Play with Your World This Summer
Photo by Rory Earnshaw
Dearest Friends,
Last July, when my daughter and I were thinking about things to do, we stumbled across her old chalk, and she started creating art on the sidewalk. She sketched out familiar characters, like Nemo and Spongebob, along with a fanciful bowl of cherries with handwritten messages. Once she put the finishing touches on her concrete canvases, she left them for passersby to enjoy. I was so inspired by our chalk art session, I ended up interviewing master 3-D chalk artist Tracy Lee Stum for KiwiCo. (If you’d like more tips on creating your own chalk art, check out our conversation here.)
Whether you’re headed to the park, the beach or staying in your neighborhood, there are many ways to play with your world. We’ve gathered ideas from some of our favorite creatives: of great ways to get out, to explore, and to create—for yourself and with your community. Here’s wishing you a summer full of wonder and delight.
With so much love,
Leslie
Create Art on the Beach
Photo by Rory Earnshaw
While the kids are making sandcastles, you can turn your beach experience into a creative adventure by considering that serene stretch of sand your blank canvas. Arrive at low tide and, by walking backward with a rake, you can create a set of raked sand rings—your own personal, ephemeral beach labyrinth. Love collecting shells? Seek out white shells and shell fragments as you walk the beach. Then, once you find an appropriately-shaped rock, assemble your very own Rock Star. Snap a photo of your masterpiece, then leave your creation on the beach for future beachgoers to admire.
For more nature art project ideas, check out our book, Foraged Art.
Capture Summer Scenes in Watercolor
Illustration by Emma Block
With the arrival of summer, the world around us bursts into vibrant color—from the crazy explosion of seasonal flowers and leafy trees to the bright hues of ripe fruit and delicious popsicles. In summer, somehow, even the sky seems bluer. London-based illustrator Emma Block often captures these summer delights on her Instagram (@emmablockillustration) and in beautiful pieces like the one above. Want to recreate those frozen treats on the page yourself, or capture the wondrous summer scenes around you? Grab some watercolor paper and a set of paints, plop down outside—in a park, at the beach, or on your front porch—and make your own mini-masterpiece.
For more watercolor inspiration, check out Emma’s book, featuring “40 happy lessons for painting the world around you”: The Joy of Watercolor.
Dream Big, Paint Bigger
Make good use of the long summer days to invite some color into your space! Roxy Prima and Phoebe Cornog, the masterminds behind Pandr Design Co., specialize in enlivening walls with colorful, eye-catching art. Over the past five years, they’ve painted vibrant murals with inspired fonts and graphic designs everywhere, from Pennsylvania to Puerto Rico, Houston to Hawaii. (As Roxy and Phoebe say on their site, they’re “taking over the world one mural at a time!”) For ideas and inspiration—and delightful painting-themed TikTok videos—check out Pandr’s Instagram (@pandrdesignco). And this fall, keep an eye out for Roxy and Phoebe’s book, Wonder Walls, a primer on DIY wall-painting packed with tips, tricks, and advice. (It’s now available for pre-order here.)
For more colorful project ideas, check out Wonder Walls.
For more ideas of ways to get creative this summer, check out Foraged Art, The Joy of Watercolor, and Pandr Design Co.’s website and Instagram.