An exploratory and artistic activity guide around the infinite possibilities and techniques of mixed media: materials, tools, supports and finishes.

Erik Erikson, best known for his life-cycle theory and concept of the identity crisis, proposed that we are comprised of a number of selves. In several earlier books, including At Home in the World, Donald Capps has suggested that the emotional separation of young children--especially boys--from their mothers results in the development of a melancholy self. In this book, Capps employs Erikson's assignment of an inherent strength to each stage of the life cycle and proposes that the life-enhancing strengths of the childhood years (hope, will, purpose, and competence) are central to the development of a resourceful self, and that this self counters the life-diminishing qualities of the melancholy self. Focusing on Erikson's own writings, Capps identifies the four primordial resources that Erikson associates with childhood--humor, play, dreams, and hope--and shows how these resources assist children in confronting life's difficulties and challenges. Capps further suggests that the resourceful self that develops in childhood is central to Jesus' own vision of what we as adults may become if we follow the lead of little children.

With page after page of stimulating possibilities, this book guides you on an uncompromising journey to visually dynamic, conceptually provocative, utterly original art. Embrace the spirit of creative play, break out of your comfort zone, and take your art to a whole new level. In her follow-up to the popular Art Revolution, Lisa L. Cyr delves deeper into an inspiring range of two and three-dimensional mixed-media techniques. Discover fresh, alternative ways to apply and manipulate painting media, transform surfaces, and create distinctive, message-driven work. Inside you'll find: • A wide array of unconventional tools, materials and processes that help artists blaze their own unique and creative paths • 12 step-by-step demonstrations highlighting specific experimental techniques, including freeform painting, making custom tools, and building dimension into a surface with inlaid boxes • 3 feature demonstrations showing mixed-media processes at play in the creation of original artworks, from concept to completion • A chapter on creative self-promotion revealing the latest marketing and presentation strategies for the working artist

The apparently simple and limited combination of black and white acquires a new level of expressiveness and drama in this publication.

Immersed in the natural world, The Organic Artist for Kids inspires creativity by connecting kids and their adults to our wilderness roots. In addition to offering a wide variety of fun, collaborative projects using nature as a source for art supplies and inspiration, this book also introduces the concepts of awareness and perception that are fundamental to the creative process. Children will be encouraged to learn new skills, build resilience, and be resourceful as part of an urgent struggle to prevent and undo Nature Deficit Disorder. Rooted in experimentation and an understanding that fun is fundamental to learning, kids will refine their drawing skills, as well as increase their appreciation for the visual arts and the natural landscape. Just some of the projects and skills covered include: Making pens and wild inks Making paint from stones and rocks Crafting your own paintbrushes Making simple stencils and rubbings The Organic Artist for Kids encourages you to return to the days when art was made with all-natural materials like charcoal and birch bark.