(Part 2) Art for Kids--Making an Investment

Last week I wrote about investing in art books for children.  Today I'd like to cover the art supplies you'll need on hand as your children explore different art techniques.

The book above, which we recently obtained (we bought a used, 2002 hardcover, 12x9 edition), teaches basic art techniques, including:

tissue paper collage
oil pastel resist
collage with ink drawing
dragged paint
tissue paper rubbings
cardboard and potato printing
cut paper
techniques for trees
printing with a sponge
fingerpainting
pastel and ink resist
creating textured papers
brushstrokes
techniques for skies
mixed media collage
painted patterns
patterns with plastic foodwrap
watercolor washes
tissue paper and glue collage
printing with an eraser
techniques for water
wet inks and chalk pastels
blow-painting
adding gold highlights
tessellating and transforming shapes
continuous line drawing
techniques for fur
wet-on-wet painting
magazine paper collage
wax resist and splattering
paper collage
oil pastel resist and splattering
techniques for feathers
watercolor effects
chalk pastels
lifting off watercolor paint
scratched paint and pastels
collage with found objects
pencil and eraser drawings

If you're like me, you've never heard of many of these techniques!  My own education lacked any art emphasis--no performing arts, no visual arts.  I want more for my children.  I can't very well jump into a music curriculum for them--me, who can't carry a tune--but I can do something.

I can make time for them to participate in the Christmas Pageant every year, and in other productions; I can sign them up for basic music classes when they're appropriate for our budget; I can purchase simple recorders (a basic musical instrument) and accompanying book; and especially right now, I can invest in art materials they can explore at home.  

Let me say again here that my boys (ages 7 and 9) use our new Usborne art book independently (as well as our Usborne drawing books), due to the excellent illustrations and explanations.  If you're busy with little ones at home, your older children can still glean much from a good basic art skills book.

You'll likely need the following supplies on hand, if you do invest in a basic art book.  I plan on keeping this list in my purse--purchasing them a little at a time.

Paints
- watercolor

- acrylic

- poster

- gouache

Pastels (usually sold in sets)
oil pastels
chalk pastels

Inks
colored inks, which come in bottles, or you can use ink from a pen cartridge

Paper
- thick watercolor paper that is 190gsm (90lb) or above that won't wrinkle too much when you paint on it

- bristol paper coming in pads or individual sheets (wrinkles when you paint on it)

- colored writing paper

- textured paper

- old magazines

Pens
felt-tip pens with permanent ink


Enjoy their creativity, letting it color your world!