Kool-Aid Playdough

Making play dough with the kids is easy and much more fun than the store bought kind…especially when you cook it… here’s our favorite recipe:

Kool-Aid Playdough with Cream of Tartar (Nonedible)

The addition of cream of tartar makes the playdough last longer. You can find cream of tartar in the baking supplies aisle at your grocery store. This playdough, if stored in an airtight container in the fridge will last months( up to 6 months ).

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup salt
• 2 to 3 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 package Kool-Aid mix (6 g pkg)
• 1 Tbsp cooking oil

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Slowly add the water mixed with oil and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens to dough. Let cool a few minutes and then knead until smooth.

It’s the thought that counts….

It’s the thought that counts….

As the holiday season approaches, what better way to stay within your gift budget than giving the gift of art.  Family, friends, and neighbors will be thrilled to be the recipient of a meaningful and creative expression from you or your children.
Don’t forget that if the artwork is on paper or a photo, you can frame your masterpiece to give it that extra personal touch.

One innovative way of displaying your artwork is this adorable wall decal collection from Land Of Nod: http://www.landofnod.com/family.aspx?c=9676&f=5384    If you buy the set, you have 8 frames you can give out to multiple loved ones!

You can also make your own frame by cutting out construction paper or cardboard. Decorate with glitter, beads, ribbon, etc. Be creative!
For longer lasting impressions, visit our custom frame shop and let us help you design the perfect option.

Sketching with Water Soluble Ink

Sketching with water soluble ink can provide a really unique, colorful sketch.  If you decide to sketch with water soluble ink and color with watercolors, then you want to always use the watercolors first so the ink won’t run.  With this form of sketching, you can skip the under drawing sketch process and jump right into blocking areas with colors, start with light colors and gradually move toward your darkest color to give more saturation.

If you prefer to use waterproof ink or pencil, then the watercolors can be applied first or last.

Most watercolor sketchers prefer to put in the lighter colors with more water first as they can be covered later with darker colors.  For example, the sky is usually a good place to start. If you are using traditional brushes, you can achieve a large expanse sky with a consistent color in a single stroke.

Let the Waterbrush work for you…

If you prefer to use waterbrushes, I would recommend breaking up the sky with clouds.  The water to paint ratio in a waterbrush stroke is always changing, constantly going from dark and heavy to light and watery.  If you take advantage of the water to paint ratio, you can end up with some beautiful variation within each color area.  Just make sure you start the stroke where you want the color to be darkest, and complete the stroke where you want the color to be lightest.  You can also provide your piece with more depth if you mix some colors on the palette and other colors right on the sketch.   When you paint different colors next to each other on the sketch allowing them touch and bleed into each other and slightly overlap you will inevitably create more depth.

As always, never scrub the colors into the paper, apply with a light touch.  To maintain a fresh look to your colors, limit yourself to several layers. I

Sketching with water soluble ink isn’t terribly labor intensive.  As always, have fun with it!