Art can open kids’ minds up to creative thought, and helps them to look at the world in different ways. Moreover, an interest in art shows a healthy love for culture, and can become a hugely beneficial hobby for any child when they are young, and as they get older. Sometimes, however, kids need a little push. If you want to encourage your kids to take more of an interest in art, consider these tips:1. Include art in the homeIncluding art in the home is a great way to expose your children to different forms of art from a young age. Kids that grow up in ‘arty’ homes will generally develop an interest in art, and will subsequently continue to relate to it as they get older. Including paintings, sculptures, and photography in your property will have the added effect of making it more unique, and giving it a more distinctive style.2. Take your kids to exhibitionsTo back up the art that you have in your home, take your kids along to see exhibitions at galleries and museums. If your kid develops a particular interest in one form of art, such as watercolour painting, or even a specific artist, like Monet, taking them to see some original works of this kind will serve to further enforce their interest. Remember to cater to your kids age and preferences, and to actually encourage their interest, rather than stem it: which can happen if you are overbearing or too ‘pushy’.3. Use art television programmes and booksArt TV programmes that are geared towards children can make art seem interesting, fun, and enjoyable. Again, finding the right programmes is important, and you can’t force your kids to watch them. Programmes like Art Attack make for fun viewing, and others that are geared towards young kids are best. As they get older, more serious, and educational, programmes can work as well. Moreover, using books, particularly those that offer ‘step by step’ or ‘paint by numbers’ instructions can help children relate to the art. Again, as they age, using books that educate, but do so in a child-friendly way, can help to expose your kids to famous arists from across history.4. Take part in art with themBeing creative with your kids is a great way to build their interest, and bond at the same time. Get together some drawing and painting materials, and set aside some time each week for artistic creation. When children see the fruits of their labour, and are praised for it, they will be hugely encouraged to start other projects.5. Always encourage individualityIt is important for you to constantly encourage your kids to experiment as much as they wish, to make a mess, and to be spontaneous and individual. When they find a type of art they enjoy, encourage them to keep creating new works, and start displaying their efforts around the house.

Not that long ago, it was necessary to sign up for in-person classes to learn the ins and outs of a martial art. The technology just wasn’t available to support quality online or distance education and people living in small towns or rural areas had to travel to take classes or attempt to learn from a book. Today, you can learn just about anything from well-designed Internet classes if you have a computer and a little bit of motivation. Online schools are bringing a variety of self-defense styles to people throughout the world with great success!Before deciding which online curriculum is right for you, think about whether you want to learn striking or grappling moves. Though some martial arts do cover a bit of both, usually there is a focus on one or the other. Martial arts that emphasize striking (punches and kicks, for example) are ideal for students who wish to keep their distance from an opponent. Those that are grappling-oriented, however, involve very intimate and close-up contact with opponents. Some people prefer to keep their distance in a fight while others prefer to move in and wrangle an opponent to the ground.Women and smaller men who are hoping to learn self-defense moves that will be useful in every day, on-the-street-type situations would probably fare better with a striking martial art (tae kwon do, karate, kung fu, etc.). Obviously a very small woman or a smaller-framed man won’t be successful at grappling with and then pinning a 300 pound behemoth. However, these same small-framed people could be very successful at striking a giant hulking man in the neck or the groin (with appropriate training and target practice of course). Martial moves that are geared at grappling (aikido, jiu jitsu, etc.) also tend to emphasize competition that pair opponents up by weight. That’s because small grapplers are going to have more difficulty pinning large opponents. If doing competitions is your main goal for studying a martial art, grappling may be a viable choice. If, however, you’re concerned about self-defense, striking is probably a better fit for you.Once you’ve decided between striking or grappling, then it’s time to determine which online martial arts school would be best for you. Online schools should offer plenty of tutorial videos and work-outs to students to help them master the art just as they would if they were attending classes in person. As long as students actually follow the curriculum, they should see progress in the development of new skills. Be aware, though, it can take time to learn how to use core strength to accomplish the amazing feats that are possible using tae kwon do, aikido, or kung fu moves. Expect to spend at least six months doing conditioning at home before you really start to “get it”.If you’ve always wanted to learn martial arts, but have never had the time, consider enrolling in an online curriculum. These days students can learn just as much, if not more through a home study course. By staying at home to learn martial arts, students can avoid a long commute from home to a school and often pay less to learn more in a shorter period of time. Rather than spending time in the car, students can use that extra travel time that they’ve saved themselves and practice longer. Online martial arts communities tend to be larger and more diverse than in-person schools as well, allowing students to make friends all across the world who share their passion.Believe it or not, you can learn self-defense skills online and even have fun doing it! Today’s online schools are able to offer students the same knowledge and skills that were once available only from a face-to-face instructor. To get started learning martial arts for self-defense, all you have to do is choose the school that’s right for you.

If you think you have the talent and enthusiasm to become a pro artist, you should go ahead with it. However, do remember that talent alone won’t take you anywhere unless you can imbibe discipline into your routine and pledge to improvise over your flaws. Modern decorative art painting is more about observation and diligence than anything else. However, some educational or technical qualification also helps.Though you can sign up for some course if you wish, the best form of learning is self-education. Research as much as possible, observe the paintings of artists from all eras and try to experiment with different styles. When you are working on modern wall art paintings, you will produce bad work more often than good work. It is the part and parcel of an artist’s life. Don’t let your failings curb your enthusiasm; keep on improvising and producing work until you come with perfect art.Warming up is also essential. Your first few strokes of brush may not produce good results. Allow yourself some time to get into stride and after an hour or so you will feel confident as you slip into the right mood. Contemporary canvas art work also requires a professional to be discreet with his materials.Since you are aiming to become a professional artist (and not just an amateurish one), you must not work with shoddy materials! Even if you have to invest some extra bucks, make sure that your painting brush, canvas and colors are of professional quality.Out of the 10 paintings you produce, 7 or 8 (or even 9) may be mediocre stuff. Do not throw them away. Stack them for future reference, but do not market them or show them to a potential employer. Quality should be given precedence over quantity. Display only those works which are your best.Your hand-painted art paintings will require you to choose from a gamut of media and painting styles. As for painting, you can choose to paint in oil or in acrylics or you may use watercolor. Watercolor is the cheapest but is preferable mostly for landscapes or seascapes. For portraits and decorative art paintings, you better settle for oil painting or acrylic painting.You must also learn about computer imaging. The modern artworks take assistance from computer tools and software especially for illustration. You can help yourself grow and get better in art by teaching novices or young learners. Also, try to improve your power of discernment, develop your power of judgment, learn to take negative comments in your stride and try to tell a story using your art.