Follow along to paint your own sand dollar in acrylics! You can download the template for the sand dollar outline below or draw your own!
What you need:
Canvas (I used an 8″x8″ stretched canvas)
Acrylic Paints – I used Apple Barrel craft paints in Bright Blue, Teal, White, & Black
Paint brushes
Sand dollar template (unless you’re drawing your own) & Pencil
Paper towels
Step one: Draw your sand dollar on your canvas or download the outline below – cut and trace onto your canvas or use transfer paper.
Step two: Mix together a little black paint with some blue paint to create a dark blue and fill your background and inside details with it!
Step three: Pain the white portion of your sand dollar with teal paint. Then double dip your brush into the teal and dark blue and add a layer onto your background – it’s okay to see brush strokes and areas of different colors! Don’t wash your brush – we need it for the next step!
Step four: Using the same brush in the previous step, without washing out the dark blue/teal paint, paint your sand dollar with white paint (if you have a lot of dark blue or teal paint left on your brush make sure to wipe some off before applying the white). By using the same brush some of the dark blue & teal paint will come through on your sand dollar – creating a more realistic texture and a painterly style! Once your layer of white is dry you can add more white to brighten some areas if needed!
Each month I will be spotlighting one of my students – past or present, and their artistic ventures! I work with students of all ages and abilities and you’ll get to learn a little bit about these amazing artists and their work!
Our July spotlight is on:
Haley Clark
My name is Haley Clark, and I just recently turned 16 years old. I started home schooling in 7th grade, and I absolutely love every minute of it. This upcoming school year I will be going into the 11th grade. I’ve always loved the arts because I feel that I really can express myself through dance, music and my art work. I’ve been dancing since I was 3, and I can definitely say that dance is my passion. This year I was even given the opportunity to teach dance to younger kids at my dance studio. My goal is to become a Radio City Rockette. I even danced with them this past fall at Radio City Music Hall in NYC. I have been taking art with Ms. Jenell for the past 3 years working on various types of mediums including textiles, painting & pottery. Growing up, my dad was always amazing at art. I think somewhere along the road, I wanted to try my hand at it. Being able to express myself through bright and uplifting pieces of art just inspires me even more to create. Being able to express myself through my art is something that is very special to me.
Title: Tarzan and Jane Medium: Acrylic paint Description: “I’ve always enjoyed animated movies and Tarzan is one of my favorites. I decided to use my love for art to paint one of my favorite scenes from the movie. I not only wanted to recreate the characters themselves, but the mystery of the setting behind them.”
What are your favorite subjects for your artwork? “I absolutely LOVE to paint Marvel movie characters and Disney characters and animals etc.”
When you’re making your art do you like to listen to music? “I always listen to music while painting! It really inspires me to be creative. My favorite group is Maroon 5.”
Title: The Antique Keys Medium: Pastels Description: “My goal for this piece was to make the keys look as antiqued as possible. I wanted to recreate an aged effect. Using pastels, I feel that I was able to achieve this visual effect.”
How long does it take you to complete your artwork? “The time it takes to complete a piece of art really depends on the piece itself. The painting I have been working on and completing at home usually take 2 to 3 hours.”
Do you enter your art in any shows or contests? “I have entered my art in several contests and/or shows with Ms. Jenell. Some of the shows have been in Chincoteague VA as well as at the Ward Museum in Salisbury.”
Title: Sunflower Medium: Acrylic paint and textiles Description: “Using wire and fabric, I was able to turn a normal acrylic painting of sunflowers into an eye catching 3D piece. To the best of my ability, I created a 3D sunflower that was as similar to my painted sunflowers as possible. My mom loves flowers, so I guess you can say she was my inspirations for this piece.”
Is there a certain type of art you would like to try in the future? “I would love to experiment more with various textiles.”
Haley’s upbeat and fun loving nature comes through in her artwork – bringing a sense of joy to the viewer! She has an openness in trying new mediums and techniques. This, along with her positivity & natural ability, cause her to be successful in artistic endeavors. She also has a unique knack for sharing and encouraging these abilities in others, creating inspiration as she follows her passions!
Each month I will be spotlighting one of my students – past or present, and their artistic ventures! I work with students of all ages and abilities and you’ll get to learn a little bit about these amazing artists and their work!
Our June spotlight is on:
Dorothy McCormick
Dorothy is 17 years old and is beginning her Senior Year of High school. Although she has been taking art lessons since she was 4, she started taking classes at In the Art Room at age 12. Dorothy enjoys creating works inspired by her life experiences however she has also created many works featuring wildlife. As someone who loves blending colors, her favorite mediums are colored pencils and watercolors. Dorothy spends anywhere from 2-15 hours on each piece. Since she devotes so much time to her projects, she has entered several art competitions and is a 7 time “Junior Duck Stamp 1st Place Category Winner” and 1 time state “Best in Show.” She has always been interested in the arts and is a classically trained vocalist and guitarist. Due to her love of singing and songwriting she hopes to pursue a career in Christian Music. Dorothy looks forward to continue taking lessons this coming year, as she believes art is one of thee greatest forms of self discovery and expression.
“I Am a Garden”
Work: I Am a Garden
Date: Completed October 2019
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Description: This piece was inspired by the importance of self-care. Just as gardens need to be gently cared for and cultivated, we need to care for and cultivate ourselves. With the right actions we will flourish.
Work: Cuteness Overload
Date: Completed October 2018
Medium: Acrylic on Chalkboard
Description: For a period in my life I had a strange fear of petting zoos. However, in the fall of 2018 I visited one and absolutely fell in love with some alpacas there. Ever since then, Alpacas have been a symbol of conquering fear for me; so I decided to paint this as a reminder.
“Cuteness Overload”
“A Soldier’s Footsteps”
Work: A Soldier’s Footsteps
Date: Completed February 2020
Medium: Graphite Pencil
Description: This year I entered the Young American Creative Patriot Art Contest. It features the story of my great-great uncle who fought in WWII, including: the battles he fought in, the medals he earned and his infantry’s standard.
Work: The Ugly Duckling’s Antithesis
Date: Completed March 2020
Medium: Ink and Watercolor
Description: Normally when painting waterfowl I pick a bird I consider beautiful. However for the Chincoteague Migratory Bird Art Contest, I wanted to do the opposite. So when I came across the “Horned Grebe” with its spikes, sharp beak, and seemingly red eye, I knew it was perfect. However, I soon found out that these unsightly birds are quite cute as ducklings, and realized: this is the opposite of the Ugly Duckling
“The Ugly Ducking’s Antithesis”
Dorothy’s dedication and determination in her art – whether it’s creating a piece for a contest or expressing herself, help her to continue to reach her artistic goals! Her natural talent and abilities are strengthened by her persistence. She has a passion for self-discovery that is sure to inspire others as she continues in her artistic journey!
Painted furniture is a fun project I like to partake in! I love the process of taking an old piece of furniture and giving it new life – it’s amazing sometimes how much a coat of paint can transform something! With painted furniture, I enjoy creating pieces that are distressed and shabby chic as well as pieces that are more fun with colors and patterns!
The first step to my painted furniture process is finding the furniture – which can be just as fun as painting 🙂 I find many pieces at yard sales, flea markets, or thrift stores. The best ones are raw wood or ones that have yet to be painted. Pieces then get cleaned up and sanded down.
Once pieces have been sanded, I use Sherwin-Williams multi-purpose primer to cover the piece with. If I’m doing a shabby chic or distressed piece I sometimes just use chalk paint without painting the piece with the primer first – but for the most part each piece gets a primed with this paint!
After the primer is the fun part – figuring out what to make the piece look like! If I’ve decided to go distressed and shabby chic then it usually only requires a coat or two of paint on top of the primer – I sometimes use chalk paint for this but I typically use interior latex paint, BEHR, being my favorite brand for this. Once the color is dry, I distress the piece by hand sanding areas where I want some of the primer (if I’ve included this step) or original wood of the piece to show through. For the most part this means I’ll sand around the edges of the piece or if it has any defining groves or details in the wood I’ll pick them up by distressing with the sandpaper.
If I want to do a shabby chic/distressed piece with a drawn/painted element included, I will paint the subject it on after the color coat and before distressing – this way it will be included in the distressing!
If I’ve decided to take the piece in another direction – the more fun looking, crazy colors & patterns, they still get primed first. Then I’ll usually draw my outline for more detailed subjects and start to add some base coats of paint. From there I just keep layering and filling in with the colors and patterns I’ve decided on. Most of the time these designs get a final outline in paint as well. I typically just use a matte acrylic craft paint for all the designs and patterns.
Finally the pieces get sealed. My favorite thing to use is Minwax Paste finishing wax – I use it on so much stuff 😀 It’s a soft wax that’s rubbed onto the finished piece – it comes in a natural color or a special dark color. The special dark adds even more of a distressed look to pieces as it has a slight brown tint to it. Once the wax has been applied the piece gets buffed by hand. For some of the more colorful pieces where I don’t want a vintage or distressed look, I’ll use a clear coat sealer on top instead – typically a gloss, interior/exterior, non-yellowing, UV resistant, spray sealer!
Some pieces I add other elements to as well – such as the chess pieces (made out of polymer clay), or the cow and dog on the ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ chair (which were knobs from Hobby Lobby) and switching out hardware on furniture with doors or drawers. Or the anchor & crab chair have painted fabric seats.
Painted furniture is also one of my favorite classes to have! It really is a lot of fun and I love how a piece can look totally different with just a coat of paint! 🙂
Scratch art or scratch board is a fun type of art where you typically scratch the surface of a paper or board, of a darker color, to reveal a lighter color or white. This easy project is a fun way you can create your own scratch art at home!
What you need:
Oil Pastels
Black Acrylic Paint
Card stock
Toothpick or Wooden Skewer
Paint Brush
Step one: Cut your card stock to the desired size (mine is approx. 6″x6″) and color it in completely with your oil pastels! Make sure to press firmly and fill in any white spots of paper.
Step two: Water down some of your black acrylic paint – we want to thin the paint out just a little but not enough that it’s dripping off your brush. Paint your entire piece of paper – going over the oil pastel you colored in the first step!
Step three: Let your paint dry and then use your toothpick or wooden skewer to scratch the black paint off the surface of your oil pastel! If you make a mistake you can cover it up with a little more black paint.
Continue scratching your design until you’re finished!
Not sure what to draw? Try a scratch art zentangle – check out this post on how to create a zentangle and apply the method to your scratch art! Send me photos of your scratch art to add to the followers gallery!
Each month I will be spotlighting a student and their artistic endeavors! I work with students of all ages and abilities – you’ll get to learn a little bit about these amazing artists and their work in this monthly series! This is our first of the series – however, you’ll be able to find future spotlights here!
Our May spotlight is on:
Sarah Milbow
My Name is Sarah Milbow, I will be 15 this upcoming June. I am a homeschooler who lives in Tyaskin, MD and have been taking art with Ms. Jenell for about six years. Being homeschooled has allowed me to pursue my interest in life and in the arts. I love to dance, which I have been doing since age four. My favorite form being contemporary. I have always enjoyed art and crafts of all types, but my favorites are sketching and painting. My inspiration comes from my inner self which is so important when doing any form of art because it helps channel your feelings.
“Owl” Completed in Oil
Do you enter your artwork in any shows or contests? “I have entered many art shows and contest, all of which have been with Ms. Jenell.”
When you’re making your art do like to listen to music or watch tv for inspiration (if so what)? “When I am creating art, I like to listen to music and if the weather is nice, sit outside.”
“Butterfly” Completed in Sharpie
Is there a certain style, or type, of art that you’d like to someday try? “In the future I would like to work more with pottery and its different techniques.”
Do you have a favorite color? “My favorite color is purple.”
“Little Girl” Completed in clay
How has your artwork improved/what have you done to keep improving as an artist? “I play around with different methods of art to help me improve my artwork.”
Sarah puts forth her best effort into all of her artwork. She’s never afraid to try out new mediums and methods of art – which easily allows her to continue to broaden her talent and skill, while discovering where her passions lie and developing her own personal style! Her positivity and self motivation towards improving her artistic abilities is inspiring. I can’t wait to see where she takes all of her creative ventures!
