Life Drawing Day

On Saturday 12th June I went to a life drawing day in Wisbech with my 2 OCA friends, Paul and Rachel.  Rachel lives in Wisbech and goes to regular life drawing classes which this was an extension of.  I'd never done any life drawing before and this was a great experience - just lovely to sit and draw and paint all day!

Here are some of my efforts....

We started with some quick 5 minute sketches - I like doing these as I enjoy working quickly.  I also think that when you make mistakes or you aren't so happy with the results you feel more comfortable with yourself knowing you only had five minutes to do it in!

These 2 were my favourites - both in charcoal, felt I got a good grasp of the body shape and use of tone.

We then went on to some longer poses.  Originally she planned to pose for an hour or more for a couple of them but the room was freezing cold so she only did up to 30 minutes.  I was happy with this as would have struggled to fill an hour with one picture.  In fact osme of the 30 minute poses I broke down in to 2 or more pics.

I had watched a video on the OCA website about starting a life drawing with shapes - squares, triangles, sausages etc so decided to try this method out.  I think it worked well as my best proportioned piece but perhaps not my favourite as slightly stiffer and more formal than the others.  I do think it would be useful though if doing preparatory sketches or if working for a longer time.

I then tried some pen drawings as my favourite medium.  Maybe because you can't make any changes and it is pretty unforgiving so you just have to get on with it

Here are 3 diff pics of the same pose.  I found this really tricky to work with as it looked very unnatural to me.

The last one is a pen drawing with an acrylic wash over the top.  I like using the 'wrong' colour in a monochrome as it forces me to think about the tones - dark and light rather than in colours.

I liked this effect so did some more.

I hope to join another class soon.  Some friends at work have talked about the possibility of joining together and hiring a model ourselves which would be great - must remind them and see if we can do it soon.

Sculpture Option

I think I'm pretty much at the end of my sculpture option now and will be booking in for a tutorial soon.

Don't think sculpture is really my thing but glad I've tried it and will make more wire fish with and without modrock as like the ones I've done but think I can def improve on them...

Started off with some reliefs - was going to try being completely abstract but I need to work on my abstractness!  So instead I have an abstracted rainbow...

...and an abstracted sunshine...

My next project was to start creating 3d sculpture.  The book said to get some bits and bobs from around the house/found object and glue them together in an interesting way.  I ignored the book and had a go at some wire and modrock stuff as someone at work has made some dogs, chickens and hares and they are beautiful so I wanted to give it a go.  My first attempt was interesting!  Looks like a little child has made it from playdoh - but helped my learn about the materials ready for the next time.

For some reason fish just came naturally to me when I got started so I went with the flow...  I kept adding wire to the first one then liked the way it looked so decided not to modrock - instead I added 124yards of copper wire (which I think is what I will call this fish if it ever needs a name)

It's hard to see from these photos but has a lovely coppery thread running through it.  The tail has a bit of a blob in it and the end fins need to be more refined.  I'm thinking of trying another with a more fomalised pattern of wire going around the main shape - but not too formal and patterny.  Trying to think of ideas to make the tail fins better - have thought about making them from a different material - maybe plastic but firstly need them to balance the fish and secondly not sure how two materials would look together - could try weaving the plastic through parts of the body too....

Next fish I made I stopped with the wire and modrocked it - then used scraps of newspaper to cover it before coating with a mother of pearl glaze.

I'm going to try out using different coloured bits of tissue paper and making a coloured fish next - also want to do a pure white mother of pearl one - not quite sure where I'm going to put all these fish - note to self - put up a new shelf in the bathroom.

Finally I had a go at some modelling using DAS - think I'll have another go but not v impressed by my results!

Here is a little, scary, creature, baby thingy - bad quality images...

My foot...

and finally a fish that I decided to stick bits of mirror ball into randomly - I don't think there is much chance of them staying in it but as it is likely to end up in my very own art bin - whatever!!!

Next project is textiles and then I'll have completed the course - Didn't start til mid July last year so will have done it in just over a year which was my target (and I've been doing another course alongside) so woot a root toot!!!

MCM Comics and Japanese bit

Went to the MCM Expo in London last weekend and my most definitely favorite bit was the Comic area.

Had been really looking forward to the Japanese area as it advertised calligraphy and origami workshops, kimono demonstrations, tea ceremonies and more but it was complete and utter pants - we tried to do some origami at a table that was less than a meter wide, with a book that you couldn't keep open and the instructions were in Japanese. When we were obviously stuck the guy on the stall ignored us and made his own thing - rubbish. The kimono stall said "try on a kimono and then pay £5 for a photo" - no thanks and the calligraphy workshops seemed to be people charging to write your name for you - big disappointment.....good job the comics were nearby to cheer us up.

One of the first stalls we visited belonged to the lovely Timothy Winchester    aka to us at the time as lovely comic book guy!  He sorted us out with our Dino-Saw-Us passports and off we went collecting stickers, chatting, looking at and a little bit of buying (wish could have spent more but teenage son is a pricey fella to take to the capital!).  Here is my completed passport - big thank you to all the sticker people and the organisers - this was officially my best bit of the whole expo...

 

Here are some links to website for some of the stalls we stopped at along the way...

http://www.lizzlizz.com/ 

http://www.paintedlunacy.co.uk/index.html

http://www.wirrow.com/

http://www.pbrainey.com/   Really wanted to buy his 'Book of Lists' but ran out of money - may order it soon as can do from website.

http://www.chibi-reki-earth.deviantart.com/   Check out the super cool painted boots and shoes on this site.  They were only £12 a pair so had pretty much sold out before we got there.  I'm going to give it a go as have been thinking about customising some footwear - just need to get some waterproofing spray

http://www.coucouheart.blogspot.com/  beautiful jewellery and also some felt things - I love making things from felt too.  Have checked out this site and has given me the idea to start putting some bits for sale on folksy and etsy - Will def be checking this out in the summer when I have time to get making

http://www.kickass-peanut.com/  Lovely little badges and bits but even better this site should soon have a link to her magical forest designs - these were beautiful laser cut rings, necklaces and key chains.  Will keep an eye on it as want to buy one of the key necklaces (had run out of cash at the time...)

Joy Pictures

My first “JOY” picture was made for a graphic design project during my Foundation Art and Design course.  Over a few days I jotted down loads of words and phrases to remind me of the things that make me glad to be alive –some are fairly generic and some are quite personal to me.  I love looking back over what I wrote as it makes me smile to remember there are so many things to make me cheerful.  I’m also shocked to find things in there I can’t remember writing!

I’ve since done music and parenthood related pictures as presents for friends and have been commissioned to make pictures too.



I've put together a box of joy which I hope to sell - maybe at the Superfluity Exhibition or at a Clutter City (local crafty event).  The box contains instructions for making your own picture, an order form for me to make it and other nice bits and bobs.  


Here are some photos of the pics I have made so far...


My first - presently hanging on my wall

A gift for friends who were about to have their first baby - on a children, baby, family theme

My first commission - woo!!!

FIRST exhibition

A few months ago a group of my colleagues were offered the use of an empty shop to put on an exhibition.  Some of my co workers have artistic backgrounds and teach art but the majority of us are just doing bits from home.  

The work was so varied ranging from textiles, pottery, prints, mosaics, paintings, drawings, jewelery plus more.  It was a great experience and very liberating to show others some of my own work. 

I WILL UPLOAD SOME PICS OF THE EXHIBITION HERE

A small group of us have a further summer exhibition planned under the name Superfluity.... Further details to be posted soon.

Materclass with Chen Hong

On Saturday 22nd May - I attended a masterclass with a Chinese artist Chen Hong.  Chen Hong specialises in fish paintings and was artist in residence at Norwich Castle Museum during May.  There were about 15 students at the class which ran from 10.30 to 1 (but actually finished closer to 1.45)

Chen Hong doesn't speak any English so had an interpreter with him - this meant it was difficult to ask him questions as the interpreter was not always with him particularly when he came round to comment on our work - we had to guess at what he was saying! Also at one point he asked the class if we would like to start with something simple but somehow our answer was lost in translation as we started with the more difficult big fish before trying out the much easier little fish at the end of the class. 

We were first given a demonstration of a fish painting which not only includes the fish but also calligraphy and stamps.  We were then told about the basic brushstrokes before being given a chance to try some out for ourselves.  After this we were shown how to paint some simple bamboo and blossom and all had a go.

Mark making

Bamboo

After grabbing a quick cup of tea and a biscuit it was back to work to try out painting our own fish.  It was pretty difficult but we were reminded that Chen Hong has been practicing for 30 years!  And also that he had a very expensive brush and higher quality paper (bad workmen...!) It was said that Chinese artists develop close relationships with their brushes which can cost up to £1000!

My big fish

My little fish

The time went far too quickly and it would have been nice to have had more time to keep working on our pictures.  Although each picture is quick to do as you work quickly I think with some more support and maybe further demonstration so we could see where we were going wrong as individuals we may have improved further.  It was only at the end that I realised I had been making a mistake with my brushstrokes on the body of the fish.

Chen Hong is clearly a master of this specialist type of art but I'm not sure I would want to paint the same thing over and over again!

My notes on the class

Chen Hong's website (in Chinese!)

Art & Design

Here are some images of work I have done on the Foundation course. 

This is one of my first pictures from the mark making section. You cover the entire sheet in charcoal then use a rubber to draw the picture. Before starting I had no idea how this could possibly work but then really enjoyed the effect as I did it. I'm planning on using this technique again in the future as I think it is really effective and was pretty quick to do (I like working quickly!)




The next thing to try was the same still life but using ink. I was really disappointed with this when I finished it and the notes at the bottom express this - I decided I was rubbish with ink and would never go near it again....however, on looking at it again a few weeks later I decided I really quite liked it after all! Feels very fluid from using the ink and it forced me not to think too hard about what I was putting on the paper and just get on with it, very useful at the start of a course.





This was my very first painting - done after a lot of colour work e.g colour wheel, saturation and practice mixing. I really struggled with the window frame - straight lines are definitely not my strong point. I got half way through before realising it was ridiculous of me to have tried to paint a glass decanter on my first attempt - but at least people can tell what it is (though a friend said "I've got an old decanter just like that all wonky" mine isn't wonky in real life!) I'm pretty chuffed with the lemon, the purple cloth and the table cloth. Wouldn't be able to repeat this composition as I managed to drop the cream and blue jug from a great height this morning and it is currently residing in the wheelie bin!

This copy of a Van Gogh self portrait.  His head has come out too thin.  Otherwise I am pleased with it.  My tutor commented that I had used colour well and copied the fluidity and mirroring of colour e.g. the green from the jacket goes on to the cheekbones.  The eyes also have an air of the torture from the original.

This is my 3rd or 4th self portrait.  I was determined to smile for this one as I looked so very miserable in my previous attempts.  I used pen for this and think although it doesn't look exactly like me I have at least captured some of my cheerfulness.  As my tutor said perhaps I'd drunk a bit more of the wine in the background before starting on this one! 


My teenager has just come in to tell me it looks like I'd painted a monkey - cheers son!

Purple Portrait - I decided to try something in monochrome but didn't want to be held to black and white (especially as the pencil and pen portraits were b&w.) 

I think the purple makes this really striking.  I'm pretty happy with the result and plan to do a monochrome series in ROYGBIV (rainbow obsession).  Might do the other members of the family if I can get them to sit still for long enough.

I created this for the graphic design unit - it is my poster to promote joy!  I planned it all out and put in pencil marks for the lines of text in the background and for the main phrase.  The background is basically a massive list of all sorts of things I like.  I'll need to make more as I keep thinking of more to include.  I've a few friends who have asked me to make them something similar but I will leave it a while as all that writing made my wrists sore (too used to typing these days)

Below is a detail of some of the background text.