CHILDREN'S ART WORKSHOP 2015
For the second year in a row, I led a Children's Art Workshop sponsored by the Lutheran Fine Arts Council of Topeka. I organized the two hour event, which was free to area children, and chose five projects, all of which were themed around the Biblical account of "creation week" found in Genesis 1. We had just over 30 kids attend the event and it was a great morning of fun and art! I also wrote a set of devotions to accompany each project, in the hopes of creating opportunities for Godly conversations at home as the children shared their projects with their parents. The gallery below shares a brief description of each project, followed by the devotion. As always, I thank God for the chance to get to do something I live in service to his kingdom!
Project: Sun Prints
This is an art project that uses the sun God created to help make the art! Students started with a sheet of clear Scratch Art film. This uniquely versatile black-coated sheet can be scratched with a wood stylus to expose the clear film beneath. The finished artwork has the appearance of a linoleum block print, without the use of cutting tools or ink. The scratched film is then used to make a “cyanotype,” which is a photographic print made when UV light is exposed to a photo-sensitive paper. It changes the chemical structure of the paper only where the light reaches it. When placed in water, the UV-altered areas remain permanently fixed and deep blue in color, while the un-altered chemicals on the surface wash away and expose white paper. Students used Nature Print paper to take their artwork outside and expose to the sunlight.
Project Devotion:
Did you know that God didn’t create the sun until the fourth day, but he declared, “Let there be light” on the very first day? Many people believe the light that was shinning on those first few days was the glory of God himself. There are many verses in the Bible that describe the glory of God as being a light as bright, or even brighter than the sun. That can be pretty hard to imagine for us, because we live with the sun everyday and it is incredibly bright! (Just like today when you used the light of the sun to make a print of your scratch art!) But we won’t always have to wonder what the light of God’s glory is like because one day we will get to see it for ourselves. The Bible describes Heaven in Revelation 21:23, “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” One chapter later, in 22:5, it goes on to say, “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light…” Did you catch that? In Heaven, we won’t even need the sun, because we will be in the presence of God in all his glory, forever! Now that is something to get excited about!
This is an art project that uses the sun God created to help make the art! Students started with a sheet of clear Scratch Art film. This uniquely versatile black-coated sheet can be scratched with a wood stylus to expose the clear film beneath. The finished artwork has the appearance of a linoleum block print, without the use of cutting tools or ink. The scratched film is then used to make a “cyanotype,” which is a photographic print made when UV light is exposed to a photo-sensitive paper. It changes the chemical structure of the paper only where the light reaches it. When placed in water, the UV-altered areas remain permanently fixed and deep blue in color, while the un-altered chemicals on the surface wash away and expose white paper. Students used Nature Print paper to take their artwork outside and expose to the sunlight.
Project Devotion:
Did you know that God didn’t create the sun until the fourth day, but he declared, “Let there be light” on the very first day? Many people believe the light that was shinning on those first few days was the glory of God himself. There are many verses in the Bible that describe the glory of God as being a light as bright, or even brighter than the sun. That can be pretty hard to imagine for us, because we live with the sun everyday and it is incredibly bright! (Just like today when you used the light of the sun to make a print of your scratch art!) But we won’t always have to wonder what the light of God’s glory is like because one day we will get to see it for ourselves. The Bible describes Heaven in Revelation 21:23, “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” One chapter later, in 22:5, it goes on to say, “And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light…” Did you catch that? In Heaven, we won’t even need the sun, because we will be in the presence of God in all his glory, forever! Now that is something to get excited about!
Project: Bubble Prints
Bubble prints have a lot going for them; they are fairly inexpensive and easy to set up, they actually end up as really lovely artworks, but most importantly, they are so much fun make! Tubs with liquid watercolor and dish soap are arranged around a table with a box of straws. The kids then get to do something they are always told not to do. They get to blow a mountain of bubbles with their straw! Because of the liquid watercolor, the bubbles are all full of color. And when a piece of paper is gently laid on top of the bubbles, they all begin to burst and print hundreds of colorful circles on the paper. The more different colors of bubbles you print on a single piece of paper, the more interesting the prints become. In much the same way that the solar prints use the sun to make art, Bubble prints are using water, which God made, to create art!
Project Devotion:
Water is an absolutely astonishing invention of God! The Bible mentions water in the second sentence of the Bible, because God made water on the very first day of creation. Water is so incredibly important to all life on Earth, in fact, without water there couldn’t be life Earth. People, animals, plants, and even microorganisms all need water to survive. And because he loves us SO much, God made sure there is plenty of water here on Earth. Think about all the things we use water to do. We drink it, cook with it, and wash with it. Our bodies are even made of about 60% water! And today you got to do something else pretty cool with water; make art with it! So as you look at your beautiful bubble prints and recall the fun you had blowing those huge mountains of bubbles, be sure to also remember to thank God for all the wonderful water that he made!
Bubble prints have a lot going for them; they are fairly inexpensive and easy to set up, they actually end up as really lovely artworks, but most importantly, they are so much fun make! Tubs with liquid watercolor and dish soap are arranged around a table with a box of straws. The kids then get to do something they are always told not to do. They get to blow a mountain of bubbles with their straw! Because of the liquid watercolor, the bubbles are all full of color. And when a piece of paper is gently laid on top of the bubbles, they all begin to burst and print hundreds of colorful circles on the paper. The more different colors of bubbles you print on a single piece of paper, the more interesting the prints become. In much the same way that the solar prints use the sun to make art, Bubble prints are using water, which God made, to create art!
Project Devotion:
Water is an absolutely astonishing invention of God! The Bible mentions water in the second sentence of the Bible, because God made water on the very first day of creation. Water is so incredibly important to all life on Earth, in fact, without water there couldn’t be life Earth. People, animals, plants, and even microorganisms all need water to survive. And because he loves us SO much, God made sure there is plenty of water here on Earth. Think about all the things we use water to do. We drink it, cook with it, and wash with it. Our bodies are even made of about 60% water! And today you got to do something else pretty cool with water; make art with it! So as you look at your beautiful bubble prints and recall the fun you had blowing those huge mountains of bubbles, be sure to also remember to thank God for all the wonderful water that he made!
Project: Sunset Silhouette Collage Paintings
These paintings were be inspired by Psalm 113:3, “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.” Students had yellow, orange, and red tempera paint to create a beautiful sunset background painting. Then they used black construction paper to cut and paste landscape elements of their choice.
Project Devotion:
Perhaps one of the most beautiful things God made during those first six days is the sky. What a wonderful range of colors we see in the sky: Blues, purples, yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks; every day it’s something new. In fact, that’s one of the most exciting parts about the sky, it’s different every single day! The Bible tells us that God created the sky on day two. Truly, this remarkable display of color is not only a gift from our Creator, but proof that he is real! Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Whenever we gaze upon a stunning sunset, we are reminded of how great is our God! And our natural response to that beauty should be to praise him and thank him for what he has done. This is exactly what Psalm 113:3 means when it says, “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.”
These paintings were be inspired by Psalm 113:3, “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.” Students had yellow, orange, and red tempera paint to create a beautiful sunset background painting. Then they used black construction paper to cut and paste landscape elements of their choice.
Project Devotion:
Perhaps one of the most beautiful things God made during those first six days is the sky. What a wonderful range of colors we see in the sky: Blues, purples, yellows, oranges, reds, and pinks; every day it’s something new. In fact, that’s one of the most exciting parts about the sky, it’s different every single day! The Bible tells us that God created the sky on day two. Truly, this remarkable display of color is not only a gift from our Creator, but proof that he is real! Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Whenever we gaze upon a stunning sunset, we are reminded of how great is our God! And our natural response to that beauty should be to praise him and thank him for what he has done. This is exactly what Psalm 113:3 means when it says, “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.”
Project: Gelatin Nature Prints
This is a type of printmaking in which a small slab of dense gelatin is covered with a thin layer of ink. The ink can then be impressed with different materials before being printed onto paper. The gelatin causes the prints to record a very high level of detail. The process of printmaking allows for a lot of fun trial and error experimentation. It also can go fairly quickly allowing students to create several images in a short time.
Students created gelatin prints using feathers, leaf stamps, and various nature stencils. All of these objects acknowledging things God made during creation week. To further reinforce to this idea, the images were printed on photocopies of a Bible page featuring Genesis 1. In this way, the actual scripture explaining how God made the world and everything faintly shows through the colorful images of things God made.
Project Devotion:
In the very first chapter of the Bible, it teaches us very clearly that in just six days God made the world and everything that is in it. That’s pretty amazing! Even more amazing though is how he created the world. All he had to do was simply speak, and nothing became everything! The very first book of the New Testament teaches us the thing. It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) That means that everything we see in the world around us was made by God, and should remind us of God. All of the trees, and flowers, and animals, and even you, are proof that the Bible is true. Just like in your print, you see the word of God showing through what has been made. We can see God, and know he’s real, through the incredible and beautiful things that he has made. Romans 1:20 says, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” If we want to know for sure that God is real and the Bible is true, all we have to do is look at the extraordinary world around us!
This is a type of printmaking in which a small slab of dense gelatin is covered with a thin layer of ink. The ink can then be impressed with different materials before being printed onto paper. The gelatin causes the prints to record a very high level of detail. The process of printmaking allows for a lot of fun trial and error experimentation. It also can go fairly quickly allowing students to create several images in a short time.
Students created gelatin prints using feathers, leaf stamps, and various nature stencils. All of these objects acknowledging things God made during creation week. To further reinforce to this idea, the images were printed on photocopies of a Bible page featuring Genesis 1. In this way, the actual scripture explaining how God made the world and everything faintly shows through the colorful images of things God made.
Project Devotion:
In the very first chapter of the Bible, it teaches us very clearly that in just six days God made the world and everything that is in it. That’s pretty amazing! Even more amazing though is how he created the world. All he had to do was simply speak, and nothing became everything! The very first book of the New Testament teaches us the thing. It says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) That means that everything we see in the world around us was made by God, and should remind us of God. All of the trees, and flowers, and animals, and even you, are proof that the Bible is true. Just like in your print, you see the word of God showing through what has been made. We can see God, and know he’s real, through the incredible and beautiful things that he has made. Romans 1:20 says, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made” If we want to know for sure that God is real and the Bible is true, all we have to do is look at the extraordinary world around us!
Project: 3D Hand Drawing
These are currently a trendy art activity circulating the Internet. They are relatively easy to create and they always look really cool. Requiring only markers, they are also quite inexpensive. I will be creating a card stock page with the text for Psalm 143:6 in fun, block letters across the bottoms, “I stretch out my hands to you…” These block letters can also be colored after the students create a colorful, three-dimensional drawing of their own hand. This project obviously ties in with the Genesis creation week theme as man and woman were made on the 6th day. But even more so, I like how it relates this idea to each individual student as they are making a copy of their own hand, making it a personal acknowledgment
Project Devotion:
Of all the amazing things God created during those first six days, he did have a favorite. Do you know what it was? It was people! God made Adam and Eve in a special way. He made them differently than any of his other creations. The Bible says that God made humans in his own image. That means that we carry the likeness of God in us, and because of that, we are of the greatest importance to God. In fact, we are so important to God that he gave us these remarkably, miraculous bodies to live in. Think about just your hand for a minute. Think about all of the hundreds and hundreds of different things you can do with your hand. And the more things you do with your hands, the better they get at doing them. Isn’t that awesome! Our hands are one of the ways we interact with and experience God’s creation. We can even use our hands to enjoy the act of creating things, just like God, who was certainly the very first artist! It’s important to remember that God cares for all of his creations that he made during those firs six days. That’s why, on day seven, he looked at all he had made and called it “very good.” God loves all of the plants and flowers. He absolutely adores all of the animals and birds. But he loves us most of all. And he loves you more than any other person does in the whole world. He loves you more than your parents do, even more than your grandparents do. Nobody loves you as much as God does. The Bible says that, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That means that we don’t have to feel guilty about all the mistakes that we make and all of the bad things that we’ve said and done anymore. Because God loves us so much, he wants to wash all of those bad things away and give us a brand new, clean heart, and the promise of living with him in Heaven forever! In order to claim this wonderful gift, there is one thing you have to do. You must ask God to forgive you and admit that you need his help. When we ask God to save us, he will send his Holy Spirit, the same one that raised Jesus from the dead, into our own hearts where he can guide and direct us. The Bible is clear, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
These are currently a trendy art activity circulating the Internet. They are relatively easy to create and they always look really cool. Requiring only markers, they are also quite inexpensive. I will be creating a card stock page with the text for Psalm 143:6 in fun, block letters across the bottoms, “I stretch out my hands to you…” These block letters can also be colored after the students create a colorful, three-dimensional drawing of their own hand. This project obviously ties in with the Genesis creation week theme as man and woman were made on the 6th day. But even more so, I like how it relates this idea to each individual student as they are making a copy of their own hand, making it a personal acknowledgment
Project Devotion:
Of all the amazing things God created during those first six days, he did have a favorite. Do you know what it was? It was people! God made Adam and Eve in a special way. He made them differently than any of his other creations. The Bible says that God made humans in his own image. That means that we carry the likeness of God in us, and because of that, we are of the greatest importance to God. In fact, we are so important to God that he gave us these remarkably, miraculous bodies to live in. Think about just your hand for a minute. Think about all of the hundreds and hundreds of different things you can do with your hand. And the more things you do with your hands, the better they get at doing them. Isn’t that awesome! Our hands are one of the ways we interact with and experience God’s creation. We can even use our hands to enjoy the act of creating things, just like God, who was certainly the very first artist! It’s important to remember that God cares for all of his creations that he made during those firs six days. That’s why, on day seven, he looked at all he had made and called it “very good.” God loves all of the plants and flowers. He absolutely adores all of the animals and birds. But he loves us most of all. And he loves you more than any other person does in the whole world. He loves you more than your parents do, even more than your grandparents do. Nobody loves you as much as God does. The Bible says that, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” That means that we don’t have to feel guilty about all the mistakes that we make and all of the bad things that we’ve said and done anymore. Because God loves us so much, he wants to wash all of those bad things away and give us a brand new, clean heart, and the promise of living with him in Heaven forever! In order to claim this wonderful gift, there is one thing you have to do. You must ask God to forgive you and admit that you need his help. When we ask God to save us, he will send his Holy Spirit, the same one that raised Jesus from the dead, into our own hearts where he can guide and direct us. The Bible is clear, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
