Creative Book Club: Steal Like an Artist

My local library is a regular haunt.

Every week I go and pick up 20 new books

 for my children

and

a couple just for me.

Lately I have come across so many intriguing books,

sparking the idea that it would be a waste not to share them,

especially with the creative souls out there.

So this is the first of my Creative Book Club reads:

 (that name is so daggy but, hey, its about the books not the name) 

Steal Like an Artist

(10 Things Nobody Told you About Being Creative)

by 

Austin Kleon

Last year I realised that whilst raising children and beginning a new job
 I had neglected a big part of me :

 my need to imaginative, innovative and experimental.

I realised with sudden clarity that I just needed to 'do'.

This book gives you strategies to 'do' asserting

Don't wait until you know who you are to get started.

This is great advice, cause lets face it if we all waited the world would be a colourless place.

Being an Art teacher the fruitless quest for originality 

and post modern concepts about appropriation are nothing new.  Kleon, however, does educate how to 'steal' in the honorable way. I hope people catch on.

I won't go into the rest because this book

 is short and super easy to read.

Read it if:

• Your in a creative rut
• You're a creative wannabe
• Your a student (of life, college or uni)
• You have a spare hour

Do you have a book I should read?

Indie Designers Market- D-day

Last Saturday the skies cleared in Brissie,

 just in time for the

BrisStyle Indie Designer Markets.

I have never been part of any market before so I decided it was about time I took the plunge with my vintage eco-wares.

When I went through uni I supported myself by working in retail and the hours dragged...boy did they drag.

But having my own stall did not feel like retail at all.

I enjoyed meeting the customers and seeing old friends who made the special effort to support my stall and meeting the other stall holders of course. 

I am so inspired by their creativity, quality and processes.

As an art teacher I am intrigued to find out how resin or laser cutting or spinning is done!

Little Chrissy

Kate from Mixed Bag of Threads

I may not be buying that cottage in the Bunya mountains yet (or any time soon actually) but I feel like I am learning all the time and to me that is more valuable than money!

3 Little Kittens Bunting in a Book

The Three Little Kittens

 story has always been a favourite with me.

So when I happened upon this 1974 Golden Book publication it was destined to become "Bunting in a Book".

I did leave out the pages of the mother cat

 spanking the kittens over her knee, however tempted I was.

I can't wait to find out where this bunting is destined for-

hopefully a sweet little nursery or child's room.

I'd like to think that the new owner will end up loving this story and much as me.

  

I'll bring this bunting and other "Bunting in a Book"

 to the BrisStyle indie Designers Market 

on the 14th July in the heart of Hamilton, Brisbane.

How to make a Robot Mask

How to Make a Robot Mask Tutorial

Art teachers are always being asked to just "whip up" something for someone.

It could be to screen print t-shirts for the cross country team,

make a gigantic fly for a sketch on assembly (true story)

or in this case 12 robot masks for a drama competition.

So even though it is school holidays,

this is what I've been up to.

Begin with a generic paper mask like this one.

They cost about $1 (or less) from art stores.

Grab a pencil and mark out your areas as below.

Get a kraft knife and cut out the eyes

(be careful, your goal is

 to retain your own eyesight and all of your fingers).

With silver acrylic paint,

brush on the eyes, center head and sides of the cheeks.

Mix silver and blue paint together to paint the other areas.

Use black paint and a smaller brush

 to define the feature areas.

Use a cotton bud to dot on 'rivits'

I used off-cut stickers from Reverse Garbage

to create the central detail on the forehead or you could paint something similar.

Too easy- look and it doesn't have to be perfect.

And you could add more, or less as you desire/require.

Metropolis x 12 and now...

to tackle the astronaut helmets.

Sharing this Elle and Lou Post at
Bloom designs
My Creative Space