Fun: Draw a Stickman

This is perfect for all of those who have told me they can only draw a stickman when it comes to art. Draw A Stickman is a cute website with a simple premise: draw a stick person and something will happen. I don't want to give it away, suffice to say it made me smile.

Project: Deconstructed Square

I saw this project in the October 2011 issue of Arts and Activities Magazine, and tweaked it somewhat. After making it myself, I have some suggestions to make it work better for you.

Materials:

-Cutting mat

-Glue stick (though I think spray adhesive would be much easier to use)

-Exacto knife (I ended up using a pen knife because its shorter blade makes it easier to use and less likely to cut too far)

-Ruler

-Sheet of colored construction paper

-Black construction paper cut into a square (use cardstock instead, it rips less and is easier to cut)

I would suggest this project for kids who have experience with cutting fine details. It was fairly easy for me, but I use an exacto knife frequently for my art making. You could use scissors instead for a simpler design. The point of this craft is to deconstruct the black square as much as possible without taking any paper away. I started cutting without any sort of plan, it would have made more sense to sketch patterns in pencil or chalk first.

It's better to not cut the pieces completely out, but leave them connected just a little bit so you can fold them over as you work. I prefer squiggly shapes, but geometric patterns would make for easier cutting.
When the square is as deconstructed as you like, glue the black cutout to the construction paper in the color of your choice (I chose red for dramatic effect). I used a glue stick, and it was hard to get all the little edges coated. Spray adhesive would be much easier--you can spray the black paper and just set the colored sheet on top of it.

Ta-da!

My picture looks like some sort of creature. I like how it turned out. I think I'll make one more:

Used scissors and spray adhesive--much easier!

Magazine: Arts and Activities

Ask your library to carry it!

I was hanging out at the American Craft Council Library (yet again) the other day and discovered "the nation's leading art education magazine," Arts & Activities. I'd never heard of it before, but after reading this month's issue, I think it's a great publication. They have projects with step-by-step instructions, the grade-level that it's aimed at, skills and knowledge students will gain, lesson plans to go along with it, and follow up ideas to try. It spans pre-K through high school, so I'm sure you could find at least one project to try.

I was impressed by Arts & Activities for several reasons: 1) The projects aren't dumbed down or overly simplified, yet they're explained well and help convey ideas and information about art history--it's not just random "craft time" but has a purpose. 2) I usually am annoyed by ads in magazines, but the ones in Arts & Activities actually caught my attention. The advertisements were for materials that I would use or products that I could see being beneficial in teaching art. 3) The articles are written by teachers for teachers, so the information is coming from real world classroom experience, not just a lesson outline that may or may not pique students' interest.

Their website has a lot of free resources as well: curriculum guides, videos, and online extras that build upon articles from the monthly magazine. You can get the magazine in print or digital form.

Art Tip #8: Use the library

The library is awesome--it's a wonderful resource.

One reason I'm so well-read (besides currently working at Half Price Books) is that I've grown up at the library. Seriously, when I was younger, the librarians knew me and my siblings by name. We'd bike over there in nice weather and hang out for a few hours, use the internet and max out our library cards. (which by the way, if you didn't know, you can only have 100 books checked out at one time...and we had 3 cards maxed out once.) Beyond the obvious resource of books and magazines, libraries also have CDs, DVDs, local publications (like Vita.mn, which I love), notifications of community happenings, and free events. I don't know how many magic and puppet shows, storytimes, and musical groups I got to experience as a kid, but it was a lot. It was free entertainment, I had fun and I usually learned something too.

During college, I could always find resources for my research papers quite easily at the library. Sometimes I didn't even have to buy certain books for class, because my college library kept them on file! I could just check the book out for reading assignments and save a ton of money in the process.

Today, I rarely get to the library, but my Mom and siblings bring home wonderful things for me all the time. I've watched documentaries about the origin of coffee and being a Marine, stayed up to date on what's happening in the arts without paying the pricey magazine subscriptions, discovered great art books (like Art Attack) and new music...all for free.

I also make regular use of the American Craft Council Library to further my artistic knowledge and find inspiration for my art making. They have tons of magazines and hard-to-find books along with a helpful librarian eager to grow your art know-how.

Sadly, most people only view their library as a source of free internet these days and books are getting pushed aside to make room for more and more computers. That is a great service that they offer, but it's hardly the only reason you should step foot in there. You might as well go to a coffee shop if that's all you want. There are so many free resources and services the library provides that people don't even use!

So, make the library your friend. And like any good friendship, you have to see each other often.