Art in the Style of Terence Clarke!

Terence Clarke is another contemporary UK artist who uses bold colors and and form without a lot of focus on accurate or literal reproduction of the world. He is concerned more with color relationships and light. His paintings are painterly and poetic and have a spontaneous feel to them. Perspective is skewed or nonexistent, which is purposeful and fun.

We created our own floral still life acrylic paintings in Clarke's style, focusing on bold colors and having fun! I displayed a wide variety of vases and silk flowers, which were used for inspiration. We used 11 x 14" canvas panels for this piece. 

Using our vine charcoal, we sketched in a square or a round table, without a thought about perspective. We added a cloth, and on top of that a vase full of flowers. We filled the background with patterns or additional props (window, a chair, whatever) and then we filled our palettes with color and just painted away! 

The nice thing about acrylic paint is it dries quickly, and if you make a mistake you can either wipe it away (if you do it quickly) or paint over it after it dries. We made sure to add tints and shades using broad, rich brush strokes, to indicate highlights and shadows.

Aren't these beautiful? 

Art in the Style of Andy Warhol!

Andy Warhol's name and Pop Art are synonymous, so we couldn't leave Warhol out of our look at contemporary artists, now could we? We decided that his 1980's computer-altered portraits of celebrities were particularly interesting, so we decided to create Warhol-style self-portraits. 



We started by uploading an ordinary "selfy" into FotoFlexer (a free online photo editor). We used the PopArt option to create a four-plex altered image of ourselves and printed it out in vibrant color!

We then collected the first letter of our name in as many colors and fonts as possible from magazines and also printed out a few from MS Word. Some artists also cut out a few additional elements for their artwork. 



Then we Mod Podged everything to a piece of crescent board (we learned that black works best). Once complete, the piece could be Mod Podged or sprayed with gloss acrylic overall for a beautiful shiny surface.

Our pop art really "pops," doesn't it?

Art in the Style of David Hockney!

David Hockney is a UK artist who likes CHAIRS...lots and lots of chairs! (Sometimes he paints dogs in chairs, such as this one.) Since chairs are a rather uncommon art subject, we decided to find out why he paints chairs. We discovered that chairs are literal pieces of art that we look at every day. They are designed not only for comfort (most of them) but also to look at. That's why there are so many shapes and styles and colors of chairs. 
To paint chairs, Hockney selects an interesting chair, then he distorts the shape to make it even more interesting. Then, he paints it, using rich, vibrant colors. What fun!!!

For our project, we found pictures of all different styles of chairs in magazines. Then we chose a chair and sketched it on watercolor paper, not worrying about perspective or perfection. This is no-stress drawing! 






Lastly, we painted our chairs and the background using thick tempera paint. 

These were so cool! We plan to try another David Hockney-style painting next month.

Art in the Style of Cezanne!

This week we learned about Paul Cezanne (1839-1906) and his importance in the modern art movement. 

His work was less structured and literal - he was more interested in form, shape, and color than he was in simply replicating life. He felt that cameras, as they were becoming more widely used, could take care of that. His work was somewhat distorted at times; tables seemed to be tilted, shapes a bit off kilter, and perspective not quite right. These style elements were purposeful; his intent was to create art, not simply to duplicate what he saw. Colors were adjusted, color relationships were intensified, and paint was applied liberally. Many 20th century artists have since reflected Cezanne's "new" way of thinking and painting in their own artwork.









We started with three different still life arrangements.                                                                         
We chose one and drew it loosely with vine charcoal on watercolor paper. Then we painted over the lines with thick black tempera paint, so that some of the outlines would show through after the color was added. 

After it dried, we painted in the colors (actual or made up) with thick tempera paint. It didn't matter if bowls were tilted or fruit was added, left out, or layered in weird ways. In one painting, apples became lemons, and it was okay! 

Then we walked away, took a few breaths, and stood back to evaluate our work. We wend back and added white highlights here and there and shades in the shadowy areas as needed. We did some tweaking as needed. 

The colors were so thick and rich... Aren't they beautiful?

Note: Using good quality tempera paint makes a huge difference! We always use RAS Tempera Color, which is very opaque and an excellent transition for older kids moving into acrylic painting. Also, it has real color names, such as pthalo blue and titanium white. We get ours from Jerry's Artarama.

3-D Flowers!

Our day campers made these 3-D flower vases using simple paper sculpture techniques. 

First we cut out and decorated our vases and glued down just one side. Then we cut and glue down our stems and leaves, being careful to keep the bottoms of the stems within the center of the black paper. Then we made each type of flower, using the paper sculpting techniques shown in the poster below.  Most of our flowers involved rolls, cones, curling, tabs, and fringes. We also added spirals inside the bluebells. 



We glued all of the flowers to the stems, then glued down the other side of the vase over the flower stems. Wa-laa! A lovely vase full of beautiful flowers!


Our 3-D wall poster shows all of the paper-sculpting techniques, which makes it super easy for kids to create their own paper relief projects. Here is our poster, if you would like to make one of your own for your children or classroom. 

Songbird Portraits

Here is a Day Camp project we did during Spring Break.

 
These are recycled mixed media songbirds, and the process was super fun! This art project involves scientific research skill-building and fine art illustration techniques (but don't tell them that).

Here's how we did it:


Start with an 8 x 10" canvas panel or recycled cardboard. Our substrate was a piece of corrugated cardboard with a piece of smooth cardboard (like from the back of a drawing tablet) glued to the working side. We covered the good side with a piece of white copy paper (use spray glue or spread with thinned white glue) and we folded the edges over to the back and glued them down. No need to do this if your are using a canvas panel, but we liked the idea of a recycled substrate.

Find a good photo of a bird you like, and then Google it. Copy and paste a few facts about the bird to a Word doc and also print the name of the bird in a very large font. Or, you can photocopy all of this from a bird book. Cut the name and the facts into sections. Arrange them on the substrate background and glue down. We used gloss acrylic medium and a brush, but you could use Mod Podge or thinned white glue. The paper elements in the collage will wrinkle slightly, but no worries. Brush more medium over the top of the collage and smooth it out - a few wrinkles are just fine and add to the character of the process.

To see the entire process, including how to paint the bird over the collaged background, please see That Artist Woman's blog for a similar project, which shows how to paint a blue jay. We made our own stencils using our own bird choices. Other than that, the procedure is much the same.

When the painting is dry, brush over it with a layer of gloss medium or Mod Podge and glue a piece of paper over the back to cover the uneven copy paper edges and give it a nice finish.

March Classes - Paint Your ART Out!

This month, we are going to try something just a little bit different. Each two-hour March class will focus on a popular contemporary artist! Each week, we will learn about a famous artist's imagery, media, and technique while creating a painting using that artist's method and style. Check out our schedule below... which artist's style would you like to try for yourself?

All projects are designed for ages 8 and up; no previous painting instruction or experience is required. We will be using temperas, acrylics, and/or watercolors. We may also incorporate collage, computer graphics, pastels, and other media into our work, depending upon the project.

Day: Thursdays

Time: 4:30-6:30 pm 

Ages: 8 and up - adults are welcome!

Fees: $15 per class or $60 for the full month (five class sessions this month)

March 3

Paul Cezanne - Fresh fruit, anyone?

Learn to create a simple still life using fruit plus at least one prop, Cezanne style!  We will work drawing with overlapping, tints and shades for highlights and shading, and use of strong, yet harmonious color. 

March 10

David Hockney - Where’s my chair?

Learn to pursue uncommon images for art using interesting viewpoints, distortion, color, and pattern to make a subject more energetic and expressive. Play with color and background!

March 17

Andy Warhol - Me, Myself, and I

Learn to create interesting altered images, and duplicate! Then use collage and layering techniques to create a unique self-portrait masterpiece in the style of this iconic pop artist!

March 24

Terence Clarke - Glorious spring flowers!

Learn to use patterns, shapes, and colors to create a striking floral still life. Practice laying and overlapping techniques, using harmonious color choices, and thick, strong painterly strokes just like this amazing artist! 

March 31

Wayne Thiebaud - Cake, cupcakes, & pie - oh my!

Learn basic geometric design while creating your dessert! Practice mixing and applying tints and shades to produce bulk, form, and realism to your tasty treat.

Very Special Zebras

This project involved observing and sketching a zebra face, and then, using watercolors, painting in the stripes straight from the color wheel. The last step is to erase all of the pencil marks after the paint is completely dry.

In the process, we learned about primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. The artists had to mix that last group of colors, by the way, which is one of the best things about painting!

On the right is our wonderful volunteer artist, Erica Baguley. Isn't her zebra gorgeous?

Joseph and Jeanette, your zebras are beautiful! We still need to get photos of the rest of our zebras, so plan to check back soon.

SO SWEET!!!!

Our February Paint Your ART Out class projects were great fun! One of our projects involved candy, and the results were sweet!! 

Learning goals were to transform something very small to a larger format using freehand drawing perspective skills, and then to transform the wrapper or box and the candy into 3-D objects through the use of shades and highlights. 

This was also an exercise in advertising graphics and a bit of pop art on the side!

The photos to the top are my own sample artwork. The Gobstoppers are watercolor on paper, and the Reese's are colored pencil on crescent board. We also worked in temperas and acrylics.

This was such a fun project! 

February Classes - Paint Your ART Out!

We had such a great time in January! I am posting our February projects below. All class lessons and projects are designed for ages 8-up. No previous painting instruction or experience is required.

Day: Thursdays

Time: 4:30-6:00 pm (or 6:30 for certain projects)

Ages: 8 and up - adults are welcome!

Fees: $15 per class or $50 per month (four class sessions)

Here is a schedule of Art Projects for February:

February 4

"Jim Dine" Pop Art Hearts 

Learn to create abstract heart using a variety of painting techniques and methods, including collage and layering, textured stamping, color harmony, and puff paint!

February 11

Graphic Art Candy Painting

Learn freehand drawing techniques and using perspective to enlarge your subject. Then, with your medium of choice, mix colors, learn to use shading and highlighting, and create a graphic or pop art painting of your favorite candy! 

February 18

'Stained Glass' Canvas Painting

Transfer your own simple design to your canvas panel; then create a stained glass look using hot glue and acrylic paint!

February 25

Color Wheel Zebras

Draw your zebra; then with watercolors, add a rainbow of beautiful stripes while learning about the color wheel!

NEW Class Offering - Paint Your ART Out!

Come join us! This is a beginning level painting class, designed for ages 8-up. No previous painting instruction or experience is required.

Day: Thursdays, beginning January 14, 2016

Time: 4:30-6:00 pm

Ages: 8 and up (adults are welcome!)

Fees: $15 per class or $50 per month (four class sessions)

What's Your Style?

Monochromatic Color

Students will learn about composition, form, texture, color theory, style, and the other elements of art while exploring acrylic, watercolor, tempera, and mixed media painting techniques. Students will be introduced to the styles and techniques of the masters and important contemporary artists, and will apply those styles and techniques to their own artwork. We will use photo resources from our extensive photo files (or students may bring their own resources) for subject ideas, lighting, texture, color study, and more. Painting styles will include realism, impressionism, fauvism, expressionism, animation, and abstraction.  This course includes guided acrylic canvas paintings designed to encourage the development of each student's individual style and interpretation. 

Analogous Colors

Each monthly course overview and theme will be posted in this blog prior to the first class meeting of the month. Our painting theme for the month of January is - SNOW! Here is the schedule:

January 14 - "What's your Style?" Acrylic painting on canvas panel. Subject: PENGUINS - $15.00

January 21 -  "Mixing Monochromatic Color." Acrylic painting on stretched canvas. Subject: SNOW KITTEN  ---- Note: this is a guided painting that will be open to the general public. Extended class period will be 4:30 to 6:30 pm - $20.00 or $15.00 when registering for all three January classes.

January 28 -  "Using Analogous Colors."  Acrylic painting on canvas panel. Subject: SNOW SHADOWS -  $15.00

To enroll, visit the Blackfoot Art Center or you can download, print, and complete our Art Class Registration Form and submit or mail with class fee. 

Please check our Facebook page for additional programming, such as upcoming painting events, day camps, workshops, and After School Art Club (AAC) updates.

Amazing Autumn Leaves!

Autumn colors are so awesome, 

I just love fall! It's also a great time to spark ideas for some beautiful artwork, and this past fall we came up with a real winner. 

These gorgeous patterned leaves are a multi-media project using oil pastels, watercolor, and Sharpies. I also provided a large chart of basic leaf shapes for the students to choose from when drawing their own leaves (lightly in pencil). 

We divided the leaves into sections using oil pastels and proceeded to draw in patterns of different styles and colors in each area. We added another pattern to the background and a few more edges around each leaf as well. Then, using a wet on wet technique, we painted the whole thing with watercolor, allowing the oil pastels to "resist" the paint. Finally, after the paint was completely dry, we outlined the leaf and it's sections one more time with a black Sharpie. 

Come Paint with Us!

This lovely cardinal really brightens up the wintry landscape! It is also easy enough for anyone to paint. If you are looking for a gift idea or would like to add this painting to your holiday decor, come and join us!

We will be creating this 12" x 16" painting on Saturday, December 12. Suitable for ages 10 and up. Book your seat for just $20 (normally $25). Please contact the Art Center if you plan to attend.

Just click the Contact Us tab on our website (you can also pay through PayPal too; just click on the Painting Events tab).

Or call us at 252-7126 to check on seating availability.  This painting is also available for a private painting party. Call to book your party!

Mixed Media Project - Super Fun!

We created these AMAZING abstract pieces using two basic types of media, and one more thing: playfulness!

PART 1: We tore colors, pictures, and text out of magazines, newspapers, and art paper scraps, and arranged them rather randomly on a piece of white construction paper (rule: no scissors allowed). Then we glued them down. The artwork on the right, created by 12-year-old Isaac, included folded paper bits protruding from the background for a very interesting 3-D effect.

Part 2: Each artist selected two or three colors of tempera paint, plus white. They then mixed a few tints and hues of their own and added paint to collage. Each artist had his or her own style, and it was so much fun to watch! Paint was dabbed, blotted, swished, splattered, swirled, and splotched! The artwork itself was often used as a mixing palette, with delightful results; don't you agree?

We decided we really like abstract art because it's fun to do and fun to look at!

"Autumn Colors" Painting Event!

This guided painting event is scheduled for Saturday, November 14 at 1:00 to 3:30 pm. You will want to frame and display this lovely painting!

This is a 16" x 20" stretched canvas, and suitable for painters 10 and up. No experience is necessary!

If you would like to join us, you can book your seat directly on our website or contact us via email, the contact us tab, or phone to let us know how many will be attending.