Thursday

Something Magical Is Possible

"COFFEE TABLE" BOOK FOR CHILDREN BUT NOT JUST FOR KIDS!

My one-of-a-kind book, THE ART OF THE CRAYON "Something Magical Is Possible", contains images of my 40 year journey with Crayola Crayons. The book is designed to inspire and motivate children of all ages, showing them what can be created (right out of the box) with their own art medium through self discipline and imagination! Children are the future... and it takes effort to nourish their creativity and imagination. 

  • AVAILABLE AT THE CRAYON ARTIST ONLINE GALLERY IN A SIGNED & NUMBERED LIMITED EDITION AND INCLUDES MY CRAYON ART TECHNIQUES DVD  PREVIEW & PURCHASE THE BOOK 



FIRST GRADE CRAYON ART & NEW BOOK PREVIEW

Pablo Picasso once said: "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." I think it’s all about the magic, it’s in my imagination and the fun of crayons inspires me to bring it out.

My new book THE ART OF THE CRAYON "Something Magical Is Possible" is dedicated to my biggest fans, the kids. It’s set to contain a large collection of favorite art pieces I have created through the years as inspiration to what crayons are capable of.

In the early years of classroom visits in schools, I developed a concept of crayon art techniques that help children discover "how things work." Learning styles specialists know that encouraging their sensory and cognitive skills through the fun of coloring will also empower them to become better readers and writers. In terms of education in an age where art continues to diminish in public schools, only for less desirable forms of entertainment to flourish in its place, the future ultimately rests in the hands of the children. I think that my artwork represents a special landmark for children, that fine art can be created with a simple box of crayons that has been elevated to a distinguished level in fine art galleries, museums and national news media events.

I cannot think of anything more constructive, wholesome and creatively satisfying to the soul than a simple box of crayons.  The secret lies in strengthening the current of creative flow by empowering a child’s creative spirit. The Art Of The Crayon serves as a solid platform which is sophisticated enough to continue building upon for independent and creative thinking.

WHY KIDS LOVE LEARNING MY CRAYON SECRETS

Upon entering the art gallery Wednesday evening for art night, I observed a young couple with two young children who were next to my artwork busy coloring with Crayola crayons. They were excited to discover that I was "The Crayon Artist" they had been waiting for to arrive. Jonah was five years old and his sister Etta was four. As they continued to color, I watched the movements of their hands and noticing how tense and stiff they were while pressing the crayon to the paper, I asked them if they wanted to know a big coloring secret, in which they responded with a huge yes.

The most important and basic step was to show them how to properly hold the crayon and to move only the fingers which would help them with dexterity, rhythm and grace to their movements. Etta didn’t want to try it in front of me but instead, began to show me what beautiful straight lines she could make. Thinking she may have been afraid to make mistakes, I left them alone for a few minutes to get more comfortable with the "new technology." Upon returning I saw how proud they were to show me their amazing results. I could see in their work better saturation, smoother applications and their obvious excitement of learning something completely new!

Discipline, patience and self control combined with the fun of coloring are important elements which can give children more confidence on their road to higher learning. Amazing results can be achieved using this natural learning concept. I have seen it over and again, a child’s confidence will soar when introducing them to the technical side of "The Art Of The Crayon."

Crayon Abstract Realism



JEFFREY ROBERT CRAYOLA ORIGINAL ART OF CHIEF JOSEPH & AMERICAN HORSE

My latest crayon original, AMERICAN HORSE, reminded me of another piece I created earlier in my career entitled, CHIEF JOSEPH, where I strived to create photo-realistic images using only a simple box of Crayola Crayons as my art medium. Although I have not moved away from realism with crayons, I've begun to explore the emotional power of the process that compels me to think farther outside the box.

Wednesday

NEW STORYBOOK DESTINATION SERIES


POLAR NIGHT by Jeffrey Robert The Crayon Artist

A cold and starry night in the warmth of a mother's love is the plight of the ice bear and her cub. Lonely and remote by all appearances...home is still where the heart is.
POLAR NIGHT, OUT OF AFRICA and HOME ON THE RANGE are the first of three creations in my STORYBOOK DESTINATION SERIES. 
Along with my concept of crayons, I am recapturing the enjoyment of the "child within." Within this creative process, I can begin to sense a familiar feeling of hope and wonder. It's an exciting emotion that transported a curious imagination to far away places once explored as a child. This "Story Book" art style welcomes back those feelings and helps me to remember how life is intended to be more vibrant and unrestricted by boundaries, times and circumstances.

EMAIL TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE ORIGINALS IN THIS SERIES.
THE STORYBOOK DESTINATION SERIES IMAGES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE IN MY ART SHOP IN ARTIST EDITIONS & CRAYON COLLECTIBLES.

Tuesday

DUKE KAHANAMOKU




WORDS I LIKE TO REMEMBER


For many of us who grew up in Hawaii, it does us well to remember the words of Duke’s mother who use to tell her children “Go out as far as you want. Never be afraid in the water." 

Duke Kahanamoku was baptized in the ocean according to ancient custom. His father and uncle took him out in an outrigger canoe when he was a small boy and threw him into the surf. "It was swim or else," Duke later recalled. "That's the way the old Hawaiians did it." 


I also was inducted in the ocean in this manner by one of my Hawaiian Uncles when I was a young boy and the water has been second nature to me ever since.  Aloha Friday from the Hawaiian Crayon Artist!

Monday

WHY I LOVE TO DO PORTRAITS WITH CRAYONS



Creating Portraits with Crayola Crayons does not allow for any mistakes and to a large degree must be exact in capturing the essence of a person. There is a lot of sentiment and nostalgia that goes into a Children’s Portrait. To use their very own art medium to create their likeness adds a sense of emotion and wholesome innocence to make it even more special. Adults think it’s fun for them to have their portrait created with crayons too. For me, it’s a creative challenge that I have enjoyed for forty years in seeing people smile at the finished work. Oh yeah, everyone loves to have their portrait framed with a crayon with their name personalized on the crayon wrapper too!


CLICK TO VIEW CRAYOLA PORTRAITS

Sunday

BLUE HONU (HAWAIIAN SEA TURTLE) ORIGINAL CRAYON ART

Framed in my trademark frame design with the title of the artwork
 on the crayon in transparent blue plexi/metal floating frame design.

HONU KAI ORIGINAL (sold)



The inspiration for the BLUE HONU ART COLLECTION started with a surf session at a popular surf break called “Honolii” on the Big Island of Hawaii. While there I noticed a great number of Hawaiian sea turtles in and around the inside reef. Especially impressive was the way they harmoniously mingled,swimming in, out and around as we surfed the waves. It was as if they considered us to be a part oftheir sea family! So graceful and fluid in their movements were they. Continuing to be impressed by the experience, I felt that I must color their story through my art of these incredibly calm, serene and laid-back creatures. It is my hope that the Blue Honu Collection along with my other sea life images created with the children's art medium will inspire more sensitivity and compassion from people of the world to live in peace and harmony with this bountiful gift for our uniquely designed sea creatures.

AND THIS IS WHY I MADE THEM BLUE...
Honu Aloha: The gift of the Hawaiian guardian sea creature 
Honu Kai:  The ocean home of the blue honu
Honulectric: The dazzling design of the mystical Blue Honu
Honu Baby:  The innocence of the ocean’s sweet cycle of life
Honu Bubbles:The underwater world of color, reflection and movement
Honu Keiki: The pure and childlike playfulness

Saturday

WAX ON WAX OFF

If you saw the hit movie "The Karate Kid" you would probably guess where I am going with this post. I’m referring to the importance of how the discipline of repetitive movements for perfecting ones skill and abilities are crucial to optimal performance in martial arts. In the "Art Of The Crayon" an important lesson is likewise learned through the flowing movement of the circular motion as the basis and fundamental structure of developing self control. A sensitive touch is paramount in acquiring the ability to create fine art with crayons. For a young child, this may be a little taxing or stressful at first but its still easily encouraged. To appreciate what it feels like for them, I tried the technique with my alternate hand instead of my drawing hand. I must admit that it helped me to better understand why kids struggle with hand-eye coordination and fine motor-skill development in school.

Acquiring this skill, in my estimation, is an accomplishment and an earned privilege. Not only does it coordinate the muscles of the hands, neck, back and arms but effectively trains the eyes and increases mental powers of the brain as well. When employed through the fun of coloring, the difficulties of exercising crayon art techniques become delightfully challenging, simultaneously enhancing the natural learning experience. I believe if children were to learn and master the crayon art techniques at an early age, it would advance them far ahead of their peers in art and in higher learning. The video clip demonstrates a process but don’t let the simplicity of it fool you, creating with crayons can build momentum and be as sophisticated and technical as you want.

VIDEO CLIP SEGMENT OF JEFFREY ROBERT CRAYON ART TECHNIQUES DVD


 CIRCULAR MOTION TECHNIQUE

The "Jeffrey Robert Crayon Art Techniques" are for all ages but "The Shiny Red Apple" is recommended for those who have first gained confidence with the basic fundamentals.  LINK TO LEARN MORE & PURCHASE

Sunday

A Blue Hawaiian Recipe for ALOHA FRIDAY

HONU (sea turtle) BABY BLUE "a new crayon color"
Honu Baby Blue Crayon Collectible


I just invented my own crayon color called "HONU BABY BLUE." Here's the formula I used:

1. (1) sheet of paper.
2. (1) box of 64 Crayola Crayons.
3. Select from box the following colors: ROBINS EGG BLUE; BLUE GREEN; PACIFIC BLUE; BLUE; TURQUOISE BLUE; SEA GREEN; YELLOW; BROWN; PINK; BLACK AND WHITE.
4. Draw out Honu lines as desired or inspired.
5. Then carefully mix, layer and blend the colors together on to the paper until the image is well done.
6. Once completed, view the work. If not satisfied, repeat steps 1-5.

Happy Aloha Friday from the Hawaiian Crayon Artist!

Saturday

The Importance of Hand-Eye Coordination


CRAYOLA CRAYON PORTRAIT 

Coloring PROPERLY with crayons will help children become better readers and writers.

From my earliest years until sometime in elementary school, coloring with crayons remained to be a creative and fun activity. Later I discovered the importance of "fun" and how it plays a significant role in "The Art Of The Crayon" as a learning style that develops sensory perception at all levels. Eyes learn to see, hands develop control, the imagination begins to process as they all work in harmony to release creativity to accomplish its desired goal.


HOW IT WORKS


Hand-eye coordination is the ability to track the movements of the hands with the eyes, thus enabling the eyes to send important signals to the brain about hand movement. Poor hand-eye coordination can greatly compromise your ability to exercise and can also affect everyday tasks such as writing. Hand-eye coordination allows the eyes to indirectly coordinate the movements of the hands. Your eyes send electrical signals to your brain providing information about visual stimuli. Your brain then sends signals to your hands telling them how to move in response to these stimuli. This complex process occurs in a split second, but errors in the process can result in difficulties coordinating movement, balance problems, trouble focusing the eyes on the hand's movements during exercise and sports and difficulties with learning-related tasks such as reading and writing.


LEARN MY TECHNIQUES WITH MY DVD'S *ON SALE TODAY:
THE CRAYON ARTIST TECHNIQUES

Friday

Making Crayons Look Like Real Wood




Making Crayons Look Like Real Wood


This is one of my Crayola Crayon originals from 1999 of one of the many KOU BOWLS presented to King Kalakaua on his 50th birthday, Nov. 16, 1886, displayed in the Iolani Palace throne room.