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September 28, 2008
by Bonnie Porter
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MONDAY MONTAGE. Fruit Sketchbook.

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” Edgar Degas

I have been playing around with my same palette, recently going for darker tones and more layering of color washes. In this one, my swirly mosaic background was inspired by Seth’s imaginative shoe-fish assignment in my middle school art class this past week. [note to teacher: scan S’s fish into my iPhoto gallery]

My students know that I love to paint fruit, especially pears. My husband knows that I love to eat fruit, too. I’m a fanatic about an apple-a-day, and I frequently substitute a crunchy or a juicy pear for a Gala apple.

This gathering of pears came about over a period of time. From week to week I would quickly sketch another cool-shaped pear onto this sketchbook page. And from time to time (like during commercial breaks on NUMBERS, a favorite TV show) I would add more layers of color. Finally, yesterday, I said “Basta”! Enough!

Presenting: Jewel-toned Renaissance Pears!

September 22, 2008
by Bonnie Porter
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MONDAY MONTAGE. Illustrators—Children’s Books.

The Turtle and The Moon is a good example of a beautifully illustrated, well-written story for children. You can probably find a copy in your local library. The author is Charles Turner (who gave me an autographed copy) and it is illustrated by Melissa Bay Mathis.

Even though it is neither a Newberry nor a Caldecott “winner”, it is a “winner” on my Book List because it has artistic merit on different levels. As part of a read-aloud activity, we can invite children to look closely at the details of the drawings, to figure out some of the illustrator’s art techniques, to identify the predominate color palette and to name some of the shapes in the artwork.

This book is also easy to re-read aloud on different occasions for different emphases. For instance, it offers inspiration for an art project focused on pond life and turtles. And since much of the artwork is done with pastels, it could be used to teach different color blending techniques with soft pastels.

Get out your artbox and a book by one of your favorite illustrators and give it a go!

September 14, 2008
by Bonnie Porter
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MONDAY MONTAGE. Art Project Ideas for Children.

A homeschool mom recently asked me for recommendations of resources for teaching art. Besides websites (www.simplycharlottemason.com/ and www.teachartathome.com/Free.html—the Masterpiece Art Instruction program), books provide hands-on visual aids for exploring and understanding art.

Of course my bookcase is bulging with lots of art resources. Beyond books, I gain inspiration from magazines and my own photos and Internet images. In fact, I love my somewhat organized files crammed full of colorful clippings and inspiration for lesson plans.

I’m currently enthused about two USBORNE books which I refer to frequently: ART TREASURY (featuring 22 Master Artists and projects to do in each style), and THE USBORNE COMPLETE BOOK OF ART IDEAS (over 400 inspiring ideas for things to do with paint, collage, pastels, crayons, inks).

A classic resource to complement the newer USBORNE books—DISCOVERING GREAT ARTISTS: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters (Kohl and Solga) includes project plans as well as a brief biography of each artist featured, from the Renaissance to the present.

One of the best ways to expose young children to quality art is be very selective about the books you select for gift-giving. Caldecott Medal winners are a good starting point, but do not overlook the books your children and grandchildren are drawn to when they roam the aisles in the library or at the bookstore. Their aesthetic sensibilities may surprise you!

What are some of your recommendations for children’s books with top notch illustrations?

Gift shops in art museums offer unique selections—another chat topic for a future post!

September 8, 2008
by Bonnie Porter
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MONDAY MONTAGE. The Legacy of Books.

One of my favorite heirloom cross stitch projects from the 70’s is this pillow I made our last year in Germany, when our three sons were still in grade school. “Porter’s Great Books”. Our family’s Top 20!
#1 is The Big Honey Hunt and #2 is Taylor’s Bible Stories. But let’s chat a minute about book #3 on our list of family favs . . . .

TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO, by Arlene Mosel and illustrated by Blair Lent. A retelling of a Chinese folktale with an unforgettable cadence. This is a perfect read aloud book for nursery schoolers.

Do you remember it? I saw it on the main children’s display just last night at Barnes & Noble. Our son Brian (who lives in Munich) was delighted to find this favorite childhood book as an audio book he could upload to his iPod. It became part of the travel survival kit for his 2 year old son during their transatlantic flight last month.

Well, Brian celebrated his 39th birthday with us last week and guess which book we gave him this year—not a Baldacci nor a Dan Brown bestseller, but . . . . his own copy of Tikki Tikki Tembo to read aloud to Nicholas.

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb

Let’s chat about art books for kids . . . next time.

September 8, 2008
by Bonnie Porter
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MONDAY MONTAGE. Artsy Books for Kids.

A homeschool mom recently asked me for recommendations for art resources. Well, last night I found a little Usborne gold mine in the children’s section at Barnes & Noble. Entitled POCKET ARTIST. The price and size captured my attention immediately. Budget priced and pocket sized. Then flipping through it (almost 300 pages) I discovered a wide gamut of How-to-Draw techniques for the 12 most popular subjects I find kids drawing when they are permitted to “free draw”. One other interesting feature is the Usborne Quicklinks Website links included at the end of each one of the 12 chapters.

Of course my bookcase is bulging with lots of art resources. Beyond books, I gain inspiration from magazines and the internet and my own photos. In fact, I love my messy files spilling over with really cool images and awesome lesson plan ideas.

While it is not a primary resource for “teaching art,” this book I’m currently enthused about, POCKET ARTIST, is a supplementary resource for encouraging children to gain confidence in their drawing skills. Granted, it needs to be on a bookshelf tucked between other Usborne books, like ART TREASURY (featuring 22 Master Artists and projects to do in each style), and THE USBORNE COMPLETE BOOK OF ART IDEAS (over 400 inspiring ideas for things to do with paint, collage, pastels, crayons, inks, ,etc.).

One of our sons was delighted to find a favorite childhood book

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb

It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it. ~Oscar Wilde

The smallest bookstore still contains more ideas of worth than have been presented in the entire history of television. ~Andrew Ross

TV. If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they’ll have with twenty-six. Open your child’s imagination. Open a book. ~Author Unknown

Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind. ~James Russell Lowell