Teacher Self Care: Reclaim Your Classroom with the Art Class Curator

Ahhhh August...the "Sunday" of summer. I know we aren't there yet, but I'm feeling it knocking on my door! 

I've been working hard to avoid school-like things and do some serious self care this summer. I've been renewing my efforts on the blog and trying to follow more creative and inspiring people on Instagram. So, the other day, when I was catching up on my online reading, I saw this online email "course" offered by Cindy Ingram at the Art Class Curator: Reclaim Your Classroom and Teaching Spark With Intention, Joy & Purpose.

This Emotions Wheel is awesome!

I LOVE my job. Seriously. Teaching middle school art is my dream job (you should see the middle schoolers' faces when I tell them that!). And this year+ was hard. Yeah, you're gonna hear me say it and probably keep saying it! If you have lived it, you understand. I'm thrilled to be going back (well, not JUST yet...), but I knew I needed to get my head in the game.

What I needed was some reflection to get me ready for next year.

This "course" is it! I'm really loving the structure of the email prompts. It's five days spread over about a week and a half. The prompts take me about an hour or so to do, but you could race through them or take even longer. I've chosen to answer them in my journal and add a bit of color, but Cindy and her folks at the Art Class Curator provide printables you can write on if you'd like.

But I'm not an art teacher? Is this for me?

Yep. I think ANY teacher could use this reflection series. You do not have to be artsy. I would even like to see something like this for STUDENTS. I mean, they also need to work through the last year AND also get psyched up for the coming year.

I particularly love the Emotions Wheel she had us use on day 2. I'm going to be adding that to my student sketchbooks I make this year. I think it will help students think more deeply about their own emotions and give them tools to talk about emotions in the art we see.

My set-up for some serious reflection!
Fresh air really helps!

So, check out the email "course" and see if it would work for you. Either way, make sure you are taking time for YOU this summer and reflecting on last year as well as setting intentions for this new school year. 

You are so worth it!

Enjoy!

Six F's of a Great Classroom Manager

Nobody wants a big ol' "F" in their sketchbook, but I have one and I'm loving it!!

I've pledged to follow more inspiring people on Instagram lately--filling my feed with positivity! Somehow that includes LOTS of guinea pig photos where they are dressed up and riding in remote control jeeps. Not sure how the IG algorithm works, but I like it!! How can you have a bad day after watching a guinea pig video?!

Anyhow, one of the amazing people I began to follow just today is Dr. Marcia Tate (@drmarciatate). She has all sorts of  positive messages for teachers--and we all need that!

One that stuck out as I was scrolling through her feed: The 6 F's of a Great Classroom Manager. They are:

• Be Fair
• Be Firm
• Be Flexible
• Be Fun
• Be Friendly
• Be Forgiving

Absolutely LOVE this. Right away, I knew I had to put it in the new journal I've started. The 6 F's are so affirming to me--I'd say that this is how I am as a mom and as a teacher. In my opinion, you have to be all of these dealing with middle school and high school students. This doesn't mean my classroom and home is out of control--although some may question that. 

I think I run a pretty great classroom and home, but I also strike a nice balance between fun and work and most times work can even be fun (shhhhhh.....)! When students know you care about them--truly--they will work harder for you, care about their work, and behave better. Truly. 

So this is going in the journal and I'm gonna look at it when I need the inspiration. And since I'm following Dr. Marcia Tate on IG, I'll have a lot more positivity in my future IG feed!

Supplies: Prang watercolors (16 colors), Pigma Micron Pen (PN)

Sketchbook Art (aka Art For Me): Sour Puss

 I'm enjoying the freedom of creating art for myself these days. Throughout my day, I look around and get a spark of creativity and just go with it. That happened with this sketch. I was enjoying my pink lemonade and thinking about how much I like pink drinks (what can I say?). 

And I thought about all of those stickers my students have on their water bottles.

And I thought of a lemonade sticker.

And then I thought of the term "Sour Puss" which my kids didn't even know! :-0 By the way, it means having a sort of grouchy disposition, in case you didn't know either. 

Anyway, I stopped folding laundry (always willing to do that!) and started this sketch.

When I was done, my paint water looked the same as my glass of lemonade!

So, don't be a sour puss today! Have some fun!

Enjoy!

Supplies: Winsor newton watercolors, ultra fine point Sharpie marker

Sketchbook Art (aka Art For Me): So Do It!

Enjoying being back home and thankful I have such a lovely deck area to hang out on every morning. Sipping my coffee, writing in my journal and sketching.

I hung an old window up out there and love the look of it. Also got easy-care Boston Ferns this year, knowing full well, I will bring them inside my house this fall and keep enjoying them.

Took a few minutes to create a quick sketchbook snapshot of those lovely things. It needed a quote (I LOVE quotes!) and saw this one by Kurt Vonnegut. So often I make something and start critiquing. 

Used the color swatches from the quote
to create beautiful blocks of color
and then doodled on top using Sharpie and paint marker.

I am also doing a 5-day online course by the Art Class Curator and she referred to another podcast I want to check out (Full Frontal Living) who says:

"Judgement and Curiosity Cannot Co-Exist"

I'm on this journey to create this summer. My goal is not to create finished art that is going to be in a museum. I'm creating for me. My journal. My sketchbook. My self care. It's time to create and there really isn't room (or time) for judgement. Not right now. 

I need to follow this process where it's going and just BE. 

What would YOU create if you didn't have to worry?

So do it!

Enjoy!

Supplies: Winsor Newton watercolors, Sharpie, Studio Series acrylic paint marker (white) by Peter Pauper Press

Sketchbook Art (aka Art For Me): Trying Watercolor Pencils and Camper Gallery Wall

Usually when I'm camping, I am a voracious reader. This time, I wanted to make art instead. My motivation was to do some self-care, get my creative juices flowing and try out my travel art set I'm making (hopefully details on that in a future post).

I wasn't too strict about the art-making. I'm just having fun and seeing where it goes. It rained quite a bit the two weeks we were there, so I had plenty of opportunities to create. And I read three books--I still had to read!

One of the days, I just couldn't stop looking at this interesting leaf that had fallen into our campsite. The patterning on it was so cool. I had a good idea how I would paint it if I had brought traditional watercolors with me, which I had not. So, out came the watercolor pencils and I did my best to adapt to those. It has been fun trying a new medium. I'm going to try to "review" the watercolor pencils in a future post. 

Anyway...a side effect of doing art more is that my children see me creating. I've always encouraged making of all sorts and have multiple spaces in our house set up for that (the art center downstairs, mom's art area upstairs, the dining room table and all four of my kids have desks/work areas in their rooms). I've packed a bin of art supplies since the early days of camping, but I noticed that as they've become teens, the art bin isn't used. This time, they saw me using the watercolor pencils and decided they wanted to have an art competition. So, twice, they created art.

The competition wasn't an actual competition since I'm not judging anything on vacation AND certainly not an art competition between my kids!! But they had fun, used some new (to them) art supplies and passed a couple of rainy hours.

I created a super easy gallery wall in our camper to showcase their work.

Later in the week, I got the idea to "bottle up" some of the camping vibe and created two pieces inspired by the work of illustrator Jen Aranyi. Her work is AMAZING and so beautiful! I teach this lesson to my grade 5 students and it's always a hit. My older students usually see the work drying on the drying racks and want to do it too. 

Again, I experimented with the watercolor pencils I had with me, pushing one to be more watercolor-like and leaving the other a bit more sketchy and colored pencil-like. Usually, my favorite way to do a Jen Aranyi-inspired landscape is using Crayola markers for the color and then using water to turn them into watercolors. But I didn't have Crayola markers with me and I'm not sure I'd pack those in my travel art kit. I'll have to keep thinking about it!

What do YOU want to "bottle up" about the summer?

Enjoy!

Supplies used: Cotman cold press watercolor paper, Sharpie markers, Prismacolor watercolor pencils, Reeves watercolor pencils, Craftsmart acrylic paint pens (white and gold) 

Sketchbook Art (aka Art For Me): View From Our Campsite

We've been going to the same campground in Maine for about 10 years--it's one of our "happy places." 

Every year, we get there and set up and I immediately take the same photo--the view of the pond from our campsite. 

See how much of the pond we can see from the site? Gorgeous!

And then I put my phone and/or camera away and forget to take any more pictures. 

Guys, I have FOUR KIDS. I'm supposed to be documenting these memories! But that view! 

My favorite thing do do (besides sit on the beach) is to have a cup of coffee and look at that view. The kids are usually asleep and that helps with the relaxing vibe. :-)

So this year, I photographed the view and sketched it quickly. I had intended to do my regular Sharpie/watercolor treatment to it, but kept it in pencil and just relaxed. Sketchbook project: supposed to be relaxing and get me creating. 

The date is totally wrong!
But I was guessing and too lazy to find my phone.

What's your favorite view?

Enjoy!

Supplies: pencil and sketchbook paper

Sketchbook Art (aka Art For Me): Dreamcatcher 1

Someone once said to me (in the height of my baby-rearing days): "Are you really an artist if you don't make art?"

Not the thing to say to a mom who hasn't slept through the night in 11 years...

But that's stayed with me. Short answer: Yes. I think you are an artist even when you don't create art. HOWEVER, I feel like I've been given a gift and I should be trying to use it more AND (like I tell my students) practice makes you even better.

No matter what, I am trying to do more art for myself over the summer. I will say, to the end of time, that I need some serious self care after this past school year. So, here I am. 

I've usually get up early to make art because the kids aren't awake, but sometime I make art when they are awake (gasp!) and ask them to join me. I even (shhhhh......) sometimes make art instead of doing chores. Yep. Rebel!

So here's my July 13th art. It's based on the beautiful dreamcatchers over at "smART Class" They've caught my eyes for years and I've been thinking of trying them with 5th grade. So, I thought I'd try one out with my travel art kit I'm testing (hopefully more on that later).

It was camping and raining the morning I started it so I tried out letting the rain rehydrate and spread the yellow watercolor pencils in the background (in lieu of using liquid watercolors). It went OK. Liquid watercolors are better and more messy!

Just the thing to make as I relaxed and enjoyed the rain and gorgeous view from our campsite. 

Enjoy!

Supplies:bristol paper (smooth), Reeves and Prismacolor colored pencils, Ultra fine point Sharpie, Kenmah Craft Fineliner Pens (.38mm)

Little Visitor

Today I was journaling outside and enjoying the summer weather before it gets too hot. I love sitting on the back deck before the children get up! 

I looked up and saw this little visitor. Thankfully he was gracious enough to wait while I darted inside to grab my binoculars for a closer look. His ears were the most beautiful shade of seashell pink--I had seen this little guy before, but had never noticed that. He was enjoying the clover in the yard and looked adorable with a piece hanging from his mouth!

Supplies: Micron pen (PN) and Prismacolor colored pencils (Scholar quality)

5000 Miles

Sketching Sailor Jerry tattoo-inspired art this morning. I just love the look of that art style and the history behind it. 

The bird is a Swallow and some say that sailors would have this tattoo if they have sailed 5000 miles. I feel like in the past year I’ve been 5000 miles all without traveling anywhere. It’s been a tough year (or more) that’s for sure. 

Supplies: Fine point Sharpie, Reeves watercolor pencils, Derwent watercolor brushes (the kind that stores water inside them), brush tip watercolor markers (Tombow and Artist Loft brands).

Positive and Negative Space Sketchbook Activity/Worksheet

Hello!

We are moving right along with a wonderful unit on Art Nouveau with the seventh graders (details of the process to come in future posts). Phase One: they are using Blick Ready Cut to create nature prints that demonstrate positive and negative space. I brought out a few fine art images and we discussed positive and negative space and I had them do a quick journal/sketchbook activity that is perfect for developing their print idea (I didn't want to influence the "nature" subject matter of their print design, so we did this exercise with art supplies I had in the classroom).

Positive/Negative Space Scissors

Image source: Matt Klaber at Butler Tech

First, I showed them this great illustration of positive and negative space from  Matt Klaber at Butler Tech.  I then had them:

1. Draw two boxes side by side on a page of their sketchbooks. 
2. Select an object from the bin of goodies I provided OR something in the room.
3. Using pencil, trace or draw that object as many times as they could in the boxes they created.
4. In one box, color the POSITIVE space using a marker of their choice. In the other box, color the NEGATIVE space with the same color.

Ta-da! Here's some results:

Binder Clip

Glue Stick

Hole Punch

Silk Flower

Masking Tape Roll

Break out the sketchbooks!

My team teacher and I decided to have the students use sketchbooks this year and we are really excited about them. We ordered basic two pocket paper folders with tabs (1 for each 7th and 8th grader) because we felt this was a good option. Using folders is inexpensive and flexible--we were able to use the stacks of newsprint, copy paper, lined paper and graph paper that were in the room already and the folders also have a place for handouts to be three-hole punched and inserted.

We started the first day having students hand letter their names and draw at least three things into the design that told us something about them. I showed them illuminated manuscripts and graffiti for inspiration. I had them use 4x6 index cards and ink and colored pencil. They worked on these for a couple of days and then affixed them to their sketchbooks with glue stick.

We also gave them handouts to keep in their sketchbooks. So far, they have the copy of the art contract we have the students bring home for the parents to sign as well as the "What Will I Learn in 7th (or 8th) Grade?" handout inspired by the Art of Education. See their version here.

We also wanted to have them jump right into drawing in these sketchbooks, so I thought this would be a great time to do Danny Gregory's AWESOME sketchbook activity I learned about during the Art of Education's Summer 2016 Online Conference. Basically, students grab a Sharpie (I know! How permanent!!) and move about the room drawing different things for two minutes a drawing. It was awesome and a very good way to get them to loosen up! Here are some of their pages from the day:

Students were asked to star their most successful piece and explain
in the margin why they thought it was the best.

This was a great activity to break in the sketchbooks. This week students are working on a graphic design piece, so they are adding notes to their sketchbooks, but more sketchbook activities will be coming soon! ENJOY!

Monster Sketchbooks

Last fall, my (then) four-year-old son and I came up with these cute Monster Sketchbooks. He was able to make a few of them and then he happily drew and wrote his name in them while I worked next to him on some other projects.

These would be great for giveaways in lieu of candy (if you want to be "that house"-hee hee!) or a neat party or classroom craft. The matchbook case-style notebook is easy and quick to do. You don't have to do a monster-theme. This would also be a nice notebook to create before heading out on a hike. Bring your notebook with you and do leaf rubbings and draw from nature!

Monster Sketchbooks

Materials Needed:

• 1 piece of colored construction paper (9x12") for the cover (you could use orange for a pumpkin, green for a monster, purple for a vampire, white for a ghost or mummy, etc.)
• 3 sheets of white construction paper (9x12") for the drawing paper inside
• Scissors
• A ruler and pencil
• Stapler
• Markers and crayons

Directions:

1. Cut the piece of construction paper you'll be using for the cover in half lengthwise. You will have two pieces, each 4 1/2"x 12." You only need one per booklet, so put one aside for another use.

2. Cut each sheet of white construction paper into three 4"x9" pieces. Stack all nine pieces together and fold them in half. This will make the bundle of drawing paper inside your notebook.

3. Mark the cover and begin folding: Using the picture, above, as a guide, divide the cover rectangle into three sections: the first should be 1" wide. The next section should be 5 3/4" wide, and the last should be 5 1/4" wide.

4. Fold the cover at the 1" tab. Insert the folded edge of the stack of white paper into the cover at the 1" tab and staple. You can then close the cover and tuck it into this flap--like an oversize matchbook.

5. Use construction paper scraps and/or markers to decorate the covers of the sketchbooks like your favorite monster!

Happy Halloween!

Sketchbooks and Drawing From Life

In today's lesson, I discussed with one of my students how important it is for an artist to have a sketchbook. While this may cause many to say, "Well, duh!" Often sketchbooks aren't used to their fullest potential!

Bumblebee with observations

All of my children from age 2 to age 10 have sketchbooks. Many are on their fourth sketchbook! I buy inexpensive ones from the craft store that are wire bound so they can lay flat and I keep them handy so that my children can grab them when inspiration strikes. Get the heaviest-weight paper possible so you can use a variety of media on the pages.

For today's lesson, I discussed how a sketchbook doesn't have to be a pristine, finished book of lovely, complete, drawings. I prefer to use a sketchbook as a journal. My sketchbook is a place where I can practice techniques and get my ideas out. This morning, my student and I were able to draw from nature: I had found a bumblebee and a butterfly that had died, but were still intact and we went outside (in the shade) to observe and sketch them. It was a wonderful way to really check out the details of insects that we would never have been able to observe "in the wild."

Drawing the bumblebee--we really needed to pick up the subject
and look closely at it to see all of that detail!

After drawing the bee and butterfly, we wrote down details we observed while drawing, such as:

• Bees have two sets of wings
• Bumblebees are fuzzy (the yellow fuzzy part has black undertones)
• We couldn't see any pointy stinger, but the abdomen did come to a point
• The abdomen of the bee was striped, but not yellow and black like a honeybee or the usual depiction of a bee, this bee's stripes were grey and black
• The bees eyes were hard to see at first, but then we looked really hard and we saw them

These observations were written directly onto the paper near the drawing, or you could use the backside of the drawing or another page to write your observations in your journal.

Drawing the Monarch Butterfly--It was great to see all of the detail in the markings--
I never knew they had all of those little spots on their wings!

Other things that go well in a journal-type sketchbook:

• Postcards or clipping of art or photos you enjoy for future inspiration
• Swatches of colors used in drawings and paintings (I do a little blob or scribble of color and label the color name so I know which one to choose the next time I go to work on a piece).
• Sketches of different views of the same subject
• Websites and books I want to check out (and my notes once I do)
• Inspiring quotes and interesting thoughts

Keeping a visual journal is an important part of your development as an artist. Looking back on the pages will inspire you and show your artistic growth. Keep it fun and keep adding to it as you like, an art journal is also very portable--bring it with you on vacation or leave it in the car for those moments when you are waiting to pick the kids up from camp. Have fun, there is no "wrong way" to create an art journal!

Drawing With Leonardo

Last week we made sketchbooks in my art class & this week--we filled them up! Nah, we didn't fill them, but I certainly gave them a bunch of stuff to draw this week! This week's class was all about Leonardo da Vinci and his magnificent sketchbooks!

The man of the hour--Mr. da Vinci! (There on the left in 1514).

Da Vinci is probably most famous to us today as an artist (painter & sculptor), but he was also an engineer, a town planner, an inventor, a scientist, a writer, musician and more! He filled countless sketchbooks with his notes, studies, and drawings. Here is a lesson that helps kids explore what kind of work he did. The classroom is divided into four stations:

Station One: Drawing From Nature
Station Two: Strange Beasts
Station Three: Backwards Writing
Station Four: Interesting Inventions

I gave a quick discussion about da Vinci's work and then walked around the room explaining what they'd be doing in each station while showing them examples of da Vinci's work relating to each station. They were able to spend about 10 minutes at each station.

Station One: Drawing From Nature


Supplies Needed:

• Fruits or veggies cut in half (I used an orange and a pepper)
• Shells, flowers, leaves or other objects from nature
• Station handout (examples of da Vinci's work relating to the station and instructions for the station).
• Blank paper (the children could also use their sketchbooks)
• Colored pencils and crayons
• Regular pencils and erasers

Directions:

On the instruction sheet for this station, I had two pages of da Vinci's drawings from nature: oak leaves with acorns and flowers. The instruction sheet encouraged the children to observe (look at) the natural objects on the table and explore how they are formed. Notice the inside and outside of the object. Draw it's texture and color. Draw all of it's parts and label them like da Vinci did in his work.

Station Two: Strange Beasts

Supplies Needed:

• Station handout (examples of da Vinci's work relating to the station and instructions for the station).
• Blank paper (the children could also use their sketchbooks)
• Colored pencils and crayons
• Regular pencils and erasers

Optional Supplies:

• Last year, I created a wheel that the children could spin to select different animal parts to combine into strange mythical beasts. I brought these wheels back in for this exercise, but your children can use their imaginations :-)
• The Bestiary Book from my last year's Medieval Art class (a Bestiary Book is a book of mythical and real animals created in early history to document the animals of the world).
• Blind draw envelopes I took a couple of envelopes and wrote a description of a beast on the outside of each. The children were instruction to read the description and draw the animal described. When they were done, they could look inside the envelope and see what animal I was describing. This is what they said:

"This beast has the head of a [dog]...the eyes of a cat, the ears of a porcupine...the eyebrows of a lion and the neck of a turtle." (that part is from da Vinci's notebook, I added the next part...) It's claws are deadly and its thin, long body is covered with armor-like disks (It's a dragon).

This beast has a small head, long neck and a whip-like tail. It roars to life and it doesn't chew its food when it eats--it uses a whirling force to inhale its prey. Its body shines and can come in many colors. It is walked by man as it hunts its prey (It's a vacuum). *Please note, many of the children did not like this one--they felt rather grumpy that I had deceived them and "made" them draw an animal. 

Directions:

On the instruction sheet for this station, I wrote the following: Back in da Vinci's time, travel was limited. Most people never left their village their entire lives! People would talk about the strange animals that lived in other places, but things were often exaggerated!

Create an unusual beast. You can combine the parts of several animals, if you like. Think about these things:

• Where will your beast live?
• What color is it?
• What does it eat?
• What texture is the coat?
• Is it mean or nice?
• Name your animal.

Station Three: Backwards Writing

Supplies Needed:

• Station handout (examples of da Vinci's work relating to the station and instructions for the station).
• Blank paper (the children could also use their sketchbooks)
• Regular pencils and erasers
• Quills with watered-down tempura paint
• Hand mirrors

Directions:

On the instruction sheet for this station, I had an example from da Vinci's sketchbook of his "backward" writing. I also had the alphabet printed backwards so that the children could see how the letter should be formed. They were able to create secret signs and messages using the backward writing. I encouraged them to use a pencil first and then go over it with the quill. 

Station Four: Interesting Inventions

Supplies Needed:

• Items to take apart (I used a spring-type clothespin, a cassette tape, a Lego man, a ball point pen and a wine bottle opener)
• Station handout (examples of da Vinci's work relating to the station and instructions for the station).
• Blank paper (the children could also use their sketchbooks)
• Colored pencils and crayons
• Regular pencils and erasers

Directions:

On the instruction sheet for this station, I had a couple of da Vinci's drawings of inventions (the giant crossbow and the armored car). The instruction sheet encouraged the children to observe (look at) the manmade objects on the table and explore how they are built. They could draw the outside of the object (or the object "together") and then take it apart and draw the pieces (of everything except the wine opener). I encouraged them to notice the details such as: screws, lettering, switches, textures, edges and springs.

OR...they could create an invention of their own. They needed to think about what the invention would do, what it would look like and what the parts would be. These could be labeled (maybe with backwards writing!). 

All in all this was a great class where the children were able to explore the many facets of Leonardo da Vinci's work! These stations could be turned into three to four separate classes if you wish, but I think my hour-long class was just enough for my students to get a little sampling of the wonderful work of da Vinci!

Resources:


"Da Vinci," by Mike Venezia (ISBN 0-516-42275-8)
"Discovering Great Artists," by MaryAnn F. Kohl and Kim Solga (ISBN 0-935607-09-9)
"Eyewitness Books: Renaissance," by Andrew Langley (ISBN 0-7894-6624-4)
"Leonardo, Beautiful Dreamer," by Robert Byrd (ISBN 0-525-47033-6)

Easy Sketchbook

In order to study one of my favorite Renaissance artists, Leonardo da Vinci, I'm having my art students make their own sketchbooks to keep in the classroom. This project is very rewarding for the children. They learn to create a VERY EASY BOOK while learning a few things about the Renaissance, Da Vinci, bookmaking and drawing. I also had them do a name tag for the front that teaches a quick lesson on value.

I'll keep these sketchbooks in the classroom and they can use them if they finish their work early. Easy. Fun. Cheap. YEAH! The sketchbooks and the name tags are adapted from two projects I saw on one of my favorite art blogs: Art Projects for Kids. I LOVE this site! She does such wonderful projects! Enjoy!

Supplies Needed:

• 1 piece, 3x5" index card without lines
• Pencil and ruler
• Fine point black marker
• Colored pencils
• Scissors
• Packing tape-clear
• 1 piece, 8 1/2x11" piece cardstock, any color
• 10 pieces, 8 1/2x11" white copy paper
• 24" or so, ribbon or cord for binding

Directions:

Prepare the name tag:

1. Using the pencil and ruler, draw faint lines every 1" lengthwise along the index card.

2. Creating the pencil point: mark the center of one narrow end of the index card, this will be the tip of your pencil point. Then, along the top and bottom edge of the index card, make a mark about 1 1/4" in, this will be where your pencil begins to come to a point. Using these guides make the triangluar portion of the pencil (the sharpened part). 

3. Using a fine tip marker, outline the lines along the length of the pencil and draw in the tip, or colored portion, of the pencil. You can write your name on the pencil at this point. When done the marker work, use an eraser to remove your pencil lines.

4. Use colored pencil to lightly shade the upper portion of the pencil. Then, use slightly more pressure to color the middle section of the pencil a slightly darker shade. Finally, use even more pressure to color the bottom section of the pencil. This gives the illusion that the pencil is three dimensional. A similar technique can be used on the wooden portion of the pencil point to create dimension there. Color the tip of your pencil.

5. Using scissors, cut away the excess paper around the tip of the pencil point, if desired.

Make the sketchbook:

1. Fold the card stock in half the wider way (hamburger fold). Do the same with the 10 sheets of copy paper. If you fold the paper lengthwise, your sketchbook will be too skinny.

2. Place the copy paper inside the card stock with all of the sheets nesting together.

3. Wrap the ribbon or cord around the center fold of the paper/card stock bundle and tie the cord securely with a knot. This knot can stay at the top, middle or bottom of the binding--it doesn't matter.

4. Adhere the name tag to the front of your sketchbook with packing tape.

Ta-da! You are ready to sketch!