My Creative Side
Watercolour and mixed-media art projects and inspiration for FREE.
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Creative Warm Up - Describe and Draw
At the beginning of each kids’ art class I like to have a warm up. It’s a good way to connect our hands to our heart and our eyes. Warm ups change through the season. because I notice when an idea gets old for the kids. Their efforts and excitement starts to dwindle. A month ago I started the Describe and Draw warm up, where I find a picture online (usually Pinterest) and they need to draw a picture based on my words, and their interest came back.
The Playful Artist - Being Green In The Art Studio
As an art instructor, artist, and Mom, I am aware of the waste in art. The amount of paper, canvases, clay, craft supplies, paint, brushes, crayons, and markers that end up in the bins is heartbreaking but unavoidable. Art is a necessity, and stopping is not an option.
Drawing Prompt - River and Mountain Landscape
My goal today is to take this river and mountain photo and turn in into something a little more abstract using my mixed-media tools. You might want to try the same thing or paint this photo how you see it.
The Playful Artist - The Power of Being Seen
There are people we meet in our lifetime who make a huge impact on us and the path we take, and one of them, for me, was my grade 12 English teacher, Mrs. Heimstra. It’s a pretty funny story, looking back, because all she did—and I still don’t know why—was ask me if I wanted to join the small (super elite, in my mind) group of kids representing our school at the Academic Decathlon.
Art Project - Tree Sprouting
The sprouting tree is lush, playful, and open to new ideas. I started very light and built up the colours from there. If you want to se my video, I am posting for all to see. Give it a try!
Drawing Prompt - Lanterns
What beautiful shapes and colours to play with. The trick might be in making the paper lanterns glow. It will take a bit of planning ahead. If you’re using watercolours, I would start very light and then build the colour from there, allowing the lightest areas to stay light.
How To Use Watercolours - Start A Messy Landscape
When I start a messy, abstract landscape painting, this is how I usually begin. Watch how I started My Assurance, a messy landscape painting created from a few brush strokes.
Art Project - Gnome Home
The gnome home art project idea came to me after a birthday party art session and the girls were wanting to paint a gnome or a gnome home. We did the gnome (they rocked it) and then I thought I should do a gnome home still because the possibilities are endless. It’s so fun!
Creative Warm Up - Watercolour Bubbles
I tried to combine the watercolour bubbles with a koi fish painting but, truly, all the kids really wanted to do was create a full page of bubbles in different colours and sizes. It’s a really fun and rewarding thing to do!
The Playful Artist - Artist In Training
Well, this is exciting. I was asked-and even encouraged-to use Fernie Fix as a platform for my own personal agenda: to make everyone start a daily creative practice! Mwaahhahaha! You’re all going to be drawing birds in adorable sweaters in no time.
Creative Warm Up - Imaginative Play
Creative warm ups to keep your imaginations sharp - ripped pieces of paper turned into a picture and a doodle play practice.
Drawing Prompt - Palm Trees
We don’t get a lot of palm trees in Fernie, BC, Canada, so when I see a picture of palm trees, I consider it a challenge. Let’s see how we recreate this row of palm trees! Everyone will work so differently, which is so fascinating to me, and what makes me love art so much. Enjoy!
Art Project - Polar Bear with Salty Sky
The polar bears are the easy part. This piece is more about exploring the sky and trying to find the colour and textures you want to use. In our art classes we used salt and tissue paper to create texture in the sky.
Drawing Prompt - Winter Lodge
This photo reminds me of Island Lake Lodge, a really cool resort just west of Fernie, BC. Since I want to practice evening landscapes, I thought this would be just the right place to start. The contrast of warm light and cool colours will make the cabin really stand out.
Art Project - Gift Labels
Create your own Christmas gift labels or make them for Birthdays, too. These gift labels can be made a couple different ways. I used shipping label paper from Staples and then drew on them with marker and coloured pencils. You can also create these using regular white printer paper and glue or tape them to your presents.
Drawing Challenge - Weekly December Prompts
It’s my first weekly drawing challenge where you get a prompt and try, the best that you can, to draw, paint, etch, sketch the word of the week multiple times. The challenge is to create from the same prompt in different ways each day.
Art Project - Raahat Kaduji’s The Sea Turtle
Recreating and teaching with another artist’s artwork for my art classes is challenge in itself, as I am trying to figure out how they made it…AND I have to simplify it for my kids who can be as young as 7.
Art Project - Pumpkin Stack
This art project will have 2 parts. We’re going to start with the Pumpkin Stack and then get to the Jack-O-Lantern Stack in a couple weeks…for obvious reasons.
Drawing Prompt - Get Loose Birch Tree
During a walk along the Annex Park path, I snapped a photo of this tree and immediately knew I was going to paint it…or something based on it. I take a lot of pictures with the idea of painting it later.
Drawing Prompt - Bike
Bikes are one of those things I have a hard time drawing if I’m not looking right at one. When I find things difficult, I practice them. So let’s paint a bike together!