8 year old birthday party dog paintings

Yesterday there was a birthday party for a very sweet girl turning eight years old.

She wanted to do an art project around her pet Cocker Spaniel, Callie. So her mother sent me some photographs of Callie to choose from and I printed off two of them for the partygoers to use for reference.

Each child created her own original sketch of the dog and then using carbon paper, traced it onto the acrylic paper.

birthday girl

Each artist began by painting in the background. Using only primary colors, I encouraged each girl to mix their colors directly on the paper for more interesting results. 

grade 3

I walked by immediately after the cheeks and nose were added to this picture. How cute are those cheeks?!!! And the addition of the hat? Love it.

During the course of painting there were lots of questions like, "Can I paint the dog a different color?"

What a great lead in for the opportunity to paint the dog in a color that reflects their personality. We spent a bit of time discussing what this meant while they painted the backgrounds. I think the girls got a kick out of yelling out colors that might represent silly, angry, calm, sad and of course, happy!

Although no one ventured outside of making Callie a brown dog instead of a blonde one.

grade 3

I am always amazed at how perfectly artwork reflects the personality of each artist. This little artist was very exuberant and outgoing and her work is too!  Look at everything going on in this picture. What a narrative. I couldn't resist asking her to tell me what was going on in her artwork and I was not disappointed in the story, there is a second dog jumping over Callie- who is wearing a lovely pink bow and what I can only guess are blue shoes or socks? No matter what, she is definitely dressed up for the occasion of having her portrait painted.

There were lots of questions about whether or not they could add accessories to their dog too. I always find it shocking when kids ask me permission to do things in their own artworks but I encouraged them to each follow their own instincts to please themselves when creating their dog picture.

Rapper Callie

By giving them the freedom to express themselves within the project of creating a painting of the birthday girl's pet, the results are unexpected and contain amazing moments of childhood imagination. 

Just look at Callie dressed up as a rapper! Right down to her baseball hat backwards and gold dog chain collar around her neck. Simply priceless.

grade 3

I love how this artist decided to represent the grass. What a great pattern she created! And the simple addition of the matching bow to the collar is adorable.

grade 3

I was quite smitten with the expression captured on this artwork. Doesn't Callie look pleased with herself? I hope the artist was pleased with herself after finishing this sweet picture.

grade 3

I dare you to resist those big puppy dog eyes the artist created in this painting. If this was my dog, it would be very fat as I would never be able to say no to "just one more treat" with eyes like those.

grade 3

The pink touch on the dog tag is brilliant. It was interesting to watch this young artist work throughout the hour and a half. Each and every brush stroke was thought through, as was every addition of color.  So much thought went into this artwork.

grade 3

This painting. 

The fact the artist mixed white into each color is wonderful. The party hat, which I might add were given out to each artist to wear at the beginning of the party, on top of the dog's head. And the expression she created on the face!! To me it looks like Callie is so not impressed with the having to wear a party hat to humor the human people.

This painting oozes personality.

As the artist started finishing, I gave them each a piece of charcoal to go back into the work and add black lines where they thought it was needed. Then we hung them up for everyone to admire while they ate cake and opened presents.

I loved how different each painting turned out even though they were all using the same reference material. 

What a darling group of girls to spend a couple of hours with while they celebrated their friend's eighth birthday. They giggled and talked nonstop, enjoying each others company completely.

Happy Birthday Miss G!!

Thank you for letting me be apart of your special day.

acrylic portrait painting

When the preteen class finally finished their Santo inspired dolls, we had about 15 minutes left in class.

For fun I had each girl begin to sketch their sculptures and then we worked on the importance of adding value while they finessed the drawing.

As their parents arrived for pick up, they had some really interesting and funky little unfinished sketches.

So interesting that it seemed a shame not to create something with them. I decided to create a collage project so they could see how they didn't always have to start from scratch to create an artwork. I also wanted to challenge them with an intuitive painting project, where they let the work lead the way instead of having  a definitive vision of what the finished work would look like in the end. And finally I wanted the girls to explore creating their own unique style for the painting that was not really based on what things actually looked like in real life.

Each girl started with black paint and a bit of their favorite color. With that paint, I had them cover the paper to create a background.

Then they cut out their sketches and glued them down to the paper. Here is where the first "argh" moment happened. The background paint was not completely dry so when they started putting the matte medium on to flu down the sketches, then added the medium to the top of the sketch to make sure the sides of the drawing were adhered well to the paper, some of the black paint began to get on the sketch.

I assured them this was a great thing, even though they did not think it was great.

Then they began to add acrylic paint on top of their drawings.

Now I knew that would cause the graphite to smear and begin to make some great darks and lights for their painting, but again this caused a bit of panic in the girls.

More assurance on my part and they continued to march forward on their "weird" paintings.

Now just so you don't think everything was doom and gloom in the studio, they giggled their way through this process. Mostly giggles directed at me, that I could think any of these things were "great", but they pulled together and supported each other as they dealt with their nutty art teacher.

So as they added the paint, I told them they did not have to maintain the original drawing. They should change and add things as they saw fit to the painting- basically using the sketch as a guideline. I encouraged them to paint "outside" of the sketch.

While the paint was wet, I handed them water-soluble pencils to add in line work. I encouraged them to add arms to the dolls if needed and then a funny thing happened.

11 year old

This student, who more than once declared how much she hated her work, followed by exclamations that it was awful, suddenly announced, "I like this". Although by chance, I pulled out some art by Modigliani for her to look at as I felt her artwork had a lot of similarities to his pieces. In the end, she did a full 360 on how she felt about this project, which as a teacher is what I dream about when creating these ideas! 

To introduce something "weird", that makes the students a bit uncomfortable and unsure at first, so they can discover something new and exciting that they didn't know they would like just makes my day!

11 year old

I handed this artist a white gel pen as she got close to finish so she could add some marks into the work. I love the halo she added so we gain a perspective of the personality of her subject. I would agree that her original doll did look quite angelic and the sweetness of this picture warrants a halo too! I also encouraged her to had loose sketch lines back into her work and am quite pleased with the way she incorporated this suggestion. I think she was too in the end.

12 year old

As this painting was nearing completion, the lack of arms looked a bit strange. So I encouraged the artist to add them but she didn't want to disturb the dress since she was really, really happy with how it looked. So I told her to put her arms behind her back.   We all laughed as we decided it looked like she was hiding something with a "who me?" expression. Giggles ensued as we decided this particularly little girl was quite naughty.

And something marvelous happened in the creative process, the portrait took on a true personality. The artist named her "Naughty Nona" and I told her it might be fun to anchor the artwork with the words. I showed her some examples in my own artwork that I have been playing with recently where I incorporate words and then I gave her a water-soluble crayon and let her write. Once she had the word in place, she painted around it so that some of the color bled into the paint, incorporating it into the painting.

We all decided she might be hiding the crayon behind her back.

I'm quite pleased with the journey these three artist travelled in this project. They went from unsure, to I don't like this style of work, to being quite surprised and happy with the final pieces. I like that they now know they can take a sketch, cut it out and begin a painting with it. I like that they realize they can create their own style in a portrait and like it! Things don't have to look just like real life.

But most of all, I like that this work was inspired by one of their other original artworks. What a lovely little display they will have at home when they put the painted portrait with their beautiful sculptures!

Well done girls.

outsider art inspired acrylic paintings

In the Wednesday elementary class, I introduced outsider art, also called folk art.

In particular I presented the works of Canadian artist, Maud Lewis.

The kids were quite fascinated by her, her life, and the role of growing up with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis had on her life. What sealed the deal for the students though was Maud Lewis's little house, a house she decorated from top to bottom in her paintings...the walls, the wood stove, the stairs, the windows....EVERYTHING.

Once I finished answering a multitude of questions regarding Lewis and her life, the kids began to create their own works of art.

Like Maud Lewis, the kids painted scenes from their daily surroundings.

They all painted a Vancouver landscape.

8 year old

We discussed how they did not need to draw things realistically, nor paint in realistic colors. We discussed how Maud Lewis kept her colors flat and how might they to the same.

6 year old

When they were happy with their compositions, each child traced their lines with a black oil pastel and then were given just primary colors with white, black and brown to use for mixing their own color palettes.

8 year old

When they were finished painting, they had the chance to go over their black lines with either the black oil pastel or in a couple of cases, a black permanent pen.

6 year old

6 year old

I think they were all quite pleased with their work when finished. I love the array of styles that were inspired by Maud Lewis.

10 year old

10 year old

After seeing the response the kids had to this particular artist, I have no doubt I will be introducing her again to the other classes. I'm thrilled that the students took such a liking to Canada's most famous outsider artist.

8 year old

finger painting with acrylics

Last week I had a "Back to School" party in the studio for seven little girls, three 6 year olds, three 8 year olds, and one preschooler.

I decided to introduce a project I did a couple of years ago focused on what else? apples!

First, I explained why the plate of apples was sitting on the floor. I told the girls we would be painting from a bird's eye view perspective.

Then I brought out some work of Cezanne to inspire them. Afterwards, they could either do a working sketch or take a piece of charcoal and draw directly onto the acrylic paper. 

When everyone was happy with their composition, I gave each girl a palette of the three primary colors, black, white, and brown. However there were no paint brushes. I explained we would be using our index finger instead. Although if a child could absolutely not stand getting their finger covered in paint, I would hand them a paintbrush instead. I am happy to say that each girl gave painting with their finger a try although a couple of them then asked to finish with a paint brush.

When painting with their finger, I find it does a great job of keeping the style loose and most importantly really helps emphasize using brush strokes as a tool to create an interesting painting.

The girls also did all their color mixing directly on the paper which went a long way to creating some incredible work. I asked them to all start with their background, then work on their plates, and finally to paint their apples.

I also brought out a color wheel and went over how to use complimentary color to create shadow instead of black.

When they were finished, I gave each girl the charcoal one last time.  I showed them Cezanne's work again and asked them to pay attention to his use of black line. Then they had the opportunity to use the charcoal wherever they felt it should be added to their work.

As the mother was taking a group picture of the girls with their finished artwork, I mentioned to one of the other adults there for pick up how amazed I always am at the variety of work from one set of instructions. I love the way each girl was inspired by Cezanne's work and how they worked out the project instructions to appeal to their aesthetic. What a wonderful way to kick off a new school year.

I will be taking a short break at the studio after a very exciting summer. Don't forget to check out the school year art schedules at KudzuStudio.com. Classes will start the first week of October and I am so excited about the project ideas. There is something for every age group and I'll be introducing some adult workshops and holiday workshops at the end of September too. Be sure to check it out.

painting from nature

This past week, I ran a camp for Seymour Art Gallery in Deep Cove called, "Drawing from Nature".

The first day of camp we spent hiking through the trails and down to the beach. It was a beautiful day and the temperature was perfect. The kids spend the morning sketching the beauty around them and collecting nature's treasures to create artwork with the rest of the week.

The next day, they created acrylic paintings from the hike. We discussed that their artwork could focus on a part of the hike that resonated with them, an item from the hike they collected, or something they wished they would have seen along the way.

(We also created relief tiles with the same instructions. They were stunning but unfortunately I do not have photographs of them to share with you as the last day was very busy up until they walked out the door)

11 year old

As usual, they created their colors using a limited palette of white, black, brown and the primary colors.

7 year old

These two children are twins and were in town visiting their grandmother from Hong Kong. What a great way to take souvenirs home from a trip! Their very own artwork of an environment and town much different than their own.

7 year old

11 year old

As you can see, there was a particular fascination with a tree whose roots were quite exposed. I find it interesting how each child interpreted this tree.

11 year old

This is the view right outside of the gallery. For these lucky kids, this is just the everyday view from main street. 

(If you happen to watch a U.S. television series called Cedar Cove, then you are quite familiar with this view as it is filmed in this town and on this street)

11 year old

We came across some beautiful mushrooms on the hike and I obviously was not the only one fascinated by them.

7 year old

When we made it to the shoreline, it was a treasure trove of beautiful collectables. There were rocks and shells covered with barnacles and this particular one was coveted by a young artist.

7 year old

We crossed a small creek that was home for young salmon and when it is time to spawn, a place where salmon come at the end of their lives. The kids all spent a long time standing still to catch a glimpse of the very young fish and this artist decided to paint a picture of the stream with an adult who has come back to lay her eggs.

7 year old

One of the more exciting moments was when the kids spotted a woodpecker in the woods. I missed it, but it was definitely a highlight of the hike for many.

11 year old

As we neared the beach, there was an excitement in the voice of several of the older girls about a favorite tree. When we arrived, they immediately climbed it and settled in on a branch to sketch. Although I don't recall a swing, it would be a lovely addition to a tree that meant so much to these girls.

7 year old

And finally there was this creation. No, we did not go snorkeling in the water.  However there were many jellyfish laying amongst the rocks while the tide was out. 

Are there sea serpents in the waters of Deep Cove? This child would like to think so to go along with his deep interest and knowledge of the jelly fish.

As you can see, we had a great day hiking. Evident by the images captured in acrylic paint.

royal self portraits in acrylics

I loved this project.

The kids loved this project.

I can hardly wait to do this project again.

Can you tell I'm excited about this project?

I basically took a lesson I have done several times on creating a self portrait and embellished it a bit to fit into the Magic and Myth camp. How? I told everyone they were going to paint a portrait of themselves as royalty.

Who doesn't want to be a King or Queen?

One of my favorite fall purchases last year was some double sided mirrors from Dick Blick. I pulled these out and then step by step showed the kids the rules of the face as we drew together.  I asked them to continually look in the mirror to discover the shape of their face, their eyes, their nose, and their mouth.

I think they all truly enjoyed when I would come around and tell them to look at the way their eyes were beautifully shaped or what a lovely heart shaped face they had.  You could see them blossom under the compliments and that made me feel all kinds of good too.

When they finished their sketch, which took a long time and was very hard work, I handed out sheets of carbon paper so they could easily transfer their sketch to the final paper.

Once they finished tracing with the carbon paper, they added crowns and whatever else they wanted as rulers of a great land.

Next they traced their pencil lines with permanent black marker.

Then out came the acrylic paints.

And when they finished painting, I gave them some gold paint I had to add to their crowns.

It was surprising and wonderful to see the imaginative ideas the kids came up with in this project.  Lots of different ideas on what where they ruled as Kings and Queens.

One boy was King of the mountain. If I put a photograph up of this child, you would be gobsmacked at what an amazing job he did in capturing his likeness.

7 year old

Another little boy was the King of Funnyland. What's not to love about a crown that throws pies, a clown nose and a clown car for your chariot? beep. beep.

7 year old

There were several Queens who ruled over animal lands. Here's the Queen of Puppies and no, that is not a black eye. She has a spotted eye like a dog, along with a gold dog tag around her neck.

7 year old

Another young girl was Queen of the Kittycats.  If she could everything she worked on would have a cat in it, so no big surprise to see her ruling over them too. Check out that cat crown she's wearing too!

8 year old

The afternoon camp had a Queen of Cats also. I love the veil she added to her crown.

9 year old

And some just wanted to be rulers of all animals, evident by the many animals represented in her crown.

8 year old

There was also Queen of the Budgies. Do you see it? There on the left shoulder?

8 year old

I had one student who was obsessed with an online game and she spent a lot of time sharing many details with me. She was thrilled to be ruler over the game.

8 year old

And then some students just decided to do a formal portrait with no embellishments.

10 year old

7 year old

8 year old

Then one child decided she wanted to do her portrait of her cousin, who was also in the class. Although not nearly as pronounced as in the painting, she did have one beautiful green eye and one beautiful blue eye. How sweet is it that this child loves her cousin so much she wanted to create a portrait of her? Lucky kids to grow up with that kind of relationship.

9 year old

And then this happened, one of those moments there is no way to plan and yet I could not be more thrilled to see happen. Lots of times kids will come to camp total strangers yet by the second day look like they have been lifelong friends. Such was the case with these two girls and so by the third day of camp when we worked on these portraits, they asked if they could do theirs together.

Sure. Why not?

And so on one piece of paper, they each began to draw their self portrait. They asked me what they would do when it came time to put it on the final paper and I assured them that since we would be using carbon paper, they could each use the one sketch to trace.

That made them so happy as they began to draw together.

To create this work, the double-headed girl.

10 year old

If that doesn't just encapsulate the spirit of the Magic and Myth camp! What is even more interesting is how different their works are using the exact same sketch.

8 year old

When this project was complete, I was so excited by the variety of artwork. I felt like someone should give me a crown for coming up with the project idea!

To have a project so throughly capture the imagination of the kids was one of those moments you strive for each time.  I think the kids were quite thrilled to see themselves immortalized wearing crowns and I believe years from now will look back on these works and smile.