Be Yourself ~ Not As Easy As It Sounds in the ART World (And How to Draw a Grumpy Bunny)

The internet has made what Disney called a small world even smaller. We get information in the blink of an eye, and we are exposed to far more than any other time in history.

We can get news from the other side of the globe faster than if your neighbor ran over from next door. What was once underground and very hard to see can now be considered mainstream. 

The web has leveled the art playing field somewhat--what was once relegated to a very select group can now be viewed by millions with the right amount of retweets or shares.

We see hundreds if not thousands of images a day as visual artists. We are lucky enough to look at the work of our peers, and in a matter of seconds we can find millions of images to help as reference points for our work.

Looking at other beautiful artwork can certainly elevate our practice, but I feel it can't help but influence our style, too. When we see a color combination we love we get excited and want to try and incorporate it into our work too. A new medium can have us running to the store so we can try it at home.

It is hard enough to develop a style that is recognizable yet unique, and now we have to contend with the daily hyper-viewing of images.

I am not complaining! I love the web and I love that I can see all the lovely art I could I ever dream of. But I am just a tad more aware of the fact that I need to stay true to me and my style, and not get seduced by something bright and shiny.

Every Friday I will be sharing a video that is geared towards helping kids learn to draw. I will be demonstrating in a way I liked to learn as a child--with fun and fancy images that are easily repeated and not too complicated. This week it is the grumpy bunny from the image above.

Please feel free to share this post or video with any artistic little ones you may know.

This is an image from a book I illustrated a few years ago for author David Rowinski called The Open Pillow. Another style for PPF.

So get going! Draw draw draw with abandon--and help your kids do the same. Before you know it you will have your own amazing style.

xo

Drawn with the Kuretake brush pen.

Downloadable Turkeys!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Since I won't be eating any turkey tomorrow I drew some that you can download and color--one for the big kids (and adults, let's be real) and one for the little ones.

For the little ones

For the older set, and adults.

Have a wonderful day!

xo

Kid Art, Creativity, and How-To Kitty

Pablo Picasso said, "We are all born artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

So true!

Children gain self-esteem and emotional fulfillment when they are allowed to create without judgement. 

They do not have preconceived notions or endless loops of internal negativity to get in the way of their thinking. 

If we foster the creativity in a child we are allowing them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The Whole Child of PBS states: "The experiences a child has during their first years of life can enhance their creativity."

For all those parents out there that want to do art with their kids but think I do not have a creative bone in my body--maybe you do, but need a little help finding it. 

Make it easy. Get some paper and some pencils, crayons, or paint and go for it. Don't worry about the result. Enjoy the moment and  just go for it.

For those that need a bit of a nudge, here are some prompts:

* A lovely November morning
* A yellow bird
* A cup of tea
* A monster in the closet
* A rocket ship in space
* A new planet
* A flower no one has ever seen before
* Constellations in the night sky 
* Your pet
* A pet you wish you could have
* A cool car
* Snow flakes with faces

Choose any of these items and draw one on a page, a few, or 50. Just have fun.

And here is a quick how-to for Kiki the Cat :) Show me your version when you are done!

xo

Kiki starts with two circles, kind of like a snowman, except the bigger one is for her head! (Only slightly bigger--mine almost look the same size and that is fine.) Draw lightly here because you will be erasing some of these lines later.

Now draw some VERY light guidelines on her face so you know where to put her eyes and nose.

Her face is looking right at us, so her nose will be right in the center, on the lower guideline.

Make the nose with just a tiny triangle, and then draw another short time down from the bottom point of her nose. Then draw the top of her mouth--it looks like two very shallow Us. Her eyes fit between the top and bottom guidelines. My Kiki will be looking to the right. (Her head is facing forward, but her eyes are looking off to the side.)

Lightly draw two triangles on her head for ears. If you draw them wide apart she will look calm, if you draw them more on top of her head she will look alert, or surprised. 

Her front paws are just small ovals with the tops of the ovals erased. Her back paws are kind of like parenthesis with tiny cat toes. Her tail looks a bit like a large backwards C.

She's starting to look like Kiki now!

Now we can darken the lines and make her look fluffy. I also left some white spots in her eyes for highlights, and lines under her for a shadow. I also added some very light whiskers and I shaded part of her ears.

Voila! Kiki!

I will be adding more Kiki how-tos in the weeks to come.

I'd love to see what you draw!

CUTEST CORNUCOPIA EVER!

As I was looking though the Lamberts Lately blog I came across THIS on her Create It Thursday linky~the cutest cornucopia from Growing Up Gabel! A perfect November craft and lots of fun for Thanksgiving.

It's easy and probably delicious.

I can't wait to get all the ingredients, which include Laffy Taffy, Tootsie Rolls, and ice cream cones.

Get ready to have fun, and grab the kids so they can help too.

Thanks Lamberts Lately and Growing Up Gabel! Cute, cute cute.

Instructions HERE.

xo

Illustrator's Weekly Challenge

Every year around this time I pull the decorations down from my attic and transform the inside of my house into a glowing black and orange Halloween explosion.

Starting on October 1st I began drawing ghosts to post on my Instagram account because the spirit moved me. I decorated a box of matches with a fiery little apparition, then I made Mod Podge Ghosts a few weeks ago and hung them in the dining room. 

I love Halloween and not only wanted to share my art, but wanted to see art from others too.

So I started the Weekly Challenge.

The prompt will change weekly. Feel free to add paintings, sketches, or crafts--whatever medium grabs you. You can grab the Illustrator's Weekly Challenge button if you like from the right column. 

This week's prompt is PUMPKINS~!! 

Post below, I can't wait to see yours--I can't get enough.

To join the brand new Illustrator's Weekly Challenge Facebook group just CLICK HERE! A new prompt weekly--show us your work.

You can find us on Instagram too at @IllustratorsWeekly. I am on Insta at @dealenihan

xo 

An InLinkz Link-up

Weekend Creative Party!

This is the first linky party for all the creative mamas out there. 

Join in every weekend for the rest of October by placing your favorite craft, recipe, or how-to in the list below.

~ Simply click the linky CLICK HERE TO ENTER link below , follow the simple instructions, and add your information.

~ An image will appear and click through to your blog.
~ Grab the ghostly Weekend Creative Party button to add to your blog to show you participated.

~ The post that gets the most clicks will be featured on Instagram on Monday.
~ I will be tweeting (and I hope you will too!) daily to over 6000 followers on twitter.

Join us and add your most creative post and have fun!!

xo

MUSHROOM GARDEN Downloadable

Coloring books are IN! Here is a free and fun image of an ever so slightly spooky garden for you and the kids. You can almost imagine these mushrooms could be waiting in a witches garden for use as in ingredient in her brew!

To download, right click the image and save to your computer. 

Then have fun coloring! xo

A SPOOKY CRAFTY Find!

Today as I perused Instagram I came across one of the cutest, easiest spooky crafts of the season.

Posted by muminthemadhouse, these Clay Tealight Ghosts were done by one of her nine year olds.

What you'll need:

Air dry clay (Crayola makes one for under $5 HERE)

Rolling pin or smooth bottle

Butter knife

Shot glasses or bunched up paper towel

Just roll out the clay to about 1/8 of an inch. Cut appx. six inch diameter circles. Form ghost shapes over the shot glasses or paper towel, then make marks where the eyes and mouth will be. Lay flat again, then cut out eyes with butter knife. 

Drape ghosts over glasses again and let dry.

When dry (about 24 hours) place a battery operated tea light beneath ghost and place in a very dark corner to create a spooky atmosphere.

I love these! Hope you do too.

Thanks Mum in the Madhouse!

xo

Make a FLIP BOOK for HALLOWEEN

Kids love Halloween, crafts, and movies.

Here is a craft that combines all three!

All you need for this craft is:

One book of Post-It notes

A pen

A backdrop light source (I used my iPhone)

First decide what your mini movie will be about. (Keep it simple.)

Then draw your first frame on the LAST page of the Post-It notes. 

Your next page will have to be very similar except for a slight change, you can start showing any action here in a very small way.

(Here the ghost starts to pop out.)

The next frame he pops out a tiny bit more. (Notice the grave stays the same. I traced the grave using my iPhone to back light the image in each frame.)

Make your character move only a tiny bit in each frame. (You can check to make sure by using the iPhone here also. I went to the NOTES page and started on a new page because it is blank and bright.)

Keep changing your picture a tiny bit at a time until you have an image for each Post-It.

When you are done drawing, start at the back and flip through the pages. Watch the action!

It is a bit easier to do if you keep your images either in one corner or across the bottom of the pages.

Have fun!!

Make a Picture Like Eric Carle ~ Kids Can Create a Picture Collage

The illustrations in The Very Hungry Caterpillar seem to capture the attention of almost every young child.

Simple yet complex, they are colorful and eye-catching.

Recreating the look is fun and easy for any child who is old enough to use a pair of scissors.

What you'll need:

Several sheets of white paper

One sheet of thicker white paper or board

Watercolor paints or markers

Paint brushes

White glue

Scissors

First, decide what you are going to draw. Feel free to copy my bears, but if you want to draw mice, or bugs, or your family you can.

Then paint several colors of watercolor on the regular paper. The colors can overlap, they can be in patterns, white areas are fine...basically you can't make a mistake. 

To give the colors even more texture, after the first layer dries choose a different color and make lines or dots. Crinkling up another small sheet of paper or paper towel and dipping it in the paint will create nice textures when softly touched on top of another color.

Using your paintbrush for texture is fun too. When the paint is almost used up on the brush it feels a bit dry and breaks up into sections. Without wetting the brush, dip it into a color and lightly go over another color on the page for a cool lined effect.

I did one page of my first layer of paint in browns and blacks because I wanted to make some trees. To get the spots, dip the brush in black paint, then brush your finger so the paint is kind of flicked off onto the paper. If your brush is too soft, hold the brush over the paper and lightly tap the finger of your other hand so little speckles drop off onto your page. (This method can be a bit messier.)

After your pages have dried, begin cutting shapes.

For my picture, I needed three ovals, three circles, for the bears heads and bodies, three very long rectangles for tree trunks in brown, several shorty skinny rectangles for tree branches, and many leaves cut out from all the different colors I painted. I also made six little arms, six little legs, and six little ears, and one big oval in green that will be a patch of grass. I also cut out a butterfly from some of the scraps and some very long curved triangles for grass. (The butterfly is made from two B shapes.)

Please feel free to make your trees, leaves and bears ANY color you like. Don't feel limited to the edges of the paper--go out of the lines!

Now start to glue the pieces you cut any way you like. You can see within the cut out pieces how the white spaces, speckles, squiggles, and paint splashes all add to the texture and charm of the picture. You can copy mine or create your own. I hope I see some mice, cats, dogs, wolves, monkeys, or anything else you can think of.

Send me any of your completed work--I'd love to show it off here!

Have fun!!

xo

Yummy Drinks Kids Will Enjoy--Under 80 Calories!! For Mom and Dad too.

Just because the summer is almost over doesn't mean all the fun has to end. 

Here is a quick post to tell you about two awesome drinks I made that are under 100 calories each--and you can share them with the kids! (If you want...)

*Coconut Fizzy*

Ice Cubes (I fill the glass)

Coconut La Croix Seltzer

Pineapple Juice

Lime

1 tsp. coconut milk or cream per glass (you can also use whipped cream)

Fill glass 2/3 of the way with seltzer. (If you have never had La Croix Coconut Seltzer I HIGHLY recommend it. It is somehow creamy all on it's own with NO sugar, NO color, and NO calories. Delicious.) Add about 1/4 cup pineapple juice (or to taste). Add about 1 tsp. coconut milk or cream and stir well. Squeeze a bit of lime on top and add ice. This drink rivals any pina colada I've ever had. Yummmm. (You can also add a scoop of whipped cream on top but that puts it over 100 calories--might be worth it.)

*Creamsicle*

Ice Cubes

Vanilla Polar Seltzer (another somehow creamy calorie free drink)

Orange Juice

Vanilla almond milk or soy milk OR 1 tsp. coconut milk

Fill glass 1/2 with vanilla seltzer. Fill other half with orange juice. Add the vanilla almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk and stir well. Light, refreshing, and delicious.

Both of these drinks are so much better for you than soda. Coconut cream has EFAs and juices are filled with vitamin C. 

BTW--2 TBSP of whipped cream only has 16 calories. (You can also make divine whipped "cream" by taking some of the solids off of the top of the coconut cream, adding a bit of sugar and whipping the same way as cream. Yum again. And it's vegan.)

Here are the seltzers:

BUY HERE

 

BUY HERE

ENJOY!!
xo

Artsy Back to School Stained Glass Bookmark for Teacher

Summer went by too fast!

Bring a tiny bit of artsy fun into the classroom with a back to school bookmark for the teacher.

For this craft you will need:

Elmer's (or similar) glue

Colored Sharpies

Thick paper or cardboard in color of your choice

Clear plastic sheet

First cut out a long book mark shape from the paper.

It can be any shape you like, curvy, swervy, a flower, a lightning bolt, or a rectangle. Just use your imagination and have fun.

Cut a window in the paper.

Using the paper bookmark as a guide, cut the clear plastic slightly smaller than the bookmark.

Now make any type of stained glass design with the Sharpies that you choose. Flowers, shapes, even just one or two colors looks great. 

If you are using white paper or cardboard you can color it with the Sharpies too.

Take the glue and put a thin line around the clear plastic when you have finished coloring, and glue it on the window.

Viola! You have a beautiful stained glass bookmark lovely enough to grace any book.

Have so much fun and please show me the bookmark that you and your kids create.

Email to dealenihan @gmail.com.

XO

You Love 'Em But You Need a Break!

We love our kids.

We love 'em when they are tiny and helpless and rely on us for everything. Then they get a bit bigger and we think we are going to get a bit more time to ourselves because someone said that kids can "play on their own" more as they get older. Their attention spans expand and they can entertain themselves.

Well--no.

When they start to talk and that brain fires left, right and sideways with all the rapid growing they are doing, their favorite thing to say will be MOM.

Or Ma, Momma, Mommy, or Mum.

The first time you hear Mama out of those teeny bow lips will be one of the most memorable days in your life. 

Fast forward a year. 

They will use it hundreds of times a day.

And it will still be wonderful to be a mom. But there will also be times you want to pull your hair out of your head. 

You are the first person that means everything to them--but that does not mean that you should let yourself go insane.

You will feel like no one can care for your child as well as you can--and you are right. No one will have that incredible connection. And that is FINE. 

They need to get out in the world a bit, experience new things, and have some fun--just like you do. 

It does not have to be every day, but often enough that you have something to look forward to every week. Get a manicure--or get together with a friend and give each other mani/pedis. Stop at Starbucks on the way home for a treat, and have a probably much needed free girlfriend therapy session. Or simply go somewhere and read--ALONE.

It does not really matter what you do, as long as you fill your tank when the fuel gets low.

They tell you on a plane if (GOD FORBID) the oxygen masks fall that you should take care of yourself before any children.

It's the same thing--you are no good for anyone--including yourself--if you have nothing to give.

So go out and fill your tank. Have some fun. Then spread that sunshine around.

Come back on Wednesday--I will have a craft for the kids for these last few days of summer.

XO

Why We Need to be Ferocious

Somewhere along the way we lost a bit of our ferociousness. 

We overthink, partially to save ourselves potential pain. We plan and do what we can to avoid repeating the same mistakes we made before, and call it wisdom.

And it is.

But is it always the right thing?

Watch a child for a bit.

They do not hesitate to jump off the top bunk.

Yup, they get hurt sometimes--but they also get the experience. They flew through the air for that second. And even though they may have gotten a bruise or two, they may do it again, because it was worth it.

They are brave and daring little renegades, knowing that a choice they make may cause them temporary pain.

We are so used to being comfortable. We have sold out for a soft and fluffy day on the couch.

So maybe, once in a while, follow in the footsteps of a fierce little outlaw and become a revolutionary.

You just might find your wings.

xo 

Kid Magic

When we are young almost everything we experience is touched with a bit of magic.

The first-ness of our moments adds wonder and beauty to the most simple things. Glimpses of our day, like a butterfly gliding through our wisteria, feel as if they are visited by a Disney fairy godmother when we are little.

A walk through grandpa's garden is Narnia to the preschool set, and more rich and poignant than any CGI filled movie you could pay for.

But the lives of our little ones are chock-full of busy-ness. From homework in kindergarten to pee wee sports practice, our kid's lives are hectic. 

Reading and art allow children to slow down, to do something calming and centering. Unbeknownst to them, while they are munching along with Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar or roaring with the terrible beasts in Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, they are expanding their imaginations and increasing their literacy skills.

If they can't read yet themselves, they sit with a loved one, experiencing closeness and developing an ability for meaningful discussions.

When given a paint brush and a blank canvas, children are allowed to expand their consciousness and develop creative and open-minded thinking. It awakens their senses and helps with problem solving skills. You do not have to tell them art is timeless, they delve into the moment and are somehow connected with the self-expression that has been part of humanity since the dawn of time. 

Appreciation of art and literature starts young, and happily they have no idea they are learning. Children have the special ability to have nothing attached to what they are doing--they are creating art or reading simply because they love it. There is no agenda attached to their creativity. They go with the flow, a gift that Picasso spoke about when he said "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist as we grow up." The magic in their completely un-self-conscious creativity allows them to be wholly in the moment, something we as adults can have a hard time with.

Our kids grow up so fast. Our days are filled with bills, cleaning, cooking, and a whole lot of reality. We are focused on test-taking in school and a very one sided IQ score that is probably decent at grading one's general knowledge base.

But what about creativity? What about those kids who are notoriously considered square pegs simply because the current system disallows for square holes?

The magic of childhood is lovely, and it would be nice to stretch at least some of that Abracadabra into our adult lives. 

Reading and art are two examples of wizardry that seamlessly moves with us as we grow. Along with the obvious advantages of reading to kids when they are young and allowing them to create unguided art, these bewitching gifts stick--they are endless presents of love that happily never have to end.

I'd love to know of any books or forms of art you loved as a child, and what made them special to you.

xo Dea

Fun Easter Book and a Page to Color

Spring is in the air, and Easter is right around the corner. Time to wonder, is the Easter bunny a robot? 

You can color your way to the truth and find out in the book Francine and the Super Spy Bunny.

CLICK HERE to BUY

 You will find many surprises in the book, including a six foot tall chocolate bunny!

 

Kindle version on Amazon available for $.99, but order the coloring book if you if you have crayons and are ready to use them.

When you (or your kids ;) )have a beautiful picture colored, send it to me! I will post it on the Amazon page along with some previous pix from last year.

Have fun--and watch out for bunnies with glowing red eyes.

The Curse of 1000 Directions

We are given free reign in this country to be whatever we want. We are told from the time we are born that our choices are endless, and we can do it all

We are so lucky in so many ways!

We have freedom of religion and speech, our choice of career, spouse, and where to live, and the luxury of having spare time and the ability to choose what to do with it.

But there is a bit of a dark side to all this freedom. 

If we think we don't like one of our choices, we easily hop to something else. For example, I used to be a makeup artist. I not only did weddings and events, but I eventually worked for Sony Studios and several very well-known photographers in NYC. The money was great and I could choose the jobs I wanted--or did not want. 

The I got bored--or I thought I did.

I decided I wanted to try something else. To be honest--I can't remember what I hopped to that time--but for a few minutes I'm sure it was just as exciting as it was the first time I walked into a glamorous photo shoot in Manhattan. And I'm also pretty sure that I thought I got bored with that too.

Although I was unaware of it at the time, I had a bit of an addiction. The Next New Thing was my version of cigarettes and heroin. No one was there to stop me, and I took full advantage. I also like money--and the idea that the next thing might make me even MORE money than the thing I was already doing was very seductive. 

But in reality it was not about the money--it was about my own inability to take things to the next level. To get through the inevitable doldrums that happen as you become proficient at something, and your natural talent develops beyond what you are born with.

I was not trying to avoid work, but I was unconsciously trying to avoid becoming an expert at anything. Being an eternal novice has its advantages.

Keeping my "new guy" status gave me the ability to shirk true responsibility--in the field and to myself. How could I be expected to know what to do when I just started? Of course I can't help you...I don't know what I'm doing yet!

Yeah--ew. 

Not easy to admit, but when I realized what I was doing, (with the help of a friend and endless conversations), I thought long and hard and put the breaks on.

I thought about the things I wanted to accomplish, and what I really had to be doing to get them done. 

I could no longer twitch my nose and start over. I had to work my tail off at ONE THING--whether it was fun, or I was tired, or I had a headache, or (one of my favorite personal excuses), someone was knocking on the door. There were no longer 1000 directions to choose from. In fact, the path became incredibly narrow. I suddenly had to use laser focus and not allow distractions.

Funny--this was always my worst fear. To be "stuck" doing one thing--no choices, no freedom, no fun. I would be missing everything going on in the world around me. What I failed to admit was that I was missing out on plenty. Missing out on developing something and seeing it through to fruition, becoming very successful at something I loved, and having the satisfaction of becoming an expert at something.

I have been writing and illustrating exclusively for five years now. I have a routine--GASP--I never thought I would utter that sentence. I am "stuck" every day going into my studio and getting down to work. I do the same thing day in and day out--and I have never felt more liberated.

I do not have to wonder what I will do next or what I am missing. I realize there is an interesting freedom to sticking to something and becoming truly good at it. I am allowed a different view--the experiences of the next level. The deeper insights and conversations that come with knowing more than entry level information, and the satisfaction of finishing work that is MINE.

Maybe I am a late bloomer, but there is something to be said for the experience of life too--better late than never. But maybe this is just my time.