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Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Friday, December 23, 2016
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Monday, December 19, 2016
Make it: Animals in a jungle. “The following rhymed stanza provides clues young children can use to add interest to their compositions: Something big, something small, Something short, something tall, Something dark, something light, Helps to make your drawing right.” --Emphasis Art, Frank Wachowiak Key concepts: line, color, pattern, shape. Materials: colored construction paper, chalk or pencil, black felt-tipped marker (Sharpie or other) or black tempera paint and brush, oil pastels. 1. Start with observing animals--this could be a trip to the zoo, visit to the aquarium, watching a pet, or even a web search of wild animals. We started this project looking at jungle animals, and Farris decided to draw a sheep instead. You could even draw an imaginary animal! Notice characteristics, including textured skin, spots, the curve of a horn or the pattern of scales. 2. Using school chalk or pencil, draw the contour of the animals. Encourage your child to draw big and fill up the page! Fill in with foliage, flowers, small animals, etc. Go over the line with the sharpie or black tempera. 3. Fill in shapes--including the negative space of the background--with oil pastel. This would be a great time to add pattern or texture, as well. Continue looking at pictures of animals and foliage as you’re working, for extra inspiration. // Project idea adapted from Emphasis Art, Wachowiak.
SPEAK THE LANGUAGE. One of the most helpful things we were told in school was by Professor Kelly Bryant. She told us that if we were ever stuck in the concept stage of design, unable to move on to process and aesthetic, we should reference our elements and principles of design and name the things that best communicated our idea. Wanting to communicate high energy, vibrancy, movement? Maybe you use warm colors and short, spontaneous lines all across the composition. [line + color ]. Want to express stability? Perhaps you use a rectangle that is repeated several times. [shape + rhythm]. Tranquility? How about subtle layers of washes, similar sizes, calm colors? [balance, unity, color, shape]. This exercise has been invaluable to me as I have used it time and again in my art and design process over the years. // Quick note: I mean for these posts to build on one another, but also to be individual "101" type lessons that can be further explored as desired. For further study, do some reading on the elements and principles of design, and reference articles and art history books with art examples that show them in use. The library would be a great place to start, and many universities have accessible course materials online, as well. In so doing, you'll start to learn this new language and how to use it. Later today I'll post a "wild" project idea to try with kids! Don't forget to tag me and #mixedmediamonday so I can see what you're doing!
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Monday, December 12, 2016
Make it: Patterned Salamander Wax Resist. Key concepts: Pattern, texture, symmetry. Materials: roughly 8x10 sheet of heavy paper (watercolor or other), watercolors, oil pastels or crayons, table salt. 1. Look at images of salamanders and chameleons for color and pattern inspiration. Better yet, catch a lizard in your backyard! 2. Fold paper in half lengthwise and draw one side of a salamander along the fold. Cut out, to make one complete salamander when unfolded. 3. Using pastels or crayons, create different patterns along the body. 4. Watercolor different colors on top and watch the wax of the pattern resist the water! 5. Sprinkle salt on top of the watercolor and let dry. Shake it off and notice the beautiful visual texture it created!
LEARN THE PRINCIPLES. We’ve talked about elements of design; now let’s talk about how these are used in art. We make these elements do what we want them to by harnessing them with the principles of design: balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, repetition, proportion, rhythm, variety, and unity. What happens when you repeat a line? You get repetition and pattern. What happens when you turn it diagonally and give it a curve? You get movement. What happens when you put a big line on one side and a tiny line on the other? You don’t get balance--and you might not want balance. Maybe you’re trying to communicate tension or pain; well, imbalance would be a great tool for you to use. The point here is to see the rules of how these elements can be used. This will make your art--or your child’s--stronger than not knowing the rules at all. So for today, explore some of these principles with your child. Notice the variety of flowers in a garden or the repetition of string lights over the streets downtown. Try putting one big shape in the lower left of a composition and two small shapes in the upper right; you’ve got asymmetrical balance! See how the drawing feels when one person is much bigger than the others--you’ve got emphasis, which signifies importance, and this might be exactly what your child intended. Next week we’ll learn about using these principles for our purposes. Stay tuned for a very reptilian project idea!
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Friday, December 9, 2016
Thursday, December 8, 2016
I am so excited and humbled to have my good high school friend Lauren of @dept_of_agra_culture post this mini tour of my house! It all started back when Lauren helped me rearrange my living room furniture. Since then she has helped design my patio and advise me on things to buy--as well as kept me from making terrible purchases, right Lauren?? She also saw my home through new eyes and helped me feel confident in what I have. Her styling and @laurentomasella 's photography have made our house look like a million bucks. I am so grateful. The link to the tour is in my profile! #Repost @dept_of_agra_culture with @repostapp ・・・ | Home Tour | New on the blog! Come tour the layered and light filled home of illustrator @sarah_robins_powell. Isn't her gallery wall to die for? Link in profile. 📸 by @laurentomasella
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
GIVEAWAY! I'm so excited to offer this little painting in my latest series: Angel and child, gouache and pastel on kraft paper, 4x6". To enter the giveaway, 1. Follow my account on Instagram. 2. Comment below and tag three friends. Share this post for an additional entry! I'll announce the winner on Friday morning!
Monday, December 5, 2016
Make it: Paper Marbling. Key concepts: color, line, shape. Materials: Large sheet of heavy white paper, shaving cream, food coloring, baking sheet, spatula or credit card for scraping and tools for marbling (such as a butter knife or toothpick). 1. Spread shaving cream into baking sheet. 2. Put drops of food coloring all over the shaving cream, and start marbling! Use your toothpick or knife to make lots of swirls and lines in the shaving cream. 3. Lay the paper gently on the shaving cream and press. Leave for about 30 seconds and pull off. 4. Lay paper flat, with shaving cream side facing up, and scrape off excess shaving cream with spatula. Use a paper towel to get remaining spots if needed. 5. Voila! Use your marbled paper to make a bookmark, book cover, or to cut shapes for another project! // Project idea from happyhooligans.ca.
LEARN THE ELEMENTS. I’ve posted on seeing our world and the importance of process; this week let’s talk about some fundamentals by which all art and design is made--things you can look for when you look around you. I’m talking about the elements of design: line, color, shape, form, space, value, and texture. Start looking for these things when you observe the world, and observe the world with your children: notice the arch of your baby’s mouth (that’s line); the purple of the mountains as the sun sets (color); quilt squares (shape); the rounded curve of an egg (form); birds flying (positive space) against the sky (negative space); the white of the sun on a tin roof or the darkness of a shadow (value); or the smoothness of silk (texture). Everything we see can be deconstructed into these elements, and they are your tools for communication and expression--the language of art and design. Talk about these things when your child is creating. Explore different line quality: organic, geometric, thick, thin, broken, continuous, sharp, broken. See what you can find that is a line--a stick is a good example--and see what you can “draw” by putting many of them together. Practice exploring shape by making compositions with cut paper. When you start viewing the world as the elements of design, you are on your way to expressing what you see--and think and feel--through art.
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Allow time for process! Was cleaning out my studio and found a lot of media exploration from the beginning stages of my senior design project. Because of the concept and direction of my project, this step was especially crucial. Check in tomorrow for #mixedmediamonday and #mixedmediamusings--we'll be learning the language of art!
Friday, December 2, 2016
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Monday, November 28, 2016
Make it: Paper Weaving. // Key concepts: Media discovery and exploration, shape, symmetry, pattern. // Materials: Watercolor set, 2-3 brushes in varying sizes; 2 large sheets of watercolor paper or white drawing paper (around 9x12; you can tear a big sheet of paper into smaller pieces if you need); glue stick; oil pastels or crayons. Remember: Break up this project into two or three sessions if you need to! Allow time for art appreciation, discussion, thought, and discovery. // 1. Spend some time looking at textiles, discussing different lines, shapes, motifs (such as diamonds, triangles, squares, stars, flowers, houses, etc.) and symmetry. An easy place to start would be a quick web search of “folk quilts,” “quilts of Gee’s bend” or “Native American textiles.” If you’re doing this project with your child, remember you can tailor it to his/her interests. 2. Using 2 or 3 different brushes, paint both sheets of paper, experimenting with washes, linear marks, and splatters, and let dry. 3. Take one sheet and cut it into strips width-wise. Take the other and cut it nearly into strips length-wise, stopping the cuts a couple of inches before you reach the end of the paper. 4. Use your pastels to draw some of the shapes and motifs you found in your quilt study onto the shorter loose strips. [Note: You might decide to do this after step 5 if it bothers your child that some of the drawing will be covered up by the weaving.] 5. Weave the short strips into the long ones and use a dab of glue on the ends to keep in place. Notice how the watercolor and pastel sections now interact with each other in different ways. Hang your paper “textile” on the wall and admire it!
ENJOY THE PROCESS. Want to know what takes the life out of art? It’s setting a goal and then hating your project until it’s finally done--and til it’s GOOD, by golly. Listen, unfortunately, this is often my experience when I’m designing, and I think it’s the same way for many other creatives. Of course we shouldn’t lose sight of a goal, but I consciously try to get away from the fear of failure and come back home to the excitement of exploration. This is especially important if you are just starting to learn about art and design. Give yourself--and your child--time to discover and explore media (the materials with which you create) without the pressure of a perfect end product. See what layering that watercolor and crayon can do! Try drawing lines, making splatters, smudging and smearing and blending. Then cut it into shapes and see what happens when you make it into a pattern! Then change one piece and create an unexpected aberration in the pattern! Allowing time for process is crucial for creating work that is successful and vibrant. If you have paper, a watercolor palette and a box of pastels, you have three words with which to communicate. But if you have explored, stretched and transformed that media, you have hundreds. For three good children’s books that communicate the importance of process, potential of media and joy of spontaneity, I’d recommend Beautiful Oops; Swatch: the girl who loved color (introduced to me by @cpcfam); and Mix It Up!
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Monday, November 21, 2016
SEE. Welcome to the pilot post of our Mixed Media Musings series! // Let me start with a disclaimer that I am not an art educator; however, I grew up with one as my mother. I received my BFA in Graphic Design, so I’ve had plenty of fine arts and design classes. These thoughts are based on things I have learned in school, in work, and in sharing what I do with my children. It’s a bit of a journal, so that you can see some of the things I think about when I explore art with my kids. Each will will include a directive, and starting next week, a project idea so that you can better put these thoughts into practice. // SEE. It’s pretty simple, isn’t it? When we communicate or express through art and design, we have an incredible platform for reaching others. We have to be informed by our own experiences as well as the commonality of our world and the human experience. So I’d like to challenge each of us to train our eyes to start seeing more clearly the world around us. Observe the branches on your child’s favorite climbing tree; how do they curve? Notice the green of the grass; it’s probably a lot more muted than you thought it was. Notice the rhythm of the street lights as they get smaller toward a vanishing point. Start to observe and articulate your own thoughts and feelings, and help your children do the same; notice the way that people around you interact. Think about literature or architecture that moves you. These are all things that inform what we create. In the next few weeks I’ll be posting about specific elements and principles of design that you can be looking for when you explore the world. In so doing, you will learn the language of art. Stay tuned! // I mean for this series to be interactive and the experience shared, so questions are welcome, and I’d love to hear what you think, see and create along the way! Please tag me and #mixedmediamonday!
Friday, November 18, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Hi everyone! I want to announce something I'm really excited about! Ever since I started chronicling #mixedmediamonday several years ago, I've had requests for more information on how to make this a bigger part of life and how to approach creating art with children. Well, #mixedmediamonday is going public! Over the next few months, I plan to post weekly a series of thoughts which I hope will serve as a guide for making art and design an integral part of the way you experience our world. Stay tuned! There's a colorful future ahead of us!
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Monday, November 14, 2016
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