Part of our mission at Sparketh is to make sure that kids anywhere and everywhere have access to quality art instruction so that they can grow creatively and make a bigger, more positive impact on the world through art.  For all of the young artists (or even adult artists) at home, here are 6 tips for creating more powerful art–art that makes an impact!

Tip #1: Never Stop Learning 

In creating powerful art, probably the most important thing you can do is to always keep learning. Study the artists that speak to you, and the famous works of art that have stood the test of time. Learn every artistic technique you can, and never think you’ve “learned enough.”  One of the secrets to becoming a master of anything is recognizing that you always have something to learn. Plus, the more you know about art, about the best work of great artists, and about different artistic tips and techniques, the more you will be able to explore and learn about your own unique style.

Tip #2: Have the Courage to Innovate

You can only innovate something once you’ve learned as much about it as possible, so tips #1 and #2 definitely go hand-in-hand.  When you think of all of the great, innovative artists throughout history, you will see that their original ideas often came after many years of studying the artistic masters and popular styles that came before. Pablo Picasso is probably the most famous example of this: the artist who, after years of mastering the favored, realistic paintings of the time, innovated an entirely new art style: Cubism.  Great artists may borrow from other great artists, but years of borrowing and learning can also provide inspiration to get creative and try something new (in other words, to innovate!) Powerful art is art that takes risks and applies learning to new endeavors.

Tip #3: Find Your Unique Perspective

Part of innovating as an artist is figuring out what important perspective (or perspectives) you have to offer. Then you have to figure out how you will say it – through art – in a way that fits your style and message. Part of forming your own perspectives on the world also comes with learning and observation (again, there’s Tip #1 creeping in).

Every artist has unique perspectives to share in the world of art– ways of looking at subject matter and sharing certain things that others might not even notice. Unique perspectives can be made visible via the art style, the medium, or the subject matter. Often, all three are involved in sharing a unique perspective through art. For example, Surrealist art often makes use of unexpected materials and subject matter to capture a different way of thinking about something. Your art will be uniquely powerful when it shares a perspective or insight that only you can bring to the world.

Tip #4: Connect with the Viewer Visually

This one is pretty straightforward. Great art speaks visually. Powerful art therefore has to make a visual connection with those who look at it. Whether through an interesting composition, a complex subject, a vibrant use of color (the list could go on infinitely)  effective art is dynamic and visually engaging. Once you’ve got the viewers attention with the initial presentation of your art, they’ll have a chance to really start to ponder and interact with it. Visually dynamic art which makes a connection with the viewer is powerful.

Tip #5: Create Questions in the Viewer 

What made Mona Lisa smile like that? What is the story behind Edvard Munch’s painting, The Scream?

Powerful art makes an impact by leaving us with questions, and it speaks by making us search ourselves for answers. If someone stops to look at a work of art that is visually dynamic, questions in that work of art may lead them to engage with it further. As you become more innovative and adventurous with your art, think about conversations you would want to have with the person viewing your work.

What mysteries will you leave unanswered in your own art? What questions will your creations ask?

Tip #6: Present a Challenge 

The boldest way that art can make an impact on the world art large is by presenting a challenge.  Powerful art has the ability to present new and diverse perspectives. Sometimes it does this by asking questions, such as in tip #5.  Other times, art presents a challenge by showing the viewer something unexpected– or even uncomfortable! And sometimes art presents a challenge by sharing an unusual or unique way of looking at something familiar, either via the art style, materials, or subject. As you can see, you can take any of the above approaches in creating art that makes an impact, but ultimately your art has the ability to start a conversation with the rest of the world about something that matters to you!

At Sparketh, we believe that creativity is powerful force for positive change, and that everyone deserves the chance to nurture their creative skills with quality instruction. Everyone has the right to a more creative and vibrant future!

Click Here to Try a Free Month Online Art Courses

The post Tips for Creating Powerful Art appeared first on Sparketh.

Today, we’re sharing about an amazingly talented 10 year old artist and an upcoming art challenge/contest for kids and teens! We’re also uncovering some spooky hints left by the ancient Egyptians about a long-long mummy! Lastly, you’ll find some viral (and adorable) TikTok drawing tutorials to get your October started out right.

Art News: Andres Valencia is THE Art Prodigy to Watch

A lot of young boys like Pokemon and G.I. Joe, and Andres Valencia is no exception. He is also a prodigious 10 year old artist whose pieces have sold for over $100K per creation.

In a very short time, Valencia has become a key artist to watch. Andres started selling his artwork professionally last December. According to Smithsonian Magazine, he was the youngest ever artist to show at Art Miami, and has since attracted celebrity buyers such as: Jordan Belfort, Brooke Shields, Channing Tatum and Sofía Vergara.

As recently as June, Adres had a solo exhibition at the Chase Contemporary gallery in SoHo. All 35 of the artist’s works were sold, each between $50,000 and $125,000 (per The New York Times.)

Artistic Influences:

Andres’ Cubist style is inspired by legends such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, George Condo, and Picasso….as well as Pokemon and his favorite, Click N’ Play army action figures. You can see some of his pieces in the video below!

Words of wisdom:

I love this young artist’s attitude in terms of creation. He told The New York Post: “I paint in little pieces. I work on it for an hour or two. Then I go do something else. I come back to it the next day and keep adding more.”

What a great attitude for all artists and creatives to remember! It can be easy to give overwhelmed by large creative projects, but you can do amazing things in just an hour per day!

Follow this artist on Instagram:

Keep up with this artist’s work by following him on Instagram here.

Art Contest: “Sparktober” is a month-wide art challenge for kids and teens!

At Sparketh, we’re gearing up for one of our most popular annual art contests -Sparktober- taking place throughout the month of October! In the Sparketh Community, we sponsor several art contests per year, but one of the reasons Sparktober is so much fun is that it’s a daily art prompt challenge + contest, too!

How it works:

Each day of October, there is a one-word art prompt for artists to take as inspiration and translate any way they want into art. Any medium and all levels of detail are welcome! Every day (or at the end of the month) artists can share their work with our online art community!

For kids and teens who are 18 and under, the creative challenge is also an art contest! At the end of the month, one young artist will be chosen to receive a $100 gift card to an art supply store of his or her choice!

Here are the prompts for October 1-October 31!

How to Enter:

To participate in the challenge, join the Sparketh Community (link here) and start creating and submitting for the daily prompts in October! While the contest/prize is only for those 18 and under, we hope that artists of all ages will join in on this month of creativity!

Art News: Ancient Hieroglyphics Contain Clues to a Famously Lost Tomb?

The Egyptians were ahead of their time in many ways, including their advancement in art and art preservation. Art was part of their daily life: their means of recording events, worshipping their gods and rulers, and honoring their dead. Egypt has given us some of the oldest, and best-preserved art of the ancient world.

When many people think of ancient Egyptian artwork, they envision the famous bust of Queen Nefertiti. This priceless work of art is a life-size bust dating back to 1351–1334 BC.   It’s remarkable for several reasons: it’s stunning in both its quality and preservation, and it shows us a rare, realistic image of the famously beautiful queen.

Nefertiti Bust, Egypt, Tell el-Amarna, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1351–1334 BC

A prominent Egyptologist, Nicholas Reeves, believes he may have found clues to the hidden location of Queen Nefertiti’s long-lost mummy. He believes that these clues are hidden within hieroglyphics found in King Tut’s tomb. (King Tut was the famed child-pharaoh and step-son of Nefertiti.)

Reeves says a pattern in the hieroglyphics may hold the key to finally locating the queen. The cartouches- carved oval tablets in the hieroglyphics – show King Tut being buried by Ay, his successor. Further investigation revealed that these had been painted over other cartouches that showed Tutankhamen burying Nefertiti (from the Guardian.)

Reeves believes that these depictions would not have been included as mere decoration, but have more to do with the location of Nefertiti’s tomb. Therefore, is possible that archeologists may be able to use these ancient clues to locate the lost mummy of Nefertiti.

I’m hoping this means we can soon learn more about this famous queen and life of ancient Egyptians! How about you?

Read more on this story here.

Art Ideas: Learn How to Draw All the “Cute Fall Things” on TikTok!

Sometimes you just need to draw something simple, fun and…well, cute!  Today’s featured TikTok artist has created a fall-themed series that will inspire you to doodle every day of autumn! The below video shows a quick and easy way to draw an adorable fox cartoon in less than a minute! I don’t know about you, but I always have trouble with foxes. (They either come out looking like a cat or a dog).

As you can see on the page, there are plenty of other doodle ideas to learn from this series! Give @planwithines a follow on TikTok for daily art ideas this season!

@planwithines

Replying to @eddemongirl a ~loose~ interpretation but still an easy way to draw a Fox #bujo #art #artinspo #bujoinspo #fallart #falldiy #halloween #halloweendiy #homeinspo #fox #foxes #drawing #easydrawing #tutorial #drawingtutorial #howtodraw

♬ gilmore lala – <3

A prodigious artist who creates an hour a day, the Sparktober daily art challenge, the ancient Egyptians who worked art into every part of life, and fun daily doodles of cute fall things…I’m sensing a theme here!

While this wasn’t deliberate, I think it’s a good reminder that creativity happens with consistency. As creatives, we may not always feel inspired. However, the best work happens when we put in time and effort, every day! I hope that was a good reminder for you, too (it was for me!) Stay creative and consistent, readers! See you back here for next week’s Art Club!

The post October Art Contest and Artistic Mummies! Sparketh Art Club appeared first on Sparketh.

Today, we’re debating whether AI art is a tool or a threat, learning a viral painting trend that anyone can do at home, and talking about a famous portrait (which has been STOLEN.)

Creative Debate: Will AI Replace Artists or Give Them New Tools?

Humankind has considered a lot of possibilities when it comes to Artificial Intelligence. Will AI develop its own unique consciousness? Help us reach new heights? Take over the world? Create a simulation that we will all live in while they use us up like batteries??? (Hope not).

But there’s a new – very current – question to consider when it comes to AI and creativity:

Will AI one day replace artists, or – at minimum- change the practice and value of art as we know it? 

This question springs from the creation of new AI art tools like Midjourney and Dall-E 2.

What they are:

These are AI tools that can actually create unique art based on selected parameters and specifications. They can create works that features any subjects you chose, in any setting, doing anything! These tools can even implement a famous artist’s style into the original creation by accessing and retaining information about color and style from the internet.

It’s amazing technology, but it also brings up some serious debates in the art world:

The issues:

1. Can we call such creations true art?
2. If we can, what are the implications for the future of art…and artists?

Perspective #1: Tools are simply tools.

No matter the tools that we may use to express our creativity, we humans have always seen ourselves as the creative masterminds behind creative endeavors (such as art). And many people see AI art tools as just that – tools: ones that can and will take our abilities to new, unimagined levels of awesome.

Perspective #2: AI art crosses an important line.

Because the dividing line between what tools and people can do has long been rooted in humanity’s creativity, these AI tools can be seen as crossing that line.  Many are concerned that, in this case, the AI becomes the real artist and makes most of the creative choices. If so, does this begin to de-value artists and change the way we view the worth of art?

What do you think, readers? Is AI art simply another tool in the artist’s toolbelt? Or does this new AI flip the switch: becoming the real artist while the person typing commands acts more like the machine? 

The below video does an excellent job investigating how this technology works and exploring some of these questions. I really appreciated that an artist and non-artist both gave Dall-E2 a try and compared their results to tackle these issues.

Check it out and decide where you stand in the great AI art debate!

One thing is for sure, we live in a quickly advancing digital age that has and continues to shape our world. The art world is – and will continue-to adapt along with it.

Trend to Try at Home: Acrylic Paint + Q-Tips

Now for something a little lighter and unobjectively hands-on…Q-Tip painting!

Most of us have a box of Q-Tips somewhere at home. After all, they are pretty much good for everything! ( And even though the box says not to stick them in your ears – admit it- you totally have.) This week, let’s add to the list of amazing things Q-Tips can do: help you paint beautiful trees.

In this week’s viral YouTube Short, an artist shows how you can use Q-Tips + acrylic paint to beautiful build and layer colors for leaves. It’s an effortless way to level up your tree painting skills.

Want to try painting some vibrant fall trees instead? To celebrate the first day of fall (September 22) one of the artists on the Sparketh team also created the below video this week. This one is a longer, more step-by-step take on the Q-Tip, tree-painting process. It does a great job of showing how you can build color from dark to light with acrylic paint to create an easy autumn painting!

Challenge: Check out these videos and try your own Q-Tip painted trees at home this week!

Art News: Famous Portrait Stolen! Owners didn’t notice.

Winston Churchill’s iconic portrait has been stolen, and he doesn’t look too pleased about it! Roaring Lion, the famous photograph by Yousuf Karsh, is one of the the most well-known and widely reproduced portraits in the world. Winston’s hard stare (which was a result of the photographer taking away his ever-present cigar), has become the image with which we identify the no-nonsense historic figure and world leader.

The Roaring Lion, Winston Churchill Photo by Yousuf Karsh, bromide print, 1941.

The original photograph has lived at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottowa, Canada for the past several decades. The hotel was a place of special significance to the artist, who gifted the establishment with a large collection of works.

Last month, however, an employee of the hotel noticed that something about it seemed…off. The frame that held Roaring Lion looked different than the other hotel frames. An examination of the signature determined that the portrait at the hotel was not the original. At some point, the original Roaring Lion was swapped for one of its many reproductions!

By asking for photographs from over the last several months from guests and employees, investigations have determined that the original was actually swapped out approximately 8 months ago (8 months!) It is thought to be an inside job, and police are investigating it further.

My thoughts: whoever stole this portrait will have to face their guilt while meeting Winston’s furious gaze. It’s all very Portrait of Dorian Gray.

Viral: Is Art School Overpriced?

“Is art school overpriced?”

This week’s viral TikTok video asks the question, and then blasts us with mind-blowing art skills. A

Art school was not what I was thinking about while watching this artist’s stunning black and white creation. Instead, I was wondering how someone’s brain and hands can work like that! But if art school could teach can help brains and hands do that, it’s pretty priceless. And that’s the point of the question, right?

In this blogger’s opinion, honing creative skills is always worth an investment, because creativity is one of the best things about being alive! What do you think, readers?

@psychegod

Is art school overpriced? Probably #fyp #art #artist #artschool #foryou #usc

♬ Notion – The Rare Occasions

On that note, I’m wishing you all a very happy and creative week! Catch you next week for more creativity resources and art news!

The post The AI Art Debate, Painting with Q-Tips, and Angry Winston Churchill appeared first on Sparketh.

Today: we’re sharing NASA’s current art contest, discussing an FBI art case that Indiana Jones would love, and ogling at an 800 pound hunk of butter art.

Featured Art Contest: NASA Art Contest for Kids Age 4 -12

Art and science have a lot more in common than many people may think. Both involve testing theories, exploring curiosity, and making constant innovations. In recent years, NASA (you’ve probably heard of them) has been making an effort to engage the next generation of creative minds. And of course, that includes your artistically-minded kids and students!

Right now and through October 27, NASA is hosting an art contest for kids, age 4 – 12!  Students can take inspiration from 4 main topics:

• Rockets and Spacecraft
• Living and Working in Space
• Exploring the Solar System
• Astronauts

There are three separate submission categories for the contest (based on age of the child submitting), and each category will have a 1st and 2nd place prize.  The winning artwork will be featured in a NASA calendar! You can find out more about contest rules and submission guidelines in the link below.

NASA Art Contest Rules and Submissions

Art News: The Case of the Mysterious Medusa Mosaic!

It sounds like a Nancy Drew novel, or maybe an Indiana Jones movie,  but it’s current news in the art world! The FBI recently discovered an ancient Italian mosaic which has been missing for decades.  The 2oo-pound mosaic of Medusa was discovered in a Los Angeles storage building, where the FBI determined it has been concealed since the 1980s!  No one knows how the owner of the storage unit obtained the mosaic, although the piece last appeared in cultural property records in 1909.

The enormous mosaic piece was cut (and stored) as 16 separate pieces. When put together, it reportedly forms an image of  Medusa–the monstrous, snake-haired Gorgon of ancient mythology.

Special agents Elizabeth Rivas and Allen Grove worked to investigate the mosaic and return it to its place of origin. They collaborated with Italian officials to return the fragile artifact to Rome, where it will be studied and carefully restored.

According to special agent Grove (via CNN): “The mosaic was handcrafted from an age where people put an amazing amount of care and effort into it. It really speaks to the ingenuity and creativity of the time,” Grove said. “It’s not meant to be in Los Angeles. The mosaic belongs to the people of Rome. It allows us to understand a bit about the history of humans 2,000 years ago.”

One day, maybe we’ll see a photo of the fully restored mosaic art. Maybe we’ll even discover more about it’s cultural significance to Rome!

As for me and my mystery-loving brain… I want to know about the mosaic’s lost years!

Why was it in a storage unit in L.A.?

What was the owner planning to do with 16 heavy puzzles pieces of an ancient artifact?

What adventures did this work of art experience in its approximately 100 years of being “lost?”

What do you think, readers?

Trending Art: Butter Sculpture. Would you try it?

Did you know that butter sculpting is a thing? While you may not hear about it much, it’s actually a long-held tradition, dating back to ancient Tibetan Buddhist culture. Here in the United States, you’ll mainly find butter sculptures at state fairs, where they’ve been a more recent(ish) tradition held over the last 150 years. Last week, the below sculpture was presented at The Great New York State Fair. The piece is in response to the theme: “Refuel Her Greatness – Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX.” It was sculpted over a period of 10 days by Jim Victor and Marie Pelton and is made out of 800 pounds of butter. 800 pounds!

Behold it below. The process is pretty amazing to watch!

The sculpture celebrates female athletes, showing a progression of differently aged girls and women competing in physical challenges. Sadly, now that the exhibition is over, all of that butter will be melted down. Because you can’t eat just butter that has been an art exhibit, it will be recycled by a methane converter and recycled into renewable energy.

Here’s my creative challenge to you, readers. The next time you are at the grocery store, buy a block of butter and some large potatoes. Practice butter sculpting on a mini-scale, and then recycle your art directly onto that potato. You honestly have nothing to lose from this.

Viral: Artistic Tributes to Queen Elizabeth II Flood the Interweb.

Last Thursday, Queen Elizabeth II passed away at her Balmoral home. In last week’s blog, I discussed her legacy on the art world in the past century. In the past week, however, that legacy has only continued to grow. Why? The world continues to honor the monarch’s legacy with some amazingly creative works of art content on social media. The following Youtube Shorts, each paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, were viral this week. Each of them show astounding amounts creativity and talent.

Which one is your favorite?

https://youtube.com/shorts/fexFuS1QKhQ?feature=share

That’s a wrap on this week’s latest in creative content, readers! We hope you’ll join us again next Friday for the latest creative challenges, art content, and art news! As you go about your life this week, remember: you can be creative in everything (and anything) you do!

The post NASA Art Contest, A Creative Case for the FBI, and 800 Pounds of Butter! appeared first on Sparketh.

Today: we’re paying tribute to the Queen, investigating a mysterious 500 year old margin doodle, and sharing some trending art strategies you can check out at home!

Art News: The Art of Being Queen Elizabeth II

Yesterday, on September 8, the world received the news that Queen Elizabeth II passed away in Balmoral, her Scotland home. She was 96 years old. Queen Elizabeth was the longest ruling monarch in British history. However, she was more than that. Since her coronation in 1953, Queen Elizabeth has become a beloved icon, a symbol for the British anthem of “Keep Calm and Carry On,” (and the Western World’s unofficial fancy grandma).  In her long lifetime, Queen Elizabeth also made a lasting impact on the art world.

Queen Elizabeth was “one of the most recognisable and also one of the most painted figures of her era or any other, depicted by some of the most interesting artists of the day from Pietro Annigoni in 1955 to Lucian Freud in 2001 and by photographers ranging from Cecil Beaton to Annie Leibovitz.” (The Art Newspaper )

This article from Culture Trip shares some of the most iconic portraits of the Queen, painted by some of the past century’s most noteworthy artists, in a huge variety of art styles that reflect the Queen’s face alongside the world’s changing times.

Cecil Beaton: Queen Elizabeth II on her Coronation Day (1953)

The many portraits of the Queen, in their wide variety of  art styles, represent more than just the woman behind them. These portraits show us how the world has changed over the generations of Queen Elizabeth’s reign.  Through the span of her rule, these portraits reveal how the Queen has been a fixed point by which society views itself.

Over the 7 decades of her monarchy, the face of Elizabeth II became iconic: a visible image of stability, calm, and grit during uncertain times. Through her role as Queen, she made herself a symbol, a living art form. History – and art history- will remember her long and steadfast reign. Rest in peace, Queen Elizabeth II.

Chris Levine: The Lightness of Being (2014)

Read more about Queen Elizabeth II’s life and her relationship with art from the articles below:

The Art Newsletter: Remembering Queen Elizabeth II, the British Sovereign Who Perfected the Fine Art of Monarchy

The Culture Trip: Portraits of Queen Elizabeth that Everyone Should See

Trending Art: Fun & Easy Self-Portrait Trick

Speaking of portraits, we have a trending self-portrait art challenge for our young (or older) artists to try at home.

This TikTok shows artists who are a little intimidated by the self-portrait a fun and easy way to create a beautiful and vivid one. Yes, it involves some tracing. (But don’t call that cheating!) Instead, this challenge is a great way to learn about facial planes, combining contrasting colors, and shading/highlighting on the face. Try this art trick at home for yourself! It’s an awesome one for all ages and levels.

@sparketh

To enter this art contest, you must be 18 or younger! Winner will receive $100 valued in art prizes- join the Sparketh Community if you haven’t yet and would like to enter! #artcontest #selfportrait #myart #arttok #drawingtutorial #howtodraw #artforbeginners

♬ original sound – Sparketh

Serious question: What DO you define as cheating in art, by the way? (Beyond stealing someone’s work and calling it yours, of course.) Is there even such a thing? Pop your thoughts in the comments!

Latest Art News: Michelangelo in the Margins?

I don’t know if any of you are guilty of this, but I was a big-time notebook (and text book) doodler all the way through college. And hey, research says that doodling in class can actually help improve memory and focus, so no shame!

This week, the art world has been captivated by a very special 15th century margin doodle (shown below) found in a copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Why? According to art scholar James Hall, the figure that was sketched there (500 + years ago) is none other than Michelangelo!

In this upcoming book, The Artist’s Studio: A Cultural History, Hall explores his evidence for this further, writing:  “The sculptor, hitherto unrecognised, can only be Michelangelo during or shortly after his triumphant achievement carving the David (1501-4).”

Hall goes on to state that the artist of the doodle wasn’t just sketching Michelangelo as he worked on David, but making a commentary as well.  The sketch is right next to the section in Divine Comedy where Dante decides to take the “high path to Hell.”

Could this be a prelude to a modern day meme?

The artist’s studio: a cultural history, James Hall, Thames & Hudson, 288pp, hb

Not only is this an insightful discovery to make about a master (and work) that we are familiar with, but it presents a fascinating mystery, too! I don’t know about you, but my brain is buzzing with questions:

• Who was this mysterious margin doodler?
• How did he (or she) know Michelangelo?
• What inside scoop did the doodler hold on the sculpture process of David? 

What do you think, Art Club readers??? Write me a story about the Mysterious Margin Doodler in the comments!

Creativity Resource: Painting Along in VR

Do you have an artistic kid that constantly loves to practice, but maybe you’re running out of storage space for the practice pieces? (Or maybe you can relate to that yourself.)  Do you have a Quest 2 or PCVR?

If yes, and yes, you’ll LOVE this.

Vermillion is an oil painting simulator designed for VR! It’s available on Quest 2 and PCVR. It is SO INCREDIBLY RELAXING, and it’s also a great way to practice painting techniques. You can blend your own colors and apply different levels of pressure to impact the textures. You can even paint alongside your Web browser, giving you access to your favorite online art classes, or Youtube or TikTok tutorials. Yes, that means you can paint absolutely all the “happy little trees,” your heart desires. You can even make a print of your best work.

Try it the next time someone in your house is stressed out! I promise it will help!

Learn more about Vermillion via their Website, here.

What’s your favorite way to be creative? Sometimes people undermine creativity activities or the arts, but you and I (and Albert Einstein) know that creativity is a very special form of intelligence–one that deserves our time, interest and appreciation! More than that: it’s fun! As you head into a new week ahead, I’m wishing you moments to celebrate creativity and all of the amazing joy it brings to your life!

The post The Art of Being Queen, A Mystery Margin Doodler, and Painting in VR! appeared first on Sparketh.

Today’s blog post is for any of you artists out there who are looking for some strategies for drawing better portraits. Of course, defining what “better” means also depends on your personal art style and what you are trying to achieve with your art. Every artist has their own unique style to cultivate and their own approach to Portraiture! Whereas one person may strive for Hyperrealism, another may be drawn towards a more Surrealist approach. On Sparketh.com,  our online art classes for kids and teens cover several different styles of Portraiture and teaches kids how to recreate them. This is an awesome place to start for young artists who are trying to discover their personal style. But whatever your preferred art style is, there are definitely some strategies that can help you to continue to improve your skills and draw better portraits!

The below portrait tips come from the professional artists and art instructors on the Sparketh team. Here are a few tips that have helped them increase their portrait skills and draw progressively better portraits. Below several of these tips, you’ll also find some visual examples that they created to demonstrate!

Tips for Drawing Better Portraits

1. Go from low to high detail.

This was the number 1 tip from artists on our team! When drawing portraits, always start with simple shapes. (For example, don’t start your portraits with a really detailed eye, even if eyes are your favorite!)  Once you have the shapes, you can get progressively more detailed as you add to your work.  One of Sparketh‘s art instructors compared this process to sculpting a face out of clay. In sculpting, you have to get the basic shapes and planes right before going in to add onto and tweak each one.

@sparketh

Community challege ends August 31st- for ages 18 and under! If you enjoyed this, check out the link in the bio for hundreds of creative resources for young artists #howtodraw #howtodrawface #arttips #arttok #myart #artistsoftiktok #artist

♬ original sound – Sparketh

2. Study proportions and planes of the human face.

While diversity is a huge point of interest when it comes to portraiture, there are some standardized features and proportions that you can study and practice to become more comfortable with facial anatomy! Learning some of the common planes and proportions of the human face can give you some great techniques to practice as you work on generic faces (or even as you develop an OC–original character).

As you become more comfortable with the basics, you can branch out and study features that are more common among certain ages, genders, and nationalities. The videos below from Sparketh’s social media channels will give you a couple of quick tips to get started, and our online art classes for kids and teens also contain several lessons on anatomy for portraits.

@sparketh

This should help with our self portrait drawing competition going on at community.sparketh.com! Submit one of your own for a chance to win $100 in art prizes #howtodraw #anatomy #drawingtips #drawingguide #arthelp #myart #artistsoftiktok #arttok

♬ original sound – Sparketh

3. Use a mirror to “check your work.”

Using a mirror may be an obvious tip for self-portraits, but did you know mirrors can help you with any of your artistic creations?

Reversing an image can help point out issues we may have missed in our artwork. If something looks off about your portrait (or any of your art) try looking at the piece in the mirror!  Since your eyes get used to looking at your paper/canvas from one perspective (sometimes for hours), this simple trick can be a good way to change your point of view. When you shift your perspective this way, you will often see flaws you may have not noticed before! Similarly, you can also try looking at your work upside down.

4. Try black and white.

Many of us love the fun of working in color, but sometimes going back to basic black and white can be a great way to hone your skills, especially when it comes to portrait work! Why? Charcoal or graphite (pencil) can be really effective tools to help you cultivate your sense of highlights and shadows, which adds a lot of depth and realism to your portrait.

Once you’re comfortable with adding shadows and light to your portraits this way, then its time to try a portrait in color!

5. Take a break.

Art can be such a meditative and high-concentration activity. It can literally take your mind off of everything else (which is one reason its great for helping kids learn how to focus and make decisions!) However, this also means that you can sometimes get hyper-focused on striving for perfection, especially when presented with a highly-detailed task like a portrait.

One quick and easy tip you can try when this happens?

Take a break!

Just like with anything else that demands your focus, sometimes a little break is all that’s needed to reset and approach your artwork with a new perspective. So if you find yourself getting frustrated: take a walk, eat a snack, chat with a friend or family member, play with your pet! We bet the next time you come back to your art, you’ll feel less frustrated and more ready to get creative and try a new approach.

6. Watch others create.

Watching other artists create is one of the best ways to get inspired! This is also a wonderful way to discover new styles and techniques that you’d like to try! When working on your portrait skills, you can follow artists who have both similar and different styles to your own. Getting inspired by a variety of different artists can be a great way to learn more about your own developing since of style. You can even watch a time-lapsed project and try to recreate it, step-by-step, in real time (and add your own twist!)

If you don’t already, follow Sparketh on TikTok, Instagram, Youtube or Facebook. Our team of artists is regularly creating free tips, tricks and challenges for young artists who are looking for artistic inspiration. For example, in the activity below, students learn quick way to recognize light and shadows in a fun and easy drawing activity.

@sparketh

To enter this art contest, you must be 18 or younger! Winner will receive $100 valued in art prizes- join the Sparketh Community if you haven’t yet and would like to enter! #artcontest #selfportrait #myart #arttok #drawingtutorial #howtodraw #artforbeginners

♬ original sound – Sparketh

7. Practice with a variety of subjects.

You knew this one was coming, right? The #1 tip for all things creative is to practice! The best way to learn how to draw better portraits is to get better every day by doing. Here are some ways you can encourage yourself to practice your portrait skills, every day!

• Set aside a little time daily to work through Sparketh’s Art Style Portrait Track. This will give you step-by-step guidance as you practice through several different art styles. It’s a great way to help you discover which style(s) resonate with you most!
• Ask your friends or family to sit for you so that you can practice drawing from life. It’s a whole different experience.
• Also practice drawing from a reference photos. Maria from our Youtube channel has some tips on this one, here.
• Don’t get stuck in a rut. Practice drawing people of different genders, ages, and nationalities!

We hope these tips help you in your quest to draw better portraits! We’d love to see your work, so please feel free to share it with us in the Sparketh gallery if you’re a Sparketh member, or in the Sparketh Community!

The post How to Draw Better Portraits! appeared first on Sparketh.

Today, many of us are equipped with Smartphones that can take sharper, brighter (and more flattering) photographs than the fanciest cameras of the previous decade. In fact, thanks to our phone cameras, we are actually living in the most documented time in history! 

In light of our modern capabilities, one form of art that may not be quite as understandable to the youngest generation is portraiture.  

Why do portraits matter?

I’m not talking about photography here (although photography and portrait photography are certainly art forms as well). Thanks to our access to various media, and our interest in the imagery of famous people, I think that many of us can appreciate well-done and interesting photoshoots and portrait photography. 

For the purposes of this article, I’m mainly talking about portraits in terms of paintings or drawings intended to capture a person’s likeness. This is an art form that many people may be able to appreciate, but not quite understand the relevance of, in today’s world.

However, whether you are a professional artist, a student of art, an art teacher, or just a regular, “non-artsy” person, there are some very important reasons that old-school portraits actually matter a lot, especially in the “selfie,” world of today. Here are four reasons why you should stop and look at (or stop and create) a portrait today.

1. Portraits are Living History

One of my favorite things about using art to study history is that it gives us an authentic, direct glimpse into times past. Portraits from long ago give us unique insights into those who lived before us: not just how they dressed or looked, but also what the artists of the time valued enough to observe and capture. In a way, portraits are like time-capsules, packed with insights of the past.

While the style and subjects chosen for portraits have shifted greatly over the years, the truth remains that the artist will usually strive to capture something that is striking about the subject.

Thinking about portraits in this way can give us some interesting insights. 

For instance, look at the painting below, the infamous Madame X by John Singer Sargent. The portrait’s subject, Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, was wealthy and well-known for her beauty. In fact, that’s probably why the artist wanted to paint her.

However, Sargent’s painting does much more than depict a pretty woman. Instead, Sargent takes something striking – and unseen- about his subject and brings it to the viewer’s attention.

Madame X  (1884) by John Singer Sargent

Many consider this painting to be the epitome of “a study of contrasts.” Virginie was known for her pale, white skin. Gautreau drew attention to this feature by painting the soft paleness of Virginie’s skin in stark contrast to her dark hair and the deep black, structured gown she wears. 

However, Sargent also seems to capture certain aspects of Virginie’s personality in the portrait that seem at odds with her physical beauty. He conveys her as vain and more than a  little bit scandalous: not nearly as beautiful on the inside as the outside (certainly not by the standards in those days).

How do we get all of this?

Her dress is much more revealing than befitted a lady of her time and status, her pose is proud and disdainful. These hints at character flaws play out in stark symbolic contrast to the subject’s idealized beauty. 

While it is considered to be one of history’s most famous portraits today, it was pretty shocking for the time period in which it was created.  From simply viewing and considering Madame X, we get a wealth of insight into the subject, the artist, and the values of the time period.

2. Portraits Reflect our Changing View of Mankind.

Through studying famous portraits throughout history, and especially by comparing them to each other, we can also observe history’s ever-changing perspectives about mankind’s role in the world. 

It’s pretty fascinating to see how big changes in portraiture (and their corresponding artistic movements) usually go hand-in-hand with ground-shaking historical event and societal changes. 

Studying portraits can even help reveal how, throughout history, one strong viewpoint often inspires an opposite stance.  The two examples below do a good job of showing this!

Romanticism: Defining Mankind as the Visionary

Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog (1818)–Caspar David Friedrich

This portrait by German artist Caspar Friedrich shows a lone man contemplating the foggy vista before him. This image perfectly represents what we now know as The Romantic Era (the art movement known as “Romanticism”.)

As you might guess from the name, Romanticism offered a pretty dreamy view of mankind. 

Poets, artists, philosophers, and writers of this time perceived mankind as solitary, creative, emotional, and visionary. This time period also viewed nature and dreams as powerful, communicative, and sometimes even prophetic. The mood of this work definitely reflects a contemplative, quest-like view of mankind’s role, with an emphasis on man’s place in the natural world. 

Like Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, many portraits of the Romantic Era depict the subject as special, dramatic, and even heroic.

The settings are often special, too: dream-like, beautiful, or on a grand or supernatural scale. Therefore it is very interesting that –directly on the tail of the Romanticism Art Movement, a completely opposite portrayal of mankind developed: Realism.

Realism: Defining Mankind by Daily Action

The Gross Clinic (1875)—Thomas Eakins

The Realism movement in art came right after the Romanticism movement and is often seen as a direct rebellion against it. Whereas Romanticism gives an idealized view of man, Realism took the opposite approach and focused on- (again, you can probably guess it from the name) – the real.  

Often this involved the portrayals of ordinary people doing mundane, pedestrian or even ugly tasks, such as in the portrait above-showing surgeons at work. Mankind’s role in the world is therefore defined by daily action–the ordinary things of everyday life.

As you can see, portraits do more than just depict individuals–they give us a greater, more general understanding of mankind and the various ways we’ve understood our own value over the course of history.  Portraits matter because they show us where we came from and how we’ve changed.

3. Portraits Show Us How Art Influences Culture

We’ve talked about how portraits can reflect the values of a time period, and how they can even provide insight into how/why those values change throughout history. However, there is another crucial component to the art and society/culture relationship that we haven’t discussed yet.

 Portraits don’t just reflect changes to society; sometimes they help ignite them, too.

This isn’t just true for portraits, of course. Many art forms (and subjects) are capable of influencing culture. In fact, one of the measures of good art is: does it challenge the way we’re used to thinking about things?

However, what’s unique about portraits is that they do this in a way that everyone can understand. Everyone relates to a portrait. Everyone can connect with an image of another human being. When we gaze at portraits, we are automatically challenged to figure out how these representations are the same- or different- from ourselves.

In other words, when we look at a portrait, we look for connection. That connection, when we find it and explore it, can catapult new ideas. New ideas, in turn, can spark societal changes.

 For example, look at this famous self-portrait by Edvard Munch, “The Scream.”

The Scream (1893)–Edvard Munch

 This Impressionistic self-portrait by Munch ignores realistic physical details. Instead, it is entirely focused on emotion. It’s a portrait of the interior, rather than the exterior, which reveals the artist’s own anxious and horror-stricken psychological state. This was an incredibly bold and influential concept at the time of the portrait’s rendering– when psychology was still regarded as a fairly new science and mental illness considered something that should be kept a secret.

Today, we openly discuss psychological distress and mental health. Perhaps we owe some of the credit for this to artists like Munch who were among the first to openly depict this once-avoided facet of life. This is merely one example of one way that act may encourage the ideas and questions that ultimately help change entire cultural conversations.

4. Portraits Push Us Towards Connection.

Let’s go back to talking about selfies for just a minute. While they may arguably capture the beauty ideals of our current era (hello Insta-filters), and they can help us remember moments of our lives, selfies don’t challenge anything about how we can or should see the world around us.

Selfies are usually 100% surface value, and as the name would indicate, they are self-oriented. They don’t teach us anything. They don’t connect us to new or unfamiliar ideas.

I’m not saying all of this to attack the selfie. However, I do think that we live in a selfie world, and it would be truly sad if that became the documentation that defined our time culture. 

And that’s why we need art, and portraits in particular. Because, portraits–whether of someone else or ourselves–help us to make connections. Portraits show us how to connect with historical figures and movements, and they can even connect us with our own perception of others, or of ourselves (such as in Munch’s The Scream). When we study a portrait, or create one, we look for those connections I mentioned earlier–differences, similarities, challenges. 

Questions, too, are often part of that connection.

In a portrait, even something like a lingering question, or a glaring uncertainty, can connect us better with the work of art, its subject,  the mindset of the artist, other viewers and our own consciousness. 

When you think of a portrait that inspires a question, your mind might go to the same work of art that mine does:  Leonardo Di Vinci’s infamous oil portrait, Mona Lisa. 

Mona Lisa (1503)–Leonardo Di Vinci.

This painting has been dubbed the most valuable in the world and is often considered to be the most famous, as well.

The reason? Mona Lisa is a universal mystery.

Viewing this painting leaves viewers puzzling over the subject’s enigmatic smile and the way her eyes seem to watch you, no matter where you stand. When we see this painting, we wonder about the subject: How she was feeling? What she was thinking?

 Mona Lisa is an unanswered question for the generations, connecting us all. 

In our selfie world, portraits matter more than ever. It’s vital that we take time to look at, appreciate -and even create- portraits every once in a while. Portraits connect us to our past: to people not so different from us, but living in very different times. They show us how our ideas have changed and grown. They encourage us to analyze and to question.

Ultimately, I think that the habit of studying people through the filter of art grounds us in this knowledge: while we all connected by the bonds of humankind, we all have things to learn from that connection.

At Sparketh, we encourage a community that can learn about art in its various forms. We also believe that anyone can, and should be able, to foster any creative skills that they desire. Here, you’ll find numerous courses, taught by professional artists, that teach art in a variety of mediums, including this whole series on how to create portraits in a variety of art styles. So take a few minutes today. Put down that camera phone, and look at – or create your own- portrait. It matters.

Written by Kathryn Gustafson

The post Why Do Portraits Matter? appeared first on Sparketh.

When I was seven, the very thought of reading gave me severe anxiety. 

This would probably shock anyone who knows me today because,  as an adult, I’m a total bibliophile. I have way too many books and am reading anytime I get a chance. I even have a (somewhat impractical) MA in English.  As much as reading was once a source of dread for me, it is now one of the things I enjoy most.

 The love of reading has shaped so many other things about my life, too. It’s helped me understand different kinds of people and different ways of thinking, and it’s given me a love for learning that I can’t envision possessing, had my childhood self not changed her ways. 

So what caused the big change? What turned me into a reader? 

It all started with my parents’ decision to homeschool me. 

My mom knew that I loved being read to, so she believed that I could become someone who loved to read for myself. She also saw how my struggle with ADD impacted my learning style. Taking these things into account, her efforts to help me engage in reading through homeschooling were totally successful. This, in turn, has made all the difference in my life. 

Today, as a new homeschooling parent,  I hope to be as successful in teaching my daughter as my mom was with me. However, the task feels intimidating. I imagine that it is even more overwhelming to those who are totally new to the world of homeschooling. 

Interestingly, the reason that homeschooling can be so overwhelming is the same reason it is so appealing in the first place. There is such an incredible amount of freedom and flexibility in this form of education. It’s wonderful to have so many choices and be able to personalize learning for your child. However, for many, it’s hard to know how to start homeschooling because there seems to be no set way to do it.

There can be a constant internal stream of blaring questions and insecurities, like: 

• Am I going to mess my child up by this decision? 

• What will my family and friends think? 

• Is this really going to help him/her learn more effectively? 

• Is my child going to be miserable?

• Am I going to be miserable? 

• I’m not qualified to teach.

• I don’t know where to begin.

If you are a new homeschooling parent and have these doubts running through your brain, you’re in the right place.  In this article, I’m not going to tell you how to homeschool, or even whether you should homeschool (because no one knows your life and your family better than you do). Instead, I want to share with you 5 essential tips that will help you get you started on your own, personal homeschooling journey. 

1. Understand Your “Why.”

“Finding your why,” is a hot topic of discussion today, whether you are starting a new business, pursuing a change of career, or making any kind of life-changing decision.

Your “why” is more than just a goal or even a set of goals. It’s the reason that directs your path, as well as the force that keeps you powering onward.

Choosing to homeschool is a major life decision that affects both homeschooling parents as well as our children.  It definitely comes with its own challenges: from the personal (will you and your children clash in an educational setting?) to financial (often, the choice to homeschool affects at least one parent’s career). It’s therefore absolutely critical to map out your “why” as you get ready to start homeschooling.

The Foundation

Despite the many different ways to homeschool successfully, I think that most homeschooling parents start out with a similar mindset.

1. The basic belief: we, as parents, know our children better than anyone and are also more committed than anyone to give them the best educational experience to meet their needs.
2. The basic goal: to engage our children in learning in a way that fosters their academic and personal growth to the greatest extent possible.

I think this is really at the heart of every homeschooling parent’s reason for choosing this lifestyle.

But is it a “why?”

Well…not quite. However, it can be an important starting place for discovering your why.

Four Elements of Your “Why”

This article in Forbes discusses the importance of figuring out your “why”  in the realm of business, highlighting four questions that you can ask yourself to discover it. These four questions relate to the following:

• Passions
• Skills and Expertise 
• Values 
• Talents

As a new homeschooling parent,  you can also look at your approach to homeschooling in light of these four areas.  Grab a notebook and write down your goals for homeschooling in light of each topic. How do you plan to consider your/ and your child’s: passions, skills, values, and talents in your homeschool journey? Brainstorming about this will help you define your specific why and begin to set practical goals.

I would also look at this list in consideration of the child (or children) being homeschooled:

•  Strengths (and weaknesses to be overcome)
• Talents or interests
• Social Needs 
• What values does the child already have?
• What values would you, as a parent, like to instill?

2. Apply Your “Why.”

Considering all of these factors will help you understand your why and how it may be applied in a homeschool setting. Once you’ve evaluated your passions, strengths, and potential challenges in homeschooling, you should be able to define your why in a more practical way and think about how you will meet your goals.

From looking back on my personal experience as a homeschooler, I am able to clearly see my mom’s why: to foster a love of reading in me. This would, in turn, support me as a student in every subject.  As a creative person, she used her skillset to engage me in books through using art projects and crafts that related to the stories we were reading. She also brought my interests into the equation by selecting novels that she knew I would like.

You see how it all begins to connect?

Each homeschool family’s “why” is going to look different, but once you’ve figured yours out, it should give you some clear priorities in your homeschooling journey, and some ideas about how you will invest in those priorities.

Especially if you write everything down, this can be a great first step in mapping out your homeschool journey.

Two Examples of “Whys” and Practical Applications

A very organized homeschooling parent has a child with an interest in social activities, space, and science.

• That homeschool parent’s “why” might be to invest in their child’s love of science and give them opportunities they might not have in public school, while also meeting that child’s social needs.
• A practical application for that parent might be to foster their child’s love of science through organizing a homeschool science club that gets to do things like go on weekly field trips or take a road trip to one of the nation’s space centers.

A homeschooling parent is skilled in the kitchen and values creativity.  That parent has a child who is a talented artist but struggles in math.

•  The “why” in this situation might be the homeschool parent’s desire to cultivate a creative learning environment that engages the student in math and allows him/her more time and opportunities to pursue an interest in art.
• A practical application would be to use a creative means, like baking or cooking, to engage the student in math. Additionally, the parent could make the child’s interest and skills in art a priority by investing in private art classes and/or professional online courses such as those that are offered by Sparketh.

3. Find Your Tribe.

So now you hopefully better understand the driving “why” behind your decision to homeschool and have some ideas about how you will keep your “why” central in your homeschooling journey.  You may feel excited to get started, but there’s a chance you may also feel a little bit afraid.

The potential time commitment involved may be scary for one thing, especially if you work in addition to homeschooling.  Likewise, the financial investment may seem frightening if you’ve given up a job to commit to homeschooling.  Another looming factor is the dreaded “mom guilt:” the prominent cultural phenomenon of feeling like you are constantly letting your kids down in some critical way, no matter how hard you try.  Unfortunately, the duel responsibility of parenting + schooling can mean that this “parental guilt” can be doubly strong in homeschooling moms (and homeschooling dads, too!)

However, one really important thing for homeschool parents to keep in mind when facing inevitable moments of guilt and uncertainty is this: you are not alone.

A well-known African proverb states that: “It takes a village to raise a child.” Many people think that this concept favors a public school education. In reality, every successful homeschooling family has its own village, made up of members who have been intentionally and thoughtfully chosen for their ability to support, mentor and educate.

There are several different places you can look at when finding the tribe (or village) that will help you and your family succeed in your homeschool journey. Here are just a few of them!

Family

Your own family can be a built-in network of support as you get started with homeschooling.  Consider calling upon family members to share their knowledge of special topics,  come along on field trips or road trips, or provide childcare if you need some extra time to lesson-plan.

Online Communities

Online communities can also be a valuable resource for parents who are just getting started.  There are a lot of homeschool parent groups on Website forums and on social media platforms like Facebook. These can be a great source of emotional and practical support. There are also many communities online for homeschool students!  When searching for a supportive online community, try looking for groups that share your (or your children’s) values and interests.

Online Learning

Another concern when homeschooling is, of course, what to do if you feel incapable of teaching your child in a particular subject?  Online learning and online teachers can be one valuable resource in this situation.

Online courses can be great for laying down the groundwork of an academic subject that homeschool parents may struggle with.  Parents are then free to add to learning via engaging supplement activities! Plus, a lot of online learning resources come with built-in communities for students and parents!  This article gives some great tips about how to utilize online learning effectively. 

You can find more than basic academic instruction online, too. For example, Sparketh offers unlimited access to high-quality, online art classes via video-instruction by real artists.  All of these art courses could be available to your homeschooled student. As someone who lives in a rural area, this is definitely the kind of resource that I value!

Extracurricular Activities

When I was a homeschooler, I took ballet classes most nights of the week. I even taught some morning classes to the youngest dancers to help pay for my own classes. In addition to helping me pursue one of my passions, this also taught me responsibility. One of the best things about a homeschool lifestyle is that it allows students to more fully explore their passions and interests and get a lot of real life experiences, too!

Extracurricular activities also allow homeschooling parents and homeschooling students to connect with others who share some of the same interests and values. Try to get to know people you meet through extracurricular involvement such as sports, the arts, or church. These people can be awesome friends and mentors that add enrichment to your family’s homeschool experience and to your life, as well.

Homeschool Co-ops

Co-ops allow you to connect with other homeschooling families in your area! These groups can be a great way to help share the load of teaching (many co-ops offer classes taught by homeschool parents who are strong in a particular academic area) and also for you, the homeschooling parent, to find a network (tribe) who gets your “why.”  This is also a great option for giving your homeschooled child (or children) an additional social outlet.  If you are new to homeschooling, you may be surprised to find that there is a homeschool co-op in your area that you were never aware of before!

4. Plan your Homeschool Lifestyle

If you’re reading this, then you’ve already begun this step! Research is key when starting any new and unfamiliar endeavor, and transitioning to the homeschool life is no different. It’s important for you to enter the situation with a clear idea of how you envision your homeschool lifestyle.  (If you go into homeschooling without this idea in place, the kids are going to run the school). Here are some topics you might want to consider.

• Different Homeschooling Methods: while there are many different ways to homeschool successfully, these 10 methods are some of the most common. Read them and think about which one seems like the best fit for you and your child/children.
• Daily Schedule: Are you a night person or morning person? How about your child/children? Since you don’t have to be anywhere at 8 a.m. you get to make up the rules. Many homeschool families do chores, errands, and extracurriculars in the morning, starting school after lunch. Some let their children sleep until they naturally wake up, then get started on school. Others follow a more traditional schedule. Whatever your method, you may want to assert it from the beginning.
•  Role Models:  Connect with homeschool parents who demonstrate the kind of instruction style/lifestyle that you’d like to have.  You will likely meet these people at co-ops or even in your homeschool online communities.  Don’t be scared to reach out to some of the homeschool parents you admire. You may be surprised how often they are happy to help or offer tips.
• Learn about Some Amazing Homeschoolers: From science prodigies to famous athletes, there are some truly amazing individuals who credit homeschooling with at least part of their success. Learning about some of these amazing homeschoolers will encourage you and help inspire your child/children (Here are a few to get you started).

5. Trust Yourself.

In planning your transition to homeschooling, it’s crucial that you trust yourself. You’ve made the decision to homeschool, at least in part, with the belief that you know your child/children and what they need better than anyone else. While it can be tempting to let the doubt creep in, remind yourself of the reasons you chose this path to begin with.

If you find that your confidence levels are still a little low, it might help you to read some of these research facts about homeschoolers and homeschool learning outcomes.

 Highlights from the Above Resource:

• Homeschool students consistently score higher than public school students on standardized tests.
• On average, homeschoolers also score higher on the SAT and ACT.
• Homeschoolers typically ranked above average on measures of social, emotional, and psychological development.
• Research indicates that girls who are homeschooled demonstrate a greater sense of self in their teen years.
• Homeschooled students attend and complete college at an equal or higher rate than the general population.
• As adults, homeschooled individuals are more likely to serve their community than their non-homeschooled peers.

And finally…

• All of this has nothing to do with whether or not the homeschool parents were ever certified teachers, with either parent’s level of education, or with the family’s income.

Even if you question your own background and abilities, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be successful. If you believe that homeschooling is the right choice for you and your child… trust yourself!

As you start your homeschool journey, remember to define and apply your “why,” to find a tribe that will support you, to plan your homeschool lifestyle and to trust yourself and your unique homeschool journey.  Best wishes, new homeschooling parents!  

Do you have additional tips for new homeschooling parents? Feel free to leave them in the comments below! 

The post 5 Essential Tips for New Homeschooling Parents appeared first on Sparketh.

How to Draw an Original Character

1. What world does your character live in (setting)?

To get started with drawing an original character, first ask yourself where (and in what time) your character lives! Does your character exist in our world and time, or is your character from the past, future (or an alternate reality)? You might want to create an OC that would fit into a universe you love, like Star Wars, Marvel or Studio Ghibli.

In drawing and writing, knowing what world and time your character lives in is a great place to start. Establishing the answer to this question can prompt all kinds of other questions about your character’s visual design, such as: clothing, backstory, and what style you’ll use when you start drawing!

2. What is your character’s origin story?

We are all impacted by our beginnings, and your original character’s design will be, too! To make a more interesting and complex original character, ask yourself some important origin questions, such as:

• What was your character’s childhood like?
• How many family members do they have?
• Was their family rich or poor?
• Did they grow up safe and happy, or were there struggles?
• What was their family dynamic like?
• Were they close to one family member? Did they clash with another?

Also think about how these things might affect your character’s main goal or aspiration (another key question coming up soon)!

3. What are some basic facts about your character?

Once you’re starting to get a grasp on your character’s backstory, it’s a good time to figure out some basic information that will impact your original character drawing. Here are a few basic things to establish about your character:

• Age
• Gender
• Style
• Job/Role
• Basic personality: list a few good qualities as well as some bad ones!
• Don’t forget to consider quirks! These don’t have to be good or bad, they can just be funny, unique and memorable. The more specific, the better! (Ex: Garfield is a cat is obsessed with lasagna.)
• You could decide your character’s personality type using the Enneagram or Meyers-Briggs!
• It may even help to bring in some D & D concepts and decide your character’s basic personality alignment: Chaotic Good, Neutral Good, Lawful Good, Chaotic Neutral, True Neutral, Lawful Neutral, Chaotic Evil, Neutral Evil, and Lawful Evil.
• Does your character have any special powers or abilities? If so, is this something you could show in your drawing?

Note: I know that many people -especially kids – like to answer these basic questions as the first step in character development.  However, figuring out backstory first can give you more interesting and thoughtful answers!

4.What is your character’s goal/mission?

At this point in the process, you probably have a good grasp on who your original character is (whether you’re drawing them, writing them, or both!) What makes your character more dynamic, adding interest to their story and visual representation, is their mission! Considering your character’s personality and backstory, come up with a goal for your character. Again, specific is best! (Ex: In Wandavision, Wanda’s goal is to protect herself from more grief and trauma by using her telepathic abilities to create a fictional reality. This goal reflects her backstory, her abilities, and her personality.)

Think about how you can show your character’s mission in how they look. How will their goals affect their appearance, dress, and any objects they carry with them? How can you tell their story in a visual way? Make notes because it’s time to start drawing!

5. Now it’s time to draw, experiment, and draw it again!

Now you have a really good mental picture of who your original character is, and it’s time to get visual. Take into account all of the factors you’ve decided about your character, and choose a few specific things that you want to clearly show in your drawing.

Try different poses, hairstyles, clothing, each time considering how each change reflects – or doesn’t reflect- the character you’re trying to create! If you have are a Sparketh student, we have several courses that can help you practice drawing different portrait styles, hair textures, and facial features! Below you’ll find just a few to try out!

Basic Tips for Drawing Different Hair Textures

Hair Textures

Learning Facial Proportions

Facial Proportions

How to Draw a Manga Style Character

Manga Character

As you experiment with drawing some different drafts of your character, you’ll hone in on the poses and expressions that fit them the best! If your character has powers, you may try showing that a few different ways. The best way to find out exactly how you want your OC to look is to draw several different versions!

Whether you are drawing an original character to help you with your writing, or writing about your character to help your drawing, you’ll find that these two creative practices really work well together! In learning how to draw – or write- an original character, it’s important to know who they are, where they come from, and where they are going! We hope that these questions and tips help you get started on creating your own original characters. If you’re a teen or kid artist, we’d also love to see your creations! In addition to online art classes for kids, Sparketh also hosts a totally free community for kids and teens to share their artwork. You can join our free community here! Happy drawing!

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Whether you’re a hardcore original trilogy fan or a lover of prequels and sequels alike, May the 4th gives you a chance to share your Star Wars enthusiasm with others through dressing up, movie marathoning and – of course- creating Star Wars themed art! Our small creative team at Sparketh wanted to get in on the fun and share some Star Wars art ideas with you all. Below, you’ll find inspiration for creating Star Wars art that reflects your love of the Force (and characters who know how to use it.)

Adorable ‘Chibi’ Darth Vader 

It’s everyone’s favorite bad guy…but cuter! In the short video TikTok below, Sparketh art instructor, Amy,  provides inspiration for how to create a cute, “chibi” Darth Vader painting using watercolor techniques. All he needed was a little bit of love, right? Now look at him, adora-Vador.

@sparketh

Couldn’t skip out on a Star Wars themed post for May 4th! If you enjoyed this, check out the link in our bio for hundreds of creative resources for young artists! #arttok #maythe4th #darthvadar #starwars #starwarsart #watercolor #myart

♬ Scenes where Darth Vader and monsters appear(782200) – Hollywood Labo

Learn How to Draw 3 Cute Star Wars Characters

Sparketh art instructor and community host, Becca, created this tutorial to show kids how to draw 3 of their favorite, adorable Star Wars creatures. These quick tutorials are easy to follow. In the end, you’ll have awesome cut-outs of some of your favorite characters! Gift your drawings to other Star Wars loving friends or use them as decorations for your movie marathon.

Create a Stunning Portrait of Your Favorite Character

Maybe you’d like to flex your creative muscles and embrace a more involved art challenge this May the 4th! In the below video, Sparketh’s Youtube artist, Maria, tackles a beautifully detailed, soft-pastel portrait of Princess Leia. Princess Leia is an iconic character, known for her no-nonsense attitude and bravery. In many ways, she was ahead of her times in terms of female characters in film. If you love this character as much as we do, check it out and get some ideas for how to create your own Leia portrait with soft pastels.

Celebrate, Grogu style!

In this quick video, watch as Amy creates a stellar, gouache painting of Grogu–looking like he is celebrating Star Wars Day in high style! Many people like gouache paint because it has some qualities that are like watercolor and some that are more like acrylic.  Consider this as a prompt for how you may bring two different art mediums together in a new way as you celebrate Star Wars Day. After all, the Force has two sides, doesn’t it? There must be balance!

@sparketh

May the 4th BE WITH YOU! #starwars #babyyoda #yodaart #maythe4th #myart #guache

♬ original sound – Sparketh

As Yoda says, “Do or do not. There is no try.” Art is kind of the same way. You just have to go for it, and that’s the only way you learn! We hope you do some Star Wars art this May the 4th!

Don’t forget to share your creations with us by tagging us on social media: Instagram (@sparkethdotcom), TikTok (@Sparketh) & Facebook (@Sparketh)!

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We’re inviting students to participate.

We are inviting all student artists (18 and under) to create and share artwork that reflects peace and/or that supports peace in Ukraine. Since we are a community for kid and teen artists, we encourage students to learn a little bit about Ukrainian life and culture and discover some of the beautiful things about it. The focus with this month’s prompt isn’t war, but peace. Instead of war-torn images, we want to promote images of peace, hope, and good things about this nation to honor and preserve.

If you would like to submit your work in our free virtual community, you’ll just need to join (with this link) and follow the instructions for this month’s challenge once you are approved. Our host (art instructor, Becca) will be there to greet you and answer any questions you have.

Learn more about Ukraine and its culture.

In this blog post, I’m sharing a few special things about Ukraine’s vibrant, creative culture. We hope to give kids and teens a chance to reflect upon the situation in the Ukraine in a hopeful way–a way that supports peace and focuses on beautiful things that deserve protection. We think its important for young people to feel connected to the larger world and to have the opportunity to find their creative voice about things that matter.

Below, you’ll find some resources and information about Ukraine to inspire you to create your own art for the Peace for Ukraine art challenge in the Sparketh Community. We hope you’ll join us over there and share your creations to support Peace for Ukraine!

1. Pancake Week (Maslenitsa)

Do you love pancakes? In Ukraine, there is a week long festival in March to say “bye” to winter and “welcome” to spring. This is called Maslenitsa (Pancake Week in English.) Pancake week is celebrated by other Slavic cultures, so it isn’t unique to Ukraine. However, it is very beloved there! Pancake week is celebrated in Ukraine with dancing, singing, tournaments –and feasting on plenty of pancakes of course. In Ukraine, the pancakes are similar to what we would call a crepe in the U.S., and they are filled with delicious things like Nutella, fruit and cream. Pancakes are chosen for this feast because the circular shape is symbolic of the sun and the sunnier days ahead that spring will bring.

2.  Sunflowers

Sunflowers are the national flower of Ukraine. A strong and happy flower, these blooms share much in common with the culture of the Ukrainian people, who are known for their grit as well as their love of celebrations. Since the war in Ukraine began, sunflowers have quickly become a symbol that represents the strength of the Ukraine and the nation’s resistance against the Russian invasion. Artists in both our Sparketh Community and our creative team have painted sunflowers to support the Ukraine. The video below can give you some ideas for how to paint your own sunflowers with acrylic paint.

3. Embroidered Clothing (Vyshyvanka)

The people of Ukraine are known throughout the world for their beautiful, brightly-colored, embroidered clothing, called Vyshyvanka. This beautiful, wearable art is more than just a fashion statement. It’s also a historical part of Ukraine’s culture. Each color and pattern has a meaning, and in ancient times a person’s Vyshyvanka was thought to protect them from harm. Learn more about this special Ukrainian custom in the video below.

4. Painted Eggs (Pysanka)

We dye eggs for Easter here in the U.S., but Ukrainians have long been known for their meticulously decorated Easter eggs.  Ukrainian egg painting (Pysanka) involves careful planning, applying layers of beeswax, and dying eggs multiple times to create colorful and detailed patterns on the surface of the egg. Just like with Vshyvanka, the many symbols used on the eggs all represent something specific. This is a truly impressive Ukrainian art form that is creatively inspiring!

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This week, we’re exploring current art topics that all touch on a similar question: “Why do artists create?”

We’ll check out one artist whose dream in live is to live in a home made of his own art, and another who views art as a way to mediate experiences. In celebration of World Mental Health Day, we’ll explore why creating art is good for your mental health. You’ll get some viral tips to help you in your art method! 

Art News: Life in House of Doodles

At some point in our childhoods, we’ve all probably doodled on the walls. Most of us got in pretty big trouble for it, too. However, Sam Cox (known professionally as “Mr. Doodle”) was always encouraged to draw on the walls of his room. Today, as an adult, he’s taken it to a whole new level.

Mr. Doodle, a professional artist whose work has sold for up to almost $1 million per piece, has now officially completed what he calls his “best piece of work.” The work? His house!

Over two years of effort, the artist has covered his entire $1.5 million home in doodles. Not just the walls, either.  Mr. Doodle has also covered bedding, appliances, and even the toilet in his signature, black-and-white doodles. He also painted his stove, which he admits may have rendered it un-useable. (I guess he and Mrs. Doodle will be eating out a lot.)

When talking to the host of BBC Breakfast, the artist describes being able to live in a home made of his art as “a sort of paradise for me.”

Why He Creates/Doodles: 

Cox told BBC News that doodling is “almost like an out-of-body experience. You’re just indulging yourself in this free-flowing state of creation.”

Mr. Doodle gives us some interesting insight on reasons we create. Perhaps it comes partially from a desire to meditate, to flow with a particular state of mind, or to create a world of our own imagining (literally, in his case.)

Check out the video below to see this artist’s completed home!

Inspirational: Creating for Your Mental Health

Monday, October 10 is World Mental Health Day. Did you know that regularly practicing creativity is a vital part of maintaining good mental health? Research shows that art, in particular, supports mental health by:

Viral Art: Game-Changing Art Hacks

As you create art this week, check out today’s featured viral art video from TikTok! This short video has some mind-blowing art hacks that will save you time, help you try new techniques, and stretch the life of some your favorite art supplies.

@sparketh

Legitimately learned about the watercolor hack yesterday… 25 years old #artistsoftiktok #arthacks #arttips #arttricks #didyouknow #myart #arttok

♬ Okinawa Pier – FloFilz

Have you tried any of these tips at home? Which is your favorite? 

You Can Also Watch it Here!

Art News: “Art on Video” Series Dives Deep.

“What is art to the artist?” As we’re touching on today, there can be a variety of answers to that question.

This is a topic that is also currently being explored as part of a new documentary series, entitled “Art on Video.” This series is a collaboration between ArtNetNews and Art 21.  It’s fascinating because it dives deep into the thought processes of current, headlining artists.

In the series, each artist gets the chance to describe their inspirations in their own words. The most recent episode follows photographer  Diane Severin Nguyen. 

Nguyen’s art is more than photography, though. Her creations also involve a unique type of performance art. In her work, Nguyen mixes the natural and unnatural, transforms substances into unrecognizable objects, and creates photos that capture fleeting, transfigurative moments (like lighting something on fire).

Art 21 writes: “Another kind of creative alchemy happens in her studio where the artist choreographs ephemeral processes like burning and everyday substances like Styrofoam to make her enigmatic photographs. Intentionally obscuring the identity of her subject materials is core to the artist’s larger project. ”

Why She Creates: As an artist, Nguyen says she feels it is her responsibility to take in the “psychic garbage of the world.”  She also takes concepts that have social value and reduces them back into physical materials that can be composed and photographed. Primarily, this artist seems to view the creative process as an important type of mediation between the physical world and our experience of it.

I am looking forward to keeping up with this new series and discovering what makes different types of artists tick. Will you watch? 

Check it out, here!

Inspirational: You Create Your Art Because Only YOU Can.

“Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else ever thought.”- Albert Einstein

I love these words from Albert Einstein, who definitely knew the value of creativity! Whatever reason you create art, it’s likely to be just as unique as the special perspective you bring to the world. I hope you remember that as you go about your week, and pinpoint your own unique reason for being creative.

See you back here next week for next Friday’s edition of Art Club!

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