Kids Crafts

Making robots is a craft which will appeal to children of all ages and doesn't have to cost you anything. It will probably require some forward planning as to make the robot you will need to collect toilet rolls, cereal packets, tin foil and any other materials you can possibly think of that would make a good robot.
Creating a robot can be tailored to the ability of the child. For instance, you may need to help a toddler tape toilet rolls to a box to make its body then let them glue on buttons for eyes and the controls. Older children can probably manage with little or no help.
If you have poster paint, get your children to paint their robot creation afterwards. You will probably need to mix a little PVA glue in with the paint to get it to stick properly and avoid flaking.

For this you will need a drawing pad, notebook or you can create your own by stapling or sewing lots of sheets of paper together. Just tailor this kids craft idea to suit whatever materials are available to you.
Once you have the basis of your book, get your child to create a story in it. This can be written, pictures or a combination of the two. Alternatively, they can use the book to document an event (such as their birthday), what they did in the school holidays, or write about their hobbies or their families.
Instead of drawing pictures they could take photos and print them out to stick in the book. For example, if they are writing a book about their family, they could take photos of their parents, siblings or pets. Or if they have made up a story about knights, dragons and castles they could set up the different scenes using Lego and take a photo of each scene.

Tole Painting Patterns

So you're a craft painter who loves creating beautiful designs on plates, woodwork and glass. You feel such fulfillment creating these little masterpieces that you think there has to be a way to make some money at the same time. Besides, your own home and the homes of all your friends are just crammed full of your artwork.
So how do you make the leap from craft painter to getting paid for painting? Here are 4 simple tips to get you going in the right direction:
1. Pick up some design and painting books for decorative painting. Donna Dewberry's books are perfect for this using her One Stroke painting technique which is a faster way of tole-painting requiring fewer strokes.

 That is right! As the title said I have been reading about all these forums from model rocketry, model railroad, and model builders in general. For the most part they all swear about using Future Floor polish as both a clear coat on finishes, as a barrier between two different kinds of finishes, and more importantly as a flow improver and thinner for acrylic paints. Floor polish is nothing more than a thinned acrylic emulsion in water with additives to improve durability and shine.

Craft Paint Colors

What is acrylic craft paint? It is a water based acrylic emulsion with solid pigmentation suspended. It is meant for general craft use and is meant to replace the solvent base paints. If you have ever been to Michael's or Hobby Lobby, you would have seen them in cylindrical 2 ounce bottles in a rainbow of colors. They come in various forms for different desired finish results. They come in heavy body forms for application to paper and canvas, in a little thinner consistency for other porous substrates like wood and ceramics, in outdoor enamel finishes for decorating garden ornamentation, and metallic colors. The metallic craft paints consist mainly of colored micas suspended in acrylic emulsion. Some of the metallics are actual metal powders like powdered copper, brass or aluminum. Paints with copper powder will carry a special caution informing of a slight toxicity hazard.

Although the outdoor enamels and special paints made for metals are best for applying acrylics to metal, just about any craft paint can be applied to metal if necessary preparations are taken. In applying to steel a primer coat should be applied. This coating can be sanded when dried to ensure a smoother finish. Once dry and fresh of dust and debris, the acrylic paint can be brushed, stippled or airbrushed on. Although the paint appears to dry in an hour or so( depending on temperature and humidity), you will want to wait 6 to 24 hours before handling or sealing the paint with clear coat. Contrary to what you may have heard, you can seal th acrylic paint with acrylic aerosol clear coat. The solvents are intense but if you start with a light coat and let it dry then apply increasingly heavier coats with each passing, then you will get a durable finish that is more resistant to scratches.

Easter Crafts

With Easter just around the corner, it's time to start thinking of a variety of preschool Easter crafts to help celebrate the season. Easter lends itself well to crafts, since one of the main ways it's celebrated contemporarily is by decorating eggs.
While these children may be a little too young for preschool Easter crafts with real Easter eggs, plastic or play dough eggs make a great, less breakable substitute. For the brave and the not so faint of heart, real eggs can be used however they must be hard-boiled first to avoid any broken eggs on the floor.
If the idea of bringing eggs and dye into the preschool classroom is a little too frightening, try making stained glass Easter eggs from contact paper or waxed paper. Once the egg shapes have been cut out, decorate the shape with tissue paper or construction paper, glitter, or whatever else is in the craft supply cupboard. If using waxed paper don't forget to use a little glue to get the tissue paper the stick.

Or try this craft which involves eggs made from coffee filters. Cut out a number of egg shapes from coffee filters and give a few to each child. The children are to decorate their eggs using spray bottles filled with watered-down paint for a nice tie-dyed effect. They can also decorate the eggs with markers and then spray the eggs with water from a spray bottle for a similar design result.

Painted Wood Crafts

Want to spice up your living room? A single item of ha-painted furniture from Rajasthan, India, could be just the thing you're looking for, adding rich color and interest to your home.
Like other myriad crafts from this Indian desert state, hand-painted wooden furniture has a long tradition. The cities of Kishangarh and Jodhpur, in particular, are famed for their distinctive styles of furniture.
Acacia arabica, mango and rose are the woods favored by artisans. An item of furniture is first made and then finished. Painting is done over the finished piece, which is finally given a coat of varnish. A host of products are available: small, low chairs (with detachable seats) that are surprisingly comfortable, stools, trunks, wine racks, cupboards, doors, paneled screens, cabinets and decorative, carved 'windows'. A wide range of bright colors are used to decorate these products.

Paintings from the Kishangarh School of Art present human figures with highly stylized features - elongated necks, wide, almond-shaped eyes, slender fingers and muted colors. This style - like the pretty, symmetrical floral motifs - bears the stamp of the Mughal influence on the artforms of Rajasthan. Such motifs, which were traditionally painted on silk as miniatures, find their way on to furniture as well. Kishangarh furniture also features embossed and painted designs.
Wooden furniture from Jodhpur has a quaint, antique charm, with typically ethnic color combinations. A cabinet, for instance, might feature red and green floral motifs with a border of cobalt blue and ochre. Decorative wooden wall pieces often feature richly carved borders that frame paintings of Hindu gods or Rajput kings and queens.

Decorative Painting

You've probably been to houses that have a unique feel to them just because one of the walls in the living room had been done decoratively. A wall could be color blocked, given a marble effect, or, perhaps just sponged.
These techniques are not as complicated as they sound. Color blocking involves painting different blocks of colors of varying sizes onto a particular wall. A thing to remember if you are using this decorative form in your living room is that color blocking lends an air of sophistication to a room, and because of the attention it attracts, it is best to keep it to one wall only.

 

Arts And Crafts Painting

It's hard to imagine a weekend in New England's Spring and Summer without one village or another playing host to an arts & Crafts show. I love to wander down the aisles inspecting the local artist works and seeing all the different creative offerings and themes. Often, I'll stop and talk with the booth owner and see how they like the show.... Imagine what it would be like to exhibit your paintings at a local arts and craft show....
Yesterday, we talked about the ins and outs of conducting a successful art show with a benefit or fundraiser or charity event. Today, its a traditional, for profit show I'd like to talk about. Seems to me we all like to visit these shows until someone says......" Hey, you should sell your stuff. You're really good!"

Besides flattery, we'll visit art shows and think, hey I can do this.... And why not? We don't have to make a living as an artist to exhibit at these shows. Just making a happy buck is all the motivation we need.
I will caution you to carefully consider which paintings to bring. The best, all time hits are either paintings of local scenes, or a common theme. A common theme could be all seascapes, or all lighthouses, or all wildlife, etc... You'll need to research the show to decide what might work best for you.