Who is Keith Haring|Pop Shop|Pop Art|Tips on How to Make Art Fun

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Three reasons to love Keith Haring?

His commitment to his work,

his playfulness,

his investment in himself..

all reasons for admiration.

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Want to know about a darling website for kids with the wonderful works of Keith Haring?

http://www.haringkids.com/

The link can be found below.

You will just LOVE it!

I do!

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I wrote and article about writing a fantasy story with a child,take these tips and apply them to yourself as you think of your own story making.

Soo here ya go:

Children have amazing visions, they play and pretend about fantasy fairies, pixies fairies, dragons, who all come alive within their imagination. Why not tap into their brilliance by creating a story, written and illustrated, by your child or your friends child, through a series of questions. It is an interview in a sense.

A very strong word of caution though, PLEASE MAKE THIS FUN for the child and you. If the child grows weary or restless.. his/her imagination is not at its best anyway and you won't create a happy memory with them, nor will you get the wonderful vision that the child does in fact possess. Take out maybe 15-20 minutes of QUALITY time to PLAY with the child. You can even video it, but only if it does not hamper them and create inhibitions.

It is more than possible that one sentence at a single sitting will be enough. Try not to insert any of your ideas, just listen, feel the flow of their conversation and maybe ask a few small questions for clarification. Find the RIGHT time and this experience will give you a wonderful story to reflect on always. NOTES to Parents or Contributor will be inserted below as well to help you along your way.

Remember! The second the child seems to be a tiny tad weary.. STOP and pick it up on another day. This is PLAY and this should be FUN.

What you need:

A pen and a blank tablet in hand that is ready to fly as the words come forth. A readiness for FUN and adventure, prepare your own self by emptying any preconceived outcomes to the story. This is NOT YOUR story.. this is the CHILDS STORY. Be totally unbiased as to its story line. Be an interviewer without judgement. If any of the questions become irrelevant or don't seem to add to the story? Don't ask them. If you think of a question that seems to fit better? Ask it! Become child like!

What your child needs:

A set of coloring crayons or magic markers and a drawing pad of paper. Any kind of paper will do, so don't get hung up on incidentals. Children do not look for perfection in things.. it is US who instills that in them. If the child does not feel like coloring or drawing what you ask for? NO BIG DEAL! Just enjoy their story. NO strict rules.

The most important thing the child needs for this process? Your smiling encouragement and approval.

The questions for the story:

1)

I'd like you to tell me the story of a fairy adventure. This is YOUR story. I will tell you little things about it to help you embrace your imagination but this is a story from YOUR heart and mind.

You walk through a lovely forest. tell me about the forest.

Can you draw the forest?

2)

You continue to walk and come to a clearing. You see a beautiful meadow of flowers and green grass. Off in the distance you see a glorious castle.

Tell me about the castle.

Can you draw the castle?

3)

You decide that you must see the inside of the castle.

OH! What do you see?

Can you draw it?

4)

You meet the people inside the castle.

Who are they? What do they look like?

Can you draw them?

5)

I love this journey, can you tell me the rest of the story?

NOTE to Parents and Friends: "If" the child gets stumped, add ideas for her/him to think about. These elements don't have to be in the story... they are only meant to enhance his/her imagination. Try to feel playful with this, "What color is the water?" is not a bad question, remember this is about freeing imagination. Some of your additions or ideas might be:

1) What do the flowers, trees and meadow look like? Are there bugs?

2) What does she/he or the dragon or mouse or whatever eat along the way?

3) Did she/he bring food and water with him/her?

4) You meet a tree fairy. What is her name? What does she look like?

5) Does the fairy have friends? What are their names? What so they look like?

6) Are there animals that you meets on your journey? What are their names? Do you talk to them? Do they talk back?

7) Does anyone come with you on your journey or do you walk alone? If so what do you talk about?

8) As you come closer to the castle you see it more clearly... what does it look like? If there is a princess who lives inside, who else lives there?

9) You finally come to the front door and decide to knock. The door opens... who opened the door? Describe them, what did they say and what did you say to them?

10) You meet a pixie fairy inside the castle. What is her name, what does she look like, what kind of books does she read? What does she want to be when she grows up? Where would she like to travel to and why? Does she know the tree fairy or any of the other creatures met along the way?

11) You and the princess or elf spend a lovely afternoon of tea and cookies together. It was a most splendid day, why? Describe the tea party. Where do they have their tea party? What do the cups look like, what kind of cookies? Does anyone else come to the tea party?

12) You decide that it is time to get back home. Before you leave you and the princess or elf exchange gifts to remember each other by. What are the gifts and why did they give what they gave? What did they say inside the card?

13) As You gets ready to leave you hug the princess or elf goodbye and tell them you will return. The princess asks you where she will travel to next, what do you tell her?

Have fun!