Books and resources: Painting

Jenn at 4real asked about books on helping kids (and adults) learn to watercolor.

Here are some books I've found helpful:

1. Painting with Children by Brunhild Muller -- very good detailed instructions; a little more Waldorf-y than I like (includes poems to unleash the creativity within) but the information is worth getting the book
2. Watercolors: for the Artistically Undiscovered (Klutz) by John Cassidy -- just fun to use; many of the pages are watercolor paper so you can do the exercises and play right away (including watercolor paint).
3. Watercolor Basics: Let's Get Started by Jack Reid -- don't be put-off by the cover; this book is a gentle tutorial on watercolor painting. Reid has taught for many years, thousands of students how to paint gorgeous watercolor like the cover image!
4. Watercolor in Motion: How to Create Powerful Paintings by Birgit O'Connor -- now here's a great one because not only is there a spiral-bound books (I love spirals as you can lay the book flat without worry) but she has also done a 50-minute DVD so you can SEE what she means. I really liked this one and the kids learned alot.
5. Fine Art Studio: Watercolor by Mary Iverson -- like the Klutz book mentioned above, ths is a full kit with paints, watercolor pencils (which are so fun to use), watercolor paper and a mixing palette (altho you can use any shallow, plastic plate just as well). This one is geared for kids and includes work examples by Beatrix Potter -- one of our favorites. The recommended age is 10 but there is no reason that younger kids (with adult help) couldn't do the 40-page book!
   
   

Resources: great books on general crafting

Books on general crafting with kids and adults:

1. Ball, Ann – Catholic Traditions in Crafts – Our Sunday Visitor (Huntington, Indiana). 1997. How do you craft your way through the liturgical year? This book will cover most of what you need to start your creative journey. Ball does a great job of describing projects and the Catholic traditions behind these projects. This is a great resource!
2. Ball, Ann – Catholic Traditions in the Home and Classrooms: 365 Days to Celebrate a Catholic Year – Our Sunday Visitor (Huntington, Indiana). 2005. This is a compilation of Ann Ball’s individual books and is organized by the calendar so it’s easy to find the great projects that fit various feasts and liturgical celebrations. If you don’t want to get the individual books, this is a good way to get Ball’s creative genius in book-form.
3. Beal, Susan, et al – Super Crafty: Over 75 Amazing How-To Projects – Sasquatch Books (Seattle, Washington) 2005. Very cool, fun crafty projects using lots of recyclables to make funky but functional products.
4. Berger, Petra – Feltcraft: Making Dolls, Gifts and Toys – Floris Books (Edinburgh, Scotland) 2004. This is a classic in the Waldorf-style of crafting with kids. Beautifully illustrated and amazing projects.
5. Berger, Petra & Thomas – Crafts Though the Year – Floris Books (Edinburgh, Scotland) 2001. A classic among the Waldorf-style of crafting with suggestions for crafting by the calendar. The Bergers are amazingly crafty.
6. Cooper, Stephanie & Fynes-Clinton, Christine & Rowling, Marye – The Children’s Year: Crafts and Clothes for Children and Parents to Make – Hawthorn Press (Gloucestershire, UK) 2002. Excellent resource for family-oriented crafting to make clothes and seasonal crafts using lots of objects from nature and natural fibers.
7. Desmoulins, Virginie – Girls’ Best Book of Knitting, Sewing and Embroidery – Stewart, Tabori & Chang (New York) 2007. This book, unfortunately geared only to girls, has some great projects and simple, clear instructions for doing the basic “girl” crafts of knitting, sewing and embroidery, all crafts boys can learn and do with great results!
8. Jaffke, Freya – Toymaking with Children – Floris Books (Edinburgh, Scotland) 2003. Lots of great toys (in the Waldorf-style) of creating from nature or natural fibers to make imaginative toys like gnomes, elves, woodland creatures and life-skills playing (bowls, utensils, etc).
9. Leeuwen, M v & Moeskops, J – The Nature Corner: Celebrating the Year’s Cycle with a Seasonal Tableau – Floris Books (Edinburgh, Scotland) 1990. Another Waldorf-type book, this one focuses on bringing beauty into your home through season tables using all natural pieces.
10. Mavor, Salley – Felt Wee Folk: Enchanting Projects – C&T Publishing (Lafayette, CA) 2003. Gorgeous and fun felt projects for flat pictures as well as 3-dimensional dolls and toys.
11. Railla, Jean – Get Crafty: Hip Home Ec – Broadway Books (New York) 2004. This takes funky one step beyond the norm and has some really fun things for young parents to do with their kids; definitely written for the Gen-X (if not younger) crowd but lots of great ideas even for this “old” mom.
12. Watt, Fiona – The Usborne Complete Book of Art Ideas: Over 400 Inspiring Ideas for Things to do with Paints, Pastels, Collage, Crayons, Inks, Paper, Pens, Found Objects, Stitches, Rubbings – EDC Publishing (Tulsa, OK) 2005. This is a compilation of other Usborne art books which clearly and beautifully illustrate classic and not-so-classic art projects for kids to complete. This is one of my favorite books.
13. Rhatigan, Joe & Newcomb, Rain & Dean, Irean Semanchuck – Craft It! 50 Fun Stamp, Paper & Polymer Clay Projects – Sterling Publishing (New York) 2005. This is a fun book with a good combination of styles of general, basic craft projects but with lots of potential for expanding beyond the ordinary.