Category: Sprite Note

yellow orange pink and blue coloring pens on white notebook
For The Love of Art Supplies!

For The Love of Art Supplies!

By |
calligraphy tools on the white wooden table
Photo by Antoni Shkraba on Pexels.com

I often contemplate one specific difference between me and some of my friends that don’t participate in visual arts. These friends will buy a lunch, clothes, shop around for this and that to treat themselves to something small. I’ve been known to do that too, but my real enjoyment lies in the possibilities of getting a new book or maybe a new piece of art supplies. “Wow! Have you tried this pen?! The ink goes on the paper so smoothly. The color is fantastic!” “Yeah, I know I have one of these but it’s a different shade.” “These are double sided!” Oh, my reasons go on from there. I have lots of pens. Buckets of paints. Don’t even get me started on my yarn, fabric, pencils, wool, and so on.

Now I would like to say this, it is okay to have buckets and tubs full of art supplies stacked around your house. However, make sure they are items you use. A person needs to feel connected to and enjoy the process of creating Art. They also need to know the difference between organized clutter and chaos. Sorry all, cleaning is another part of the balance. Piles of unlabeled, uncared for, miscellaneous odds and ends just take up space that better things can be allowed to fill, things that can help you grow as a person rather than just bury you alive in “stuff”.

Here is my side story about clutter. You know what is clutter in your house. I’m not talking about garbage, that is easy, toss it/recycle it. Now. Put your sketchy papers in a binder if you are keeping them. Put treasures in a “treasure chest” or something. I have had well meaning friends come by in the name of trying to help me organize my “clutter”. Half of them asked if I really needed so many books or toys around the house. Yes. Yes I do. Just throw out half my kitchen, or my wardrobe, something. We all have our happy places. The boot worn through the sole? Toss it or make a flower pot if it’s worthy of that. Electric sandwich grill? Gift it or donate unless you are a sandwich fiend. Dead house plant? Dump it. Clothes you look awful in? Donate, not everyone looks bad the same way. Haha.

If you already have gobs of art supplies, as I do, don’t forget to do some Spring cleaning. Clear out pens that don’t work, paints that are past their prime, adhesives that have a foot in the grave, you get the idea. Upcycle whenever possible but get it out of your way. All artists, old and new, never stop experimenting! Work inside your current budget and discover ways to create. I’m not saying blow $60+ on those midrange watercolors if you don’t have it. What about trying some craft quality acrylic paint? Surprisingly those are still less than $2 a bottle around here. Buy a cheap pallet and start with some primary colors. You don’t have $$$+ for Copic Markers? Neither do I! Look for some other markers to learn with a little and see if you even like drawing with markers. Do you see where I’m going with this?

I tried out 3 new to me types of markers/pens to draw this picture from a favorite show today, and the average price was $1 each:

Learning doesn’t have to break the bank. I like to play around with hand lettering, in other words, turning writing into art. I don’t feel particularly skilled at this as of yet, but I experiment with it off and on. On that note I bought some calligraphy pens I thought I would like. They were NOT pleasant to use. As they scratched their way across my notebook I knew we would not be “friends”. My daughter liked the angles of the chiseled tips on them and was not as annoyed by how dry the tips of the pens were. I gave them to her. Within the hour my two year old found them and made himself extra colorful, he loves trying out new art supplies too. Moral #1, it’s okay to pass on supplies to others, we all have different tastes and sensory needs. Share and move on. Moral #2, two year olds are very good at finding not-exactly-washable ways to express their artistic selves.

Don’t be afraid to say you want to try something new. Don’t be afraid to say you don’t like it. While you’re at it, feel free to say, “Huh.” occasionally. Art is a way to test out your feelings, thoughts, and practice making choices. I venture to say that the type of results you produce might show you what priorities are in your mind. Creating something takes time. If you don’t wish to put time into a project ask yourself why. This also teaches you something.

I could drag this on but I think I’ve communicated what is on my mind today. If pens are your thing go ahead to the craft store and if they have those doodle pads test out a few sample pens. If you think wood carving, painting, felting, crochet… any of that might be your creative outlet, give it a go! Endless possibilities! Express yourself your way. Discover your senses. Keep creating!

time lapse photography of flame
Warm up? Why?

Warm up? Why?

By |

Why do we have warm ups? What is a “warm up” anyway? These are questions that on my part I just took for granted until recently. Drawing class, dance class, writing class, music class, theatre (and this list goes on), I always had a warm up exercise of some sort.

A little clarification for young readers. Warm up doesn’t always mean to be physically warm. Warming up when using your body does actually make your body warmer. A warm up for your mind doesn’t actually create heat but it does get that mental fire burning brighter.

In a drawing class we take about 10 minutes or so to do some kind of quick draw, or practice using a new technique we’d been learning previously. For music class we sing scales and simple sounds to get our vocal cords prepared, or play scales on our instrument. A warm up can save you from injury in a physical activity. Mentally (and that includes physical stuff, because they take thinking too), warm ups are a signal to get you ready to work/create.

We were watching a movie about dancing and one of my kids asked how all the children in the ballet class knew what to do when the teacher just said, “Go warm up for 20 minutes.” In ballet class there is a part that we call “Barre”. With some exceptions, ballet class will always start with barre exercises. These movements are done in a specific order and are the foundation of ballet. A ballet student will learn this early on so when told to warm up they know pretty much what to do.

An artist learns the basic skills of their trade and then we keep practicing them. Add harder things in with time and feel free to get fancy. The reason for a warm up is to get stronger, protect yourself from injury, and build a new habit.

Artists teach their body and mind to follow a well worn road, as they start. From there there are no limits. A wonderful quote used when teaching little kiddos to read I think applies well here, “Good readers re-read!” Great artists also repeat-repeat. Start making grooves and teaching yourself how get your engine going. Who knows where it can take you? Be creative and keep shining!

green rice field
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Pexels.com

top view of library with red stairs
Story time!

Story time!

By |

Soon my “Imagining” posts will be filled with short stories and poems. In those posts you will find stories either written or retold by me, Mama Sprite. There may also be stories from guests. The stories and poems will be for fun, inspiration, and opportunities to practice your own art skills too. I can’t wait to share what we’ve imagined up with you!
The Mind’s Eye Is Unique

The Mind’s Eye Is Unique

By |

Differences Between Words and Pictures

A picture is worth a thousand words as the saying goes. That is pretty much true too. Another thing that can be said about words and pictures is that they potentially mean different things, in small or large ways, to each person. A picture can bring different words to the mind of each viewer. Words also have the potential to invoke different images in your head vs. mine, or others.

If I say cat, for example, you might be imagining different sizes, colors, fur, or temperament of cats you have experience with. Now if I draw a cat first we would see the same picture but we could notice different things about it, likely projecting a personality of our choosing on to the animal. Using our past experiences, bringing them into the present moment increases our understanding. In other words, we build thoughts on what we know. We try to make sense of new stuff by comparing things to what we already know.

I am working on a project. It’s taking some time. My little monkeys are making a game out this with me. I wrote a story and will be putting it on my website for you (link to be added when ready). I gave them each copies of this story and we will be drawing pictures for the story book. Our pictures will all be based on the same words/story but each will be different. There will be similarities, but different styles and individual thoughts in what to include in the pictures.

Since this story includes a boy and his dinosaur we have come up with all kinds of questions that aren’t answered in the text of my first story. How old is the boy? What does he look like? What exactly is the dinosaur? Do other kids have dinosaurs? Where do they live? I hope to continue my story and answer those questions. For now, these questions leave wide openings for diverse interpretations.

When it is ready I will post the full story and it’s different illustrated versions under my “Imagine” page. Once it is up I encourage you to try drawing a few pictures for your own telling of the story. Meanwhile I am posting this note and saying, “Hi from Mama Sprite!” Story time is coming soon, I hope you join us. Be creative and keep shining!

close up of leaf
Learning Senses

Learning Senses

By |

We all learn in our own unique way. One way to understand how you learn is to break it down by what sense you are using to learn.

Our 5 senses; sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell, are very important. Many people know that when you lose a sense the other senses may get stronger to make up for it. Did you know though that even with all 5 senses working properly some will be stronger than others? We can call these dominant senses. What are your dominant senses?

When someone is a visual learner it means that they learn very well from seeing something done. A tactile learner will learn best from touching, they respond to how things feel. Then there are those who learn by hearing, smelling, or tasting. You get the idea?

When I became a dancer I found out about being a kinesthetic learner. There’s a word to add to your word bank. Kinesthetic learning is done by physically doing something. It can be a mix of senses. You can teach your body something new as you move around.

I recommend taking time to discover your learning language. Find out which of your senses you are most in tune with. For example, I know one of my skills is visual learning. I am good at finding missing toys or keys around the house. Haha. I remember when and where I’ve seen stuff and I can tell people where to look. Handy, right?

Test out your senses. Think about what you already know. What are your strengths? Have some fun learning about how you learn! Art is a great way to exercise your senses. Be creative and keep shining!

It’s okay to play!

It’s okay to play!

By |

Hi! Hi! Hi! Welcome!

This space will hopefully soon be brimming with ideas and helps for you to get creative and let you play and grow in your own special ways.

I am a firm believer that The Arts are for everyone and by using creativity and your imagination daily you will be healthier and happier. This Sprite has some sparkles to share and lessons to teach. Let my ideas jump start you into exploring what you can make.

Meta

Recent Comments