Clay Exploration, Leaf Prints, and Sculpture

For our week of clay exploration, some children worked with clay for the first time, while others re-visited this fun medium, experimenting with new techniques. The 1s and 2s classes began testing out a few tools to manipulate the clay.

After a bit of exploration with only the tools, the children were offered decorative objects to use with their clay (popsicle sticks, buttons, glitter, and paint).

The older twos classes tried out our new plaster molds. They pushed clay into the mold, rolled over it with their rolling pin, and then peeled it up to see detailed designs appear- So exciting!

The younger classes were eventually given water to add to their clay for a super sensory (and messy!) experience.

Window painting was also a hit this week!

The 3s/4s classes first were introduced to resist leaf printing. They chose leaves to press into their clay, painted over the entire thing with tempera, then peeled up the leaf to reveal their print.

After peeling up the leaves, you can see the veins printed into the clay. The leaves also acted as a resist to the paint, allowing the outline of the leaf to show when peeled up.

After leaf printing, the kids began to add to their work with more clay and decorations.

Some kids also decided to pick out items from the recycled materials bin to use with their clay.

 A couple of the finished sculptures...

Watercolor Exploration

For the second week of art class, we focused on liquid watercolors. We began with an oil pastel/watercolor resist technique where the combination of an oil pastel drawing and watercolor painting creates a resist effect. The oil pastel resists the watercolor and shows through the painting!

The 2s classes practiced making marks and drawing shapes. Then painted over their drawing with liquid watercolors.

Of course glitter was involved and some children chose items from the shelf to incorporate into their paintings.

We also practiced more fine motor skills by using droppers to suck up the paint and drop it onto coffee filters. This type of paper soaks up the watercolor to make an interesting tie-die effect.

Finally, the 2s classes, had a super sensory exploration with white foam paint (which feels like shaving cream, but is non-toxic), watercolors, and fun tools!

For the drawing portion of the 3s/4s classes, we focused on self-portraits. Each child was given a hand mirror to study their faces before using oil pastels to try to draw themselves.

After a fun attempt at self-portraits, the kids began to explore the watercolors with droppers, toy cars, and glitter.

After class, the kids continued the fun outside- playing at the water table and spraying liquid watercolors onto a large drop cloth.

The evolving garden at GROW also proved to be a source of non-stop entertainment. The chickens and bunny were enticing the younger ones, while the older boys were engaged in some hard work... filling up a wheelbarrow with logs and straw! 

Fall Classes Have Begun!

The new Make+Believe art studio has opened! After a long month of moving the studio, getting the classes filled, and finding the right teachers we have finally begun our fall session. Here is a look into the new space- it's small, but feels just right for our little tots.

For our first week of the session, we began with finger/wacky object painting for the 1's and 2s classes. The returning students never get tired of messy painting, while the new children get to explore the tempera paints and wacky tools that will soon become very familiar. This activity is also a great way to show the children (and parents!) that this studio is place for messy exploration and open-ended creativity.

The easels are a always a big hit with the younger classes.

The 3s/4s classes began by mixing their own colors to use in their paintings. Quite a bit of time was spent squeezing and stirring the primary colors to see what new and interesting colors they could create.

When they were ready to paint, the children used their new colors as a base for a mixed-media art piece. Some of the kids added circle tissues and glitter, while others decided to cut their own tissue shapes and add other bits of collage materials to their work.

 The kids had fun getting to know their teachers as well!

At the end of each class, everyone washed up in the water table outside and got to explore the new garden area of the GROW Art & Garden Education Center. The chickens, the fort, and the hay bales were especially enticing!

A New Space for the Studio!

I have more exciting news! Along with the upcoming launch of our online shop, The Make+Believe children's art studio (formally known as Littlest Birds Studio) is moving to a commercial space within a new community art and garden education center in Mill Valley. I'm so excited to grow the studio and to be a part of a larger community of teachers and artists. Classes will begin on Oct. 31st, so if you are in the area please come by and get involved! For class details see the "Art Classes" page on the side bar.

Through October, the center is hosting a pumpkin patch that supports the Mill Valley public school art programs. Hope to see you there!

Photos by Modern Kids Photography

Testing Clay

As you might have guessed from my last post, I've been on a product testing bender for the past few weeks. I want to make sure that the products I'm selling meet my high standards of quality art materials, are of good value, and are easy for children to manipulate. I try to get kids involved in the testing as much as possible... they make it so easy to see what works and what doesn't!

When it came time to test the clay that will be in our kits, my 3 yr old daughter, Karuna, was super excited to try it out. She's been working with clay in my art classes for a year and 1/2, but this was the first time she decided to sculpt a recognizable figure. I was caught off guard by the details of the little person she ended up creating. I love witnessing new stages in children's creative development! Karuna was so proud of her sculpture, she wanted to keep working with the clay and decided to make a pinch pot as well.

 

After the clay pieces dried,  Karuna painted them with tempera and doused them with glitter (and to make sure they last, I sealed them with Mod Podge). I think we've found ourselves an awesome clay product for kids! Keep your eyes out for our Create With Clay! supply kit and project ideas in the Make+Believe shop. Coming soon :)

A Little Research Project

The Make+Believe Shop will be launching soon! I just finished ordering all of our products and decided that that I'd share some interesting information. There are a lot of products out there to choose from and I wanted to make sure that I was picking high quality items that are also true to their advertising. If a paint says "washable," is it too much to expect it to actually be washable?? As a parent, I've experienced first hand what it's like when I let my daughter finger paint with "washable" paints, only to find out after doing the laundry that her yellow dress is now practically tie-died with blue and red stains. I'm all about getting messy and don't even mind stained clothes, but I do mind when a product boldly pronounces itself to be washable when it clearly isn't.
So here is a little research I did while choosing children's "washable" tempera paint to sell in my shop.

After narrowing it down to two brands, I did a swatch test and painted red and blue from each brand onto pieces of white cotton. Paint A has better colors, closer to true red and blue which is good for color mixing (but the blue also had a strong chemical smell that turned me off). Both paints are clearly labeled "washable" on the front of the bottles. I let them dry, then threw them into the washing machine with cold water and regular detergent. Here are the results...

So it looks like there is a clear winner! You won't find any of "Paint A" in my shop. Paint B is Palmer Washable Poster Paint that will be available in many colors on Make+Believe. If you're looking for brighter, truer pigments we will also have Palmer Prism Tempera paints that are not very washable, but don't claim to be!

Welcome to My New Home!

For all those of you who have visited me at the Littlest Birds Studio, thank you for finding me here at Make+Believe. I have spent more than 3 years helping young children discover the world of art... the technique, the self-expression, the collaboration, the messes, and the pure joy of creativity! Although I will continue to teach and post about classes, I am beginning a new journey, bringing my passion for children's creative growth to the greater public.
In September I will be launching my new online shop, Make+Believe, where you'll find children's art projects, creative products, events, and a community forum. I hope to encourage children's creative development through open-ended, exploratory art projects and unique products. I look forward to connecting with you and creating a large community of folks who believe in the importance of creativity and want to help inspire the next generation of creative thinkers.

This photo of me and my family was taken by the awesome Sarah Wert of Modern Kids Photography... more of her photos to come soon!