Sunshine!

Sunshine! 

Sunny days...so many outside activities to enjoy this time of year....but sometimes it gets way too hot out to enjoy the outdoors...

What to do?

Let's make some sunshine...inside where it's cooler...

We can use different kinds of paper...watercolors...markers...you can use any materials that you want to...

This one was made with a watercolor background...crayons and scrapbook paper...

You can do one in all watercolor like this one...

Or you can even use old magazine pictures...

let's get started and I'll show you how...

First, find some colorful magazine pages...

Cut out a half-circle shape that will fit on your blank paper and several long angle shapes for the sun's rays...

Before you glue them on let's take a white crayon and add some wiggly lines to our blank paper...

Then wash blue watercolor all over the paper...see how the white crayon shows?

Be sure to let your paper dry and then arrange your sun shapes on your paper and glue them down...

 Your sun picture is done and ready to hang!

I hope you enjoyed this little project with me. I would love to see your pictures. You can post them in the comments.

I also posted a how-to video on Youtube:

Sunshine!

And on my Facebook page:

Sunshine Video

Painting Rocks

At the elementary school where I work, we have an annual Park Day where we go to our local park and spend the day. The students play games...swim...eat lunch and paint rocks. 

This year we have been out of school since the middle of March. No end of the year activities this time.  

It's sad in so many ways...so much we are all missing that we took for granted. Some things we didn't even enjoy much...that is until they aren't there.

I know the kids have a blast at Park Day and the last few years when a few volunteers and I have had them paint rocks for our "Rock Path" I've had a blast too!

So, since we can't paint rocks at the park this year hopefully we can paint some at home and remember all the fun times ...the memories of Park Day.

I posted a video about Rock Painting on my Facebook Page. It includes a short demonstration of painting a rock.

I've also uploaded the video to Youtube:

Painting Rocks

Now let's do a short picture demonstration of another way to paint rocks.

For this rock, we will do dot painting...I used these punches, but you can use sticks...pencils...q-tips...experiment to see what works best...use several different sizes...

Start towards the center and do a spiral of dots of different sizes...

Next do another one right next to the first spiral...using a different color...I used white first and then light blue which doesn't show up in this picture...

Do it again in a different color...

Continue until your rock space is filled with dots...

Here is another version of the same technique...

I hope you enjoyed painting some rocks and I hope you include a picture in the comments or on my Facebook page: 

We All Need Art and Friends

Let's Get Buggy

Summer isn't here yet, but we've been invaded by bugs!

Nasty flying ones...crawling ones and the worst...Mormon Crickets!

Some of us like bugs...some don't...the only ones I like are the kind that are cute that you can draw...

You can draw them flying the air...crawling on the ground...or on flowers...

However, you draw them...they are fun to do and then to color...so let's give it a try and draw these tulips and bugs...

First, you draw a simple egg shape somewhere on your paper...then add partial eggs on each side..these are the petals on your tulip...

Add another tulip...

Then draw the tulip stems and add some leaves...

Now for your first bug...two round circles for eyes...be sure to add the black pupils...then a small oval under the eyes for his head...two long skinny ovals make his body...

Finally, add his four wings...

Lastly for this little guy you can add some dots or dashes that show his path...

Now that you've got the basics for a dragonfly you can do a butterfly!

same basic shapes..just make the wings bigger and add some antennae...

We're almost done with our drawing...how about a little ladybug on a leaf?

half a circle for her head...keep it small...add half-circles for her wings...don't forget her antennae and spots...

The last step of your drawing is to add some grass at the bottom...

And there it is...your drawing is finished...now you can trace over your pencil marks with a black marker like I did...or you can start adding color...

I used colored pencils...green for the leaves and stems...

A darker green for the grass...

I chose yellow for my tulips...you choose your favorite color...

I colored the dragonfly blue and brown...red and brown for the butterfly and of course a red and black ladybug...

To finish up I added some darker coloring to add some shading...

I also did a video showing you how to draw some of the bugs...you can find it on Facebook:

Let's get Buggy

Or on Youtube:

Let's get Buggy-Youtube

I hope you enjoy this post and the video and get out there and make art...and when you do...Please share your pictures in the comments...

Sunflowers...

Sunflowers are one of my favorite flowers...they just say Happy! Can't we all use more Happy these days?  I want to share my art with others and encourage everyone to make their own art...so let's get started...

First some examples I did...this one was colored with markers...

 watercolors...

 colored pencils...

Then I did one in Acrylic...I used different colors too...You can follow along and make one too:

First, decide where you want to start your flower...a corner...in the middle...or like I did...the side...then draw several circles inside one another...depending on where you start these may be quarter...half or whole circles...since I started on the side mine are half circles...

Second, draw in your petals...

then your leaves...

Now you can start adding detail...

be sure to continue your design on the edges

 if you are using a canvas panel like this one...

You can copy my designs or make your own...

you can find a lot of different designs on the internet to use...

After your design and flower are drawn you may want to outline it with a black permanent marker as I have...this helps you still see the design as you paint it...especially if you are using acrylics...

Now the painting begins...first a sky blue background for mine...

you can use any color you like...

I decided to make a blue flower instead of another yellow sunflower...

You can use any colors/combination of colors you like...

the only limit is your imagination...

After painting the petals blue and the leaves green...

I started painting the center with different shades of blue...

Added a little light purple...

We're almost done...

Finally, I added more detail...I like to also outline in a darker color to make everything pop!

And there you have it...

Here is the link to my video on Facebook which gives you more information and demonstrates drawing and coloring another sunflower:

Sunflower Video

I hope you enjoy this post and the video and get out there and make art...and when you do...Please share your pictures in the comments...