Hand Painted Fathers Day Gifts

Here at Kids Art Central we love art and we particularly have a passion for Kid's Artwork.  We love to encourage and inspire our own kids to explore their creative natures and that means you actually have to bite the bullet and let them make a mess.  Control freaks beware.  This could cause you massive anxiety, but never fear I have some great tips to keep things simple and minimize the crazy mess of ...........................

THE DREADED PAINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The kids decided this year that they wanted to paint some artwork for their dad for father's day.  My kids are older now so paints are not as scary as they used to be.  

So I went straight to pinterest to get some inspiration and found a collage of small painted square canvases.  I spoke to the kids and suggested that they paint portraits of our family on some canvas.  Miss 8 decided she would like to do this and Mr 6 decided that he wanted to paint things that dad might like, for example a caravan and a boat etc.

And so the process beigns.  You need to have an organised set up.  I have a couple of plastic party table cloths left over from birthday parties.  Each year I throw out the old ones and replace them so that it keeps them relatively fresh.  These are very important.  They are water resistant so you won't end up with loads of soggy newspaper.  They are huge and cover a dining room table as well which I love.

Secondly you need to get yourself to your local $2 shop and here you will find everything you need.  Here on the Sunshine Coast we have Crazy Clarkes and King Kong and these are both great sources for art supplies. 

Here I stock up on $6.00 packets of small tubes of acrylic paints and these are great!  They also come in a huge variety of colours and are very cheap and easy to clean up.

You also need a good range of brushes, sponges and paint pans and a nice sturdy container for water.  If it is not sturdy with a wide base, it will most definitely get knocked over.

The most important item for this project was small canvases.  I purchased a set of four 15 by 15cm canvases for $6.00 at Crazy Clarkes!  I seriously love these stores.  All that was left to do was create a master piece and that is just what they did!  LOL! If they do say so themselves!!!!  There is no shortage of confidence in this house.

I nearly forgot the most important thing.  An old shirt or paint smock for painting in!  This is one of the most important items to have in your paint box.  When finished I make them clean everything up and it gets packed away back in the paint box, ready for the next time they want to paint.

I will admit that when the kids were younger it did take a bit more effort from me, however a paint shirt, an easel, some crayola poster paints and some sealable paint pots, made it all possible.  Oh and a portable clothes airer is really helpful as well for hanging the finished paintings on to dry.

We will package these up and then I am sure like every other father's day gift that has been presented since kindy days, it will have pride of place on the wall on his side of the bed!!!

Next week we will have some very cute new designs to share with you all and don't forget to subscribe to our monthly Kids Art newsletter.  On the first of each month we share new products and designs and we also off some exclusive discount codes that ban be used in our online store.  So subcribe today to ensure that you don't miss out!

Have a great week everyone and I will be sure to get some pics of the kids father's day art hanging on the wall!

Display Ideas for your Kid's Creation...

As we just love Kids and Art here at Kids Art (obviously) we thought it would be cool to share with you some of our favourite art and craft activities, products and organising ideas with you all to help you foster those budding little artists that we live with.

Anyone who has kids, grand kids or nieces and nephews will know, as soon as those little peeps can etch a mark on a page, a collection of priceless pieces of paper begin piling up on fridges, in folders or in the special memory boxes.

If your little peeps are anything like mine I have piles and piles of priceless artwork lying around the house. Now I have a huge problem with clutter to start with.  Any piece of paper that enters my house is like a Gremlin that multiplies when it comes into contact with water (So love those movies).  So when you add kids artwork to that mix!  Oh my goodness those clutter piles get bigger and bigger and bigger.

The first idea that came to mind that I am sure everyone has trouble with is how to store and display all that artwork.  If you are like me and feel too guilty to throw any of it away and Mr 6 freaks out every time I try and get rid of anything you will just love some of the cool ideas I have gathered for you all.


Source unknown


http://www.simpleasthatblog.com/2013/04/project-simplify-wk-3-organize-display.html?_szp=341808


This I think might just be my favourite idea I have discovered.  The aim of this is to take a digital photo of every piece of art your child does and then make a digital collage of that artwork.  This means that you only have to keep the really special pieces in your memory box and the rest can hang in a very sleek and modern display.  You can make your collage as small or as large as you like depending on your budget and available space.



https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKGK3qsXZfJg6BWFJ7Ve4rlsvsvdeACtzm6FGDBtdU-Z6of4foX5KHXnYhRZ2aTdiY08-9sCeDLp56LNRovFo09jv3axXuuBLLRR8hshjQGB5omguyQqFOXfwr37M7ntKME6QSqPa4CrlE/s1600-h/DSC07028.JPG



http://pre-kteacher.tumblr.com/#9198208065

This is great for those of you who love to make a feature cluster of frames on your walls.



http://pufir.tumblr.com/post/53496751274

This idea is great and you can pick these type of line rails up at IKEA!



http://www.jacquelynclark.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/744575-1_z.jpg

This is great and I love using my many rolls of washi tape to attach the artwork to the walls.



http://slowmama.com/home-design/childrens-artwork-should-it-stay-or-should-it-go-now/attachment/little-green-design/



http://sarahndipities.blogspot.com/2010/10/friday-finds-bulletin-board-frames-wall.html

I love the idea of turning old frames into cork boards.  Op shops are a great place to pick up all types of frames and coat of paint and some cork is all that is needed.  I would paint my cork a colour as well and that creates a lovely backdrop for your artwork.

Well I hope you found something that suits you above.  There are sooooo many different ideas out there for displaying your child's artwork.  Have fun and please post if any of you use any of these ideas or if you have any great ideas that you can share with everyone!

Have a great week!

Celebration Banners

Everyone just loves a celebration. Whether it be a christening, a first birthday or a baby shower, we love to gather together and celebrate these special occasions.

The latest trend in celebrating is the ever popular party table or dessert buffet! In particular themed parties which we know you all love!!!!!!

Here at Kids Art we have it covered.  We have designed a range of party banners that can be personalised to suit your special occassion.

Our Kids Art Personalised Party Banners are printed on quality water resistant polyprophylene film normally used as point of sale and banners for outdoor use.  Not only is it water resistant, it also offers a high degree of resistance against ripping or tearing.  The dimensions of the banner are 107cm wide and 30cm high. These are a great keepsake and can be used year after year if wanted.

Here are some examples from our range of Kids Art Personalised Party Banners.  Click on the links and they will take you straight to our online store.

http://kids-art.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=90&products_id=606

http://kids-art.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=90&products_id=603

http://kids-art.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=90&products_id=615

Have a great week everyone and we shall see you back here next week.

Don't forget you can now subscribe to our Kids Art Monthly Newsletter and receive our latest products and exclusive discounts right to your inbox.  You will find the subscribe tab on the top left hand side of this blog post.  

We are back!

Hello everyone!  It has been quite a while since we have posted here on the Kids Art blog.  We have been very busy creating new designs and sending off our much loved designs to their new homes all around the world.

Kids Art is a family business based near NOOSA on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Australia.

Established in 2007, initially as a hobby business, it has rapidly grown into a genuine family business. 

Kids Art was founded by Chantelle, who is the proud mother of 4 boys.

We are dedicated to providing adorable art created using the colours of the rainbow at an affordable price.

We have been very busy creating new designs and new products for you all to enjoy and so over the next while we will slowly introduce you to these great new designs as they are launched and become available on our website.

Chantelle and her team have been very busy and some of our new products include personalised bag tags and birthday banners for all your little peeps special occasions.

We have also created whole new design packages for both girls and boys that will be offered as clocks, personalised canvas and our very popular growth charts.

First cab off the rank is our very cute Noah’s Ark Design.

Noah's Ark is designed using a modern colour pallet.  We have used a mixture of earthy and bright colours to create a palette that will enhance any little person’s room. 

It is often difficult for mums of boys to find artwork suitable for their special little men and here at Kid’s Art we pride ourselves on our funky,  yet cute designs for boys.  Chantelle’s favourite designs are the ones she creates for our boys!!

This design is too cute and has variety of animals all on the Ark.  Giraffes, zebras and even the ever popular teddy bear features in this design and bold earthy colours really make a statement! Our Noah design is available in all our products.  Here they are below.

Click on the link to purchase this product.

Noah's Ark Design Wall Clock

Noah's Ark Single Personalised Canvas Print

Noah's Ark Design Set of 3 Personalised Canvas Prints

Noah's Ark Design Personalised Placemat

 Noah's Ark Design Personalised Growth Chart

And there you have it!  Our gorgeous Noah's Ark design package ready for you to purchase today over on our website.  If you click on the link for each product above it will take you straight to that product on our website for you to purchase.

We would love to hear what you think of our new design!

Have a great week everyone and we shall see you back here next week with some more Kids Art goodies to share with you all.

Advertising on the Kids Art car

It is a proven fact, that you really need to advertise your business. As a online store, I advertise on Google, online directories, via social media and by selling on eBay. Now it is time to get myself out there in the local environment and put some advertising on my car.

We purchased a Toyota Rav for the sole purpose of the spare wheel cover, being the perfect place to put the Kids Art logo. I printed up the designs on paper and sticky taped them to the car to see how it looked.

I asked my Facebook Fans, what they thought and for their opinions. The common thing most people said was to swap the website and the description around, and to also make the website smaller.

This was the original idea that I wanted to go with, having all the Kids Art images running along the side of the car. I left it a couple of days and then came back to the photos, and realised it was too much. What do you think?

I thought it was too much, so I went for something simpilar.
Now back from the signprinters, and here is the new look Kids Art car with all is new signage.

I am so so so happy with how the artwork has turned out. It is so bright and colourful in real life. It is amazing.
Cheers Chantelle
www.kids-art.com.au

All images are copyright of Kids Art

How I get from a pencil sketch to a stretched canvas print

Todays blog is about giving you  a glimpse behind the scenes and showing you how Kids Art gets  from a sketch on paper to a completed canvas print, like this fairy one below.

Fairy on a mushroom - watercolour print on canvas

First I start with the sketch

Sketch of fairy on mushroom drawing

 This is the first painting that Iused the medium of Watercolours, all my other paintings up until now have been acrylic, but I wanted to have a play with my watercolour pencils. You can use watercolour pencils two ways, one colour the paper in with the pencil and then wet the pencil with a wet paintbrush. Or you can dip the end of the watercolour pencil into water and paint/colour in on the paper. I like to colour in first and then wet the coloured in area with a wet paintbrush.

Starting to paint with watercolours

 Once the areas are painted, I go over each area and highlight and put shadows which helps give more a 2d effect and adds depth. After the painting has completly dried I use a water proof black tip pen and outline the painting.

Doing the finished touches on painting

 Once I am happy with the painting and feel that it is completed, I scan the painting using a scanner. This puts the image into a digital format as a jpeg or a pdf file. When you scan you need to change and adjust the contrast and brightness to get the artwork as close to the original as possible.

Scanning the finished painting

  I ended up with about 4 different digital files using the different settings during the scanning process. To see which one will be as close to the original as possible, the only way to really see this is to do some test runs on the canvas itself. In the photo below you can also see the other watercolour paintings that were painted around the same time, and I tested them all in this canvas run so that I would not waste and canvas & I wanted to see how the colours would print.

Test run - printing artwork onto canvas

 Once the artwork has been printed onto canvas it is then treated with varnish and stretched over a quality wooden frame. It is stapled at the back and picture cord is attached so that the canvas print is ready to hang when it arrives at its destination.

Stretching canvas over wooden frame

 The artwork continues around the side of the frame and around to the back. The completed canvas print is 20x25cm.

Completed stretched canvas print with other Kids Art products

 The completed canvas print is then hung onto the wall using a ordinary household picture hook. I am really happy with the result. The canvas print looks so close to the original watercolour painting, that it is hard to tell it apart from the original.

Completed Fairy on Mushroom canvas print hanging on wall.

I have decided to paint a few more fairy and mushroom drawings to match this fairy painting.

The Fairy painting is now for sale on the website - http://kids-art.com.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=33_83&products_id=556

Cheers Chantelle

kids-art.com.au
All artworks are the copyright of Kids Art

Alphabet Design

This week I decided it was about time to get that idea of an Alphabet collection for Kids Art into a tangible product. The thing that spurred me on was realising that my 5 year old, does not "really" know his alphabet, which for some reason I just assumed he did. I guess its that whole no 4 in line kid, where as a mum I just take it for granted that I have taught him these things.

So first step, I already have an alphabet design placemat. Available in 2 sizes an A4 & a A3 size.

Alphabet Placemat - A4 & A3 size available

 I manufactured an A3 size and got him to take it to Show and Tell ( which all his classmates call me, as my name is Chantelle, I can see that confusion, Chan & Tell). We donated the A3 placemat to his class, as they were all blown away by that fact that his mother is so talented at painting, (blush shucks, horror), how easy it is to mislead young children into your awesomeness.

So then I thought I need to get a canvas together to hang on his wall, so that he can read it every night.

Alphabet Stretched Canvas Print - 30x30cm

That has been now done, compelted and is up for sale at the Kids Art website.

Then I thought well, it needs to have a matching growth chart. Surely? Doesn't it? Well it is also now done, printed, hanging on the side of his cupboard and is also up for sale in the Kids Art website,

Alphabet Growth Chart

Now there is also a personalised version, if your heart is so inclined.

Alphabet Growth Chart - Personalised with Name and Date of Birth

Then I decided, well we have got to have a clock. Tick tock, tick tock (The Hunger Games quote for all  you fans). I could not come up with a design. I asked my fans on my FB page, their opinion. I love it, it is the perfect way to get immediate feedback, and they are always honest, upfront, and happy to help. Before FB I had to rely on either my hubby, the 4 boys, and then I had to put the product up for sale and wait to see what happened.

The 3 designs I asked the Kids Art fans for help with.

So what did I decide, well I went with Option 3 and made it available in 3 colours, black, blue and pink.

Kids Art Alphabet Clock - black border

Kids Art Alphabet Clock - BLUE border

Kids Art Alphabet Clock - PINK border

What do you think? Have I made the right decision with the clocks and the colours, come on, dont hold back, you know you want to give me your 2 cents, or pence (is that correct for UK?)

Anyway, new ideas are always brewing in my head, I have decided that I need a personalised alphabet canvas print. ie A is for Audrey, or B is for Benjamin etc etc. and I will let the customers choose the colour of the letters, (surely I am technical savvy enough to work that out on the website). By the time I post this Blog from Draft to Published there should be a photo below. If not, then I have been slack... lol

.................. SLACK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I have another great idea, have you noticed I think all my ideas are great? This has also come about from son 4, and i think if I write it here, I will remember to design and make it. I want to type his name in that font that is like little dots and then he writes over the top. I have no idea what the font is called, but surely my FB buddies will be able to help. So the plan is to put it onto a placemat, which is laminated cardboard, and then if he using a whiteboard marker he should be able to wipe it off. I do need to test this theory and make sure that it is correct. Maybe I should also add the whole alphabet, ohhh now theres a good idea. So his name up the top. and then the alphabet all below like they have in those handwriting books. Oh oh oh, I could do his whole name, not just his first name. Oh I am on fire here, don't hold me back.

The only thing is, when am I going to find the time to do this?

Cheers Chantelle

www.kids-art.com.au