Bird houses can be as plain or as ornate as houses for people, but, as a subject for an art work, they are a lot less intimidating. While we enjoy seeing and thinking about homes for birds, we might live where it is impractical to install an actual bird house. The solution is to paint a picture of bird houses. Because of its simplicity, this project is virtually fail proof, even for a non-artist. So, go ahead, tackle architecture, but begin on a bird's scale.
Steps.
1. Cut a rectangle of 140 lb. cold pressed watercolor paper and draw a pencil line 2" (5cm) up from the bottom edge to create a base for the houses to stand on. Later, you can paint this to represent a limb of a tree or a platform.
2. Draw a simple house starting with a square 3½ in (10cm) on a side, in pencil to represent the body of the house. To construct a slanted roof, the center point (1¾", 5cm) and draw a line upward a few inches. Close the roof by dropping two lines from the center point to each side of the house.
3. Alternatively, trace a miniature wooden birdhouse purchased from the craft or discount store. Simply place the house on your paper, back down and draw around it in pencil.
4. Repeat drawing houses until you have four in a row. Allow a slight space between them. Arrange them according to your taste, varying sizes and shapes.
5. Add details to each house such as entry holes for the birds, a picket fence, shingles, siding, or anything you wish. Go to the internet to look for ideas.
6. Embellish the houses with vines, flowers, leafs, beds, berries, tree branches, etc. Use the vines as a device to intertwine and connect the houses and it will lead the viewer's eye through the composition.
7. Put a bird or two in the picture. Draw one from your imagination or go online for pictures of birds. Put them standing still or in motion, flying into the picture.
8. Prepare your watercolors by adding water to each pad if you are using pan paints. If you are using tube paints, set up your palette with primary, secondary and neutral colors. Remember to leave the center part of the palette open for mixing colors.
9. Set out brushes, a ½" (1cm) flat for big areas, and some pointed ones in various sizes.
10. Begin painting by pulling a color for the body of the house, diluting it with clear water and making a puddle large enough to cover the area you wish to fill.
Repeat the process with a different color for each house.
Paint the houses, the area beneath the houses, and the sky.
Allow the paper to dry before attempting to paint over it or the colors will run into one another. Use a hairdryer to hasten the process, if desired.
11. When dry, paint the greenery, flowers, birds, sun and any other touches you can think of.
How to Make a Tweeting Bird in a Cage from Plastic Straws.
Tips.Try a technique called negative painting for a white object, such as a picket fence or a daisy. You simply paint around the object, keeping the white paper as your white color. Use a small, pointed brush and dip from the puddle on your palette that is the color the flower or fence is standing against.
Dry the paint before attempting to add a new layer.
If tiny hairs get in the paint from the brush, allow the area to dry and brush the hairs away. If you try to pick them off with your fingers, you will mar your wash and leave finger marks.
A craft room is a place where you want to let your creative energies take over. Organizing your craft room will take some work but the end result is worth the effort. You will want to start by gathering and sorting all of your available craft supplies. Then, find places to store these items where they will be easy to grab and use in the midst of a project. Use organizing as an opportunity to display those items that inspire you as well.
Method 1 Sorting Your Craft Supplies.
1. Gather all of your craft items. Grab a basket and walk throughout your living space grabbing any and all craft supplies and tools. Carry them into your designated craft room and place everything in the middle of the floor. Once you think that you’ve gotten it all, go back through one more time just to be certain. Make sure to open all of your drawers and cabinets, as craft supplies can often ‘hide.’
Likewise, go through your craft room and identify any objects or items that do not belong there and move them out. They may need to go in a ‘staging area’ in another room, so that you can concentrate your energy on your craft area.
2. Sort your supplies out according to item type. Look over your supply pile and begin to build smaller piles based upon different categories of supplies. For example, put all of your wrapping paper together. All fabrics should go together initially. After these first piles are finished, you can go back through them and narrow them even further according to size and color. For example, put all of the red wrapping paper together.
At this point your room may be in controlled chaos, so be careful walking around or you may slip on one of your piles. For that reason, try to keep other people out of the room as well, at least during this stage.
To keep you from feeling overwhelmed, bring an egg timer into the room and set it for 15-minutes. When the timer goes off, take a 5-minute break. Then, re-set the timer and start again. This will keep you motivated to work at a steady pace without burning out.
3. Decide what to donate. As you sort, identify items that are worth donating. Perhaps you have multiples of some items or maybe leftover supplies from projects that you’ve completed and moved on from. Make sure that whatever you donate is safe for another user. For example, don’t donate rusty scissors or any cracked glass items.
Various charity organizations, schools, and libraries will gladly accept donations of craft supplies as long as they are in good condition. This is a great opportunity to share your interest in crafting with other people.
Depending on the amount of items that you have, some charities will actually come to your house and pick them up for you. This may be a good opportunity to do organize other areas of your home as well.
4. Create a trash pile and dispose of it. As you sort, identify items that need to be thrown away. This could be items that you no longer find useful, but that aren’t suitable for donation due to condition or quantity. You should also trash any supplies that are no good anymore, such as dried out glue or frayed ribbons. Ask yourself if you’ve used the item in the past year and if you haven’t odds are it needs to be thrown away or donated.
Take the trash out after you’ve finished sorting the main pile. If you wait you are likely to leave it there and it will become an eyesore and will slow your organizing progress.
5. Repeat this process every few weeks. As life goes on, many of your supplies will likely wander out of your craft space once more. To keep your area tidy and useful for you, go through a sorting and cleaning process fairly often, especially after completing a major project.
Also, devote at least ten minutes after you finish working in your craft room for picking up and storing items in their new proper places. Devoting even this small amount of time can make a major difference in the long-term appearance of your craft room.
Method 2 Implementing a Storage System.
1. Store similar items together. You’ll want to keep your supplies together in their sorted piles as you place them in their designated storage spots and containers. Extra-small items will need to be placed in extra-small containers and will probably be grouped together for storage and then usage.
Keep an eye out for items that may appear similar but that have slightly different functions. These situations may require that you divide up your storage system even further. For example, you’ll want to divide your fabric scissors from your paper scissors.
2. Use plastic bins. These are the number one storage option when organizing a craft room. They come in a wide variety of sizes and are easy to stack. They also fit well within a cube shelf. You can see inside the clear bins, making it easy to find an item that you are looking for.
Depending on how you arrange your bins, you will want to purchase ones that open on the top or via a front panel. Look for lids that snap on tightly to avoid spilling your supplies.
Bins are also especially useful when working with messy items such as paints. In addition, they contain fumes from paints as well.
Make sure to purchase extra bins, and to leave space in the ones that you currently use, for new supplies that you may purchase.
3. Arrange items by color. Store and display your craft supplies according to the color wheel. This will create a quick way for you to find an item that you need for a particular project. It will also lead to beautiful displays of items within the room itself. For example, if you have a bunch of balls of yarn, sort them according to color (reds next to orange tints, etc.) and place them in a wooden cube bookcase for quick access and visual appeal.
4. Repurpose materials as storage containers. Almost any container that is sturdy with a lid can be reused as storage in your craft room. Try to think creatively and find jars, buckets, etc. that you find visually appealing already. They will be even more attractive when holding your supplies.
Here are a few unique ideas. To house smaller items such as sequins, use little plastic pill storage boxes that you can get at a pharmacy or grocery store. For colored beads, place them in a spice rack by color for ease of access and beauty. Small tins or colored buckets make a great storage option for pens, pencils, and paintbrushes.
For a more industrial look, grab a magnetic knife holder from your kitchen, attach it to the wall of your craft room, and use it to display your sharp cutting devices and scissors. This works best when positioned close to your standing work area.
Look at crafting sites and blogs online or buy inspirational craft books/magazines in order to find additional design ideas that may suit your particular space and taste.
5. Label everything. This is especially important when storing items in plastic bins or opaque containers. As you put away every storage container, make sure that it has a clear and visible label that you can see from the center of your craft room. For example, the bin with tape should say, “Tape-clear.”
You can get as fancy as you’d like with the labels. Some people prefer to use a standard label maker while others print directly from online templates. You can even make your own labels by hand.
6. Install shelving. You want to get the most use out of all surfaces within your room, so don’t ignore the walls. Look around your craft room and consider adding shelves to many of the open spaces on the walls. Think creatively about shelving and use materials such as recycled bookcase shelves or even old metal signs repurposed as shelves.
Method 3 Organizing Your Space for Creative Inspiration.
1. Locate your work table for ease of access. Get a sturdy table that you’d feel comfortable working on and place it in the most convenient space in the room, usually right in the middle. You want to be able to access it from all sides. Consider adding a chair or stool, unless you plan to stand all of the time when crafting.
In addition to your main table, you may want another one placed against the wall that will almost act like a workbench. You can hang items on the wall next to it for quick grabbing access.
2. Keep your favorite supplies close by. The materials that you are using for a current project, or those that you consistently rely upon, should be placed close to your table workspace. For example, if you are a seamstress, do not hide your best pair of cutting shears in a labeled storage bin in the closet.
3. Emphasize the natural light when possible. If you have a choice of room, pick a room with ample light sources. This will help to save you from eye strain as you work on your projects. You can also supplement the light by adding interesting (and bright) lamps. Hanging lamps often work the quite well as they are out of the way.
4. Create an inspiration board. Pin up photos or drawings to a fabric-covered poster board. Or, hang a magnetic board on your wall and attach items to it. Clip or write down quotes that you like and attach them to the board. Let it keep growing until you feel the need to remove some items into storage. This can be a fairly chaotic, but inspirational space, in an another organized room.
To add even more visual appeal, use colorful and creative stick-pins to attach items to the board. You can even go with pieces of patterned tape too.
5. Decorate with beautiful craft items. If you love your yarn, don’t hide it, display it. As you sort out items at the start of this process, look for those supplies that you find particularly visually stunning or exciting. Try to create spaces out in the open to store these items. For example, lengths of ribbon can be stored and displayed by hanging a peg board on the wall.
6. Create more access by manipulating your space. Don’t be afraid to use every inch of your craft room for some storage, display, or work purpose. You can paint inspirational quotes on the ceiling and hang items from it too. You can go vertical up the walls and increase your reach by employing footstools. Typically neglected areas, such as the backs of doors, can be put to good use with hanging storage pouches.
Increase your visibility in closet spaces by removing the doors and replacing them with a rod and curtain. When you first enter your room, sweep aside the curtain and you’ve got instant access and visibility into this space.
Tips.
You might want to do an inventory as you sort and organize, in order to determine what supplies you need to reorder.
Warnings.
Think about design and utility, but also safety. If you will have kids in your craft room, watch how you display sharp tools, etc.
Crafters, makers and builders create beautiful items out of raw materials. If you are a crafter that is unable to think of your next project, there are many ways that you can get new ideas. Crafting is one of the most popular subjects of blogs, magazines, classes and more, and its popularity has only risen as the Internet has become an easy way to share methods, techniques and projects. Depending upon how you like to learn, you can choose the most comfortable option. Select your specific area of crafting and search for the newest crafting projects using these avenues. Read more to find out how to get ideas for crafts and projects.
Steps.
1. Join a quilting bee, knitting circle or scrap booking club. Monthly meetings give the opportunities for exchanging ideas, showing off projects and doing group projects.
This is also a great way to meet people with similar interests and form lasting friendships. Crafting often allows you to talk to other people and learn their stories. Many rural communities have quilt guilds, knitting bees and craft circles that stay intact for decades.
2. Take night classes. Most cities have a group that is devoted to community education and gives a catalog of classes at a small fee. These can include anything from jewelry making to scrap booking to wood working.
Search online for "Lifelong learning classes" in your town or "Community education." Most classes happen once or twice a week over a period of months and they teach you new skills and give you many ideas for projects.
3. Get a subscription to a do-it-yourself magazine. Depending upon your preferences, there are many options. Magazine subscriptions can be bought from a website, Amazon, or a magazine prescription service, and it is a good idea to look for the best offer.
Good options for crafters include Martha Stewart Living, Card Maker, This Old House, American Style, Creative Knitting, Do-It-Yourself, Ready Made, American Craft, Crafts and Hobbies, Quilter, Paper Crafts, Creative Woodwork and Crafts, Car Craft. Knit'N Style, Sew News and Creating Keepsakes.
You may want to go to a supermarket and buy a few issues of each of these magazines to decide which one would be the best monthly subscription.
4. Get involved with Blogger, WordPress and other blogging platforms. Once you have a profile you can subscribe to craft blogs and check back whenever you need a fresh idea.
You may hear of craft bloggers referred to as "choggers." Start by checking out popular blogs, such as Bakerella, Cuteable, Dollar Store Crafts, Not Martha and the Pearl Bee. There are thousands of blogs to choose from, and they may also provide an email newsletter.
5. Sign up for email newsletters from magazines like Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens and Ready Made. They will send you weekly or monthly issues depending upon your preferences, filled with new ideas from their crafters-in-residence.
6. Inquire at local stores if they do classes. In order to drum up business, stores often provide classes for a small fee as long as you buy the materials. For instance, a knitting business may teach their patrons how to use a new set of knitting needles in order to sell more sets.
7. Go online and simply search for patterns or templates. If you are looking for children's crafts, this is the fastest and least expensive option. If you cannot afford patterns for quilting and knitting, there are a number of free online templates that you can find using an Internet search and a printer.
