If only...

...I could actually paint like this!

Jake likes to check out the app of the day on his Kindle Fire and he found this very cool "painting" app.  The app of the day is free so he got it and I love it so he put it on my phone for me (all our phones and Kindles are on the same Amazon account so we can share everything with out having to buy it more than once) and I have been playing with it in the evening while we watch The Voice.  You literally just sweep your finger across the screen and it makes these works of art!  (Jake just looked over my shoulder and told me I need to say that he found it like a year ago but I just got it on my phone the other day.)  So you can go from this one....

...to this one with just a few strokes of your finger! I like it on mirror mode and you can pick the colors you want to use.  I am seriously thinking of printing some and framing them!  It is a fun waste of time!

Doodling...

I still need to paint this frame, but I had fun the other day doodling with a a chalkboard with a chalkboard marker.  :)

Art Class So Far...

 

I haven't taken that many pictures in art class because I am the one who is teaching it!  I did find a few that show some of the fun we have been having.   We covered  3 of the 5 elements for art and have done a project for each.  We have learned about lines, shapes & forms, space, texture and we will learn about color theory and value next semester.  Throw in a couple of "free art" days and we are almost to the end of our first semester.  The first class we created collages to have to cover our art portfolio's.

We learned that art can be frustrating and that is just part of the process.  I read them a true story about a girl who had and accident and lost the use of her arms.  She learned to draw with her mouth. We tried it and it was hard---and I even let them hold the paper in place with their hands!

There was a lot of giggling going on and they actually all did amazingly well!  One project they really had fun with was when I gave them a sheet of paper that part of a picture cut out from a magazine and they had to finish the picture.  They were free to draw it as realistic or as abstract as they wanted.  They have incredible imaginations! 

I have no idea what they are drawing in these pictures.  We have done a lot of drawing to learn the basics and I thought they had to be getting sick of it but even on free art days, when they are offered other supplies, they all love to draw and color.

  We painted self portraits on bowling pins to enter in the Fair.  No one won but they all got ribbons for participating.  They did a great job for only having a crash course in painting and only having about 45 minutes to do it.

They had to paint themselves in the clothes they were wearing that day and they all came out really great.  I took pictures of all of them with theirs so they could have it to remember just how well they came out.

  We also did some printing using Styrofoam plates and it was really fun.  All the while we were incorporating our elements

We have learned about lines and how just drawing them above a pot lets you know it is hot.  We have learned that when you add shading you turn shapes into forms. 

I have big plans for next semester when we have learned all the basics of why you do what you do (like using the whole space to make your picture more visually attractive) and are ready to conquer the tougher stuff...like drawing faces!  Eek!  I am not good at that.  I need to map out a schedule for next year because it is going to fly by whether I am ready or not!

I should have taken pictures of some of their drawings because they really are great artists.  I will keep that in mind as the year goes on!

My fingernails are destroyed and I don't mind...

...because that means I have been painting.

Keeping:

Just picture the wall in a light gray (which it will be painted at some point) and it would be perfect...Don't you love my new lamp?  I have been eying it at Lowe's for months and they finally went on clearance!!!  I got 2 bases and 2 shades for $28.  One base was originally $21.  This is Aaron's side of the bed.

This is my side:

Now we match, but we aren't matchy-matchy.  Same colors but different pieces of furniture.  I love it!

 Selling:

I already have someone emailing me about this piece and I just posted it the other day.

I painted this a while back and priced it high hoping no one would want it...but someone emailed me about it too.

All I can ask is that they go to a good home. :)