Art Every Day: H is for How-to

I am sure it comes as no surprise to others participating in this challenge to learn that creating an image everyday, and living the rest of my life, is not that easy. The hardest part, for me, is figuring out what to draw every day.

Add to this the alphabet organization I've given myself, and, in case things are not complex enough, I am also trying to experiment with different combinations of media to create different effects.

And, after working for detail in the last two florals, I feel the need to try something loose and sketchy.

Though I am rarely short of ideas, I am often woefully short of technique. As a teacher/writer, I seek, and frequently write, resources, how-to's (e.g., how to stimulate creativity) and curricula for educators. With this in mind, I did a search on How-to's for artists. Surprise, surprise, I came to a site already listed on THIS blog!

The idea for this drawing of a favorite garden is based on a lesson plan I found on DickBlick.com Resources for Educators. This is a great resource for ideas and How-to's. This is also the place you can go to buy new and replenish dwindling supplies.

The garden is drawn on matte acetate with color pencils (which worked surprisingly well). There is a sheet of metallic paper behind the image that gives it the light. Its rough, but I would certainly try this approach again. I an going back to this site for more ideas to try - for myself and my students.

I am always looking for great instructions and ideas - for myself and to share. Please post your favorite resources here.

Inspired by Art (Art Beat and Art Supplies)

I am a fan of Oregon Art Beat on OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting). This week I was completely dazzled by the extraordinary beauty of Maria Simon’s painted bas relief work. To see the video (which is available streaming on the web), click here.

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that I have begun to paint in pastels. The list of supplies I needed for my class sent me searching for bargains. That’s how I found Dick Blick, an online source of art materials. Let me admit here that I love art supplies. As a child, there was no greater gift than a really BIG box of new crayons. In college, my design courses required many and fascinating (not to mention expensive) supplies - many of which I still have and use. As a craftswoman, my supplies and tools are my favorite toys. So, visiting this website makes me feel like a kid in a "candy"shop.

When I first visited the site, I was so intrigued by the variety of offerings, the types of pastels, the paper textures, the prices, and the colors of everything that I didn’t even notice something else. In addition to selling art materials, this site is LOADED with information, for artists, and for teachers. In the forms of curriculum and instructional videos, there are “over 200 ideas to browse. Geared for a wide variety of age and skill levels, our Lesson Plans are designed to meet the National Standards for Visual Art Education and bring the value of creativity to any teaching experience. All original. All free. Help yourself!”

Which brings me back to Oregon Art Beat. After watching the video featuring Maria Simon carving and painting in clay I want to know more about painted bas relief (a form of sculpture in which a solid piece of material is carved so that objects project from a background.) Imagine my delight when I discovered a video that takes the viewer through the process of carving and painting linoleum blocks (instead of the clay Simon uses). It has excellent information about high and low relief, tools, safety, texture and more. Step by step instructions and a list of materials (available on the site of course) are available too. The finished products are beautiful and inspiring. I can’t wait to try it … after I get my new supplies of cours