Art Made Easy

Classroom management is one of the hardest elements of being an art teacher. If you don’t have a plan, philosophy or strategy then art-making takes a back seat. I believe it’s all about creating an environment in which your students look forward to coming to your class and equally important, creating an environment in which YOU want to come to class. Here are my 6 factors to consider when making y...

When it comes to painting techniques, most of us think about watercolor paints. There is so much you can do with these watery colors: resist, wet-on-wet, salting, etc. But if you use liquid tempera paint for most of your art projects, you may feel like you’re stuck with a simple stroke application. For me, tempera paints offer kids the chance to explore paint mixing and achieve bold blasts of colo...

As the school year starts to wind down, now is a good time to consider your summer plans. I hope they involve a deck and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc but if your mind is wandering towards earning some extra money, this episode is for you. I want to give you permission to finally say YES to your dreams of hosting a summer camp, starting your own studio or paint party class. Whatever it is, operating...

Today’s episode is special. Deep Space Sparkle member, Gloria Mathews is the quintessential Sparkler: creative, sharing, and kind. She is always the first one to comment, cheer on and celebrate other’s success in their journey as an art teacher. Gloria is a retired classroom teacher who transitioned to teaching art a couple of days per week to her group of students in grades K-2.  Hear how she des...

With the deadline of my first book approaching, I have uncovered a few differences between teaching art in a small group setting and teaching art in a classroom. Having a series of private workshops for the kids who are helping me with my book has allowed me to witness first hand what a private or small-group based art-making experience is like for parents and studio owners.  I'm able to explore p...

Marisa is a former K-8 art teacher from Georgia who was one of over 500 people who applied for a job as a standards writer for Deep Space Sparkle last Spring. Marisa helps teachers all over the world by providing documentation for all of the DSS lessons inside The Sparklers Members Club. Life has changed a lot for Marisa, who went from working as an art teacher to staying home with her newborn so...

Did you go to school for one thing only to end up doing something entirely different?  Most often these types of career pivots happen to us once we discover that we need to create. If you yearn to create art full-time but are in a job you know isn’t meant for you, Gina’s story will resonate with you. Gina shares what moved her to create art, how she got published in magazines and how it all lead t...

Whenever I find myself stuck for inspiration, I always turn to books. Picture books are a secret passion of mine. I love looking at the exquisite illustrations as it puts me back in touch with why art is important. Children learn much about the world through books and as educators we can use books to help children understand what we are teaching. This episode shares my list of favorite art books n...

Are you wondering what STEAM based art education is all about?  Art teacher Amy Zschaber will shine the light on what’s possible for art educators. Quite honestly, I was never a fan of replacing studio arts with anything digital or math related. Now I realize how short sighted I was. Amy describes an art curriculum that is rich in both creativity and discovery. In this episode, Amy shares her jour...

Have you ever felt defeated when teachers receive more recognition than you? Do you wonder how others get more followers on social media or why some speaker's sessions are packed? If you ever felt that awful feeling of comparing yourself to others, this episode is for you. I share my business journey from when I started my blog to how I ended up in a mastermind that launched my full-time business....

Hosting a family art night can be the best way to build support for your art program, boost parent involvement and advocate for your program within your community. In this episode, I share my experiences with my own family art night both as a parent and as the organizer. I walk you through what worked for me, how I set up the event, what projects were successful ( and which ones weren’t!) and ways...

On today’s episode, I’m talking with Sally Haughey from Fairy Dust Teaching. If you’re not familiar with her work, you really need to check out her blog, Fairy Dust Teaching.  Sally and I chat about the best way to engage young children in the art making space. You’ll learn why the method Sally uses is just so important and effective with not only young children, but ones of all ages. This episode...

One of the hardest parts about being an art teacher is advocating for your art program. Feeling vulnerable to budget cuts, constantly aligning with new standards, accommodating everyone’s perception and expectation of what art should be can be very challenging. Recently I asked the Sparklers to share what their biggest struggles are right now in the art room…I love questions like this because it r...

Since the creation of Deep Space Sparkle’s Members Club (join waitlist) last June, I’ve made it my goal to help serve and support teachers on their path as art teachers. One of the newest features of the membership is the Sparkler Spotlight. This is where I share members stories on how they became an art teacher, what they struggle with and where they find their inspiration. I’m excited to announc...

After hosting pop up art classes in her garage, art teacher and blogger Meri Cherry listened to her intuition and opened her first art studio in Southern California. Eight months later, Meri serves her creative community by offering everything from toddler art sessions to family art nights. Learn how Meri created a thriving business and an art studio of her dreams. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:  H...

Does this sound familiar? You teach a lesson and it goes terrific: the students understand the concepts and are totally engaged, but then you go to teach the same lesson at a different school, and it fails. The students don't grasp the concepts and want to do their own thing. What do you do? This was the discussion last week inside the Members Club Facebook group. First time art teacher, Traci Ann...

Do you feel overwhelmed when you look at your stacks of lesson plans and project ideas? Ever wondered how other art teachers store their lesson plans and samples? And what is the best way to store artwork? Start the year off with an organized mindset by hearing how Patty organized her hundreds of lesson plans and stacks of student art. IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:  Why it’s never too late to orga...

Are you looking to incorporate a few STEAM art activities into your curriculum this year? Ana Dziengle from Babble, Dabble Do is this week's guest on the podcast. If you haven't met Ana before, I know you'll love her. She's the type of girl you want as a friend. And since she is originally from Santa Barbara, I'm claiming her as mine! Ana shares her favorite STEAM projects that engage kids and enc...

Are you looking for ways to spruce up your art program? Move beyond traditional lesson plans with artist trading cards, a flipped classroom and QR codes. Nic Hahn, author of the popular blog, Mini Matisse, shares how she transitioned to a choice-based art room, how she uses videos to flip her classroom plus she shares the art projects that have been the most successful with her students. IN THIS E...

The holidays don’t need to be a time for stressful schedules and hectic classes. Make this season your best ever by determining what your holiday intentions are, how to navigate your school’s holiday celebration parameters and what projects to do with your students that will deliver smiles for all. In this episode, Patty addresses the big issues art teachers face every December: What should you do...

In today’s episode, I answer a question from Ashley, a member of Deep Space Sparkle's Members’ Club. Ashley asks, How do you train volunteers so they become an art room asset instead of a liability? This is such a great question. I've been a volunteer in my children's classes and had the opportunity to work with some of the best parents in the world.  And let me just say, there's a learning curve...

Developing art lessons can be overwhelming to create with a busy schedule. Sure you can use the same art lessons every year but every now and again, you’ll want (or be required) to create lessons for a very specific topic or subject. Over the years, I created a criteria for assessing whether or not a lesson will work in my art program. I call it my SPARKLE method for lesson development. These 7 ke...

Are you feeling overwhelmed? I must admit that this year has been an intentionally busy one for me. In order to prevent overwhelm, I fall back on 5 strategies that keep me focused on what is important, what I value and the most important tasks I need to accomplished in a day. This episode will help you identify when you are about to go down that overwhelm hole and how to get yourself back on track...

Do you love creating crafts with your kids? Or creating art based on famous artists? Learn how engineer turned crafter, Maggy Woodley started Red Ted Art, an arts & craft blog for kids. The success of her blog lead to her first book deal, Cute & Easy Crafts for Kids and grew her Facebook page to 1.8 million fans and almost 91K subscribers on You Tube. Amazing, right? Maggy was so much fun to talk...

Do you get frustrated when your students rush to finish a project to work on free drawing or a coloring sheet? Do you find you are constantly being challenge to find solutions for early finishers? In this episode of Art Made Easy, I walk you through strategies to help your students finish an art project during the scheduled time plus tips to help you assess your lesson timelines, free choice activ...