Matisse Artist Widget
Henri Matisse was a twentieth century French artist. His characteristic style included flat, brilliant colors and fluid lines. Later in his career, Matisse concentrated on a technique called papiers découpés (paper cutouts). Try making your own painting with Matisee-like paper cutouts:
- Choose cutouts and drag to the canvas
- See what changes you can make by clicking on the buttons below the canvas.
- Print your design.
- Have fun!
Try Action Painting Like Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) developed a unique style of abstract expressionism. He would drip paint on his canvas in order to create his paintings. His paintings used a technique called "action painting." You can create an abstract painting by clicking on the canvas above. Move your mouse to create your own action painting. Click your mouse to change colors.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Abrakadoodle has moved its blog
Monday, April 20, 2009
Art Education
Art for k
ids is a wonderful way to introduce recycling activities! Abrakadoodle remarkable art education was recognized for its innovative “Green” company philosophy and art programs with a 2009 award presented by S&S® Worldwide. Abrakadoodle has developed recycling alliances with fellow franchise suppliers Fast Frames, Signs by Tomorrow. More recently Sign-A-Rama joined the Abrakadoodle’s Green Franchise Initiative by recycling unused or discarded sign materials that are used in Abrakadoodle programs to build sculptures, create fine art or provide unique painting canvases! Abrakadoodle has also introduced Eco-Papers (100-percent recycled paper frames with eco friendly dyes) in its art programs for children. Abrakadoodle is prou
d to paint a green path to a brighter future.Green Kids in a Colorful World™ was designed by Abrakadoodle in 2007 to teach children about how they can help make the planet healthier while creating 2-D and 3-D masterpieces using recycled materials including plastic bottles, tubes, packaging materials and more. Students create whimsical Santon statues inspired by peasants from the Provence region of France. They sculpt masterpieces in the style of Tiffany, paint CD’s with colorful geometric designs like Piet Mondrian.
practices for helping the environment, and they develop a “green” vocabulary, as well as express their individual creativity about being green.Monday, March 2, 2009
Art for Kids

Research has long shown that art benefits children in many ways. Art education opens children’s minds and helps them become more tolerant. It also improves student’s academic performance and helps them develop the skills needed for the 21st century workplace – critical thinking, creative problem solving, effective communication, teamwork and more. New research published February 27, 2009 in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology shows that the act of “doodling” may help improve memory recall. Study researcher Professor Jackie Andrade, Ph.D., of the School of Psychology, University of Plymouth said, "This study suggests that in everyday life doodling may be something we do because it helps to keep us on track with a boring task, rather than being an unnecessary distraction that we should try to resist doing."
Promote creative doodling at home. Encourage your children not only to draw but to be inspired to stretch their imaginations and take their minds on a mini vacation. Take a moment from the busy day to be playful with art activities. Instead of a coloring book, give your child a blank sketch pad. Suggest that your child doodle a special creature, a new spaceship, a fanciful friend, or playful word art. Have some fun by offering themes or ideas that will spark your child’s creativity. Abrakadoodle remarkable art offers some online creativity games for kids – see http://www.abrakadoodle.com/kidsgamelist.html.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Art Education
ng their own dreams for the future into a work of art using words, images and shapes. Some children created Presidential Seals using model magic, while others created mobiles with inspirational phrases. One student literally made Presidential "seals" as shown left.Art for Kids
Art education has a special place at the Barrier Islands Center, an historic site on Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Abrakadoodle offers special workshops, after school classes, art enrichment programs and summer camps for children. In some cases, Abrakadoodle customizes its visual arts lessons that teach children to use their imaginations as they render creative works that depict the islands’ early inhabitants, seascapes, as well as its unique vegetation, coastal birds and fish.
“Because the Barrier Islands Center is located in one of Virginia’s most impoverished communities, we are particularly grateful for the community participation of programs like Abrakadoodle,” stated Laura Vaughan, Executive Director of Barrier Islands Center. “Monika and Abrakadoodle not only provide valuable educational programming, but they also help bring dollars and boost interest and participation that are so important right now as we face tough economic times.”
For nearly four years, Abrakadoodle has been partnering with the Barrier Islands Center (http://www.barrierislandcenter.com/events.html) to creatively engage children, as well as to help raise funds to help further the center’s mission.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Artists for Kids
What Kids Can Learn From Derain
(Art for Kids)

Charlotte Derain is known for her African figures. The figures are simple, but show movement. Children learn about stick figures and how to paint them in different poses. Also, they can practice painting clothes on the figures with swatches of paint. Charlotte brings art for kids with simple shapes.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Art for Kids
Stress-Busting Gets CreativeArt education can help children cope with worries. Children under stress tend to bottle up their feelings, creating emotional and physical effects. With negative news dominating our newspapers and airwaves – from a struggling economy and war to issues closer to home with worried parents, less disposable income and school stress -- children need to find healthy ways to manage. Art is one of the best ways you can help your children develop skills to express themselves and liberate their feelings to help maintain healthy emotional well-being.
The key in reducing or eliminating unhealthful stress is to provide children with the tools and attention to deal with stress and by giving them a healthy outlet that sets them up with coping skills for life.
Artful calming
Art for kids should be all about originality and creativity. You can create a space at home that promotes imaginative play:
* Set up a creativity center that your children can access, which contains lots of paper, crayons, markers, nontoxic paints and brushes, modeling compounds (like Crayola Model Magic®) and more;
* You can spiff up your creativity center by encouraging your children to add recycled materials from around the house (paper towel and toilet paper tubes; bows, ribbon, bottle caps, postcards, printer paper and more;
* Identify a place where your children can create art, such as your kitchen or a coffee table. Set up the rules, such as working on plastic or newspaper;
Instead of plopping down in front of the TV or a video game, encourage your children to grab their creativity tools and make something new;
* Create meaningful patterns, such as sitting with your children before they start their art, and teach them a relaxation technique. Tell them to shut their eyes, take a deep breath while they count to five and then slowly exhale while counting to five. Play with the idea, such as “in through the nose and out through the mouth” and “in through the mouth and out through the nose;”
* Never ever judge your children’s artwork. You want to empower them to use art to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings.
Above all, children need to know that they are loved and supported. Give hugs and model grace, calm and problem-solving. Sometimes children need just 15 minutes of your undivided attention. They need to turn off the TV and sources of distraction and learn to turn within to tap their own imaginations where a world of creative adventure awaits. 
Art classes are another wonderful way to promote stress-busting, while fostering imaginative learning and developing new visual arts skills, technique and vocabulary. Learn more about Abrakadoodle remarkable art classes, in-school field trips, workshops, camps and parties: http://www.abrakadoodle.com/programs.htm.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Artists for Kids
Teachers of art education will be interested in Jasper Johns. His most famous artwork, Flag, is a good example of citizenship, creativity and art for kids. Johns was born in Georgia, grew up in South Carolina, and he moved to New York City where he studied briefly at the Parsons School of Design. In NY he met Robert Rauschenberg (visual artist), Merce Cunningham (choreographer) and John Cage (composer). Working together they explored the contemporary art scene.
Initially Johns supported himself by working in a bookstore and designing window displays for prestigious stores. While visiting Rauschenberg’s studio, his creativity was discovered by Leo Castelli, who promoted his artwork on his gallery. Jasper Johns is often called the “Father of Pop Art” because he represents subjects that are popular in our culture.
What Kids Can Learn From Johns
(Art for Kids)

Art education is also a tool to educate children about citizenship. Johns’ most famous artwork is the painting Flag, which he made after having a dream of the American flag. Through his work children can learn about the American flag’s colors and the meaning of the stripes and the stars.
Jasper Johns brings art for kids by introducing Pop Art to their curriculum. Pop Art uses images from the popular mass culture. Children can be inspired by comic books, advertising, TV and everyday cultural objects. Jasper Johns likes to repeat the same object over and over and color them with different colors. Learn more about Jasper Johns on the web at:
http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pbio?65280
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Art for Kids brings Election Day Excitement into the Classroom

Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Artists For Kids
Thomas's work was included in the important show Contemporary Black Artists in America, held in 1971 at the Whitney Museum in New York. She was the first African American woman to have a solo art exhibition at the same museum. Three years after she died, a retrospective exhibition was held at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American Art. Besides a distinguished career teaching art for kids, her work can be found in many major museums.
What Kids Can Learn From Thomas
(Art for Kids)

Alma Thomas loved children and she had an important role in art education. But, she also loved to learn. She was interested in space programs and she often painted from satellite photographs. She often looked at her garden and watched its changes. She could hear the wind playing music in the trees, and she loved to watch the grass color change after the rain. She enjoyed all these changes that inspired her artwork at the same time that she was learning about nature. Her creativity was inspired by science and nature.
Thomas loved to smile and she liked to paint with bright colors. Primary colors were often used in her artwork to make her paintings look happy and vibrant. Thomas brings art for kids by inspiring them to look closely at nature and to use patterns and colors to create art that makes them happy. Can you see the flowers in your neighborhood singing and smiling on a sunny day?
Alma Thomas: Painter, inspired by "Iris, Tulips, Jonquils and Crocuses"
Learn more about Alma Thomas on the web at:
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1040
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Lights On Afterschool 2008
Art education offers a palette of positive after school program choices for childrenAbrakadoodle remarkable art is a proud national partner of the ninth annual Lights On Afterschool campaign (see http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/), which kicks off this week to celebrate what children can accomplish in quality after school programs and to emphasize the importance of keeping after school program lights on and doors open. Abrakadoodle programs across the country will help draw attention to the value of after school programs and will also celebrate the creative works of its after school participants.
Art education is a great after school option for children for so many reasons. Children are open and eager to learn in the hours that follow the school day. Programs like Abrakadoodle offer children the opportunity to de-stress and build their creative muscles. Art exercises the right side of the brain, which helps children see the big picture, perceive patterns and understand greater relationships. Educational researchers, authors and other experts are increasingly advocating for more emphasis to be placed on helping children develop their imaginations as an important component of healthy, whole-brain development. Quality art programs encourage children to produce original creations, which helps develop a sense of empowerment in children. Faced with budget cuts, some schools have cut back on visual arts enrichment, depriving children of this valuable and meaningful form of expression.
We know that art for kids can really make a difference. Laura Aka,
Director of Abrakadoodle programs in Los Angeles, California says that she has had a few teachers share such comments made by young children in after school art classes as, “I love art and want to be an art teacher when I grow up!”Whether children want to pursue a visual arts career or are interested in medicine, the environment or designing transportation systems of the future, art education can help prepare them by developing creative right-brain skills that are so beneficial across all professions.
Abrakadoodle supports keeping the lights shining brightly on after school programs!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Artists for Kids
Contemporary artists should be part of any art education program. LeRoy Neiman was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, De Paul University, and at the University of Illinois. Neiman started his career as an illustrator. He became famous largely because of his creativity illustrating sports, ranging from basketball, boxing, billiards, and hockey to gymnastics, swimming, and cycling. But, he also portrays people, animals and events. Neiman brings art to kids by inspiring creativity, while they learn to paint their favorite sport or favorite animal.
Neiman was also a professor at the Art Institute of Chicago’s school for several years. He was the official artist at three of the Olympic Games for ABC Television. His images appear in the form of etchings, lithographs, silkscreen prints, sculptures as well as paintings.You can see his works at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg
What Kids Can Learn From Neiman
(Art for Kids)
Teachers of art education will be interested in this artist. Neiman likes to use primary colors in his artwork. His artwork is a great opportunity for children to learn about color theory. Children can learn about the three primary colors: red; yellow; and blue; and their capability for creating new colors.

Neiman likes to use fast-moving strokes. His artwork is dynamic and his strokes give the impression of fast-moving action. Children can learn to paint in various directions while they create their favorite animal. Art for kids promotes opportunities for freedom and self-expression.
LeRoy Neiman: Painter, inspired by "Portrait of the Lion"
Learn more about LeRoy Neiman on the web at:
www.leroyneiman.com
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Artists for Kids
Barber’s work is a great reference for any art education teacher. He painted more than 500 pieces of art illustrating the bay's every aspect. While he also painted other subjects, the effect of light on his scenes always captivated him. Inspired by Barber’s creations, children can learn how to create light on their own artwork. Often, organizations and individuals commission Barber scenes imagined by them. John Barber creates the scenes, but he always imprints the pictures with his creativity and unique style.
What Kids Can Learn From Barber
(Art for Kids)
Barber’s work is about environment and all his paintings have a beautiful glow of light in them. Children can learn about a technique called bull’s eye painting from the art of John Barber. In bull’s eye painting the main subject is painted with a light color while darker colors are painted around the outside. This effect directs the viewer’s attention to the main object of the painting. John M. Barber: Painter, inspired by "A Winter's Evening on the Hill"
Art for kids needs to be fun and creative. The wax resist method is an easy technique that challenges the children while they learn to create light on a painting. Children can draw a seascape using a white or light color crayon. After wetting the paper with clear water they can paint the picture with watercolor. Starting with yellow at the center of the paper they can add darker colors in a circular fashion creating light on the painting while revealing their drawing. Learn more about Barber on the web at:
http://www.johnbarberart.com/
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
FW: [Art for Creative Kids] New comment on Art Education.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Art Education":
This little gem ought to be one of the top featured articles in our next newsletter- so many parents use the words interchangeably "arts AND crafts" when they talk about Abrakadoodle and this is a great yet brief outline as to how both are beneficial but how ART is what Abrakadoodle does.
Posted by Anonymous to Art for Creative Kids at August 11, 2008 9:04 PM
Art for Kids

Guided imagery is an educational technique that is used in quality art education programs to help children tap their imaginations. You can make art for kids a magical experience that can transport your child on a journey of creative discovery. Your child does not have to visit an unusual location in order to illustrate his or her vision of it. An adult can lead this imagination-boosting activity. First, you’ll want to set up an art activity area. Don’t forget a protective table covering, depending upon what kinds of art supplies you plan to make available to your child. Have different sizes of white paper with lots of paints, markers and/or crayons and tools to draw and create. Guided imagery helps children tap their mind’s eye. Ask your child to close his/her eyes. Speak slowly with inflection as you read the passage below, and then see what blooms from your child’s imagination.
A Rainforest Adventure
Let’s visit the rainforest. Clos
e your eyes. Grab your pretend camera and let’s climb aboard a magic carpet and fly over our neighborhood and out of town and though our country until you reach a tropical rainforest far, far away. Hold on tight as you swoop down through the dense grove of trees. You settle down upon the soft earth below. Keep your eyes closed and let your senses explore your environment. Smell the rich scent of tropic flowers and moist earth. Do you feel the sticky, warm air? Hear the buzzing of insects, whirring of small birds flying nearby, as well as the rustling of animals in the high tree canopies. A snake is lazily coiling around a nearby tree trunk. Is that a monkey overhead? Let your imagination capture what you see. Snap a few pictures of the amazing scenery. Perhaps it’s a colorful flower, a vast tree canopy, a tropical bird, a big bug, a slithering snake, or a long-tailed monkey swinging from the high branches. One thing is for sure: these are not sights you see at home!Now, open your eyes and draw some of the pictures taken by your inner vision. Add color and detail that brings the images to life. This is art for kids at its best.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Art Education
Art vs. CraftWhen you consider art for kids, wording can be confusing. Check out many community education catalogs and enrichment camps descriptions, and you’ll often see “arts & crafts” listed as an option for children.
What distinguishes instruction in art vs. crafts?
Process and outcomes tend to separate a visual arts experience from making crafts. While a craft workshop entails following directions to produce a specific product, a visual arts class provides instruction and encourages an exploration of materials and ideas that do not necessarily lead to a particular outcome. Creativity in craft-making tends to be limited to individual choices in terms of using color and embellishments. Creativity in the visual arts is expansive, because children generate ideas and develop them, drawing from their experiences, knowledge and imagination.
What ar
e the benefits of each activity?In a craft class, children follow directions, which is a valuable skill. They may also become more adept at using tools, such as scissors. Fine motor skills can be enhanced with such activities as beading a necklace. In terms of outcome, most completed projects are similar because they result from following direction and basing their work on a sample or model. Children derive satisfaction from completing a project.
In a visual arts class, children learn about art using basic shapes and bright colors inspired by an artist, such as Sophie Harding. Students develop their technique, learn an arts vocabulary and benefit from using their imaginations to create original works that
forms, techniques and styles. A lesson may focus on painting methods in a “Naïve” style reflect the discovery process. The discovery process helps children to understand cause and effect: what happens when I mix orange and green? Working with independent ideas facilitates the development of problem-solving skills. Art students explore abundant creative materials and experiment with color, line and form. Art education nurtures many transferable skills, including creativity, innovation, teamwork, lateral thinking, intuitive reasoning and thinking outside the box. Fine motor skills are enhanced, as well. Children tend to take great pride in creations that reflect their vision, emotions and sense of style. This is art education at its best!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Artists for Kids
Harding is a blend of creativity and diverse types of artist media. For a while she worked in NY as a textile designer. She is now a successful illustrator of children’s books, magazines, greeting cards, giftwrap, calendars, diaries, tableware and textile designs. Her painting style is called Naïve Art. It is a primitive art style of art that is used by self taught artists. Harding brings art to kids by painting with bright colors and simple shapes.
What Kids Can Learn From Harding
(Art for Kids)

Art education should be about creativity and originality. Sophie Harding brings creativity to children with her simple shapes. She is inspired by animals and nature. Children can learn to paint their best friend or pet by using basic shapes. They can draw ovals for heads, circles and triangles for eyes, and squares and rectangles for bodies. Later they can paint with bright colors and add more details.
Young children can use stencils of shapes or animals. They can trace the forms and then paint with complementary colors. Harding teaches art for kids with simple elements all while they learn about creativity and Naïve style. Sophie Harding: Painter, inspired by "Zara de Zebra", "Nellie the Elephant", "Quirky Animals II and IV:
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Art Education

Process art is essential to children's art education. Children begin to delve into real time problem solving, and they see cause and effect as they experiment with visual expression. They can get comfortable with their own ideas, which results in their very own outcomes. They can also find great joy and take pride in their own creations.
In the process of playing with paints, children might mix orange and green resulting in a muddy shade that may or may not be what was intended. This active discovery is a wonderful, hands-on way to learn. While a heavy hand with the paint brush may overwhelm a design, children will become increasingly adept at applying art technique that suits their vision.
Process art truly engages children’s creativity as they explore design, shapes, color, balance, form, techniques, depth perception and so much more. They learn that there are many solutions to challenges they face and that uniqueness is good. Very importantly, children who practice process art know that there is no right or wrong way to create art and that they can always create something fresh and new. Process art helps children develop confidence, imagination, and an appreciation for the visual arts born of personal experience.

Rev up your child’s creativity at home by offering art experiences that enable your child to explore and to create freely. Remember not focus on the end product but instead on the process: “How did you do that?” “What happened when you mixed those colors?” “Tell me about this creation?” “Did it turn out like you expected – why or why not?”
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Artists for Kids
Estivalet was trained in philosophy and economics, but she decided to follow a career in creativity, reflecting her longstanding passion for painting. A self-taught oil painting artist, her artworks can now be found in collections worldwide, including the U.S., Switzerland, France, Germany, South America, Japan and Australia.
What Kids Can Learn From Estivalet
(Art for Kids)
Elisabeth Estivalet’s style incorporates basic shapes and lots of color. This is helpful when you’re talking about art for kids, because children will feel capable of creating their own original works in her style. Estivalet creates landscapes inspired by the south of France. A landscape painting is artwork that shows an outside view. Estivalet’s artistic expression inspires creativity and imagination in children. She uses lots of simple shapes, lines, angles and curves. Children can close their eyes and imagine that they are traveling to Provence. They can visualize a landscape and create a collage of their vision with basic shapes. They can use semi-circles for the hills, squares for the houses and rectangles and circles for the trees. Her artwork is an invitation to travel..
Monday, June 23, 2008
Artists for Kids
She is a Washington, DC-based food stylist, chef, pastry chef, culinary educator, writer and crafter. She is also a regular contributor to the Washington Post Food and Home sections, Vegetarian Times and Ducklings magazines, and the author of the Artful Pie. Her creativity can be a source of great inspiration for children’s imaginations. Cherkasky brings art to kids by participating in the Abrakadoodle Artist of Distinction program.
What Kids Can Learn From Cherkasky
(Art for Kids)
Teachers of art education will be interested in this artist. Cherkasky’s art can expand children’s creativity boundaries. Cherkasky’s broad work can motivate children and invite them to use their imaginations in a number of ways. Children can start by designing a menu or a cookbook. They will learn how to create new recipes, how to design a lay-out, how to create a logo for the restaurant and how to balance all of these elements.

Cherkasky’s food designs show children possibilities in creating with food. Children may want to set up a food picture for their menu or cookbook. Using colored paper or tissue they can cut and glue a collage picturing their favorite recipe. While creating a hamburger, an ice-cream treat, a salad or a pizza and naming their food, children will be developing their imagination. Cherkasky’s artistic ways with food lends themselves to art education at its best!
Learn more about Cherkasky on the web at:
http://www.lisacherkasky.com/





