All About Texture - After

This is a project I did with my Advanced Art II class.

They were to take random items that I had collected from the dollar store and garage sales and create a non-objective composition focusing on texture and the principles of design. It was then going to be painted white with gesso. 

Here's my piece after I painted it: 

(see the "before" here)

I am generally happy with the real thing. There's more doily texture that doesn't show up in this picture. It's really subtle. I did have to go back and add several more layers of things to get the texture to show. The paint ended up filling in the texture so it appeared flat. Plus the orange vertical lines and the blue dots of yarn still show through though, which is annoying.

So I would do things a little differently next time:

1. Definitely no crepe paper, tinsel, or anything else where the color bleeds when gesso is applied. It was a beating having to do SEVERAL coats of gesso and still have the color showing through.

2. Use spray paint not gesso. It covered much easier but still needed a few coats.

3. Because of #1 and 2 above, use all white items. Just plain easier!

All About Texture

Before...

Back Shading

I am trying to get my students to understand what back shading is (well, at least that's what I call it. Is there another official word for it?)

So while this is not EXACTLY what they were to do for their assignment, it's close. 

This a drawing of flowers in pencil with red ball point pen back shading.

Their project was to draw flowers shaded (and back shaded) on a painted watercolor surface. It was my first attempt at this assignment, but I'd say it was successful!

Stamp Making

I'm currently teaching my advanced class how to make stamps.

We are making square designs that can be rotated to create larger designs, but I had a long strip of the speedy cut left over and thought I'd make a pseudo-chevron stamp out of it since the chevron (aka zig-zag) pattern is super popular right now.

It doesn't line up perfectly when repeated in a row like this, but I don't mind. It's not supposed to be a finished piece. Just to be used as pattern and texture in non-focal point areas.

I'm happy with it and it only took about 40 minutes to complete from initial design to what you see here.

Tall

The topic for the week on Illustration Friday was "tall".

I don't have a lot of experience with this word as I am only 4'11".

However some of my best friends are 6' and my husband is 6'1".

So this is a tribute to you Kac and Steph, and KS! Love y'all!

A new painting cont (& IF: Lost)

Here are the remaining steps:

Step 5. I seem to have either deleted the photos or didn't take any between step four and five because I made quite a few adjustments. We have a reddish brown leather couch so I added maroon stripes on the yellow circles and added black outlines around the circles. Originally I had used black around the edges, but at some point I realized there is no black in our living room so I changed it to brown.

Step 6. Our wooden coffee table has yellow and orange undertones so I added some orange in the background to mute the purple a bit.

Step 7. I knew I wanted to put a quote on top (even though I wasn't sure which one yet) and thought all the colors wre a bit too vibrant and there was too much going on for the quote, so I used zinc white to try and soften the colors without losing them completely.

Step 8. I used ivory white to add the quote (which was the theme of the sermon on Sunday that started this whole adventure). I am NOT LOST when I have my shepherd guiding and protecting me. That brings me such peace.

Step 9. I added a little brown cast shadow to make the letters pop just a bit more. You can't really tell from the couch that the shadows are there which I like. Just makes it stand out a bit.

I'm very pleased with it. And it's refreshing to have a new painting hanging!