Be An Artist

Be an Artist!

Painting, drawing, creating and more! Check out the arts and crafts area, construction projects area and paper and scissors area for more craft and project ideas.

Enjoy!

Artist activities with a link have been featured on the It's All Kid's Play blog. These activities may have a photo on the blog as well as more detailed instructions than are shown here.

P.S. Wondering where a favourite activity went? The site is undergoing some changes and some of the activities have been temporarily shelved. Check back to see what's in the works.

Painting

Paint
Paint in a paint book, do a paint-by-numbers, or paint your own picture.
Try this: identical-sided paintings: Paint one half of a piece of paper and while the paint is still wet, fold the paper in half and press down. The paint from the one side is now on both sides of the paper.
Finger paint
Tempera paints or other water-based paints that are easy to wash off are good for finger painting.
Face painting
Why let your face have all the fun? How about your hands and feet? Make sure you use gentle, water-based paints that come off easily, won't hurt your skin and won't stain!

Drawing

Blind contour drawings
Draw a picture of something without looking at the paper you are drawing on. Pick something that will stay still, like a chair or a plant and without looking at the paper, draw the object. No peeking!
Don’t lift your pencil
Draw a picture of something without lifting your pencil off the paper. Find something you want to draw and start drawing. Once you place your pencil on the paper, do not lift it up again until you are done your drawing.
Illustrate your favourite story
It doesn't matter if it has pictures already, create your own!
Draw a picture
Anything you want.
Tracing
Trace your hands or feet by placing them on the paper and drawing around them. Or trace your body. You will probably need some help with this one plus a really big piece of paper (if you don’t have big paper, you can make some by taping pieces of newspaper together and using a marker or paint to trace yourself onto the paper). If you don’t have paper, you can trace yourself in the sand, packed snow, or on the sidewalk with chalk.
You can also trace a picture: Place a blank piece of paper over the picture you want to trace, then hold both up on a window so light shows through, making it easier to see the lines you are going to trace.
Use your toes!
Draw or paint by placing your pencil or paint brush between your toes. It's harder than it looks!

Outdoor Artist

Draw on birch bark
You have to be careful when you pull bark off the tree so you do not kill or injure the tree. It is best to pull it off a dead tree or the thin bark that is already being naturally shed by the trees.

Draw on a fungus
Fungi that grow on trees are great for drawing on when they are fresh (the part that faces down is white and soft when it is fresh and easy to draw on). In fact, you can draw with something sharp like a stick or your fingernail.

Goofy

Make a fist puppet
Supplies needed: a fist and markers.
Make a fist. Your thumb will be the bottom lip and chin of the face. The top knuckle of your pointer finger will be the top of the puppet’s head. You can make a face with pens or markers—just make sure they wash off with water!
Make an imprint
Place a coin, leaf or another object under a piece of paper. Go over it with a crayon or pencil crayon to get the impression of the coin.

Colour in a colouring book
Colour or paint a drawing that you have made
Calligraphy
To learn about calligraphy, find an instruction book as well as calligraphy pens in an arts and crafts store.
Pastels
Pastels are available in arts and craft stores and are great for making bright, colourful drawings.

It's All Kid's Play (.ca)

Other Fun Stuff

Be an Artist!

Artist activities with a link have been featured on the It's All Kid's Play blog. These activities may have a photo on the blog as well as more detailed instructions than are shown here.