As I teach young ones each
day I pay close attention to the process they use to create art, especially the
intuitive process. Because my grades span from 3-6, I pick up on the distinct
difference of a young child creating from pure imagination to the older child
wanting to get it right and asking, "Does this look good?" In a very
short time span kids seem to really lose the ability to create with reckless
abandon and by the time the child has grown and become an adult, many of us
lock ourselves into the notion of "I can't draw, I can't make that, I
can't, I can't, I can't..."
Giving
ourselves permission to create without any expectations whatsoever, to simply
play with our marks, our color, our lines, is VITAL for the artist. If only the
child in our adult bodies was given permission. My#simpletip of the day is to create something with your non
dominant hand! Let go of expectations and play with your paints. Get back in
touch with that part of you who's artistic voice was at one time.... POWERFUL! By using your non-dominant hand it forces you to give up control and simply let the line, pattern, and mark evolve. If you are really feeling your inner child, use your fingers too, :)
These
abstracts were made by my 3rd graders in our study of Kandinsky. They amaze me
with the power of their artistic voice and I so pray that I will help them hold
on to it for as long as possible.
Simple Tips Post!
I can't tell you how many times I have heard the phrase,"But I want mine to look like that," when I teach adults. I totally get it, we want our work to look like we have accomplished something, look like a finished painting, look like it should in own own minds. The biggest problem with that way of thinking is that many years of practice and study, not necessarily formal study, have gone into those inspirational paintings and that 'leg work' must be done to create at a level that 'looks like that.'
With that said, there are tons of strategies new artists can use to help build confidence in their own mark making, their own designs, and their own artistic voice.
(Ardith turns and grabs her bag of 'MUST DO THIS' items)
Kids are instinctive mark makers, especially younger kids. They lack the sinister voice in their head saying 'they are doing it wrong,' and they simply create with reckless abandon. I am lucky enough to see this process every day because I teach little ones, and I so wish I could bottle that ability and share it with my adult students. One of the best ways, and I call this one of my MUSTs, is to set a timer EVERY DAY and draw something.
If one wants to master drawing faces, sketch faces, weird faces, pretty faces, long and short faces. Just sketch faces. Set the timer for 10 minutes tops and go! If one wants to master the palette knife then just use a palette knife. Work on gessoed paper, in small sizes or one large size over several days, but work consistently, 10 minutes tops and stop. If one wants to master color theory then play with colors. Set the timer, choose a palette, and mix and play for 10 min. then stop. Does that mean you can't paint the rest of the day....of course not.
What this does, if one commits to it every day, is build up "leg work practice" which every practicing artist must have. Matisse and Picasso did study after study of the same image before committing to a final piece, the leg work had to be done. Every artist must come to terms with that and it is especially hard for new artists who really want to be successful from the get go.
Here is an image that I sketched in today's 10 minute practice session. I wanted to simply draw a character, but I had no pre-planned idea of what I would draw. I used Portfolio oil pastels and opaque paint for the background, a watercolor pencil for the lines, and I just played. Timer went off and I stopped. The result left me with a unique character that I could use in an illustration, in my art journal, or not at all.
I went on to sketch him two more times, just noticing his outline, and his personality resonates with me. Over the course of the next few weeks I will share with you his evolution as I use this character in lots of other pieces, just to show you how important those 10 minute sessions can be.
Giving yourself the time to evolve as an artist is so important and overcoming the voices or desire in one's head to 'paint like that' is a concept that new and evolving artists must come to terms with. If one puts the leg work in every day, their own artistic voice and style will begin to develop much more quickly which is really the path we all want to be on. It is great to have the ability to "paint like that" but what I love so much more is seeing an artist find their own style and painting like their heart is moving the brush....not the voices in their heads, :)
*I want to give a shout out to my dear friend Gayle who is one of the many artists who daily strives to move forward in her new journey. She paints every day, gets frustrated, has 'aha' moments, and embodies the spirit of one who has chosen a path of creativity and is beginning the process. BRAVO TO YOU!
#SimpleTips
Woooohooooo! I love a great paper swap because checking the mail is like Christmas Morning all over again. My new artist friend, Susan Libertiny, swapped hand painted papers with me and I am swooning over all the gorgeousness she sent my way. Can....not....WAIT to turn these into a
painting!
Visited my local Lowes for some stuff and have simply fallen in love with their 8 oz samples that they mix for you while you wait. These paints are satin, offer fabulous coverage, and once dried, make for a beautiful substrate to write on using various inks and markers. They are quickly becoming my favorite art journal paint because of their price too, $3 bottle. Way better than the little fluids found at craft stores.
While I was there I picked up a trifold brochure for their white paint samples and realized it would make the perfect little mini journal for my 29 Faces practice. My first 5 are done and working in these little boxes pushed my line control issues over the edge. I couldn't over think it, just had to sketch and sketch tiny. I found this to be excellent practice for my illustration work and am looking forward to filling up each square with a new face.
Lots of juicy happenings have been landing in my lap these days, looking forward to sharing the details with you as I can. In the mean time, I hope your weekend was filled with beauty, creativity, and a big bowl of awesomesauce!
#SimpleTips
Say the words "Shaving Cream" to a group of kids and what do you get? TOTAL EXCITEMENT! My 6th graders were introduced to contour lines last week and I knew I wanted to introduce them to contour sketching in real life this week. My choice was to use shaving cream for several reasons: It is tactile, It Is forgiving, and It smells yummy!
The black plastic 'sketch sheets' are table cloth plastic I purchased from my local fabric store, for less than $2 a yard. The trick to success with this is not giving the students too much shaving cream. About two squirts is all it takes to make a 'thin' layer so that when students make their marks, the black lines show through. They spread the cream with a well loved gift card and then completed their contour sketches with a pointed wooden/plastic stick.
The main goal of this activity is to teach the students to draw what they see, not what they think they see, which is really challenging for anyone who has never attempted contour sketching. The shaving cream is forgiving, so students can re-spread the cream out, and begin again. When we move into mixed media painting on canvases, they will already have the experience of manipulating a medium with gift card plastic so it preps them ahead of time for that.
Adapting this lesson is a breeze. Younger students can use their fingers to sketch, practice mark making, and older students can create a much more detailed sketch. If you use Barbasol, the left over shaving cream can be molded into basic shapes and left overnight to dry out. As the moisture evaporates, it leaves a solid type of shape, which fascinates the students.
(Students can use this process to practice handwriting, spelling, math, you name it!)
Tomorrow we graduate to blind contour sketches.....can't wait!
