Echo Park Craft Fair

Last weekend I was given the opportunity to put together a workshop table for kids at the Echo Park Craft Fair. I loved the challenge of coming up with a project that would be engaging for ages ranging from 2-10 and maybe even a few older kids. It also needed to be flawlessly beautiful to match the incredible talent from the artisans selling at the fair.

I always believe if you start with beautiful materials the chances are the outcome will also be gorgeous. Relishing in the idea of gathering families around to make artworks we created two projects in honor of Mother's Day, a bold, colorful painted fabric banner and a small token of love with a message spool.

The fabric watercolor paintings gave the kids an opportunity to investigate painting in a process oriented way. Using droppers and q-tips instead of paint brushes gave them a new way to explore the familiarity of paint. 

 To be able to make something for the one who cares for us,  for the one we rely on and love so much can be very powerful. These message spools are a great example of repurposing and transforming the ordinary to something precious. I know I cherish the ones my children have made for me over the years.  Just using twine, a wooden thread spool that might otherwise be discarded, paper, buttons and beads makes these secret messages.

  Jillian, one of my incredible teachers is always so respectful and playful with the children. Along with Sheryl Cancellieri, who is the brilliant mind behind Eastside Handmade, an artisan fair in Highland Park, we were overjoyed to have been able to create with so many families.

Thank you to all who stopped by to create with us.

Celebrating the Sun

When the days begin to get longer we like to take the opportunity to use the sun in our artworks so what better way than to make sun-prints. We held a sun-print box workshop the other day. A sun print is one of the earliest forms of non-silver photographic method. And it's magical to watch the images appear. Now this is a simple project that you can do at home.

Materials are

•  nature sun-print paper which you can find at Blick Art or order online. 
• a cigar box (I just ask at the local cigar store if they have any empty boxes)
• materials like small toys, buttons, string.
• we used plexi-glass to keep the materials from blowing away but this is not mandatory.
• a pan of water
• Mod Podge           

We supplied the kids with a lot of materials to choose from to make their designs on the paper, shells, buttons, stars, naturals materials like lavender and sticks. The kids had just as much fun choosing their materials as they did making creating their patterns or images. Other kids brought their own toys to create images. 

This sun-print paper reacts to the sun so as long as you are inside you can take it out of the black pouch to make your image by placing the objects on the paper. Make sure you place the paper on a hard surface so that you can carry it into the sun.

We then carried our boards with our designs into the sun and counted to 30. 

Bring the paper inside and place it in the tub of water to rinse. you don't have to leave it in there long. The paper changes from a positive to a negative image before your eyes.  I love this part and so do the kids. 

The sun-print has to be dry before you can adhere it to the boxes. We used hair dryers to do it quickly but if you are patient you can just wait. We then used Mod-podge to adhere it to the boxes and brushed Mod-podge over the image.

This box makes a great place to keep special rocks or specials toys or one's allowance or even  a great father's day present.

Happy Printing!!

Camp Flaming Arrow 2014

Our camps foster children's curiosity by not only exploring materials and ideas but also exploring our neighborhood. We believe that children learn though experience, coming to their own conclusions through interactions with their world around them. Our Camp Flaming Arrow is an interpretation of a traditional sleep-out camp. By hiking through the neighborhood, using camping journals, having picnics and doing specimen collecting for art projects sparks enthusiasm in the children for learning, as well as, for our neighborhood communities. 

 Lunch Picnics are a wonderful time for collaboration, sharing and exchanging ideas in playing together. There was a lot of singing, collecting of flowers and plants, hiding and climbing. 

On the first day of camp the kids made writing implements to aid them in their journal writing by putting paper maché around a pen. Carrots always seem to me a celebration of spring so it seemed liked the obvious choice. We put together field journals for the children of things one might find in the neighborhood if you looked closely. Looking is such an important part of art making, looking and having an awareness of your surroundings. 

Some of the kids drew and wrote about what they saw. The younger kids took the initiative to just draw other things of interest they found, negating the scavenger hunt all together.  The discovery of finding different shapes of leaves, small and big and drawing them was such a valuable experience for them. 

Happy Looking!!!

Fiber Arts

Fabric is one of my favorite materials to use with kids. It is such a versatile material to use with kids and luckily we have so many amazing families who donate gorgeous fabric for our kids. It's a material that is suitable for any age. From age 2 to age 10 here are some fiber arts projects for kids.

In our family classes for ages 2 and 3 most of our projects are process oriented exploring the potential of the materials, but every once in a while I like to make something that is more instructional. This octopus kite made from fabric is a wonderful example. It has an active life after it's made. The kids have such a great time dancing and playing with it.

I gave the kids circular cut fabrics that were stapled together (which is so much easier than sewing it) but with an opening so they could add fluffy stuffing before they painted on it. After painting it the parents then stapled on the fabric tentacles that the kids chose.

I stapled on another strip of fabric at the top and tied it to a dowel and voila an octopus kite it made.

For ages 4 and 5 we used fabric with paper maché goop to make little hot air balloons. The fabric made them so colorful with all those different patterns and colors. This is just paper maché on a blown up balloon. The kids wove string and fabric into a plastic berry basket on the bottom. 

This is such a great decoration for any kids room and they can play with it, adding figures to the basket. 

For ages 6-10 we used fabric strips to weave into a gown in our Fashion Lab. The girls chose their fabrics, cut or ripped them into strips and then warped and wefted their way into these amazing gowns. We left long strips hanging down to make whimsical bottoms of the dress.

Making of the gowns is a fantastic process for the kids but the fashion show is an incredible experience for everyone. We invite families and friends to see the kid's creations. 

 Happy weaving!!!

Animal Heads

 

Will you look at this adorable fox made from a cereal box, newspaper, and paint. Sometimes making art with these kids feels like alchemy. I give them trash and a few instructions and this is what they come up with, GOLD.

They made all kinds of animals from unicorns to cyclops reindeer with small tree branches for antlers. We have pigs, owls and puppies. Paper mâché is so fantastic. I love the way some of the kids left the newspaper exposed, adding a rustic element of design. 

All you need is some cereal boxes, scissors and tape.  If they want to make an animal with a longer face then give them a longer box. If they want and animal that is more round then give them a square box. Cut slits about halfway up the sides of the cereal box on both the front and the back.

Then cut a curved front and back of cereal box and tape the flap down the shape of the curve. This is now the chin or bottom of your animal.

Cut out ears from another cereal box and tape them near the top of the box. You can use a ball of newspaper or another small box as your nose depending on the animal your are making.

Now come the messy fun part. I give each child a tray to work on so clean up is a little easier (not that much easier actually). I mix up about a 1 to 1 ratio of water and flour to make a light paste. Using a whisk is very helpful. I then add a bunch of Elmer's glue which helps to harden the mixture once it dries. Unfortunately I don't have the exact measurements. I am an estimator depending on how the paste feels. But I would say the it would be a 1 part glue to 3 parts flour/water mixture.

Also a helpful tip is to tare the strips of newspaper into squares of different sizes, some 2X2" and some 4X4". The squares are easier for them to wrap around the ears and cove the noses as well as smooth down onto the box form. 

Make sure it's all covered with a few layers. They will usually dry overnight, unless you have a kid who really likes to pack on the goop.

Once they are dried they are ready for the paint and I also like to have them add paper elements, like whiskers, eyelashes or even eyes after they paint them. It adds a nice other element to the faces. 

This girl is adding whiskers to her rabbit by curling strips of paper around a pencil. 

This one has some curled eyelashes.

The final touch is to hot glue a curved piece of wire or paper clip the back of the animal head near the top so you can hang it on the wall.