Texture & toddlers & getting outdoors with our art

We're focusing on texture a lot lately, on how things feel and how the little details match up with the feel.  The boy's acute attention and natural pace helps us notice the world, and lends itself to such a focus.  We need a magnifying glass!  Anyhow, with play dough the other day we were having fun making prints with different raised surfaces.  The next day we had a little walk in the yard to find interesting textural items and then used Sculpey to make nature prints.

Sage

Shell

Parsley

Pine cone

Fir needles

Curly willow

I thought we could poke holes in them and make a mobile but they feel so nice to to touch and hold.  They bake hard, but still feel a bit soft and clay-like.  I think they'll just add special, decorative touches to our rock collection for now.  It worked best for us to roll a ball, place the textural item on top of it and then mash it down with the flat bottom of the mug.  It's totally doable for two- through 30-something-year-olds (the photos are clearer if you click on them to make them big!).

Comments

[Tru]

I'm thinking velcro and a shadow box. Soft and pretty.