Importance of Arts And Crafts for Your Young Child

By Bimla sheokand
Arts and crafts play is the most exciting time for the preschool student. The creative bug takes over and the imagination climbs to new heights! As an educator for these young students we must find new ways or maybe old ones rejuvenated, to incorporate targeted goals while having fun. Some of the most incredible times evolve from the simplest activities created using home made mixtures.

Bubbles and more bubbles, whether blown through a straw or wire hoop, happen to be one of the most appealing summer time thrills in the preschool setting. A very easy but beautiful work of art comes from placing a narrow cup in the middle of a large piece of craft paper. Fill the cup with safe colorful bubble making ingredients and give the budding artist a straw. Have the student blow an overflowing amount of bubbles up and over the top edge of the cup. Watch out for the giggling that this activity could bring about or more than just bubbles will be on the craft paper. Variations to this activity include using several different colors of bubbles - allow the paper to dry between blowing sessions. Once the art has dried, decorate the walls with cut outs that reinforce your lesson plans. For more details pl visit the site.

Pudding paint is also a popular 'condiment' in the preschool or home school class. Using vanilla flavored pudding, add a couple of drops of food coloring to tint for a rainbow palette that will excite even the ficklest of artists. Again using craft paper, Cut out shapes that will supplement your chosen lesson theme. Paint the shapes and decorate with sugar 'glitter'. This has always brought about rave reviews.For more details pl visit the web site .

Preschoolers love to create clay style bowls to give as gifts. These items are among the most economical pieces a student can create that are three dimensional. Once you have chosen a favorite clay recipe and tinted it (unless the artist will paint the bowl when dried), assign a shape for the base. Example: If working on the square, have the student create a square base to build up the sides upon. The variations to this activity can include sensory items. Add small rough items to the clay prior to the building of the bowl or add peppermint oil to the clay for a sensory excitement explosion. This is an arty item that no one will every become tired of creating because of the endless variations.

Although these are truly fun and exciting activities, the possibilities are endless. Using the many home spun concoctions we can instill a love of creating while reinforcing the educational or developmental goals of the preschool aged students . Never forget that FUN is always a wonderful foundation to build upon! As we know arts and crafts play a very important role in the physical and mental development of preschooler kids , and thus it enhances the ability of creativity in the children .


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Metal Art Craft- Old World Metal Art and Craft Directory

12 December 2008: Metal Art Craft, a non profitable organization from North America, is proud to announce the launch of the company website www.metalartcraft.com. The website is an online directory resource where all information related to metal artists and studios can be found. Facts and data about different metal artists of North America including blacksmiths, tinsmiths, coppersmiths, sculpture artists and art foundries can be found in the Artist profile section. The resources available in this section of metalrtcraft can also be sorted by name, location or date. All this information can be accessed by visiting the page http://www.metalartcraft.com/profiles.htm/. The website also offers a platform for metal artisans and studios to promote their work. Artists can display their metal art work and discuss in details about their techniques and superb metal craft skills. Artists can also upload their complete profile and tell about their past metal craft work. They can all provide detail about their current art pieces they are displaying. These benefits can be availed by submitting work on http://www.metalartcraft.com/submissions.htm/. These details can help the visitors in better understanding of the artist and his craft pieces. It also gives an opportunity to potential customers to conceive the idea behind the art in a better manner. They can thus reach the right metal artisan through Metal Art Craft. They can also express their interest and appreciation for metal craft pieces they like. Other websites can also benefit from Metal Art Craft. Different websites can exchange links with us which may benefit the whole Metal craft community. The exchange link offer can help in promoting the products and services related to metal art and craft work. For more information on the link exchange program, one can visit http://www.metalartcraft.com/links.htm/. To navigate the new visitors on the website, site map is also available. The site map can help the new visitors in locating the exact information they are looking for. New visitors can visit http://www.metalartcraft.com to check the site map The company Metal Art Craft launched the website www.metalartcraft.com with a single goal in mind, which is to bring and help the whole metal art and craft community under one roof.

Oil paintings on canvas - the process of creating a masterpiece

Oil painting is a technique that has been used by eminent artists to create some of the finest artistic works we have ever known. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper”; Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and “Café Terrace at Night”; Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”, are all famous examples of oil painting. It is a difficult process, but once it is mastered, an artist can undoubtedly create oil paintings that are far superior in quality than water color paintings, acrylic paintings and other artistic mediums.
The Initial Preparation

Oil painting is a much superior technique of painting than other processes, such as, water color, charcoal sketch, etc. The linen canvas used in the best quality oil paintings is durable and stiff, letting the artist paint comfortably on it. Also, the pigments used in oil painting are of a special kind, which binds well with the oil used as a base. Linseed oil or walnut oil work best in oil painting. At times resin is combined with the base oil (the product is called varnish) to make the finished product glossy in appearance. The canvas is prepared by stretching it slightly and mounting it on the drawing board with clamps. The paint is mixed with oil and left for some time, allowing the paint to combine properly with the oil.

The Painting Process

In oil painting, the strokes need to be applied steadily, but with measured pressure. Extra pressure put on the brush will end up smudging the color in the finished product. On the other hand, if the pressure is too little, sufficient oil may not be absorbed in the canvas, thus shortening the life of the finished painting. Oil painting thus requires sufficient dexterity on the artist’s part to be done properly, and the correct pressure to be applied can only be determined through continuous practice.

The Finishing

Once the painting is complete and it has dried, the artist usually coats the entire painting with a coat of clear lacquer. This process is called “varnishing”. This process is performed even if the oil used in the painting already had varnishing resin mixed into it. This makes the painting waterproof and greatly extends its life. This finishing must be uniform; any spot left out will gradually degrade the painting over time. Once this process is successfully completed, the varnish is left to dry. Gradually, the colors set perfectly and the varnish dries up, leaving a smooth, glossy finish to the painting.

Creating an oil painting can be a tedious and expensive task. But done successfully, it can leave behind a true masterpiece that is valued by collectors for years after its creation.

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Blossoms on Parade 20 x 16 Outdoor painting

The Art of Stained Glass

As with all forms of art, its beauty is defined by the sensations it arouses. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect in the art of stained glass is in its versatility. It's durable, yet fragile, challenging, but yielding to the experienced hands of the artist. I discovered this form of art some seven years ago when my girlfriend and I decided to take a series of evening classes at a local stained glass retail store. We took six classes and I have been hooked ever since.


If you are in need of a way to take away the stresses of everyday life I would recommend stained glass as great way to download and at the same time get into a new hobby. It is a form of self-meditation. The steps you'll follow in arriving at your finished work of art will teach you self-discipline, and provide a great sense of artistic achievement. And if you're like me, you will not be able to get enough of it. That's when you'll want to expand out and begin doing projects for others.

But be careful, once word gets out that you're into stained glass, all of your relatives (you know the ones) will be the first to ask you to make them something. Actually, it's not so bad at first, because they make great test cases and you'll want to experiment.

Where to begin? I suggest a visit to your local stained glass retailer. While not all towns have one (here is a great business opportunity for you) a look into your telephone book should yield a location or two or you can perform an Internet search for local retailers. Start by inquiring into whether or not they run classes. Most retailers usually do because it's a source of increased revenues to them (they know that you'll probably be buying your supplies from them). Cost of classes will be relatively moderate for the same reasons. Check out your local County Colleges as well. My instructor also taught night classes there.

TIP: Bring a friend with you; it will add to the fun and you'll be able to compare notes.

The place you'll be taking the classes from will no doubt also provide you with the basic beginners kit, which will contain the tools needed to get you started. Expect to find a glass cutter; there a variety of types and you should choose the one that your most comfortable with. I have tried a variety myself but in the end settled for the basic non-oil filled type. A breaker, similar to pliers, is used to snap off the glass after being scored. A specially designed scissor is used to cut out your pattern, and of course a soldering iron is used to join the cut pieces of glass together. Expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $100.

There are other items that you'll need along the way, but they will be available to you during your classes, such as the grinder, which is used to grind down excess glass, not removed by the cutting process and to polish off the edges of the cut glass. This last part is important because of the foiling process that takes after the glass is ground down. Foiling is a process whereby the copper foil is placed around the edges of the ground glass. The foil is sticky on one side allowing it to adhere to the glass. The purpose of the copper foil is to provide a surface for the solder to stick too.

A word on foiling. Most of us are familiar with the traditional form of stained glass that we have encountered in churches which employ the use of a lead came between the glass pieces. Copper foiling is an alternative to the lead came and is no doubt the first place a new student to the art of stained glass will begin. Only after one has mastered the foil, should you proceed to the came. Besides, foiling is a much easier process, especially for the beginner. I still prefer this method over the came method.


There is a little more to the art of stained glass than what I have described thus far, but the fundamental steps outlined below will give you a basic outline on what to expect.

Plan your design; will it be for a window, skylight... the possibilities will astound you. Let your imagination take you,

Sketch out your design or use a bought pattern available through your retailer,

Cut out the individual pieces from your pattern using those special scissors I mentioned earlier,

Apply the cut pattern pieces to the glass to be cut,

Using the glasscutter, score and break (not in the literal sense) each piece

Grind off the excess glass

Foil each piece of glass

Solder the pieces together

Clean your work, and

Display your masterpiece!

You will soon come to discover your own favorite step in the art of stained glass. For some, it will be in the designing stages, that challenge of coming up with your own unique design. For myself, my love for the art lies in the cutting of the glass. There is a final moment of truth that comes after you have scored the glass with the glass cutter; this is the part where I hold my breath. As you force the glass to run (I'll explain that in another article), you'll begin to see the glass crack along the scored line as you hoped it would. With all things in the universe being wonderful, the glass breaks as you had intended. Occasionally it won't; that's the breaks! But don't worry, glass is relatively inexpensive and you'll get it the next time.



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Keith Londrie II has put up an informative web site about stained glass at www.stained-glass-info.info/ Please feel free to drop by the web site to learn more about stained glass. Keith Londrie II klondrie @ yahoo.com www.stained-glass-info.info/