The truth is that everyone can develop the ability to paint. Learning to paint is as hard as anything else. All activities require a certain level of talent, including writing, cooking and even talking. So, if you would like to develop the fundamentals necessary to paint, what makes that different from the other activities where the skill to do it is considered a “God given” talent?

Absolutely anyone can be learning to paint and there is no need for god given talent to do so. As is the case with acquiring most skills, the secret to success, lies in the passion and determination of the individual.

After all, all these manuals and art books have not been written for the “god given” painters, explaining all the techniques for the usage of adequate papers, colors, brushes and stuff. In other words, the authors who are creating those materials believe that anyone can learn how to paint.

The painting method that you select, is a highly individualized choice. You can choose with oils, acrylics, water colors and pastels.  These are the basics, and you can always move into other ones at a later time.

Of course people painted with everything they had, being it chalk, charcoal, coffee or anything else. It is also recommended that you try out several different techniques so that you can choose the one you are the most comfortable with when it comes to learning to paint. Stop using something if it does not work for you, it will only make you feel bad – there will certainly be the technique you will find your satisfaction.

Do not be scared to improvise with colors, mix them because it will make your learning more interesting. There are no guidelines or hard and fast rules that must be followed in order to experiment with color.

When you have finished a painting project, be satisfied and pleased with your accomplishment, because whether it is an abstract or true naïve, it should not be compared to anyone else’s work. You should never try to conform your painting to specific guideline, as art is a creative process without limitations. How art can remain art if we label it?

Tags: Art, kids, learn how to paint, learn to paint, learning how to paint, paint, painting, school tips, teaching, teaching art, teaching painting to kids

Some fun art and a little learning for your Thanksgiving holiday

One thing that goes well with kids and school is arts and crafts. Kids love arts and crafts no matter how creative they are. As long as the craft is simple, kids want to do it.

I have always liked combining my arts and crafts with school and giving purpose to what we are doing. One way of doing this is with a bulletin board. Bulletin boards have always been a friend of mine. I love how they not only can brighten up your schoolroom walls, but they constantly reinforce what it is you are teaching. Until your students have the skill pretty mastered, a bulletin board should be around.

Thanksgiving bulletin boards are a great way to teach several things. First, they could actually teach students about geography. Plan out a course that the pilgrims took and have the students make a map charting the course. The younger students could have a very basic map and the older the children are the more details they could add. If you wanted to study mapping skills this would be optimum.

Perhaps the students could make a giant cardboard ship with the different levels of the ship. They could add supplies made from construction paper or raw materials that could depict what would be needed to make the journey. Different mediums could add a 3D effect to the project. This could be adapted to each grade level by offering pre made things to add to the ship and help from the teacher to the students making the project all themselves.

Another thing you could do is study the pilgrims themselves. What did they do that first year and how were they helped, making a big collage to depict that. Again, this could be very rudimentary or detailed depending on the grade and ability of your student.

You could teach art by going on line and looking at various artists and how they portrayed thanksgiving. Study about how Thanksgiving was portrayed in the 1600’s as compared to now. Look at greeting cards and see if students can notice how art has changed from then to now. Then, the students could design their own art pieces depicting what thanksgiving is to them.

It would be fun to study clothing of the period and find out when the black and white came in and when it went out or did they really wear black and white at all.

The possibilities are endless! So, while you are teaching your kids about this important holiday why not add in some fun by offering an art and craft to go with all that learning. It is like getting fries with your hamburger.

Tags: Art, Art and Crafts, home school, homeschool, kids, parents looking for help, resources, school help, school projects, school tips, teaching, teaching art, teaching methods, Teaching tip, Thanksgiving