Week 3 of Art Activities for Young Artists

4/4/2020

Week 3 of Art Activities for Young Artists

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AN INK BATH GIVES LAST WEEK'S ART A NEW LOOK!
THIS WEEK WE MAKE ART WITH A HAMMER!

As you will see, if you watch the video, one of the choices this week, is to return to the art you did with a crayon last week and add more crayon. Build up enough wax that you will be able to give your art a new look with an ink bath. I actually crumpled up the crayon art I did last week and dipped it into a mixture of water and a bit of black ink. If you don't have any ink at your house, you could just crumple it up -then un-crumple it- and paint it with black watercolor. If you don't have any black watercolor, consider brewing a very strong tea or dark coffee. (Let that cool and the longer you let it sit, the darker it will get. If you dip your crumpled crayon art into the dark tea potion- (or be like the Rolling Stones and "Paint it Black") the very thick wax you put on your paper will resist the new dark color you are adding and it will only sink into the cracks you put into the wax when you crumple it. Be careful not to tear your art when you un-crumple it! Hopefully the darker crackles you put throughout the art, will give it a very interesting look. It will no longer look like crayon, that's for sure. It may look a bit like a batik, which is an Indonesian fabric design made with wax and dye. I like my art much better now since I did that. (I did crumple and dip it twice, before I liked it a lot.) Remember that this will not work for you at all unless you take the time to put a great deal of wax on the paper, by bearing down hard and putting on layers of crayon.
Now for this week's activity: For this you need a tin can, a big nail, a hammer and a good design you made on paper, with pencil, that will just fit onto the can. You also need a permanent marker or sharpie to transfer that paper design to the can. After you apply the design to the can, you will need to fill your can with water and put it in the freezer over night. The next day, you should lay the frozen can on a pillow before you begin tapping your holes. Each dot you drew onto the can will become a hole now. Take your time and your punched dot design will look great!
I think if you are 10 or 11 years or older, you can do this activity- no problem. If you are a bit younger, you might need some help- and do let your folks know what you are doing!
I was happy with the way my "Mexican" tin candle holders turned out. I found I did not have to tap very hard on the frozen tin can at all to make the punched design. After you watch the video, if you find that you have any questions about doing this activity, please ask right here on this blog. You can write to me- just type in your questions or comments here and I will reply to you! In fact, I will love hearing from you!
After you punch in all your holes, be careful, because the inside of the can will be rough and could scrape or scratch your hand or fingers! Be sure you have permission before you try putting a candle inside and especially before you go lighting any candles!
There is still a third choice this week: I am still doing value drawings of my friends. I mailed one last week to a friend and I was surprised how happy it made her. I traced a line drawing over the value drawing, before I mailed it. I want to save a copy of each drawing I am making of my friends, because it is my secret plan to turn my friends into cartoons later. Don't tell them that! We will see how this plan unfolds... Hope you try making a drawing of a friend that you are missing right now. If you send your drawing to them (maybe electronically or maybe through snail mail,) I bet it will make them really happy. I Hope to hear from you how your art goes this week. I know you have your own ideas! Please share whatever you decide to do!