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Halloween - A beginners guide to pumpkin carving (2023 Update)
Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome

Halloween - A beginners guide to pumpkin carving (2023 Update)

I like to carve my own pumpkins, but I never seem to have as much time as I’d like to achieve an intricate design. For this reason, I have come up with some pumpkin templates that don’t take too long to carve, but are really effective! I have provided instructions for the simplest way to achieve a carved pumpkin. Each design is available as a PDF to print out and use as a template or use your own design if you prefer.

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How do I find inspiration for my drawings?
How-to Guides Sarah Ransome How-to Guides Sarah Ransome

How do I find inspiration for my drawings?

Are you looking for an easy way to spark your creativity and find creative drawing ideas that are both enjoyable and accessible? Look no further! In this blog post, we will explore a range of techniques and strategies to help you generate a plethora of easy drawing ideas.

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How to Make Halloween Salt Dough Ghost and Ghoul Figures
Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome

How to Make Halloween Salt Dough Ghost and Ghoul Figures

Making salt dough ghost figures is a really fun activity to do with your children in the lead-up to Halloween. The beauty of salt dough ghost figures is that they are really easy to make and require very few ingredients. These ghost figures make excellent ornaments and decorations to place around your home in preparation for the Halloween festivities.

I have set out the equipment needed and step-by-step instructions to make your salt dough ghost figure creations.

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How to overcome artist and creative block
How-to Guides Sarah Ransome How-to Guides Sarah Ransome

How to overcome artist and creative block

Feeling stuck with your creative or artistic pursuits?

Don't despair - artist's block happens to everyone at some point. But there are effective techniques you can use to reinvigorate your imagination and get your creative juices flowing again. Read on for tips and strategies to overcome creative and artist block.

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How to Make Scribble Art
How-to Guides Sarah Ransome How-to Guides Sarah Ransome

How to Make Scribble Art

Scribble art is an excellent and fun activity for all ages from toddlers, young children through to teenagers and adults. The great thing about it, is that to get started all you really need is a paper and pencil, although there is scope to get much more creative with this activity.

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How to Find Time to do Artwork
How-to Guides Sarah Ransome How-to Guides Sarah Ransome

How to Find Time to do Artwork

You have a busy full-time job or a hectic family life or both and alongside all the other daily chores and commitments, there simply isn’t time to do the arts and/or crafts that you’ve got your heart set on. 

I have set out some steps to build creativity into your life. I know it works because these are the steps I followed myself and I now have a regular art practice. 

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Craft ideas for kids - A Guide to Painting Stones!
Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome

Craft ideas for kids - A Guide to Painting Stones!

No visit to a beach with children is complete until you have chosen a selection of stones or shells to take home. Painting the stones at a later date is a lovely activity that children enjoy and really makes the most of their collection. I have set out what equipment you need and a step by step guide to follow for your stone painting.

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Art Ideas for Kids: Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Art Generators
Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome

Art Ideas for Kids: Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Art Generators

In today's digital age, technology has become a useful tool in enhancing creativity and innovation in art activities. One of the most recent technological advances in the art world is Artificial Intelligence (AI) Art, I find it really fascinating and have spent some time exploring it with my children. They both loved it and it has become a new arts and craft activity for them that has really allowed them explore their imagination and creativity.

In this post, I will explore how AI Art can enhance children's creativity in arts and crafts activities.

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Easy craft ideas for kids – Vincent van Gogh inspired art
Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome

Easy craft ideas for kids – Vincent van Gogh inspired art

Creating artwork inspired by Vincent van Gogh is a great rainy-day or school holiday art activity for children. Vincent van Gogh lived a unique and fascinating life, while your child carries out the art project, you can explain the themes of his artwork and the context in which they were created.

This craft activity is perfect for older children from age 7 upwards, as they build the layers needed to create the wonderful colours and textures in Van Gogh’s work. I have also included a way to adapt this activity to suit younger children from 4 - 6 year olds.

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Easy summer craft ideas for kids – Jackson Pollock “Drip Painting” Art
Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome

Easy summer craft ideas for kids – Jackson Pollock “Drip Painting” Art

Creating Jackson Pollock art with children is a fun, messy activity that they will love !!

Paul Jackson Pollock is an American painter famous for his "drip technique" of pouring or splashing paint onto a flat surface. Pollock would use his whole body while creating his paintings, in a method that was almost like a dance. His technique became known as “Action Art”.

“Drip painting” is a perfect summer craft for children. This is a craft activity that would work with children from 3 years and upwards, but I feel it is perfect for 5 - 10 year olds.

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Easy craft ideas for kids – Kandinsky Circle Art
Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome

Easy craft ideas for kids – Kandinsky Circle Art

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian painter and art theorist from the early to mid 20th Century. He was perhaps most famous for his use of squares within concentric circles, otherwise known as Kandinsky Circles. Creating Kandinsky Circles will keep kids entertained for hours, as they explore texture and colour and let their imagination to run wild.

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Mindful Art - Simple Circles
How-to Guides Sarah Ransome How-to Guides Sarah Ransome

Mindful Art - Simple Circles

Circles in art are famous for being central to the work of the artist Wassily Kandinsky, but you don’t have to be a professional artist to benefit from creating art using circles. In this blog post I set out how to create simple circles to bring mindful benefits to adults, young people and children alike.

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Applying ‘The Beginner's Mindset’ to your artwork
How-to Guides Sarah Ransome How-to Guides Sarah Ransome

Applying ‘The Beginner's Mindset’ to your artwork

If you have lost enthusiasm for creating artwork or you would like a fresh perspective, applying a Beginner’s Mindset may be just what you need. It is an opportunity to let go of any preconceptions and expectations in order to gain renewed energy and creativity. Below I have set out the idea of the Beginner’s Mindset and ways to apply it to your artwork.

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Craft Ideas for Kids - Tie Dye Kit for Kids
Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome Arts and Crafts with Children Sarah Ransome

Craft Ideas for Kids - Tie Dye Kit for Kids

Tie dying is a really versatile activity that so many children absolutely love. This activity suits ages from about 6 to 12-years-old and the bonus is that you end up with items of clothes you can wear for months to come. There are some great tie dye kits available, meaning you only need to buy some white clothes and you have everything you need to get going. I have provided instructions on what to do, together with a review of the TBC (The Best Crafts) Tie-Dye Art Kit.

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