When I paint or draw,
I keep my mind's thought-garden
Completely free of self-doubt-weeds.
-Author unknown
This is the 20th issue of the "Young @ Art" Newsletter. We hope you are enjoying the warm weather and sunshine! This newsletter has some ideas to try with chalk pastels.
If you missed the Renton Art Camps, you can still register for the Art Camps in Issaquah next month!
All of our Fall classes should be listed on the website in the next few weeks - we are working on scheduling those right now!
-Crystal R. Pyren
Chalk Pastels!
Chalk Pastels are one of the most fun (and most messy) art materials to use. Because of this, parents often don't allow them to be used in the house. Sometimes students only get to use them during the summer time, or away from home- at school or at art classes.
Well - everyone- It's summer! Time to crack some packs of chalk pastels open!
Chalk Pastels as Sidewalk Chalk!
You know all those "Chalk Painting" events that were listed in the previous issue - well, those are all done with Chalk Pastels - not "Sidewalk Chalk." Sidewalk Chalk can be great for young kids (ages 3-5) but after a while those light colors start getting boring. Where's the color? To get the real punchy, vivid color - you need to use Chalk Pastels (sometimes called "Soft Pastels"). And not all brands are created equal. There are some very inexpensive Chalk Pastel sets that are pretty good, but are still lacking some of the most amazing color. To get those colors on a budget- you may need to buy a few individual (expensive) colors in addition to your cheaper set. (These will probably run somewhere between $1.50 - $4.00 per pastel.) Take your child to an art store (Daniel Smith, Aaron Brothers, or even Michael's Crafts) and let them choose 3 or 4 of the vivid colors (hot pink, turquoise, deep purple, etc...) They will love this experience!
("Skagit Valley Tulips" - by Crystal in 1999)
Drawing on the Ground (sidewalks, driveways, brick, rocks)
Unfortunately, drawing on the sidewalk with your artsy Chalk Pastels will "eat them up" much quicker than paper. They will get small and disappear quickly. You may want to buy more than one of those cheap sets. I have seen them for as cheap as $3 - $5 at Michael's Crafts and at Fred Meyer. So stock up! Also - remember, there is more pigment in the pastels than in the sidewalk chalk - so the artwork will stay around much longer. (You should also be careful about tracking this dust into your house.)
Try blending with fingers, dry soft sponges, old rags, or even wet wipes for a different look.
Use a small hand-held vacuum to remove the extra chalk dust (don't breathe or blow away the chalk dust!)
Give your child something to sit on that is cushiony to sit or kneel on for the longer projects - pillow - folded towel or blanket, or knee pads.
Let your young artist get some inspiration- check out these amazing "Chalk Paintings" from my favorite chalk painting festival, I Modonnari.
We had so much fun at the Summer Art Camps in Renton! We painted rocks, worked on easels, drew ice cream sundaes (and then ate them!), drew many insects and made clay sundials! There are photos from the Renton camps on our Gallery Page.
There is still space available for our Issaquah Art Camps for late August! We hope to see you at Art Camp!
Your young artist will love painting on easels at the park! We will be using watercolor paint. All art materials provided. Please bring your own smock and sunscreen.
Lake Sammamish Park (Issaquah)
Meet on beach near South Parking lot -past the playground.
Date: Sat, August 14
Time: 10:00am - 10:45am
Student's Name
Gene Coulon Beach Park (Renton)
Meet on grassy area North of Ivar's.
Date: Sat, August 21
Time: 10:00am - 10:45am
Student's Name
Pine Lake Park (Sammamish)
Meet at the beach.
Date: Sat, August 28
Time: 10:00am - 10:45am
Student's Name
One-Day Workshops for ages 5 - 12 can be found here.
We hope you have enjoyed this issue of Young @ Art! Feel free to contact us with any questions, or comments. We welcome any feedback about our classes or newsletter. Thank you!
