Display Ideas No.3

RIBBA Picture Ledge - IKEA

I came across this idea, or more accurately 2 ideas, at Ikea.  Again, they're really simple and effective, like all the best ideas, and they don't cost a great deal.  The first is the RIBBA picture ledge.  This is a narrow shelf (available in white or black and in a variety of lengths) which is specifically intended for pictures in frames to sit on, propped against the wall.  A small retaining edge on the shelf ensures that the frames don't slide off.  It's a very flexible way of displaying pictures, which can be changed really easily without having to knock nails or pins in the wall.  You can use just a single shelf as shown here, or several at different heights, and of course it's not just suitable for displaying kids artwork, but can be used for any framed picture. I really like this idea, and intend to use it myself, though I'm a bit concerned about my ability to put it up straight!

I was really pleased when I came across this photo, as it combined in one image the 2 ideas from Ikea that I wanted to share. The second idea uses the simple, cheap, colourful frames that Ikea produce, to create a colourful display of kids artwork.  The NYTTJA frames are available in a variety of sizes and bright colours, with plastic glazing which is much safer for kids rooms.  Used together, either on a picture ledge as shown here, or grouped together on a wall, I think they create a really striking display.

For Budding Artists and Aspiring Art Thieves

It's something of a cliche to look at a modern abstract work of art, and compare it with your 3 year old's latest masterpiece, but now you can take it a step further and get an authentic 'critique' of your child's artwork by a professional.  I first saw the service offered by Charles Kinbote (the pen name of a professional writer for whom this is a light-hearted side-line) a couple of years ago, when I was thinking about setting up Artful Kids, as my initial idea for the site was simply to offer a service where children's art is presented as if it were a gallery style poster (see below), and I thought that the commentaries made a perfect accompaniment.  To explain in more detail, Kinbote's Bespoke Art Commentary Service is dedicated to providing an appreciative, witty, wonderfully pretentious and bespoke review of a child's painting or drawing, and has apparently been used by several celebrities for their children, including Tilda Swinton, and Kate Moss.  The ideal age of the artist is about 2-6 years old.  Parents email an image of the artwork, and the child answers a series of basic questions.  Once complete, the finished product is supplied printed, framed and boxed to display alongside your child's artwork.  Click here to read an example.

Featured Artist
Thank you to those of you who have joined and uploaded photos of your children's artwork to the Artful Kids Flickr group.  This week I am introducing the first of my featured artists - hopefully the first of many, but I need more group members to upload photos if this is going to be anything like as regular a feature as I would like it to be.  Remember the artwork (paintings and drawings only) needs to have been done by a child under 12 years old, and please make the photos as good as you can, since I can't really use poor quality images.

Fashion illustration, contributed by PrettyGoods, whose daughter Tess produced this work at the age of 11.  I think she shows real artistic talent, and love her creative use of backgrounds.

If you would like to contribute your own photos to the group, the address is:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/artfulkids


And Finally....

Out shopping for a present for my younger son's 3rd birthday, I spotted a toy in the Playmobil range, which made me do a double-take.  It was a 'jewel thief' set, which came complete with security guard, thief, grappling hook and other suitable tools, museum display case, artwork and easel.  Everything the aspiring young jewel or art thief needs to perfect their technique.  I'm not quite sure what message this is meant to portray to the younger child which Playmobil is aimed at - in fact I'm not sure myself whether to be amused or outraged?!  However, it appears to be part of a whole range of police, security, special agents and thieves - I suppose it's just art (or in this case toys) imitating reality - but how far do you take it at such a young age?