MaryAnn F. Kohl, process art and treasures of childhood

Jambalaya by Hunter Hays, only age 4

Only 4 Yearsold - Hank Williams Jr.Jambalaya

 

We often talk about creativity and that it is different than talent. Well, this little guy has both creative energy and talent -- a prodigy possibly.  

Mew Blog Interview with Our Wonderland: My Little Artist's: Interview with MaryAnn Kohl and A Great Artist Art Lesson

I love MaryAnn Kohl she has so much expertise in the world of Children's Art we can all learn so much from her. She has been my go to guide for almost all our art from my prek teacher days to doing art with my girls! :) I LOVE all her books and we use Discovering Great Artist so much from the library I really just need to buy it and I think I will with some birthday money I have leftover. So I was so happy when I got to interview her (big happy day) and even more happy when she offered my favorite book Discovering Great Artist as a giveaway for one of my lucky readers and Little Masterpiece participants :)!

via lettersnumbersandbooksohmy.blogspot.com

Dark Sugar Chalk - from Preschool Art

Simply dipping chalk into sugar water will brighten the colors
 and ultimately help a little with chalk smudges. So easy! So beautiful!
If you work on dark paper, you'll be extra pleased.

Dark Sugar Chalk   
    from PRESCHOOL ART
 

 

Preschool Art, by MaryAnn Kohl offers over
 200 process-oriented preschool activities for children ages 3-6 years.

Materials: • colored chalk  • black paper or matte board  • 1/3 cup (70g) sugar or less,  dissolved in 1 cup (230 ml) water  • cotton balls, optional

Art Process:

1. Soak the chalk sticks in the cup of sugar water for five to ten minutes (or just dip now and then is ok too). This adds brilliance to the color and helps resist smudging. 
2. Draw on the black paper with the sugar chalk. Lines can be bold and bright or light and blurry. 
3. Brush chalk marks with cotton balls as an optional art technique.
 

 

Variations:

• Make a spooky fall drawing. The black background will make the colors seem to glow. 
• Use other colors and different textures of paper. 
• Paint the paper with a mixture of canned milk and liquid starch. Draw on the wet paper for a sparkling effect.

Hint: Chalk is inherently smudgy, but the sugar-water mixture will help reduce smudging a little bit. 

© copyright MaryAnn Kohl 2010

Permission is given to print one copy for personal use.
Multiple copies require permission from MaryAnn Kohl or the publisher, Gryphon House.
Go to: www.brightring.com   or   www.gryphonhouse.com and find contact link.

25th Anniversary Sale extended

25th Anniversary • Bright Ring Publishing

So many people have requested that I keep 

 my anniversary sale going through all of 2010 

 that I have done just that! 

 The sale prices are reduced to include 

 free shipping and tax
and 
 will continue 

 through the end of 2010.

Visit www.brightring.com for prices and ordering.

 

Listen: "Tubby the Tuba" with Danny Kaye as storyteller

This is a repost, but I don't want you to miss this! 
 Danny Kaye is a storytelling master -
 run and get the kids so they can listen with you.

Danny Kaye 
sings and tells a story that I Ioved as a child, and listened to over and over ~ 
"Tubby the Tuba"

This popular children's song became a hit for Danny Kaye after he hosted his own CBS radio show in 1945. 
 

It tells the story of a tuba who played in an orchestra, but never got to play a melody - 

that is until he meets the bullfrog!

Kids will love when the orchestra joins Tubby with their waves of orchestration,
 as Danny says, "And they all played!"

  Favorite songs: 
 "Alone Am I"
 and
 "Tubby's Song, a tuba solo" 
 (click on Tubby the Tuba above to listen) 

As a child, I played Tubby's tuba solo song thousands of times - hauntingly beautiful.

Superheroes and Princesses Had Fun with "Art with Anything"

Creating art with fingerpainting, but covered with contact paper, STICKY SIDE UP! :)  Smoosh the paint around by pressing down on the sticky contact paper. The tactile stickiness combined with the color mixing and paint spreading is a fun experience. 

When you finish smooshing the paint around, discard the contact paper and let the artwork dry!

superheroesandprincesses.blogspot.com

5 Days of Art with Address Labels

Stick-On Address Labels: art for 5 days in a row
from Art with Anything: 52 Weeks of Fun Using Everyday Stuff
by MaryAnn F. Kohl
$19.95 tax + shipping included ~ 25th Anniversary Special

Do you have a few sheets of white address labels on hand, maybe even some with addresses incorrectly printed on them, or labels that didn’t quite line up? Things that stick are an inspiration for art any day of the week!

Materials for the Week

• child-safe scissors
• crayons, markers, paints, and paintbrushes
• drawing paper, construction paper or colored paper, sturdy paper or cardboard, poster board
• old magazines
• sealable plastic bag or envelope for storing puzzle pieces
• sheets of white address labels (used or new)

Day 1: Label Collage

• Color each individual label on a full sheet of white address labels in a different way. Draw designs on some labels, and cover others with single blocks of color.

• To make a simple label collage, peel and stick the labels on a colorful piece of paper in any fashion, overlapping the labels if desired.

• Picture Cover Art Idea: Cover a magazine picture or poster, leaving some of the picture exposed between colorful labels; fully covering other parts of the picture.

Day 2: Painted Label Art

Note: This art idea is for groups or partners.

• Each child paints, colors, or scribbles over an entire sheet of white address labels with one color.

• The artists then share their labels so everyone has different colored labels with which to work.

• Use the labels to make colorful collages.

• Mosaic Idea: Cut the labels into smaller squares and create a label mosaic on drawing paper.

Day 3: Woven Look Painting

• Paint a wash of colors on a large sheet of paper. Don’t worry about painting a picture—simply paint colors and shapes. Cover the paper completely.

• When dry, peel and stick labels in a planned pattern where the labels are spaced out in lines and rows (or some other pattern).

• The painting may resemble a weaving when viewed from a distance.

• Color or decorate the labels.

Day 4: Label Puzzle Craft

• Completely cover a sturdy piece of paper or cardboard with peel-and-stick labels.

• Draw a picture on the entire sheet of stickers, ignoring lines and sections.

• To make a puzzle, cut the sheet apart between labels.

• Reassemble the puzzle picture.

• When finished, store the puzzle pieces in a sealable plastic bag, envelope, or small box.

Day 5: Fancy Spaced-Out Labels

• Draw on a full sheet of blank labels using crayons, paints, or markers. A detailed picture or a freeform design will work equally well.

• Peel off each drawn-on label, and then reassemble the labels in the same order on a piece of poster board. Leave large spaces between the labels as you put them on the poster board. These spaces will create a larger version of the original piece of art, as well as an optical illusion.

• Some artists like to color or decorate between the labels; others prefer to leave the spaces untouched.

* You may print one copy of this post for personal use only.  Multiple copying, printing, dispersing or sharing must receive permission from MaryAnn Kohl. Copyright restrictions must be observed. © Gryphon House 2010.