Cereal box board is one of my favorite art materials in the whole wide world. I mostly love to use it as my canvas. It is great for sculpture and building things, which is often how my children use it, but I love to draw and paint onto the gorgeous, muted brown backdrop.
It makes colors pop. Once you start deconstructing boxes, you'll notice that the insides of boxes are all different shades of brown -- some are more orange-y, some more tan, some a true kraft paper color. They are all wonderful.
My tip for you is to find a nice sturdy bin, like an old milk crate or a canvas pop-up from IKEA, and store flattened cereal, tissue, what-have-you boxes inside. When you are in need, you can just dig in.
This is a photo of my very unglamorous bin of flattened boxes (mixed with other recycled papers). It doesn't have to be pretty, friends.
I made Francine on cereal box board in honor of Halloween:
Happy spooky Halloween night to you and your people! PSA: Beware of wandering elephants.
xo emily
I've moved! New blog address.
My new website + blog is emilyneuburger.com. Please visit me there!
If you have this site bookmarked in a blog reader, you'll want to switch to emilyneuburger.com.
Thanks, and see you in my new space!
xo emily
Creative Toolbox: Wood
You can:
paint on wood
collage on wood
glue random things onto wood, like fabric
You can also make:
a hookboard out of wood
Story Blocks, a project from Show Me a Story
Altered Twigs and Driftwood
The possibilities are endless, really. Just search Pinterest for wood + fabric or wood + felt or wood + paint. You get the idea.
Keep in mind that painting on wood can be a very different feeling than painting on canvas or paper. It is porous and often textured, which means that your paintbrush needs to adjust for the bumps and ridges.
Happy hunting for wood!
Labels:
art,
crafts,
creative toolbox,
kids,
nature
Book Review: Tinkerlab
Since my specialty is words and pictures, I was drawn to the Drawing Games chapter where Rachelle offers fun, creative tinkering opportunities for those who love to draw. The activities in that chapter (as well as in the book in its entirety) lend themselves beautifully to classroom and homeschool experimentation. My kids and I happily gave them all a whirl.
One of my daughter's favorites is the group activity called Exquisite Corpse For Kids, where each player adds a body section to a creature without knowing what the other parts of the creature look like. We found ourselves around the table with some special family members, and my oldest decided to teach everyone how to play. It was a wonderful multigenerational connection opportunity because everyone was laughing, and also because we found ourselves admiring our work. Like, seriously admiring! We were all so impressed with our joint creations. I'm quite fond of Mr. Blue Face Polka Dots with Webbed Feet (above) made by my husband, Aunt, and daughter.
Doesn't it look like this guy with pink wings laid an egg? Ha! Remember, my daughter did not look at the other panels when she drew the bottom panel.
Everyone signed their names to their panels.
This tinkering was fun, fun, fun!
We've decided that the Connect The Dots tinkering activity is perfect for office room waits, restaurant table time, and airplane travel. My daughter turned my dots (above) into The Lady in the Green Dress (below).
And, we loved all of the other drawing invitations too. They are so thoughtfully creative and engaging.
Thanks for writing a book that invites both children and adults to be creative explorers, Rachelle. We can't wait for our next Tinkerlab adventure.
Labels:
book,
book review,
favorites,
kids
Friday Favorites
1. I bought these self-stick speech bubble note pads the other day. I opened the package this morning, and encouraged the rocks on my desk to engage in a little chit chat. I can't wait to see what the children do with them later. These are a wonderful tool for creative writing!
2. My friend Ariana directed me to this article. It is the story of a photographer, Nicholas Nixon, who took photographs of the same four sisters for forty years. It is a beautiful take on the journey of sisterhood. Their faces change with time. Each one seems to hold more of something. And yet -- we know nothing because there isn't a verbal story to go along with the photos. The columnist writes: "This is what endurance looks like....With each passing year, the sisters seem to present more of a united front." The mother-of-three in me shed some tears.
3. Yoga Joes! The classic green army men doing yoga. My friend Melicia posted about these on her Facebook page. Brilliant! I'm going to back their Kickstarter campaign.
4. This gorgeous print of two fawns. via Design Sponge.
5. Abby Glassenberg posted her 3rd Quarter Income Report (she has posted the other quarters as well) on her blog this week. Her analysis helps her to do broader scale planning for her business, and by displaying it publicly, it helps other small business owners figure out the best way to nurture and grow their businesses. It is a brave and generous. Thank you, Abby!
Happy weekending!
Creative Toolbox: The Clipboard
A small clipboard is super affordable, but you can also find them in thrift stores or when family and friends have desk/office clean-outs. You might even find 5+ in the office clean-out scenario (cough, cough). I do love the plain, mute background of the standard masonite board because it makes colorful artwork pop.
My children like to display their work on clipboards. In doing so, they become portable frames for showcasing the work they are most proud of.
I love to cozy up with a board on the couch, and then I can bring my drawing to my studio table for some finishing touches. The visibility of the boards help me to keep my works in progress truly works in progress.
You'll most likely find clipboards if you wander through your local office supply shop. Or, you can find them here (this is an Amazon Affiliate link).
Related:
I liked reading Austin Kleon's take on clipboards.
These DIY rustic clipboards on A Beautiful Mess.
Labels:
art,
creative toolbox
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