Make it Mondays : Found wood

 First find yourself an old piece of wood with chippy paint and plenty of distress. I found this old door which suited my purposes. Turn it each way - this and that. Around and around! find something in the distressed areas. Pretend it's like looking at the clouds in the sky when they appear to be rabbits or snails or ....  Then outline with pencil your found image. I saw a girl. Using acrylic paint add color!

Here she is getting her first coats of paint in for her face and hair. It's easy to paint in details if the wood is smooth. If not - don a mask and sand it a bit.

Here she is a little further along. Have fun with this process. It's playful. Can't find an image in the wood? Ask a kid. They will be very helpful. Happy Summer to you!

Make-it Mondays : Buttermilk Chalk drawings

Good Morning friends! Today we are making paintings with Buttermilk and Chalk!

So gather these materials:

Chalk

Buttermilk

Paper

Simply dip the chalk into the buttermilk and draw!

The buttermilk makes the dust from the chalk go away.

It creates a smooth rich line.

Keep dipping between lines

Draw anything you can think of.

The more colors you use the more vibrant your drawing will be.

Let the drawing dry and then hang it up to admire it!

Make-it Mondays! Kids Potato Prints

 So easy and safe with the use of plastic cutlery and some pre-halved potatoes! It's a great feeling to let the kids carve them on their own and take pride in their own work.  SO - Let's make some art!

A finished print on construction paper with brown ink

Slice a potato in half either length-wise or width-wise for the child

Let the child use a plasatic knife or fork and scrape and dig the potato to make marks on the flesh side.

Place potatoes flesh side down on paper towels to absorb moisture. Press potato into an ink pad and press firmly!

Put four - six newspaper sections under the sheet of paper you will print on. Press inked potato onto paper firmly.

Lift the potato up and re-ink to continue printing! Make a pattern with different colors and carved potatoes!

Make-It Monday : Salt Painting

It's Tuesday but we are going to begin it with our Make-It Monday! Today we are doing a resist and salt painting activity which is great for all ages. First gather thee simple materials:

• Cover stock
• Oil pastels or crayons
• Salt
• Watercolor set with soft brush
• Soft sponge
• Water

Now follow me through these easy steps! 

First draw on the paper with crayon or oil pastel.Leave some areas blank.

Add water to the paper with the sponge to make it damp.

Choose a color and paint over the damp areas with the brush. The color will spread on the damp paper!

Keep adding colors and spreading them across the paper. Add more water if necessary.

When you are finished with the watercolor take a pinch or two of the salt and sprinkle over the whole painting or just in a few spots. Let dry completely and rub off the salt! Post photos of your work here or at our Facebook page.

Make it Mondays! String Painting

Good Morning friends and happy June! It's Make it Monday and today we are making String Prints! This is a fun way to paint/print for most every age child and of course brave adults...

All you need is cotton string and a small container of tempera or acrylic paint and paper to print on!

 

Dip the string in the paint and drop it on the paper - hold onto one end! Drag it around the paper or drop it  over and over again to make marks.

 

You can also try dropping it on the paper, hold the end and fold the paper over the string and pull the string out for a different look! Use one or more colors - the choice is yours! Post a photo in our Facebook page of your results if you would like to share. More fun art lessons are available in my books and in my classes and camps in New Hampshire - and now online! 

Make-It Monday! Fruit Prints

 

a beautiful print with simple materials! Great for the youngest and fun for older kids too. This is a great way to get started with patterns and sequencing for older children.  I make these prints with acrylic paint (it doesn't chip off when folded) on butcher paper to have unique wrapping paper on hand all year around.  Let's get started on this EASY project!

Materials:

acrylic or tempera paints

apple cut in half across it's middle to expose the star!

brayer (affilate link - thanks for the support)

sheets of paper as large as you wish - try:

recycled paper bags cut open and flattened!

waxed paper or paper plate to roll out the paint on.

Directions:

1. Roll out paint to make it smooth and thin.

2. Roll it onto the apple half to cover.

3. Press it down onto the paper.

4. Repeat with new colors or simply use one!

Monday Make-It: Glue Prints

 

 Glue Prints! Everyone loves glue and this project really allows creativity to flow - with simple materials and a bottle of glue! This is a great project to start today and pick up again later in the week as drying time is needed - at least overnight! The materials list contains affiliate links (thanks for your support!) to some materials.

What you'll need:

A bottle of liquid school glue

A stiff piece of card stock or mat board or cardboard

A brayer to roll the ink

A paper plate

Black waterbased printing ink

Lightweight paper white or colored to print on

Let's Make It!

1. Draw (or not!) your design on the stiff card or mat board. Squeeze out the glue to follow the lines you drew or make new ones!

2, Let dry overnight!

3. Roll out the ink on a paper plate until smooth.

4. Roll the brayer over the dried glue until the glue lines are covered.

5. Place the lightweight printing paper over the wet ink and rub the back of the paper with you hands in circular motions to pick up all the ink. Be careful not to move the paper once you have placed it or it will smudge - but sometimes that looks amazing too!  BE BRAVE!

 

6. Pull your print off and let dry for several hours. Make one for all of your friends and family! 

7/ You can add color with crayon, pastel or colored pencils as our artist in the first photo opted to do!  

If you try this project we would love to see the results! Post them on our Facebook Page here or comment below.  Want a monthly newsletter filled with free art projects and ideas? Sign up here 

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