Art For The Creative Soul - Art For the Creative Soul Blog

Great Art Lessons for the Creative Soul

Cool Winter Art Resources

1/12/2022

Happy 2022! We're almost halfway through January and just starting to experience mild winter weather where we live in southeastern North Carolina. As the temperature drops, ideas for winter themed art activities go up on Pinterest, social media, etc. Read further to review a brief list of some cool winter themed art resources that you can start using today.

Winter Paintings

Having discussions about art is one of the best ways to help young artists to develop visual intelligence. Start with these paintings from some of our favorite artists to initiate a conversation with your students. Ask questions such as:
1. Which painting looks similar to your neighborhood or home?
2. Which painting looks similar to a place you have a visited?
3. Which painting is a great example of texture, value, color, etc.? Explain your answer.

Horace Pippin, "Maple Sugar Season, 1941

Lois Mailou Jones, "1220 Quincy Street", ca. 1948-53, Oil on Canvas, 15 1⁄2 x 10 5⁄8 in. (39.5 x 27.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum

Lois Mailou Jones, "Winter Night", c. 1950, Lithograph on Paper

Jacob Lawrence, "City college is like a beacon over Harlem", 1943, Gouache on Paper, 53.3 x 35.6 cm. (21 x 14 in.

Winter Picture Books

As you have perused our website, you have probably figured out that we love to use children's picture books as sources of inspiration for art lessons and activities. These colorful winter themed children's picture books are fun to read and great for your art library. Click on the cover to learn more about each book.

Winter Art Lessons

Create your own paintbrushes to do this colorful Skier Painting and purchase our Snowy Day Pajamas Art Lesson to use with The Snowy Day book. What types of winter themed art resources do you love to use? Leave a comment below.

The Art of Puppetry

12/6/2021

Season's Greetings!! As we move quickly towards the end 0f 2021, we hope you're experiencing a joyous holiday season. After the popular response to our No Sew Baby Sculpture video (which could also be used as puppet), we wanted to share more thoughts about the art of puppetry. While puppets are a great tool for telling stories in the classroom and encouraging playtime with younger learners, they are even more exciting to create. Here's a small sample of puppeteers, characters and activities to enhance the puppetry unit in your art curriculum.

Puppet Creation

Puppetry is such a fun unit to explore because you can use a variety of materials, techniques and styles to create one. Moreover, this unit can be used in grades Pre-K-12. They can be simple small finger puppets made out of paper or larger marionettes composed of wood and fabric. You can also make a hand puppet with a paper bag or an intricately cut shadow puppet.

Puppets can be modeled after animals, people, or fictional characters from your imagination. Check out this simple hand puppet we made using felt fabric, a recycled sock, a low-temp hot glue gun, stickers, and puff paint:

1. Grab a sock. 2. Cut the shapes for the puppet out of felt. 3. Use the hot glue gun to glue the shapes to the sock. 4. Use puff paint and stickers to add details to the puppet.

Black Puppetry Featured on TV

The iconic television show Sesame Street is a great example of how puppetry can be used to entertain, educate and inspire. The puppetry featured on the show also displays great craftsmanship and creativity. While most of the characters on the show are not normally identified racially, there are a few puppets that have been used to represent Black culture throughout the history of the show:

Actor Matt Robinson was the first black actor to voice the first Black Sesame Street character "Roosevelt Franklin" . Graphic from www.watchtheyard.com

Segi appeared at the 2015 Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala, puppeteered by Geri Cole and voiced live by Naturi Naughton. Image from www.muppet.fandom.com

Puppetry in the Theatre

One of our favorite examples of puppetry is displayed in the phenomenal broadway production of the Lion King. We were mesmerized by the life-sized puppetry when we saw the show for the first time. Have you seen any other cool examples of puppetry used in a theatrical performance?

Puppeteers in the Community

Black puppeteers are an important part of the puppetry community. We had the pleasure of seeing some of the amazing puppet creations of multimedia artist Tarish Pipkins in person. His puppets are fantastic and made using recycled materials. His work has appeared in several music videos and he facilitates workshops around the country. Visit his website to learn more about his innovative creations.

We are equally impressed by the performances of talented ventriloquist Megan Piphus. She has mastered the art of puppetry and is distinguished with being the first Black female puppeteer on Sesame Street. Learn more about this phenomenal performerar on her website: https://www.meganpiphus.com

Ventriloquist Megan Piphus will perform at the “Living Objects: African American Puppetry Festival and Symposium.” (Photo: David Teran)

Who are some of your favorite puppet characters? Share in the comment section below and have a wonderful holiday season!

Animation Fun in The Art Room

10/10/2021

Happy October! Fall is such a beautiful and inspiring season. It's also a very contemplative time of year for us. We were recently thinking about the art of animation and how fun it is to explore. Animation is a great art unit that connects with other subjects across the school curriculum. Here are some tips, activities and resources you can use to begin building an animation unit for your art program.

1. Character Development

Well developed characters are the heart of great animations. Share a list of some of your favorite animated characters (as shown below) from comic books/tv shows/movies with your students and have them to make a list of theirs. Lead them in a discussion about the lists. Ask questions such as "What qualities do you like about the characters?" or "Which character has the coolest design?" Meanwhile, you can connect some of the examples that students share to the Elements and Principles of Art.

Hair Love by Matthew Cherry, Sony Pictures

Disney's, The Proud Family

Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, Sony Pictures

After the discussion, they can create an original character. They can draw or paint the character or use an iPad/computer to create it. Encourage young artists to keep their character designs simple. For artists in grade 3+, they can also design a movie poster highlighting their original creations.

2. Create a Simple Storyboard & Animation

Todd Finnagan, Storyboards || Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

Illustrating a story board is a great way to help young artists develop critical thinking skills. After you share some examples of storyboard art with them, they can plan out a simple 4 frame storyboard with their original character. A storyboard is a visual organizer depicting action scenes in a story. You can also display examples of comic book/strip illustrations to further explore how storyboards work.

Young artists can further use their characters to create a simple hand-drawn animation like a thaumatrope, flip book or stop-motion animation. Here's a simple 2 Frame animation that we created with a simple character.

3. Learn About Important Black Animators

While there are prolific Black animators who blazed a trail like Floyd Norman, Frank Braxton, Leo Sullivan and Ron Husband, there's a whole new generation of Black animators creating eye-catching stories with dynamic characters.

Graphic depicting Bruce Smith, Taylor Shaw and Peter Ramsey for an article by Annalease Yip on www.cbr.com

Creatives like Bruce W. Smith, Taylor K. Shaw and Peter Ramsey are adding their talents to a variety of exciting animated projects. You can learn more about these phenomenal artists by visiting www.CBR.com to read a fantastic article detailing the multimedia projects they are affiliated with.

There are many more art lessons that you can add to your animation unit including 2D/3D computer animations, animation in multimedia presentations, video game animation, animation careers. etc. Make sure to explore our website to find more resources connected to this topic. and share below in the comments about how you explore the art of animation in your creative space.

Art Supply Favs

8/22/2021

Hello! We hope your new school year is off to a great start and your art supply stock is abundant. Collecting and experimenting with new art tools is such a fun experience. Check out this short list of some of the art supplies we enjoy using in our creative space.

Drawing/Coloring

Oil pastels are so cool to draw and color with; they are great for blending. If you're looking for good quality alcohol-based markers, then the Chameleon Pens are the way to go. These markers work well for creating gradients of color.

Painting

We purchased this lovely watercolor set from Sis Art Supply and love that the set comes with a water brush pen. Kwik Stix are great for younger artists to use. They're vibrant and a little less messy than liquid tempera paint.

Paper

This Creatology Bright Couleurs Vives paper pad is great for collage projects. Capitol Chic Designs created this lovely paper pad. You can get both products from Michaels. (They are available as of the first release date of this blog post.)

Adhesives

Elmers Craft Bond glue stick and liquid Glue-All are the main adhesives that we use in our art studio to create personal works of art. They work great on a variety of art materials.

Cutting

Some Exclusions Apply

Use Coupon Code BTSSALE21 at Checkout!

We definitely keep a smaller paper trimmer at hand for various creative projects. Make sure to explore our website to find some great art products. From 8/31-9/2/21 use the 10% Off Sale coupon to save on your entire order. What are some of your favorite art tools? Let us know in the comments.

The Art of Summer Fun

7/21/2021

Hello! We hope you all are having an enjoyable and healthy summer. As we head towards the end of summer and back to school, we want to share some of our newest art resources connected to some of our favorite summer activities and children's picture books.

Going to visit family at our annual family reunion was one of our favorite things to do in the summer. The colorful children's book Family Reunion by Chad & Dad Richardson and Ashleigh Corrin reminds us of those wonderful experiences. Make sure to also check out our Family Reunion Collage Art Lesson which is inspired by the book and art of Synthia Saint James.

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall is one of the cutest stories from our children's picture book collection. Taking our children to the pool and seeing their excitement was wonderful to watch. Our new Swimming Pool Collage Art Lessons are a great resource to use with the young artists in your family. The lessons are also inspired by the Pool Series of paintings by the prolific artist Derrick Adams.

While we were saddened to hear of the transition of award-winning artist and book illustrator, Floyd Cooper, we are so grateful for the gifts he shared with the world. His inspiring illustrations enhanced a vast array of children's picture books including the story, A Ride to Remember: A Civil Rights Story written by Sharon Langley and Amy Nathan. Visiting fun amusement parks and carnivals is definitely some of our favorite childhood memories from the summer. Make sure to purchase and download out Colorful Carousel Art Lesson to add to your art lesson library.

What are some of your favorite summer activities?

Jazz Royalty Art Collage

6/28/2021

We didn't want the month of June to end without sharing a simple creative art project for Black Music month. This simple Jazz Royalty collage has cross-curricular connections to music, math, and social studies. Furthermore, it's inspired by the amazing pianist, singer, producer, composer and actress, Hazel Scott.

Legendary Artist, Mrs. Hazel Scott

Hazel Scott was a beautiful musician who spoke several languages and hosted her own television show in 1950. She also appeared in numerous movies while speaking out against racial inequality. You can learn more about this phenomenal artist here. Check out the steps below to see how we created the collage.

Jazz Royalty Art Collage

Materials

6" x 7" White Paper
3 1/2" x 7" Red Paper
3 1/2" x 5" Brown Paper
1 3/4" x 1/2" Black Rectangles
Black, White and Red Scraps of Paper
Scissors
Ruler
Glue Stick
Pencil
Black & Red Sharpies
Hole Puncher

We used the pencil and ruler to measure 2 1/2" from the edge of the white paper and draw a vertical line. Then we measured 1" marks to draw horizontal lines.
After folding the brown paper in half length-wise, we drew half of a head, neck and shoulders on the folded edge. We cut the brown paper while it was folded.
We traced the pencil lines with the black sharpie.
Meanwhile we glued the red rectangle on the other half of the white sheet and the brown cut-out on the red paper. We glued the black rectangles on the black horizontal lines to look like a piano.
We finished the collage by using the paper scraps to cut out shapes for the details of the portrait like the eyes, mouth and hair. The markers were used to add details, music notes and a title. A hole puncher was used to cut out circles for the necklace on the portrait.

Explore our website to fine more music connected art resources. Who is one of your favorite musicians?

Black Joy For Juneteenth

6/13/2021

There are so many things that bring us joy. This year we are ecstatic about our upcoming creative activities connected to Juneteenth. Click on the poster below to learn more about our upcoming Juneteenth celebration. We love partnering with amazing creative entrepreneurs to share high-quality events. We also enjoyed creating the Juneteenth Wall Hanging Art below; continue reading to see how we created it.

This paper wall hanging is a great activity to add to your Juneteenth celebration. Each participant can write a word to add to the art. You can also make a new piece each year and display them at subsequent Juneteenth gatherings. Feel free to tailor the activity to fit your celebration.
Here's how we made our Juneteenth Wall Hanging Art:

Materials We Used

9" x 18" Construction Paper
Paper Rectangles (Various sizes and colors)
Letter Stencil
Word Stamps ( We made the stamps with foam letter stickers & foam rectangles.)
Markers (We used paint, permanent & water-based markers in various colors.)
Red & Blue Stamp Pads
15" Straw
Tape
Black Ribbon
Glue Stick

1. We used a letter stencil to write the date for Juneteenth. 2. We made the foam stamps and stamped them on various colors of paper.

3. We wrote different words related to Juneteenth using the markers. 4. Then we glued the words to the 9" x 18" paper in different directions. 5. We wrapped the top of the wall hanging around the straw and secured it with tape. We added the ribbon around the ends of the straw.

Make sure to explore the products below and share below how you will celebrate Juneteenth.

Juneteenth Coloring Set

$4.99

Celebrate Juneteeth with this coloring set. There are four coloring sheets displaying symbols for this important time in American history. This set can be used along with your Juneteenth curriculum and works for ages 4 to adult.

This Set Includes 4 Designs:

Hibiscus Flower
Juneteenth Flag
Freedom Fist with Broken Chain
Juneteenth Logo Design

Juneteenth Commemorative Plate Art Lesson

$3.99

Our newest art lesson is inspired by Juneteenth. Use this art lesson as an individual or group project.

This Resource Include:

Lesson Prep/Tips
Juneteenth Commemorative Plate Art Lesson
Plate Stand Template

Art That Features Mom

5/7/2021

Ae we enter Mother's Day weekend, we wanted to share some works of art/photographs featuring artistic mothers as well as express our gratitude for all of the wonderful mothers in our family and all of the women who do great mothering in various ways. Thank you for your unconditional love and unwavering dedication.

Elizabeth Catlett

Elizabeth Catlett with her granddaughter Naima Mora

Elizabeth Catlett, Mother and Child, 1993 Mahogany 67 1/2 × 16 1/2 × 15 1/2 in 171.5 × 41.9 × 39.4 cm

Betye Saar

Betye Saar with her artist daughters, Lezley and Alison

Mother and Children in Blue, 1998, Betye Saar

Lorna Simpson

Lorna Simpson, Earth & Sky, #24, 2016. Published by Chronicle Books, 2018

Lorna Simpson with her nineteen-year-old daughter, Zora Casebere (left, in a KES dress), a student and actress who describes Simpson as her “best friend.”Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, March 2018

Make sure to explore our website to find more creative art resources inspired by mom and that are connected to the artists featured in this post. Have a wonderful weekend!

Prolific Black Visual Artists Coloring Book

$12.99

Upgrade your art curriculum with our Prolific Black Visual Artists Coloring Book by Alicia L. McDaniel. Featuring 26 fantastic Black visual artists, this art resource will work with for young artists ages 3+. The coloring book will also enhance your Black Lives Matter curriculum. Just purchase, download and print.

This Coloring Book Includes:

26 Artists Portrait Coloring Sheets with biographical info

Valerie Maynard
Tom Feelings
Nellie Ashford
Sam Gilliam
Alison Saar
Martin Puryear
Carrie Mae Weems
Kerry J. Marshall
Artis Lane
Charles Bibbs
Xenobia Bailey
James Denmark
Phoebe Beasley
Jonathan Green
Adrian Piper
Nick Cave
Marilyn Nance
John Holyfield
Lorna Simpson
Kehinde Wiley
Mickalene Thomas
Theaster Gates
Kara Walker
Charly Palmer
Renee Cox
Synthia Saint James

Elegant Handcrafted Cards Virtual Class

$29.99 $25.99

Enjoy a creative on-demand art class taught by Alicia L. McDaniel from the comfort of your home. You will have access to this class to watch and engage with 24-hours a day at your leisure. The Elegant Handcrafted Cards Virtual Class was designed for participants ages 18+. This virtual class is a great way to develop basic art and craft techniques that you can use to create lovely original greeting cards.

Elegant Handcrafted Virtual Class Includes:

Easy To Read Articles
1- Marker Activity Page
3- Coloring Pages
6- On-Demand Art Videos
Creative Tips
Exclusive Member Tips & Offers

We will email the login information to the email address you use when purchasing the class membership, within 24-48 hours of your purchase.

*Make sure to read the "Terms of Use" before completing your purchase. All Sales Are Final.

Here's a basic list of supplies you need to get started:

Computer or Tablet
Printer & White Copy Paper (Or you can use a local print shop.)
Blank Note Cards (single or with envelopes) or Basic 8.5" x 11" Card Stock
Glue Stick
Markers (Alcohol or Water-based)
Pencil
Scissors

Elizabeth Catlett Art Lesson Set

$5.99

This exciting art lesson set is inspired by the art of great artist, Elizabeth Catlett. There are three art lessons in this set:

1. Art History Question Activity Sheet
2. Re-imagine Her Work Drawing Activity
3. Symbol of Pride Paper Mache Sculpture Lesson Plan (with colored step-by-step photographs

Spring into Creativity

4/30/2021

Spring is here and we are glad! The trees have bloomed and the daylight is longer. Here are some of our favorite latest creative discoveries to help you spring into creativity. Click on each image to learn more about the featured inspiring creator.

Sis. Art Supply

We were so excited to discover this Black owned art supply company. They specialize in rich paint pigments. Visit their website to order their high quality products.

Polished Playhouse

The Polished Playhouse is one of our favorite Instagramers. The lovely mom shares amazing activities that she does with her cute son in their beautifully designed playroom.

"Sacred Flower" Ceramic Sculpture by Chukes

We also discovered this amazing artist on Instagram. His ceramic sculptures are ethereal. Make sure to visit his website to see more of his fantastic pieces.

Make sure to also explore some of our Spring related art products. What's some of you favorite Spring inspired products? Comment below

Spring Into Art Banner

$2.50

This colorful 8.5" x 44" banner will enhance any Spring themed bulletin board or display. Print on card stock, assemble the sheets together and laminate the banner for added durability.

*Note*
Open this PDF file on a PC computer and select the print option under the file menu. Then select the poster or tile option before you print.

Principles of Design Bulletin Board Trim

$2.50

Decorate your art bulletin board display with this colorful trim inspired by our popular Principles of Design poster. Each principle is inspired by a floral theme and will be a constant reminder to young artists. Download and print as many copies as you need. Print on card stock, cut out and laminate each strip for added durability.

Principles of Design Poster Set

$7.00

Based on our "Principles of Design" poster, we created a set of individual posters that feature each principle. They are bright and colorful and will enhance your classroom. You can also use one per week or month to build a bulletin board display. Print on card stock and laminate for durability.

The Art of Black Super Heroes

2/17/2021

While we normally focus on the achievements of real-life Black creative heroes during the month of February, this year we decided to also focus on some of our favorite fictional superheroes. There are so many visual art lessons and careers within the world of super hero storytelling; everything ranging from illustration to fashion design to special effects makeup to animation and so much more.
Unfortunately Black representation featured in comic books/graphic novels, video games, television shows and films were grossly lacking in mainstream media in the 20th century. As a young artist, I was so excited to see any fictional superheroes or comic book characters who were also Black. While Black representation in this genre is improving, we have a long way to go before we experience true equity. Meanwhile, here are a few of our favorite Black fictional/real-life superheroes both in front of and behind the camera.

First of all, we want to honor the legendary entertainer Eartha Kitt. She's a true icon/superhero and one of the first Black actresses seen in the Batman television series in the 1960s. Her work helped pave the way for other Black actors in this genre.

The popular character Storm from the 80's X-Men animated series was one of my favorite characters to watch as a child. As an adult the Cyborg character from the animated show Teen Titans was one of my favorite characters to watch with our children. While the styles of animation/charcters for each show are different, the color schemes in these two illustrations are similar.

Afua Richardson

We recently learned about the amazing art/illustrations of Afua Richardson. She is critically acclaimed for her work in the World of Wakanda comic book series and featured on the amazing HBO show Lovecraft Country. Click this link to learn more about this phenomenal artist.

Ruth Carter

Award-winning costume designer, Ruth Carter designed the eye-catching African inspired costumes for one of our favorite superhero movies of all time, Black Panther. Furthermore, the talented hair stylist, Camille Friend created beautiful hairstyles that were sculptural and inspiring for the film.

Both the Black Panther comic book series and movie is one of the greatest examples of Black representation in this genre. Furthermore, the movie poster is a fantastic example of graphic design.

Camille Friend, Photo Credit: Angel Daves Haley

Spider-Man Into the Spiderverse is also one of our favorite superhero movies that features an Afro-Latino main character. This animated movie is a wonderful example of all of the elements and principles of design. Make sure to explore our website to find more art resources featuring amazing Black creative heroes. Who is one of your favorite superheroes? Comment below.