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Procreate for Kids - 5 Age Appropriate Digital Art Activities

Some people might tell you that Procreate is too advanced for kids, especially young kids. They would be right— if you’re expecting your child to master the software and use it to its maximum potential. Consider that most adults only have a partial grasp of the potential of the Procreate app, even those of us who use it nearly every day. While true, it shouldn’t be the deciding factor. You could opt for something “made for kids”, or you can expose your little one to the real-deal creative software that is made for artists— with the understanding that just like any medium you give them (crayons included), mastery of the medium is not required for it to be worthwhile. With the right supervision and guidance, everything they can do on paper, they can do digitally. It is boundless creativity and a great way to practice their motor-skills. And the cool thing is that you can do it with smaller environmental impact (so much less paper waste.)

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5 Creative Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids (That Aren't Toys)

If you’re like me and you want to find a way to make your kids’ Christmas feel magical, but with a little more life enrichment and a little less nonsense— good news, a little thought on the front end can make the obligatory seasonal spending an opportunity to bring value to our kids lives.

Good news, I’ve done the thinking for you. Below are 5 creative Christmas idea (for creative kids) that aren’t toys.

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How to Draw Realistic Birds- Part Two- Final Drawing

Let’s pick up where we left off…

When I talk about the two different stages of a drawing, I will often refer to the sketch stage as the “thinking part” and the drawing stage as, “the artistic part”, because that is essentially what they are. The sketch is the stage of a drawing that forces you to slow down, use your brain as you measure and study and adjust until your drawing is as accurate as possible.

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How to Draw Realistic Birds- Part One- Starting with a Sketch

Drawing skills are the foundation of any art practice. Knowing how to draw opens a world of possibilities on which to build your creativity. That is because the basis of great drawing skills is observation. In order to draw well (realistically), we have to draw accurately. Drawing accurately means obeying the rules of nature, tapping into the way the brain works, and knowing where it sometimes steers us wrong.

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Beyond Wildlife- A Series of Mini Oil Pastel Landscapes

It may not seem like it, but I DO paint things other than birds and wildlife. In fact, until recent years I almost exclusively worked in portraits or figurative work. I really can’t explain the shift, except with the notion that change is the nature of life. I recently took a short break from wildlife to create a mini landscape in a vertical orientation. Something quick, something different, something filling. I became addicted to working in the narrow framing of a vast scene and on the bite size canvas that forced expressive strokes and letting go of detail. Within the week I had a pile of mini landscapes.

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