Scribble Kids traveled to France and learned about art, history and culture!
Here are some of my students (with signed photo releases) working hard on their projects 
Hard at work!
Coloring a ‘Rose Window’
We learned about the Eiffel tower and Post-Impressionism today and studied a painting by Georges Seurat of the Eiffel Tower, which you can see below.
Eiffel Tower, by Georges Seurat
We began our own Eiffel towers with a guided drawing in oil pastels.
Eiffel Tower Beginning Sketch
Then we added color mixing ‘dots’ just like Georges Seurat’s paint strokes. This created optical color mixing! Here are some of my student’s final art.. things got busy so I wasn’t able to photograph everything, unfortunately:
Eiffel Tower by Jeffrey, age 7
Eiffel Tower by Emelia, age 6
Eiffel Tower by Katie, age 7
Eiffel Tower by Samantha
Eiffel Tower by Gabby, age 6
Eiffel Tower by Avery, age 6
Eiffel Tower by Vivian, age 5
Eiffel Tower by Anne, age 6
We also worked on French poodles! Class was so busy I only got one photograph. Only half done here, but VERY cool!!
Poodle in progress
So cute and fluffy!
Here is the recipe the children sampled of French yogurt cake. It’s very easy to make.
French Yogurt Cake (Gateau au Yaourt)
Flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, lemon, Greek yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
3/4 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat a standard (8 1/2 x 4 1/4″) loaf pan with nonstick vegetable oil spray. Dust with flour; tap out excess.
Whisk 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder and the kosher salt in a medium bowl.
Using your fingers, rub 1 cup sugar with the lemon zest in a large bowl until sugar is moist. Add the yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla; whisk to blend. Fold in dry ingredients just to blend.
Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until top of cake is golden brown and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert onto rack; let cool completely.
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the third and last collage for the project for school.
these works (plus Seurat's Bagnade I posted some months ago) are just pieces of papers torn from magazine, glued to the board. later i added some color or details with oil pastels, then acrylic varnish on top.
the one after casas has also some gouache (témpera) beneath the oil pastel on the upper part of the work
these are the images with which i got the 2nd place in a contest at school based on artist Lola Mora's works. I think the exhibition is about to end in a couple of days...but i'm not sure if it already closed.
2nd prize in painting
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2nd prize in drawing
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2nd prize in engraving
I had the usual day of pulling teeth before getting back into my animal characters last week, but by Weds I was motoring again, and got on pretty well. I have the first half of this week too, before my next big batch of school visits kicks in. 
It's been a very stop-start affair: I began sketching my initial drawings way back before my last book commission and, because this is a self-generated project, with no enforced deadlines, I've found it dreadfully difficult to keep momentum and enthusiasm up.
So, before I have to stop yet again, I'd like to get the sketches to a stage where they are at least ready to show to publishers for feedback.
It's probably better that I keep the roughs under wraps for the moment, which is why all I have to show you today is another oil-pastel self portrait, from Friday evening. Sorry about that! As usual, John says I have made myself far too severe...
i'm attending an 8-weeks-summer course at a museum, which has a wonderful Andaluz garden (as a garden in Andalucía - Spain). the teacher makes us see the shapes, the contrasts, the colours, without making details which is too difficult for me, because I always tend to go till the most tiny detail if I can. working with watercolurs in the last years has helped me in that, though in this case, these two works i did this mornig, i used oil pastels to make some shapes then blurred it with turpentine and a strong brush and kept on adding more oil pastel, tried to blend it in some places and not in others.
I did another couple of self portraits in oil pastels on Sunday afternoon.
I like this one best. It's less 'faffy' than before. I think you'll agree too, that I have shaved a good 10 years off my previous age (though I look more grumpy).
I did this next one first (if you see what I mean), and I wasn't so pleased with it, but John says it captures more of 'me', so I thought I'd show you it:
Definitely an axe-murderer stare though: I look as though I'm trying to decide how best to dispose of the body...
As I mentioned, I've been feeling the need to draw from life, but been frustrated by not having access to much, given the weather and my limited mobility. Which made me a bit grumpy last week (just ask John!).
So, to spare him, and to get myself together, yesterday I decided to just draw what I have at hand: me.
I have the urge to work with colour, so got out the oil pastels again. I was quite into them about 12 years ago, but have have not used them seriously since.
It's a bit fussier than I was after, but it's a start and, I must say, I felt a little better immediately.
Just to wish everyone out there in Virtual Land (or is it me that's virtual and you guys that are real..?) a very Merry Christmas.
I've not sent out cards this year, partly for eco reasons, but also because I didn't quite get it together. So, this is for everyone from me (it's another oil pastel illustration, similar to the Stars on Canvas one, but on yellow not black):
I hope those of you who celebrate Christmas have a lovely holiday. I'm hosting two separate Christmas Days this year: Dec 25th for friends and 27th for family. Mmmmm, that's LOTS of cooking, and I've not done anything in advance!! I'm sure it'll be alright on the night (I'm thinking calm thoughts)...
For what it's worth, my bit of wisdom for the holiday is: be as nice to one another as you can manage, and if for any reason you can't be with the ones you love, why not pass a little of that spare good will on to someone else out there who looks like they could use it?
still life
Originally uploaded by dibujandoarte composition using complementary colours in the shadows - in oil pastels
one of the drawings i did today.... the paper is about 80x110cm, i'm starting to like drawing in big formats, though for a "real" drawing i would need more time. this one took me about 2 hours and it's not complete, i'd call it just a big sketch, he.
Eiffel Tower, by Georges Seurat
I am so enjoying your blog! Great drawings/paintings.
I am finding your blog dizzingly energetic - it'sgreat. With regard to the self portrait, maybe you have been a little unkind to yourself? The top half (eyes et cetera) are good, but the lower half is not as flattering and smiley as your picture.
I know, but I am indeed that grim-chinned creature when I'm concentrating - you just can't keep up a smile for 40 minutes without it becoming a weird kind of grimace.
It's an interesting lesson though, in how much all our faces light up when we smile. All power to smiling!