More pattern fun

You can make patterns with words, too. Sharpie on paper by Hannah, age 9.

Make your own "How to Draw" Books

Like "how to draw" books? Want to teach kids your own techniques? Write your own how-to-draw books.

Art by Hannah, age 9.

CD labels

Name your band. Then brand your band. You can write directly on CD sticker labels. Record your favorite songs on the disk (unless you can produce your own!).

Designs by Hannah and Ronnie, age 9.

Eye Ball Buddies, raw and photoshopped

Eliot, age 6, made his favorite eyeball monster with an office dot and a Sharpie. Then I helped him jazz it up in Photoshop. Next stop: a t-shirt.

Tag your media

Eliot, age 6, built this caterpillar out of office dots and a Sharpie pen. Then he built another one right on top of his Ninetendo.




He'll always know which one is his.

Coin Purse

Coins were invented in Asia Minor in the 7th century BCE. The oldest coins sport the pictures of cities or their rulers. Why not star on your own coin? Draw your face; add your name; choose a motto that sums up this week's philosophy of life.

Coin purse by Hannah, age 9; Sharpie, crayon and fabric purse.

Savage Teddies

Ellen designed the shirt. She posted it on cafepress.com. My kids ordered their own shirts from Ellen's "shop," and now they're wearing them. The Savage Teddies are having their picnic today ...

Little books

Mini-notebooks decorated with colored tape, plus mailing labels sporting hand-lettering.

This one has eyes:

Fancy lettters

Like people, letters come in many sizes, shapes, colors, and styles. It’s amazing how much you can mess with the basic shape of a letter, and still be able to read it. Make your letters fancy, fuzzy, or 3-D. Superman has his own style of lettering; why shouldn’t you? Use your own letters to make logos, titles for your books and magazines, or to write your name on your stuff.

Character design

1. Make a head. Draw it by hand, or use office dots, foam pieces, tape, or cut paper.

2. Add eyes and mouth. You can do it with just a hint: a moustache or a beak makes a mouth, and two circles or slits become eyes.

3. Name your character.

The characters above were drawn with the shape tool in InDesign. The ones below are drawn in Sharpie and ballpoint pen.

Little Doggy

To make your own little doggy, cut a strip of fabric and fold it into thirds lengthwise (so the rough edges are folded in). Roll up the fabric and secure with hot glue. Use another roll to make a head. Add ears, legs, and tail with felt.

Design a Magazine

Hannah and her friends are editing a magazine. So far, they've got a title, a cover, and a bar code (generated on-line at barcodesinc.com. And they've started to put together the inside front cover:



If they can keep up their interest, they can do anything. There's the digital camera for fashion shoots and investigative reporting, their own writing, drawing and collage skills, and graphic generators at the generator blog to invent fake products. A little initiative and creativity and -- Ta dah! You've got a magazine.