Summer art activities
With a whole summer to look forward to, I think now is the ideal time to start thinking about some amazing art projects that you can do with your kids (no matter what their age) to take advantage of these long sunny days.
When it comes to art, I’m all about fun over formalism! That means you don’t need to be an expert or perfect sketcher, but rather it’s all about loosening those creative muscles and exploring your imagination — something I’ve talked about in a previous blog post here.
With that in mind, here are a few fun activities you can do with your kids during the summer that'll help spark their creativity and give you something to do as a family!
Kandinsky Inspired Circle Paints
All you need are some watercolours (any brand will do!), brushes, and paper, and you can help your kids learn a little bit of art history all whilst having fun by emulating one of the masters of 20th century art.
Kandisnky was famed for his studies of color using concentric circles, and in order to emulate this for yourself, you, or your child, just need to draw out a grid in light pencil first, to provide a guide for the circles, before applying and experimenting with different layers of colour and combinations. It’s a great introduction to the idea of abstract art, and just a lot of fun to do!
Make Your Own Zine
Zines have been part and parcel of the world of art, music, poetry, and more for decades now, often embodying an independent spirit and boundless creativity.
They are also incredibly easy to make at home, and will let you and your kids make something that truly has no limits.
It’s basically a DIY mini magazine, and there are all sorts of topics that you could cover like:
Making your own mini comic strip or illustrated story
Favourite recipes
Favourite memories
But really, the fun of zine making is that there are no rules! All you need is some paper, scissors, and any arts and craft supplies that capture your imagination.
Zentangle Drawings
Zentangle drawings don’t just sound cool, they look amazing too! A zentangle is basically just any design that uses abstract (or non-representational, to be technical) repeating patterns.
Beyond that, there are no formal restrictions. Zentangle designs can be done in any medium from simple pen or pencil illustration to watercolour or acrylic. You can draw your own, or print out templates and colour it in.
Of course, art isn’t just for you to do at home this summer, I’m still running a number of exciting classes that you can book here before it’s too late!