Resources: Timeline of Art History

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (also known as the Met) in New York has a really neat resource available for free online. It's called the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History; it's a "chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of the history of art from around the world, as illustrated by the Museum's collection." You can read more about it here. The Met has an amazing art collection to browse, with this timeline you can search by time period, country, and specific themes. Take a look and learn something new!

Creativity as an act of service

For some people it's hard to make time for creating art, because it seems too self-focused. "There's so many other things to do that actually matter. What's the point of wasting time and money on creating something pretty when there are starving children in Africa?" That's something I've thought over and struggled with myself. The tendency in Christian circles is to demean non-ministry professions. If it doesn't seem to relate directly to a ministry related job, it's held on a lower tier. Why play with glitter and paint when you could be serving Jesus?

But I've come to the realization that we each serve God in our own unique ways. We are made in the image of a Creator who loves beauty. Being an artist is my way of reflecting the artistic and creative side of God. People need beauty in their lives: it elevates our minds above the mundane and everyday, reminding us that there is more to life than toil and trouble.
Think of walking into a grand old cathedral, with huge stained glass windows, on a sunny day. That is very different, in my mind, than walking into a big box grocery store. You are just going to be in a completely different state of mind.
Or think of sitting by a lake in front of snow capped moutains with the sun setting behind them. I can guarantee you'll feel something different than when you're sitting in rush hour traffic.
I believe we are made to appreciate beauty. And not merely to be drawn to things aesthetically pleasing for their own sakes but because it reminds us that our world is not the way it should be.
Hmmm, am I getting into theology now? Yes, I am. I think God uses beautiful things to remind us that there is more to our lives than what we currently experience day-to-day. If we long for something that isn't of this world, perhaps that means we were created for something beyond it. It's what artists are referring to, whether they realize it or not, when they seek to express the "sublime" in their work. It's a transendence to something metaphysical, beyond reality. A striving to express the intangible with the physical.

"But what does this have to do with teaching my kids art?" you ask. A lot actually. Obviously, your five year old making cotton ball sheep and sculptures with popsicle sticks is not going to care what "aesthetics" or "Impressionism" means. But they are getting a chance to express their God given creativity.
So tie that in with your Bible lessons about serving: have your child make art for other people. I don't know any young kid who doesn't like to share their art projects with others. They want to hang their finger painting on the front of the refrigerator, give a homemade ornament to grandma and grandpa, put pictures in the window so passersby can see it. It's a desire to share their joy in being creative and making something beautiful.
So how does this look on a practical level? Something that my sisters and I did when we were little: we made Valentine's Day cards for a nursing home near our house. My Mom called to find out how many residents there were (eighty-seven, I think it was) and we went nuts with the construction paper, hearts and glitter. It was an art project that had a purpose, which made us want to do it more. It was a fun activity we did together as siblings. When Valentine's Day rolled around, we went to the nursing home and delivered our cards to each room individually. The residents loved it and were blessed by the cards and our presence. Seriously, what senior doesn't get joy out of a five year old handing them a handmade card? It's something I still remember fondly to this day. My sisters and I enjoyed being creative and sharing it with others.
Other ideas: Christmas ornaments to give to relatives (felt, craft foam, glue and scissors can create a wide variety of festive things), cookies for friends (baking definitely utilizes creativity!), making an art project with someone else, putting on a play in your living room for family....there's a lot of ways that you and your kids can use your creative skills to serve others.
The idea here is that art and the freedom to be creative should have a place in your curriculum, and can interweave with other lessons you're trying to teach your kids. There are many talents and skills your kids posess, and just as many ways to serve others.

Resources: Kinder Art

Here's another website filled with a breathtaking amount of resources for all your art needs! Kinder Art is definitely for those of you, especially with young children, who want to do art projects but don't where to start or are trying to break through a creative block. There is a huge amount of information available here. Kinder Art has been around for over 13 years, so there's a lot of content to browse. They've got craft ideas, coloring pages, a newsletter, a section specifically for preschoolers, art history lessons, ideas for the performing arts, projects broken down into a variety of mediums. There's the Teacher's Toolbox, which is aimed at those of you just starting out with teaching art and needing some direction. The name of the game here is simplicity in your art education--you don't need over the top projects to teach your kid something.
I've only browsed a small fraction of Kinder Art, but I like what I've seen so far. The only quibble I have with the site, is there's a lot of ads and advertisement links all over. It's a little distracting because there's not enough distinction between the site's content and the ads at times. I do like the face that Kinder Art has a pretty simple page design--this is not a Flash based web site, which takes forever to load on some Internet connections.

Resources: Europeana

In World Magazine's November 6th issue, they published a little blurb about Europeana:
"European museums have banded together to put some of their collections online. More than 6 million digital items from museums including the Louvre in Paris, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the British Libray are accessible through europeana.eu/portal."

The site is currently in its beta phase, so they're still tinkering with the design and ironing out all the glitches. It seems like a pretty simple site at first glance, but there's deep waters to dive into here. Some of Europe's finest museums and libraries have made their collections available for online perusal. For the majority of us who will probably never be able to visit these places, at least we can have access to the vast collections and learn something from them.

You can explore the works through a time line, or search by specific pieces. If you have an account, you can save searches that you make and tag specific pieces, so that you can find easily re-find your favorite works of art. And Europeana doesn't just showcase the studio arts, but music and literature as well.

This site is also a great resource for writing research papers. All the works have the proper academic information attached to them. I don't how many times over the years I've been browsing the Internet, found a cool picture, but there wasn't enough info alongside it to be of any help. You can click on the image to view it at a good quality resolution not just a little thumbnail. You can see who created it, when, where, what museum it's currently housed in, and whether it's in the public domain or copyrighted. 

Europeana also puts together virtual exhibits, drawing on its vast database to make for informative and interesting browsing. One of the current exhibits is about my favorite art movement: Art Nouveau.

Europeana is not be passed up--there's so much information available, and this could help you round out your art lessons.

Resources: mnartists.org

MN Artists is a great organization. From putting on the popular Drawing Club at the Walker this past summer to staging a field day for local artists to meet and play to providing a site for artists to market themselves to being a hub of all things art related for Minnesota. As part of their mission statement says,

"mnartists.org is an online database of Minnesota artists and organizations from all disciplines. It offers to Minnesota-based artists a central gathering place on the Web, and will grow to become a marketplace and community hub. It offers the public a new way to explore art and get to know artists. In addition to providing artists and organizations with a web page containing images and information, mnartists.org provides news and features about the local arts scene from a variety of sources."

mnartists.org is a wealth of resources, available to any who take the time to look. There's a newsletter, access+ENGAGE, which has articles about art exhibits, classes, events, art openings, plays, etc. You can browse through the thousands of artists' profiles (feel free to take a gander at mine). There's a calendar with a variety of upcoming events. There's something for everyone.

The only issues I have with the site is that it's just so vast and unwieldy. I found it quite confusing to use at first, so I suggest taking some time to click around and figure out where things are located. There's just so much good information and a huge archive to browse through, it can feel a little overwhelming at first. 

If your high schooler is interested in a career in the arts, mnartists.org is a great starting point for them. It's pretty easy to set up an account and create a profile. And unlike some so-called art websites out there, mnartists tends to get draw in serious artists. You can make some good connections on there--I got in touch with an older artist who has so much experience and knowledge to share. Also, the majority of the art shows I've gotten have been through postings I've seen on mnartists.
Check it out, it's well worth your time.

Resources: Suzanne DeCuir's Art Blog

I saw this blog mentioned in the October issue of The Artist's Magazine. Suzanne DeCuir created her blog as a way to fill in gaps in her art history knowledge. Just browsing through it, there's a lot of good information. Unfortunately, she hasn't posted anything new since June, but there's plenty of articles in the archives.

Field trip: Museum Adventure Pass Program

I'm a big fan of free things. Free food? Yes. Free clothes? Sure, why not! Free candy? Absolutely.
Free passes to local museums? Um, where do I sign up?

The Museum Adventure Pass is a program at Hennepin County Libraries where you can use your library card to "check out" free admission to various museums in the Twin Cities area. It's been around for a few years now, and is super popular. Each pass is good for two people (those of you with multiple kids, just have your children use their cards to get more passes). There are a limited number of passes available each week, so you should try to get them as soon as possible. Each pass is good for one week after you get it.
There are a lot of museums (and zoos) to choose from. As of this writing, there are 17 different institutions that take part in the program, from the Minnesota Zoo to the American Swedish Institute to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Some of the places listed are already free, but the passes might give you discounts at the gift shops or restaurants.
The Museum Adventure Pass could also be a cheap date for you and your spouse! You're probably paying for a babysitter, dinner, parking...why not take a stroll through the Walker or get a chance to look out from the Foshay Observation Deck for free?
The cool thing about this program is that it's funded by local companies. Without their support, this kind of thing just wouldn't be possible. Minnesota is a great place to live if you love the arts. There's so much support not just from individuals, but corporations as well. The fact that we have a major art museum with free general admission (I'm talking about the MIA) is just unheard of these days. The Chicago Art Institute's admission for one kid is $12! Take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts. I'm sure there's at least one place on the Adventure Pass list that your child would love to visit.

Resources: Make a Flake

Since the holidays will be on us before we know it (it's mid-October already? When did that happen?), here's a fun site that I've returned to many times over the years. http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com/index.html Make-A-Flake is a site where you can digitally create a paper snowflake. Which is fun for those of us who always manage to cut our paper snowflakes in half. If you like the pattern you create, you can save it for others to see. It's amazing to browse the gallery and see all the awesome patterns people have come up with. You can also download the pattern to create any snowflake you like. I really enjoy this site because I can make as many as I want without actually having to cut up a bunch of paper. I'm horrible at making paper snowflakes in real life, so it's a fun way to play around with it. I actually learned how to fold the paper properly from this site. I've tried my hand at paper snowflakes now and they don't look half bad.

In defense of "wasting" good art supplies

When it comes to the quality of art supplies, you get what you pay for. I've learned this the hard way over the years. I remember as a little kid the frustration of trying to use cheaply made colored pencils--I spent more time sharpening them than coloring because the tips kept breaking off. Recently, I bought a container of off brand colored markers because they were cheap--they dried out within a couple weeks. Crayons that are more wax than color, pens that dry up or bleed out, paint that dries inside the bottle, I could go on. Junky art materials are the bane of my existence. It's better to pay a bit more and get something you can use for longer.

Now I'm not advocating buying Windsor and Newton products for your five year old. Obviously, the skill and interest level of your kid plays a part in what kind of art supplies you'll be buying. The child who just scribbles something out to get the art project done probably won't care as much as the kid who labors for hours on one picture. What I'm saying is Crayola is way better than some dollar store knock off. I'm a big fan of Crayola--I still use their products today when I'm creating. I throw some higher end materials in the mix when it's necessary (nothing beats a good quality pastel), but Crayola or Sharpie products do the job just fine for the majority of what I make. I use acrylic paint in bottles that I buy from Michael's for my paintings that hang in galleries. Good art supplies don't need to break the bank. Just don't get cheap off brand junk because you're worried about your child "wasting" it. Kids can get turned off to making art if the materials they're using don't do what they want. It's hard to draw if your pencil's tip keeps breaking off or your crayon falls apart. A little investment is required for making a work of art you want to keep.

Now here's another thing I've run into: the concept of "wasting" art supplies. What I mean by this is, "Only use the nice drawing paper for a really good picture." Or, "I shouldn't experiment with these paints--they cost this much. I'll wait until I have a better idea." I'm guilty of this myself. You'll never make anything if you're worried about how much you paid for this or that. It can really stop a kid's creativity in its tracks if they're only allowed to use the nice art stuff for "good" pictures. I remember in high school, I wouldn't paint something unless I was positive I could make it perfect. There were a lot of pictures I never made because I was too worried about "wasting" the art materials in case I messed up and had to start over.

During college I realized that the only way to improve my art skills was to "waste" what I had: making piles of drawings for Drawing 101, most of them not very good, to get a few great pictures I was proud of. Going through charcoal pencils and erasers like candy on my way to learning the fundamentals of perspective and anatomy. Spending time and effort on art projects I ended up throwing away or painting over. But every drawing, sculpture or painting I made was a stepping stone to the next level of ideas and skills. Those bad drawings helped me to get to where I could draw a person in five minutes pretty well. Or when I first started out making my doily paintings, I couldn't draw them freehand like I can now. I had to trace them over and over again until I had mastered that skill. Today I can create those patterns in multiple mediums pretty much with my eyes closed. And the art I create in the future will be based on the ideas I play around with now.

That's a big thing that's not indulged very often anymore: the idea of play. There's so much focus on accomplishment and doing something that the thought of simply dinking around with paint or crayons is looked down upon. We must impart the different kinds of perspective, or understand the history of the arch, or learn the various kinds of paint, or whatever for the art lesson to have importance. Yes. those all have merit, and art history is important...but sometimes a little bit of freedom and exploration is good too. I was allowed to make messes (as long as I cleaned up after myself). Having the opportunity to create simply  because I wanted to. Coming up with an idea on my own, figuring it out and then making it. That was just as important to fostering my love for the arts as going to art museums or taking classes. I can lose sight of that myself sometimes: There are days when I get too focused and serious with my art making, and then I realize I just need to splatter some paint around or just start gluing things to a canvas and see what happens. I'll pull out my crayons and scribble in my sketchbook. I'll make a collage from clippings from magazines. Just something to remind myself that art is about exploring and trying new things.

A really good book on this topic that I've been working my way through recently is The Creative License by Danny Gregory. It's subtitled "giving yourself permission to be the artist you truly are." That's what it's all about: giving ourselves and our kids the chance to use and explore our creativity. I highly suggest this book. Seriously, go out and buy it. It's one of the best art books I've ever read (and I've read a lot of them). It's a pleasure to read, chockfull of pictures on every page, and a warm, conversational tone to the book. It's like sneaking a peek at the author's journal. You can read through it quickly or you can go page by page, following the suggested activities. It'd be a great addition to your art curriculum. The Creative License is aimed at adults, but you could definitely adapt it for use with your child. Buy sketchbooks for you and your kids, and go through it together. The book is broken into two page sections for the most part, so each day you can read that pretty quickly and have a short activity to do. There's things to do like drawing your sandwich or a bagel, listing the contents of your purse, tracing the outline of your shoe. Simple stuff that gets the creative juices flowing. I'm not one to really endorse something heavily, but this book is hands down fantastic. It's just fun to read.

So, in summary my point is: have fun. Don't get hung up on making the next great masterpiece. Give your kids the room to play and explore with nice art supplies that don't break your budget. Picasso and Da Vinci made a few messes and mistakes along the way too.

Lesson plan: Comics, their history, and making one

Reading list:
-Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
-Bone vol. 1: Out of Boneville by Jeff Smith
-How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way by Stan Lee

Materials:
-Pencil
-Eraser
-Drawing paper (11in x 14in or bigger)
-Ruler
-Pen or extra fine tip marker

Comics are an increasingly popular form of storytelling these days. I'm sure your kids have their favorite comic strip to read in the paper. Maybe, like me, they check out comics from the library (it's easy to read them when they're free!), or they request graphic novels for Christmas.
Some popular books even get the comic treatment, bringing the story to new audiences in a different form (for example, James Patterson's children series Maximum Ride is being serialized in graphic novels).
More and more movies are based on comics these days, from Spider-Man to 300 to Batman to Watchmen to the recent release Scott Pilgrim (not endorsing these by the way, just using them as well known examples). Some filmmakers even re-create frames from the original comic--they use it like a storyboard, to plot out scenes. I've heard that a movie is in the works for the Bone series by Jeff Smith.

So, comics. I know a lot of people tend to look down on them, putting "comics" in two categories: what you read in the Sunday paper--something silly and light-hearted, told in three or four frames. And the actual comic books, those serialized stories that come out every month, are considered a waste of time, not worth reading, inappropriate or just plain stupid. Like any art form, comics are not inherently good or bad. It's the artists who use that medium that create either good or bad stories. Yes, there is a lot of dreck out there. I'm in charge of the comics section at my bookstore. and I see the mass amount of garbage and downright disgusting stuff that's out there. But comics can also be used to tell moving, insightful stories, like Maus by Art Spiegelman, which tells his father's story of enduring the horrors of the Holocaust, or Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, which shows what life was like as a child growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. These are award winning tales told in the form of comics (and not stories I would suggest for children). Sometimes the old adage is true--pictures can say so much more than words.

Reading Scott McCloud's classic book is a must for anyone wanting to learn more about the history of comics. It's a graphic novel, and he uses the medium simply yet powerfully to walk the reader through the world of comics. McCloud discusses art history, the meanings of symbols and language, the types of visual representation, different kinds of comics, and more. It's a great introduction and can be a springboard into other subjects, such as modern art, art history, creative writing and storytelling.

(As always, parents, please peruse anything I mention for yourself first before assigning it to your child--I know that different kids have varying levels of maturity. I don't want to get angry e-mails that something I suggested was inappropriate for your children--please review it first.)

After reading Understanding Comics and Bone: Out of Boneville (if your kids like the first volume, there's eight more in the series), take a look at How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. This is a classic book by Stan Lee, the creator of some of the most beloved comic characters, including the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Spider-Man and the Avengers (Iron Man, Hulk, Thor,etc). It will take you step by step through the comic making process. The book gives you a list of more materials you can use; what I've listed cover the basics.

Here's a video that walks you through a simple comic (I suggest sketching out your comic in pencil first then going over it in ink):


This is just a brief introduction to the vast world of comics. I hope that your kids will enjoy learning about this art form, and maybe discover a new passion in the process.

Resources: American Craft Magazine

I read voraciously (working in a bookstore encourages that kind of behavior). I devour books and magazines on a variety of topics, but I especially love finding good writing on art. One of the downsides to a lot of art related literature out there is that it's so esoteric, with passages filled with words that go over the majority of peoples' heads. What's the point of trying to read something if it requires a four year degree in art history and a dictionary at hand? Not fun, not helpful, not truly informative if you don't get what the author is trying to say.

One of my favorite art publications out there is American Craft Magazine. I will rip through a whole issue in one sitting because it's so enjoyable to read. The articles appeal to both the novice and the expert. I learn something new every issue. With a simple, uncluttered layout and lots of gorgeous pictures, it's eye candy for the artistically inclined. I like how the articles are written in clear, understandable, to the point language. You walk away with a deeper understanding of each profiled artist and their work. The articles are short and sweet with lots of history and background information. It's not only about the "what", but also "how" and "why". Here's an artist, see nice pictures of their work, now here's an explanation of what you're looking at--what inspires the artist, their ideas and intentions, what they want to accomplish with their art.

American Craft also publicizes and reviews exhibits from around the country. As much as I wish I could travel to experience the art in person, the summaries are a decent substitute. The reviews also help you become more aware of the not-so-well-known museums, galleries and artists. There have been quite a few times where a picture has caught my eye and the review piques my curiosity, and I discover a new artist to admire.

I found the magazine's website a bit cumbersome to navigate at first. You have to scroll down a bit to find the links for the different categories. I think the headings aren't always clear enough to tell you what that department is about, but if you take time to browse around you'll find some good information. 

American Craft is published by the American Craft Council, located here in Minneapolis. Their goal with the magazine is to celebrate "the modern makers who shape the world around us. Presenting unknown innovators and artistic stalwarts, American Craft connects the disparate worlds of art, industry, fashion, architecture and design, giving an entirely new voice to the craft community. The American Craft Council is a national, nonprofit educational organization founded in 1943 by Aileen Osborn Webb. The mission of the Council is to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft."

Resources: MPR News Arts 101

Talk radio is definitely not one of my favorite things. I don't think I've ever listened to Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), but I do like their website. It's easy to find things and there's a lot of good information posted. One of the sections is Arts and Culture, and one of its ongoing features is Arts 101. It answers reader submitted questions about the arts, such as the difference in spelling theater or theatre. Take a look through the articles and submit a question of your own.

Resources: M.I.A. Youtube channel

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has its own Youtube channel with over 100 hundred videos uploaded so far. There's videos of specific pieces of art, previews of exhibitions, interviews with artists and museum staff, and much more. The videos can help you prepare for a field trip to the MIA or expand your knowledge of something you saw on your last visit.

This is a great resource for your audio-visual learners. It has that multimedia element that the Internet savvy child should enjoy. They're not wandering a "boring" art museum or paging through a mammoth art history tome, it engages them on another learning level.

Here's a video (part 1 of 2) about the period rooms in the museum's famous Asian art collection:

Resources: Object in Focus

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has a great section on their website devoted to teachers and education resources. They also have an educator's newsletter,Teaching the Arts, you can sign up for that contains helpful articles and ideas.

One of their ongoing features is called Object in Focus. It showcases one piece from the MIA's collection that's currently on display in the museum. Each Object in Focus gives you some information about the art work, its history, meaning, and includes ideas for lesson plans and activities based off of it.

This month's featured item is the Bella Coola Frontlet, a headpiece designed for a dancer from the Bella Coola tribe in the Pacific Northwest. There's enough activities given to take up several weeks worth of study, if you're so inclined. A list of books is listed for further study, from a kids' story to a travel guide about the Pacific Northwest. You can teach your children about this specific piece, then take a field trip to see it and other related items in the museum's collection. There's just no replacement for actually seeing the art in person. Or you can incorporate the related Native American history into your current curriculum. Object in Focus is a great springboard into new subjects and projects.

Register to receive the Teaching the Arts e-mail newsletter as well as others from the MIA. It's a truly helpful resource, from giving you new ideas to try to expanding on knowledge you might already have.

Resource: Stumble Upon

StumbleUpon is a fun application to add to your internet browser. I used it all the time when I was in college to discover a wealth of art related websites. The nice thing about it is that you can customize what topics you're interested in and also what you don't like. The more you use it, the more accurate the results are. If you don't like something, you simply click on a thumbs down icon, and vice versa for stuff you want to see more of. It keeps a list of all the sites you gave a thumbs up to, so you can easily find your favorites again.

Resources: How do we experience art?

I get e-mail newsletters from Art 21 about different things they're working on. The Art 21 blog is kicking off a series about how we interact with art here in the 21st century. It's definitely worth taking a look at.
One article in particular caught my eye today. How do we experience art? It's a good question to think about, especially in regards to how you want your kids to learn about art. How you teach them about the arts is just as important as what you teach them. Is "art" something we do, a verb, active and alive, challenging us to think and try new things, or is it something we merely look at, passively taking it in and then moving on, a subject that has no relation to the rest of our lives?

Projects: Still life drawing

Materials:
-Paper
-Pencil
-Eraser
-objects to draw

I was horrible at drawing when I was younger. Well, to be more specific, I was (and am) bad at drawing things in correct perspective to other things. A lot of people have trouble with this. Say you have a cup, a ball, a shoe and a vase all grouped together. How do you draw them together so they're the right size in relation to each other?
My problem is that I would draw each object seperately and not work on the objects as a whole group. I would draw the cup completely first, and then move onto the next object. And the ball would be way too tiny and the cup would be too big, and it wouldn't look right. What you want to do is to not focus on each thing as an individual object but see the group as a whole image together. The objects are related to each other--they cast shadows; depending on the materials, you can see through one thing to another, one will be so many inches taller than that one, etc.
It's easy to get caught up in the minutiae, the little details, before getting the general shapes out of the way.
First, you want to pick simple objects that your kids won't get frustrated drawing. And you want at least three or four things together to make an interesting drawing. For example, a sippy cup, a ball, an apple and an open book would make a nice still life. Make sure that there's some height difference amongst the grouping (ex: a tall thin cup with a squat tomato).If you want, put a strong light source on one side to make some nice shadows.

Before your kids start drawing right away, have them take a moment to really look at the objects in front of them. This is something I learned in college--we tend to draw things from memory rather than looking back at the still life in front of us. We draw how we think it looks not necessarily how it really is.

Next, have them figure out which is the smallest object in the group. This will be what you measure all the other objects with.
I'll explain what I mean: You want the objects to be to scale to each other. Say you have the sippy cup, ball, apple and book set-up I mentioned earlier. The cup is the smallest object in the group. Hold out your pencil at arm's length (think of the classic image of the artist with one eye closed and holding out their drawing pen). Close one eye, and measure the cup, starting at the top of the pencil, slide your thumb down the pencil to where you see the bottom of the cup. That is your standard unit for measuring. Keep your thumb on that same spot on the pencil and look at the other objects now. The ball is two cups high and two cups wide; the book laying on its side is half a cup high and three cups wide; the apple is one and a little bit more cups high and about the same width. So now when you draw the cup on the paper, you can make sure that the other objects relate properly. It doesn't matter how big the cup is on the paper, just draw the other things that much bigger. Oh, I drew the cup three inches tall, so the ball is six inches tall, etc.

When you start drawing the still life, don't make super dark lines right away. At this stage, you want to get the basic shapes down first. Make a quick, loose sketch of the the overall image. Once you have all the objects down, you can put all the details in. A successful drawing is like building a house--you need to have a good foundation to build the frame on. If the objects aren't in the correct place in comparison to each other, it's hard to get the details right later.

Once all the shapes are down in simple lines, start filling in the details. Where are the brightest light spots? Where are the darkest shadows? Do any of the objects reflect light onto another in the grouping? Where do the shadows fall on the table? Part of drawing is learning to really see the things in front of you, taking note of the general shapes of objects to the small details you wouldn't normally notice.
This takes practice, just like any other skill. The more you draw, the better you'll get.

If you feel overwhelmed or unsure of how to go about learning or teaching drawing skills, I suggest reading Drawing on the Rigth Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. You can find some more info about it and reviews of the book here.

Projects: Sparkle bottle

Materials:
-small (20 oz or so) water bottle
-super glue (or some kind of strong glue that adheres to plastic and is water resistant)
-glitter, sequins, plastic jewels, shiny things, small plastic toys, glittery things

If you drink bottled water and have all those plastic bottles to get rid of, you'll love this activity.
This is a super easy project that produces a really fun toy to play with, and you're also recycling at the same time (yay, eco friendly). I made several of these when I was younger and loved them.

First, remove any labels and sticker residue and rinse out the bottle.
Next, gather your shiny/glittery objects. You're going to want to pick stuff that will last in water, no paper or fragile things. Plastic jewels, glitter, confetti, even a couple small plastic or rubber toys. You don't want to put too much stuff in though, because it can get cluttered and muddy looking. A good rule of thumb is to fill no more than a fourth (or about three inches worth) of the bottle. Think of a kaleidoscope--a few jewels are more eye catching than a ton of them.
Fill your bottle with water, leaving a couple inches' worth of room at the top.
Add a drop of bleach so that the water doesn't get icky (we learned this the hard way--the water went bad and it turned the sparkle bottle into a slimy bottle).
Now, put glue around the mouth of the bottle and inside the cap. Twist the cap on as tight as you can, and let the glue set before you start flipping the bottle around. There's nothing worse than a kid working the cap off and getting glittery water everywhere (or worse, drinking it!).
You now have your own sparkle bottle! Go find some sun coming through a window and roll your bottle across the floor, or tilt it back and forth to throw cool light effects on the walls.
It's fun to make more than one of these, because you can experiment with different materials. Make a bottle with just glitter, or only jewels, you could add some buttons or let your kids come up ideas for things to add. You can add pretty much anything as long as it won't puncture the bottle or come apart in the water.
Instead of using water bottles, you can also try baby food jars to make mini ones.

I'd love to hear feedback from you, feel free to e-mail me comments, suggestions, ideas, thoughts at elisabeth.preble@gmail.com

Resources: Family Fun magazine

I was talking with my Mom today about all the fun art projects we made when my siblings and I were little. She told me one of her absolute favorite sources for craft projects is Family Fun magazine. Their website is cheerful and easy to browse, broken into sections that are simple to switch back and forth to. Family Fun's craft area can be browsed by materials (so you can search for something that uses stuff you already have!), type of project, seasonal and holiday activities, and age appropriate skill level (toddlers to tweens). The name of the game here is simple, easy, memorable projects. Each activity is broken down into simple steps with pictures, an estimated time completion, rated by users of the site, and you can leave comments about what you thought of it. You can save crafts to your Family Fun account for later perusal, print off the instructions (for free!), or send to others through Facebook or e-mail. Users can also post their own craft projects to share with everyone else. Family Fun also has a great how-to video section (one of the better ones I've come across). The only annoying thing is that the videos start right away before they've fully loaded. And you will have to sit through 30 second ads before the video plays, but it's worth the wait.
Here's a video about re-using cardboard tubes, something I've made many projects out of over the years (they're surprisingly versatile). I'm not going to post the video here as it does just start on its own, which would be kind of annoying to hear every time the page loads.

Resources: DK Eyewitness Books

I've always been a visual learner: If a book doesn't have illustrations, I always think, "This would be better if it had some pictures." If there are some black and white images, I think that they should be in color (and when I was little, I would turn my storybooks into coloring books, much to my Mom's dismay). I love color and lots of pictures. And this is especially true when it comes to art! I see no point in art books printed in black and white! Van Gogh painted in vivid color--you really can't understand his work without it. Georgia O'Keefe's work just isn't the same in shades of gray. For many art movements, color was the whole point!

My point is, kids can't learn about art just by talking about it--they need some visuals. And one of my favorite publishers ever since I was little is DK Eyewitness Books. Their publications are a visual learner's paradise. DK's Eyewitness art books remain some of my favorite resources to this day. Their books are smart, informative and visually engaging. They understand that kids don't have to be talked down to when learning something new. They give you a word, define it and show you a picture of it, which helps you remember it far longer than merely seeing words on a page. Kids and adults can read the same book and get something out of it. There are books on art history, artists (multiple books on some of the more famous ones), and how-to manuals for different art techniques. Look them up at your library and you're sure to find at least one book that pertains to a topic you're currently covering.

Resources: Mental Floss Magazine

As it says on my business card, I am a repository of random facts and trivia. I love history, I'm a voracious reader and I like to share oddball tidbits to get a conversation going. Mental Floss is pretty much my favorite magazine to read. Their articles are short and sweet introductions to a variety of subjects with a light-hearted and fun vibe. You enjoy reading the stories so much, you don't even realize you're learning something new! It's a trivia lover's paradise. I particularily like any articles that cover art related topics, obviously. I know a bit about art history, but I always come away with some new information.
Mental Floss has also published a number of books, of which I own Condensed Knowledge. Just check it out from your library, it's fun reading.
I would also recommend Mental Floss' website. There's the Amazing Fact Generator, multiple blogs, articles from past issues, quizzes, and a whole lot more. One feature I just stumbled across is Feel Art Again, where they spotlight different artists and art works.
I definitely suggest picking up an issue of Mental Floss, not simply for art history, but just as a great magazine in general.

Project: Jazz collage

Materials:
-Colored construction paper
-11in x 14in white paper
-Scissors
-Glue
-Pictures from magazines/newspapers

This is a project based off the jazz inspired collages by Henri Matisse. Matisse (1869-1954) was a French artist remembered for his use of vibrant color, and is considered one of the three most important artists, alongside Pablo Picasso and Marchel Duchamp, of the early 20th century. These three artists influenced generations of artists to look at painting and sculpture in a new light.

Matisse made a whole series of collages based off of music and the circus, published in a book titled Jazz. For this project, first listen to Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. Look at Matisse's collages as you listen to the music. Now, listen to the song again, or other jazz music you might have at hand, as you come up with your own collage. The idea is to cut out simple shapes, using lots of color. Many of Matisse's collages look like the figures are dancing or flying. Or the designs look like the music might if given physical form. If your kids are stuck on how to start, ask them that: "What would this music look like? What shapes does it make your think of? What kind of lines would go with this song--smooth flowing or sharp jagged ones? What kind of colors do you think go with this song--bright or dark colors?"
You can watch the Fantasia 2000 interpretation of Rhapsody in Blue for inspiration too:

Projects: Easy stained glass

Materials:
-colored Sharpie markers
-black Sharpie marker
-scissors
-ruler
-roll of tissue paper

I love stained glass windows, but they're very expensive and time consuming to make. I came up with a cheaper, easier way to create my own with no mess.

You're going to want to buy the waxy feeling tissue paper, not the kind you wrap presents in. It's a little more heavy duty, you can paint and draw on it without the paper ripping. Any craft store should have some.

First of all, get some inspiration: look up "stained glass windows" on Google, or check out a few books about stained glass from your library. Pictures of Tiffany glass works are my favorite.

Next, use your black Sharpie marker to draw out a window shape. Circles can be pretty cool. Or you can do the traditional Gothic window.

Use your ruler to keep the lines straight. Come up with a design or picture to draw. Simple designs are easier to color in. Also, remember that with stained glass, the lines are very angular--there's not a lot of rounded corners. The reasons for this is that rounded pieces of glass were harder to fuse together than squared pieces. 

Cut out the window shape you came up with, and then pull out those colored Sharpie markers. The reason to use Sharpies over Crayola for this project is that regular markers will fade away when exposed to sunlight. Sharpie keeps its color for a long time.

After you've colored in your picture, tape it up in a window that gets a lot of light. You now have beautiful stained glass , without the expense. Another idea is to measure the window you want to put your design in and make it to fit.

Resources: American Masters

I've mentioned before that I'm a big fan of PBS--they have so much information available on their website. Another tv show of theirs that you might find useful is American Masters, specifically the episodes on visual art for our purposes. It's a great show about those who have had a big impact on the cultural arts in America. There is an accompanying article about each artist you can read online. And of course, PBS always has a section for educators. Good stuff for the visually oriented amongst us.

Resources: 3 Minute Egg

I first found out about 3 Minute Egg a couple years ago when I was wandering around at Art-A-Whirl in NE Minneapolis. I kept seeing the same guy interviewing and filming different artists over the weekend. I overhead him talking about this video blog that he had created called 3 Minute Egg. Here's a little bit more from Matt Peiken, the creator of 3 Minute Egg: 

"3-Minute Egg is 'The Twin Cities arts seen' — the nation’s first daily video blog devoted to a local arts community. 3-Minute Egg opens windows onto artists and arts happenings across a spectrum of disciplines—dance and theater, film and visual art, performance art, public art, rock, jazz and hip-hop, comedy, literature, spoken word, slam poetry, and the classical arts....Every week, 3-Minute Egg produces and posts short documentary videos about Twin Cities artists and arts happenings. New videos go online every Monday through Thursday....Each 3-Minute Egg mixes interviews with footage of the artwork into three to four minutes of high-definition video."

It's now broadcast on TPT here in the Twin Cities, available on iTunes, Facebook, Youtube, the Star Tribune's website, and elsewhere. Check out the About section on the 3 Minute Egg website for more information.

Here's a segment about Foot in the Door 4 that took place earlier this year (I had a painting in that show which was pretty exciting). A couple of my friends are interviewed in this video as well (it's the guys with the white boxes that say "yes," "no," etc).

Field Trip: First Thursdays in NE Minneapolis

Northeast Minneapolis has become a major hub for the arts here in the Twin Cities. There are galleries, art centers, events, festivals, concerts, and more artist studios than you can count. Art-A-Whirl is the huge art crawl in May that attracts thousands to NE, where artists open their studios and sell their work, tons of events go on and it can be pretty overwhelming with all the crowds. I personally enjoy the people watching and wandering amongst the mass of humanity filling all the art buildings....but that's definitely not for everyone, especially if you have kids. It's not very fun trying to herd a pack of children through all the people to see some art and learn something along the way.

If you want to check out the studios and get a chance to talk some artists one-on-one in a more low key setting, I suggest going to NE Minneapolis the first Thursday night of the month. It's quieter, the artists are less stressed, and you can see all the art much easier (and find parking a lot quicker!). It can be a little intimidating to walk into a studio and strike up a conversation with a random artist, but most artists I've met are more than happy to talk. If your kids come with questions and a willingness to listen, they can learn a lot, maybe even see a demonstration of an art process.

This is not a good field trip for children who can't refrain from touching things--even the nicest artist can get upset when the art they've worked so hard on is manhandled by unruly tykes. Although, if you ask nicely and handle the objects gently, there are some who are willing to let kids touch their work. I personally don't mind viewers running their fingers across my paintings because it does feel pretty cool, but it's always a good policy to ask first.

The Casket Arts Building, the Northrup King Building, the Q.arma Building and the Thorp Building all have open studios on this evening. The Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association has a full list of all the buildings that participate, with their addresses, times that they're open and links to each building's website.

My favorite places to go are the Northrup and Q.arma Buildings. Q.arma has a handul of studios on the top floor and in the basement; Altered Esthetics Gallery (where I have had work shown in the past) is on the second level. It has a lot of award winning artists in residence, and you can walk through the whole building pretty quickly. The basement is my favorite floor, with comfy couches scattered around, lots of art on display, and on occasion, a couple of friendly dogs that love to be petted. This would be a good place to check out if you don't want to walk too far.

The Northrup King Building, on the other hand, is a massive, sprawling four stories, with over 200 artists. Not every single studio is open, but there's still a lot to look at. I sped through the whole building one Thursday night in under two hours, but it's more fun to take your time and maybe choose a floor or two to visit. There are maps available, and signs on every floor, because it can get a little confusing as to where you are and how to find the stairs. It's suggested to start on the top floor and work your way down, which I think is a pretty good idea. I enjoy the Northrup because there is so much to see and many artists to talk to.
If you want to check out Northrup and see all the studios, Art Attack in November is a great time to go. There's a lot of events and special exhibits to see that weekend, and artists tend to have more of their art out on display.

Resources: Wikipedia defines "Art"

The definition of art according to Wikipedia. A very long but comprehensive article, it gives a good overview of art in general. It also has a lot of links and suggested reading at the end, which you might find helpful.

Resources: Art 21

Art 21 is my favorite show to watch and re-watch. I always take some new inspiration or idea away whenever I watch it. I was introduced to it by one of my professors at Northwestern College. Each episode focuses on four artists, grouped by a loose theme (ex: memory). I really enjoy watching Art 21, because it helped me learn how to talk about my art. This is what PBS says about their show:
"... the only series on television to focus exclusively on contemporary visual art and artists in the United States, and it uses the medium of television to provide an experience of the visual arts that goes far beyond a gallery visit. Fascinating and intimate footage allows the viewer to observe the artists at work, watch their process as they transform inspiration into art, and hear their thoughts as they grapple with the physical and visual challenges of achieving their artistic visions."

I like hearing artists talk about how they make art and what inspires them. Especially artists whose work I don't understand, it helps me grasp their ideas and look at their art in a new way. I can go from, "That looks weird," to "I still think it looks weird, but now I know why the artist made it look that way." I can appreciate their work even if I don't find it that beautiful to look at.
 
I suggest this show for high school students, as some of the themes, discussions and art can contain mature subject matter. Also, Art 21 is definitely for those with some interest in art and a desire to expand their knowledge of the art world. 

The website for Art 21 also has a lot of resources to make use of. You can watch full episodes online, participate in discussions about the art, and, most importantly of all, they have an education section with lesson plans and project ideas. This section also includes an extensive glossary of terms that are used on the show. I highly recommend taking a look at the site. PBS is awesome for making all this information free and easy to access.

Here's a clip about one of my favorite artists, Julie Mehretu (the Walker has an enormous painting of hers in their collection):

Watch the full episode. See more ART:21.

You can also watch clips on Art 21's channel on youtube. It loads a bit faster than the PBS video player, and it's easier to browse through to select something.

Here's a trailer for season 5:

Field trip: Minneapolis Institute of Arts

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) is my favorite art museum to visit. I've grown up going there (it is only 15 minutes away from my house). I enjoy wandering the galleries, taking in the centuries of art history. I love visiting my favorite pieces every time I go--they're like old friends now, offering inspiration whenever I have artist's block.

For many people though, the MIA is not a familiar place, and is in fact a confusing one to visit. It can be overwhelming taking your kids there. What to see? How long should we stay? What's there to do? How do I keep the little ones engaged and not ready to leave within 15 minutes? I have a few suggestions for you, to make your visit to the MIA fun and informative.

The museum is always free, except for a couple galleries that have special exhibits. There's on street parking, and two parking lots that are free for museum visitors. I suggest not going on Fridays, as that is the day that usually has a lot of school groups visiting. It can be very noisy, crowded and distracting with all the kids passing through. Thursdays are a good time to visit--the MIA is open until 9pm, and they usually have some interactive art carts scattered around the museum. The information desk is always a great place to start--they have maps, suggestions of things to see, and free tours to take. The MIA's tours are really fun and interesting. They have different tours aimed at specific ages (they even have a tour for 3-5 year olds now).

I think the best way to experience the museum is to pick a particular floor or style of art to see. Don't try to see everything in one go--it just gets too overwhelming and mind numbing. I don't even try to see it all when I visit. An hour, maybe two, is a long enough time to see what you want to see, wander a little, and not be tired out.

For the young ones, a great way to get them excited to look at all the art is to have a scavenger hunt. My Mom came up with this idea--count all the dogs you can find in the art. You can also pick other animals, like horses (there are quite a few sculptures of those), or flowers, or boats...something that's not too difficult to find and will pop up a lot from gallery to gallery. Your kids will want to check each painting and sculpture to search for their chosen object. If you have multiple children, have each child pick a different thing to look for. The information desk also sometimes offers activity sheets to fill out, which can guide you through your visit.

The museum has a wonderful website: www.artsmia.org and I highly suggest checking it out before you visit. It's easy to browse, and there's just so much useful information. Upcoming events and exhibits, collection highlights, and educational resources. There's a whole section devoted to teachers, with pictures, lesson and field trip ideas. You can browse the MIA's entire collection online; it will tell you what gallery an object is in if it's on display, and you can see pieces that are currently in storage too. The museum only ever has about 10% of their total collection on display at any given time!

If you do just a little bit of research and preparation before you go, your visit to the MIA can be very rewarding and hassle free. Let the museum do the work for you--they want to share their knowledge with and pass a passion for art to the next generation. It doesn't have to be an intimidating place to visit.

Resource: Art for Kindergartners

I've got something special for you today. This is a fantastic article from the July/August 2010 issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine. They've given me special permission to repost the entire article here for all you AH! readers.
If you like what you read, please let them know. It's a great magazine with good articles and lots of resources.

Art for Kindergartners

Taking a look at how children develop artistically

By Ruth Beechick

Children’s art development passes through two stages. The first stage is manipulation of the materials. By manipulating, they gradually move into the stage of representation in which they come to represent various items in their drawings. Many teachers believe in letting children creatively develop through those stages. They are called developmentalists. Opposing them are teachers who feel that they must direct the children’s art to help them progress better. Thus two opposing views are 1) creative art development versus 2) directed art.

Creative Art and Directed Art

Children who are allowed to play with the crayons and paints and other art media will try out what they can do with them. One day a child may see a circle he made, put two “eyes” in it, and say. “Look, it’s me,” or, “It’s a man.” This way he gradually moves into the representation stage. At first the drawings represent something accidentally, and he names them after he makes them. Then he more and more often can plan ahead of time for his drawing to represent a man or other object.

Teachers who are developmentalists allow the children to use their own minds and grow creatively in this art ability. They try to stimulate thinking by perhaps a visit to see farm animals, or watch an airplane, or some other experience. But then the children think up their own ways to draw their experience. They may not always do this well, but it comes from their own thinking. It promotes their growth in art ability and their cognitive development as well.

Teachers who think they can direct children’s art growth might after a farm visit hand the children a cow picture to color. Or they might show on the chalkboard how to draw a barn and ask the children to copy that model. These assignments are teacher-directed art.

Research on Creative Art

versus Directed Art

In a research on art development, 5000 children of kindergarten ages 4 to 6 were studied. For a period of two years, half the children copied adult designed models and half followed a program of creative art. Some children who had copied adult models were retarded in their own art progress for the full two years, as compared with the “creative” group. If a child is given only one or two models, he may still make progress in devising his own drawings for other objects. But if he repeatedly works from adult models, there is little opportunity left for his own development in art. In such cases the children tended to become classroom problems because they had difficulty thinking for themselves.

Another experiment with slightly older children was set up to help determine the effects of dictatorial methods of teaching. This research used 250 children of primary ages. All the children had been in a program of creative art, but at the time of the experiment 125 of them were given ten lessons of a restrictive or dictatorial nature, while the remaining 125 continued with their regular creative experiences. The restrictive art lessons consisted of copying drawings from the chalkboard or worksheets, coloring or tracing drawings, following verbal directions to produce drawings, and cutting geometric forms such as a triangle and a square to make a house. In these ways they drew such things as a house, apple, tree, bird, or snowman.

On the eleventh day both groups went to a fire station and on their return to school were asked to make pictures of their experiences. The drawings and paintings of the “creative” group illustrated their observations and personal reactions and were successful in varying degrees, while 44 percent of the “restrictive” group failed to depict the fire station outing at all, but resorted to doing trees and other items in the manner which they had been taught in the previous ten days. Still others in this group regressed to the stage of manipulating the art media, rather than performing at their usual higher stage—that of producing drawings from their own heads.

Hand or Mind

We can’t teach drawing by drilling on the physical skills; it comes from the mind. When Joni Eareckson became a quadriplegic she thought she would not be able to draw anymore. But a therapist told her the drawing skill was not in her hand; it was in her head. With this encouragement, she learned to hold a pen in her mouth and draw the pictures that were in her head. If your children draw ears too large, or if they leave out the trunk of a person and attach legs directly to the head, it is not hand training they need so much as time for the mind to develop more and opportunity to sharpen their powers of observation. One way to sharpen their observation and develop their thinking is through drawing—their way, not ours.

The creative approach to art not only develops the aesthetic nature; it also helps children’s cognitive development. The children who made their own decisions about how to show the fire station trip and who solved the problems in carrying out their plans were more active mentally and were active on a higher mental level than if the teacher had given them a fire truck to color, or had drawn a model station for them to copy.

Here, then, is a dilemma because of our modern habit of using published lessons. A published lesson would end with the fire truck or whatever to color, not a creative activity. A publisher’s staff that understood the creative system once planned lessons to fit the creative approach. All the teacher materials were there as usual, but the lessons did not end with a picture to color. They gave the teacher creative ideas instead, sometimes games or other activities. Or if they suggested art it was the creative kind of assignment.

The staff did not get away with this for long. The publisher wanted to get more money from more student sheets to sell. And the teachers had been brainwashed into thinking the lessons must end with a fire truck to color or other fact from the lesson. They thought that was the “doing” part of the lesson. The children first learned by listening; then they “applied” the lesson with crayon and paper. Moreover, the Sunday school teachers wanted the sheet to say something to parents when it was sent home; it was a message for the parents and not primarily for the students.

So that publisher and his customers went back to the old way. Each week their children bent over a table, crayon in hand, working quietly. Everybody thought that was great education. They loved the “doing” time at the end of the lesson, little knowing that the children’s minds would be growing more if they were planning their own drawing of a fire station or of sheep in a pasture or of whatever was in the lesson.

It might be better if we relied less on art or handwork for academic learning and made more use of games, rhymes, sound stories, conversation, pretending, and other learning activities. In homeschooling, art often is just for art, and not necessarily to help other content learning. Or try it for worship. Children could enjoy the beautiful colors God made. They could express joy in using the hands God gave them. One four-year-old was painting with blue when the teacher said quietly, “God made blue.” “He did?” the child exclaimed with surprise in his voice, and he painted his blue with new vigor. After that, the teacher would not think of pulling the child down to the level needed to complete a directed painting lesson—even with blue.

God created wondrous beauties for man to enjoy, and He created man with an aesthetic side to his nature so he can enjoy them. One of man’s first jobs was to dress the garden and keep it. God’s plan for the tabernacle included elaborate art, for which He gave men the necessary skills. Much of the greatest art in the history of the world is that which was done to the glory of God.

All children, of course, will not grow up to be artists, but all should experience art creatively, especially during the kindergarten and primary years when they are developing through the manipulative and representative stages of art thinking. We give opportunities for children to grow in their language, their muscular coordination, their singing, and numerous other ways. We can let them grow in art as well. 

Dr. Ruth Beechick has taught all elementary grades and has watched many children develop in their art ability.

© 2010 by Ruth Beechick

This article was originally published in the Jul/Aug 2010 issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine. 

Learn more at www.HomeSchoolEnrichment.com

Resources: Incredible Art Department

An artist I know from MNartists suggested I pass this website onto you. The Incredible Art Department http://www.incredibleart.org is a sprawling site chock full of art lesson and project ideas for preschoolers all the way to college level, links to other art related sites, newsletters and much, much more. It's a large site with A LOT of content, so there's a bit of informational overload. It can be a bit overwhelming to figure out what to look at first. I suggest setting aside some time to explore it, because there's definitely a lot of good stuff there. For such a large website I found it easy to navigate--the design is simple, there are tabs at the top of the page with drop down menus to choose from, and if you want to go back to the main page you just click on the picture of mona lisa at the top of the screen. It's aimed at school teachers, so the lessons would need to be modified to your smaller groups/individual students. 

Projects: Illustrate your own story

Materials:
-Paper
-something to draw and write with

Here's an activity to get the creative juices flowing--have your kids write a story and illustrate it. And it's a two-for-one project: you're combining writing skills and art.

Some kids have a hard time coming up with anything to draw when faced with a blank sheet of paper. They're usually so full of ideas, but once they have that pencil in hand and a clean piece of paper in front of them, their mind just goes blank. Other kids "don't like art" and don't think they're creative, so they just won't try when given an art assignment. And there's the kid who always insists on drawing a dog or a tree, no matter what the assigned project happens to be, because they're afraid of going beyond what they know. (these are all examples from classes that I've taught)

This activity helps all of these kids stretch their creative muscles without realizing it. First, have your child write a story. It doesn't matter what it's about as long as it's at least a few paragraphs long. Storytelling seems to come naturally to pretty much all the kids I know. Once they have the story finished, ask them to pick a few scenes to illustrate.  It's not so scary when there's already some ideas there for them to draw. It can be as simple as showing what the characters look like to an epic, highly detailed action scene. The point is that they're creating pictures to go with their story.

An alternative activity could be to have one child come up with the story and another to illustrate it. I used to do this with my younger sister, Leah. Ever since we were little, she has has always been a wonderful storyteller, whereas I was always more interested in coloring in all the pictures in my chapter books. She would fill her notebooks up with a fantastic tales, and I would draw the characters for her. It was a fun thing for us to do together.

The point of the project is just to get your kids drawing, giving them a jumping off point for their art. Sometimes a few constraints can open up a world of possibility. Rather than starting with a blank page, this can jump start their imagination and creativity.

Resources: miniature art article

Here's some out of the box creativity for you: art carved from the tips of pencils.

Resources: women in art video

This is a fun little video that got a lot of press a couple years ago. It's a beautiful sequence of women's faces over hundreds of years of art.

An Introduction to Art History

For many people their knowledge of art history goes something like this: Egyptian, Greek and Roman, Middle Ages, the Renaissance, some other stuff, Rembrandt, Impressionism. And after Impressionism it all got a little weird, and it looks funny, and that's not art, so let's just stop with Monet because I don't understand it after that point anyways.

Now this was my view before I went to college (though I didn't realize it at the time). It's very easy to be in a box and not know it. Thankfully, I had some wonderful art professors who really opened my mind, expanded my knowledge and taught me some good art history. Now you don't need a four year degree or to memorize all the -isms and definitions of the art world to enjoy a work of art. You can simply enjoy an object for its beauty. But knowing a little background information can greatly increase your understanding and help you see how this painting relates to that sculpture and how this sculptor might have been influenced by that painter. You can look at a painting, sculpture, installation, drawing, etc, in its historical context and see what might have influenced its creation and also what artists were inspired by it later.

Art History is not separate from World History; I think sometimes we forget that. Art is not created in a vacuum. Artists have always reacted to world events in their art making. Pablo Picasso made his famous Guernica painting in response to an event that actually happened. There's a reason that Michelangelo choose David instead of another Biblical figure for his statue for the city of Florence. There's always a reason and purpose behind every work of art. You just have to find out what it is,and suddenly you see a row of boxes in a completely different light.

I think in general, we have a good understanding of classical art--Egyptian, Greek and Roman, Medieval and Renaissance art history. It's not difficult to find books, videos, curriculum, on these time periods. It's easy for us to understand, there are only a few major artists and art movements to know. It doesn't seem like things changed very quickly. This art style led to that one, that artist built on his master's work and his apprentice continued with the ideas passed onto him. But right around the Renaissance things started to change and much quicker, we have a lot more information to sift through, art styles started to overlap, and one artist might be part of several different art movements during his lifetime.

Once we pass Impressionism, modern art as we know it starts to rear its head. And that's where a lot of people get turned off. It's weird, it makes me uncomfortable, it doesn't look like anything...I don't understand it. And if you don't understand the "why" of something, it's hard to teach the "what." You don't have to like it but modern art is an important part of the historical timeline. My personal aesthetic leans more towards the graceful, flowing lines of Art Nouveau and I used to find most modern art ugly and disconcerting. But since I started studying art history, I've come to the point where I can appreciate the ideas and meanings behind a work of art even if I don't necessarily find it "beautiful" in my eyes.
 
If I want to be a well rounded artist, I need to understand my work in context of art history, and I don't live in the 1800s. I need to understand my work in the context of today and the art of the last century. I can choose to reject the ideas of those who have come before or find ideas that speak to me and expand on those. I know art history overall and in general. But I also have specific, detailed knowledge of important movements and artists and art that speak to me specifically.

 In the same way, as you are teaching you don't have to know,  in every little detail, every single artist and art style. You can have a general grasp of the important ones, and you don't have to overly focus on art styles you don't like. But just because you don't like it doesn't mean you shouldn't teach it at all. It is important whether you like it or not. Each artist has their place on the art timeline and we can't just pick and choose who we want in the history books. They are there for a reason.  Each art movement flows out of ideas and work from the ones that have come before, whether through embracing and expanding on those ideas, or completely rejecting them and going in a new direction.

So you're probably wondering at this point, "Well, how do I find all this information, in an easy to understand format, and turn it into something my kids will enjoy?" Well, that's what I'm here for! My goal for this site is to collect all the helpful stuff into one place for your perusal. I sift through all the junk floating out there to find the gems--things that are fun, interesting, and informational. And I'm here to share my own experience and knowledge of making and teaching art.
I'm also a huge fan of my local library. You can search through their system for books on a particular subject and just put as many as you want on hold. If a book isn't what you want or is too dull, you can just bring it back. That's how my siblings and I learned so much about topics that interested us--we'd get all the books we could on it from the library. For our library, you can have up to 100 books checked out at once, and believe me, we've done that more than once. I work at a bookstore and can tell you that that's a great resource as well. Booksellers have a lot of knowledge and are usually just waiting for someone to come along and ask for book suggestions.
If reading isn't your thing, you want someone to show you how it's done, youtube is a great resource. There's obviously a lot of junk on the site, but there's also a lot of great educational videos. I'll post good videos on here as I find them. Also, there are a lot of tv shows and documentaries, some of them you can watch online for free.
And I'm a big fan of Google, especially their image search. You'll notice me linking to that a lot. If you want to find information, that's a great place to start.

Art doesn't have to be boring, friends.