Coming this February half-term for the babes...

Chasing Santas and finding creativity everywhere

This morning I had a job to expel the bionic energy in my children so, off we went to the wonderful hash harriers group that we have here in our village.  It was proper shedding down with rain but the babes still need exercising so out of the car and on with the games!

It was dd's first go and thankfully she loved it.  Ds showed her the ropes and both were soaked through in minutes.

It being the last session of the year, two Santa's appeared at different posts in the field.  The game was to run to each of them, do your exercises that Santa gave you and gather in the sweeties, it was so much fun (to watch especially).

It got me thinking about creativity in all different walks of life, not just art or craft.  To my mind creativity is all about keeping things fresh and finding new ways of coming at things in the everydayness of life...Chasing Santa's?  Utterly brilliant.


Much love

Making 'Doodle-balls' (LOVE them...as do the tweenies)

It was after-school art session number 3 yesterday.  The heat was on.  The children were tired as, (am sure its the time of year) so out came the choccy biscuits (SO not homemade however good my intentions) as a bribe  treat to bolster them all up for some making.

I actually needn't have bothered with the biccies, the children LOVED the activities this week.  We made Christmas Decorations, the green Decorations from this tutorial (See below) and also...(See even more below... we made Beaded Hearts...

 

The Session practically ran itself and the children found it impossible to tear themselves away.  Its incredible how much these offerings engage them.  They LOVED doing them and loved watching them.  The immediacy of the making definately had a part to play here - they could see their makings coming along nicely every step of the way.  To find out how to make hearts, click here.

Further to the beading and sequins, I also ran an option to make a 'Doodle-ball'  I think the idea of these is truly inspiring and love the way it stretches out our thinking about drawing.   Pure thanks to these fabulous people at Accessart for coming up with the idea.

Righto, a 'Doodle-ball' is just that, a ball covered in paper that you can draw on and all over, letting your thoughts wonder as they will.  They are FAB for active learners and can be added too at anytime...just pick them up and carry on.

To make a Doodle-ball you need:

A hand-sized ball.  A tennis ball or Christmas dec is good, try to remove the nobbly bit first though.
Glue, PVA is best
Mid-sized paint brush
Paper, cut up into double-stamp sizes
Pen or Pens for drawing..

Gather your wares together...

2.

Take your small pieces of paper and layer them onto your ball, all over until its completely covered. Two layers is great too.  Lashings of glue here until the paper is flat with no sticky-uppy bits!  Then dear hearts, when its fully covered pop it into the airing cupboard or on a radiator to dry.  Don't do any drawing until fully dry..

3.

Here we have our ball fully covered and about to dry.

3.

Once your ball is dry it's good and ready to go.  Begin drawing and let your drawing go where it wants to go.  Enjoy the process, its a lovely way to draw.

Here is a 'Flower Ball' made by the originators of this fab idea at Accessart.

Enjoy x

The reasons I am proper in love with working in Collage....(easy-peasy-easy-peasy & fast results) BRILLIANT to do with the kiddiwinkles...

Cut and Collage is a proper delight to work in.   I thought it might be good to give you a bit of background  about this wonderful medium in order to inspire you, dear readers to dig out the glue and let rip yourselves...(nice pun eh?)

Drawing can be complicated.  Its horribly easy to give ourselves a right-royal hard time if our drawing doesn't look exactly like that thing that we are drawing from.  

When teaching beginner classes (from about age 12 up)  or, when I'm supporting an Artist making a return to drawing after some time... I make it a large part of the session to get ripping, glueing, felt-tipping and painting, building confidence easily and rapidly.

Collaging, I feel, is akin to printmaking.  It's not so much about the marks as the composition, the looking at objects in relation to each other.  When we look at our still-life or view, we take down other details that aren't quite so literal - as we would do when drawing.  

The Cubists were a collection of Artists that worked from different views, all onto one painting.  One of the most successful ways they found of researching their still-life was by working in collage.  It has an immediacy that moved them on in leaps and bounds...to go on make those beautiful works of art such as GEORGES BRAQUE (1882-1963) and this stunner too.'Violin and Jug', 1910 (oil on canvas)

Below is a large piece of work that I did a couple of years ago for my children's bedrooms.  This one is called 'Pooches Parlour' and is just that..  the other is below and is called 'Doggies Day Out'.  

They came about from my feeling really inspired from all the Summer Fetes around here now that we are in the countryside.   Those joyous occasions that look beautifully English from afar, where sales meet scones, and you lose £20 in the bat of an eye, along with the children...yes those.  

I wanted un-prescious detail in the final works and a feeling of one-ness over the whole piece, however detailed they were going to be.  Actually, when I look at them now, I rather think that I made them as master pieces for a set of silk-screen prints that one some level I had imagined making into a series..that would work.

So there you have it, my true reasons for working in collage, fast, furious, and wonderfully liberating.  Go on...make one of your own...MUCH MUCH easier than you think.  x

'Open Art Sessions' for all those interested...children, adults and families.

The children's art classes that am doing after school, are proving to be very popular.  They begin the week after half-term and are going to be small sessions of 8 children at a time.

In fact, so popular that am considering doing another open day rather like the one I did this time last year.

That was a 'Art Family Day on the Farm' and we had a ball.  68 children and 40 adults in a barn on a farm doing art...perfect.  Enjoy the movie..its only 2 mins long and tells you all you need to know.

I have slightly held off doing more events as I wasn't overly sure exactly what it was that I am promoting!   Now I see it's important to do them quite simply for doing them and having a ball.

I can village-hall it, perhaps get the day sponsored, plonk ourselves somewhere and make lots and lots of Art...yummy.

Please register your interest in attending by emailing me info@samanthabarnes.co.uk  marvellous stuff!

Samantha

A trip to the shop at The Tate Modern...items to inspire children's imagination..

This weekend we went to London.

That is the husband and I went into London to help my old mucker Katie Turner move studio.  We worked like trojans and had a ball at the same time...result.  See here to read about that very special day.  

On the Sunday bruised and tired, we went for a beautiful walk along the Thames to the Tate Modern, the mere sight of the place (although particularly the shop) fills me with possibilities - its very exciting for me to go there..even more if I have £50 in my pocket to spend on some beautiful items, books, a few trinkets for the babes and a long latte in the restaurant at the top.  It's a brilliant place to go...for everyone, Artists, families, on your lonesome and particularly with children.

I wanted to go to the Tate for two reasons, firstly to walk off a thick head (from the evening before) and secondly to find some fresh input for my children's art lessons.

I wasn't disappointed.   The Tate Modern  is fresh thinking and welcoming.  It realises that it belongs to everyone and everyone is invited.  Having set their attitude so well, the merchandise reflects its values brilliantly.  The items sourced for children are encouraging, inspiring and easy easy to comprehend.

All the items that I am listing below are for children.  Things that I have purchased for my own babes and to keep for my art lessons.  Each I love and would happily encourage to you to get ordering for birthdays looming and of course..shhhs (say it quietly) Christmas...sh!

First up we have:

'Lets Make some Great Art'  by Marion Deuchars.

Wowzers what a book.  Its big and thick and made of recycled paper.  All a bonus.

I believe its about 200 pages?  About that thick anyway (that is about 2.5cm)  Each page is a delicious task or activity that draws you in...ahem...I mean the child in.

My son is now 8 and its his idea of heaven.  An activity per page, or spread over two maximum.  The children is encouraged to think about perspectives, colours, animation, drawing, expressions, comics, composition.  Blissfully each page is about DRAWING...yum.

Seeing my son (particularly as he seems to be a millions miles a minute 99% of the time) sitting at the dining table with his pens...head tilted to one side and his tongue ever so slightly hanging out in concentration, is utter bliss for me.  Enough to fire off a feeling of 'happy child, happy parent' moment from my synapses....a complete result for £12.99.

Enloy.

Making Bat Puppets. Fantastic for boys & gals, aged from about 7 or 8 upwards. Fab for birthday parties, Halloween or just busying little fingers!

Darling Son's birthday....10 Boys, aged 7/8...aaargh!!   Fab crafting activity needed..like now!  

Musts:  To keep them engaged.  To not involve paint.  Must involve goggly eyes, To do something that doesn't involve them getting changed, just school jumpers off.  For the activity to be done and completed, (with 3 breaks for running off energy half way through - keep them fresh, to consume heartily hot dogs & pizza and lastly to play skylanders...of course!) within 1hr 30 around said breaks. Peasy...ahem!

Queue:  'MAKING BAT PUPPETS'

My lovely childminder taught me this one, the technique also works really well for making monsters...just use different coloured tissue paper.

Here we go:

Gather together:

• Scissors
• Old Newspaper
• Masking tape
• Black tissue paper, cut into approx 3cm square pieces or smaller.
• PVA Glue
• A paint brush 
• Plant Sticks - easy to find in Homebase or B&Q  (to hold the bat up with)
• Googly eyes

NOTE*  

Children will most likely need quite a bit of help to get the shape right but will indeed be chuffed to nuts having made the whole thing.    However..if time is tightish or you fear your wee cherubs could lose interest, do this first bit yourself...for my son's birthday crafty tea, I made all the bats ready to be painted with glue & tissue in advance (that is far too late the night before...think 5 P's!)

Righto...gather your gubbins:

Dig out some old newspapers, from a broad sheet you are going to need about 3 sheets if not more. Screw up to make a long body thing, about 7inches long (will do the cm thing soon I promise) and about 2 inches round in diameter.  Twist the newspaper round to get this shape then hold into place with strips of masking tape.

Keep shaping using the masking tape..big bits that you can twist around...don't be shy with it.

The wings are just as simple.  Take a sheet of paper, fold into a square, then make triangles so they are quite thick with paper.  Then...using more masking tape (little bits now) make semi-secure for cutting purposes.




Cut a bat-wing shape, secure with more tape and then add wing onto your body until it looks a bit like this...and you have your shape...albeit very unperfect which is just fine (remember its the doing not being perfect!)

Next slather on some PVA glue over a good wing, body or other chosen bit,  You are now ready for your tissue paper.    (This is a great time for the children to take over).

  

Get your tissue paper ready to go.  Children LOVE this bit.  Cover as much as you can generously lapping on the glue.  

Once you have your model covered entirely, leave to dry or take a hair dryer to it.  (Not too close though obviously)

Artypops Tip*  Your model can become over glued and when little fingers try to put our object down, they can take a load of tissue with them!  At this point, pop in the sun, airing cupboard or take the hair dryer to it.  If you are leaving it to dry au-natural, it should only need about 40 mins.  Feel free to turn it over if its drying in a funny shape.  

When its all dry, you will find our model wonderfully secure..hence all the glue drying and protecting it...lovely eh?

Righto then, we should be at this point:

Now add on the all-important googly eyes and the fangs (tiny white triangles under the eyes at the front) for instant recognition.  (nearing the end now)

Next, take our plant stick.  Adults, make a hole underneath near the centre somewhere.  A good deep hole but not wide, I used the end of a pair or sharp scissors.

Insert your plant stick and it should be pretty secure due to the density of the rolled up newspaper inside.

Lastly...whilst your bat in on the stick and needs no holding, touch up any black bits with either newspaper or marker pen, either is dandy.

Tada!

Well done everyone! 

Beading, Bonding & Birthdays...making 'Hearty Hang-ups'

My favourite time of year.

It's getting to be crafty time, I mean all those delicious events that need celebrating...Halloween, Guy Fawkes and all the things to get ready for the Red Guy to come on the 25th December...my idea of bliss, my husband the opposite (bah humbug grumpus mcflumpus).

So...kicking it all of is my DS's 8th birthday on Monday...aaargh.  Stress.  10 boys for tea, so it's making we shall do.  Monday's weather is looking good so am thinking that a picnic tea in the park might well do, but for now...am planing a 'make-along'.

Am thinking bats.  Bats for Boys.  Making Halloween Bats.  Good for being in season (Darling) good to take home (Happy Mums & Dads) and great to make (happy children).

Have the materials and the plan so oft I go.  Will let you know how we get on.

In the meantime...I have my beautiful nieces and nephew here today alongside my own too.  Organisation is the key and in fact, the day has flown by so fast that am willing the two big ones to come back from swimming now, to cram in the pizza/movie and popcorn part of the plan which is scheduled to start at 4.45...must...stay...on ......schedule!

This mornings activity however was a rip-roaring success.  The tines (ages 4 & 5) made airplay necklace pendants complete with tons of beads kneaded into them, and the older gals made beaded heart pendants complete with hangy bit.  Both went down mighty well.

So with that in mind, I decided to record it to pass on the (mega basic) idea.

Enjoy.

'Making Hangy Beaded Hearts'.

Brill for:  Ages 7 or 8 years up.

Whats needed?

Wire, gardening is fine.

Beads..

Seed beads...(little tiny weeny beads to put between the bigger ones)

Scissors

1.

Gather your stuff altogether and get comfy.. 

(Little hint..pop your beads in a plate or summit easy to pick & choose from

2.

Make yourself a tiny wee loop at the top of the wire to stop the beads coming off as you put them on!  

Then, (this is the important bit) take a seed bead (that is the tiny ones) and put between each big bead.  This does two things, a:  looks very pretty and b:  beefs out the big beads beautifully.  Making your bead collection last twice as long.

Keep beading until your line is about the length of an adults hand, in a line..big bead, then a little one.

3.

Once you are there,make a circle & tie up the ends together by winding and winding.  

Now you have your beads on the wire, you can make the heart shape..remember to make a kink at the bottom of the heart... to really make it sharp and obvious its a heart.

Once we have our beaded hearts, fill up the remainder of the wire with the seed beads and then bend over into a loop, fastening at the bottom.

We are finished and it looks...

Perfecto.  Wonderful as a window decoration, a Christmas tree decoration or for wrapping up and giving as a personalised gift.

Well done x