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Saturday morning art

We did some polyprinting this morning! This is a quick and easy art project which produces such an effective result. Children love the magical process of 'revealing' the image..

All you need is a polystyrene tile, printing ink or paint, a pen,
 ink roller and paper. First, draw your picture or
pattern on the soft tile. Press down to create an indentation.

Roll ink on to the surface of the tile, thinly and evenly.

Place the paper on the wet tile, press/rub evenly - et voila!

We worked into the the tile more and added a second

 layer of colour. We'll definitely be framing this one!

All images ©artBambino. No reproduction without author's written permission.

Pomegranates

My year 3 girls have made some fabulous still life studies of pomegranates. Using just oil pastels and their observational skills, they blended colours together to make the seeds look all shiny and three-dimensional.

Pomegranates are just fabulous to draw, as they are so busy and vibrant when they are cut open!

All images ©artBambino. No reproduction without author's permission.

Half Term Workshops

Despite DOUBLING the number of workshops I am running for 5-7 year olds this half term, all spaces were booked before I even got a chance to post details here on my website! Sorry to cause any disappointment. I am busy looking for larger premises so that I can further increase availability!

Bauhaus Project

My Monday after school club is working on a Bauhaus inspired project this term. We looked at the work of the prolific German female designer Gunta Stolzl, and then made our own designs based on her patterns. We took the project a step further by using paper dress and t-shirt templates, which we will hopefully build into a wearable garment when finished!

All images © artBambino.  No reproduction permitted without written permission.

Weds after-school class - Indian project

Here is one of the Indian-inspired panels that we have been making. Colour and Mehndi pattern are the major themes in this project. Last week the girls started their panels by overlaying coloured tissue paper. This week they drew round their hands and created beautiful Mehndi patterns to add to the panels. Next we will be decorating the surface with beads and stitching.

1000 visitors! Thank you!

Hurrah! I've just noticed that the artBambino blog has received 1000 visits! Thanks for all your interest and support since the website went up earlier this year.It means a lot to me.

Gailxx

Teachers' strike day

With many teachers taking industrial action all over the country today, we thought we would get the creative box out for the afternoon and do a bit of 'art homeschooling'!

Fish bowls

Today it was my turn to run an art activity at my son's toddler group in town. I thought that 'Fish Bowls' would be a nice idea, as it combines simple sticking with lots of messy glue and glitter shaking! These are a few of the results - so cute!

Portraits - after-school art class

The girls in my Wednesday after-school art class finished their portraits yesterday. These fabulous large scale portraits were made on A2 paper with chalk and charcoal.
The girls worked so hard - last week they began by drawing the head shape, which they then sectioned to get the features in the right place. They then used the chalk and charcoal to create areas of highlight and shadow so that the features became more three-dimensional.
The results are amazing - especially considering the girls are 7 and 8 years old. You can see individual styles emerging; some strong and graphic, others more subtle and sensitive. This was such a challenging project for primary school children, and they rose to the occasion. I'm really proud of their achievement.

Adult Printmaking Course

I completed a three week printmaking course in Wendens Ambo last night. There were some beautiful linocuts produced, as you can see from these photos. We experimented with single and two colour printing, using lots of markmaking to create texture and form.
If you are interested in booking a linocutting course, you can email me at info@artbambino.co.uk

Design Museum Family Day - 26th June

The Design Museum is holding another one of it's hugely successful Family Day's a week on Sunday. Full details are on the website: http://designmuseum.org/family-day
The museum is in London, very close to Tower Bridge.

Mosaic tiles

I do a fortnightly workshop at a local nursery. We've done some great activities but I don't take photographs of the children working for privacy reasons. However at the end of today's workshop I took the work outside and took some photos on my phone.
We made mosaic tiles today. This is a simple art activity which also helps to develop dexterity and maths skills. The children are 3-4 years old, and they needed a lot of concentration to line up the squares and leave a small gap in between each one. Some even managed to create a colour repeat pattern.
I've got some squares left over, so I'll let my two have a go after school!

Half Term Printmaking

We had a great time printmaking yesterday. We learned how to make mono-prints from paintings, and then created a simple block print. Flowers and fish were the big themes of the day! The older ones made lovely mono-prints from life in the afternoon.
If you think your children would enjoy an artBambino workshop, subscribe to this blog, or send a mailing list request to info@gailashton.co.uk

Henry Moore Foundation - British Red Cross open day at Perry Green

If you haven't been to the Henry Moore Foundation in Perry Green yet, then you must go along to their British Red Cross open day on Sunday 10th July.
Set in beautiful open grounds around his recently renovated house, Moore's sculptures are a wonder of art and engineering. If you have small children, plan to stick to the outside areas and let them explore these beautiful, tactile artworks, some of which share a field with herds of sheep! Older children can enjoy learning all about Moore's techniques and processes in his wonderfully intimate studios.

Perry Green is situated near Much Hadham, between Bishops Stortford and Ware in Hertfordshire.

More details can be found in the following links:

http://redcross.org.uk/Get-involved/Events/Open-Gardens/South-East/The-Henry-Moore-Foundation

http://henry-moore.org/pg/visiting/special-events-2001-visitor-season

Gail.x


Photo borrowed from http://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk. I hope they don't mind as it's to support a very good cause!

Summer art activities - Tate St Ives

If you're planning to visit St Ives this summer, you should check out the range of family activities on offer at Tate. Pre-schoolers can take part in 'Hands in Art', a weekly drop in creative session. 'Super Sundays' is a session for all the family. Best of all, the activities are free! Tate St Ives is situated right on Porthmeor beach. You can also follow the Barbara Hepworth trail at her studio in the town.
http://www.tate.org.uk/families/events/stives/

Kernow Bys Vyken!

Gailx

May/June half term workshops - Printmaking

I will be running two workshops this half term. They are both printmaking workshops, one for children aged 5-8 years, and the other for 9-12 years. To book, email me at info@gailashton.co.uk

Printmaking

Weds 1st June 2011
10am-12noon: ages 5-8 years (max workshop size: 6)
1pm - 3pm: ages 9-12 years (max workshop size: 7)
£12.00 per person
Refreshments included (or bring a snack)
Workshops held in Bishops Stortford

Plate Portraits!

Couldn't resist posting this pic of my daughter and her friend, who decided to put their picnic plates to good use!

Tate Kids art detectives

I found this great game on the Tate Kids website. Become an art detective, and find out about a famous artist and their work.
http://kids.tate.org.uk/games/art-detective/

Easter Workshop

Finally! After a month of holidays and chocolate and lost camera software and general dizziness, here are the pictures of the Easter art workshop!

We had a great time over the two days. The weather was fab on Monday, and everybody
sportingly stuck it out on a cool and windy Tuesday. The eggs looked beautiful, a great effort from both children and grown ups. There were some very creative results - 3D butterflies, multicoloured layered flowers and lots of glitter! Every finished giant egg was rewarded with a little shiny chocolate egg.

Hope you all had a lovely Easter holiday, not long til half term now....that reminds me, next holiday workshop details coming soon!

Gailx