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Last WEEK,
One thing about aging is you don't adapt very well to extreme cold or heat. And, yes, the upper Midwest is frying like the rest of the country.
Gardening consists of turning on hoses and sprinklers and then running back into the house.
To keep cool and busy, I've been doing a bunch of art classes. Here are some of the projects, not made for results but mostly as learning experiences.
In my Mather Senior Art Journaling Class (I don't journal, I just take the class for new materials and techniques), this week we explored Pointillism through the works of Seurat, Van Gogh, and Monet. All of whom used dots, blobs, streaks of colors on top of colors to create shading in their works.
This was 20 minutes of making dots, ala Seurat, to make the leaf form and shadow. I used alcohol markers on simple sketchbook paper.
Alcohol markers are excellent for this technique of using dots/dashes next to each other and you get the benefit of transparency to build up a wide color range.
It looks like I used a million colors, but it is the juxtaposition of colors next to each other that makes your think...ooh what a lovely shade of green, when it is blue and yellow and even peach that makes the shading.
My trushty markers for these next projects also.
In Creative Mindfulness we worked in what you would define as slow drawing from reference photos. Again, experiencing rather than trying to achieve a finished product. Pencil underneath and colors added with markers. For me slowing down is really hard.
This one was easier, building up layers next to each other and on top of each other...lily pads...with my trusty dark blue green as a background. I did the background first and then built up the shapes....slow sketches on sketchbook paper.
Repetitive motions are actually relaxing...and your mind eases into the process.
These are small drawings on one page in a sketchbook.
Here is something different in Paper Cutting class. Using card stock and thick foam double stick tape, I worked at a large (on 12x12 cardstock) petals of an asymmetrical flower pattern I made. I worked large, it's hard cutting small with my old hands.
I created a pattern for the biggest petals, and then cut each smaller layer by cutting off 1/4-1/2" off the edge of the pattern. (You never know how things will work out when you make your own patterns.) Eventually it became very skimpy, I rounded the pattern off for the centers.
The separation of the petals were created by using foam stickum tape (dollar store)
and twisting the pattern pieces one quarter turn each.
This used up quite a bit of paper. The technique was from artist Jen Stark who works in multi-dimensional constructions of layers...google her work, so cool.
Definitely a fun and a bit messy project.
Another Paper Cutting project of building up layers inspired by Jen Stark, was made by cutting from a pattern you created, then making smaller and smaller pieces...mounting them with spacers(I used cardboard bits on this one)
I also doodled ghere and there...this really needed mountin on something interesting, and I used the turquoise and yellow polka dots, as that was what popped out among the warm colors.
The central circle bit was just glued flat, but the edge pieces were layered.
Very interesting effects by deconstructing and reconstructing a simple circle.
I'm always making collage fodder, cleaning my palette, using up wet paint. The strong and dark moody paper was perfect for the next piece...
Working on a theme of Women...and skin tones, I constructed a 'model' from different magazine images, male and female, different skin tones...plus using a multi- portraits historical page for the skirt.
This was fun, the circles were another addition as the prompt included mixint two different styles from two artists.
The fishnet flesh was actually a male model photo in that fabric as a shirt.
I used watercolor gel pens, acrylic pens, posca-like pens, magazine pages, and lots of ink drawing and paint staining here and there...
Spent a fair amount of time on this 3+ hours assembling, not counting making the original papers. The 'dotted' white lace was used to intentionally bring out skin tones and faces.
I finally got in the garden Monday and Tuesday, we had a break in the weather, YAY~ Cucumbers had gone bonkers,
Now I have to make Overnite Dill Pickles
The best ever and so easy!
Thanks always for visiting,
All the opinions and photographs in
this blog are my own unless
identified, I have not been paid or
reimbursed in anyway for my
opinions, posts or any products
shown.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Sandi
Sandi
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