Art Book: How to Build Lego Cars

 Do you love building with Lego?   Do you see it for the art form that it is?  Yes, it's STEM and building and engineering, but ... it is also an art form.   You can really see it in these magnificantcars that Peter Blackert helps you design in How to Build Brick Cars.   

Oh...these aren't your standard lego cars...these are master builder cars that go on to inspire you to model your own creations. 

That Mad, Monkish Architect!

This is Gaudi  is a book I reviewed about Antoni Gaudi, people either loved him or hated him, and in this tome we learn why.  :)  Author Mollie Claypool walks us through his life, his formation of ideas, and the work that he did. 

I found it a bit different that this biography had no table of contents, it dove right into telling us about Gaudi, and continued to just walk us through his life.

Art Book: Fine Art Adventures

What would you do if I told you that you could explore 18 different masterpieces with your student, using those 18 masterpieces as inspiration for doing 3 different art projects with students 6 years old and up?   Wouldn't that just peak your interest?   It certainly did mine.   Today I would like to introduce Fine Art Adventures by Maja Pitamic and Jill Laidlaw.

Art Book: Wild Garden

 Do you remember A Hand Lettered Life from last week?   This is another in the Scratch and Create Series that I thought you might like to know about.   Wild Garden is a set of postcards, making them ideal work on anywhere you find yourself needing to wait around and the finished product makes an excellent quick thank you gift for those you meet along the way.

Art Book: Hand Lettered Life

 Today I have a bit of a different book for you.  You know how sometimes I like to look at Adult Colouring Books?  Well today I have a new format of a 'colouring book' for you, called a Scratch and Create.  This one is called Hand Lettered Life and was put together by Shandra Smith.

Art Book: Art Up Close

Wow! I really like this art book. It's called Art Up Close. Despite the fact that it has no art to draw or to inspire, my lad even likes it! 

I have to tell you all the details about this marvellous book, and truly it is a GOOD book.

Art Book: CatDoodles

Do you like cats? Do you like to doodle as a way to relax? Well, let me tell you about this fun little book that crossed my desk today. Catdoodles. The Cat Loves Drawing book. 

Now mind me here.. if cats are TOTALLY not your thing, this is not the book for you.  BUT if you are like my boy and think cats are well... the cat's meow.. then this book just might appeal to you as a doodler.  

Art Book: Kawaii Doodle Class

Kawaii Doodle Class is a fun softcover book, that was a pleasure to review.  This book is all about creating cute images from food, drink, nature, monsters, everyday items and more. Zainab Khan shows us how to give these items a cute outlook on life and faces with character. 

Art Book: It's Great to Create

Jon Burgerman has created a really fun art book for us to use.  Coming up with 101 creative exercises for anyone to do as they play around doing art.

Art Book:1 2 3, I Can Sculpt

 1,2,3, I Can Sculpt is colourful book geared to helping your young ones have fun creating sculptures.  The book starts off explaining what a sculpture is

"a piece of art that has more than one side to look at".

Isn't that just the most straight-forward definition of a sculpture that you have heard?

Art Book: Stick Sketch School

I want you to imagine that you have just taught your children about this amazing animal called the blob fish.  It comes out of Tasmania, and you asked your children to draw a picture of it and they give you a blank look... How can you help them draw this amazing fish?   Well, if you have the Stick Sketch School book it will be easy peasy.. just turn to page 86 and before you know it your children will have created a beautiful image of the blob fish.  :)   Might be a sketch figure but it will be "beautiful" enough to colour in and create an underwater world.

Allow me now to introduce you to a wonderful book called "Stick Sketch School"

Art Book: Mudworks

Today I have a rather different art book to show you.  It's called "Mudworks: Creative Clay, Dough and Modeling Experience". 

 This is a rather neat book, seriously.

Art Book: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies

When I first got The Girl who Drew Butterflies I thought cool.. an art book!  I'll get to see lots of pictures of butterflies and be totally amazed.   Little did I know the wonder and joy I would experience when I realized that it was not only an art book but it was also a science book.  A way to combine two loves!  It's GREAT!!!!

Imagine you live in a time when people aren't sure where bugs come from, and no one can really answer the questions of a curious girl child.  Maria, who helped her step-father, Jacob Marrel, with his artistry. He liked to draw still life pictures and Maria would often bring in flowers for him to draw, and found the insects that crawled on them fascinating. 

Her interest was fostered as her step-dad was also interested in the insects as he thought they made his pictures come to life, so she was sent out to gather more for him. 

Maria was so curious about where all these insects came from but no one really knew where they came from.   Perhaps from mud or old clothes?    Marel taught Maria the tools of the trade, teaching her everything he knew. But Maria's mind was captured by the insects around her and she burned to discover the answers to her questions.

She started with silkworms. Watching everything, drawing it too.

Jotting down everything she could. Asking questions, seeking out the answers to her beloved insects.  Learning how to do this AND fulfill the role destined for her by society.

This is a fascinating book.

I learned so much about what was going in the day.  Witch hunts...seeking after women who varied from what society expected of them.  Women had to be so careful in what they did.  Not receiving recognition for the work they did, yet contributing mightily to society around them.

Gradually society shifted opinions, and just as gradually Maria became known as the caterpillar lady.

She learned, and documented how all moths and butterflies went through the same transformation.



Ah... I want to tell you all that I learned but that would spoil the book for you it would!  It's just a neat book, really.  I so enjoyed it.   Seeing her determination to stick to her love of insects, her patience .. biding her time, watching, observing, starting over, and her stepping out with what she knew.  

She led a fascinating life and ended up drawing/painting so many pictures with plants and their insects.   Showing the world their beauty as she could best show it.

She was simply a fascinating lady, well focused on her life's passion, and so determined to see it through.

To see all the she saw and be able to document everything... so fantastic!

Read the book, be inspired.  See art teach science something new.

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Marian's Art Changed Science.
Joyce Sidman
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
160 pages.
Age: 10-12 

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books
 

Where can you get it?

Amazon.ca: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science

Amazon.com: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science

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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Art Book: Miniscapes - Create Your Own Terrarium

I recently contacted my "person" at Raincoast and mentioned that my lad was into making terrariums lately so she very kindly sent me a book that she thought might be a boon to him... and it was!   Let me tell you about Miniscapes: Create your own Terrarium.  I know I know..not your typical art book, but making a terrarium is a form of art you know?   Can you put different mediums together in a way that will balance and create something beautiful?   Miniscapes helps you to gain the know-how to do this yourself.

 
 I love the logical step up in Miniscapes.  Walking the reader through what a terrarium was and how it worked.  Being walked through all the parts of a terrarium, learning why you need the different layers, the types of plants you can use and more.  The Close of Miniscapes leaves you with several projects you can complete to get your feet wet, or to at least give you ideas for creating your own.   It's a rather neat book.

The first half of Miniscapes is devoted to teaching the reader about the various plants, and parts of a terrarium.  The different styles of glass bowls, types of rocks, plants, substrate, tools, and accessories . 

I found the text easy to read and understand.  The author was very good at explaining how everything works, making this an ideal book for a novice to terrariums, while including lots of projects to intrigue the more seasoned.

 
The Projects, more than 15 projects, each with an ingredients list, with step by step instructions for completing them.

My Thoughts:
This is a helpful little book, full of ideas and images and creations.   It's great to look through to garner ideas for different types of terrariums, or to actually create one of them as written.  My son liked it and didn't want me to add it our "let's rehome it" pile so it will sticking around for a while.  :)  (not many books make it to that status which tells you something eh?)  :)

But it's a great book to teach you how to make your own garden art form. 

Oh!   And check it out!   My lad made his own terrariums!!!

Miniscapes - Create your own Terrarium
Clea Cregan
Hardie Grant Books
Pages: 160
Approximately 8 x 8 inch square 
Type: Hardcover

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books


Where to find it: 
Amazon.ca: Miniscapes: Create Your Own Terrarium

Amazon.com: Miniscapes: Create Your Own Terrarium

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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Art Series: Home School In The Woods - Artist Pack

Today I am reviewing for you an Activity-Pak rather than a regular book.  :)   Home School in the Woods has put together the Artists Activity-Pak that the lad and I have been learning from for the past few weeks.   I've been sharing some of the pictures on Instagram, but I want to tell you all about it right now!  :)   This unit is part of a larger series of Activity-Paks.

 Home School in the Woods has kept my son and I busy learning about Artists throughout history for the past several weeks.   Activity-Paks are lap books designed to be more than a lap book.  Students should be able to complete them independently (depending on their ability) along with additional activities to add to your study.

You can use the lapbook elements to add to your own study, or use the lapbook as a basis for a larger study.   Some independent research will be required as you do them.

One of the things I liked about this pack is the conversation it provoked as we went through some of the elements.  

These elements include:

• Art Media
• Art Movements
• Art Exhibition
• Paint Box Vocabulary
• Paint like the Masters
• Art Gallery, File Folder Game

I have to admit that I struggled with two of the elements. I found it impossible to put together The File Folder Game and the Artist Exhibition.  I tried printing them off several times but just couldn't figure out the orientation between two separate files for the same element.   Everything I tried had it coming out incorrect so we just simply by-passed doing those elements as written, rather we talked our way through them, taking our time to examine some of the artists and the work they did.  

I am not sure what they could do to make it easier... possibly put arrows in the margins to show which way it should go or something?   It was extremely frustrating. Or make it book format with the proper orientation done already?   Just thoughts.  We didn't miss out an anything in the long run, just didn't do the elements as designed.

Admittedly an element was a touch fussy to make, but as the lad said "I can help you and you can help me".  I LOVE THAT.  It's good to have a lad help out his mom and vice versa.  It's great to laugh and talk together. And if in the process you both learn something, it's a good thing indeed.  :)

One of the things I most appreciated was that html link.   That provided us with a really really easy way to find the files I needed.  It allowed us to skip around and use the elements that interested us the most at the time.  See how they the instructions are in the brown and the elements are in blue?   Makes it so easy to navigate!

We learned about different types of mediums you can use (clay, marble, acrylic etc), artists of old (Michelangelo, Santi, Rubens etc), new types of artistry we hadn't heard about before (monoprint, pointilism etc).   So many different forms of art, and then we got a chance to try our hand at some of them.

Oh Oh!   before I forget.  There's an A La Carte Option!

Home School in the Woods has just introduced an a-la-carte options from some of their projects.   What this means that you can grab and use one or two smaller projects to use.  These aren't complete unit studies, but rather smaller projects to meet a need or an specific interest.  You can learn more about it here.   

Home School in the Woods
Artists Activity-Pak
Received: Ebook with Html Support, comes as PDF files in a zip file

DOWNLOAD VERSION  $18.95

CD VERSION $19.95

You may find this video helpful in understanding the differences in some of their products:

The Crew has been reviewing a large selection of materials from Home School in the Woods. Home School in the Woods has a whole variety of hands-on history projects for your students to complete.  Here is what we've been looking at.

Time Traveler American

• New World Explorers
• Colonial Life 
• The American Revolution
• The Early 19th Century
• *The Civil War
• Industrial Revolution through Great Depression
• World War II

Activity-Paks

• The Old Testament
• The New Testament
• Composers
• Artists
• Make-a-State Activity

Lap-Paks

• U.S. Elections
• 20th Century in America
• Wonders of the World
• Benjamin Franklin
• Knights

Timeline Trio

To see what we all have to say about these products, click this link OR on the banner below.

Social Media Links

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• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/HSintheWoods      Tag:   @HSintheWoods   
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• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrKq6iLty2fpB6R6ZpcUb8A    

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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time .

Art Book: Canadian Art Ideas

The Canadian Art Ideas is a teacher resource book.    I used it with the lad when he was younger as it's geared for grades 2-4.  It has over 50 different art activities, which honestly aren't just good for Canada.

What makes it Canadian is the section they have about 2/3's of the way through the book, Canadian Inspired Art Ideas, which covers topics such as aboriginal snowshoes, Canadian collage, the aurora borealis and more. 

The book is mostly though pages you can use to teach different art concepts which is a world wide teaching aspect eh?  :)   Subjects such as texture, symmetry, line design, geometric shapes, drawing people and using dough to make structures. 

It's a handy 80 page book that is almost fully reproducible (the student pages, not the teaching pages) for use with your homeschool or class. 

 This book is a useful addition to the study of art for any class any where, and helpful when studying the different areas of Canada for inspiration of how to do art differently as part of your studies. 

Canadian Art Ideas
Grade 2-4
Canadian Curriculum Teaching Resource
80 pages.
Type: Teacher Resource
Over 50 different art ideas
Chalkboard Publishing



Where can you find it?
Amazon.ca: Canadian Art Ideas Grades 2-4

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This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time . We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites

Art Book: Dangles

I don't know if you remember the handlettering A to Z book I put up a couple weeks back, but today I have a book called Dangles for you.  It's goes along with hand lettering quite handily, as well as being useful to mandalas, creative ring art and such like.

I have to be honest here, this book intrigues me yet scares me off.   Weird eh?

I am not what you'd call a girlie girlie, so I'm not into necklaces, charms, dangling things and such like.  Just not my style, Doesn't mean I can't enjoy them on others but for me...it's like NO. The art that is created with this concept just intrigues me cause it's actually kinda pretty.  :)

I know.. weird.   But it's me eh!  :)

Anyways, in Dangles you get 8 different section, each devoted to teaching you a different aspect of making a dangle.   From understanding what they are, to how to use them in different contexts.

 First off, just what is a dangle?   Dangles are "beautifully illustrated strings of charms that you can use to decorate letters, shapes and objects." (p.6)  They have no set boundaries, you can wrap them around an object, let them shoot up from the bottom of a page, let them dangle down from a letter and more.  They give you a way to personalize any design.

Ms. Kneibler starts with showing us how to add a dangle to a letter.
I appreciated how she took the time to show us a basic letter, how to add some style to that letter, and then showed how to add a dangle.   After that she gives the reader a chance to try their own hand at the letter, giving a letter outline so you can practice all the steps yourself.

She does this for every letter of the alphabet, showing how a dangle could work with both upper and lower case letters.


The letters section is followed by a section on adding dangles to complete words.    She repeats the process that she started with the letters, showing how to hand letter a word, then to add pattern to the word letters, and then to add dangles to that overall word.   Leaving room to practice what she just finished teaching you. 

One of the neat things that I found very helpful was how each section is colour coded.  You know if you are in the dark purple section that you will be learning about dangle shapes and mandalas.   In this section there is less room for practice.  It was more about showing you the different ways that dangles can be used in the making of shapes and mandalas. 

Isn't the finished mandala pretty?

 The golden rod section teaches us how to put it all together, the letters, the objects, just making it all work together.   It was hard to choose which one to share with you, but this bird and flower I thought was pretty neat eh?  The dangles just seem to flow naturally from it.

 Charming projects is the light blue section, it's not very large and focuses on how you can turn your dangle art into things like bookmarks and gift cards. 

One of the most helpful sections for me was the Charm Directory.   Seeing all the variety and the ways to put the different shapes together.  I just liked this section and found it helpful.  There were no names to put the designs, just showing all the variation which would be a huge boon when learning how to do this, so you can figure out more easily how to let your imagination soar. 

Aren't the possibilities astounding?

The final section is the colour gallery, here you will find each of the letters and words demonstrated, along with the page numbers they are found on for easy access. 

 So what do I think of the book overall?
Really well designed!   I like the step by step training, with the room and encouragement to try it out yourself.  Well done!

If adding charms to your hand lettering appeals, or you want to learn how to add charms to your drawings to add some pizzazz to them, this book will definitely help you learn how to do that, and to do it well.

Dangles: Creating Decorative Letters and Art with Charms.
Olivia A. Kneibler
Race Point
144 pages.
Type: Art Teaching Book, Drawing
Size: about 8 x 10 inches


Reviewed for Quarto Group


Where to find this book?
Amazon.ca: The Art of Drawing Dangles: Creating Decorative Letters and Art with Charms

Amazon.com:  The Art of Drawing Dangles: Creating Decorative Letters and Art with Charms
 


This post may contain affiliate links - using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool - thank you! ©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/