Inspired by an image I saw on Pinterest, we made these really cool wire and bead trees. It was a little tricky to get the wire securely around the rock to form the roots of the tree, but we got there in the end. We also found that a fine wire is best because a) it’s easier to wind, b) beads with narrow openings can be thread more easily onto thinner wire and c) it’s easier to manipulate.

Have a look at our creations!

(Tracked back this source: http://www.dumpaday.com/genius-ideas-2/simple-ideas-that-are-borderline-crafty-35-pics-2/attachment/how-to-make-a-fake-tree-do-it-yourself-crafts/)

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mothers raising amazing Artists and creative geniuses!

Today, our workshop was dedicated to making something special (and little bit cheeky) for our beautiful Mums. We talked about the expression “A face only a Mother could love” and then had a tonne of fun pulling funny faces until we found just the right one to draw. Here’s a look at what we got up to.

Funny faces: Oil pastels on paper.

With a little spare time before the end of the workshop, we also made some lovely, unique cards for our Mums. The creative juices were free flowing and some wonderful creations came to life, but what impressed me the most, were the beautiful, sincere and heartfelt words the children wrote about their Mums. Just gorgeous! xx

Thanks for another wonderful week Dabblers!

xx

 

We finally did lino cuts! I’ve wanted to do them for soooo long, but I was always very weary because, you know…. Sharp implements + children = !!!!!

But something about Easter made me feel brave (maybe it was all the chocolate….?) and so, we went for it. We kept our designs simple as this was our first experience and our intention was to get a feel for the tools, the lino and the concept of positive and negative space and how this transfers into print.

We talked about how the print comes out as the reverse/opposite of what you carve and how that affects any text/words used. I did advise eveyone to keep their design to images only and they did. Except for one. There’s always one – and I LOVE that! Art is about pushing boundaries and though you might be given advice or feedback, ultimately, it’s your decision what you choose to do in YOUR creation and in my opinion, when it comes to art, you can never be wrong.

I was very thorough with my safety briefing, making sure each artist knew the correct way to handle the lino cut tools and to always, ALWAYS carve AWAY from themselves and to always, ALWAYS keep their supporting hand BEHIND the sharp lino cut tools.

Sadly, we did end up with a few scrapes and jabs. We finished the lesson 3 from 3, a 50% success rate (or failure rate, depending on whether you see the glass half full or half empty).

For our first attempt, I’m pretty chuffed!

xx

Upcycling: The process of using waste materials or otherwise obsolete items to create new functional items, saving landfill.

Upcycling is one of my all time favourite things. Ever! Even as a youngster, I was always creating new from old. My specialty was clothing. I used to spend all my weekends fossicking through Op-Shops, looking for little gems to take home and alter into amazing works or wearable art! It’s still a passion, but not something I get much time to indulge these days.

Last year I introduced this concept to the Dabble Art crew and they fell in love with it too. So much so that they begged for a repeat. In our first workshop, we made single tier cake stands from old dinner plates, teacups, mugs and glasses. The results were off the charts and the kids were thrilled with the idea that the uses for this cool creation were unlimited.

For our most recent upcycling workshop, they wanted to make another stand, so this time we went for a double tier. There was a little more tinkering involved this time, as we needed to make sure the top layer was appropriately sized to ensure the bottom layer was fully functional and not hindered in any way by the top layer. Considerations also needed to be made regarding the height of both layers for aesthetics, functionality and balance. The size of the bottom support, the middle support and the top layer plate had to be just right.

I think their finished products were super neat! But you can see for yourself.

xx