As you all know I love art. The name of my blog is Thrifty Artsy Girl after all, and I'm always up to some kind of artsy project. I also love involving my toddler son, Jackson, in creating his own works of art. Hopefully he will love and appreciate art as much as both of his parents do.
Now that Jackson is in pre-school he does numerous art activities there, and unfortunately less at home. I still try to get some type of artsy, crafty projects in but it's sometimes hard to squeeze it in to our busy life style.
With that said, I was given the opportunity to review an "artistic" product and since anything "artsy" is right up my alley, I jumped at it. The product I'm sharing with you all is called the Buddha Board. The Buddha Board is very minimalist in design (it definitely looks like you would find it sitting out in a Japanese house). Basically it's just a flat board (with what looks like rice paper on it) that rests in a tray (with notches for the Buddha Board and paintbrush) that you fill with room temperature water to dip a traditional Japanese paintbrush in.
To use the Buddha Board you simply paint on the surface with water, after a minute or so the image will slowly evaporate and then you can create another masterpiece :). The Buddha Board is intended to help relieve the stress of most people's chaotic, busy lives by helping you to slow down and relax while painting on the Buddha Board's surface and watching your artwork disappear along with your stress, ultimately leaving you with a clear mind.
Right when I unpacked the Original Buddha Board, Jackson was on it. He wanted to be the first to try it out ;). He painted with the water for quite a while, watching the image disappear and then painting a new image on the board.
To use the Buddha Board you simply paint on the surface with water, after a minute or so the image will slowly evaporate and then you can create another masterpiece :). The Buddha Board is intended to help relieve the stress of most people's chaotic, busy lives by helping you to slow down and relax while painting on the Buddha Board's surface and watching your artwork disappear along with your stress, ultimately leaving you with a clear mind.
Right when I unpacked the Original Buddha Board, Jackson was on it. He wanted to be the first to try it out ;). He painted with the water for quite a while, watching the image disappear and then painting a new image on the board.
Cory and I are no strangers to painting. Before we knew each other we had painted numerous canvases and other surfaces with our own unique styles. *Sigh* It seems like a lifetime ago. Without us even realizing it, our busy lives involving jobs, parenting and renovating several spaces took over and forced us to trade in our delicate artist paintbrushes, replacing them with the poor substitute of painting endless amounts of walls and trim. With the Buddha Board we were gently reminded, like a visit from an old friend, of our love for this past life.
Cory came home late one night from working in the ER and saw that the Buddha Board was set up. I had told him all about the Buddha Board and its intended purpose of helping you let go of the stress from your day by painting on the surface and watching it disappear. He sat down and immediately started painting. He told me the next day that the Buddha Board not only helped relieve a lot of his tension but that he believed the Buddha Board could be a great tool for the out of practice artist. I could not agree with him more.
I noticed the same thing when I used the Buddha Board. Memories of why I started painting in the first place came rushing back to me. Artistic painting (not painting walls and trim) has always been therapeutic for me. The Buddha Board has definitely inspired me to bring more art back into my life.
I noticed the same thing when I used the Buddha Board. Memories of why I started painting in the first place came rushing back to me. Artistic painting (not painting walls and trim) has always been therapeutic for me. The Buddha Board has definitely inspired me to bring more art back into my life.
Since Cory's a very private artist (shh don't tell him I told you that ;) the Buddha Board is perfect for him because everything he paints simply disappears in a few minutes. No one sees if your painting isn't perfect (and believe me, most artistic types don't think much of anything they do looks perfect!) Another great thing about the Buddha Board is that you're not creating any waste since you're painting with water and when it dries you have a clean "new" surface. And of course there's Cory's favorite: you're de-stressing and practicing painting techniques at the same time.
I've discovered it's not only great at painting cleansing your day away, but that it can be used as a teaching tool for Jackson. Since he's a little young to have stress in his life (I hope) and he's currently learning how to write letters and numbers at school I've found a great way for him to practice at home with the Original Buddha Board.
The first time I tried my theory it worked out perfect! First I called Jackson over and I wrote a letter J on the Buddha Board surface.
Next I instructed Jackson to write the letter J right next to mine. He did great for the first try!
As Jackson grows more accustomed to writing his letters I'll have him wait until the letter I have painted has evaporated and have him paint that letter from memory. This picture is the second letter we tried. Not bad at all for a 3 year old!
The next day Jackson went up to the Buddha Board on his own and with no prompting, he painted the two letters that we had painted the day before. I'm glad my camera was sitting right by the Buddha Board so I could snap this pic before the letters evaporated!
We all love the Buddha Board in our household. It has brought back memories of why we love art and has quite possibly brought us back to making art like we used to. It will be used for years to come since it has so many uses including relieving daily stress, a teaching tool, a painting practice tool, and the list goes on and on.
The first time I tried my theory it worked out perfect! First I called Jackson over and I wrote a letter J on the Buddha Board surface.
Next I instructed Jackson to write the letter J right next to mine. He did great for the first try!
As Jackson grows more accustomed to writing his letters I'll have him wait until the letter I have painted has evaporated and have him paint that letter from memory. This picture is the second letter we tried. Not bad at all for a 3 year old!
The next day Jackson went up to the Buddha Board on his own and with no prompting, he painted the two letters that we had painted the day before. I'm glad my camera was sitting right by the Buddha Board so I could snap this pic before the letters evaporated!
We all love the Buddha Board in our household. It has brought back memories of why we love art and has quite possibly brought us back to making art like we used to. It will be used for years to come since it has so many uses including relieving daily stress, a teaching tool, a painting practice tool, and the list goes on and on.
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