Art Supplies For Children

by

Hello everyone, Winnie Griggs here. I hope you’ve been enjoying the Pink Pistol Sisterhood series as much as I have. There are four books out already and number 5, Kari Trumbo’s Bullseye Bride, releases on Wednesday. My contribution to the series, Disarming His Heart, is number 6 and will release on May 20th.

Disarming His Heart is set in 1911 and one of the events that takes place during in the book is that Carson, the hero, and Violet, the heroine, work with a group of young children to have an art show. Which meant I had to (got to!) research what kind of art supplies for children would have been readily available in 1911. What I found out was:

  • Both crayons and colored pencils were available by 1903 so they would be available for my students.
  • I couldn’t find out anything about whether during this time watercolor paints would be in a form easily accessible to school children, so I decided against using that.

So I decided my schoolchildren would have their choice of pencil, pen and ink, crayon and colored pencils. Which actually worked better since there was no need for my young artists to wait for paint to dry.

And since I hate to let a research rabbit hole to go to waste, here are a couple of other things I learned about early crayons and colored pencils:

  • The first box of Crayola crayons held 8 crayons and sold for a nickel.
  • This nickel box of crayons held the following colors: blue, yellow, green, red, orange, violet, black and brown. Those are the same colors available in today’s eight-count box.
  • In 1834 Johann Sebastian Staedtler invented the colored oil pastel pencil. However these were used mostly for marking documents, not art.
    It wasn’t until 1908 that the production of colored pencils for art purposes first came about with Faber-Castell’s Polychromos color pencils.

So there’s a brief overview of my research on this subject. My question for you is, how do you feel about art programs in primary education?

Let me know your answer to this or your thoughts on any of the above notes on my research to be entered into a drawing for your choice of any of my backlist books.

 

And since release day for Disarming His Heart is approaching, I thought I’d share a little preview in the form of an excerpt:

“You are Lily Mayfield. You are Lily Mayfield. You are Lily Mayfield. You are not Violet Taylor.”

Violet smoothed her skirt with her good hand and took a shaky breath. Even saying the litany out loud hadn’t made it feel any more believable.

Would she really be able to pull this off? The plan to swap places with her twin had seemed so simple when Wyatt first concocted it. But now that he and Lily had boarded a train and left town, leaving her here with Aunt Adeline, a woman she barely knew, it no longer seemed such a good idea.

Lily had had a very genteel upbringing and worked with her great aunt in a dress shop, interacting with customers and designing and creating lovely frocks. Violet had been raised on a ranch by her grandfather where she’d been surrounded by ranch hands, and nowadays she worked as a sharpshooter in a travelling show.

But she couldn’t hide in Lily’s bedroom all morning. Violet took a deep breath and stood. Aunt Adeline would have breakfast ready by now–she shouldn’t keep her waiting.

As Violet passed the vanity that held numerous scent and lotion filled bottles, she caught a glimpse of the solid mahogany box she’d placed front and center there last night. It looked about as out of place as a burly strong man trying to step into a graceful trapeze act.

She traced the lines of the inlay on the lid with a finger. But her thoughts were on the sheet of paper that was included with the pistol. The promise of true love—did such a thing even exist?

Violet shook off that thought and straightened. Now was not the time for such wonderings.

She quickly checked her appearance in the mirror. Her aunt had assured her this lovely blue creation was one of Lily’s everyday dresses, but it was fancier than anything Violet owned. She supposed working in a dress shop required one to dress fashionably.

A moment later Violet slid into the dining chair across from Aunt Adeline. “Sorry if I kept you waiting,”

“Nonsense. You’re right on time.” Aunt Adeline’s soft face wore a sympathetic expression. “I know this isn’t easy for you.”

Violet didn’t respond immediately. Instead she studied the breakfast fare—a plate of delicate toast points, a jar of marmalade, two poached eggs and juice. It was a sharp contrast to her typical breakfast of scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, sourdough biscuits and black coffee. She reached for the glass of juice and met her aunt’s gaze. “I’m worried I won’t be able to pull this off.”

“It’s only until your arm heals–four weeks at most you said. And I’ll help you as much as I can.”

She smiled at the older woman. “And I appreciate that. But we both know that even though I look like Lily, I don’t have her confidence, her vivaciousness. People are bound to notice.”

“Perhaps. But we can blame your injury for the change in you. And besides, I think you have a spark of your own. Perhaps it’s a quieter spark, but that doesn’t make it any less special.”

Violet fidgeted with her toast. “But I don’t have Lily’s ease with people. That’s something you can’t fake.”

Aunt Adeline gave her an assessing look. “If I understand your role in that traveling circus you work at, you perform your sharp shooting act in front of throngs of people. I wouldn’t think this would be very different.”

“But it is. When I’m performing I wear a mask so no one knows who I am—that makes it easier to be brave.”

Her companion nodded. “Well then, that’s your answer. Pretend you’re wearing a mask of sorts and giving a performance. Within a few days I’d be willing to wager you’ll be as comfortable in this role as you are in your Masked Marvel one.”

Violet thought about that as she took a bite of her poached egg. Perhaps it would help to think of this as more of a performance than the desperate move it was. Then she mustered up a smile. “I suppose we’ll see how versatile a performer I am shortly.” She dropped her gaze and fiddled with her fork. Time to change the subject. “Tell me about this pastor I’ll be working with later this morning.”

“Pastor Davis is a fine young man and the congregation loves him. He’s a good leader, is well spoken, compassionate and steadfast.” She tilted her head. “I take it you know Lily is taken with him.”

Violet nodded. “Do you know if those feelings are returned?” She certainly didn’t want to have to try to keep up this deception in the midst of a courtship.

“Oh I don’t think so.” She pointed her fork Violet’s way. “Pastor Davis is an attractive, single man. He’s thirty and holds a respected position in town. Just about every eligible young lady in Larkin has her eye on him, including your sister.”

He was attractive, was he?

Her aunt smiled. “Not that he appears to have let it go to his head. He’s always the perfect gentleman and never seems to show a preference for one lady over another. Including Lily I’m afraid.”

          PREORDER  LINK

DISARMING HER HEART

A sharpshooter hiding her identity. A preacher with a guilty past. Will secrets ruin their shot at love?

Violet Taylor leads a double life. She performs in a traveling show as the mysterious Masked Marvel, a daring and commanding sharpshooter . But in real life she holds back and allows others to lead the way. When an accident puts her arm in a sling she has to scramble to protect the secret of her identity as the Masked Marvel. So she enlists the help of her identical twin sister, a “townie” dressmaker, to secretly swap places until her arm heals. But that means she must also take on her sister’s role as director of a children’s church program. Before leaving, her sister informs Violet that she’s sweet on Pastor Carson, the program’s co-director, so she’d appreciate it if Violet doesn’t mess anything up with him.

Pastor Carson Davis became guardian to an orphaned nine-year-old six months ago and has been struggling to build a relationship with the boy ever since. It’s to the point where he’s begun to wonder if he’s even fit to be a pastor. Could finding himself a wife who’d be a proper mother figure for his foster son be the solution?

As Violet and Carson work together on the children’s program the attraction between them grows. But mindful of her sister’s feelings and guilt over her deception hold Violet back.
Little does she know that Carson is harboring secrets of his own…

    ***PREORDER  LINK***

 

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Winnie Griggs is the author of Historical (and occasionally Contemporary) romances that focus on Small Towns, Big Hearts, Amazing Grace. She is also a list maker, a lover of dragonflies and holds an advanced degree in the art of procrastination.
Three of Winnie’s books have been nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, and one of those nominations resulted in a win.
Winnie loves to hear from readers. You can connect with her on facebook at www.facebook.com/WinnieGriggs.Author or email her at winnie@winniegriggs.com.

61 thoughts on “Art Supplies For Children”

  1. Art in schools is very important. Special needs children often have a talent for art. It can help them flourish. Thanks for the history of crayons.

  3. As a history and English, I love research like this. Since watercolor painting became popular in the United States during the 1800s; with artists like John James Audubon, as well as early Hudson River School painters such as William H. Bartlett and George Harvey, I think they would have been available to students in 1903. However, I understand it’s often better to err on the side of caution when in doubt. I look forward to your book. That’s the way I operate too.

    • Great info Janice. My only concern is that just because something was available for serious artists doesn’t mean it was in a form that would be easily accessible to school children like those little sets kids use today. As you say, err on the side of caution. 🙂

  4. The above should say, “history and English major.” LOL. I guess I haven’t had enough coffee yet.

  8. kids need an artistic outlet to build themselves a better future – not everything can be physical activities or sports!

  9. Art in school at any age is important. It could be any kind, visual, paint or clay, dance, so many possibilities to make for a Childs development.

  10. congratulations on your book coming out soon. I cant wait to start reading this series. I am a huge fan of crayons and colored pencils. I suppose it started when mom got all five of us kids our own crayons and colored pencils and coloring books and she made for each of us a book of half finished pictures. example: mine was all baby animals half finished. oh but I loved to finished and add things like pots of flowers or another animal with them. I feel it is important to expose children to art in many different forms. I did this with both of our two children. Our daughter went to art school and made art for tatoo artists etc. She really wanted to be an artist someplace like Disney or Pixar but that just didnt happen. So she uses it wherever she can. She is developing her own website that she shares with the world.and she has been getting requests for artwork. That is cool. Our son took a different approach to all that he learned. He went into sewing as a hobby. Lots of research on his part to make sure the patterns are right. He will draft that pattern to fit the person if need be. Than he sews it and sells it. I am the quilter and greeting card maker. My husband also sews and plays guitar and electronics

  11. I believe art at early ages is a must to be learned as so many aspects of a person’s life and career require agility, thought and perception. One is never too young to learn. Most kids I have come into contact with love to color and draw. Extremely useful skills.

  12. I think art is important to any child it lets them express themselves. All kids like to draw and color.

  13. Art should be available in all schools. It is one of those things that can be taken with you always no matter what your profession and the fundamentals, things like perspective drawing we learned in jr high art class, are important in many fields. I find it interesting that “adult coloring books” have become popular. My sister used to buy kids coloring books for herself because she liked to color to unwind. Now she doesn’t have to be secretive about it. She is one of the many who find relaxation in this form of artistic expression. It is really sad that one of the first programs to go in many school cutbacks is art.

  15. I think art in school is beneficial to students it helps them grow & maybe, one will be our next new artist.
    My nephew who is special needs really enjoy painting & drawing things that he has dreamed up. Awesome!!!!

  17. Good morning, Winnie, wow , I think art in schools should be a must. There are alot of talented children out there and I think Art is very relaxing . I know I always loved to color when I was young , I loved coloring books and crayons. One of my brothers is pretty good in arts. Thank you so much for this info, I enjoyed reading it, Thank you for the crayon lesson. Have a great day.

  18. I always loved art in elementary school! It was so hands-on and fun. We needed that break from sitting in our chairs so long. It was like playtime–but we learned things too! And we were so proud of our creations.

  19. I think any type of art is very important in school. It doesn’t matter what grade. It comes in many forms – painting, sculpting, dancing, creative writing. Who knows? There may be another famous artist, sculptor, ballerina, or author setting in the class.

  20. I love art and believe that it is wonderful for kids at any age to express themselves in whichever form of art inspires them. I find it soothing.

  21. I love art, & was crushed when, as a child, they removed art & music from our grazed schools! I finally got to take art as an elective when I was in high school, but that was a long time to wait. I think art (& music) should be a part of primary school, as it helps to develop creativity & boost self esteem & awareness of our surroundings. The information about crayons was fun to read! Thanks for sharing that!

  22. I’m so glad I had art classes in elementary school. In my kids’ middle and high schools, they were electives, but still around.

    denise

    • Oh you were lucky. My daughter is an art teacher in a large public High school and it’s an elective there as well. But there is an Art I, II,III and AP so they have a well rounded set of courses

  23. Hi Winnie, your post warmed my heart because I’m a retired preschool teacher. Art was one of my favorite activities to teach and do with the kiddos. I always started out introducing art by demonstrating how to write with a No. 2 lead pencil on plain white paper, then using the jumbo pink eraser to erase it. That also served the purpose of introducing writing. When they got the hang of each tool we used, we would introduce another until we worked our way through it all. The day my Teacher Assistant and I showed them how to cut paper with scissors was wonderful. Sitting at the big round tables in a group, everyone had small pieces of paper (for their little hands to hold), a white envelope with their name printed on it (to take cuttings home to show mom and dad), and scissors. We sat there cutting for almost an hour! You would have thought we gave them candy! It’s probably because their parents didn’t allow them to use scissors at home without supervision and with good reason. I can’t wait to read your book!

  24. I work at a middle school and some of my problem students can be reached through discovering a hook. Sometimes that hook is art. Once I can find something they can relate to the interactions improve.

  26. I think art should be offered in schools, even if it has to be as an after-school activity. I know I took a class in elementary school AFTER school and learned to do embroidery, and I still do embroidery today. I think art in many forms is good for kids.

  28. Art is an important part of a child’s development. Children learn differently and and express themselves differently. Our daughter is dyslexic. Reading and writing were difficult for her. We had issues in one of her english classes. She managed to read the book and enjoyed it, but just couldn’t get a book report done. (She finally trusted me to find books she would enjoy which made it easier for her to read) The teacher finally told her to design and produce a book cover for the book that reflected the story. It turned out wonderfully. More children would have a more positive school experience if teachers recognized there are more ways for their students to do their work. I know the problems this creates. Our teachers are overwhelmed with all they need to do. In the long run this would make their job a bit easier with happier, more productive students. In addition, art develops small muscle control, brain development, and appreciation for perspective, colors, presentation. It is something that is especially good for student with learning disabilities, even severe ones. It gives them a way to express themselves even if they have issues with the written word or speaking.

  29. I understand the importance of reading, writing, math and science in learning. I also feel that art education is very important for mental and emotional health. I have never been blessed with children, but I understand from teachers that I know as friends that more and more pressure are placed on them to cut art from their classes. They are forced to teach what the student’s need to know to pass the state testing instead of what we learned as the “meat and potatoes” of basic education. It is such a shame that so many graduation without knowing how to add and subtract as well as a whole generation that does not know how to write in cursive. Thank you for sharing. God bless you.

  30. I think art programs are important in education. It gives children another way to express themselves.

  31. I think it is important to introduce children to art early. It is not just coloring and crafts but also introduction to artists and their works of arts. I think it is necessary for children to grow eventually into well rounded adults.

    • So true. At a vintage book sale I got hold of a 1923 art portfolio titled Great Pictures Children Will Enjoy, Portfolio 7. It contains several reproductions of famous paintings on heavy stock sized about 9.5 by 12.5. And each is contained in its own folder complete with a nice set of teacher notes. So apparently 100 years ago there were educators who recognized the value of just what you are saying

  32. Just a question here… will Disarming His Heart be available in paperback? I enjoy my books on kindle, but I’m more of an old fashioned paperback book-lover. I’d love to have the whole Pink Pistol Sisterhood series in paperback form. 🙂

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