Glue guns for ALL! I love our low-temp hot glue guns that we have in the studio. So I will proudly allow most all ages use them because hot glue guns for kids is a game-changer.
Why? Well, for a couple reasons:
One, because they are an incredible tool for building. Sometimes, hot glue is SERIOUSLY the only thing that’s going to get the job done.
Cardboard Unicorn Craft made with hot glue
And, two, I love them…because they are slightly dangerous.
Risky, slightly dangerous situations provide important learning opportunities AND they create interest and excitement. Accomplishing (conquering!) that dangerous situation builds confidence. Children learn about their own abilities and sensibilities.
In the studio–whether its glue guns or power tools or hot wax for kids–we always review the safety instructions. And, we never make a student use something that he or she is uncomfortable using. But, given the opportunity and the proper guidance, you might be surprised what these young people are capable of!
The biggest complaint we hear from students is that observational drawing is boring. So, to beat the boredom, I’ve put together the ultimate observational drawing idea list for kids.
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The Purpose of Observational Drawing
Observational drawing is an incredibly valuable practice for young artists. It trains our eye and our hands to work together.
Keep in mind, the purpose of observational drawing is the process of drawing. PERIOD. The goal is not to create a winning composition. It’s not to create a beautiful piece of artwork to hang on the wall. Or to draw perfectly. It’s not even necessary to FINISH the drawing.
How do you know if you did it right? Well, if you looked at something and then put a pencil (or pen) to paper to try to replicate it, then you did it right. It’s that simple.
Observational Drawing Tips
Beyond simply doing your best to replicate something on paper, here are my best tips from years of experience in the studio:
Manage your expectations – it’s not always going to be pretty, and that’s okay.
Short 5-10 minute drawing is plenty of time – you don’t have to finish it
Draw something you find interesting to look at
Spend more time looking at the object than you do at your paper/drawing
Draw without an eraser – seriously, try it.
For younger artists, attention to details is the first goal. Don’t worry about scale or perspective yet.
Encourage your artists to change their view point to make their drawings more interesting.
Birds Eye View
A top shop like this one is a really common perspective that we see in contemporary still life photos on social media, especially Instagram.
birds eye view of cupcakes
Low Angle Observations
Getting your eyes low on your subject (1) magnifies the smaller object to look lifesize, and (2) changes the background of your composition.
low-angle view of a chess board
Close-up and close cropped drawings
Draw your object so that it fills the entire page and leaves very little background.
close-up drawing of sushi rolls
Use a Viewfinder to help you draw
A viewfinder is a tool used by artists to help narrow in on a subject. It creates a frame for the artist to see a two-dimensional composition in a three-dimensional world. It’s the same term we use to describe the window on a camera.
In my next post, I’ll show you my favorite viewfinder the best way to use this tool!
Well, what do you think? What am I missing from my “ultimate” observational drawing idea list for kids these days? Let me know in the comments and I’ll get it added!
Hi everyone! Our newest art studio has been open for nine months, and I’m finally getting around to writing about some of our construction projects! First up, I want to show you how we built our own DIY holder for butcher paper. I love this storage and dispensing solution for those big, heavy rolls of butcher paper!
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I know you can purchase s for these paper rolls but they take up floor space and I didn’t want to be moving them around all the time. Couple that with the fact that most storage solutions were pretty expensive, and that naturally led us to creating our own solution.
I’m very pleased that our DIY holder for butcher paper here cost us only about $200.
DIY Supplies:
Wood boards – you will need one board for each roll of paper. We cut our boards to 60″ because are 36″ long. The wood is a common 2×8 (in actual dimensions, it’s 1.5 inches thick and 7.25 inches wide).
[ BTW, ]
Pipes – one full “set” for each roll of paper. We bought all our pipes at the hardware store already cut to the appropriate length and already threaded! See the breakdown below.
Galvanized Pipes (one set per roll of paper)
floor flange, 3/4in (2)
45° elbow, 3/4in (2)
cap, 3/4in (2)
3/4in x 4.5in pipe (4)
1/2in x 48in pipe (1)
1/2in cap (2)
Hardware (one set per roll of paper)
Wall anchors (8)
5″ screws to go into the wall anchors or the wall (8)
washers (8)
1in screws to attach the floor flanges to the board (8)
Putting it together
Step One
We began by cutting, sanding, and lightly staining our boards. You could paint them too if you prefer that look. Personally, I love the raw wood + metal.
Step Two
We measured and drilled pilot holes for all the screws.
We positioned the floor flanges 40″ apart and centered them on the board both vertically and horizontally.
As far as the load-bearing screws that had to hold this sucker to the wall, we decided to use three on each end (outside of the floor flange) and two right in the middle. If you have the option to drill into studs instead of wall anchors, you might want consider positioning screws based on their locations instead! (Our building is metal studs so that is an option for us)
Miss Sam got fancy and sunk our wall screws down into the boards using a large drill bit. Totally not necessary but she is advanced like that 😉
Step Three
Next, we attached pipes to the boards. We began with the floor flanges, and then attached the remaining pipe assembly to the floor flanges.
Step Four
For the final step, we screwed everything to the wall. This was a two person job.
We used a level to position our boards and marked their position with a pencil. Then, we used a small drill bit to drill through our pilot holes in the board and make a mark on the wall where we needed to put the wall anchors.
After pounding in the wall anchors, we returned the board to the marked position and screwed it into place using the giant screws and washers. We only missed the wall anchor a few times! When that happened, we just had to back out the screw and try to re-position the board more accurately. Out of 24 chances, I figure three misses isn’t too shabby! Good thing no one is seeing the wall behind these boards, right?!
Hanging the butcher paper
Once the boards and pipes were up, all we had to do was add the paper. The long 48″ pipe slides right through the center of the roll. We attached the caps on the ends which keep the paper from sliding off the pipe and keep the pipe from shifting out of the cradle.
The paper dispenses easily right from the wall, but its also really handy sometimes to just carry the whole roll (on the pipe) where you need it.
Overall, I couldn’t be more pleased with our DIY solution! This butcher paper holder is JUST what we needed on our walls!
Got questions for me about this project? Leave them in the comments or send me a note on social. I’ll do my best to answer! (Keep in mind…not a contractor or builder…just an artist who will DIY anything…)
The pinch pot is the foundations for many of our clay handbuilding projects in the art studio. So, it’s important to understand how to make a clay pinch pot AND the best way to teach your preschoolers how to do it.
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Pinch pot clay pigeon made by a preschool artist
Video for Teachers and Parents
These are the steps that I take and the words I use to teach my preschool (and even grade school) students how to make a pinch pot:
Best Practices for Preschool Clay Handbuilding
If you’re teaching clay sculpture to young artists, I recommend allowing plenty of time for the kids to freely explore the clay before starting on a project.
Squish it. Roll it. Stick stuff in it. Really enjoy all the sensory benefits from this art material before moving onto any project-based goals. This is probably the biggest teacher tip that I can offer.
More tips:
Teach rolling coils and and shaping pinch pots with play dough first. It’s easier for little fingers to squish and mold.
Have a wash bucket and towels nearby for artists who don’t like the feel of the dried clay on their hands. Give your students the power to wash-up whenever THEY feel like they need to.
Use good stuff. in the studio is from Discount School Supply. It comes in a 25lb block and will last for a good long while. In a pinch (get it?!), I’ll use.
Clay Pinch Pot Project Ideas
Now that you’ve learned how to make a clay pinch pot with your preschoolers, what do you do with those pots?
The possibilities are almost endless!
We have Pinterest board to inspire you. Notice that some of these finished projects are still bowls but others are totally transformed!
Pin pinch pot video and tips for later
Pin this for easy reference later!
Clay Videos Classes from DoArtBetter.com
If you’re looking for clay classes, we’ve got ’em. Check out our video classes for preschool artist, grade school artists, teens, and adults. No kiln needed! All of our clay videos use an air-dry clay.
Mix together the salt and flour first. Then add the water alittle bit at a time. It might take the full cup and it might not! If you add too much water and it gets sticky, simply add more flour and salt.
Dump the dough onto a flour surface and knead for 3-5 minutes until smooth.
No-Cook Playdough
Ingredients:
1 C flour
1/2 C salt
1 T cream of tartar
1 T vegetable oil
boiling (or really, really hot) water…1/2-3/4 cup
Tip: If you want to add coloring to you playdough, mix it into the hot water.
Directions:
Mix together the dry ingredients and the oil. Then add the boiling water until a dough forms. Mix well.
Once it’s cool enough, turn the dough out onto a flour surface and kneed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Don’t skip this step!
Ever struggle with what to say when a child shows you a picture they’ve drawn? Here are a few ideas to get you started:
• “Tell me about it!” • “What inspired you?” • “What materials did you use?” • “Can you talk me through how you made this?” • “I like looking at your art.” • “I love hearing you talk about your art.” • “If you were to do it again, would you do anything differently?” • “Did you discover anything new as you were making this?” • “Do you which part attracts my attention? I noticed THIS part first because…”
What phrases do you use to talk about art with your kids?
