is a sneak peak of some of the Little Nate line.

Little Nate was a dreamer!  He would lay awake every night dreaming of what he could be.
 No dream was too big, for he knew that He was created
to reach for the stars and do great things.

Little Quinn was an adventurous soul.  No place was too far for him to go.
He would find a way to visit lands that were unique and rare.
 It was there he would share good news to those afar.

Little Charlie was full of rhythm.  He could hear notes and sounds from a mile away.
He couldn't help but feel the beats as He composed some of the most beautiful songs.
It was as if heaven had come down.

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

Creative Ideas For A Wonderful Winter Day With Your Kids

I will be the first to admit that I am not a winter person!  I have to drag myself outside and usually my time outdoors in the winter is very short!  So as my kids get a little older I have been making them go outside for some fresh air and have had the joy of watching them through the window.  However, I thought I needed to make myself get outside as I find their time outdoors is short-lived as well.  So I came up with some structured creative activities to enjoy the wonders of winter!

Here are some creative ideas that you can do to make for a wonderful winter day!  After bundling myself and three kids up, we walked out in knee deep snow and I encouraged my kids to see the beauty in winter.  As much as I love the white in the snow, I love even more the way bright colours pop on the snow!  So the first thing we did was to make some snowball soup!  Except the snow wasn't co-operating too well and we couldn't make snowballs.  So I piled the snow into a big hill and we had snow hill soup instead.   Still fun!!!  We poured liquid watercolours all over our snow hill. (you can also use food colouring).

What good is a time outside in the snow without making a snow angel?  I thought we would add a little creative edge to this by taking our liquid watercolour paints to outline our snow angels.   I just had the kids pour the paint straight from the bottle but I would recommend having little spray bottles that you mix your paint and water in and then have them spritz the paint out.

We looked around to see what else we could be creative with and found a few lonely pine cones hanging from our tree.  So we grabbed hold of them and decided to paint them up.  We need a few more to doodle on and we'll make them into a cool centre piece along with some fun papermache winter birds.

       

And lastly, my favourite thing to look at in the winter is the icicles!  I love the way they look.  The beautiful patterns that the icicles make as they wind and twirl is amazing.  The way they seem to be growing all around our house right now is making it look like a humble ice castle?   So I reached up high, picked some of these beautiful sculptures, and then took them inside where I needed to warm up!  I filled a glass fish bowl with snow, arranged my icicles like a flower bouquet and then poured liquid watercolours over them.  They looked really cool!  Kind of like coloured glass.  Too bad they melted so fast and didn't last!   But they would have made a nice centre piece for a winter picnic...except I don't do winter picnics!



So there you have it!  A few chilly creative activities!  Of course after our time of winter creating we came inside and warmed up with popsicles!  Have a wonderfully creative wintery day!

Trish

10 Inspiring Ways To Get Creativity Flowing In Your Kids

Sometimes you need a little inspiration and help in order to get your kids to create something new.  So today I am talking about finding creative props that can help get the creative juices flowing.  I know that many times if I just hand my children a piece of paper and a box of crayons they will usually start colouring something.  But sometimes I like to stretch them a bit in their creativity, yet still have them create that they really like.  So here are a few ideas to help create new projects.

1. Googly eyes:  Paste googly eyes on a surface of some sort.  It can just be a blank piece of paper, a wood board, or even a canvas.  Tell them then to create a face or a fun creature or animal around the goggly eyes.  My kids loved this and some really cool art was created as well!  We even gave their goggly eyed creatures names, which then turned into a time of story telling because a picture tells a story and they just created characters for a story.  If you do this with a group of kids, they can collaborate and make a story together using all of their characters as a part of the story.

2. Team work:  I begin with some designs or doodles on a canvas and then get my kids to add to it. I allow them to have the freedom to add what they want and use their own unique style.  It's awesome to see different styles coming together.

3. Pictures from a magazine:  Paste pieces of pictures from a magazine onto a blank paper and then have them finish the picture.  This was a fun one for the kids to do and they came up with some great ideas!

4. Finger print doodles:  Make finger prints on paper by pressing their thumbs on a stamp pad and transferring them to your paper.  Doodle around the finger prints turning them into doodle pictures.  This was so much fun and we made all kinds of little doodle creatures!

5. Funky object:  Have them find an object in the room and draw it.  Then have them create a funky creature from it.  I got this idea from a really cool book called The Ice Cream Coot And Other Rare Birds by Arnold Label.

6. Play dough and toys: When all else fails, bring out the play dough!  My son loves using it while playing with his trains, and makes his own tracks for them.

7. What's in the house?:  Using a cardboard box, get the kids to paint and make a house (adding doors and windows) and then have them create objects to go in their house.

8. My colourful pallet:  Hand them a canvas of white paper that has random shapes of watercolour pencil drawn on it.  Have them add water to the shapes with a brush and create a picture incorporating all the paint shapes.

9.  Drawing pictures from Numbers:  This is fun to do.  Start by drawing out a number and then see if you can create it into a picture of something.



10.  Fill in the Frame:  Draw a picture of different frames and then have your children fill in the frame.  We have chalkboard walls in our home, so we use those.  However if you don't have this available to you, you can do it on any large piece of paper as well.

So there you have it.  10 great ideas to help you get the creative juices flowing in your kids!  Hope you are feeling inspired, and have fun creating!

Trish