How to Understand What You See
I wanted to write you a mini-lesson on visual literacy specifically connected to the meaning of materials. But before we can talk about the meaning of materials, we need to start at the beginning and talk about seeing. Visual literacy is important for everyone. You might think that if you’re not an artist or aspiring […]
The Benefits of Picture Books: Why Every Home Should Have a Collection
While I was a big fan of the library as an adult, as a kid, I wasn’t. It wasn’t that I didn’t love books; it was the exact opposite. I loved them so much that I wanted to own them and fill the shelves of my bedroom bookshelf. Now, I do more of a balance […]
Books in English and Spanish
One of my favorite things about any creative project is experimenting and learning new things. Many of you asked for books in English and Spanish, but I wasn’t sure how to make it happen. After doing some research, I was able to hire a translator to translate The Weaving Book into Spanish. If this goes […]
Finding more Joy
I’m not an event planner, however, I did find myself planning a few events this year, and I must say that they were a success. The thing that I liked the most about them is that we did what we wanted, we did what felt playful, joyful, and surprising. I’ve realized that I’m looking for […]
How to Use Chance Encounters to Create Weaving Patterns
Have you ever heard of the Dada art movement? The movement began in Europe in response to the brutality of World War I. Writers, actors, artists, and other creative thinkers adopted the philosophy of the Dada movement as they experimented and explored new ways of making art and defining what was considered art. Surrealists Artists […]
1 Simple Way to Experiment and Revise Your Work
Use Digital tools You don’t have to enjoy making digital art to benefit from using digital tools to experiment and quickly revise your work. Start by creating your work in whatever medium you prefer, for me, that’s painted paper and collage. After you’ve made the work, photograph it, and then begin to explore it digitally. […]
The Secret to Bringing Your Idea to Life
Get started! Okay, I know that may seem overly simple, but it’s true. Getting started is almost always the hardest part, and you can’t experiment, or revise your idea if you don’t start. Start simple What is the smallest, simplest version of your idea? For example, I was working on making images for the book, […]
How Materials Create Meaning in Art
If you’re taking or even thinking about taking an advanced placement studio art class, you might have heard people talking about making connections between your ideas and the materials and processes that you use to bring your ideas to life. At first, that sounds hard and confusing. You select your materials and processes, based on […]
I Spy…..
Think back to when you were a kid, do you remember playing I spy? You might have looked around the room and said something like, ” I spy with my little eye something green and round”. Then those playing the game with you, were challenged to look around the room and see if they could […]
Reading Images
Do you know how many images you see in a day? Do you realize that you regularly read and interpret visuals? Artists and designers use the elements and principles of art and design as a language to communicate visually. Whether you have spent years studying visual literacy or don’t even know what it is, you’ve […]