Now all I need is a Fox!

You gotta love a plant that grows up to 5' tall through a crack in the stones.

If only I could be this resilient and able to face adversity and flourish.

Will work on that ;)

Pinocchio's Nose Grows!

We studied Pinocchio-

well not too much as it really is an awful story for kids-

but we focused on the lying part of it and how his nose grows.

So I figured we needed to make a puppet and have his nose grow.

So we make 3 layers-

background, puppet and a nose.

We cut them out...

and used metal fasteners to attach the body parts.

Here is one of the student's Pinocchio layer.

And here are some students with their finished pieces.  

Wish you could see the nose grow as we made extended noses

that go back and forth from a level pulled behind.

Aren't these fun?

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose...or not

I started teaching my young Thursday class how to do layers on Brushes XP for the iPad.

Considering these are 1-3 graders and the concept is even hard for some of us to get (ahem...including me), 

I think these are wonderful.

First they drew the black outlines.

Then I told them to trust me and follow along...

So then we opened a layer beneath the first one and colored in their flowers and vases.

They were amazed to see the magic.

Their black lines did not disappear,

but the colors filled in right behind.

Then we opened the third layer and they colored the background.

Again they were amazed by the magic!

Oh to be young and amazed at the wonder of the world,
or in this case the iPad.

Would you invite Jonah and the Whale to eat lunch with you?

OK this was a fun one!

The theme consisted of drawing crustaceans and placing them over a pattern.
I thought outside the box -- when does that not happen?
I decided Jonah and the Whale would be a good theme.

So I took mixed media patterns and drew over them on the iPad.

This one reminded me of the submarine ride at Disneyland years ago.

It always freaked me out because the water would drip in from the top portal as 

we purveyed the watery landscape outside our window.

And granted the subject matter might be a little bold for kiddos,

but not according to the kids I teach.

They would love it; guess they think a little outside the box too ;)

Since I still am not paying for a monthly Photoshop subscription (sigh),

I decided to do the next best thing and make my mock up in the virtual world.

So I printed and cut out the plates

and gave them a great table setting.

What a fun assignment and class.
I will miss Lilla Rogers' Bootcamp when it is over.
Only one more assignment next month ;(

Under the Sea...

 Last week in Wednesday's iPad art class 

we made small hinged books around a layered theme.

 My example showed Zoe scuba diving

and searching for friends under the sea.

 I made four layers,

printed them out, then cut and attached to a hinged edge.

 This is a great way to get the students to understand the layers in Brushes 

or any drawing program such as Photoshop too.

 Some made their own under the sea cards.

 Here is the back layer to the finished one above.

 And here is a cute underground raccoon cave

with hanging plants and a photo bombing raccoon.

Love the back layer of this one.

And here is an example of all four layers on top of each other.

They are printed and will be made into a cute card in tomorrow's class.

How cute is this sports themed card?

Next we will tackle a huge pop up card with 5 plus layers.  

Stay tuned for more fun.

Have a happy hump day!

Thought you might need some flowers to get you

through the rest of the week.

Hang in there...

anything worth doing well is often difficult and frustrating,

but a bouquet of bounty is yours for the persevering!

Just Jump In!

Sometimes you just need to jump in

and lay down anything.

 Color, texture, line and shape...

just to give your brain something to grasp on to 

and begin the creative process.

And a new stencil helps the process along.

I am loving this stencil and the affect it gives.

Oh and btw-

Just found out this one sold!

So I am doing the happy dance!