Paper and Threads

Still Life #1  We had limited props for our still life drawings yesterday, but some of the clippings from the Park Conservancy, including pussy willows, were lovely.  I decided to play by drawing the arrangement with a brown watercolor pencil and then painting with watercolor over the watercolor pencil.  Brenda Swenson sketched with a watercolor pencil and then painted with watercolor in her demo in Sketchbook Skool Seeing.  And I haven't used the technique since then. 

Still Life #2:  My 2nd still life was set up with childrens' art tools from a supply closet, and two of my brushes.  This was another experiment - using glazing like Felix Scheinberger demonstrated in Sketching Skool Expressing.  I put water on my watercolor paper and then dropped in 4 colors to make the background.  After it dried completely, I sketched the "tools" in pencil and then painted them in their original colors as a glaze.

I feel completely free to play when I'm at these art sessions and quickly get in the flow and experiment.  It feels great. 

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I was intrigued by Andy Warhol's use of this technique when seeing it in the 2015 Warhol exhibit at MoMA, and attended one of their art sessions to learn the technique for making these transfers.  Here is information and photos of Warhol's prints, and my transfers from the museum.

http://www.paperandthreads.com/2015/07/warhol_blotted_line_prints.php 

Last week, on Sketchbook Skool Semester 5, Penny Dullaghan, an artist illustrator, taught her technique for making blotted line image transfers as one of 4 print-making techniques, and she used a brush and India ink, instad of a fountain pen and water-soluble ink like I tried at MoMA. 

This was the image I created at MoMA using a disposable fountain pen - and tracing paper (left) and smooth Bristol paper (right) that were taped together for us in a packet.   The ink was soluble so I didn't add watercolor.

Here are 3 images I transferred using a brush and India ink per Penny Dullaghan's method in Sketchbook Skool 5.  I used Canson Vellum tracing paper, Fabriano Atistica 140 lb watercolor paper, a #1 round brush, and India ink.  I like the expressive lines best when transferring the leaves.  The faces are more messy and would need more practice and probably a smaller brush.

Brush and ink - Leaves:  I like the random blobs of ink. 

Axel: 

Face:  The dots paper to the left side of the face are me experimenting with transferring dots, instead of 1/4" segments of ink with the brush.  I liked Warhol's dots (as seen in my blog link above) and think there are times when I might want to use them.

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The 3rd teacher for Sketchbook Skool - Expressing - is Sabine Wiseman, a Dutch Illustrator.  She described infographic illustration and demonstrated the basic ideas.  Our first homework was to make an infographic on a topic of our choice.  I chose to write mine about Human Blood  with very basic information and illustrations. 

The basic information is as follows, since I'm never sure if text on drawings is readable.

1.  When you centrifuge a tube of human blood it is separated into plasma and blood cells.  

2.  There are 3 types of blood cells. 

3.  Red Blood Cells (RBC) are full of hemoglobin which give blood its red color.  Hemoglobin carries oxygen to all the tissues of our body.  They are shaped like biconcave discs so they can squeeze through our capillaries which are smaller than the RBC diameter (7 microns).

4.  White Blood Cells (WBC):  There are 3 major types of WBC - Granulocytes, Lymphocytes, and Monocytes.  They are important in inflammation and infection.  Granulocytes are further subdivided,  based on their granules,  into neutrophils (most numerous), eosinophils (few), and basophils (rare).

5.  Platelets:  Very small "cells" that are pieces of the cytoplasm of their precursor cell (megakaryocyte).  They stick to the insides of damaged blood vessels and to each other to form plugs which stop bleeding.

6.  In one drop of blood there are 5 million RBCs, 5,000 WBCs, and 250,000 platelets (approximately).    

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Yesterday I watched the video of Danny Gregory doing his Jill Weber homework, and was inspired to make my book immediately.  I have many creative passions, and therefore find it hard to focus and work in a series.    When I was considering a theme about myself for the book, I decided that I needed to catalogue my passions as they developed over my life time.  I decided that I only had several hours to devote to this homework project this week, and selected and printed many of my sketchbook pages from the past to tell my story.  An accordion book was perfect to document my 6 current creative pathways.  The cover and quilt square were new drawings, the rest were collages.

Link to Danny's Blogpost which had me giggling as I watched it. 

http://dannygregorysblog.com/2016/01/25/inspiration-monday-handmade-book/ 

Accordion Book:

Cover and Page 1:  Seamstress

Pages 2 and 3:  Seamstress and Quilter:

Pages 4 and 5:  Surface Designer and Artist

Pages 6 and 7:  Bookbinder and Writer

My friend Benedicte sent me a wonderful article about Polymaths, and a new name for creatives that can't focus on one passion.  The new name is Multipotentialites.  The article and link to the Ted Talk are both interesting reading.

http://goinswriter.com/change-medium/ 

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And what an amazing day it was with my artist friends Benedicte, Pat, and Teri!  We intended to visit 4 Galleries, but it was really cold and we found other really interesting exhibits in two of the buildings, so we didn't have to go outside as often and saw more wonderful art as inspiration. 

I first learned about William Kentridge, a South African artist through his one man show at MoMA.  The Met then had an exhibit of one of his video art pieces within the last two years.  I'm fascinated by him and was completely shocked that Marian Goodman Gallery had two of his new megasize video installations.  What a thrill to be surrounded by his art combined with music, dance, and South African actors.   Here is a link to the Video of "More Sweetly Play the Dance."  But watching on video it isn't as amazing as being in the large space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-n5Kvw9v4A

 Deliberate Practice:

I sketched two of my two favorite paintings and two wood sculptures from our visits. Each copy is an education for me as I try to learn more about lines, ink, and the use of watercolor to approximate the oil paints used.  I also practiced more handlettering on these sketchbook pages for my Sketchbook Skool 5 homework.

A Painting by Paula Modersohn-Becker (1875-1907), a German Artist who died at age 31 following childbirth. 

Peasant Woman Carrying a Branch circa 1898. 

Two sculptures by Chaim Gross (Forum Gallery) and Frank Walter (Hirschl and Adler Gallery).

A Painting (Untitled) by B. Vithal at DAG Modern Gallery.

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