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.

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.

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.

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.  

R is for Resist

This being November and Oregon, it has be RAINING .... a lot. The grey skies and constant broken light inspired this fun project which I call "Make it Rain." I used this in all of my art classes last week with consistently great results.

First, we create a place - in my senior classes I demonstrated a street of houses on a horizon line. These were colored heavily with bright colored oil pastel. I reminded students that any area that was to remain white needed to be covered with white oil pastel. Then we covered the entire image with a coat of black water color. Voila! It's raining.

We had great results in all the classes. My younger kids followed the houses on a street pattern. My older kids took the opportunity to create their own imaginary and highly original "places." Almost everyone loved the effect of the watercolor resist.

Maybe next time we will bring on the sun.

B is for Beginners

As an art teacher working with both young children and senior adults, I work with a lot of beginners. When a young child comes to my class, I expect that I will need to present the basics - how to use a paintbrush, complementary colors, how to draw a face or a flower or a tree.

But kids are not my only students who are new to making art. Over and over in my senior adult classes I am amazed to find people who have never made art before. "Even when you were a kid in school?" I ask. Silly city girl me ... I am often reminded that these older folks grew up on farms and had no time to play, and no access to such luxuries as crayons and paper. Some remind me that they grew up in depression era schools where the three R's took priority over non-essentials such as art. So, my very grown up students, retired and with time for new pursuits are often experiencing the pleasures of drawing and painting for the very first time.

In many ways, I find that teaching each of my groups is very similar. The major difference is that while seniors are better behaved :-), the kids have no fear. Kids are not only willing to try anything, they have complete confidence in the work that they will create.

The seniors on the other hand repeatedly tell me, in one way and another "I'm no artist." Yet they also tell me about the quilts, and dresses and wedding gowns they have made; about arranging flowers, decorating homes, knitting sweaters, embroidering, making lace ... on and on, all their lives. It makes me sad that they do not seem to connect the beautiful work of their hands with the process of making art.

So - in order to overcome the negativity, I work hard to offer projects that allow them to find success, work around visual and other limitations, and help them connect their own skills and interests with the new ones I am there to teach.

The image at the top of  this page is my sketch, done in water soluble crayon (more about that tomorrow) on watercolor paper -a  simple image in lots of color and texture, to inspire and direct a seascape lesson (complete with a Winslow Homer slide show).

Below are 3 examples of the art created by my "non-artist" students. Beautiful, right?

Frances Nishimura

Rosemary Cramer

Marguerite Gedrose