In 2023 the Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival starts on January 23, 2023. The festivities are for two weeks and finish with a Lantern Festival. Traditionally, there is a 12 year zodiac cycle in which each year is represented by an animal. In the zodiac cycle 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit. People born during the year of the Rabbit are said to be gentle, sensitive, compassionate, amiable, modest and merciful. They have a strong memory and love to communicate in a humorous fashion. The Chinese New Year marks the end of the winter when the fields are cleared ..read more

As an art teacher, it’s always fun to show people what happens when you sprinkle salt on wet watercolor paint. Whether I'm teaching kindergarten or adults there are always exclamations of oohs and ahhs. When you sprinkle salt on wet watercolor paint you’ll see a magical transformation. The salt absorbs the watercolor paint from beneath the salt granules which leaves behind a crystalline texture. If you use a large grains of salt like Epsom salts, it will create a different texture than if you use table salt. Experiment with the kinds of salt you have at home. In the video below I demonstrate ..read more

In 2022 the Chinese New Year, also known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival starts on February 1, 2022 and ends on January 21, 2023. Traditionally, there is a 12 year zodiac cycle in which each year is represented by an animal. In the zodiac cycle 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. People born during the year of the Tiger are said to be competitive, courageous and ambitious. Their competitive nature is balanced by their generosity and sense of justice; they love helping others.  The Chinese New Year marks the end of the winter when the fields are cleared and prepared to plant new see ..read more

Clay is a wonderful medium for children as it helps them develop their fine motor skills as they squeeze, roll and pinch the clay. Building something that's three-dimensional develops problem-solving skills. They must learn how to attach one piece to another, and consider how to make their clay piece stable, so they won't fall down. Some children, even those that are not attracted to drawing and painting may respond enthusiastically to building with clay and other materials. Types of Clay for Kids There are many types of clays people use at home, in art studios and in schools. The three that ..read more

Want a fun project for kids that’s a winner every time? Then, read on, to learn how to make rainbow salt lines. What are rainbow salt lines? Essentially, lines are drawn using liquid glue, salt is sprinkled on top of the wet glue, then wet paint is applied to the salt lines. The paint is absorbed into the salt and it’s mesmerizing to watch the paint travel along the salt line! Materials for watercolor salt lines You probably have all the materials you need to get started: Paper that's at least as heavy as card stock Table salt Liquid glue (white school glue) Watercolor paint (pallette ..read more

Christine Kim in her studio Christine Kim is a Korean-Canadian visual artist born in Seoul, South Korea. She holds a BFA from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, a BEd from York University, and a Master of Art Education from the University of Victoria in British Columbia. She lives and works as an artist and arts educator north of Toronto. 1 Layered and mysterious, her work combines hand drawn figures with machine-cut pierced paper. Her work evokes feelings of memory, decay and fragmentation.  Kim says, “‘Fragmentary’ is one word that I return to again and again because I think po ..read more

Pinch pots are a basic clay technique that's fun and easy to do for kids and grown-ups. We use Crayola Air Dry Clay for all of our clay projects because it's inexpensive, it feels the most like real clay and you can paint it with acrylic paint after it dries. The only other tools you'll need are a small cup of water, a popsicle stick and a toothpick. Give it a try, let us know how it goes, and send us some pictures of your pumpkins! In the video, you’ll learn how to make a closed pinch pot. Closing a pinch pot, so that there is a bubble of air inside, stabilizes the form so that you can mak ..read more

Shadow puppet theater with girl and dog shadow puppets The act of creating art has stress relieving benefits for all ages. If you’ve been looking for fun, creative activities to keep your kids busy, and you want an easy and relaxing art project for yourself, this blog post has that and more! This post is a roundup of art projects for kids as young as preschool, tweens, teens and adults. I've included videos, photographs and links to learning extensions.As I write this, it’s been almost 2 weeks since my family began practicing social distancing due to the coronavirus pandemic. In response, I’v ..read more

Lori Siebert is an artist that radiates positivity and is enthusiastic about creativity. She lives in Kentucky and works in many art mediums including: drawing, painting, collage, stencils, clay and embroidery. Artful Junk Bird From Lori Siebert's online course Artful Junk Birds Siebert has been making art since she was a young child. When asked if anyone influenced her to become an artist she said, "I won a ribbon for a painting I did in a local art fair when I was around 6. My Mom saw that this was what I loved to do, so she enrolled me in art lessons when I was 7. She continued to st ..read more

When muralist Mantra, a.k.a. Youri Rea, was a child he wanted to be a naturalist when he grew up. Naturalists collect and identify species. Mantra's enormous murals turn buildings into butterfly and insect specimen cases. The trompe l'oeil insects appear to be behind glass and recessed into the side of the building. Mantra paints the insects and their shadows which heightens the optical illusion.1 His murals can be found around the world. When he prepares to paint a mural, he studies the insect species native to the location and portrays them in their giant specimen boxes. For Mantra, "...e ..read more