52 New: #23 Masterkitz (at home) Art Class

July 20, 2021

Art class was in session at our house the past couple of afternoons. For "new thing" number twenty-three, Zach and I tried our hand at painting famous artists well known works of art. We completed two masterpieces---a recreation of Vincent Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" and Claude Monet's "Water Lilies". New art was a creative outlet for this weeks "new thing".

I love things that are presented in the form of a "kit". During the height of the pandemic, when we were quarantined at home, we did ALL the kits---make your own Boba, Tacos, Ice Cream Sundaes, Decorate your own Donuts (I see a food theme). Now we are able to go out to eat and now we are finding kits that are more centered around arts and crafts. When I was shopping for the supplies for the DIY Sip and Paint, I came across a painting kit called MasterKitz. Essentially, the makers of this art kit, have supplied you with everything you will need to create a famous work of art...all compiled in a cute, compact take home box. SOLD!

The two MasterKitz that we decided to get (mostly because they were the only ones available) were Van Gogh "Sunflowers" and Monet "Water Lilies". Flowers and two of the greats. I was somewhat skeptical that I would be able to recreate a famous work of art. Thankfully the instructions in each box included pictures and broke down the directions into simple user friendly parts that both my nine year old and I could easily understand. Each box contained enough supplies for two artists to recreate a master piece of art. This worked out perfectly for Zach and I to have more quality time together doing what we love---creating art.

The first recreation we tackled was the Van Gogh. This kit included paper, stencils, paint, roller, instructions, and learning materials about the artist and his works. We set up our painting space in the dining room. We shared the supplies and in fifteen steps, we had our colorful, vibrant 'Sunflowers' by Zach Majors and Larisa Majors respectively.

The second MasterKitz was slightly different as it included no paint. For this work of art we would be getting messy...and dusty. The Monet MasterKitz included art paper, 9 soft pastels, two shadow makers, one shammy, composition stencil, a flower stencil, learning materials, and more easy to follow instructions. Instead of painting, we would be "coloring" with the pastels (this is where the dust and mess came in). I think Zach liked this project more, while I enjoyed the Van Gogh project more. I've never worked with pastels, so that was new...and despite my hand turning purple from the pastel, I was definitely happy about trying my hand in a new to me art medium.

A few hours, some clothes you don't mind getting dirty, and free wall space to hang your masterpieces is all you need for these MasterKitz. If you go in with an open mind and follow the instructions, you too can create art like the greats! Now we just need to frame our works of art and we will be all set.