Panda Bears and Groundhog Day! Kids Drawing Class
Topic: Kids Art Class
In honor of Groundhog Day we drew woodchucks, aka groundhogs. I showed the kids photos and a cartoon character named "Johnny Chuck". Which did they want? Everybody call out what you want when I raise my hand! (They had already expressed their preferences in disunison.) When I raised my hand, they all said "natural!"(photo). The child who'd wanted the cartoon version forgot he was to say "cartoon!". We did both anyway! The cartoon reference came from Kidoons.com. They have a whole story line of cartoon characters built around the stories of Thornton Burgess but don't seem to credit the authorship of the stories (as far as I could tell).

We also did Panda Bears in honor of the pandas from the National Zoo who are being shipped back to China today (Feb 4th). We had some sumi-e painting and some photos as references. First we did the photo, then the sumi-e, but in drawing. I ask the kids to color in the black shapes as if there are invisible outlines to color in. We need a descriptive name for this process. One child's name for it is "invisible coloring in". I would like to have as many names as possible for it, so, suggestions please!

Scroll past pics for links to Panda info.









Tai Shan returns to China via FedEx, ABC News story.

Info on Panda's World at National Zoo from the Smithsonian Institute

How the Panda got his black and white markings - a Chinese folktale, and information on Panda Bears

KungFu Panda Stick Puppet to download from HP

Panda Cub at San Diego Zoo

Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? Board Book, written by Bill Martin Jr., illustrated by Eric Carle.

A Day's Worth of Facebook Comments
Topic: Life

Experiment - a day's worth of my comments and messages in Facebook today (and perhaps another day) 

mention of Philly College of Art -
T - did you go to Philadelphia College of Art? I went there '68 - with a break - through '74 (I think), and at one point also the Academy. At least, I lived in Philly til then!

'friends' in facebook significance -
There is no other pleasing and easy word in place yet to signify the facebook version. What the facebook friend circle really is is a network you can turn to to put a word out if you have news, want to share something, or need something - its a cybertown and 'friend' is the leftover word/name from  its origins as a college network. We need a new word for this type of 'friend'!

reply to Mainer about possible old haunts
Wow! I only remember K. H. who later married J. E.. L. T. I met recently through her brother M., and him I only met after I moved up here. I had always heard his name though. I'm still not clear if you are talking about the Spruce Head Community Building or the Rockland rec center dances? I used to go to the Rockland dances every week in the summer for 2-3 summers in '67, '68 I don't even think after that. In Spruce Head I remember we used to hang out outside the community building - by then those dances were considered to be for the older crowd (the music was not cool enough). The cars would be lined up and down the street. There were a few times a bunch of us snuck in there at night during the week and hung out. One time everyone had to hightail it out the back because apparently a cop car had gone by or was coming.

the wolf moon
And, this pic C. struck me as being straight out of your moon video!
The snowy landscape's brightness last night - I could have tried reading by it, but let us read it as a good sign!

Got to have magic.

magic of the moon spoiled by inhabiting it? -
I can't see that happening in our time (or, I don't think I intend to be here to see it happen!) - and if that is what the people living then want, let them have it. People will either realize they love and want the beauty and magic of this life or they won't. Beauty and magic will always be. If we don't have it in our lives, we don't have the energy to live. We give up and die....(is what I think).

my angel band painting
..Thank you! ...Symbols for the other arts - writing: quill & scroll, dance: drum & ?, theatre: the masks, painting: palette & brush. Symbol ideas please...!

 For the angel series - symbols the angels would carry, as they are holding instruments here. Theatre - anything else besides those masks?
...ballet shoes/slippers though!

  ooh I like that angelic harmony coming from an angel band! I forgot already that it needs a name.

Happy Birthday dear friend from cyber-space!

someone's new job -
"..being out there in the community.." - when it comes down to it, maybe that is what a job is really all about, though we  may believe it is about the money.

Angel Band Watercolor Painting in Progress
Topic: Art

A Slice of Birthday Cake - Digital!
Topic: Life

A slice of birthday cake!

 

Happy New Year - 2010!
Topic: Seasonal/Holiday

Happy New Year!

Here is my demonstration drawing of Father Time and the New Year's Baby with a kids' drawing below. Just before Christmas we made some paper ornaments - paper angels, bells, and houses. We had to use a jacket for a backdrop for the photo. Lucky it was a red jacket.