Our Blog
Are you looking to further your artistic knowledge or become a better art teacher? Our blog posts are well researched and based on facts for students, teachers, parents or anyone looking to further their artistic knowledge. Put on the kettle and enjoy the reading...
So this is Christmas and what do we know…
Who was Saint Nick and why Santa in snow?
So many stories, songs, images. Even if you’ve heard these stories before, I like to revisit them at this time of the year and perhaps pick up a new little insight.
From the secret gift-giver in...
Why do we bring a tree inside our house at Christmas time and hang things on it…? Do you use a real fir or spruce tree or a fake one?! Some Christmas trees used in stores, and in homes, are huge! Then there are all the choices for decorations - merchandising gone mad. I start to think...
Floral, fauna, bird, mammal, fish, fossil… The states and territories of Australia have each selected emblems in these various categories. Why did they do this? Why were the symbols they selected, chosen? And what’s the difference between the terms fauna, animal, and mammal?
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Capturing ‘on canvas’ the changes around us as our world warms and cools can help us understand and appreciate the science behind the seasons. Looking around, what elements can we add to an artwork that represent what’s happening in nature because of the changes in weather...
More and more, we, as learners and teachers are honing our sensitivities towards cultural practices that differ from our own. The heavy, and most often, brutal burden of historical colonialist expansion into lands that were deemed uninhabited, or unoccupied – and in Australia’s case...
Taking time to remember our dad, spend time with our pop or create something a bit special for the father-figure in our lives can help show we love and appreciate them. Maybe you’re a mum looking for ideas for your kids to do something to celebrate this day, a teacher planning creative...
The fantasy world of Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan and Wendy in Neverland; the adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh and Paddington Bear; the escapades of Peter Rabbit in Mr. McGregor’s garden and Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad in The Wind...
If you love drawing cartoons or creating caricatures, then you might like to hear what it’s like to be a professional illustrator. This artwork above was created by David Follett who is an illustrator, a cartoonist… His job is to draw! He is paid to follow his passion. Dave is...
Image incorporated above sourced from ABC
"I'd like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today. I would also like to pay my respects to Elders past and present." These are the words often used now when people in Australia hold official meetings. The land I...
The act of drawing is an act of visual communication. In every drawing there will be at least one entry point where a viewer might access a window to the message or meaning embedded in a drawing. Sometimes this message or meaning might be quite clear; at other times, the drawing might cloak its...
Kids art, craft and activities for Mothers' Day
How amazing are mothers!
Leading into Mothers' Day, the last thing mothers want to do is think about planning more activities for kids to do. You want to hope that dads or partners are going to step up and organise something special just for...
**2024 Easter blog can be found here (Free art activities for kids)
Easter eggs, Easter bunny, Easter hunt, Easter buns, Easter pyjamas, Easter stories, Easter Sunday...! It’s nearly upon us. A time that means different things in different cultures, religions, and families. In a time where...
There have been many times of uncertainty in human history. War, famine, plague and extraordinary acts of natural disaster are pinpoints in a vast human map of hardship and adversary.
In this time of the strangeness of social isolation due to the worldwide spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) new...
Having to keep kids at home can happen for many reasons. Homeschooling is not new or extraordinary. For many around the world, educating and engaging children at home has been a choice. Parents choose not to send their children to the local school, for many reasons. Others live in remote areas...
In Paris in 1667, the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture began its annual exhibition of student work from the Academy. In time, the pressure to fit in all the picture submissions, led to the practice of hanging the works very close together from floor to ceiling. This practice soon...
What is a silo?
Travelling through the wheat fields in the countryside of Australia, particularly in South Australia and Victoria, you may well pass some amazing artworks on the fronts of giant silos. These silos can be found in country towns near crop farms. Silos are large, tall towers for...
Recently, whilst looking for inspiration for a graphic design exercise for students, I thought about the visual impact that book covers can have on consumers’ reading habits. We don’t really think too much about the changing trends in book cover design – but like all trends...
Fire seemed to be everywhere. Our country was burning. Australia in the summer is hot and bushfires are common, but not to the extent we have just experienced. Obviously not everyone was directly affected but everyone was impacted in some way. Fire continues to be uppermost in our minds as the...
Slip. Slop. Slap. It’s hot. Let’s take the kids to the beach! Slip on bathers and a top. Slop on the sunscreen, and slap on a hat! Grab the boogie boards, buckets and spades. Pack the cricket bat and a tennis ball. Slip on the thongs (Aussie version of flip flops!) and throw in the...
Have you been caught up in the elf craze? Classrooms and bedrooms have cute little elves popping up all over the place. Or maybe he’s sitting in the fridge hoeing into the cheese. The delight on a kid’s face when they discover their elf has moved and is now spread-eagled on the floor...
How awesome is the artwork above! This was created by David Follett who is an illustrator, a cartoonist… His job is to draw! He is paid to follow his passion. Dave is also part of our extended family. I love being a part of an arty, creative family! Artists get so much pleasure from...
The line of creativity that taps into visual imagery, is the same as that which taps into the lyrics of a song, or a lyrical passage from a piece of music. It’s hard to create in a void, that hollow space where nothing happens. Every creative act needs a point of inspiration. But in this...
When we create artwork lessons for you on ArtEyeDeer, we sit at a fantastic old table, with our artwork in front of us, the video camera positioned overhead, and two large light reflectors either side of the camera to diffuse and even out the light. Pretty ideal conditions for making and...
Purpose of pictures
As a mum, I have loved rereading picture books with my children - some from when I was a kid, many newly published. Obviously the purpose was to help them learn to read and broaden their understandings of the world around them. The purpose of the pictures is to help provide...
