You’re officially invited to join TinkerLab for the November Art Challenge, a month filled with a variety of art prompts to get your creative ideas flowing. November is filled with maker words to help you dream up new ways to interpret art materials and processes.

I’m excited about view (I love making viewfinders) and broad strokes (a chance to use my super-size brushes). How about you? Don’t worry about the outcomes and let yourself play!

November Art Challenge

TinkerSketch is a daily art practice that invites you to experiment and play with ideas and materials in a low-stress, fun, and mind-stretching way.

The main goal is to have fun through the process of play and experimentation.

No experience necessary. Kids and adults welcome.

You’ll start each day with a new prompt and it’s up to you to interpret it however you like. For example, if the prompt is “stormy”, you could draw a picture of a storm, use colors that remind you of a storm, or make expressive marks that feel like they were created in a storm. The possibilities are endless.

How to use the November Art Challenge prompts

1. Print out the prompts. You can screen grab the image above or scroll down for a PDF printable.
2. Gather sketchbooks or paper
3. Gather art-making materials: markers, paint, collage papers, glue, etc.
4. Give yourself a few minutes each day for this challenge. Try the morning after breakfast, after school, after dinner, before bed, etc.
5. Interpret the daily prompt. Use your imagination, be free, don’t hold back, and have fun.

Download the PDF

Enter your name and email below to get this free printable with instructions on how to build a mini sketchbook for the art art challenge.

November Art Challenge Prompt List

If you’d rather cut and paste the list into a document or something else, here’s the full list for the November Art Challenge:

1. pattern
2. change
3. fast
4. boundary
5. drips
6. whimsy
7. stencil
8. copy
9. shiny
10. bump
11. night
12. giant
13. broad strokes
14. mirror
15. stripes
16. sprinkle
17. my favorite
18. close-up
19. cropped
20. draw to music
21. weather
22. leaves
23. shadow
24. grid
25. numbers
26. on my table
27. camouflage
28. window
29. circles
30. view

FAQ

What is the TinkerSketch Art Challenge?

TinkerSketch is a daily sketchbook practice that invites you to experiment and play with ideas and materials in a low-stress, fun, and mind-stretching way.

Who is this Art Challenge for?

Anyone who wants a creative art boost. The stakes are low and it’s super easy to do, even if you have no experience or low confidence with making.

How much time will it take?

While you can spend as much time at this as you like, just set aside 5-10 minutes each day and you’re in business. By committing to a daily art practice, you’ll experience artistic improvement and personal growth. If you have extra time, you could always dive in for longer, but try to dedicate just a few daily minutes if you’d like to see lasting results.

I need some tips for carving out 5-10 minutes

• Carry a sketchbook in your bag and pull it out when you’re waiting in line
• Designate “creative time” where you and your child draw in sketchbooks side-by-side
• Wake up a little earlier than usual. You can make this more pleasant by lighting a candle, brewing tea, and sitting with your sketchbook for a few minutes before the rest of your home wakes up

What’s the goal?

• Improve your drawing, painting, mark-making skills
• Try and explore new ways of art-making
• Land on new ideas that wouldn’t have emerged otherwise
• Have fun
• Model creative thinking for your child (if you’re a parent or teacher)
• Celebrate the imperfection of your ideas
• Think creatively

What Tools Will I Need?

• A sketchbook or a ream of paper. Even post-its or old receipts will work.
• Mark-making tools like pens and pencils
• Paint and brush
• “Attaching” materials such as glue and tape will come in handy
• Collage materials such as scrap paper, newspaper, old homework, or magazines.
• Anything else that strikes your fancy. We’ve used hole punchers, chalk markers, tea, and okra (they make beautiful stamps).
• Our favorite supplies are listed below.

See mistakes as gifts

“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan

The point here isn’t to create a masterpiece but to unleash your creative energy. Your creations don’t have to be works of amazing art, and in fact they probably shouldn’t be all that spectacular, especially if you’re pushing yourself to try something new, experiment, and be bold. Be confident with whatever you create, knowing that you’re on a journey to feed your creativity.

My Favorite Tools

Amazon links to favorite product included below.

Sketchbooks:

One of my very favorite sketchbooks is the Visual Art Journal for Mixed Media by Strathmore. The pages weight is 90 lb. and you can get this book in a number of sizes. My personal favorite for on-the-go is 5.5″ x 8″. If you like to work big, they have one that’s 9″ x 12″.

Pens:

Get yourself a few pens that you love to use, and be sure to have at least one waterproof, archival pen in the mix so that you can paint over your pen lines without worrying about your drawing bleeding with water. Micron Pens are a designer favorite, and they come in tons of sizes and colors. This all-black set includes a few different pen sizes and this brush-tip set includes six different colors. Sharpies are another wonderful choice with so many options to choose from.

For interesting brush lines, the Tombow Fudenosuke pen (not waterproof) is my favorite!

Colored Pencils:

Prismacolor Premier – the pigment is rich and they simply flow, so creamy and easy to use, on paper.

The post November Art Challenge appeared first on TinkerLab.

“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” – Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

Scroll down for the video tutorial ⇣

Supplies:

• Thick paper
• Chalk pastels
• Acrylic Paint
• Brushes, water

Anything goes. Make adjustments if you don’t have these exact supplies.

Start with thick paper. Use non-white if you can; the tint can help it feel like the first color has already been taken care of. Because I like creating in multiples, I worked with 5 inch (13 cm) squares, cut from 2 sheets of paper. ✂📃

Use chalk pastel in a dark color to make mindless marks. Try switching hands. This will take reason and sensibility out of the equation and help you loosen up. ✍️

Smudge parts of the drawing to leave hard and soft lines. 👈

Choose another chalk pastel to add more color. Smudge again if desired. 🖍

Paint with white acrylic to further smudge and mix the pastels. 🎨

Choose another color of acrylic paint. 🎨

Time is up! Or keep going if you have more time to spare.

Check in with yourself. How did that feel? Did anything about the process surprise you?

The post 15 Minute Art Exercise to Spark Creativity with Chalk and Paint appeared first on TinkerLab.

This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking in an afrobeat jazz concert featuring a band we’ve been listening to for some time. When they announced a show close to home, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to catch them live!

I had my art teacher hat on (it’s hard to leave it at home), and what struck me most was their playfulness. As the band members jammed and improvised, their delight in playing together was absolutely moving. Even with 25 years of playing together, play is at the core of their game.

Definitions of play turn up with ideas around engaging in activities for their pure enjoyment and amusement rather than a serious or practical purpose, along with words like spontaneity, creativity, and experimentation.

When we talk about seeing bands, we’ll say things like:

“they played so well,”

“I saw them play live,” or

“they played my favorite song.”

Play is at the heart of the matter!

Observing their playful riffing, it was clear this band is dedicated to experimentation, spontaneity, and enjoyment.

Are there lessons jam sessions for other creative pursuits?

• How do you make time for play in your creative process?
• Where can you let go of perfection and embrace the unpredictable process of creating?
• How can you release yourself from a fear of making mistakes?
• Do you see opportunities to collaborate with others to bring your visions to life?

Just as musicians come together to riff off one another in a jam session, artists too can indulge in the magic of collaboration.

Collaborative art is not only about generating a final product; it’s about the experience of play, spontaneity, and improvisation that unfolds through the process.

How to set up an art jam session

Let’s explore the idea of collaborative art and how to set up an art jam session.

First, the group! Who will join your jam session? To create an engaging, collaborative art experience, consider the group you’d like to gather. Will it be a third grade class, Girl Scout troop, best friends, fellow artists, or work team?

Next, set up a large sheet of paper or canvas on the wall or floor, providing plenty of space for everyone to contribute.

Finally, gather a variety of art materials, such as paint, markers, stencils, mark-making tools, or collage materials, to allow participants the freedom to choose their preferred medium.

Tips for a successful art jam session:

1. Establish a safe and inclusive environment: Ensure that everyone can feel comfortable expressing their creativity without fear of judgment or criticism. Encourage open communication, active listening, and respect for each other’s ideas.
2. Emphasize the process, not the product: While a beautiful final piece is always a welcome outcome, the focus should be on the experience of creating together. Encourage everyone to enjoy the process of collaboration and improvisation without getting too attached to the end result.
3. Create a theme or prompt: To help guide the creative process, consider establishing a theme or prompt for the session. This can be as simple or complex as desired, but it should serve as a starting point for inspiration and conversation. In the example above, the prompt is circles. To get folks started and ready to create, a few circles are painted ahead of time. From there, the participants can do whatever they desire.
4. Rotate roles and positions: Encourage participants to switch positions, media, or roles throughout the session. This promotes a sense of playfulness and allows individuals to explore new techniques and styles while collaborating with others.
5. Take breaks and reflect: Periodically pause the session to allow participants to step back, observe the piece, and discuss their thoughts, feelings, and observations. This can lead to new insights and ideas, helping the artwork evolve organically.
6. Offer snacks: Food and drink can keep everyone motivated, especially if you’re jam session is on the longer side.
7. Document the process: Capture the evolution of the artwork by taking photographs or recording video throughout the session. Documentation can serve as a valuable resource for reflection, discussion, and future collaboration.

Playful collaboration, especially in art, is a powerful way to encourage communication, play, spontaneity, and improvisation.

By setting the stage for an engaging art jam session, makers come together to create a collective piece that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

Are you ready to embrace the spirit of playful collaboration?

Want another way to bring more play into your art?

Make an Art Tinkering Box: Assemble an “Art Tinkering Box” filled with a variety of unconventional and recycled materials like cardboard tubes, bottle caps, fabric scraps, buttons, egg cartons, or string. Experiment with different combinations to create unique art pieces. This activity promotes playfulness, experimentation, problem-solving skills, and creative thinking. Get started with invention and set up your own art tinkering box. Read the post:  DIY Kids Invention Box 

Looking for more inspiration?

Here are 3 resources to help nurture your creativity:

• Discover art for every season with “Art around the Year: 36 Lessons for Every Season.” Start exploring now. 
• Ignite your creative spark with TinkerLab Schoolhouse’s art & STEAM projects, printables, and calendars. Join here.  3 Enhance your skills with our
• Live Professional Development Workshops for teachers, docents, and adult groups. Reserve your spot today.

The post Art Jam Session: Collaborative Painting appeared first on TinkerLab.

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Supplies: How to Make Paper

This post contains affiliate links

• Water
• Paper: newspaper, tissue paper, magazines, etc. Be sure that it’s staple and tape-free
• Window Screen. This sliding window screen is economical and reusable.
• Washcloth, towel, rag, paper towels, o a large piece of felt to absorb water
• Small seeds, plant fibers, flower petals, or food coloring (optional)

Getting started

Making paper with kids requires some patience and preparation, but it’s not tricky and the process is worth exploring with children or anyone who’s curious about how to make paper.

After my toddler created a sensory bin full of paper and water, I saw an opportunity to upcycle that mushy paper pulp to make our own paper. We had most of the materials handy, but had to make a trip to the hardware store to buy a small window screen (affiliate)

Mr. Rogers shows us how paper is made

To get into the spirit and expand our knowledge of paper making, we watched a Mr. Roger’s episode about paper making. You can watch it, too! If you like this video you’ll also love learning about how crayons are made.

What is the best material to make paper?

Almost anything goes. Just make sure it’s staple and tape-free. Also, no plastic! See if you can gather one or a few of the paper products from this list:

• old newspapers
• printer paper
• junk mail
• wrapping paper
• paper grocery bags

Other Materials for Papermaking

• flower petals
• food coloring
• small seeds
• plan fibers
• thread
• leaves
• hemp or cotton pieces

Instructions: An Easy Way to Make Paper with Kids

1. Tear the paper into tiny strips, about 2″.
2. Place your window screen on top of one of the plastic tubs
3. Fill the blender about three quarters with water. Add a couple handfuls of paper to the blender. Run the blender on a low speed. You don’t want to burn the motor, so be sure the paper is covered. Since you will squeeze all the water out of the paper pulp, you can’t really have too much water. If the blender doesn’t move easily, add more water.
4. Run the blender a little bit faster until the mixture is a nice, smooth pulp. Ours is kind of chunky because my kids wanted it that way. Yours can be smoother.
5. Pour the pulp thinly and uniformly across the screen. Place a towel on top to absorb the extra water, while also pushing the water through the screen into the tub. Get the kids involved.
6. Place one hand firmly on top of the cloth while you flip the screen over onto a table or countertop that can handle water.
7. Remove the screen and put the cloth with paper pulp in a spot where it can dry, undisturbed, for about a day. The thicker the paper, the longer it will take to dry.

Let’s start with the materials…

1. Mix paper with water to make a slurry. You can skip this step and just add dry paper to the blender, but it’s fun for kids to swoosh the wet paper around.

2. Place the screen over a pan or bin

3. Fill blender about three quarters full with water, or as much water as you like. You can’t overdo it.  Add paper to the blender.

4. Blend the paper until it’s smooth. Ours is intentionally chunky because that’s how the kids wanted it. Who am I to say otherwise?

My toddler wanted to play with the pulp right away. She squeezed it, scooped it, and carried bowls full of pulp into the living room. Fun!

5. Spread the paper pulp over the screen

6. Press the pulp down and squeeze out the excess water. You can see the extra water falling into the bin below.

7. Place the towel over the paper pulp and flip it over. Allow the paper to dry. This could take a day or two depending on humidity and thickness of the paper.

8. Remove your paper and cut it into pieces, draw on it, or use it in art making.

Because our pulp was on the thick side, the paper doesn’t look like typical thin paper. As a result of this, your child may wonder if they really made paper! This is a great opportunity to discuss and question how paper manufacturers might get such thin paper.

What can you do with homemade paper?

We haven’t done much with it yet, but we’ll probably write on it with permanent markers or paint with watercolors.

You could also make Seed Paper: We decided to embed seeds in the pulp, so we could cut these up and give them away to friends with the invitation to plant them in their gardens!

More Handmade Paper Inspiration

Allison of No Time for Flashcards used and Immersion Blender to make Recycled Paper Hearts.

Kristi of Creative Connections for Kids made Wildflower Paper Ornaments (using the same screen as us!).

Melitza of Play Activities made Earth Day Seeded Paper.

The post How to Make Paper with Kids: A step-by-step tutorial appeared first on TinkerLab.

Art journal exercises are a great way to help boost creativity. Whether you’re a beginner who’s just getting started or a seasoned maker, I have 24 exercises for you to play with. I’ve tried them all, and my suggestion would be to start with one that sounds like fun. If just one inspires you, my work here is done 🙂

Why art journaling?

Your private sketchbook can provide a safe and welcoming space for you to record your ideas and experiment with different artistic techniques, and art journaling is a wonderful tool for self-care and as a repository for your creative ideas.

The great thing about art journal exercises is that there’s no wrong or right way to do them. You can plan things out or be spontaneous, make pictures or write words, be messy or neat. It’s all about training yourself to show up to create, and no one but you has to see the results.

Not only will an art journal give you a place to express yourself, but it can also help improve technical skills, helping you better express your ideas. An art journal also serves as a reminder of the progress you have made over time and can give you the confidence to try new things. Keeping an art journal can help you become more creative and productive, so start one today and see what you can discover!

I’ll share one art journal exercise in detail, then give you a list of 23 more to play with.

Art Journal Exercise #1: Art journal with a theme

One way to spark creativity in a sketchbook is to give yourself a theme to work with. This theme can be anything from a color palette to subject matter such as nature, portraits, or shapes. Once you’ve chosen a theme, try to think of different ways to explore it within your sketchbook.

The example below is a collaboration between me and my daughter. We chose a simple theme of rectangles, then decided to cut pieces of colorful paper into rectangles before they were collaged with glue on the page.

Once the rectangles were glued down, it sparked more ideas and we decided to add paint in the same color palette.

Similarly, if you choose a color palette as your theme, try experimenting with different mediums, and then use that color palette in different ways.

You could also try creating a series of sketches that are all inspired by the same theme or idea. Additionally, you could look at artwork from different artists and use it as inspiration for your own sketches. 

Here are 23 more art journal exercises to spark creativity in your art journal. (Stencils shown above, art journal exercise #14 in the list below):

24 Art Journal Exercises to Spark Creativity

1. Art Journal with a theme: This theme can be anything from a color palette to subject matter such as nature or portraits. Once you’ve chosen a theme, try to think of different ways to explore it within your sketchbook.
2. Get in touch with your inner child: Scribble, doodle, draw with your non-dominant hand, hold a marker in your mouth, finger paint, make hand prints, and don’t be afraid to make a mess.
3. Repurpose old artwork or paper ephemera: Find old pieces of art, wrapping paper, or even junk mail. Cut them into new shapes, then collage these shapes on paper. Start a “Bits and Pieces” Box to collect paper for this exercise.
4. Illustrate quotes: Find a favorite quote and recreate it in your journal with flourishes, color, or doodles.
5. Make a list: Brainstorm a list of words, ideas, and images that come to mind when you think of a particular topic. Then create an artwork based on those words.
6. Keep a daily record: Draw something each day, even if it’s just a quick sketch. You’ll be amazed at how much progress you make over time. Try our free TinkerSketch Challenge for an easy way to make quick, daily art.
7. Doodle and experiment: Draw random shapes and patterns with a variety of pencils, markers, inks, and pens, then combine them to create something new.
8. Explore with color: Choose a palette to work with. Acrylic paint is a great material to use for this exercise. If you’re not sure where to start, search Pinterest for palette ideas. Your palette could be vibrant, pastel, neutral, blank and white, etc. Experiment with different color combinations.
9. Experiment with tape and stickers: Gather washi tape, masking tape, stickers, and other tapes to collage or paint over and around. See sticker resist with watercolor paint here.
10. Play with watercolors or acrylic paint: Play with different techniques such as watery paint on wet paper, dry paint on wet paper, and wet paint on dry paper. Add salt the paint to see what happens. Experiment with different types of watercolors to compare the saturation or quality of the colors. Come up with a limited palette of three colors, and just paint with that.
11. Make a self portrait: Set up a mirror and draw yourself. Challenge yourself to a limited time of 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Make it a blind contour drawing where you don’t look at your paper as you draw. The results will surprise you!
12. Create a mood board: Cut out words and images from magazines, newspapers, and other sources that evoke strong emotions and feelings. Glue them onto a blank page and use it to inspire your next art journal entry.
13. Draw with kids art supplies: Use crayons, oil pastels, white glue, and anything else you find in a child’s art kit.
14. Outdoor listening: Carry a notebook in a bag, go outside and find a comfortable place to draw. Open a sketchbook and set up your favorite drawing tools. Now listen and look for about five minutes. What do you notice? Write or draw what comes to you. It might be birds chirping, a nearby conversation, wind, bugs flying, the texture of bark on a tree, construction noises. Document this with pictures and/or words.
15. Play with stencils: Stencils are a fun, low stress way to make, especially when you’re at a loss for ideas. Paint the page with broad brushstrokes of a favorite color, then stencil over the paint with a contrasting or complementary color.
16. Draw a favorite childhood memory: Choose one delightful moment from your childhood. Maybe it was picking lemons with your grandfather or singing songs with your mom. Come up with a symbol of that memory and turn it into a page in your journal.
17. Focus on one thing: Choose one object or symbol and fill an entire page with drawings and doodles of it. Some ideas: circles, the first letter of your name, hearts, trees
18. Journal your thoughts: Your journal could be a visual journal and a writing journal. Write down your thoughts, ideas, and feelings as a form of self-expression. This can be a great way to process your emotions, de-stress, and gain clarity. Add doodles or drawings if you’d like.
19. Make a storyboard: Create an art journal page with a visual story of your day. This could be a timeline of events or a sequence of images that capture the main highlights.
20. Doodle your hobbies: What are your favorite things to do? Read, bake, bike ride, hike? Make a doodle or sketch of this. You could also use photography to capture your favorite hobby, then print and collage the photo into your notebook.
21. Browse Pinterest: Give yourself a short amount of time like 5 minutes to look for inspiring ideas on Pinterest. Keep it short so you’re not sucked in and then fail to create in your own visual journal! Choose one idea to riff off of, then recreate in your own journal. Don’t worry about copying. This is just for you and original ideas can later emerge from this jumping off point.
22. Stamp it! Like stencils, stamps are a great way to create without a lot of pressure. Collect a few fun stamps and experiment with patterns, layer them with paint, or mask them with paper to create a partial stamp. If you don’t have stamps, here are 18 ways to make your own stamps from everyday materials.
23. Listen to Music: Play a favorite song or something upbeat, slow, melancholic, quirky…whatever your heart desires. Listen to the sounds and/or the song lyrics, and let your imagination run wild as you draw whatever comes to mind. Spotify is a good spot to find free music.
24. Try stream of consciousness writing: Start writing and don’t stop until you’ve written a full page. This is a great way to uncover hidden thoughts and ideas that you might not have realized. Now that you’ve written these ideas down, what images do the words evoke?

Whatever you choose to do, the key is to stay creative and have fun!

The post Art Journal Exercises for Self-care and Creativity appeared first on TinkerLab.

Maybe you’ve collected a starter kit of art supplies, and now wonder about the best ways to store these supplies.

There are so many ways to organize art supplies, and this will differ depending on your space possibilities, how many supplies you have, and aesthetic preferences. 

Instead of overwhelming you with the bazillion options from our favorite organizing stores, I want to keep this simple and start you off with one key idea. 

⭐️ If your child has easy access to materials, they are more likely to create.

Self-serve, Child-led Art Area

We want our kids to create, that’s the goal! If materials are at their fingertips, we’ll have a better shot at this.

So, the first thing I want you to do is set up a station with self-serve art supplies that your child can access when ideas strike.

The Child-led, Self-serve Art Cart

The art cart will help you organize the most frequently used art supplies.

If you don’t have an art cart, that’s okay! If you have a few shelves or a cabinet, the idea is the same.

The small difference with the art cart is it gives you the option of rolling it up right next to wherever your children decides to create.

What’s on the Art Cart?

I’ll outline what goes onto a Basic Preschool Art Cart, and share additional ideas for other creative cart uses.

Our cart has three shelves and it’s helpful to group materials by their likeness for easy finding and easy clean-up.

These are the three categories of materials that go onto the preschool art cart: Drawing and cutting tools, Attaching tools, Treasures

You can fill your cart with exactly what you see here, or substitute some of the items for things that are used more frequently by you or your child. The materials on our cart reflect an interest in drawing and 2-D art. If your child is invested in 3-D building, make substitutions accordingly.

While you won’t see building, playdough, or paint supplies on our cart, we do store these other art-making supplies nearby.

This post may include affiliate links.

Build an Art Cart for Preschool Children

Top Shelf: Drawing and Cutting Tools

1. Washable Markers
2. Pencils and Colored Pencils
3. Crayons
4. Scissors
5. Paintbrushes

Middle Shelf: Attaching Tools

1. Tape: Colorful washi tapes, colored masking tape, and clear tape
2. Glue: White glue, colored glue, and glue sticks
3. String: baker’s twine, cotton twine 
4. Stapler

Bottom shelf: Treasures

1. Stickers
2. Pom-poms
3. Sequins
4. Wiggly eyes
5. Buttons
6. Stickers: Color coding labels
7. Sketchbooks

Other Art Cart Ideas

Some people like having a few carts for different purposes. Others like storing all their supplies in a pantry and then building out carts to meet the needs of a particular interest or focus.

Here are a few other ways you can build out an art cart…

Dough Tools: Sculpting Cart

1. Play dough
2. Play dough tools
3. Air dry clay
4. Mini muffin pan
5. Spoons and bowl

Building Tools: Tinkering Cart

1. Low-heat glue gun
2. Recyclables
3. Broken toys and appliances
4. Hammer
5. Tacks
6. Goggles
7. Duct Tape
8. Scissors
9. Screwdriver

Paint Tools: Painter’s Cart

1. Tempera Paint
2. Watercolors
3. Paintbrushes
4. Rags
5. Water containers
6. Apron
7. Paper

How the Art Cart Works

The art cart is self-service for when a child is ready to create.

They can find what they need, remove it from the cart, and then put it back in its place when they’re done.

These are some of the projects that might be inspired by materials on an Art Cart:

1. Sequins, beads, and buttons stuck into dough
2. Homemade crown with Sharpies, glue stick, and scissors
3. Office stickers and Tape in paper frames
4. Paper doll with clear tape, stickers, and permanent marker

Where to buy an Art Cart

Ikea: The Raskog Kitchen Cart is fantastic. Like anything IKEA, you have to assemble it yourself, but it’s not a difficult assembly. The cart is sturdy (made of steel), the casters are solid. Comes in 3 colors.

Amazon: Heavy duty 3-tier Utility Rolling Cart. Equally fantastic, this cart comes in 5 colors.

See the Art Cart in Action here: A peek into our maker space

Organize a Child-led Art Space

Learn more about organizing a child-led art space here.

The post Kids Art Cart Ideas and Storage System appeared first on TinkerLab.

If you’re just getting started with kids art, you may be wondering: What are the best art supplies for kids?

We know early exposure to art has been shown to improve children’s play, communication, creativity, and social skills, but choosing the right art supplies from a sea of options can feel absolutely overwhelming. Where do you start? Helping children get started with art doesn’t have to be complicated.

So what are the best art supplies for kids? Read on…

What we’re going to cover…

• Start with the Basics
• What to look for in kids art supplies
• How the best art supplies for kids were selected
• Tempera Paint
• Large, heavy paper
• Paint brushes
• Crayons
• Markers
• Watercolor paint
• Liquid watercolors
• Glue
• Tape and stickers
• Scissors
• Play dough
• Treasures
• Recyclables
• Paper Collection
• Low-heat glue gun
• Easel
• The best art kits

The Best Art Supplies for Kids: Start with the Basics

This list includes my recommendations for introductory, basic supplies for kids, families, and teachers who are just starting out with art. If you’re looking for inexpensive supplies with the high quality and value, the recommendations on this list are for you

On the other hand, if you’re looking for the best watercolor paints in the world, this is not that list 🙂 (Although I do have an opinion on that!)

1. Keep things simple. 
2. Once you have a few things in place, build from there as your child’s interests and your comfort level with making art grow.

As soon as my first child started to make marks on paper, I was over-the-moon excited to go shopping. What did I do? I invested in gallons of paint, reams of paper, and rolls and rolls of colorful tape. I have to admit that I went a bit overboard on that tape, and we still have rolls of that first order many years later.

I’d like to spare you some of the trouble and cost.

This post may contain affiliate links. 

What to Look for in Kids Art Supplies

We all want our kids art supplies to be safe, but what do you look for?

Art supplies are made all over the world. Some come with safety endorsements and other don’t. If safety is a top concern, here are a few things to keep in mind or look for:

1. Look for the following statement on the art supply: conforms to ASTM [American Society for Testing and Materials] D4236. This means all of the potentially hazardous components of the art product have been clearly labeled on the product packaging.
2. Look for an ACMI approval seal from the Art and Creative Materials Institute
3. For some art supplies, you can make your own, giving you full control of the ingredients. For example, did you know you can make paint made from crushed berries or coffee grounds, or that you can make playdough made from flour, salt, and water? Keep reading for my homemade playdough recipe recommendation.
4. Look for supplies that are vibrant, low-odor, and long-lasting. It can be hard to look at an art material and know how it will perform, which is where our list can be helpful.

How the Best Art Supplies for Kids were selected

Aside from waxy restaurant crayons, I rarely meet an art supply I didn’t like, but some are just more reliable than others.

I’ve been an art educator for 25 years, teaching art in preschools, elementary classrooms, middle and high school, museums, private studios, and in my own home. Some of the questions I considered: Which supplies do kids enjoy the most? Which ones last the longest? Which fall apart quickly? Hours of research, play, experiments, and trial and error has gone into testing art supplies to bring you the very best, all in one spot.

The Best Art Supplies for Kids

If you’re having trouble finding art supplies for your children or students, you can use this simple guide.

Open a new tab to take notes or pull out a piece of paper and pencil to take notes, and let’s get started!

1. Tempera Paint

Let’s start with paint! I’ll share three types of paint on this list, and first up is tempera, also known as poster paint.

This paint has a creamy consistency, like yellow mustard or house paint. When looking for tempera, you may also see tempera paint pucks (dry paint disks) or powdered tempera, and that’s not what we’re talking about here.

The tempera paint we’re talking about often comes in stand-up bottles that look like shampoo containers. These bottles can be squeezed onto a plate or into ice cube trays. Tempera can then be stamped with sponges, cotton balls, pine cones, paintbrush, you name it. I like to use washable tempera paint, for obvious reasons 🙂

For a DIY tempera paint, try making egg tempera paint with this easy recipe. I highly recommend trying this at least once.

What can you do with tempera paint? Make an interpretation of modern artist Jasper Johns in this whole body painting experience (shown above).

Recommendation: Crayola Artista II Washable Tempera Paint applies well and comes in vibrant colors. You can also buy an art set with multiple colors for a better price.

2. Large, heavy paper

Paper of almost any type will happily get put to good use in your art space, but there’s one type of paper that is so versatile for little kids. You can use it for drawing, painting, and all sorts of crafts. 

If you have a young child or young students, I want you consider investing in larger sheets of paper. Toddlers and preschoolers don’t have the fine motor skills to work small, and will prefer larger paper for their big, sweeping arm movements. Large sheets of paper are fantastic blank canvases for multiple ideas and projects, and they can be cut down if you want smaller sheets.

Look for a heavier 18″ x 24″ paper that can be used for all sorts of activities from painting at the table to taping against a fence. 

Rolls of white paper are also great for this purpose, and can double duty as table covering or rolled out for mural-making. Paper rolls can be pricey, so I offer this recommendation on this particular list with a light touch.

What can you do with large sheets of construction Paper? Paint a large mural (see above)

Recommendation for large construction paper: Prang 18″x24″ Construction Paper

Recommendation for rolls of paper: Pacon ArtKraft Paper Roll

3. Paint Brushes

If you’re painting, you’ll need brushes!

There are all kinds of kitchen tools and found objects that are so fun for painting, so feel free to get creative and make a rubber band brush. 

When it comes to finding brushes, it can truly overwhelming to choose as there are just so many options!

I want you to focus on two kinds of brushes:

1. Fat easel brushes

2. Thinner watercolor brushes for details and smaller work

For easel painting, get a set of fat bristle brushes. 

Recommendation: Chubby Toddler Easel Paintbrushes for Tempera Paint

For watercolor painting and smaller, detailed painting, look for an art set of brushes with some variety. Go with something inexpensive.

Recommendation: Crayola Arts and Craft Brush set

If you’re interested in detail brushes for older children and parents, check out this inside tip, and if you want to get experimental, try making your own brushes like the rubber band brush (above).

4. Crayons

Crayons are a childhood must-have! They’re also a low mess art material, which makes them extra appealing to most teachers and parents. 

My kiddos have gone back and forth between colored pencils, markers, and crayons. Crayons are so versatile and often make an appearance on our art table for projects such as camouflage coloring and melted crayon drawings. 

Pro tip: Break your crayons in half to make them more manageable for the preschool finger grip.

Crayon alternatives: If you want an extra splurge, pick up a pack of oil pastels (Sakura Cray-Pas are my fave) and a pack of paint sticks (Kwik Stix are fantastic). Two awesome supplies that take crayons to the next level.

Just for fun, read this poll on my Facebook page archives on crayons vs. markers that you might enjoy reading.

Recommendation: Crayola Crayons These are a classic for kids of all ages, with great coverage and vibrant colors. You just can’t go wrong.

5. Markers

From a pretty early age, my children preferred markers to crayons and I suspect it’s because the color from markers is much more vibrant and gratifying. For that reason, I suggest having a few different mark-making tools around to experiment with.

What can you make with markers? We enjoy bright markers for loads projects such as drawing art critters or a cool chromatography exploration with black markers. 

Recommendation for toddlers: Crayola Ultra Clean Washable Markers

Recommendation for thin markers: Crayola Super Tips

6. Watercolor Paint

Watercolor paint is the second type of paint on this list.

Watercolor pans are one of my favorite art supplies because they’re portable, low mess, and great for on-the-go art making. When we want to add a whole lot of color to something quickly, they’re great for that and far faster and than crayons!

For toddlers and preschoolers I don’t generally recommend watercolor paint pans because they require so much work from the child and the payoff isn’t there for them.

Recommendation for beginner watercolor paints: Pelikan opaque watercolors aren’t the least expensive, but you get a whole lot of value for your money . The quality is excellent, it comes with 24 colors, and the size of the paint pucks is large enough to make them easy for kids to use.

7. Liquid Watercolors

Liquid watercolors are the third type of paint I’d recommend adding to your art area.

Liquid watercolors get used in so many different projects. Squeeze them into  playdough to add color, squirt them on coffee filters, or mix them with homemade Goop (see above).

Liquid watercolors are so versatile and easily the most used art supply in a home with creative preschoolers.

To paint with liquid watercolors, squeeze the desired amount in a jar and add a brush. For less intense colors or to lengthen the use of your paints, add water to to dilute the mixture.

Recommendation for liquid watercolors: Color Splash paint set It’s economical, non-toxic, and comes in vibrant colors 

8. Glue

I have a love affair with Elmer’s. I’ve tried other glues, but I’m incredibly loyal to this brand. It’s reasonably priced, non-toxic, and works like a charm.

If you have a toddler, this is an excellent beginner glue project for exploring glue, and you should also try setting up glue and leaves (above).

Recommendation for white glue: Elmer’s School Glue, also in gallon size for refilling (recommended):  Elmer’s School Glue Gallon/s

9. Tape and Stickers

I’m putting tape and stickers in the same category because they can easily serve the same purpose of decorating and attaching. 

Washi tape, blue painter’s tape, clear tape, stickers. We love it all.

Recommendation for paper tape: This art pack of 8 rolls in a rainbow of colors is a deal.

Recommendation for stickers: Round or rectangle office sticker labels are simple and the way to go.

Pro tip: For toddlers, tape and stickers are an amazing attention-holder for developing fine motor skills. Offer a toddler a sheet of stickers to peel and stick to a sheet of paper. They’ll be engaged and mesmerized.

Pro tip #2: You can make your own tape dispenser with PVC pipes or cut small pieces off for your child to easily remove (above).

10. Scissors

This one is pretty straight forward. Fiskars is my absolute favorite brand. They’re easy for kids to hold, last forever, and they come in right and left-handed versions. Choose blunt tip for toddlers and early preschool, and pointed tip for elementary children.

Recommendation for blunt tip scissors: Fiskars blunt tip

Recommendation for pointed tip scissors: Fiskars pointed tip

Recommendation for left-handed scissors: Fiskars pointed tip left handed

Recommendation for versatile right/left hand scissors: Fiskars blunt right/left hand scissors

Pro tip for scissor cutting coordination: Here’s a little trick for helping young children learn to use scissors that I learned from Mary Ann Kohl’s awesome book, First Art for Toddlers and Twos: offer children fat worm forms of clay or play dough to cut up (see above). It’s much easier to cut than paper, teaches children how to use scissors, and a rewarding experience!

11. Play Dough

Play dough is a staple for little kids! I probably should have put it first on the list because it’s just that good and useful. The sensory experience of working with play dough is unmatchable. You can squash it, roll it, build with it, “cook” with it, set up a pretend baking session, and add toys or craft materials like googly eyes and pipe cleaners to it.

Recommendation for the best play dough recipe: Buying play dough is just not worth it in my opinion. It usually comes in small containers, and you can make an enormous batch for a fraction of the cost. This is the Best Play Dough Recipe, used by just about every single preschool teacher I know. It’s amazing, pliable stuff that lasts for ages and it’s completely non-toxic. 

Recommendation for store-bought play dough: However, store-bought play dough is better than NO play dough! For this, Play Doh is a trusted source and there are so many colors to choose from.

Recommendation for eco-friendly store-bought play dough: For a store-bought dough that acts like homemade dough, Baby Roo makes their dough with flour and edible pigment.

12. Treasures

Treasures are small craft supplies that delight such as feathers, yarn, sequins, and pom-poms. Offer these in multiples in bowls, along with glue or clay, and see what your child comes up with.

Safety tip: Please be cautious when using small objects with young children. We don’t want your child to curiously poke a bean up her nose in the name of creativity. 🙂

Storage tip: Store treasures in clear plastic or glass jars (to easily see what’s inside) with things like buttons, beads, pom-poms, and feathers.

Recommendation for treasures: feathers, yarn, sequins, pom-poms, beads, buttons, sea shells, leaves, pebbles, beans

13. Recyclables

Recyclables are FREE, don’t require a trip to the store, and help us do our bit for sparing the environment from new materials.

My favorite recycled supplies as art materials: 

• Plastic lids (they make great paint palettes)
• Cardboard: cut it into various shapes and sizes. Make a marble run
• Yogurt containers: use to store paint or small craft supplies
• Paper tubes — try making stamps
• Egg cartons: you can build with them, paint them, and cut them up into imaginative crafts

Recommendation for recyclables: Set up a box or basket to collect clean paper and plastic materials from the home or kitchen.

14. Paper Collection

Start a small collection of paper scraps to use for collage and experimental drawing surfaces. Store them in a shoebox or similar container. Try this tip for saving paper scraps from old art.

Recommendations for Paper Collection:

• wrapping paper
• greeting cards
• tissue paper
• foil
• pages from old books
• brown paper bags
• junk mail
• newspaper
• candy wrappers
• homework
• maps
• brochures
• graph paper/lined paper

15. Low-heat glue gun

This might seems like a strange supply to have on a kids art supply list, but hear me out!

If you have a child who likes to build things, a low-heat glue gun is a tool you will love having. The tip doesn’t get enormously hot and it can be used to easily and quickly attach sculptural items together. You can start with making recycled art sculptures and work your way up to making found object critters.

Recommendation for low-heat glue gun: Surebonder Cool Shot is super low heat and is cool enough for children to safely use.

16. Easel

If you have a toddler or preschooler, you may have noticed how much they enjoy making art while standing or sitting on the ground. Sitting at a table, not so much. Okay, this is a generality, but standing to paint is so much easier for small hands. 

Why? When young children are invited to paint, they’re often more comfortable working at an easel where their arms can have a full range of motion.

With the easel you can either use a roll of paper or the large 18″ x 24″ construction paper mentioned in the paper section.

Recommendation for easels: We love our reasonably priced IKEA Mala easel (older version above), which we painted to give it a little bit of personality. I also like the Melissa & Doug Deluxe Easel includes trays on both sides so that two children can create simultaneously.

What about the best art kits for beginners?

There are a lot of arts and craft kits out there, and many are disappointing because the quality just isn’t great. I prefer gathering supplies individually so I can pick and choose what I like, but kits are definitely a time-saving option with the bonus of containing all the pieces in one place.

If you’re considering the ease of a kit, I have two recommendations for you…

Recommendation for Arts and Crafts Kit: You may have noticed that category #12 on my list is TREASURES, which encompasses a whole lot of things. Kid Made Modern does all the curation for you with this all-in-one suitcase of crafty supplies with a huge kit of 1000+ pieces. The variety is astounding. We got this for our college dorm one year and they even loved it! While it’s not inexpensive, it’s all organized and contained in one spot.

Recommendation for Mark-making Kit:  You may have noticed my appreciation for Crayola art supplies, and they make a kit that works because the materials are all high quality. Crayola Inspiration Art Case includes crayons, colored pencils, and markers in an organized suitcase-style box. With 140 pieces, it’s ultimately a great deal and helpful for on-the-go art making.

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you!

For more ideas on basic tools and tinkering supplies, look for my book: TinkerLab: A Hands-on Guide for Little Inventors.

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It’s been unseasonably warm around here — check out the flip flops and dress! And the Easter Basket there…well, would you believe it’s for collecting Fall leaves?

We don’t have a lot of Fall color yet, but enough leaf beauties have hit the pavement that we ventured out for some Leaf Pickin’.

N picked up all of her favorites. She was only limited by the amount of space she had in the basket. My plan was to take them home and make some negative space impressions of the leaves with a spray bottle.

When we got home we laid them all out on huge sheets of paper.

And then had a snack. Snacks are important.

If we hadn’t been so impatient, pressing the leaves for a day would have made our leaf impressions clearer, but I was working with a three-year old, and, well, they like to do things when they think of them. Patience only goes so far.

I filled a spray bottle with a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 liquid watercolors. We used orange, but you could use any color.

And oh-my-goodness if this wasn’t the most fun part of the entire project!

It could have been the project all by itself.

And we could have done it outside. 😜That would have been smart.

But fortunately our table was covered with paper and plastic, and the kids sprayed to their heart’s content.

Despite some curling leaves, you can see that the impressions are still pretty clear. It worked best when the kids stood up on a chair and sprayed straight down. Once dry, we hung one above our play kitchen.

And once this was done, we went back outside for bike riding, popsicle eating, and watermelon seed spitting.

Really. It’s been that warm.

How are you enjoying these first days of Fall?

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All you’ll need for this activity are leaves, glue, paper, and a paintbrush.

First, gather a selection of fall leaves, a fun outdoor bonding activity before the art making.

Then, back at home or in the classroom, clear a table, set up your materials, and invite your child to attach leaves to a piece of chipboard or cardboard.

Your child will explore texture, practice fine motor skills, and exercise independent thinking. 

This is also an example of the weekly prompts our members receive in our membership, TinkerLab Schoolhouse.  Add your name to our mailing list and we’ll send you a Schoolhouse-style PDF of this activity.

There are few things I adore about today’s process leaf art activity:

1. It’s low-cost
2. It helps us connect to nature.
3. Getting outside in the fall is fun!
4. Connecting the changing seasons with art making is meaningful to kids.

The Benefits of “Leaves and Glue”

This activity will help children…

• develop fine-motor skills
• learn to work independently
• build creative confidence through experimentation
• expand creative and critical thinking skills
• build an eye for aesthetics by developing a composition
• develop a broader understanding of repurposing natural materials as art supplies

Start with a walk

I love an excuse to get outside in the fall, so we’ll begin with a nature walk.

Bring a bag, basket, or bucket, and gather a selection of fall leaves.

Then, back at home or school, clear a table, set up your materials, and invite your child or students to attach leaves to a piece of paper or cardboard.

Supplies: Leaves and Glue

1. Leaves
2. Chip board, paper, or card board
3. A sturdy paintbrush
4. Shallow bowl or plate filled with glue

Clear the Table

Remove any distractions that will take your child’s focus away from the creative invitation. Create a set-up that looks something like our photo (above).

Arrange the leaves artfully to make this appeal to your child’s aesthetic sensibility.

Once the table is “set,” ask your child if he or she would like to use/explore/experiment with these supplies.

Creative Thinking

It may sound too simple, and you may be wondering, “what’s the point”?

Well, the best part comes next as you listen to your child explore their materials, observe as they make choices, and listen as they talk about the process of creating.

They might notice the beauty or unique qualities of each leaf,

or invent a song about leaves,

or maybe they’ll reject the glue and explore new ways to attach the leaves with tape, a stapler, or…

You can learn so much in these moments and it’s a real opportunity to connect!

All the while, they are exercising their creativity.

Stay alert to their questions and observations as they may have big ideas on how to expand this into a drawing, painting, or building project.

It’s a simple spark for further discovery.

Challenges and Critical Thinking

One of the exciting challenges in this prompt relates to gluing down bumpy, twisted, and generally non-compliant leaves.

If your child is frustrated by the non-flat quality of your leaves, or has difficulty gluing them down, this is an opportunity to tease out solutions.

You could say something like, “I see you’re having trouble attaching the leaf to the paper. What could help it stick better?”

From that, ideas such as “add more glue” or “turn the leaf over” might emerge.

Variations:

• Replace leaves with paper cut into leaf shapes, circles, rectangles, etc.
• Tint the glue with a little bit of food coloring or liquid watercolors
• Before you set up the invitation, go on a leaf hunt together to collect your materials

This process art activity for kids is easy to set up and a developmentally appropriate art experience for toddlers and preschoolers. 

I like to call these process-oriented prompts Art Starters because they’re simple explorations that help kids get started with art. With Art Starters, keep in mind that the journey is the destination.

If you’d like to learn more about Art Starters, I also wrote a book on this topic, Art Starts: 52 Projects for Open-ended Exploration.With Art Starters, keep in mind that the journey is the destination.

Would you like 7 more ways to make open-ended art this fall?

I assembled seven of my favorite fall art explorations into a learning pack, as a creative companion on these chillier days. Head over to the TinkerLab Resource Shop.

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