by Amy | Jan 27, 2015 | Blog, The Art of Art
If you follow the Facebook page {which you should…} you might have seen this image that I posted last night. That’s right. Although I just got back to Practically Canada {I’ll tell you all about our amazing road trip tomorrow}, I’m already running full speed. Maybe even double time. I stayed up late last night putting the finishing touches on these two “Classroom Canvases.” And I really, really like them.
Today I taught in two third grade classes. Tomorrow I’ll do two more canvases in the other third grade classes at the school. Originally I was going to hold off and show you all the canvases and tell you all the silly remarks in one big post. But after the things I heard today…well–I just couldn’t wait.
If you don’t know what a classroom canvas is, read this post.
I pull about three kids at a time to paint with me. So these conversations usually took place in small groups. Without further ado…here are exchanges I had today with third graders.
Kid: You smell like a janitor.
Me: What? What does that even mean?
Kid: It just means…you smell like a janitor smells.
Me: Like a vacuum?
Kid: No. It’s a good thing. You smell good. But…like a good smelling janitor.
Kid: Who do you root for?
Me: I don’t really watch football. But I’m mostly a Colts fan.
Kid: Yuck. I only like Green Bay. Why would you root for the Colts? {sounding disgusted.}
Me: Because I’m from Indiana. I just said that like one minute ago. {the class asked where I was originally from}
Kid: Yeah, but the Colts aren’t from Indiana.
Me: Uhhh, yes they are. The Indianapolis Colts.
Kid: Uhhh, what does that have to do with anything?
Me: Indianapolis. As in Indiana…
Kid: Indianapolis isn’t even a real city. I think you’re confused. I can tell you don’t watch much football.
Kid: You look just like that girl in the Transformers movie.
Me: That’s because I do this for fun…but my real job is making movies.
Kid: WHAT? For real? I knew that was you.
Me: Oh, my…that got out of hand. I’ve never even seen that movie. And this is my real job. Sorry.
Kid: WAIT. You’re married?
Me: Yeah.
Kid: You’re too young to be married. What are you like, 18?
Kid 2: You’re too pretty to be married.
Me: No, I’m much older than that. And why are pretty people not married?
Kid 2: She’s probably like….about 49 or something.
Kid: I bet you have a whole room in your house just for painting….
{In my wildest dreams this is true.}
Kid: One time a boy just walked past my desk and dropped a note there. Like it was no big deal. But I read it and it said, “I love you.” Weird, right?
{While I was cleaning brushes at the sink}
Kid: Do you want me to help you?
Me: Oh, that’s really sweet, but I’m almost done. I’ll just finish up myself.
Kid: Okay. I’m just going to stand here. I love watching people.
Kid: Do you have a dog?
Me: No, but I love dogs.
Kid: Okay, well I have one you can have. She’s like two years old. She’s really bad.
Me: Thanks, but I’m not really in the market for a dog right now. Especially not a bad one.
Kid: Okay, well really…you should have her. We need to find a new owner for her. Like she chews up everything and pees in the house and…
Me: Well, my argument still stands. I don’t really want a dog. Especially not a bad one.
{Upon squirting paint out of an almost empty tube.}
Kid: That sounds like my mom when she poops.
I just love those kids. So stinkin’ funny. So here are the almost-finished products. I’ll retrace the black lines before returning them to the school. And I’ll be sure to post a photo of them so you can see how awesome they look. All in all both classes did an amazing job! I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
by Amy | Jan 22, 2015 | Blog, The Art of Art, The Art of Design, The Art of Gathering
Tonight I’m pleased to be showing you six new {and one updated} printable invitations and card designs that are now available in my Etsy shop.
Most of these are modified versions of custom orders I’ve taken over the last year/two/three. I owe a huge thank you to all the clients who have trusted me to create something special for their event. For all of their creative ideas and their cool parties. Without really fun people requesting my designs…I wouldn’t have anything to design at all.
So take a look. Tell your friends. When you need an invitation…look me up. You can access the shop here–or directly at Etsy.
As an update of a previously listed creation….I now have more colors available in my paper doll bridesmaid cards AND…I have unleashed an additional “profile” design. {I say “more colors” but really I mean…more samples. These are still completely customizable. You can get virtually any color you like!}
Now for sale, the entire paper suite I used for Erin’s Baby Shower. You can buy the entire set here…or just the invitation. Either way, your guests will love these!
For your little one’s birthday, I’ve got these adorable balloon themed invitations all made up. The party that these were originally created for even featured a balloon artist! Isn’t that just the funnest?!
You know I love chalkboards!! So you can only imagine how much fun I had making these chalkboard baby shower invitations. I love this invitation because it leaves the theme pretty neutral and wide open.
And speaking of chalkboards…yes…right now, my favorite invitation of all time is for sale online! I LOVED creating this. I loved it so much I wanted others to be able to experience it’s joy as well.
And speaking of weddings–I’ve got a couple’s wedding shower invitation up online as well. This design is perfect for a low-key, dessert themed shower.
For those a little more athletic than myself…I’ve got a basketball shower invitation. I really think these are a treat. The woman who requested these had some pretty cool ideas in mind–she throws some very cool showers. My favorite part is the little one’s name on the back of the jersey hanging on the crib!
Thanks again to everyone who has ordered and worked with me. I love bringing your creative ideas to fruition!
Amy
by Amy | Dec 8, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art
I’ve struggled for years to come up with an answer for this question: What do you do? Or…from the especially confused: So what exactly is it that you do?
I still don’t know how to put it into words. I do all kinds of things. Lots and lots of random things for lots of people, and lots of causes. And that’s fine. I like it that way. Even as the photography season slows down a bit, I’ve been plenty busy with the million and one other fun opportunities that Practically Canada is throwing my way.
One such awesome, fun, random activity was the Wild About Water Festival that happened a few weeks ago. Before Thanksgiving even. I know, shame on me for not getting this post up sooner. What is the Wild About Water Festival? In short, it’s a program for elementary school students that teaches them about all things water. Water in our bodies, how it effects health, ecosystem stuff, the water cycle, water shed, flooding, river history…you get the picture.
The next thing you are probably wondering, is how I fit into this equation. If you’ve spent time with me you know I’m not especially sciency. I’m a lot of things…but I’m no Bill Nye. So, you can probably imagine my surprise when the kind folks from Ackerman Estvold, a local engineering firm, contacted me about doing a short, art-centered presentation for the even. I was a little nervous, but I love kiddos and a kind word from the Minot Area Council of the Arts seemed to have given them confidence in my abilities, even if I’m not a rocket scientist. So I agreed. And…Just like that, I can now add “5th Grade Science-Art-Speaker Thing” to my list of skills. I think it should go between Nesquick mascot guide and Christmas tree shearer. {Both real, paying jobs that I’ve held at one time or another.}
I spent the weeks between our meeting and the festival preparing a short spiel about the basic natural water cycle…and pairing that spiel with a talk-and-draw mural that progressed with my words. I’d go through the steps of the water cycle, drawing a landscape and coloring it in with water color crayons {which are totally awesome BTW}.
Then, when the cycle was ready to start over, I swapped crayons and marker for water and a sponge. This time I asked the 5th graders {a multi-hundred crowd that although young and adorable also wielded the ability to make me a little nervous} to shout out the steps as I used the water to bring our drawing to life…because water brings things to life. Get it?
I had two major prayers going in. One, that the other adults there–history teachers, water treatment employees, and others who seemed much more legit than me–wouldn’t tell me afterwards that I’d gotten the cycle totally wrong and ruined hundreds of children’s water education. And two–that the kids wouldn’t think I was horribly lame.
I think we can all remember an elementary school presentation that was awful and the topic of recess mockery after it was over. I didn’t want to be that girl.
I must have practiced my water cycle talk a hundred times in the days leading up to the festival. I’d make Derek listen to it before bed. I’d say it in the shower. I’d recite it while I drove. On the big day, my palms were a little sweaty when I started. And I’m sure I messed up a couple times. But things went fine. The kids were impressed when the crayon turned to water color paint. Some even stopped me afterward to tell me that 1) “That was awesome. and 2) I talk like Princess Anna from Frozen. {I get that a lot–it’s an odd compliment.} And the grown ups seemed to think it was pretty okay too.
I had an amazing time. All of it was fun–from getting to know the folks at Ackerman Estvold, learning up on water, making new friends, and having the opportunity to draw, talk and joke with a crowd of kids…to learning the water cycle in a new way. I love art, and I’m very glad the Minot community strives to make it a part of the education experience. I’m so happy to have been a part of the Wild About Water Festival. Sharing my very varied skill set to do as much as I can, for as many as I can, for as long as I can is my heart’s greatest desire. And I thank all involved for letting me share in this amazing and important event.
**PS–a big thanks to Ackerman Estvold for giving me photos from the day!
by Amy | Nov 28, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art, The Art of Design
Happy Black Friday everyone!
I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving with lots of amazing food…and of course, pie. Now, it’s still on the early side here in Practically Canada. Not quite 9am. And I realize some of you might be out shopping already. But I thought I’d post early with a special holiday treat from me to you.
Four sets of hand drawn printable Christmas gift tags. They are now for sale on my Etsy shop, or by visiting my shop page here on the site.
They are printable, formatted to an 8.5x 11″ sheet. Six tags print to a page and since they are square, they’re easy to break apart. I recommend printing them on white or cream colored card stock. Once you purchase and download the file you’ll be able to print as many as you’d like.
And–best of all…I’ve got a coupon code on the Facebook page. It makes these suckers super cheap. {And all the other items I have cheap too.} Because I like you, and I want you to have awesome gift tags for all your awesome gifts. So be sure to check the page and like it while you’re there.
Happy shopping, today!
Amy
by Amy | Oct 24, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art
Way back when the leaves were still green and the mosquitoes were still at large, I participated in Arts in the Park. I brought an interactive “Community Canvas” that I had outlined a design on, then let those attending the park concert help me fill in. When I took that first canvas I didn’t anticipate the amazing response it would receive.
Shortly after that night, I was invited to take part in Minot’s “Artists in the Schools” program. I think this program is genius and I think every town should be doing it. It’s just that great. Here’s how it works…The arts council puts together a catalog of local, working artists that offer specialized art sessions in classrooms. Teachers can browse the catalog and choose a session that fits in with what they are studying, or parents can purchase a session as a gift for their child’s classroom. {Isn’t that just the best teacher gift idea ever?!}]
I’ve put together a list of sessions I thought teachers and kids would like and enjoy and had them added to the roster. A “Classroom Canvas” being one of them. Same drill as a community canvas–it’s just done in a classroom, not a street festival or event.
So yesterday I had my first ever Artists in the Schools session. Mrs. Nelson, the first grade teacher that had requested me said she wanted something “owly” and fun to match her classroom. I painted the outline above.
When I first arrived, I was a little nervous about how it would go. This was my first time, after all.
But kids never fail to amaze and surprise me. They were so excited about the big piece of art they’d be making. There was no complaining, no fighting, and no rogue artists who painted as they pleased. The were great at following instructions. It was precious to see how hard they focused to stay inside the lines. Once they had gotten started I barely had to help at all. They got the idea and did a great job. However, I really had to laugh a couple times at the comments I heard them making:
Did you know most owls are actually brown?
Owls aren’t ever pink in real life?
Why are these leaves two different colors?
[spoken to me] You should be Olaf for Halloween.
I love your shirt. [I was wearing a plain gray t-shirt]
They painted in groups of 3-4 students at a time. For the rest of the class, I printed up coloring pages of the picture we were making as a class. On the canvas I’m pretty bossy about what color goes where, but on their sheet they could color any way they wanted. These may have been my favorite part of the day!
When they were done, it looked something like this–sorry for the blurry photo!
As I was cleaning up, a boy came up and gave me a hug. When he turned around he accidentally knocked a painty pallet off the table onto the carpet. I picked it up and was met by the infamous classroom, “Um-m-m-m-m-m…” One kid said, “Mrs. Nelson is going to be so mad….”
“Okay, everyone relax. Mrs. Nelson isn’t going to be mad. I’m going to clean it up, just don’t walk over here for a minute. We don’t need painty shoes too.” Little did these kids know, this isn’t my first paint-on-the-carpet-experience. But, as soon as the words left my mouth Mrs. Nelson walked back in. Immediately a little boy went and grabbed her by the hand. Without a word he led her over to the painted carpet, pointing the whole time. Tattle tail.
Big surprise, it was no big deal. I just had to share the story. Those kids crack me up. I had so much fun. Today I reoutlined the image. Monday I’ll be taking it to it’s new home in Mrs. Nelson’s classroom! I’m so pleased and proud of how it turned out, and I’m so grateful to have had a chance to hang with such an awesome class.
by Amy | Oct 23, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Art, The Art of Design, The Art of Gathering, The Art of Projects, the house
Check out my spooky fall trees! Usually the chalkboard panels only live inside when I’m expecting or shooting photos…but a few weeks ago a client asked if I ever decorate them and leave them up. You can imagine how silly I felt when I told her “No.”
So, one night, while Derek was working late I drew up these spooky trees. I love them. They really put me in a festive, fall mood. Since we’ve had to clear everything out of the basement as we start to make progress on that project all my decor is being stored in the attic and is inaccessible. For the first year I can ever remember, my house was stark naked of fall decor. No leaves, no wreaths, no paper bats, no Halloween candy dishes, no 60’s plastic pumpkin lamp. Nada. I’m still jonesing for that pumpkin lamp, but the chalk trees are doing a good job of holding of a real hate rage.
My question, for you is…if you were me, would you leave these up all the time? Should I leave them through Christmas? Let me know. Comment here {really hoping the glitch is gone from the comment system…} or tell me on Facebook tonight.
On a side note, a couple nights ago some friends of ours hosted a pumpkin carving party. I cannot even start to describe the genius of these people I’m lucky enough to call friends. Look at this spread! Not a triangle-eyed face among them.
Please take special note of Mufassa, the adorable hedge hogs!! Oh, and Grumpy Cat! I’m so stinking impressed with every single one. I carved the spider. Probably my best yet. Even better than last year’s. Derek made the eagle in back. He’s so American.
Obviously, when we got home we snapped one of our self-timed pics we are so notorious for. Again, the trees look awesome.
Oh, and for good measure I nabbed a close up of the Grumpy Cat pumpkin our friend Danica made. Hope she’s okay with me stealing it from her Facebook page…I included it here because it’s so amazing and you all deserved to see a close up.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for more fall fun when I show off my first Artists in the Schools piece that I did today with a group of first graders!
by Amy | Oct 21, 2014 | Blog, Crafts, The Art of Art, The Art of Projects
I’m still trying to get some Christmas crafts in the works. One thing that I want to make for a few friends are canvas/sign art. I really didn’t know what route I wanted to go…so I started looking into the bowels of the Internet for inspiration. Without further ado…
20 tutorials, resources and ideas for creating your very own DIY Canvas Art
1. This technique from ‘A Casarella is fool proof. You don’t even make the letters yourself, and it looks super classy.
2. Great tutorial on making this colorful canvas, from Kallie at But First, Coffee.
3. I use this technique for all kinds of projects…including my statement stairs! Leana, at A Small Snippet did a great job of making an easy to follow tutorial.
4. This one requires a projector…but the results are simply amazing! Craftaholics Anonymous has a fab tutorial for using liquid leaf to make this statement piece.
5. This is another technique I love. Only basic supplies needed to transfer any font you can think of to canvas! See the how-to at Virginia & Charlie.
6. Christa’s Adventures offers an easy to follow tutorial for making an upcycled sign and adding lettering to it.
7. When it comes to making a distressed sign, I haven’t found a tutorial I like better than this one from Miss Mustard Seed.
8. The Thinking Closet made this sign with vinyl lettering. But even if you don’t have a vinyl cutter you should still pin this one simply for the sake of the pallet-sign tutorial.
9. This one doesn’t require any lettering at all. Just buy the letters and light them up. Another great tutorial from Uncommon Designs.
10. This tutorial from Saved By Love Creations does an awesome job of breaking down this pallet sign and how she got it perfectly lettered.
For those of you feeling a little more adventurous, here are five awesome tutorials on hand lettering and sign painting.
11. Diddle Dumpling used her printer and water to make a perfect transfer onto wood. Then she painted over the top.
12. This is a great look at how to create a hand lettered design from start to finish. Head over to A Pair & A Spare to see the tutorial.
13. Kristi from I Should Be Mopping the Floor did a guest post at Ring Around the Rosies to explain her technique for letting on a chalkboard.
14. For those confident in free handing, here’s a handy tip from Oh, So Very Pretty. I love that the tutorial covers the lovely gradient effect she achieved on the canvas!
15. Emily at Jones Design Company offers a great how-to on turning your own hand writing into something fancy-schmancy.
Now, just to make sure you are ready to create, here are five more resources for getting your quote art under way!
16. Get letting inspiration and great fonts from DaFont.com
17. Bible Gateway put out a list of it’s 100 most-read verses. It’s a great place to find the perfect quote.
18. Oh, and this is the page for A-Z Lyrics. I’ve got this linked to all the Switchfoot songs right now…a great place to find good quotes, since they are one of the greatest bands of all time. {But you can search any artist you like.}
19. Brainy Quotes has a great data base of all kinds of quotes. You can search by author or genre.
20. And finally a link to Rifle Paper Co. If you can’t glean inspiration from her, you won’t get it anywhere.
Happy Making!
by Amy | Oct 8, 2014 | Blog, The Art of Art
The latest Community Canvas is complete! A few weeks ago I took a “downtown” themed community canvas to Minot’s end of summer block party in downtown Minot. I’d been asked to bring it to the street festival for kids to paint on as they strolled between games and activities.
As, you can imagine, I was a little nervous when I arrived and discovered that my fellow children’s activity vendors included face painting, a bouncy house and games that gave away real prizes. After I set up and several parent’s asked it I painted faces {to which I had to say “no”} I figured the canvas would be a giant dud.
However, to my pleasant surprise, as soon as I started filling in a few spaces on my own, droves of kids started showing up, wanting to paint as well. It was a steady stream of kids for two hours straight! Sometimes there were more kids wanting to paint than brushes! The community canvas turned out to be a big hit. Crazy, I know. I had so much fun. Even the tiniest artists worked hard to stay in the lines and use the right color. Only one {who I’ll call an abstract artist} went totally rogue as you can see by the yellow streak in the red door.
I guess, it just goes to show that kids are attracted to creativity. Their little hands want to create and be creative. As grown ups, I think we should try our best to let them do that as much as they can.
So here is how the canvas progressed. Start to finish. First the outlined painting that I showed you earlier.
This is what I brought home from the block party.
When I bring it home I basically just retrace the black outlines. In this case I added a few other details as well, like bricks, window glare and cloud color.
As of now, this painting still doesn’t have a home. So, if you are in the Minot area and know of a business or nonprofit that would like to have a Minot-inspired art piece…created by the children of Minot–get in touch. I’d be happy to let you have it. It doesn’t exactly match my personal decor in my home.
I feel so super blessed by the opportunities the Minot art community has given me lately. At the end of this month I’ll be doing another Community Canvas, but this time it’s actually a “Classroom Canvas”! I’ll be drawing up an owl themed canvas for a first grade classroom to paint. It’s going to be fun times a million.
Amy
