How powerful is a dream?

Some people might wonder, how does a fun drawing book like the 1 Minute Artist happen? It has a lot to do with “dreaming”…

SONY DSC

A couple of years ago, I had this idea to create simple six step drawings to help people get a little confidence to give drawing a try…and find out that they could draw better than they thought and even enjoyed it!  I drew one up and tried it out with some students and they wanted more.  I thought, “there is something good about this idea…”

 

At the same time, I had bought some kind of paper product that came in a clear plastic box that I wanted to keep…for something.  Then it came to me that little clear plastic box would become my “dream box”.  I would put creative ideas in that box that I wanted to see become something.  I made a sticker that said, “Insert Dreams Here”…

SONY DSC

I put my first six step drawing in the box…excited that I was actually using the box to help myself dream!

 

I wanted to make more and try them out with more students at schools….so I did!

SONY DSC

Teachers were asking for more and anyone that tried them thought it was fun and they were surprised they could draw something so easily.  It was addicting!  My box was filling up!

SONY DSC

It seemed my dream was growing…and I was able to use it to help others…I was very excited!  I wondered if these 6 step drawings should become a box of large game cards that could be sold like educational cards.  I kept trying my dream with kids everywhere…after the kids drew three or four, they began combining them into one picture according to the way they wanted to creatively put them together…making some objects bigger or smaller.  They also enjoyed adding details and surprising things to the new things they were drawing.

Not knowing what to do with this dream/idea…I turned to Jesus, “my” Creator, and asked Him for direction and help.  I had been doing this from the very start as I felt He was putting something good in my heart to help others and at the same time provide for my family.

His answer came a few months later when a kind editor from a large publishing house in New York contacted me that she had seen the 6 step drawings on Pinterest and wanted to see if we could make a book with a collection of them.  And…that is exactly what happened…the 1 Minute Artist was born!

SONY DSC

And that first drawing that went into the dream box is right here in the book…

SONY DSC

What I got from this experience is that God often puts dreams in our hearts with things that help others but let us experience a joy that is amazing.  Dreams God puts in our hearts also often take a long time to happen and we have to keep trying and keep asking Him for help…not getting discouraged.  If dreams were easy to happen, they wouldn’t be very meaningful…it’s the journey of seeing it through with our Creator, Jesus, that makes it absolutely great!

I thank Him for this dream that has come into being.  God never ceases to amaze me!

Maybe there is a dream that you have?  Ask the One who made you for help and listen for His reply…be patient and He will lead you.  When He answers, then it’s time to work hard.

 

Advertisement

The wonderful world of Talking with Pictures

We do a lot of drawing on this site and we talk about things we draw with our pencil…

but sometimes we need to make lines and shapes

from objects that we can hold in our hand.

 

 

 

When we draw, that is called “2 dimensional“…

when we use objects to make art or create surfaces that have form and dimension, it’s called “3 dimensional“.  Here’s a cowboy face I did a while back…

 

Today, I want to show you a 3 dimensional piece of art I created for the purpose of visually saying a message I want others to remember.

The message is the word, “TOGETHER”.  Here’s a peak at it…

I could have written the word….painted the words….and been very fancy with my letters.

 

But I wanted to get across the important message that everyone is different and that difference should not be looked at as something that divides us and makes us

feel strange and left out and alone.

Instead, I wanted to bring objects that are easily overlooked from my garage and combine them to make the letters of

this one word.  This way, I am giving you 2 different languages….one is using the letters to spell the word, “TOGETHER”…and the other language is to “show” you

what TOGETHER looks like.

See?

I felt I could get across my message strongest if I used objects instead of drawing lines on paper.

My neighbor was throwing away the big board that the letters are on….it’s actually a kitchen cabinet door that was made over 70 years ago.  I saw it and asked if I could have it.  This is

what I used to act as my “paper” that I would put my letters on.  It even had built in wire hangers (the top hinges) !

A 3 dimensional picture is also more durable than a piece of paper (2 dimensional) and if you feel your message is one that you want to last a long time, 3 dimensional might be

what you need to try.

 

This was very very fun and when I was done, I wanted to do more.  That is how making and creating things should be.  God meant it to refresh us and give us a stronger voice to

say things that are inside us.

Hmmmmm…I wonder what I want to say next?

….but that is 2 dimensional!

 

Imagination hand activity (super fun, even for adults!)

 

 

“What if” your fingers could become something else anytime you wanted them to…but then after you use it, it looks like a finger again?!!

Here’s a fun activity you might want to try…or let your students or kids try….

Even if you don’t actually draw anything, it’s still fun to think about what 5 things you would choose for yourself.

It would be a fun verbal activity around the dinner table with your family as well.  You might be surprised what “you” come up with for yourself…

and surprised what others around you come up with.

This activity helps you see what things you use the most in your lifestyle or what things you wish you had.

If you are someone who looses the key to your house often, you might want to make that one your finger choices…..just saying.

Have fun!

Bookin’ it

I’m in the studio today beginning to design…sketch…the 32 pages in a children’s book called, Tiny Goes to the Movies.  The cover art is already done.  It is done

first so that the book publisher can begin advertising that this book will be coming out in the future.  I did not put the name of the story on yet.  Looks like this…

But now, comes the “thinking part”.  Sketching with a pencil and my imagination.

When you open a book, what ever 2 pages you see, these are called a “spread”.  This book has 14 spreads to draw. And like a river, they need to flow together in

order to tell the story visually.  A very good author named Cari Meister Kurst wrote the simple sentences for this book.  This book is for someone who is just

learning to read…and is trying to read their first book by themself.  So the words need to be pretty simple and the pictures need to go with the words really well.

In the first spread of the book, the boy is telling you about himself and his big dog Tiny.  It’s summer time and my picture needs to tell those words.  The picture

needs to also say that these two have a very fun, warm friendship…they do a lot together.

When I read these words, my imagination saw this…

This is called a “rough” sketch….I’m not trying to be exact and perfect with my picture.  I just want to get down the general idea and how it would fit on the spread.

Once I do this, if I like it (which I did), then I take the rough to a tight “sketch”.  Looks like this…

And when I’m done with this stage of the book, I will have 14 spreads like this to show to the editor of the book in New York.

If she likes my ideas and sketches, then I will make paintings exactly like the sketch I sent them.

The cover painting that is at the top was a sketch at one time and went through this same process.

Back to work!

Draw a Talking Bird!

STOP! Take a 1 minute creative break and draw this…then have your bird saying something. Show it to someone…dare ya.  Enjoy!

A tribute to Dr. Seuss

What an amazing talent God gave Dr. Seuss to be able to write the stories and draw the pictures that made so many laugh and smile while learning!

Fun Fast-Paced Group Drawing Game…try it!

I LOVE games, so here’s something I developed to get people drawing TOGETHER!

You can do this as a family or with a group of friends or as an ice breaker at a party or gathering.  You can do alone but it’s more fun if you do it with others as a competition.  Using dice helps add excitement and unpredictability.  You might try it tonight after dinner!

You’ll need: (per team)

2 dice

1 piece of paper and a pencil or pen

a copy of the mouse drawing on this post

 

Break the number of people you have into 2 teams.  If you have a huge number of people, you can have many teams with about 4-6 people in each team.  The picture uses very simple shapes and lines so that most any age or any skill level will work.  The goal is not a wonderful picture…the goal is for your team to draw the mouse as quickly as you can when you roll the right numbers.

When you yell, “go!”  each team starts with only one of the dice.  Go clockwise with each person quickly rolling once then passing the dice.  Your team has to roll a “1” first in order to draw the first shape of the mouse.  The person who rolls it gets to draw that large triangle shape on the paper.

That team then grabs the second dice and tries to roll a “2”…snake eyes!  When snake eyes is rolled by a person, they quickly add the head shape onto the first body shape.  From that point on, any other number left (3-12) has something to add onto the mouse to complete it.  It goes really quick at this point.  Notice that #11 doesn’t have anything to be drawn.  (you could have that person add something new onto the mouse that is not in the picture….whatever they want.)

When the mouse is completely drawn, that team has to roll snake eyes in order to win.

 

This could be played with 2 people…going against each other.  You will be rolling a lot times to get your numbers, but it could still be fun…cause you get to draw!  Enjoy!

 

Try these

Here are some fun little pictures that you may enjoy drawing.  Get a piece of paper and a pencil…then choose one of the things below and see if you

can sketch it on your paper.  Then try another…as many as you want.  You can also take two or three of the things you draw and draw what is around them…a city?  The beach?  The country

with a barn in the distance and cows?  The park?  Whatever your imagination sees!  Enjoy!  You are very creative!

Draw this…

Happy 2014 !  I’m developing a new game and wonder if you would engage your kids in drawing this barn step by step and seeing what happens.  Please don’t coax them too much or help them very much as I want to see how kids handle something like this.  I’m looking for input…please feel free to comment or send me their drawing with comments.  If they like what they did then perhaps you can ask them to draw things around the barn that they want to…trees, hills, chickens, horses, tractor, people?  Have fun and let me hear from you!

Occupational Therapy/Physical Therapy using Pick and Draw Game too!

 

Do you know a physical therapist or occupational therapist?  Do you know of a clinic in your area?  Why not let them know about Pick and Draw as an effective tool they can use with the kids they are working to help.  You could simply point them to this recent review of the game by Physical Therapist, Margaret Rice…it’s very simple and full of insight and ideas.  Anytime physical help can come in a creative way and make it fun for the person in need, that is a very good thing!  Pick and Draw does this well but not many PT and OT know about it.

Also, Pick and Draw was just given the coveted award, “The Seal of Approval” by The National Parenting Center after testing it with educators, Parents and Panelist for 8 weeks.  We want parents to know about it and  use it in the home after dinner or when the kids need a fun creative activity they can do by theirself or with others.  God has given a creativity drive to every person to enrich their life.  Here’s a simple way to enjoy that together!

To get in on special price deals, visit Pick and Draw.