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Creative Travel: Capturing the Look of a Neighborhood – A Walk Down Grand Ave, South San Francisco (incl Free Printable Coloring Page)
Trying to capture a neighborhood or location with a few simple drawings can sometimes feel like a daunting task! Take any given neighborhood, from residential to downtown and it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the many things to see; different building styles, different colors, different types of nature, etc. In a recent online class I hosted with South San Francisco Library, I boiled down this problem and created a simple recipe to help you capture your own neighborhood! Recipe to Capture a Neighborhood = Common Elements + Nature + Unique Elements + Oddities Using this recipe, I headed to downtown South San Francisco’s Grand Avenue to see what I could…
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At Home Creative Adventures: Be a Naturalist for a Day (plus Free Printable Journal)
Nature is all around us, whether it is in your backyard, in a park, in the country, or even on your balcony in the city! Be a naturalist for a day and head outside to observe the world around you. Draw sketches and color them in if you’d like. Make sure to jot notes down as you go along and record your findings. Below is the free printable journal. Click the image and print it out. Fold it into a journal and head out the door! Here is a process video of my morning being a naturalist in my garden. As always, I’d love to see what you create! Feel…
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Art on the Go: Countdown to Christmas Free Printable Art Project
I always find that Christmas creeps up on me faster than ever, so this year, I decided to create a fun art project to countdown the days to Christmas and I’d love for you to join along! This countdown is all about playing with art. I’ve created simple holiday icons for each day and it’s our job to decorate each day however we like — watercolor, crayons, color pencil, markers, glitter, collage, paint, doodle — whatever medium, however you’d like! This project is all about being creative and exploring. There’s not need to worry about staying in the lines, just create and have fun. Be sure to share your countdown…
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Art School: Apple Template & Watercolor Wash Tutorial
There are so many delicious varieties of apples in the stores these days, some are crispy, some soft, some sweet, some tart. There’s really an apple for everyone. Apples also make a great prop for practicing watercolor washes as they come in so many colors as well. Washes are one of my favorite techniques to use when painting with watercolor. The inherent properties of the paint make for beautiful bleeds and unexpected results. Below is a free printable tutorial to practice your watercolor washes making apples. I’ve also included an apple template page if you want help getting started. Free Printable Apple Template Once you’ve completed the exercise, be…
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Free Printable Vintage Wild West Post Card
If you’ve ever seen a satellite image of the US at night, it’s clear to see why they call the western portion of America the “wild west.” The Eastern seaboard is light up like a Christmas tree with city lights. The West coast (Los Angeles and San Francisco) is just as bright, but head east of California’s central valley and west of St. Louis, and there sure is a lot of wide open space! In the spirit of the rugged wild west, I’ve made a free printable vintage-style post card based on one of the images I took in Southern Utah along the Colorado river. I’d imagine if I were…
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Art on the Go: Free Printable Venice Journal and Sketch Page
Gondolas gracefully gliding up the canals, palaces glimmering in Italian splendor, a crowded St. Mark’s Square, a boutique mask shop… capture your memories of Venice with my latest free printable Venice journal page and Venice sketch page. Head to the Rialto bridge and make a quick sketch, or jot down a few notes about the delicious gelato you ate while people watching. Keeping a journal and making some sketches will make your trip to Venice one-of-a-kind. Free Printable City Pages: Venice Journal and Sketch Page Below are my Venice printable Journal and Sketch pages. To use, just select the link below the image and print out from your browser. Use…
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Art on the Go: Free Printable San Francisco Journal and Sketch Page
The fog rolling in over the Golden Gate, the cable cars clanging up Hyde Street; the steep hills, crooked streets, and colorful Painted Ladies… this is San Francisco. The sights and sounds of San Francisco are unique to this wonderful city, and are a must to capture while there. Just print out these San Francisco themed journal and sketch pages and jot down details of your day and sketches of your visit and relive the memories long after you’ve returned. Free Printable City Pages: San Francisco Journal and Sketch Page Below are my San Francisco printable Journal and Sketch pages. To use, just select the link below the image and…
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Culture: Loteria – the Latin American Game of Bingo
The first time I played Loteria was poolside in Cancun. We had just ambled up from the sugar sand beach to take a dip in the pool. The ambiance by the pool was quite different than at the shore. Pop music blared at a deafening level, and waiters and waitresses buzzed around the lounge chairs serving mas cervesas to the sunburned Northerners. A little put off, I found a chair to put my stuff and hopped into the pool. When I popped up for a breath, there was an announcement on the loud speaker, “Loteria to begin in 3 minutes! Prizes for the winner” shouted our poolside cruise director. Well…
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Art on the Go: Free Printable Paris Journal and Sketch Page
Summer is approaching fast and travel season will be kicking into high gear! My family is prepping for a long trip this summer and I can’t wait. Writing a travel journal and creating sketches are such great memories from a trip. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to write after a long day of sightseeing, or the thought of a large sketch book may seem cumbersome– well, I’ve got you covered. I’m starting to create a line of free printable City Pages; sketch and journal pages for famous travel destinations. The designs will be in the spirit and style of that city. I had such fun creating the first in the…
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Textures+Place: The Sands of Hawaii and a Free Download
There’s nothing like Hawaii. Being from California, I’ve been lucky to have been to many different Hawaiian islands. They all offer amazing tropical beaches, warm waters, and palm trees swaying– but each have their own uniqueness which means a trip to Oahu, say, is very different than a trip to Kauai or the Big Island. This texture sampling of sand from the Big Island, Oahu, and Maui is a great example of how each island can vary. I love taking pictures of sand. It seems so mundane at first, but when you see it in pictures afterwards, and start to compare sand in different locations– you can really see how different…
