Pop Up Art School

art supplies

Successful Ways to Pack for Art Workshops on the Go

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.

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!

Tame the Glitter Beast

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!

 

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!