We look all over the world to find inspiration for our art. In the Mexican markets, in the brightly coloured stalls, you can find mirrors made from tin foil. So, in true inspiring fashion you can create these beautiful pieces of art with your little ones. If you are thinking about explaining the art elements to your little one, then we are using lines as repetitions and patterns!
You will need:
Embossing foil (found at art stores) or you can alfoil
Newspaper
Pencils and textas
Compass
Scissors
Glue (a hot glue gun is best if available)
A3 paper (to be cut square)
Imagination……
Once you have all your equipment you can begin by creating a circle with a compass on the tin foil. You can also use a round lid, as long as it is not too big.
Continue by creating two or three more circles, larger than your tin foil on your A4 piece of paper.
Using a pencil, you can begin to carve in a design on the outside of your tin foil. You can use your imagination to create any organic or geometric shapes, they all look amazing! Please be mindful that the edge may be sharp. Use newspaper under your tin foil so that the softness of the paper creates a buffer to push against. Once completed, place to one side and begin creating your mirror background.
Teaching your child about using repetitious patterns on each circle allows them to be focused on the task, deep in concentration, creating some gorgeous mindfulness in art. Do the same with as many circles as you have created on the background of your mirror. Cut the final image out and hot glue gun the tin foil into the mirror.
Voila – a stunning Mexican mirror.
Credit goes to my art assistant, Jeanie (8 years) for her stunning Mexican mirror!
If your house is similar to mine, where your children are slightly obsessed with scratch paper – then this art is for you! The absolute thrill of scratching off the top colour to find another nestled beneath is akin to magic for our little and big children. However, the cost of these magical papers is quite astounding…so, let’s make our own! You will need: A4 paperA scratch tool (or something pointy – I use the end of a paintbrush for my kids when they are fighting over our scratch tool!)A pack of Oil Pastels – I used Micador, but any brand will work. Office works sell Faber-Castell and Staedtler oil pastels for under $10, as would most stationary stores.Great arm muscles!!! The arts learning is about layering, as you will need to layer dark over light colours, for this to work really, really well. Apart from that, the process is simple! Begin by creating patches of lighter colours all over the page. You will need to press really hard and make the pastels look thick, not showing any white from the page behind. It doesn’t not matter where you put the colour, or the shapes that you make…there are NO…
The leaves are beginning to slowly change colour, which can mean only one thing, autumn is on it’s way! Autumn is the season of colour, and by far my favourite. I remember I used to go out of my way to step on a crunchy leaf, and for some reason it still brings out the child in me! These activities have been created with young children and preschoolers in mind, but they’re equally as satisfying for older age groups too (ahem, even really big kids at heart!). They’re easy and quick to put together and especially great for keeping those toddlers busy while you get something else done, or better yet, sit down and have a cuppa, or read that magazine you bought three weeks ago that’s still sitting on the kitchen counter! Contact Art You will need: Clear contactBlack card or brown paper, cut into a trunk and then some branch shapes. Homemade leaves (you could pre paint/fingerpaint some autumn colours with your child and cut it into leaf shapes)Or craft leaves from a variety shopSticky tape To begin… Cut some contact off the roll and round off the top. Then pull off the paper backing. Stick this (with…
There is inspiration all around us at the moment, to get us thinking and talking about art! I bet all your little ones are already talking about the riot of colours festooned on our deciduous trees in our streets. Take a moment to go outside in the beautiful autumn light and collect a handful of different sized and shaped leaves to use in our resist print, ‘Autumn Inspired Artwork.’ You will need the following: A canvas or A3 (or larger) paperTwo warm acrylic colours to represent Autumn- I used cool yellow and magentaTwo spray bottles filled with water–just pop some acrylic paint in each bottle so that it can sprayYour collection of leavesA smock or old clothes – for both of youA healthy dose of patience! To begin creating, place your leaves onto your canvas wherever you like....you are the artist! You will need to hold down the leaves with one hand and spray with the other. Little people may need some extra help here! Holding down the leaves ensures that the paint does not go under the leaf as we want to get a nice clear, white resist of the leaves. It is really important that you start with…
I am a Mum of three gorgeous teenage boys, residing in the beautiful Adelaide Hills. As a visual arts teacher I am surrounded by creative, young minds that continually astound and inspire me. I love being active and enjoy holding Sister Circles in the Hills than enable women to connect, find clarity and calmness in their lives.
“The painter has the Universe in his mind and hands” Leonardo Da Vinci