Fun Link Friday

These are some awesome links to check out!!

The sketchbook project
I joined this site and will be creating a sketchbook to go into the Brooklyn Art Museum Library.  The sketchbook will also go on tour next year.  My theme:  Transatlantic.

www.arthousecoop.com/projects/sketchbookproject

  

Yo yo ma and hiphop dance performance
A really cool mix of classical and modern art forms.

www.mixingreality.com/2011/04/spike-jonze-captures-yo-yo-ma-lil-buck-performance

Sand Art
This woman creates a story using her hands and sand.

http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D518XP8prwZo&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1

Text Art/animation

Never gonna give you up!  Using  lyrics to create figures.  Check this out.  I love it.

www.romancortes.com/ficheros/dancing-typography.html

A cool post it annimation

One of my all time favorite animations.....using ALL post it notes, and of course a lot of time

http://www.collegehumor.com/video/4061057/cool-post-it-animation

How to draw buildings
This is relevant to what we're doing this week.  Use some of thse tips to create your cityscape or landscape.

www.entertainment.howstuffworks.com/how-to-draw-buildings.htm/printable

Oil Pastels

The last couple of weeks have allowed artists to focus on using oil pastels.  We have been practicing four techniques which included:  resist, blending, scraffito, and mixed media.  Here are some of the projects artists have been working on.  Many have realized the great qualities of oil pastels, such as smoothness and a painterly feel.  Others have noticed that it can take some practice and a little technique when using them in smaller areas.  Never-the-less, all artists are showing how they have decided to use these oil pastels.  Watch out for final pieces next week!



Practicing techniques




mixed media project using sharpies and oil pastels




Beginning Cityscape




Creating a surreal landscape




Oil pastel landscape darwing




Flower mandala




Using the scratch techniue.  Students create a drawing, cover with black oil pastels and scratch off.




Surreal landscape with interesting architecture.




Bright colors about to be covered in black oil pastels.




Oil pastel landscape




The ship




Creating an underdrawing with lots of texture.




Seascape




Surreal Landscape



Time flies

Do you ever notice how time flies when you're really into working with the materials?  Do you ever notice how when you WANT to get something done you just turn all your focus into what you're doing?  It's amazing when that happens.  Making art is one of those tasks that lets us focus in on the moment.  We let all of the energy that we have within ourselves and put it onto paper or canvas.  We use paint, pencils, charcoal, chalk, and pastels.  It's kind of like a release.

Sometimes we may not know what we're doing, or where the end point is, but we know it when we get there.  Is art ever done?  Does art ever end?  Is living an art?

Questions you may want to think about as you're making, creating, scratching, throwing, crumbling, mixing, and inventing.

What is your definition of art? Does time seem to disappear when you are in the moment of making something?

Finished Flowers

Students have completed many flowers, here are just a few of the finished pieces.  Students not only handled using the chalk delicately but often were able to capture the delicateness of the flower and the boldness of the colors the flowers held.

This artist developed their own style.

Full adaptation of a purple daisy.

Students have commented on the blending of soft edges and the challenge of keeping the lighter tones clean and bright!

Looking into the tulip.

Rose.

Lily with a background.

Purple daisy with soft background.

 Next week look for our experiments in oil pastels.

Long time, no update!

We've been working hard these past few weeks.  With the introduction of chalk pastels, we came across many challenges.  Firstly, chalk is messy.  Secondly, it gets all over our fingers and is hard to remove.  Thirdly, blending and mixing colors is hard...why does everything turn brown?  But, it's fun messy, and we can clean our hands, and we're learning to blend and mix without making muddy colors.  We've created all sorts of colors and tones with our hands.  Some students opted for the glove, but many found that directly touching the pastels they could gain more confidence by using their fingers to directly blend and mix.  The messy part soon became just a nuisance and less of a challenge.

Sketching and observing.

The gloved one.

Student pointing to the inside of a tulip.

Without a glove, things get a little tricky.

Day one:  Color Mixing.  Many students created small abstract pieces to see what shapes and lines they could make.  It was a good way to practice and not feel intimidated by a new media.  Chalk pastels can be quite tricky to use, but with practice you can see amazing results.  Just keep scrolling down to see how students have progressed in just a few days.

Abstract designs, using pastels for the first time.

Close up of blending.

Students worked from dark to light to prevent muddiness.

Day two:  Interpretation of a photo.  Students used black and white flower images and chalk to create their version of the photograph.  Their drawings show a variety of tones, color choices, views and moods.

Chalk pastel drawings of photographed flowers.

Day three:  Create a point a view and mood through direct observation.  Students observed REAL flowers to create larger than life drawings of flowers.  By using Georgia O'Keeffe reproductions as a resource, students were able to understand how a small object can be made meaningful by using color, tones, and an interesting perspective.  These works are still in progress, but I think you can see how students have been able to create a piece that  reflects an approach to showing off a small object in a big light.

Artist is carefully blocking in dark tones first, before blending.

Artists can create textures that appear light and wispy just by the movement of the chalk.

Student beginning to blend and shade.

Being expressive when drawing is important.