EST 2017
Make up an imaginary animal by combining two or three or your favorite animals. Draw it with colored pencils and name it.
Ancient cultures from around the world have tales of such creatures and we still see them now in our modern day books and fantasy movies. Now it’s your turn to be the artist, your turn to open up your imagination and create a hybrid of some sort. What animals will you choose? Here are some for inspiration.
Pretend it’s your birthday and you can have any kind of cake you like. Draw it on your paper. Use a pencil and add color with markers.
Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky believed that color and shapes could express feelings and sounds. In one painting he drew a grid full of colorful circles. Take a look at the Kandinsky-inspired example below, then use crayons to create your own version. Experiment with the shapes of your circles and add color to the background of each square. Think about how each color and shape makes you feel.
Draw a grid on your paper or use the free printable below.
Look at your thumbprint and draw it.
Did you know that fingerprints are an individual characteristic and no two people have the exact same fingerprint pattern? Wow, that is a LOT of different patterns. And it will remain the same throughout your entire life span. Knowing these things makes me look at my fingerprint a little differently. It’s like my own signature pattern made and created just for me. How the lines arch, where they end and how some seem to almost intersect before they take a deep dive the other direction. Wavy, long, curvy lines…how does your fingerprint add up?
If you have a little one joining you today, they can always explore their fingerprints and turn it into art as well. Let them use a stamp pad or color their fingertips with marker. Now use that finger(s) to make fingerprints all over your page. Now see if they can turn their fingerprints into something else like a flower or maybe a caterpillar!
Watch the sunset or find a picture of one and count how many different colors you see. Write them down.
I love to watch the sun set and rise, but I can’t remember the last time I was intentional about being still and really observing it. Counting it’s colors and the various shades as they gently fade into one another. The sky is one big canvas where God gets to display his mind blowing artistic ability every moment of every day. How lucky for us that we get to enjoy the beauty and work of his mighty hands.
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
– Psalm 19:1
check out these beautiful unfiltered images of a sunset
Look outside for an insect, or imagine one. How does it move? Draw its path and sketch the insect too.
My kids and I have always found it fascinating to watch the bugs outside during spring. The way they arrive in so many different shapes and sizes and some displaying the most beautiful of colors and patterns. We’ll watch them get full off leaves and carry things away back to their homes leaving various paths along the way. If you can’t make it outside today and need some help envisioning an insect or two, check out these images.
Imagine you’re petting a dog or cat. Draw some lines on your sheet with a pencil to show how it would feel.
Maybe you own a dog or a cat and to cuddle up and pet them is one of your most relaxing moments of the day. Or perhaps you aren’t an animal person at all and to pet one is not your idea of a good time. Regardless of which side of the fence you find yourself on, how we feel when we imagine petting a dog or cat can be shown in our art. Some might have long beautiful lines that curve and flow. Some may have short and sharp lines representing an entirely different experience. Close your eyes and just imagine for a moment or use these images to jump start your creativity.
Many artists are inspired by dreams. In a dream, things can seem both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Artists can show this by distorting familiar objects – for instance, they might shrink or enlarge them. Spanish artist Salvador Dali often did this. Some of his paintings feature melting clocks or animals with extra-long legs.
Try it yourself. Pick an object and distort it however you like. Take a look at these Dali examples to help inspire you
Collect some scrap paper and tear it into small pieces. Using a glue stick, arrange and glue the pieces into a flower shape. Use markers to add details. Combining different materials to make art like this is called “collage.”
I have always loved making collages as far back as I can remember. It’s the recycling of something old and giving it new life I think that I like so much. Creating a flower collage seems so appropriate for this spring season we are in. Having the opportunity to plant and and see new flowers and life spring up all around us. What kind of scrap paper will you use? Newspaper, junk mail, receipts, colored construction paper? Find some beautiful collage inspiration here.
Is it possible to draw a perfect circle? Practice here.
There are a lot of post about how to draw a perfect circle or if one is even capable or drawing a perfect circle or why it’s not exactly your fault your can’t. Regardless, we are going to come up with our own perspective today and see for ourselves if it is possible to draw a perfect circle. Everyone has got a different technique and approach. Let’s see what we come up with and post a pic of your circles in our comments. If you have a little one joining us for our art today, you can use the printable below for a large circle to help guide them.
