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Art Lesson Faves & Fails-Part 2

June 10, 2019

In last week’s blog post, Lisa listed her best and worst art lessons of the year.

This week, it’s Janell’s turn.

Faves

Kindergarten

Country/City Pop-up

I’ve done this lesson before, but this time I added a country mouse/city mouse video. We talked about the differences between city and country neighborhoods, and foreground and background. The results were super creative and the kids found it enjoyable.

Second Grade

Kindness Banner with Smile Flowers.

I was playing with bingo daubers and created large flowers made of concentric parentheses shapes. I was trying to figure out how to describe it to the kids when I realized that the parenthesis shape is like a smile, thus the smile flower was born! Each second grade student made a large smile flower for the kindness banner that now hangs in the front lobby of the school.

Eighth Grade

Panther Animation

It’s hard to find lessons that eighth-graders can get excited about. I had success with this animation. I made a worksheet with eight frames of a panther in a run cycle. Using markers they transformed the panther frame by frame. I added all the frames to the Stop Motion App. The finished video is impressive and they had fun.

Fails

First Grade

Still Life Watercolor

In the past, this lesson has been a success, but this year it bombed. Each table got an arrangement of fake flowers and watercolor paints. Half of the class flew through it and finished early and others struggled and were frustrated. To top it all off, one student ran around the room and tipped over everyone’s water container ruining the paintings, ugghh!

Third Grade

Flint Corn

(What it should look like)

At the start of the school year, I was scrolling through Pinterest and found a Flint corn lesson. I showed them pictures of the multicolored corn and discussed its history and we talked about how important this dietary staple was for Native Americans. The lesson involved drawing the corn using black oil pastels and then painting with watercolors.This group of third-graders wasn’t shy in voicing their feelings of boredom. Because of their lack of interest, most of the corn looked smudged and messy. I thought the watercolor paint would make it look better, but it didn’t.

* Lisa and I will be publishing our blog bi-weekly for the next two months. Summer is a busy time of the year for Pop up Art School. In August, we’ll resume our weekly posts with even more tips and insight into what we learned on the road this summer.

What about you? What have been your faves and fails this school year? Leave a comment below or join us in our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. The group is for sharing ideas about teaching art and other subjects in public libraries. Whether you are a librarian looking for new ideas or a teacher seeking a profitable AND enjoyable side hustle, we are here to answer questions and support you!

Art Lesson Faves and Fails

June 2, 2019

I only have 10 more classes to teach and then I’m done for the summer! I’m already thinking about next year and evaluating which projects made my heart go pitter-patter and which ones need some improvement. Here are my faves and fails from the year.

Faves

Foil People Sculptures

My hands-down favorite were the foil people sculptures I did with my fifth grade class. There was such a great energy in the room when they were creating these. I collaborated with the classroom teacher and she had them write a descriptive paragraph about their person. For this year’s art fair I put all the 3-D art in one room and they were I displayed them prominently with their writing hung behind the sculpture. I made a video to show them how to make the body from a piece of aluminum foil.

Architecture

My second favorite was a first grade lesson about architecture, foreground, middleground and background. I started with slides of famous buildings and we discussed how architects consider the landscape around the building. I had 4 colors of card stock cut into 8×8 squares and folded in half. I showed them how to make tabs so the paper houses could stand up in their environment. One of my favorites has a dinosaur on top of a house! We made them in December, and a couple of them had a Christmas lights to their buildings—so darling!

To display these for the art fair, I created paper corner brackets that helps the L-shaped paper stay in an upright position.

I loved it so much that I did the same project with students in an afterschool enrichment class that I taught at another elementary school. Most of the kids in the class were in first and second grades. Someone in this class came up at the idea to put two pieces of paper together to make a double-wide landscape. I love it when the kids are more creative than me!

Modigliani & the Fang People

This is a lesson I developed for Pop up Art School. I showed 3rd grade slides of Amadeo Modigliani’s artwork. He is famous for elegant portraits of people with elongated faces and necks. Modigliani saw an exhibition of the ritual masks of the Fang people of western Africa. I showed Modigliani’s work alongside the masks. The comparison made it clear where he derived his signature style from.

Fails

Love Bugs

I wrote a blog post about this lesson, so you can read more about it here. I will teach this again, but I won’t be using the floral foam for printing!

Gadget Printed Hearts

The inspiration for this project came from a Pinterest post. When I think of this lesson, I think of the Pinterest meme “Nailed It!“ I loved the finished work that the other art teacher accomplished. The first step was to paint a large heart. I quickly realized that kindergarteners need scaffolding to make a heart shape. The original post suggests putting different color paints on each table and have the class rotate from table to table. Even though I had the help of the kindergarten aide, chaos ensued. Oh well, the kids had a blast and they learned a printing technique. It just didn’t turn out the way I had hoped.

Stay tuned! Next week, Janell will share her art class faves and fails.

We’d love to hear about your faves and fails from your art class, art workshops or library programs. Leave a comment below or join us in our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. The group is for sharing ideas about teaching art and other subjects in public libraries. Whether you are a librarian looking for new ideas or a teacher seeking a profitable AND enjoyable side hustle, we are here to answer questions and support you!

Videos for Art Class-One of my Faves

May 27, 2019

At the end of the school year when I’m low on supplies and running out of inspiration for new lessons, I show my favorite video to my elementary art students. It’s uplifting and inspires them to create something from nothing.

Caine’s Arcade is an 11 minute video by Nirvan Mullick. It chronicles the story of 9-year-old Caine Monroy whose dad owns a used auto parts store in East LA. To occupy himself Caine builds an elaborate arcade from cardboard boxes, tape and found objects. He even makes his own T-shirt, business cards and tickets.

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Every day, he tries to get passerby and customers to play his arcade games. Business is slow until Mullick becomes his first customer. Through social media Mullick spreads the word about Caine’s arcade. He organizes a flash mob and dozens of people go to Caine’s arcade to cheer him on and play his games.

It’s delightful to watch the emotions on Caine’s face as he builds his arcade and waits for customers. Caine uses engineering and problem-solving to make his arcade work and he persists even though he has no customers. It’s a great video to show in the classroom when discussing growth mindset.

I particularly enjoy watching the faces of my students as they experience Caine’s struggles and triumphs. We discuss the film afterwards and the kids always have plenty to say.

To extend the lesson, I give the kids scrap cardboard, scissors, tape and glue and let them make their own arcade!

After Caine’s Arcade was released people donated over $242,000 to a college scholarship fund for Caine. In addition, Mullick founded the nonprofit Imagination.org whose goal is to foster creativity in kids everywhere. Once a year the organization promotes the Global Cardboard Challenge & Day of Play.

What videos do you use to inspire your students?

Join our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. The group is for sharing ideas about teaching art and other subjects in public libraries. Whether you are a librarian looking for new ideas or a teacher seeking an enjoyable side hustle, we are here to answer questions and support you!

Mobile art lesson business or brick and mortar studio?

May 20, 2019

Have you ever dreamt of having your own art studio? If you are creative and you like to teach I’m willing to bet you have.

Today we’ll compare owning a brick and mortar art studio to the Pop up Art School model of a mobile art school.

To do that we talked to our friend Liz Boston of Liz Boston Art Studio in Weymouth MA. Liz has been in business for over four years. She gave us the pros and cons of having a brick and mortar art studio.

Pros

1. Supplies are stored where you teach.

2. People sign up because they drive by every day.

3. Ultimate control of your own environment (music, heat, A/C, lighting, etc)

4. People perceive you as established.

5. Bring your dog to work.(Liz’s dog is Kona – check out his Instagram account!)

Cons

1. Rent, bills like heat and electric, insurance.

2. Random weird people (not customers) looking to use your bathroom.

3. Loud neighbors (band practicing downstairs etc.)

4. Monotony of every day. Not much change.

Our business, Pop up Art School is a mobile art school. We drive to the site, usually a library or school, to teach art and STEAM classes.

Pros

1. Low start up cost

To start our business all we had to do was purchase project supplies, business cards and a domain.

No brick-and-mortar means no rent, electricity bills or headaches related to the upkeep of a store front. Having storefront business means you have to build out and decorate the space.Although, I have to admit that it would be a lot of fun to plan and decorate a retail space!

2. Flexibility

Our schedule is flexible. We schedule classes when we can teach them and we don’t have regular hours we have to keep. I also like that we’re not “on” all day long; we go to the site, set up, teach the class and clean up. I tend to be introverted, so a full day in front of people can be draining.

Business tasks such as invoicing, promotion and blogging are done at home which means I can be home with my kids when they need me.

3. Lower insurance cost

Our liability insurance is lower than if we had a brick and mortar studio.

4. Variety

It’s exciting to meet and interact with different people. It’s hard to be bored when every day is a new location.

Cons

1. Driving to every job.

We live south of Boston, MA which has some of the worst traffic in the nation. The year that our business started to takeoff we did not charge a driving fee. That summer, we spent a lot of unpaid time in traffic. As a result, we now charge a $50 travel fee when we have to go outside of our driving zone or drive through Boston.

2. Storage

Teaching art is a supply-centric business. Janell stores all the supplies in her basement. There are stacks of canvases and containers of paint, brushes, glue and scissors. As we expand the business, we are teaching in different locations at the same time, which means we need doubles of the basics like scissors and glue.

3. Packing and Unpacking

For every workshop we print out a checklist of supplies. We carefully double check to make sure nothing is missing. Once we get to the workshop site, there’s no turning back!

4. We can’t control our environment.

Every library is different. When we book a workshop, we send a room set chart to the organizer, but we always bring extra tablecloths because table sizes aren’t standard. Sometimes we are in cavernous rooms and other times we are in teeny tiny spaces.

Not being able to control the environment requires flexibility on our part. Usually, the workshop we teach in a room that is self-contained. A few times we’ve had to teach the workshop in a public area of the library.

Every business has its pros and cons. One person’s idea of heaven is another person’s hell. For Janell and I, the flexibility and variety our business model affords us, is a big plus. Having low start-up costs makes starting a mobile art business affordable for most people. The key, is teaching in places that already have an audience, such as libraries and schools. That has saved us lot of time and money that would have been spent trying to build an audience for our classes.

Want to learn more about Liz? You can find her at LizBostonArtstudio.com. Follow her on Instagram.

To find out more about the Pop up Art School business model read our blog post: https://popupartschool.com/2019/04/28/yes-you-can-make-extra-cash-at-your-public-library/

Do you own an art studio or a mobile art business? Tell us what the pros and cons are for you!

Ideas to Make Hanging a School Art Show Easier

May 12, 2019

Ideas

It‘s art fair season for art teachers. Time to hang hundreds of pieces of art made by the children we teach. It‘s the culmination of an entire year’s work. The prep is tedious and detail oriented but the result is glorious! It’s exciting to see everything displayed and observe the student’s, staff and family’s reactions.

Last year was the first school wide art fair I hung. For weeks ahead of time I prepped by mounting all the artwork on paper banners. The night before the art fair I hung 50 banners. It wasn’t a fun night: my husband and son had to come and help me and I was cranky. On the positive side, the beautiful artwork lining the halls surprised everyone. The school secretary told me it was like Christmas morning when she arrived. So, you could say I was a grumpy Santa on Christmas Eve.

This year, I hung the banners gradually over two weeks which so much less stressful. I’ve discovered three products that are making my second time around the block better. The first is Outus ceiling hook clips for suspended ceilings. Last year, I hung the banners using paperclips—I know, what was I thinking!? Every time I came to school, I’d rehang a banner that hadn’t made it through the night.

I searched high and low for a hook that would stay put. Most of the hooks I found were too expensive, after all, I have to hang 400 pieces of art. That’s a lot of banners and hooks! I finally found one that costs less than $.10 each. It’s a vast improvement over the paperclips. Not a single banner has fallen!

I still use paperclips; I insert them through the holes at the top of the banner, then I tie fishing line to them.The other end of the fishing line is tied to the Outus hooks.

Another item on my list was a tape that sticks to ANY surface. A couple months ago, I hung a semi-permanent display of painted and collaged buildings that the art club made. I hung them in the cafeteria on a bumpy plaster surface. Within a few days, they fell like leaves in the autumn. That’s when I ramped my search. I finally found the perfect tape. It’s called XFasten. It’s a clear, double-sided acrylic tape that can be used indoors and outdoors. To test the tape, I attached a piece of paper to a rough patch on the ceiling of my art room. Two months later it’s still there!

This year I made some banners out of chipboard covered in construction paper. They are heavier and bow out from the wall after I have hung them. A couple pieces of XFasten takes care of it!

Last year, I used blue sticky tack and another adhesive to hang the artwork on the banners, both of which were fails. This year I purchased a 6 pack of Scotch permanent double-sided tape dispensers. The 6 pack has gotten me through the entire year and has been enough to hang 400 pieces of art.

I’m not gonna lie, it’s still a lot of work to hang the art fair, but at least I can sleep well at night knowing that the artwork isn’t falling on the floor.

What about you? Tell us about your successes and fails during art fair season. Want more ideas for the art room? Join our email list to receive our weekly blog.

Pop Up Art School is a mobile art school that teaches art & STEAM workshops in public libraries and afterschool enrichment classes. Join our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries and learn how you can make extra cash teaching what you love!

End of year games to play in the art room

May 5, 2019

What do you do at the end of the school year when you’re feeling burned out, low on supplies and the kids want to be anywhere but a classroom? We’ve got two ideas for end-of-the-year games to play in the art room. The first is a drawing game for kids in grades 1-12 and the second is an art history game for middle and high school.

1-Sketch Artist

Download our free game sketch artist; it’s a guaranteed hit! We’ve used it extensively in our workshops and in the schools where we teach. You can use it in your classes with first grade through 12th.

You’ll need copies from our free download, paper, pencils and envelopes. The premise of the game is that a crime has been committed. The witness to the crime describes the criminal to the police sketch artist. Play the game with one person as the witness and one or several people pretending to be a police sketch artist.

Game time!

In the envelope is a photo of a “criminal.” The witness describes the criminal with as much detail as possible to the sketch artist(s).

Once the artist(s) finish drawing the criminal the witness reveals the photo. These aren’t the criminals from central casting. They are quirky folks from all walks of life. The kids love looking at the pictures and are always excited to take another turn.

2-Art Bingo

How about an art history game that reinforces the learning that’s happened in the art room? We’ve got that too! Art bingo is perfect for middle and high school kids.

You’ll need are copies from our download, bingo pieces such as cut paper or pennies, and candy or dollar store pencils for prizes.

Game time!

Cut the names of the artists into small strips and put them into a container. Each kid gets a bingo sheet and bingo markers. Choose a name from the container and call it out. Play for at least 20 minutes to allow for plenty of chances to win. Art bingo is available in our shop for $4.00.

For $4 and the use of a copy machine you can have an entire days worth of classes filled with fun and engaging games. End of the year stress? You got this!

Want more ideas for the art room? Join our email list to receive our weekly blog.

Pop Up Art School is a mobile art school that teaches art & STEAM workshops in public libraries and afterschool enrichment classes. Join our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries and learn how you can make extra cash teaching what you love!

Yes, You Can Make Extra Cash At Your Public Library

April 28, 2019

I recently spoke to someone from our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. She wanted to know how she should promote her classes to the libraries where she lives.

The conversation brought me back to the early days of Pop up Art School. I had forgotten the questions I had at the start of our business and the points of discovery as we grew.

Libraries offer our workshops to the public for free, so many people assume that we teach for free. In fact, we charge anywhere from $200-$425 per workshop, depending on how long the workshop is, how far we travel and if there are one or two teachers.

When I told our FB group member how much we charge per workshop, she asked, “Is that the price for a six-week class?” Nope! Those are the prices for a 1 to 2 hour—one time workshop!

It also surprised her to learn that a librarian’s job involves hiring performers/vendors for their event calendar. If you have a talent or passion — you have something you can offer to libraries in your area.

Here’s how…

Our first year, we promoted ourselves by sending a mailing to the children’s librarians in Eastern Massachusetts. We had a modest WordPress site with five or six workshops listed. From that mailing we booked 12 workshops. One librarians out of the 12 recommended us on an online forum. From a shout-out from one librarian we booked 24 workshops the following year. We are now in our sixth year of business and we have booked 46 workshops for 2019, and it’s only April!

If you think you want to offer your skills to the public libraries near you, brainstorm a list of your skills. Here are some examples to get the juices flowing:

A history teacher, passionate about the Revolutionary War, can create a lecture and a slideshow for adults.
A creative hobbyist can teach the basics of their craft to teens and adults.
A yoga or meditation teacher can teach others how to balance the stresses of everyday life.

I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to speak to our Facebook group member because it opened my eyes to how we can explain our business model to others.

Yes, YOU can earn money using your skills and passions at your local library. Stay tuned, for more blog posts with tips for marketing yourself to public libraries.

Join our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. The group is for sharing ideas about teaching art and other subjects in public libraries. Whether you are a librarian looking for new ideas or a teacher seeking an enjoyable side hustle, we are here to answer questions and support you!

Simple 3D Anamorphic Drawing Tutorial

April 20, 2019

Want to know how to make a 3D drawing that appears to float? Of course you do! Today we are sharing a PDF drawing tutorial on anamorphic drawing. Your tween and teen students will love this project!

Anamorphic drawing is a 3D drawing using forced perspective. You can only see the correct image from a certain angle or when using a special mirror or lens.

There are two types of anamorphosis: mirror and perspective. Mirror anamorphosis requires a cylindrical mirror to view the image in its correct state. Perspective anamorphosis requires the viewer to look at the image from a specific angle.

A well-known painting that uses perspective anamorphosis is Hans Holbein’s The Ambassadors, painted in 1533 during the Renaissance. The viewer must place their head near the lower right-hand corner of the painting, and look to the left, to see the skull in its correct proportions. Viewed from any other angle it looks like a skull that’s stretched and tipped on an angle. A link to The Ambassadors is listed in the resources below as well as contemporary examples of anamorphic art.

Download our FREE Anamorphic Floating Puzzle Cube PDF and follow the directions for a lesson that will be a hit with your students. Librarians can use the PDF as a passive project for teens.

Join our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. The group is for sharing ideas about teaching art and other subjects in public libraries. Whether you are a librarian looking for new ideas or a teacher seeking an enjoyable side hustle, we are here to answer questions and support you!

DOWNLOAD YOUR PDF HERE:

Anamorphic freebie

Resources

The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/hans-holbein-the-younger-the-ambassadors

TRULY design is a visual communication studio founded in 2007 and directed by urban artists active in the graffiti scene since 1996

http://truly-design.com/

Check out their portfolio of anamorphic and optical illusion public art https://truly-design.myportfolio.com/street-art-3d-street-optical-illusion

Perspective anamorphic art by Felice Varini

http://www.partfaliaz.com/artists/projected-anamorphosis-by-felice-varini/

Anamorphic sculptures by Jonty Hurwitz

https://mymodernmet.com/anamorphic-sculptures-jonty-hurwitz/

Mirror anamorphosis by István Orosz

https://www.amusingplanet.com/2010/04/anamorphic-art-by-istvan-orosz.html

Leave a comment below or join us in our Facebook group Freelance Art Teachers in Libraries. The group is for sharing ideas about teaching art and other subjects in public libraries. Whether you are a librarian looking for new ideas or a teacher seeking a profitable AND enjoyable side hustle, we are here to answer questions and support you!

Successful Ways to Pack for Art Workshops on the Go

April 7, 2019

A mobile art school requires mobile art supplies. As the owners of Pop up Art School we don’t have the cost and headaches of a brick and mortar location, but we’ve had to master the art of packing for art lessons on the go. If you’ve ever camped or traveled with children you know that a forgotten item can ruin your day.

Here’s a breakdown of our fails and 11 ways you can pack for a successful art class.

Fails:

Rolling Cart

Recently, we tested ROYI cart. A three-foot stack of canvases made this cart unstable; it rocked back-and-forth almost pitching the canvases onto the ground. Plus, the plastic hook broke within two weeks!

Cheap tablecloths

DON’T buy dollar store tablecloths. They slide around the table and the kids like to rip holes in them. I don’t blame them, it’s fun. Do yourself a favor and buy flannel backed tablecloths. We get them for five dollars apiece and they last for years.

No charger

It makes us look unprofessional if we ask the client for a charger.

Rolled Paper

For workshops where we use 12×18 pieces of paper it takes up less room to roll the paper, but then you have to wrestle with it to get it flat. Better to carry it flat sandwiched in between two pieces of cardboard.

Small Bottles of Glue

They get clogged and they are hard to refill, and it’s cheaper to buy a gallon of glue.

Forgotten Supplies

If the brushes are left behind for a canvas painting workshop the workshop is going to bomb. Always use a checklist.

Location Mishaps

Google maps is only as good as the address that you enter. A few times we’ve gone to the wrong library. Some towns have more than one.

White Shirts

Our first official T-shirts with our logo were white. What were we thinking?! White is not a smart choice when working with messy art supplies.

Successes:

Room Set up Chart

After we book a workshop, we send a room set up chart. When we arrive the room is just the way we like it and it gives us more time to get the supplies out.

Supply List

For every workshop we print out the project supply list and cross it off as we pack.

New Cart

A sturdy box cart holds the paints and loose supplies much better. It’s wider at the bottom which makes it more stable.

Red T-shirts

The bright red offsets our logo nicely and the dark color helps hide splotches of paint. We spent more to get a feminine cut, but it’s worth it during the summer, when we teach 5 or 6 days a week.

Thumb drive

We keep our slideshows are on Google slides, but sometimes the Wi-Fi is unpredictable. Slideshows converted to PowerPoint on a thumb drive to the rescue!

Paint Crates

Packs away neatly and makes it easy for students to choose colors.

Stickers With Instagram Info

If we put stickers on canvases before the class students have the info when they leave. We post a photo of every piece of art made in our workshops on Instagram. The sticker makes it easier for them to find the post.

Portable Photo Studio

Our Instagram Photo Booth is inexpensive and easy to carry. It makes our photos look professional.

Glue in Condiment Cups

Easy to pour and pack. Clogs are a thing of the past!

Extras of Everything

Life happens, spills and perfectionistic students who want to redo their work.

Early Finishers

Sketch Artist Game is easy to carry and it’s always a hit. It comes in handy for early finishers.

If you’re taking the show on the road, we hope you’ll learn from our mistakes. What’s your favorite hack for packing art supplies? Have you had a packing fail? Tell us about it in the comments.

Tame the Glitter Beast

March 31, 2019

Art teachers hate glitter; there’s even a blog called Art Teachers Hate Glitter. Glitter is easy to hate on, it sticks to everything and no matter how well you clean you’ll find flecks of glitter mocking you for months afterwards.

Here’s another reason to loathe glitter; it’s a micro plastic that contributes to water pollution. Those little bits of plastic make their way into the ocean and into the bellies of fishes. Imagine trying to digest glitter! Companies like Bioglitter are now producing glitter made from plant derivatives. Biodegradable glitter has a softer texture compared to plastic glitter and is used for cosmetic, craft and educational purposes.

I did an art lesson with kindergarten and I knew it needed something else—something sparkly—yes glitter! The lesson introduced printmaking and radial symmetry. Kindergarten made snowflakes with cardboard dipped in white paint. When the snowflakes were complete, they looked dry and lifeless. But, there was no way I’d give the little people of kindergarten bottles of glue and sparkle rain. No way not in my art room!

I’m not a total glitter snob. When my kids were little, I allowed them to use glitter, and we called the errant flakes fairy dust. But, if you have 20 little ones sprinkling glitter, it will get nasty.

In my art supply stash, I have a large container of glitter with a variety of colors and types. I think it’s better to use it than tossing it in the landfill. Whether it’s plastic or natural, it will be messy.

Determined to conquer this menace, I experimented with making glue skins impregnated with glitter. I poured white glue onto plexiglass, in a thin layer. While it was wet, I sprinkled glitter on it to encase the glitter in the glue. I thought they would be pliable sheets of glitter that the kids could cut into shapes to glue on their snowflakes. When I peeled the glue skins off of the plexiglass they were flexible, so I cut them into squares. While I was prepping for the lesson I realized that the glitter squares had turned brittle. Not what I was expecting, but the glitter pieces looked like ice shards which went with our wintry snowflakes.

My experiment didn’t eradicate the glitter mess, but the glue encased about 80% of the glitter and I contained it to the area where I poured the glue skins. Best of all, the printed snowflakes came to life by adding the glitter shards!