I have been working on this collage for over a year. I love the individual pieces in it, and got to it today to add a few more elements. Working on how I am going to get it to integrate better. It will be unusual I think once I figure it out. I love the round circular spiral in the middle. I know if I add paint, I may ruin it. I want something with texture, I think maybe rusty, bumpy, coppery...I may have to daub, stencil or something. Maybe use texture paste with a copper color in some of the white spots. I just have to get what I want in the center. This collage is a bit different from many of mine because I usually have used alot of gesso, paint and watercolor pastels, but here are alot of papers and antique ephemera that for some reason I just don't have the conscious to be rid of. Maybe I am making this collage a bit too sacred. I should not be leary of touching it. Maybe it will take another year.
Decorating a Fireplace Mantel takes practice or at least I think it does. It has to feel just right when putting your objects up there. It doesn't always have to be symmetrical-meaning the same on all sides, it can be asymetrical or different on the entire surface, but the heights of objects need to vary and the size of objects has alot to do with it.
I first take into consideration what I am feeling at that moment: color, texture, lighting. I enjoy having the little white lights up there so that in the early evening, rather than having an overhead light on, I can have a little twinkle in the kitchen along with a candle lit on the counter and it is super cozy.
My mantels in my home are on the smaller size because they are all faux or fake mantels and not real built in fireplaces. I gather my objects and always try to have a back drop behind the objects on the blank wall. If you walked into my home, you would notice I have trouble keeping a wall blank. I have one right now in my living room that is blank, ready to be primed and painted, and I just can't determine if I like it plain or not. So anyway, get a painting, a mirror, a plaque, a series of dishes or photos and hang them up first so that you are not trying to adjust your wall and break any of your precious finds. After you have your wall or mural done, then start placing your pieces on the mantel. Use books, perhaps cookbooks if it is in your kitchen, use glass, wood, pottery, perhaps some flowers in a vase, a candle placed (always be careful of those candles:) perhaps an odd vintage looking gadget, tuck a little picture frame of one of your children, yourself or a relative in between the pieces.
After feeling bad that I can't afford any art classes right now, I decided that I will take advantage of some of my favorite online artists right now that through their loving heart make videos that teach techniques for us to learn from. Why not take advantage of it I asked myself, so I did.
Steps were: 1. gesso watercolor paper. 2. After dry, I did various layers of acrylic paint and scraped the layers on. 3. Made my own spray paint by adding acrylic paint to water in cute little water bottles and sprayed various layers on the paper. 4. Put a stencil down, and sprayed the stencil. 5. Took white acrylic paint and scraped it in places on the paper 6. REMEMBER! Let layers dry 7. Place shapes of papers down, and spray (you will have the results of various shapes sprayed on your paper. 8. I then cut the paper into 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 rectangles, ready for ATC's 9. Like Hands and Heart, I selected one of my face stamps and stamped down with antique brown ink the face. 10. From that point, I used peach, creme and white for the face. 11. Used watercolor pencils and graphtint pencils to draw and add shading. 12. When I felt like the painting was done enough, I then added a couple of small stamps with ink. 13. Then I squirted three types of glitter to make it sparkly.
If you go to Hands and Heart, you will see the free videos which have not been removed yet, and you can learn and practice. Mine looks very different from the other ATC's that were posted, but that is fine. I learned alot about layers.
I absolutely love applying small bits and pieces of french papers from France and bible scriptures from old bibles. Recently, I found sites with christian artists that have some great ideas and concepts of implimenting scriptures into their paintings, drawings and collage. There is something about the texture of letters into your work. They can be subliminal or stand right out depending on what you are trying to achieve for the viewer. I am a subliminal artist. I think so much is seen in the various layers of the collage. Print, words, old papers can be one of the first layers and gesso lightly painted over some of the word, or paint with white acrylic with a bit of water to lighten and make it translucent. It is fun looking at someones work, when you have to really look and make out what you see. If you don't speak french, you are not going to know what you are looking at, but the texture and blackness of the type adds to the surrounding shapes and colors. Bible Scriptures add a deep emotion and truth to the realist painting or abstract piece.
We have a great second hand book store in the area, and I have seen other books in various languages. I have added some german papers into my work, but now I think I would like to try the asian or hebrew types. I am going to try it. Will post when I am done.
Check out Strathmore Online Journaling classes for free. I already took a free four video class from Pam Carriker and the second series is up now. All free, so take advantage of it. You don't have to use Strathmore paper if you can not find it where you live. Make a home-made journal out of paper you have. Try to make sure your paper is firm, stiff, thick...if not, try to paint on a piece of paper with white acrylic or gesso or some neutral color. Let dry well and use your blow dryer to dry it if you want to get it done quicker. Paint the other side of the paper too and let dry. You will now have a nice stiff piece of paper to work on. A big mistake is to work on thin paper. It rips believe me. Especially if you add water or watered down glue or if you draw and erase, you will have problems. Stick with thick paper.
Tamara from Willowing.com is giving a free course. This was the first week and she gave two classes each an hour long. I have watched them twice this week and love watching that paintbrush with water, change the blending of colors in Tam's faces. Along with painting, you get to get healed of emotions that are wearing you down. Write them down in your journal then gesso over them. BUT before you gesso, think of the positive responses to the aweful things that your mind tells you. As a christian, I believe that we go through many trials, and our own thoughts can pull us down greatly. We have to remember who we are in Christ. So, after I wrote down all the things that bother me about myself, negative thoughts I think about my personality and character, I then focused on the Lord. Be Strong in the Lord.
So. I gessoed over my graphite pencil letters, and am now sketching my face. Will it look like me, not worried about that, just working on the structure of the face.
I have had this burlap laying around for about a year, desiring to make a table runner and pillows. Never got to it. But then again, I have been collaging, decorating, homeschooling and active with church.
Why do I always decorate or make something when a busy day is coming? Last week, I was having a recipe swap at my home with the ladies and daughters from church. So off I go the night before to make the burlap runner. I wanted to decorate to make it feel fall indoors for the ladies.
1. I cut my burlap the length of my shabby white table. 2. Grabbed my tomato red acrylic paint. 3. Maskin tape out of the drawer 4. Placed the maskin tape down to make a 1/2" runner line down the length of the runner. 5. Used a stencil brunch and just brushed and rubbed the paint into the burlap 6. Removed the tape. 7. Let it dry a few moments 8. Used the maskin tape again on each side of the 1/2" line, making approximately a 1/8" line. 9. Frayed the edges of the runner on all four sides.
The left over burlap...
1. I cut into square shapes 2. Grabbed my chandelier stencil 3. Grabbed my black acrylic paint (cheap stuff at AC Moore's) 4. Layed down the stencil and rubbed with the stencil brush, the black paint into the burlap. 5. Voila!
I have decided that weekly I am going to do a review on various books I find at the library and or bookstores.
There are so many, and they almost all intrigue me. I will give a quick over-view, a less of detail example and a +Plus or -Minus on the rating. The various books I review will include crafts of all sorts, collage, painting, drawing, decorating etc.
ENJOY!
FRESH IDEAS IN DECOUPAGE by Colette George +Plus This is an updated decoupage book written in 2005. Not one of those hokey decoupage books, updated with some new collage ideas making your own plaques, boxes, containers with collage and mixed media techniques. One being that you can stain your wax using a foam brush. Pretty impressed and did learn a couple of ideas like the one I just included 25 projects. Make your art look grungy and shabby chic, using crackle, spray paint, cheap acrylic paints, napkins and papers, wax and stamps. Perhaps some artists will know these techniques, but like I said, I learned a couple new ones along with product names and great for the beginner who has never decoupaged.
COUNTRY LIVING EASY TRANSFORMATIONS SMALL SPACES AND COZY CORNERS ++PLUS by Janice Epner
Can you tell I love this book with the ++. So many ideas that I can do in my house. Most decorating books and magazines just don't cut it for my little house. My house was built in 1900, boxy square shape with a living room added by a previous owner 12 or so years ago. This room has the entrance door where I would not put it. The stairway and hallway to lead upstairs is narrow but this book still gave me ideas for nooks and also it helped me with ideas for my studio space.
Check it out. I am going to buy one. copyright 2005, by Hearsty Books out of New York Also, eye candy!
Peek into places like my red barn, find how else you can take photos, what other locations to take pictures of the same item or building or person.
Think unequally, different, where would people not look to take a picture, and try to go there if it is legal of course:) Do not invade someones privacy please.
I need to learn more about glare with windows, (I had a camera that automatically got rid of glare from glass), but this camera does not do it. I was more interested in capturing what I could see through the window; the "idea" of the photo was my main interest not necessarily the quality of picture but that wouldn't hurt if I get how to set my camera right. I have the Canon Rebel (I can't think of the model) and I was playing with all of the settings yesterday. Upteen million it seems like.
Anyway, I love looking through doorways, windows, spaces between buildings, gates, fence openings…
Then I snap the picture.
When taking pictures of the red barn in Rockport, I found that the building was not conveniently placed for some of the shots I wanted. Perhaps I liked the color of the buildings, or the bushes and scenery around, but when I went to take the shot, the red barn was cut off. It would not have mattered if I had a different lense. I don't know what building was built first, the red barn or the house I was standing in front of. I tried anyway. It is fun to try.
I can always do a painting where I see the red barn in between the buildings just with the right proportions if I want to. It is my painting, right?:)
I noticed as I was taking some shots on my vacation in Rockport, were the repeated patterns I saw in store windows, on the side of buildings or just lobster traps piled on top of one another. Repeating patterns I somehow identify with. The objects carry my eyes from left to right, or right to left. If there is an object that repeats going off to the horizon line, that draws my eye away from the foreground to the background. Repeated patterns in art draw my eye to the movement of the pieces rather than necessarily knowing what the objects are. Then my eyes draw in closer to discuss what the objects are representing. In the window of Blue Lantern, the owner has various little fairies in each windowpane to show the customer the variety of sourvenirs, but my eye caught the colors and the number of these little dolls. There were more in other windows also.
The bright yellow lobsta traps attracted me for the brightness and value of color along with the texture of the metal and rust. Light was filtering through the holes of the traps.
The photo of the red barn is a bit faded please pardon that, but I wanted you to see the small buoeys hanging on the side of the building, repeating their primary colors and stripes.
The sea shell guy has his star fish as the focal point to his store front. I stole his idea and tacked my star fish with ribbon and fancy tacks into a window that I am hanging.
See if you can incorporate take an object, and repeat it in a collage, or painting.
The wax paper has paint all over it from the yellow water painting I did the other day. I had it in my trash bin. "Hey" I thought, let me try this as a color experiment, rather than a wax paper and paint experiment. So, I gethered a few different colors of my card stock (kind of like color aid paper back in college) and placed different pieces of card stock on top of each other to see what colors worked and complimented each other. Purple and lime green, wow, different combo. I think I am into lime green lately! I just put some lime green sheers on layaway. I had already punched out inchies out of the purple paper so that when I placed it on top of the lime green, it showed like little windows. I then layed the wax paper down and I can see subtle hints of the purple and lime coming through the wax paper.
Next blog, what I decided and came up with to finish this little piece as I cut and place the pieces and teach a color lesson.
You can have your children do this art with you and see the differences. This was acrylic paint I was using and wax paper as my palette; cheap pallette by the way and you can just wrap it up and throw away (or use again:)
I am going to be posting a small painting/collage of water, a creative daily post. I am not going to use the colors that you would normally be seeing for water though. I hope it will look like water though, oh so what if it doesn't right? It will be my imaginary water.
I recently have seen a new stain formula combining coffee and tea to make your fabric journals or your handmade dolls look shabby, stained, grungy, antiqued, vintage and quite aged.
Mix tea already brewed, instant coffee, cinnamon, vanilla (a tad) and let fabric sit for a bit. I have found that cotton, or muslin absorbs the color where a polyester or acrylic type fabric does not. (You can buy various degrees of cream or tan colored cotton or muslin). It resists the color. Do not rinse your fabric because the new color will wash out. Let it sit in the fibers of the fabric, and lightly squeeze the fabric, lie it down on an old towel to dry. You can also use a hair dryer or your dryer to remove the excess moisture or hang it up on a line with something underneath if it drips. I would stain my fabric first before cutting out the doll patterns.
Various teas like raspberry or blueberry tea have a different pigment and can make the fabric a bit pink tinged or purplish tinged.
After you make your doll or book, put some coffee grounds into your matte medium to paint over it in places leaving a texture, a coffee scent and a matte covering for the fabric.
So now get off to those primitive dolls and aged old fabric journals.
In this collage, after applying the acrylic paint with a credit card on a prepared canvas board, I used a tan brown color, an olive green color and an aqua blue scraped over the canvas approximately 3-4 times, drying the layers in between with a blow dryer.
I used a baby wipe, paper towel and a scraping tool to make marks and wipe off paint in places to have layers of color peek through. What I realized was that the value of the paints were almost the same, so the layers were getting a bit muddled and merky. Then I applied the white with stencils and build up from there.
I noticed how much I love bird images so I added that along with some papers with shades of a burgundy red. Using stamp pads with french writing, I added white, black, and red inks.
I wrote with black and white marker, applied transparent black letters, dripped olive green ink, and I love the use of charcoal around edges and across the whole piece creating a shabby piece.
Believe it or not, I did journal on how to do a collage and why I like to collage all over this piece. It is quite subliminal where some of the writing shows and some doesn't.
Enjoy! Now I know what it looks like to apply colors I like and colors I don't!
Let's look at this great portrait of a girl. What caught my eye about this was the colors-red and turquoise. We don't have to do pastels, colored pencils or paint in what colors we think are obvious, we can use different colors from our pallettes. Try it! Also, check out the measurements. I love doing that. I start with my fingers, my thumb on the portraits chin, my pointer finger on the top of the head, I slide my fingers down to meet, and if the portrait has been done with the eyes in the middle of the head, my fingers will meet right half way down the head. I am doing an online free drawing class. The teacher actually uses grids and tools to draw portraits so that the drawing is as accurate as possible before any shading is done.
For years, I have been learning about the measurements of the face; 1/2 down is the eyes, 1/2 down from the eyes and chin is the nose etc. Those measurements have to be practiced and almost memorized for a person like me. The edges of the nose meets the corner part of the inner eye...and so on. Then there is the practice of the eyes separate, the nose, the lips especially because they are all shadows and pigment colors of the skin. When I watch Willowing, Suzi Blue, Milliande, or Monica from Hands and Heart, I love watching them place all of the face parts down in their drawings, and then their build up of shadows and color with pencil and paint. "I want to draw like them or paint like them" I think. Well the word is "practice, practice, practice". And then, the new way I have been doing, make a copy of masters faces, and take that pencil, charcoal or marker and trace and copy on top of their eyes and noses, and lips and ears, hair and shape of face. Believe me, this is so helpful. You are not pliagerizing. I find this tracy affect is so helpful, it seems to make an imprint inn the brain on how the line qualities, shadows and shapes really make up the face. Another way is to lay tracing paper on top of the photo copy and trace and retrace. I am sure that if you practice this different way of drawing-tracing-it will help you with the placement of these things in your own drawing whether you enjoy realism, folk art style faces, cartoon, pen and ink, painting, or whatever, the whole face will be solidified in your mind. Remember, this is just drawing exercise like when you are working out on the weight bench, and you do and redo curls, this becomes a repetitive pattern, you may go up with the weight, but you are doing the repeat over and over to build up muscle and tonality. This is what you are doing in drawing. Appreciation of art is a wonderful thing, and if you do this type of exercise, you will come to enjoy the masters and begin to see their differences in techniques. The Mona Lisa that I have in a previous post is a good one to practice on first. I even wanted to check to see if the measurements were right and if the eyes were in the middle of the head. They are! Have fun and if you want, just throw the tissue paper or copies away later, it is just exercise to make you a master!
Back in the 70's is when I attended two colleges for art and received my BFA or Bachelors of Fine Art. If only I had the art supplies that are being sold today back then or if teachers taught how to use the supplies they had to produce fine art-abstract art-or pop art.
I had color classes, drawing classes, illustration classes, graphic classes, art history classes....I learned about collage and three dimensional work. Abstract art was the time period for the 70's. I began to look at objects, people and scenery as shapes, shadows, texture, color and the whole composition that I was going to create as a design. What did I see and feel about something that I could create an oil painting, acrylic painting, a charcoal drawing, a collage or a combination of these elements. I had a professor that was an expert in the masters and I was able to produce a large painting of a still life. Another professor was an expert in nude paintings with the use of various mediums. My photography professor did not like my work even though my class would walk up and stand in front of my self portraits and really look at them. He as a teacher liked scenery so he wanted us to do scenery. I kind of went against the tide I guess.
As I grew older, I wanted to learn how to create real-life paintings but again, had not been taught because I lived in what I would call the "abstract art world". Could I talk about art, go to the museum, and discuss what I saw in a piece hanging on the wall that was worth millions of dollars. "No" and when I listened to others talk, the terms and ideas discussed sounded silly to me like a bunch of "artsy fartsy" discussions.
So here we are in the year 2010, I am more mature now, married, mother of five, homeschooled my children, have a grandson and now am diving back into art. I can do what ever I want-abstract-realism-subreal-photography, oil painting, acrylic painting, printmaking...it is endless.
Saturday, I began my vocabulary list-art words, art terms, plain english words that describe art. So that when you look at a piece of abstract art, you may be able to carry on a conversation in your head about what you see, you can discuss it with someone else or maybe understand an art guide when you are in a gallery. In the one sitting on Saturday afternoon, I came up with over 100 words so far that you and I can use to look at an art piece or even to create your own.
Here are some of the words and maybe you can even include them into your art if you art journal or collage:
seascape
illustrated
portrait
floatainting
drawing
etching
printing
figure
political
engraved
quality
quantity
comic
convoluted
universal image
perfection
wrestles
gesture
shadow
brushed
ink washed
outline
beginner
cropped
space
soft
firm
delicate
calligraphic
small scale
washes
stroke
saturated
spatters
stains
dabbed
watery
spots
lines
dots
advanced
negative
positive
fine tipped
snap
rapidly
detailed
large scale
absorbent
splashes
pool
gritty
bleeding
fragile
familiar, unfamiliar
formal composition
twists
reality
graphic
draft
symbols
mysticism
texture
erased
technique
effect
unrestrained
So what do you think so far? Just a list of Webster dictionary words? Go to a museum or gallery for the day, grab an art magazine off the shelf in a bookstore, and select a piece of art that turns you on, and see if you can see a couple of these words describing the art work. Maybe you will come up with another word of your own. If you do, send it to me. I will continue with another list later or tomorrow. We then in the future will look at a piece and I will describe it. Let's learn together how to write about art.
