Showing folks they’re loved is easy- show them they’re seen by paying attention to what matters to them.
My nephew recently had a birthday. To make his gift a little extra special, and a lot more unique, I made the wrapping paper. It’s much more than wrapping paper! So much more!
It tells a story, gives “I spy”, and can double as an interactive play mat!
I used @kwikstixpaint and Magik Stix markers on a roll of brown craft paper to doodle up bits of familiar things he loves, mishmashed with his love of storytelling and for family. I do love a good mishmash!
The paint Stix and markers are a dream team, like peas and carrots or peanut butter and jelly!
Folks who know me well KNOW I love sparkle! The hints of shimmer and shine from the metallic Kwik Stix make me giddy! So fancy! His little sister will love that too!
He’ll recognize the creek and the paths that wind through their property, and he’ll appreciate the fish. He’s a detail detector! He’ll most certainly point out the daisies in the field, his mother’s favorite flower. It’ll make her smile too.
When he was little he’d FaceTime me to tell me stories about animals he observed near his home. While we chatted we’d draw pictures about those stories. He saved them all.
He LOVES exploring the outdoors, collecting rocks, catching toads, and studying bugs. There’s a creek behind his house that’s fun to explore, especially on hot summer days. He’s a lucky young man to be growing up in such a beautiful place!
Have a super Saturday!
#ashcanworks #livealifeoflearning #livealifeofwhimsy #artteachersofig #artteacher #artteachersofinstragram #favoriteartsupplies #handmadewrappingpaper #doodle #sketch #kwikstix #kwikstixpaint #kwikstixforthewin
Hey you!
Another travel art post!
When I was a kid, my grandmother used to wear a whimsical bucket hat with her purple polka dotted bikini. What a cool, confident, and inspiring woman she was! This year I bought myself my first bikini and a fun beach bucket hat! This hat made me feel fabulous and I’m sure my grandmother would’ve approved.
Anyway….
My brother-in-law @wildflycharters took the family to Cayo Costa for a beach day. He used his drone to video and photograph adventures of the day, and I used my sketchbook to capture him while he operated his drone from his @beavertailskiffs boat.
If you swipe you can see the first version, then the reworked/revisited version.
I love trees, often looking for “good trees”. Good trees have pleasing features. Maybe its branches are wonky and wobbly. Maybe it looks like a tree @eyvindearleart would’ve painted. Maybe it’s got great textures or colors. Maybe the leaves are gorgeous. Green is my favorite color, so I take a lot of pictures of trees and leaves while I travel. I also take cloud pictures. I look for contrast and/or images in big fluffy clouds that remind me of the cloud giant painting by NC Wyeth. I look for colors, textures, and I look for hearts always!… A coworker of mine told me that when her kids were little they collected heart shaped rocks on hikes. I’m a better mom because of the wisdom she’s shared with me over the years. I collected heart shaped rocks with my kids too, we still do.
I had a lot of work to do on this trip while balancing family, and I do t sit still well. To make the most of my minutes I take a sketchbook and art supplies with me everywhere. I loved that that habit allows me play and practice honing skills, capture moments, and illustrate stories on a whim if I choose to.
Invest in yourself!❤️
#ashcanworks #artteachersummer #artteacher #sketchbook #holbeingouache #ohmygouache #gouacheillustration #gouachedarnit #watercolorillustration #sketchbookillustration #swfl #swflorida #swflartist #swflart #capecoralartist #matlacha #matlachaisland #matlachaflorida #matlachafishingcharters #matlachaartist #islandlife #islandart #livealifeofwhimsy #yagottahaveart
#cayocostaflorida
Howdy! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but I’ve been busy pouring into some projects that have been pretty exciting!
For the last 2 weeks we were visiting family in Florida, and I worked the majority of the time. BUT! I did carve out a little time to doodle in my sketchbook and it was good for my soul. It felt like one of those really good stretches after a refreshing nap.
While family made dinner and enjoyed the pool, I grabbed my art making favorite go toos.
* I listened to music and doodled! I tuned out the works with @beatsbydre noise canceling earbuds (they’re awesome) listening to @spotify music I love.
* I grabbed my @moleskine sketchbook, @holbeinartistmaterials gouache, @kuretakezig_usa watercolors and paint doodled the view from my brother-in-law’s pool (charter fisherman @wildflycharters )
* I added touches of @carandache neocolor ii water soluble pastels (paint crayons). And I had fun!
I’d worked so much that I gave myself an hour to play. My niece loved it so we cut the pages from my sketchbook so she could keep it.
Life has been a rollercoaster and it’s been moving faster and faster lately!
I’m reminding myself of lessons learned from my grandmother:
* invest in yourself
* live a life of learning
* say yes to adventure
* you’re going to be ok
I also realized that, though I never thought I’d be a hot tub person, it’s an absolute game changer. It’s definitely on my “treat myself”/“to do” list!
Make art, keep growing, and keep evolving into better versions of you! ❤️
#ashcanworks #artteachersummer #artteacher #sketchbook #holbeingouache #ohmygouache #gouacheillustration #gouachedarnit #watercolorillustration #sketchbookillustration #swfl #swflorida #swflartist #swflart #capecoralartist #matlacha #matlachaisland #matlachaflorida #matlachafishingcharters #matlachaartist #islandlife #islandart #livealifeofwhimsy #yagottahaveart #sketchingmixedmedia #drawingonlocation
BARN QUILTS!
4th graders looked at slides of local barn quilts. We viewed traditional designs discussing symmetry, number of blocks, and color choices in the designs.
Students were tasked with choosing a set of complementary colors and could use tints and shades if those colors for their designs. They were able to choose a (drawn by me) printed barn quilt in a variety of traditional designs OR a blank graphed grid (also drawn by me) to design their own.
A 4th grade teacher brought in a quilt she’d made and shared her favorite quilt design, the Ohio Star (which was one of the options for students to try)! She shared why she chose the colors she chose and a book of her favorite designs! Her quilt was GORGEOUS! And it was so awesome of her to share her work with us!
Students placed a blank of their design on a slab of clay and traced gently, leaving lines indented in the clay surface. They pealed off the paper and retraced their lines neatly, then used alphabet pasta to press their names into the edge.
Once fired, students glazed their lines either black or white, wiping the surface with a damp sponge. They referenced their color sample designs as they glazed their blocks.
Students could add a hole on one side or in a corner for hanging or leave flat to use as a tile or coaster.
THEY WERE BEAUTIFUL!!!
We used cardboard fruit trays from the cafeteria and bulletin board paper to wrap them up so they could make it home safely!
This was a fan favorite I’m sure we’ll try again!
#ashcanworks #artteacher #artteachersofinstagram #artteachersofig #artteacherlife #elementaryart #elementaryartteacher #artclass #artroom #elementaryarteducation #kidscreate #livealifeofwhimsy #yagottahaveart
One of the very last displays I put together featured “tree bark frames” created by my talented 3rd grade students (there’s a post about that process)!
The frames were made with repurposed cardboard from our school cafeteria and a bit of paper mache- messy fun! We added old overhead projector sheets as our “glass” to protect our work without being too fragile. I do love a good repurposing project!
Each frame holds a 3D furniture design drawing (there’s a post about this too)! Students spent time learning how to draw 3D shapes and turn them into various pieces of furniture and things you’d use to decorate your home with. Then students designed a room of their choice. They did a great job!
For the display, I used large sections of bulletin board paper stapled to the wall. Then I repurposed an old chalk holder and used it to hold paintbrushes. It’s become one of my favorite hacks for painting! Multiple lines simultaneously, less time spent painting, and neat-o effects! It makes quick work of adding texture and interest to large areas.
The backs of the frames have 2 bent paper clips with pip cleaner “wire” for hanging.
To attach these to the wall….. I looped ribbon on the ends of old wooden rulers (I collect them when they get tossed at school), stapled the ribbon ends to the wall so the ruler was leveled, hung an old metal hook from the middle of each ruler (I found 2 old boxes of them in a cupboard, with a tiny clip on one end and a hook on the other), and simply hung the pipe cleaner wire from the hook.
Voila!
Woodland creature homes in a cluster of trees.
Pretty cute stuff!
I love that what we make can tell stories, we can tap into careers in art (like interior design and furniture design), that kids can personalize their work by incorporating their interests, we can make big messes, and hone creative problem solving skills!
We had our last day of school yesterday!
Sure hope everyone has had a wonderful first day of summer!
Remember those soda bottle fish 5th graders were working on?! They FINished them and they are FIN-TASTIC!!!!
In previous posts I shared about our process repurposing soda bottles and cardboard pizza rounds (collected from our cafeteria. I love showing kids that we can make cool things with whatever we have around.
I used fishing line to hang them. Toward the end it really felt like I was fishing in a popular fishing hole, so many lines overlapping!
To create the surface of the water, I used a sparkly tablecloth from the dollar general, held up with fishing line attached to folded packing tape tabs.
This display has been a source of joy and magic for my building, even our superintendent enjoyed!
Swipe to walk through it with me. The kids love it!!!
I chatted with 5th grade about how awesome it is that they were part of a larger piece that everyone who passes through the school gets to enjoy. It influences the atmosphere of our building, creates a bit of magic of childhood, and welcomes folks in a unique way.
Long live whimsy!
#ashcanworks #artteachersofinstagram #artteacher #elementaryart #elementaryartteacher #iteachart #artclass #kidscreate #livealifeofwhimsy #yagottahaveart
TREE CONSTRUCTION CONTINUED….
My trees were constructed with carpet tubes, refrigerator box bits, cardboard supports from new appliances, and literally any scrap of cardboard or tubing I could get my hands on.
It helps to know contractors and to visit places like Home Depot or local furniture stores! Tell your coworkers you’re collecting good cardboard and appliance supports! They’ll deliver!!! Teamwork makes the dream work!
I wanted these trees to be strong enough to LAST. I could’ve thrown something together faster and simpler, but if I’m gonna do it it’s going to be done well and live on to be repurposed or reused (the high school theater program will use these too, and in the past I’ve donated pieces to local community theater and dance studios). I needed the trees to be lightweight enough to move around stage quickly if needed and rugged enough to stand up to that movement. Cardboard and paper mache solved that! In the future, putting a rolling base under them would be awesome, but these can be moved by one or two people as is.
I also needed them to be able to stand alone and be sturdy (didn’t want any trees falling on kids!). I like being independent as much as I can be and didn’t want to ask the drama club/high school theater director to build stands for me (though he absolutely would have helped if I’d needed or asked). I built the base so it was wider than the top and created a sturdy root system at the base to solve the stability issue.
One tree was more linear and stiff looking, for the other I attempted adding more branch bends. That’s not fun.
So I mentioned the materials used to build the basic structure. They’re held together with hot glue, zip ties, string/rope, and masking tape! I played around with scoring the cardboard to create curves and bends, but from far away those little details don’t make enough of a difference visually. Focus on big shapes!
BARK TEXTURE
To add strength via a strong shell I added paper mache bark. To do this I used rolled craft paper bulletin board paper and various mixes of paper mache (mostly wallpaper paste from the hardware store).
See comments…..
TREE MAKING PROCESS
Anyone who knows me well knows I LOVE trees. I celebrate the variety of shades and intensities of greens, textures, shapes, and types. I take a moment of pause to appreciate them daily. Many times this spring I’ve thought my gosh, @eyvindearleart would’ve loved this tree or these trees. I look at them and think ok, if I were to draw or sculpt this how would I break this down? Would I lean toward realism, whimsy, simplicity?
How much would I exaggerate?
I created a couple of trees for the musical this year that folks asked me to share about, so I’m going to breakdown my process!
These pictures aren’t in process order, because I wanted to share one idea I was most proud of and excited about! Quick, easy, solved my issue!
The FOLIAGE.
It always seems to be a problem when constructing trees for sets. I’ve seen sad little leaves, I’ve seen heavy and awkward cardboard construction. I wanted to find a way to create lightweight fullness that could be reused, and I DID IT!!!!
Cheap old umbrellas! They can be broken or leak, and that doesn’t matter!
UMBRELLA FOLIAGE:
-Grab bulletin board paper (I used green)
-roll it out and cover table tops
-grab a tray and squirt paints on it to make a variety of greens
-use a large brush or tabletop sponge and start mixing colors in blobs all over that paper!
-when the paper is dry, tear or make wonky cuts around the outside edges
-then continue tearing or cutting it into sections ranging from about 18x24- 24x48 (I didn’t measure)
-crinkle up that paper! It’ll add texture and shadows!
-open an umbrella and start hot gluing your paper!
-to ensure I had enough paper I only focused on adding paper to the front and enough of the side of the umbrella because nobody’s gonna see the back 😉
-you can fan it, pinch it, overlap it, crinkle it. I applied a dot if glue as an anchor and attached a section of a piece of paper, then I’d manipulate the paper so it’d stay upright and interesting and anchor another spot, and so on.
-I also tried to be mindful of hiding the shape of the umbrella along the bottom, letting paper hang down a bit
Continued in comments….
Daughter ran in districts for track tonight!
While I waited for her event I looked around. My ADHD brain was in sensory overload from the day so I tuned out people with headphones n music to doodle a bit. Teaching in May is no joke, and today seemed EXTRA…..
This was a fun way to calm myself and, as always, making freely with no pressure was good for the soul.
My sketchbook goes with me just about everywhere! Ya never know when you might have an opportunity for some mindful minutes to doodle, hone those skills a scosche.
These pencils are my favorite color, GREEN. It was grandmothers favorite color too, and she was my favorite person. I had a student ask me once why green was my favorite and I think it’s because of her. She had a green room that was cozy and comforting, and this color feels like a hug.
The @kohinoorusa 1555 is a dreamy favorite. It’s soft, creamy, smudges nicely, creates delicious textures, and allows for a wide range of values.
The skies here were stunning. The view looked like a vintage travel poster or postcard. It certainly could’ve inspired a WPA artist. There were some “good trees” (trees I think @eyvindearleart , Mary Blair, or Charley Harper would’ve painted).
I looked for beautiful things and saw plenty. #mcthankful
#ashcanworks #artteachersofinstagram #artteachersofig #artteacherlife #sketchbook #illustrationoftheday
Tis musical season! There are set pieces to conjure up! Things to build, lots to paint, and lists to conquer. I’ve been staying late, coming in on weekends, and am making as much magic as I can possibly muster!
I found an old chalk holder for making lines on chalkboards (kids really love these !), but it works as a super handy brush holder too! I put it to work painting wobbly waving lines on strips of lamination for a waterfall and river. When it was dry, I embellished the lines with sparkling @kwikstixpaint , used a spray bottle to spritz thinned white paint, splatter painted some blues, then splatter painted clear acrylic medium with dashes of glitter. It’s GORGEOUS. And all that splattering paint accidentally embellished my sneakers with a pinch of extra whimsy!
The trees are a mishmash of cardboard tubes and bits of boxes. I dipped brown craft bulletin board paper into thick paper mache to create the textured bark- a real mess fest! After painting a base color I used thinned paint and a sponge to smear other colors over the surface, doing patted some mossy stuff, then finally used spritz bottles of thinned paint for speckles to add a tiny bit of interest.
I’m currently working on using umbrellas and painted papers to create tree foliage! I’m excited about this plan and hopeful!
There’s more to share, but it’s gotta wait!
Have a great day and week!
#ashcanworks #artteachersofinstagram #artteacher #artteachersofig #elementaryartteacher #artteacherlife #livealifeofwhimsy #yagottahaveart
Today seemed an appropriate occasion to revisit earth and moon themed projects that repurposed cardboard pizza rounds from our school cafeteria and share what kindergarten made this morning as we prepared for the eclipse!
To better understand what a solar eclipse was we traced big, medium, and small circles from a collection of lids. We added cute faces and colored with @kwikstixpaint - voila! Adorable kid friendly family portrait style eclipse pics of planetary pals, celestial besties, a galactic gang! We channeled our excitement and questions through mark making while honing motor skills and they were pretty proud!
#ashcanworks #artteachersofinstagram #artteacher #artteacherlife #elementary #elementaryart #elementaryart #elementaryartclass #artclass #kidscreate #kindergartenart #livealifeofwhimsy #yagottahaveart
Life is often busy, so time outside in sunshine and fresh air feels extra fresh and good for the soul. My sister visited this evening with her kids, and I swear they’re taller by the day. After a walk in the woods to dig up some leeks, we headed inside for hand washing and games. If you’ve never played the stacking game Animal Upon Animal you’re missing out! It’s a stacking game with wooden animals and great for friends little and big. My niece is 2 and loves to draw, so we pulled out a fam fave- @kwikstixpaint . She would choose a color to draw with, then hand it to me and I’d use it. I doodled a picture of flowers for her and we traded art. We played in the yard and sent them home with a big bag of leeks to enjoy! Last year my sister dried some and ground it down to use as a spice. I might try that this year myself!
#mcthankful
#ashcanworks #artteacherweekends #livealifeofwhimsy #yagottahaveart
