Aa is for Art Supplies

I always introduce an assortment of art supplies in my classes because I want my students to learn what each can do - pastels are rich in color but messy. Some love them (I do) but others hate the dust. Acrylic are always popular, as are acrylic pens. Actually, pens and markers of all sorts are among my favorites - and I've used several different types for the work I have created this month.

Extra fine sharpies in many colors are perfect for my line drawings - but have a limited variety of colors (especially if you use them often.) I love my two sided PrismaColor markers - but they are a little too heavy for the more delicate pieces I've been creating lately. One down-side of using any marker is worrying that the color will hold outa for the entire piece. Though this rarely happens, it is always a concern.

Last night I used Arteza Real Brush pens to color this one-line floral. These are blendable, water-based ink. Thanks to my generous husband I have a set of 48 colors. A wonderful array. I like the tip which is essentially a brush and can be used for narrow lines or wide spaces, and can be worked with water. These were fun to use and I am happy with the warm colors I used.

Z is for Zooming through November

I'm up to Z - its almost Thanksgiving. Time is flying.

On this busy day, I made some time to draw a series of  one-line images - using my floral paintings on the wall as inspiration.

 I liked the idea of using the one-line approach in a new way. My students will love this, too.

After drawing several sketches, I chose this one to fill with lines and color. I brought it into my digital tools to add a filter of color to enhance the autumn palette of the bouquet.

XY

Yesterday was eXtra busy which is Y I did not post anything. This is today's project - based on a monotype print. Working on the print, I did some overpainting to pop the colors and add detail, but kept the soft loose feel.

I am imagining this bouquet on the Thanksgiving table. 

W is for Walk

We went for a walk today, in the park where we usually go to walk the dogs, enjoy the lingering fall weather, and watch what is happening in the natural forest habitat.

Today, a ray of sun illuminated this amazing wasp nest hanging like a giant pineapple in a tree.

We've been watching this nest increase in size for weeks, but this was the first time its odd shape and crown of ferns was caught in sunlight bright enough for me to capture this photo.

Also enjoying the sun was this charming squirrel. We actually caught him snoozing - but he opened his eyes with a smile. I took both of these pics, but my husband takes the credit for spotting both the nest and the squirrel.  It was a good walk.

V

Being creative today was frustrating. I tried this and that. Tried to put anything to the letter V - violet came to mind but no idea came to back it up.

I poked around in some of my sketch books and came across a little line drawn floral. I used markers to color - but it was nothing special. I did another - still meh.

Finally, I  brought the image into my computer and messed around with different filters and tools. Now this I like. So - V is for very glad I'm done for today.

U

I don't know what U is for today. I do know that when I sat down to make some art, this is what has appeared.

 This flower combines watercolor, pens, a pinch of salt and a tweak of digital. I had no plan, and I like the results. They, are unexpected.

T is for Turkey

What does an art teacher teach on the week before Thanksgiving? Turkeys of course. They are a perennial favorite, and appropriate for all ages because there are endless ways to render the shape and the feathers. This is one I did as an example -one of several. I used markers to get the texture and lines.

I enjoy playing with patterns in the feathers, and wings, and creating personality in the faces.

Turkeys were a hit with my seniors yesterday, and I anticipate equal success with the kids today.

S is for Soul Collage

A little something different today.

Last summer I took a class in Soul Collage - using found images to create a new image that expresses something personal and significant. I enjoyed the approach and have created a number of little collages (and amassed a huge collection of potential images that are now taking up space in my shelves.) Although the form is meant to be more expressive than artistic, I keep getting stuck in needing to create something esthetically pleasing to my eye, and yet meaningful.

I especially like this one - it has deep meaning to me and I like the way the collection of images come together to create a whole picture.

. I hope you will check out the link above - its an interesting process.

R is for Rosy

Its a rainy day, its a rainy month. I needed something radiant to warm me up. These rosy colors, acrylic on canvas board, do the trick.

Sometimes you just need to experiment to see what will appear - and then, enjoy the gift from the color spirits.

Q is for Quirky

These faces are all so different.

I am grateful today to have the time to do this one just for myself (and you out there) - instead of prepping for classes.

 So, here is Q - the face reminds me of someone - I drew this quickly and I think its kind of quirky.

OP is for Orange Poppies

Okay, yesterday was O day - and though I did not have time to post, I did have time to create a
salad of bright orange carrots, and one of orzo. Today, I teach a painting class - so I guess P is covered too. In honor of both my busy schedule and my commitment to being creative everyday (playing with letters and fudging a commitment is creative right?) I offer (or present) Orange Poppies. This is in preparation for next weeks classes - florals are always popular.

This is a drawing done in color pencil and then tweaked in my digital tools.

N is for Nature (abstractly)

Trees, and lots and lots have color have featured in my classes this month.

I have another tree related workshop on Saturday - painting with an unknown group - in acrylics.

I have an hour and a half to help participants create a finished piece. This is the piece I prepared as a sample (I have a simplified version as well). The trees are simple to draw and the overlapping shapes are fun to color. A good combination of realistic and abstraction.

I really like the way this turned out - and I look forward to seeing how my students will interpre
t this.

M is for Peter Max

In my classes, Peter Max is one of the most popular artists to emulate. With his vibrant colors, Pop Art images and charming imaginary places, his work opens the door to beautiful work and lots of fun in the creation.

I did this in preparation for a class. It was a great way to blend and layer using watercolors pens.

L is for Line

Something a little different today - but along the same lines as yesterday. Today I took a line for a walk in order to create an abstract pattern to fill with watercolor.

Since taking a watercolor class a while ago, I have been playing with different ways to use this medium in an abstract way.

Today,  I experimented with blending, adding salt for texture, and doing a tiny digital tweak to see what would happen.

This is the result.

K is for Paul Klee

“Drawing is taking a line for a walk” (Paul Klee) 

These words are a mantra to me as an artist, and especially as a teacher. 

In my work, they encourage the free flow of line, willingness to let the line take the lead, and surprise (or bewilderment) at the unexpected places it takes you. 

Then there's the fun part - using other type of line to complete the design that appears. And any colors I choose. Whether painting or drawing, starting my work by "taking a line for a walk" helps me to get out of my own way.

I've encouraged Klee's approach over and over again in my classes to encourage creativity in students of any age, with any medium and any color palette.

 The results are always not only beautiful, but a surprise and pleasure to the artist who created the work.

Today's face was another nice day for a (line) walk. 

J is for Juxtaposition

Juxtaposition: Noun - the fact of two things being seen or placed together for contrasting effect.

These faces  - warm and cold, right and left, male and female - are the result of ongoing experimentation with watercolor. 

I began learning to use this medium by taking a class last spring. Though it was never a favorite source of color, I am starting to appreciate the layered effects I can create - and learning too, to control the color on the page.  

I is for Irreverant

Or maybe irrelevant - after all, my mother always  told me that it is not polite to make faces. Yet here I am on a dreary Saturday, experimenting with special effects in a new digital editing program.






It is TOO much fun - so much fun that I could not stop at just one face.

 So, here they are … Three Faces of I -  
all based off a one-line face drawing I created last year - using Caran D'ache water-soluble crayons to achieve the vibrant color I love.

H is for Handicraft

I am aware that I find drawing these faces very pleasant. Today I figured out one reason why.

Drawing the lines and patterns within the shapes of the face and head feels like embroidery- one of my first and favorite handicrafts.  

I have always loved the process - sort through my rainbow collection of embroidery floss, tighten the hoop around a piece of cloth (any kind will do), and free form flowers or patterns with my needle. No cross stitch for me.

I like to fill shapes with thick threads of color, groups of dense knots, and long curving lines. Long ago my hippy friends liked to sew my embroidered patches onto their jeans and vests and hats and jackets. Drawing these faces feels like that. 

Stitch by stitch, line by line, angle by angle by curve.

G is for Grimace

One of the things I tend to struggle with, especially when drawing faces, is trying to make sure the faces are "pretty." I have a long history of drawing "fashion girls" and trying to look like  one myself.

Of course I well know that not all faces are symmetrical or perfect ovals, or  what is traditionally defined as visually pleasing.  And, I can easily see that  some of the most interesting faces are off-kilter or odd in some way.

So, I am pleased with the distortion of this face, which I find pleasing. She may look a little gloomy, but in my eyes, she looks great.

F is for Face

And F is for following my impulse to create these faces, and for FUN.

I feel like I am fully in the Art Every Day spirit as I experiment with this approach. It doesn't take long to do one of these (they are small), but each one remains a surprise and a challenge to discover who is waiting to appear.

I think Ms. F is fashionable and very professional.