just a little art

Amazingly, I was able to do a couple of things outside of nursing, reading aloud, and laundry last week. Nothing major, but it may be awhile before I figure out a way to accomplish anything major, and I am happy with a little here, and a little there.

I have had a hard time letting go of those precious few days allowed for focusing mainly on my new baby, and moving on to incorporating him into this big family he was born into. The bottom line being, it is hard to shift gears again and try to now spread my focus and embrace Silas as part of the bigger picture. It’s not just the two of us, mommy and baby–It’s the eight of us!

And my other five children, want me to help them “do art.” So…

One morning we made homemade paint and then did a bit of painting.

On another, I gave my kids a much requested drawing lesson. Funny what a happy feeling those two little activities gave all of us. Beatrix was singing while she painted, she was so happy!

For the paint, we used this simple recipe that I have shared before:

3 Tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 4 cups water

combine in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until clear, whisking frequently

This paint recipe makes a rather thick paint (it can also be used as paste!) and I like making it for my younger children who are far more focused on the process of painting than the product.Once it cools, add color. You can use food coloring, but we used Glob, a wonderful and relatively new, all natural, botanically based pigment. I was very pleased with these pigments, but was a bit stingy with them, so our paints were not very vibrant. No one complained.

For the drawing lesson:
We drew Leo the Lion from Drawing with Children. I love this book, and my kids request drawing lessons all the time. I have had a hard time incorporating them into our routine, but really want to. I think if I could even just give one lesson a week, that would be good. My problem is that I always dive in a bit too deeply and then give up. So, for now, once a week-that’s my plan.
Our favorite drawing lesson materials include:
These pens for drawing, these markers for coloring, these colored pencils, and also these for coloring as well. We mainly reserve these “special” supplies for our drawing lessons and special projects. My girls, especially, use less expensive supplies for everyday, such as these colored pencils that we have been very happy with.