Asphalt to Ecosystems : Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation
Case Studies from North America, Scandinavia, Japan, and Great Britain demonstrate natural outdoor teaching environment that support hand-on learning in science, math, language, and art in ways that nurture healthy imagination and socialization
Asphalt to Ecosystems is a compelling color guidebook for designing and building natural schoolyard environments that enhance childhood learning and play experiences while providing connection with the natural world. With this book, Danks broadens our notion of what a well-designed schoolyard should be, taking readers on a journey from traditional, ordinary grassy fields and asphalt, to explore the vibrant and growing movement to “green” school grounds in the United States and around the world. This book documents exciting green schoolyard examples from almost 150 schools in 11 countries, illustrating that a great many things are possible on school grounds when they are envisioned as outdoor classrooms for hands-on learning and play.
The book’s 500 vivid, color photographs showcase some of the world’s most innovative green schoolyards including: edible gardens with fruit trees, vegetables, chickens, honey bees, and outdoor cooking facilities; wildlife habitats with prairie grasses and ponds, or forest and desert ecosystems; schoolyard watershed models, rainwater catchment systems and waste-water treatment wetlands; renewable energy systems that power landscape features, or the whole school; waste-as-a-resource projects that give new life to old materials in beautiful ways; K-12 curriculum connections for a wide range of disciplines from science and math to art and social studies; creative play opportunities that diversify school ground recreational options and encourage children to run, hop, skip, jump, balance, slide, and twirl, as well as explore the natural world first hand. The book grounds these examples in a practical framework that illustrates simple landscape design choices that all schools can use to make their schoolyards more comfortable, enjoyable and beautiful, and describes a participatory design process that schools can use to engage their school communities in transforming their own asphalt into ecosystems.
11 Products that Artists Are Making Money With [Updated 2022]
As of 2022, the starving artist stereotype is dying. More artists are creating full-time incomes for themselves online than ever before.
There are dozens of ways to make money online as an artist, but one of the most lucrative is to place your design on products that people buy. Basically, you upload your existing art designs using a print on demand service such as Printbest, which then places your artistic creation onto various mugs, apparel, or other products. You could start earning income almost immediately. Wondering how to be an artist and make money is a thing of the past. Read on to learn how to sell art online and make money.
Making Money as an Artist — 11 Ways
Posters
As far as wall art goes, posters are easily one of the most profitable ways to sell your designs online. The wall décor market was valued at $60.7 billion in 2016, and is projected to reach $78.5 billion by 2025. College students and budget DIY interior designers can’t get enough of them, because they are a quick and cheap way to personalize any wall.
The best part? Poster artists are making an absolute killing. For example, online wall décor company Desenio sells around $27 million a year in Scandinavian design posters. But what about smaller independent artists? Say no more. Get a load of 22-year-old Ben who made $28,139, selling posters on Etsy.
Posters have the advantage of being affordable to print and ship, while also giving you the ability to charge more per piece than other forms of paper prints. This means you could earn more profit per product.
Tip: Instead of printing a bunch at a copy center, use a print on demand company. This way, you don’t have to pay for inventory until someone places an order.
Canvas Prints
Canvas prints have been around for hundreds of years, offering a tried-and-true way to sell your art online.
As a bonus, you can generally charge more for canvas art than for posters or other paper prints, because they come in seemingly endless sizes. This means a potentially larger profit per sale. Compared to prints with frames, canvases usually weigh a lot less, which means lower shipping costs and more cash back into your pocket.
Many customers also prefer canvas prints, because they can be hung in direct sunlight, and the colors won’t fade. They are more durable than other types of prints, making them better for bathrooms. Finally, canvases are fairly easy to clean, which adds to the convenience.
Due to the high demand, artists are making cash hand over fist by selling their canvases. Take for instance, painter VeroniKah from Quebec. She started painting while recovering in the hospital at age 14, and says it literally saved her life. Now she is a full-time professional artist who earns an excellent income, while having her canvases displayed in galleries.
Tip: Some companies print and sell canvases in rolls, but you’ll want them stretched across a wooden frame so they’re ready for customer use. Here at Printbest, we print your art on our canvases and prepare them with a wood frame, so they’re set up to hang.
