Art ideas for all ages!

Take pictures at ordinary and unusual angles. Get up close, look from above, view from below, and try other creative ways to take pictures. Go outside (in a place where you can be alone or not close to anyone) or look around your home.  Outside :  Here are a few pictures I have taken during our social distancing. We made sure no one was at these places before we got out of the car.  Inside : I looked around the house and tried putting my camera at unusual angles. Then I took the pictures. 

Paint with Markers Create a painting using markers!  This is a great idea for those who want to paint but do not have any paint.  This idea is also great for those just looking to try something new.  Happy painting! Materials : Markers  (water-soluble not permanent markers) Something smooth for a paint palette (ideas: a sandwich baggie, a plastic or glass plate, plastic packaging, aluminum foil, Saran Wrap, etc.) Cup 1/4 full of water Paint brushes (other options: fingers, Q-tips, a leaf, a sponge, a clothes pin with yarn, a cotton ball, etc.) Paper (other options: cardboard, the inside of a cereal or cracker box, recycled paper, etc.) Directions : 1. Create a paint palette by drawing with markers on plastic or foil. I used a sandwich baggie. 2. Dip your paintbrush in water and dissolve one color at a time.   Add more color to your baggie as needed.  3. Paint with the color you dissolved.   ...

This is a game for the whole family.  Children, teens,  and adults can all have fun together with this activity. Take turns saying the name of an item and a part of the body. For example: a balloon head. Then everyone draws a head that looks like a balloon.  This is where the fun and creativity begin. Everyone will envision the item differently. This is good and should be encouraged.  Once everyone has had a turn to name an item, continue until the creature is complete. Look at all of the creatures, notice the differences. This game doesn't have a winner, just a fun game to play together. Our ideas:  Round 1: Balloon head, strawberry nose, banana mouth, spiral eyes, flour stem hair, tree trunk neck, strawberry body, carrot arms and hands, Grandfather clock leg, egg leg, and a watermelon foot.  Round 2: Jewel head, blueberry eye, seed eye, curly hair with eggs on it, leaf nose, upside-down rainbow mouth, double heart neck, f...

A still life is a work of art based on looking at a subject that does not move. Find an object.  Draw, paint, or collage what you see. Then add a background. This art idea was thought of by my 8 year old daughter.  This is the drawing she just finished. Artist Connection : Paul Cezanné (1839-1906) was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter. Paul Cezanné, Basket of Apples , 1890-1894 Paul Cezanné, Still Life with a Curtain , 1895

Scientific sketching involves drawing what you see.  The best place for scientific sketching is outside. Look out a window or go outside. Then find something interesting to you. Study it, notice details, and sketch what you see. Another great way to practice scientific sketching is from a picture. Find a photograph. Take time to observe and notice details in the photograph.  Use the photograph as a reference as you create. I found this outside my house. I brought it inside to so I could look closely and sketch.  Artist Connection : John James Audubon was well known for his accurate illustrations of birds. For more information about John James Audubon, click  here . John James Audubon, Blue Crane or Heron ,  1836

Draw a design using any types of line, shape, and pattern. A time lapse video of my drawing. 

Weaving on a cardboard Loom.   Materials : Cardboard Scissors Yarn (you can also use ribbon or thin strips of cut fabric) Directions : 1. Find a piece of cardboard or cut a piece from a cardboard box. 2. Cut small notches at the top and bottom. Notches should be about 1/4" apart.  I recommend an odd number of notches. 3. Get a yarn ball to string the weaving loom. This is called the warp. Start by putting about a 3-4" piece through a notch.  Leave this "tail" on the on the back.  Do not cut the yarn. 4. String the warp from a notch on the top to a notch on the bottom. 5. Then move it to the notch next to the notch you just used.  I tell my students "it should be long on the front and short on the back".  (Pictured below is the back) 6. Continue until you have whole warp complete.   7. Cut and leave a 3-4" remaining on the back. 8. Begin to weave the weft. Measure 2 arm lengths of yarn. 9. Cut and tie (do...