Week 2

Here is another kind of a tree to draw. Don’t worry about drawing it exactly like the one in the tutorial. Just try to understand the concepts and draw your own fun tree.

These are Celtic and Scottish family picture charts for those who have Celt/Scottish roots. The Celtic knots, tartan plaid, and Scottish thistle give you an idea of the kinds of things you can do to ‘let your roots show.’

July 2013

The Beauty of Trees

Trees are symbolic of many things: strength, life, growth, peace, patience, and so on. Some trees are beautiful and leafy in some seasons, and barren and eerie in the winter. They grow in many different shapes and sizes, and poets love to write about them.

Because I have been thinking about my family, this month I have made several family trees to share with you, and the color book page is the scene of a gnarled old tree. I’ve used traditional colors to color it here, but I can imagine it being lovely in nearly any color combination.

With this lesson, I’ll give you a tree tutorial, and two family tree charts: a flower chart, and a child’s chart. I’ll also give you a basic plan for a chart you can decorate however you’d like.

Later this month you’ll get a Scottish chart, an African chart, a Russian chart, a Celtic chart, and an English chart—just to give you an idea of how you can showcase your roots.

Notice the color and fun that come into your family genealogy when you make and use colorful family picture charts, as below. This is a fun way to help children appreciate their roots.

Week 1

This name tree can have as many branches as you want it to have. Or you could make a word tree using words on a different theme. You could use different types of writing or fill your whole tree with multiple types of writing and thicknesses of print. You could make circular or curling branches, or make real branches with the words inside the limbs. Use your

imagination and have fun!

(I have provided two colored and two uncolored charts you can copy and paste.)

(The above chart has too many Maternal Grandma's. The first picture after the Paternal Grandpa, should read "Paternal Grandma."  I noticed this mistake too late to fix it, but the picture pasted on top should cover it anyway.)

 Here is a tree for a child, or for an adult who prefers it.

 This is a skeleton picture chart you can decorate all by yourself. Have fun representing the nationality of your roots by drawing designs having to do with the country in which your family was born.

WEEK 5

Use the rose patterns in the first week of June to create new patterns by moving the roses and leaves around in different formations.  Fit them to the box, paper, or item  you’re putting them on.

I painted roses onto these boxes for a friend and my mom for Mother’s Day, as shown in the pictures below.  This week, see what you can come up with by rearranging my patterns.  Good Luck!

WEEK  4

The leafy vine pattern works well if you want an organic background.  It can have black vines and textured leaves, or a black background, if you do it in black and white. Or color it any way you like.

WEEK  3

These Shaggy Petals can be used as background, like I did in my picture, or they can be made to look like flowers—even atomic flowers.  Notice the four different variations pictured.  The variations can be as numerous as your imagination.

WEEK  2

Have a mushroom or two. Fairies love to dance on mushrooms because the surface is wide, smooth, and soft, and doesn't shift as much as a leaf does.  Even a colorful mushroom bouquet can be beautiful by itself.

THE FUN OF FAIRIES

This month the fun is with fairies and flowers, but the tutorials are on the background patterns—and the odd mushroom. I will also offer two rose patterns for you to copy and trace.

The fairies in this color book picture are dancing and celebrating with their king and queen. You’re  welcome to trace the fairies into your pictures if you like.

One day my granddaughter and I went around the house and yard searching out the possible hiding places for fairies. It was a fun activity, and a good one for grandma’s crusty imagination. There can be magic in this world if we’re willing to create it—or just believe.

Fairies are just small people with wings added. Their wings can be of the butterfly, dragonfly, angel, bird, or bat type—any type, really. And their clothes can be ethereal, hardy and rough, short everything, long everything, and from all types of nature. For instance, one of the fairies I drew had short pixie-like clothing and wings made of spider web.  (Not pictured)

Here are two rose picture patterns, and examples of those patterns painted with acrylics. I painted pink and deep plum colored roses, but you can make the roses any color you like.

Framed and on the wall. Voila!

Now, for your first tutorial—

WEEK  1

This Bamboo Sky can be used in any picture that needs sky in it.  It can be colored with blues and purples, oranges and yellows, or magenta’s and pinks—any combination of three or four colors close on the color wheel.