Art Lab for Kids: 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media-For Budding Artists of All Ages (Volume 1)

Art Lab for Kids is a refreshing source of wonderful ideas for creating fine art with children, offering 52 fun and creative step-by-step art projects set into weekly lessons. 

The book begins with drawing, then moves through painting and printmaking, and then builds to paper collage and mixed media. Each lesson features and relates to the work and style of a contemporary artist and their unique style. The labs can be used as singular projects or to build up to a year of hands-on fine art experiences. Grouped by medium, the labs are set up loosely to build skills upon the previous ones; however, you can begin anywhere.

Have fun exploring:

• drawing by creating a whimsical scene on a handmade crayon scratchboard.
• painting by using watercolors and salt to create a textured landscape.
• printmaking by using lemons, celery, mushrooms, and other produce to make colorful prints.
• paper by creating an expressive self-portrait using pieces of colored tissue paper.
• mixed media by making insects from patterned contact paper and watercolor pencils.

Color photos illustrate how different people using the same lesson will yield different results, exemplifying the way the lesson brings out each artist’s personal style. Art Lab for Kids is the perfect book for creative families, friends, and community groups and works as lesson plans for both experienced and new art teachers.

The popular Lab for Kids series features a growing list of books that share hands-on activities and projects on a wide host of topics, including art, astronomy, clay, geology, math, and even how to create your own circus—all authored by established experts in their fields. Each lab contains a complete materials list, clear step-by-step photographs of the process, as well as finished samples. The labs can be used as singular projects or as part of a yearlong curriculum of experiential learning. The activities are open-ended, designed to be explored over and over, often with different results. Geared toward being taught or guided by adults, they are enriching for a range of ages and skill levels. Gain firsthand knowledge on your favorite topic with Lab for Kids.

Susan Schwake is an artist, art educator, and curator. Her passion for teaching art has led her to working in diverse settings for over 20 years. She has inspired thousands of people in private and public schools, museums, community organizations, special needs agencies, summer camps, intergenerational facilities, libraries, and her own art school, artstream in Rollinsford, New Hampshire, which she co-owns with her husband, Rainer. Most recently, she has taken her classroom online with a series of e-courses for artists, including a parent-child class based on her best-selling Art Lab for Kids series of books. She is also curator of artstream studios, where she has brought over 100 group shows of contemporary art to her corner of New England.

Susan is the author of Art Lab for Kids (Quarry Books, 2012), Art Lab for Little Kids (Quarry Books, 2013), and 3D Art Lab for Kids (Quarry Books, 2013). Her latest book, Art Lab for Kids: Express Yourself (Quarry Books, November 2018) is an all-new edition of her first book, Art Lab for Kids, with 52 original projects that encourage self-expression through art making. 

Follow her adventures.
Blog: artesprit.blogspot.com
Website: susanschwake.com
Gallery: www.artstreamstudios.com 

Rainer Schwake is a versatile and talented media designer holding a master's degree in graphic design. His photography has been used in hundreds of business- and arts-related design works for print and websites. He is co-owner of artstream studios (www.artstreamstudios.com) and lives with his wife, Susan, in Rochester, New Hampshire.