Description

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Art Lab for Kids is a refreshing source of wonderful ideas for creating fine art with children. This step-by-step book offers 52 fun and creative art projects set into weekly lessons, beginning with drawing, moving through painting and printmaking, and then building to paper collage and mixed media.

Each lesson features and relates to the work and style of a contemporary artist and their unique style. The labs can be used as singular projects or to build up to a year of hands-on fine art experiences. Grouped by medium, the labs are set up loosely to build skills upon the previous ones; however, you can begin anywhere.

Have fun exploring:
 

• drawing by creating a whimsical scene on a handmade crayon scratchboard.
• painting by using watercolors and salt to create a textured landscape.
• printmaking by using lemons, celery, mushrooms, and other produce to make colorful prints.
• paper by creating an expressive self-portrait using pieces of colored tissue paper.
• mixed media by making insects from patterned contact paper and watercolor pencils.

Color photos illustrate how different people using the same lesson will yield different results, exemplifying the way the lesson brings out each artist’s personal style. Art Lab for Kids is the perfect book for creative families, friends, and community groups and works as lesson plans for both experienced and new art teachers.

The popular Lab for Kids series features a growing list of books that share hands-on activities and projects on a wide host of topics, including art, astronomy, clay, geology, math, and even how to create your own circus—all authored by established experts in their fields. Each lab contains a complete materials list, clear step-by-step photographs of the process, as well as finished samples. The labs can be used as singular projects or as part of a yearlong curriculum of experiential learning. The activities are open-ended, designed to be explored over and over, often with different results. Geared toward being taught or guided by adults, they are enriching for a range of ages and skill levels. Gain firsthand knowledge on your favorite topic with Lab for Kids.

About the Author

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Susan Schwake is an artist, art educator, and curator. Her passion for teaching art has led her to working in diverse settings for over 20 years. She has inspired thousands of people in private and public schools, museums, community organizations, special needs agencies, summer camps, intergenerational facilities, libraries, and her own art school, artstream in Rollinsford, New Hampshire, which she co-owns with her husband, Rainer. Most recently, she has taken her classroom online with a series of e-courses for artists, including a parent-child class based on her best-selling Art Lab for Kids series of books. She is also curator of artstream studios, where she has brought over 100 group shows of contemporary art to her corner of New England.

Susan is the author of Art Lab for Kids (Quarry Books, 2012), Art Lab for Little Kids (Quarry Books, 2013), and 3D Art Lab for Kids (Quarry Books, 2013). Her latest book, Art Lab for Kids: Express Yourself (Quarry Books, November 2018) is an all-new edition of her first book, Art Lab for Kids, with 52 original projects that encourage self-expression through art making. 

Follow her adventures.
Blog: artesprit.blogspot.com
Website: susanschwake.com
Gallery: www.artstreamstudios.com 

Rainer Schwake is a versatile and talented media designer holding a master's degree in graphic design. His photography has been used in hundreds of business- and arts-related design works for print and websites. He is co-owner of artstream studios (www.artstreamstudios.com) and lives with his wife, Susan, in Rochester, New Hampshire.

Praise For…

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"Written by a couple who run a successful combination art gallery and art school for children, this book presents the authors’ most popular art projects for youngsters, covering an ambitious range of materials and techniques. This guide offers a greater-than-average number of open-ended and inventive projects that can be taught to younger children and teens alike. Each project is paired with an example of a work by a modern master or living artist. Many photographs illustrate techniques and show children deeply engaged in creativity. VERDICT: Recommended particularly for teachers and parents." - Library Journal

"I love Susan's Art Lab series and reference them in the Art Studio often. They're easy to follow, full of images, and directed at open-ended exploration - exactly the kind of reference I need for my own busy home." - Meghan Burch, Art Studio Educator, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA

"Susan Schwake's Art Lab for Kids is a well-thought-out guide, making it easy to introduce art into children's lives. Simple, clear explanations of technique, combined with inspiration from established artists, will enable children to feel successful and encouraged to explore art as a form of expression."—Rebecca Emberley, best-selling children's book author and illustrator

"Art Lab for Kids will make a valuable contribution to the literature of children's creative art experiences for teachers and others who believe in the value of art in the education of all children. The activities are adaptable to learners of all levels and are highly creative and challenging while balancing the artistic process with the potential for a meaningful product. This book will be an important addition to our program in art teacher education." —Bill Haust, Chairman, Department of Art Education, Plymouth State University