A couple of weeks on, I'm still experimenting with doodling and drawing around basic shapes that I'm finding around the house - it's really relaxing!

Here are a few more simple ideas .... I'm thinking this would be a great rainy day holiday activity as such few materials are needed.

27.7.15

Today I tore some pages out of my dad's old 70's yellowed, A-Z of London with the idea of doodling on maps.

Again, drawing round a roll of tape with a biro and then colouring in the circle.

They came out looking quite 'Mondrian'.

7th August

My latest doodle has come from finding an old plastic lid - the shape reminded me of lemons and limes - I drew some overlapping shapes and experimented with pattern and colorblocking using felt tips, pastels and watercolours.

September's here and I'm thinking about Autumn / fall doodles, here's a manuscript maple leaf

Head over to my Autumn page for free printables and templates.

We're celebrating sunny school holidays here with some fun tropical fruit art!
The diamond shapes on these pineapples are great for little hands to explore colour using all sorts of art materials - we used watercolours and oil pastels.
You can download a free pineapple template on my summer downloads page - you'll also find pears, lemons, watermelons.... Have fun!

Are you looking for more creative project ideas for Summer?
You might like to visit these pages below or subscribe to my seasonal newsletter?
Thanks for dropping by, have a wonderful arty summer!
Diane :-)
​

I love the simplicity of working with squares and circles, repeating the same shape over and over again to produce a pattern.

I hope you find these simple ideas inspiring!

Best wishes

Diane

Yippee! 
We've just booked our first family day trip to London with our 6 and 8 year olds to visit  'The World Goes Pop' exhibition at the amazing Tate Modern.
I''ve always been attracted to the fun, bold shapes and bright colourful imagery of Pop Art, a movement which began back in the 1950's. 

I've been developing ideas for Autumn/Fall free printable worksheets with a 'Pop Art twist'.
They are designed to encourage kids to explore design, shape, colour and graphic design.
You can download these free printable worksheets on my Autumn page

There's a link below to the World Goes Pop UK Exhibtion - 

Tate Modern: The World Goes Pop
17 September 2015 – 24 January 2016

You might also like my 'hidden modern art' free printables, colourful challenging colouring activities for kids  - and adults too!

Above, we used the idea of exploring a simple oak leaf, using all manner of materials, in a cd sized square - as you can see, the final piece of work was composed of 24 individual artworks.

Let's have a look at some in detail and the types of materials we used......

simple leaf printing - paint the freshly picked leaf - acrylic works well - turn over and press down firmly on cartridge paper

we used a photocopied leaf print, cut out oak leaves from black and white paper, stitched the leaves onto handmade paper and added beads 

This collage uses corrugated cardboard as the base, with photocopied and stitched leaves and string to create several layers of imagery

Torn paper leaves on brown parcel paper. The leaves are stitched with copper wire and finished with beads and outlined with wool

we cut an oak leaf stencil and worked over a page torn from an opulent interiors magazine

this collage comprises metalic papers, embroidered chain stitch, copper wire, paper cut outs in an oak leaf shape

using a sepia ballerina image cut into an oak leaf shape, embellished with string and copper wire stitching on a black background

a beautiful oak leaf embroidery exploring the colours of Autumn / Fall

Matisse inspired cut outs of oak leaves and acorns using textured papers

a face, partially covered with silver metallic paper and stitch detail makes this piece quite delicate

Arc, Arts for Recovery in the Community commissioned me to facilitate this project.
I've been involved with them for over 10 years now. Take a look at their wonderful work.
Arc is Stockport’s specialist arts and health charitable organisation, harnessing the power of creativity with people to rebuild their self-confidence and fulfil their potential as healthy and resilient citizens.


I've been working on some new Autumn free printable worksheets, just click here to have a look.

If you like my ideas, why not sign up for my monthly newsletter for regular seasonal activities to your inbox?

If you like these quick ideas, have a read of another doodletastic blog post,
adventures with a roll of tape and a biro!

If you are a homeschooler or teacher looking for more detailed lesson plans and art lessons, why not visit my Teachers Pay Teachers Store?
It's packed with fun, affordable, low prep art activities.
​

My favourite shop in Chorlton continues to be Quality Save! 
These cheap compartmental storage boxes have provided a good few entertainment sessions for my 6 and 4 year olds - housing buttons, marbles, sea glass and more.
I've been really interested watching them play.....

1. Meticulously sorting colours and shapes and sizes
2. Organising
3. Reorganising
4. Concentrating
5. Spending time quietly, thoughtfully, not talking much
6. Appearing relaxed
7. Not arguing with each other (as much)
8. Negotiating 'swaps'
9. Showing pride in their collections 
10. Learning a fun way of organising, saving me a job!

I'll be blogging alot about 'squares' over the next week or so. It's important to remember not to try too hard coming up with ideas, sometimes the simplest ones can work the best!
Pixel people are a great project for children - invite them to do a self portrait! You can design and download graph paper online - for younger children, I recommend larger squares, older children can challenge themselves with more detail. Follow the link below for squared paper and more, a great resource for general doodling...have fun!http://incompetech.com/graphpaper