small & MIGHTY

We are celebrating some of our little guys and gals 

with a BIG shout out to 

the little smallSHOP'ers

We are proud of you and the art that you create. 

Pretty Little Pet

We asked our student's to print a photo of their pet 

or the pet that they might want. 

We spent time sketching and figuring out how to draw each animal. 

Once they felt confident, they were asked to 

lightly sketch in pencil on a wood block. 

Using pencil, gouache (a thicker watercolor) and 

colored pencils we had them show fur and 

the shades of the color in the fur. 

We are so impressed by their work. 

The above artwork is by 1st and 2nd graders!

Oh! smallSHOP kids make us so proud!

Try your own. 

Use wood the wood grain is just beautiful. 

Always, 

Sage and smallSHOP

Be still... very still.

Nothing beats a still life. 

You can always find something lying around to paint. 

We chose fruits and veggies for this lesson. 

I am a BIG fan of a square canvas and gray as a background color immediately gives it a modern feel. 

We used acrylic paints and did this lesson over a few days to build up the layers. 

Try one of your own. 

I am trying to convince my daughter to do 4 more. 

Her lemon is so lonely on our kitchen wall. 

I guess that I should speak with her smallSHOP Art Teacher and put in the request. 

"More still lifes, please!"

Make something today!

Always, 

Sage

I saw this photo making the blog rounds and twitter updates. 

It looked like so much fun, we had to try it. 

Thanks to whatever for the idea.

Words of advice: 

1. Definitely try it.

2. Read the directions first. 

(I tend to just jump in thinking 

that I know what I am doing... 

instructions are a good thing!)

3. Get creative with the composition, 

size of canvas and color choices. 

4. Let us know how it goes. 

5. Perfect for Spring Break.

Have Fun!

Always, 

Sage

Christina says:

 When I grow up I want to be N. C. Wyeth

What inspires our teachers?

Here is what Christina says...

1 - smallSHOP Artist, Christina Tonges

2 - "Launcelot and Guenevere" from "The Boy's King Arthur" 

3- "The Legends of Charlemagne" 

4- "Robinson Crusoe"

Growing up my father read us classic novels before bed. A favorite of mine was The Three Musketeers (I even had a hamster named after the conniving spy Milady).   My imagination was nourished by swashbuckling adventures like Robin Hood, King Arthur and Robinson Crusoe.  I loved to stare into space, inhaling the crisp muskiness of an old book, and conjure images from the narratives.  But the real thrill was arriving on one of the glossy illustrations sprinkled throughout the book.  So many of these books featured the gorgeous and compelling illustrations of N. C. Wyeth.  With a single image he captured the mood of a complex narrative.

When I first arrived in art school I was convinced that I wanted to be an illustrator.  I imagined cranking out large scale oil paintings to be later painstakingly color matched and faithfully reproduced by master lithographers.  My rude awakening came in the first week of Illustration 101 where we crosshatched the shadows in our little pen and ink cartoons.  I realized that, yes, I wanted to be an illustrator but unfortunately I wanted to be the kind of  illustrator that has been extinct for the last century.

Carrying the torch of Wyeth draftsmanship and genius Andrew Wyeth, the son of N. C., became one of the most famous painters of the 20th century with paintings like "Christina's World."  Jamie Wyeth, N. C.'s grandson, is still capturing true to life nuances in his breathtaking paintings.

5 - "freyja"-Christina Tonges, 2011

My childhood wouldn't have been complete without these illustrations and 

I think they speak to the adventurer in all of us.

What is inspiring you? 

smallSHOP on HGTV - Clip

We were lucky enough to be asked by the darling Emily Henderson to help create a tree topper for her HGTV Holiday TV Special. Please watch as we, very quickly, demonstrate how to make a one of a kind tree topper. We hope that you enjoy it.
Best Wishes,
Sage and smallSHOP

smallSHOP Artist Christina Tonges

smallSHOP Artist Christina Tonges is not only an incredible teacher,
she is an accomplished artist.
Please check out the wonderful shout out she got on Please Note Paper 
(please click here to be linked).
We are so happy that she is part of our team.

Here are few of my favorite works of art by Christina.

To view more of her art and choose your favorites, please check out her Etsy shop. 

And please share with your little artists, it is exciting to see your teacher in a new environment and I am sure that they would love to see her art.

And remember we teach adults too! So if you are feeling creative and want a supportive little shadow helping you along the way, please give a call and we will be that shadow. www.smallshopathome.com.

Have a wonderful day and keep creating.

Best Wishes,
Sage and smallSHOP

A few good men and one little lady

smallSHOP artists like to do different styles of self portraits. 

Here we used oil pastels and acrylic paints. 

We talked about different angles: profile, 3/4 and frontal. 

We discussed proportion and blending colors. 

And as always we encouraged the young artists to express themselves. 

I love self portraits. 

They truly are a treasure. 

Enjoy.

Animals on Parade...

 

smallSHOP Artist Gallery

Please enjoy a sampling of our talented young artists. 

We are so proud of all them.