As I was gathering content for this post, I realized that in the 13+ years I have been writing this blog, I have never written a post about a collection of my favorite materials! I’ve written about liquid watercolor so many times. I’ve written endlessly about recyclables (and in my book!), and many times about…
collage
Printmaking: Create Patterns with DIY Foam Stamps
Hello printmaking friends! I’m back with another DIY stamping idea for you. I’ve been on a pattern-making kick since I started Collage Club in May. Each month, I am making a postcard to go with the theme. It’s been so fun and inspiring to get back to my pattern-making roots, and it has forced me…
Mixed-Media Exploration with Wood
Hello! It’s been a while. I have been working so much on The Creativity Project that it’s been hard to find the time to write over here on Art Bar. But I have things to share! As you know, I have been facilitating open-studio classes at our local library over the past year (I’ve written…
Celebrate Earth Day! 40 Ways to Use Nature and Recylables in Art with Kids
Earth Day always sneaks up on me and sometimes I even miss it! But this year I am here to help you get organized and be prepared to celebrate Earth Day all month long, with 40 ways to use nature and recyclables in art and creative play with kids! The very best and most simple…
Cardboard Faces
Sometimes it takes me a while to write about a project, especially since this whole pandemic! I’ve been focusing on our Learning Guides and have neglected writing new posts. But today I am pulling myself together and writing about these cardboard faces we made last Spring in our weeklong Recycled Materials Camp! I was so…
Art and Play Activity Guide for Learning at Home / Week 6
This week we celebrate the fiber arts as we play around with FABRIC & YARN! Yay!! It’s also Earth Day on Wednesday so we’ll be honoring Mother Earth, too. Many of us are spending time decluttering and cleaning out closets. This week we’ll use some of our old clothes for fabric collage, or cut up…
Art and Play Activity Guide for Learning at Home / Week 3
Welcome back to Week 3 of our Art and Play Activity Guide for Learning at Home! Shannon and I hope these guides have been helping you loosely frame your days. Children need routine because it makes them feel safe and more relaxed. And parents need routine because it allows them to find some time for…
Cardboard Bird Sculptures
Ah, my old friend cardboard is back with a new but familiar look! Today I want to share these amazing cardboard bird sculptures that my art campers made. I got the idea for these from the IG account @marymakingart, and we were also inspired by the artist Clare Youngs, who is an incredibly talented cardboard animal artist…
Dioramas with Kids // Inspired by Artist Mano Kellner
I discovered artist Mano Kellner on Pinterest and was immediately drawn to her “art boxes”. They are very curious, quite charming, and even a bit mystical. I was so inspired by this one that I immediately started to plan how I could make something similar with my art students. I decided on making dioramas using the…
“Face the Foliage” Inspired Flower Portraits with Kids
Do you all know Justina Blakeney? She’s a designer and artist who lives in New York and I just LOVE her style! I can’t get enough of her patterns and colors and everything that she creates. She has several IG accounts. Her most famous is @TheJungalow. But today I want to share with you her…
