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First Day with New Paints!
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November 12, 2009 Since the last letter we have been able to make some changes that make the studio experience rewarding for our young artists. Our number has been reduced to about 15 children and some of the parents are beginning to come in to help. This is greatly appriciated and now I feel we are at a ratio that is managable and pleasant. I feel able to spend the right amount of time overseeing the activity and be able to help each child individually. Due to a generous grant of $1,000.00 supplied by an anonymous patron of the arts, we have been able to spread our wings a little bit. So far I have purchased a number of butterfly specimens from Thailand for the children to draw which should be here in a couple of weeks. Also some newprint paper, guache paints and enough mixing trays, sponges and brushes for all of the children to have an ample supply to get started on painting. Today I showed the budding artists how to organize the color on their mixing pallets. We learned about cool and warm colors and how to mix colors together. We also learned a number of painting techniques including using multiple colors on the same brush stroke, how crayons react to the water paints and how to create textures with wet sponges. Everyone seemed to have a very good time and most of the children did very well as you can tell from the photos of our experiments. As we go along I will show the kids how to use multiple tools to achive a wide range of effects that integrate drawing, painting and collage.        |