creating with a kid: scrunch paper

My long time readers know I've been making art with Lucy from day one. From riding on my back while I filmed online classes to letting her create with me in the studio, it's been a priority to share the art making process with my daughter. As I have mentioned in the past it is important for both my husband and I to incorporate Lucy into as many creative projects as possible. And while it makes no difference to us if Lucy grows up to be an artist, we do want her to be a creative thinker. I believe creativity and the ability to think in a creative way is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children and while I am always evolving as an artist and mama, I am learning so much as I watch her develop her own voice. 

I love finding projects that Lucy and I can both get excited about. I am finding that the older she gets, the more common creative interests we have! One thing I know from making art my entire life, is that often creativity is less about the finished product but more about the process. These days when I plan out art projects for Lucy I really try to come up with things that are are all about the process. 

One of my favorite techniques is something that I call "scrunching". Basically it consists of slopping lots of paint on paper, canvas or fabric and then scrunching it up into a little ball. When you open up that little ball, your surface will be filled with color that has blended and mixed together and it will also have a lot of texture within that color.

This process is super fun to do with kids because it feels like you are doing something that your shouldn't do- crumble up your art!

TIP: Canvas and fabric can withstand lots of paint and lots of scrunching. Paper is more fragile with this process because it can rip easily so you have be careful when unwrap your piece of paper.

The process is messy and the results are colorful which makes it perfect for kiddos and creatives of all ages!

Once that paper is dry, we like to use it in the pages of art journals, to draw or doodle on or for cutting and ripping in collage projects.

You can check out my entire series of "Creating With a Kid" posts HERE

family beads

As Lucy gets older I am having so much fun making things that bring her joy! She loves family, they are like super heros for her so I thought it would be fun to create some whimsical beads with family members on them that could be turned to necklaces for play.

Wood beads are really fun especially for kids projects because you can use all kinds of supplies to transform them! 

I wanted my beads to have a whimsical and illustrative look so I used a black micron pen (they are permanent) and started by drawing really simple little portraits.

Next, I used watercolors to add color. The cool part of using watercolors with wood is that the wood soaks it up and the colors are more translucent which for me is a fun alternative to my typical thick layers of acrylic paint.

I created all kinds of family members (I still have more to make).

Then I added the bead to twine to create some simple necklaces

Needless to say they are a big HIT- lots of playing, lots of stories and lots of conversations have come from these little wooden beads!