Skip to main content

Journalling, Kid Style


 
 
 

I've been teaching journalling classes to kids for about 5 years now. We meet on alternate weekends in the back room at Little Monsters Toy Store (in downtown Lake Orion).

 
Not every child is comfortable expressing themselves with strict verbage or writing a la old fashioned diary-style. And many others, while interested in art, are intimidated by the idea of keeping a sketchbook.

 
But give them a blank book, some basic supplies and take all the rules away: ask them to create pages that include what they see in their head and what they experience around them, introduce basic art concepts and theory disguised as experimentation, and just get out of their way. Quickly.

 
The above is a spread from our last creative journalling session, where we painted with markers. We experimented with a variety of brands and worked on wet, dry and damp pages. We dribbled with paintbrushes, slopped and splattered, and even pushed the color about with a blow dryer.

 
This student started her page with stripes/decoration in the margins (a zentangling technique), pulling a story out of the puddled colors that ultimately developed (she saw ruby slippers and a meandering sidewalk, and then spun her own version of The Wizard of Oz).

 
In the meanwhile, she learned basic color mixing, fully embraced the idea of working in layers and was pleasantly surprised by the art of accidental markmaking.

 
My next kids' class (aged 5-15) is this Sunday, from 2-3.Let me know if you have a student who would be interested.
 

And I've got a grownUPs class this Thursday, same place, 6-8pm.

 
Thanks, as always, for looking at and sharing my artwork,
Kim



On Line Classes

 
I am asked nearly every day if I have considered putting journalling class content online. The answer is a resounding yes.

 
It's just a matter of working out the logistics.

 
Which sounds like a great project for the winter months.

 
Meanwhile, I encourage you to visit Dawn Devries Sokol's** website - she's gearing up for NaNoJouMo in November (National Nonstop Journalling Month) and will offer a month's worth of prompts to get you started. And I believe she's also got a class that will carry you journalling through the holidays, too.

 
And if you are interested in doing more journalling research, I have an entire bookshelf of recommendations over on GoodReads.com .

 
**Dawn's one of those artists responsible for getting me hooked on journalling. I've taken a number of her classes and always had a good time!
 
 
 
 
 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tabby Kit

"Tabby Kit," 5" x 7", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a tiny little orange striped guy from Morgue File . This painting can be yours for $289, which includes s&h inside the US. And in case you didn't see it, a little doodle of him is also available for sale here . Inquires may come directly to me .  Although it certainly doesn't FEEL like spring here (snow and ice and wind chills, brr!), I can tell that spring is coming. The mercury is rising a wee bit each day and the days are getting longer and brighter. Over the weekend we drove with the moonroof open just to feel the sun's meager and oh-so-very-welcome warmth (although the heat in the car was cranked, too, in the interest of full disclosure!). I wanted to work with spring-like colors today, and this little guy was still on my mind , so I grabbed a small panel and got to work. Of course, I also have Poppy to finish and some changes to make to another po
“Rapt (Shadow),” from the Larger than Life series, 16”x22”, acrylic black lab mixed breed pet portrait on gallery wrapped canvas, $699. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com . SOLD. This is Shadow, who went missing on Sunday night. He belongs to a friend of mine, and has been a fixture in our community for many years. Errant fireworks scared the silly old guy into running off, and his family is busy searching for him. (If you happen to be in the Lake Orion/Oakland County area and have seen Shadow, please call 248-391-0867 or 248-391-6817) I’m confidant that he is safe (somewhere!) and awaiting discovery, but meanwhile, couldn’t help myself from posting his portrait as today’s dog a day painting . He’s constantly on my mind, and probably will remain so, until he finds his way back home. Hug your four legged guys while you can! Thanks, as always, for looking. And for sharing these paintings with friends and family, Kim Kimberly Kelly Santini http://www.turtledovedesigns.com/ dis

NEW! Etsy Store

One of my favorite unsold paintings from 2008, "Lashes & Corkscrews," 5" x 8", acrylic on canvasboard, depicting a tobiano buckskin curly horse, $289. Inquiries to ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com (but read further on how you can get a special deal on this painting!). Now it's ridiculously easy to browse my painting archives. All you have to do is visit my Etsy store . Etsy has a Shopping Cart (so you can pile it high with purchases from a variety of artists), is integrated with Paypal (although you may still pay by check if you prefer to), and is terribly simple to navigate. When the week has ended, I will have listed almost 100 of my favorite (UNSOLD!) paintings here, grouped loosely by subject matter. During 2009 I'll update the shop regularly, and add non-Dog-a-Day pieces as a bonus, thus making it easy to search for that perfect gift. Watch my daily postings for announcements, promotions and discount codes. If you do not receive the Dog-a-Day emails (