About Travis Mills

I was in the car the other day trying to finish up my salad I had gotten through the drive thru of Wendys.  I had Fox news on the radio and I turned the volume up to hear a story they were talking about.

The story was about a young soldier named Travis Mills.  He is a husband, son, and father.  Six weeks ago after being on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan, his life changed.  He stepped on an IED and lost all 4 of his limbs. 

The story moved me like no other.  I was brought to tears instantly and had to throw the rest of my lunch out.  But as I started hearing Travis talk, I knew there was a glimpse of hope in his story.  His spirt, perseverance, and positive attitude was like no other.  For someone who has suffered and lost so much, he was not going to let this defeat him.  He is a truly remarkable soul.

My father was in Vietnam.  My father lost his leg.  I remember as a child always thinking he was strong and proud.  He never let anyone know he was in pain or feeling under the weather.  He was a Marine.  I guess that is why I feel so compelled to help Travis.

I don't know him.  I don't know his family.  What I do know is that this man will never be able to do the every day things that we would be able to do- put a watch on, write his name, play soccer with his kids in the yard, hold his wifes hand with his own. 

This world is full of selfish people and it makes me sad.  I pray to god every day that my family stays healthy and we are free from pain, but no one knows what lies ahead for tomorrow.  I only hope that if something does happen, there are kind people out there who would help us. 

I have started a donation to help Travis.  I am selling my artwork in the studio at a sale price.  All proceeds will go to his family.  I am teaching several classes for kids and adults, and all proceeds will go towards his family. 

I hope that people will find it in their hearts to help out as well.  You can mail me a check or money order or stop by the studio.  All the money we raise will go to Travis in one lump sum.   I hope you can help me help Travis and his family.

This picture was taken yesterday at the hospital he is at.  We take for granted being able to get out of our bed.  Now, this is the only way he can feel like he is standing up. 

He is going to make it, he is strong.  He risked his life to make our lives and our world safe.  He is a true American Hero.

Blue Dog inspired by George Rodrigue

I am a few weeks behind on posting lessons.  However, here is last weeks lesson.  It turned into a 2 week project, which for some, allowed them to be attentive to the detail, neatness, and composition of the entire piece.  For others, meaning my little ones of course, it was too much detail and they were ready to start something else!

This "Blue Dog" was inspired by a famous artist named George Rodrigue.  I didnt tell the students the name of the artwork or the name of the artist.  Instead, I asked them to come back the following week with both the names and I would award them a prize.  I was amazed at how many kids actually came back with the answer!  I am so proud of them for taking the time to look it up.  I think its very important to be knowledgeable about other artists and their work. 

So we first started the project by tracing some precut templates I made of the white nose area.  I always encourage my older kids to free hand their work, but the nose was tricky for them.  Next, we traced the pre cut circles for the eyes.  They all drew in the nose and mouth on their own. 

Next we taped 2 lines of contact paper in a cross pattern on our paper.  This gave the effect of the window in the background of the Blue Dog. 

After it was all taped up we were ready to go to work.  The students painted the nose and eyes with black acrylic paint.  They then colored their background with either greens and blue in a camouflage pattern.  Some students thought outside the box and colored it in different effects, but I loved it!

The last step:  we peeled off the contact paper to reveal our Blue Dog!

Here are the results:

Art is Now in Session

Its been a great 4 weeks.  I got to enjoy a small vacation back home and relax and be home with my family.  Its been fun.  But I have to admit, I always had the art class in the back of my mind, and my wheels were always turning thinking about the next lessons for class.

Class is now in session and it is so fun. I have so many new students and its really nice to have such an impact on the kids.  I had a mom call me today and told me that she didnt know what I did in class, but her son had an amazing time and cant stop talking about the art class!  THAT made my day!

Living Social is organizing a grant program where if you win you could win a $250,000 grant.  I want to WIN!  I would love to be able to expand Time For Art Kids and open up another location where I will be able to spread the word of art to even more kids. 

Please, please, it only takes a minute.  Click this link and follow the steps and vote for me.  I need 250 votes to even be considered.  Ask your friends, neighbors, family to vote. 

On the bottom right, you can sign on using facebook.  Once you are logged in, you pick Cary, NC, and scroll down or you can just type in the business name, Time For Art Kids.  Here is the link below. 

https://www.missionsmallbusiness.com/

Thanks for your support!

Mixed Media Using Tissue Paper

I have always wanted to try doing a mixed media project using tissue paper.  It was my first attempt, but I can see how it can be addicting.  I already have a ton more ideas in my head waiting to be born on canvas.  Here is the results of my first project.

I put a layer of pouring medium over some of the flowers to make them pop.  I also traced them with a black sharpie to define their edges. 

Moose Mixed Media

This was the last week for art this session.  Saying goodbye to some fellow students was a little tough, but I know they will eventually be back.  Taking a break for a month to enjoy life and take a breather, it will be a nice break, but I know I will be itching to get back into teaching. 


I decided to do a mixed media project with the students, it incorporated a little of everything.  Our project was a moose in the moonlight. 

The students first completed the moose on brown bogus paper.  I had templates for them to trace so their moose stayed in proportion with the paper.  The first class I taught I allowed them to make their own moose, but for some students it was quite challenging and when they were done their moose was half the size and some even looked like snakes!  So, I adapted the lesson for the remaining classes and made it a little easier for them. 

An hour is not a long time to complete something, so its very hard to go indepth with certain things.  So, by giving them a template for them to trace of the moose, it relieved the pressure of having to teach them a drawing lesson as well.  That way, they could focus more on the details of their background and moose. 

Once they traced it, the cut it out and added their details.  They used a black sharpie to trace it and add the eyes and mouth.  They then used chalk pastels to add dimension and shading. 

Next we worked on the background.  I put on a demonstration on how to create the background and make a gradient of color using the white and blue.  They then went to work to create their background and used the back of the brush to make the stars. 

The last step was to glue the moose on the top and position it correctly.  It was a bit challenging for some believe it or not.  Here is just a small, small, fraction of the results.  As always, the class finished right up to the second, and just didnt have time to take pics. 

Enjoy!

Chalk Pastel Tulips

I do alot of searching...searching for a new and interesting art lesson, searching through magazines for something that catches my eye, searching for a new project that will gets the kids excited.

When I see something I like, I save it to my computer and look through my log of ideas and photos and try to see how I can change it and make it mine.  Some of these images I have had for months, and sometimes even years, so I wish I could have given this artist some credit. 

I used her idea of tulips and incorporated it into a lesson for the students.  I was a little skeptical trying it with them because chalk pastels are very tricky.  They smudge alot, and if you are not careful it could end up like a big chalky mess.  My little guys in the class can find this challenging, their first instinct is to rest their hand on their paper, so teaching them to hold it upright can be trying.

Anyway, I am over the moon with the results.  It was way better than I had expected and I have to give some of my girls recognition.  Giovanna, you always make me proud.  I love the blues you used in your work.  Andrea, I cant stop thinking of how sad I am going to be when you take a break from art this session.  This was your best work yet and I am so proud of you for concentrating and making one of the most beautiful pieces of work I have seen from a student in a long time.  Bethany, gorgeous.  Loved your colors, neatness, and blending.  Great job.  And my final compliment goes to Caroline!  I cant believe that you are in first grade and did such an amazing job.  It has made me so happy that you have accomplished such a hard project that is really made for a middle school child.  You rock Caroline.

Zebra Eye Using Watercolor Pencils

We just started this lesson for this week, lots of classes to still teach this to, but I had to post some of the pictures that I have already taken.  I was not sure how this lesson was going to go, it its a little tricky.  However, I was amazed at their lines and coloring.

This lesson has alot of elements for the students to learn.  My objective was to:

• Introduce them to watercolor pencils
• Teach them about positive and negative space
• and replicate natural lines that you see in nature and animals

We started the lesson by creating our lines with a pencil.  I walked them through each line and explained the shape of them and how they should be natural flowing, not bumpy and wavy.  After all our lines were made, then went over all their pencil lines with a black sharpie. 

The next step was tricky, this is where positive and negative space was introduced!  Some kids colored in the wrong space, but we made it work.  We used watercolor pencils, similar to colored pencils, except when you add water to it with a paintbrush, the pencil turns into a paint and becomes magical (this is what I tell the kids!)

Here are some of the results: