Friday 1 April 2011

Spring things for a Mothers' Day picture


Yesterday when I was spring cleaning the kitchen I collected a pile of things destined for the recycling box. However they were just too good not to be used for something with the children first. Today I knew exactly how to use this salvaged stash of stuff - a printmaking activity.

The inspiration...


This morning on my cycle ride to work through the elegant residential streets of De Beauvoir Town, I passed a spectacular display of beautiful trees in full blossom. Those gorgeous gardens (and the image above - a newspaper cutting) were the inspiration for our printing.


The motivation...


Mothers' Day is coming up and with a wonderful Nana and Nan to celebrate, I knew I could motivate my children with the idea of making some spring pictures for them.


The materials...


I spent a pleasurable 10 minutes mixing up the paint colours - I just love all those pastel shades - and before school pick-up I temptingly set out the materials. Our printmaking tools were kitchen roll rollers, corrugated cardboard strips, bubble wrap pieces, plastic bottles and lids, a rubber pastry brush and a wooden butter spreader.


The process...


Then followed our usual free-for-all plunge with Buddy and Daisy thoroughly enjoying trying out the unusual printing tools, hearing the paint squelch and using those soothing pastel colours. Unusually, I suggested the order in which they created their spring scenes: printing the sky and ground before the tree(s), and the branches of the tree(s) before the blossom. Surprisingly they went along with this and we got some great pictures as a result.


The picture...


A rather lovely soft Monet-like effect, don't you think? But with a cotton-wool spring lamb and giant yellow sun of course.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Julia! i've just seen a link to your blog through a facebook page and I've come along to visit!
    It's lovely. So nice to find another UK artist/ teacher/ blogger (I think we are rare!) (Actually, I'm not an artist but I have taught art for many years!)
    You are probably very close geographically too by the sounds of it!
    Please come and visit my page too and we can link up somehow perhaps?]
    I also have a facebook page- come and find me there too if you want.
    anna

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  2. Hi Anna

    Just had a li'l look at your blog and think it's fab! Will follow ASAP. And find you on FB too. I'm glad you said about UK based creative/teacher-type bloggers being rare - I've found loads in Australia and the US but just a handful over here. Very nice to meet you, and I'd love to do some kind of link up! Jx

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  3. Wow, beautiful picture!

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