Hello! Welcome! You may be here because you have signed up to Art Camp at Home, but you may not be, and have ended up through curiosity, if so SIGN UP FOR FREE today, to a 6 week long wonder-filled art adventure this Sumer!
What Will You Need?
Art Camp – At Home aims to be accessible to everyone and because of this we are keeping our materials list as straightforward and simple as possible. We will aim to use materials that almost everyone has access to, whether that is through a simple online shop, OR, and more commonly using items you have at home!
You can even make your own glue, paints and clay, and I will post links to recipes for this too!
In short, you need something to draw or paint with and on, and everything else is a bonus!!
However, read on for your comprehensive list of what we suggest you to get ready! Please note, pretty much everything is optional, and you can easily substitute things. There is absolutely no obligation to do every activity suggested either, so just do what feels right for your family!
Surfaces and Papers
- Newspaper
- Packaging paper
- Cardboard – from cereal boxes, mail boxes, etc.
- Plain paper
- Tracing paper or baking parchment
- Tissue paper
- Scrap wood (entirely optional)
- Coloured paper
- Black paper
- Sheet music (printable options here)
- Old book pages (printable options here)
- Magazines
- Scrap material (old curtains, dresses, etc)
Natural Materials
- Fallen leaves
- Sticks
- Pebbles and rocks
- Bark
- Shells
- Fallen petals
- Mud
- Grass
- Berries (elder, blackberries, raspberries – definitely optional)
- Clay
- Pine cones
In The Kitchen
- Salt
- Bicarbonate of Soda
- Coffee and tea
- Flour
- Cornflour
- Food colourings (check out this post on natural food colourings)
- Washing up liquid / dish soap
- Bowls and cups
- Cutlery
- Straws
- Scissors
- Sponges
Paints and Brushes
You can make your own paints using food colourings and natural materials – which you can see below, but I would also recommend buying some paints in if you can – don’t worry if you can’t get them all; we are all about resourcefulness and our activities can totally be adapted!
Have a look for:
- Water colour paints
- Acrylic paints
- Ready mixed paints
- A mixed set of brushes
- Homemade watercolour paints from Happy Hooligans
- Try this Easy Homemade Paint from The Imagination Tree
- Or this fantastic DIY Puffy Paint that is Actually Puffy from the Artful Parent
Other Things
- Glue – I would really recommend getting a tub of PVA / Elmer’s glue if you can, though you can make a reasonable substitute from flour and water.
- Craft Materials – things like wool or string, pipe cleaners, pom poms, googley eyes, foam shapes, stickers, etc… you can buy little packs from most good crafty shops. These really are not essential but can be a fun addition.
- Crafty Bits and Bobs – there’s plenty of crafty bits you can find at home, such as fabric scraps, buttons, bottle tops, straws, elastic bands, cocktail sticks, corks, foil, candy wrappers… all sorts of things – get creative!
- And don’t forget your basics – some pencil, pens, colouring pens, pencils, and/or crayons…
- Chalk or pastels are also a great addition
Like I said, this list is a guide for you, and it really doesn’t matter if you don’t have all the items! If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email, or head over to our Facebook group and post there (that might help others too!)
It’s just a week now until we get started, so start collecting any supplies you want. We use old jars and tin cans (washed and de-labled) for things like brushes, pens and buttons… baskets, crates, or even tote bags are great for paper and larger items… Just organising your art materials and supplies can be a lovely activity; get the kids involved and enjoy the therapy 😉
Look out for a couple more posts from me before we get started next Monday, and in the meantime feel free to share Art Camp at Home with your friends or anyone you think might be interested. Thanks so much!
Have a great week,
