Resource Spotlight: Creativebug

The Des Moines Public Library recently added Creativebug to our collection of online resources. Creativebug offers thousands of online arts and crafts classes, including knitting, crocheting, drawing, painting, home decór, and more. The classes take the form of easy-to-follow instructional videos led by instructors that know their stuff. Each class starts by providing a list of supplies you'll need and features forums where you can share your work and pick up tips from others taking the class. Courses exist for people of all skill levels, including children's courses!

Four DMPL staff members recently tried their hands at one of Creativebug's free classes and came away very impressed. Check out their projects and reviews below, and head over to our Creativebug page to get started yourself!

Donna

Crafting for me is a way to meditate and relax. There were a variety of classes to choose from and the videos are very easy to follow, even allowing you to pause and replay as needed. I settled on making a woven finger-knit rug, using a technique my grandma first taught me when I was young.

Creativebug provided a list of the materials I needed at the craft store. I got to work knitting my yarn into ropes, and once I established a rhythm, it was something that I could mindlessly do while watching television. I even recruited my daughter to help in the process. It was a wonderful way for us to connect and teach her a new skill just as my grandmother taught me. My weaving wasn’t perfect, especially along the sides of the rug, but as I went along, I got the hang of it and it didn’t appear too distorted. The few questions I had as I was weaving were already addressed in the discussion board found below the video, and the instructor was prompt with responding to the submitted questions.

Overall, I enjoyed this class and looking forward to making more rugs, experimenting with different materials, and trying some of the other classes. I only wish I had more time during the day!

Elizabeth

I watched the first part of the Basic Line Drawing class taught by Lisa Congdon. The class is divided into parts. The first part, Flowers, covers drawing stylized flowers and succulents. Each part of the class is divided up into chapters under 15 minutes, so it’s easy to find a few minutes here and there to finish the class.

Congdon made everything look effortless, but I was surprised by how challenging it was. For example, when drawing Echeveria plants, I first attempted to draw exactly what I saw — where each leaf started and ended; but when I tried to follow Congdon’s suggestion and imitate the pattern without referring back constantly to the actual plant, I realized that I still hadn’t really understood the structure. Like designer Gianluca Gimini’s finding that many people can’t correctly draw the structure of a bike from memory, I realized that although I’ve seen these plants many times, I have failed to appreciate their true form. 

I am enjoying the process of line drawing. My favorite thing about taking this class was challenging myself to try something new, and the meditative experience of focusing in on the details of the plants — the shapes of the leaves and stems and how they fit together. I invited my 90-year-old grandmother to doodle with me. She kept saying how much she was enjoying it and how she ought to do more creative activities.       

Theresa

I took two different classes. Gelli Plate Printing was all about experimentation and unexpected results. My first attempts were a bit clumsy but once I got the feel for the right amount of paint on the plate, I had more fun with it. The great thing about this class and making these types of monoprints is that it's inexpensive. You can use cheaper acrylic paint from a craft store and really, any type of paper works. I experimented with tissue paper and card stock for my papers and found both worked equally well.

I also took Working with Collage. This class was very much like the printmaking sessions, only for collage and working with paper ephemera. Danielle covered all the bases with her different sessions — everything from collecting materials to composing and then executing the piece. While her aesthetic is different from mine, she had many good tips about types of scissors and glue to use and suggestions for composition and creating meaning in your work.

The production value of the class is top notch. From the overviews to the close-ups, I felt like I was there in the studio with the instructor and could easily see and follow everything she was doing. I also liked her approach. Her manner of speaking was even, clear and encouraging. She was down-to-earth and real. She didn't use "art-speak" or authoritative instruction. She admitted that she too messes up and that some of her experiments work, and others don't. I felt like I was in a class given by a friend.

Now that I've taken two classes, I want to go back for more. Creativebug is for the casual crafter wanting a weekend project or for someone more serious about incorporating creative thinking and doing in their everyday lives. 

Lois

Creativebug is a crafter’s dream! The hardest part is picking a class because there are so many. I found hundreds I would love to take.

I settled on taking a leather wrap bracelet class. These bracelets are very trendy right now, as are most of the items featured on Creativebug. Classes include a materials list, instructional videos, and a gallery where users can post pictures of their creations.

I loved how the instructor for the class discussed items listed on the materials list during the first video chapter. This was very helpful because I learned exactly what to pick up at the craft store. Each video was a step in the process of making the bracelet, so I was able to pause or rewind and watch parts that I didn’t understand the first time. The shared gallery pictures gave me different ideas about other options for my project as well.

Another great feature to Creativebug is the Class Discussion Option. Users can leave questions and comments for the instructor. I look forward to taking more classes and have added several to my Watchlist — another great feature of these database!