I’ve been meaning to write about this gorgeous branch painting for a while now. It’s been 12 years since I wrote my popular painted branch invitation, which is hard to wrap my head around. That means my youngest was eight… and now he’s in college! Sigh. This branch – really more like a driftwood log…
oil pastels
10 Open-Ended Materials for your Art Space to Nurture Creative Thinking
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…
Still-Life Cake Paintings
I’m back with another community event at our local library, and this time, I made cakes from recycled materials and set up the table for still-life paintings. Children used oil pastels and liquid watercolor (my favorite combination) to draw and paint what they see! Supplies needed for Still-Life Cake Paintings: ~ Recycled cakes (I’ll go…
Cardboard Cupcakes inspired by Wayne Thiebauld
If you are thinking to yourself, does Art Bar really have any more cardboard ideas in her? The answer is always YES!! We made these cardboard cupcakes inspired by Wayne Thiebaud a few years ago but I never got around to writing about them until now. We did a smaller version in art class, but…
Wooden Sculpture Prompt: Imaginary Playgrounds
One of my favorite process art experiences for my art students is setting out wooden pieces and letting them make sculptures. On this day, I gave them the prompt to make imaginary playgrounds. I love what they created so much! How cool would these be if they were life-sized? I think all playgrounds should be…
Oil Pastel Cardboard Cupcakes
We looked at painter Wayne Thiebaud, an American artist known for his still-lifes of edible treats and everyday objects, before embarking on these oil pastel cardboard cupcakes. This is a very simple art project which uses cereal box cardboard, a pencil, and some oil pastels. Look at all the amazing colors! [ I am a…
