Please do not bug me!!

 This term we had some fabric, art fun!! First we chose our subject from a picture of some sort. Then the artists created a simple template by observing and drawing the object.

 Then they set to work. Choosing colours that worked together from the colour wheel was part of this project.

 Work ranged from insects through to wolves. They were wonderful!!!

 Fabric paint is tricky and takes a little getting used to when painting with it. The detail was created with fine liners and or paintbrushes,

Exploring South Africa

Here are these beautiful acrylic works done by a bunch of flegling artisits. Just lovely...

Move over Andy.

Each pewrson chose a popular SA icon and drew it. Then we painted 2 of the same thing.

They got to play with colour and have fun . The end products were splendid!!

The Oil Paint Adventure - Part 1

 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Sapuan_akrilik.jpg

 This term we painted with oils. It was an adventure for me as much as it was one for the adults who attended the class. 

I began my own adventure by painting Madiba in oils. 

This web site was an enormous help to me.

http://willkempartschool.com/

This was the beginning. Painting with oils is a process and builds patience because one can not complete the work in one go. The oils take time to dry. 

The thing I love about painting with oils is the vibrant colour and the buttery feel. It is very much like painting with thick butter. The results are instant. The experience rich to the sences. From smell thtough sight and then of course the feel of it. 

We began the class with a choice. What to paint. All selected a potrait except one brave woman who decided on a rose. We decided on black and white. 

During the weeks that each person worked on their art, a delightful and often unexpected painting developed. It is so special being the 'teacher' because the delight is mostly mine.... I love to see the struggles and pain produce fruit.

The results are special but once again the process was the growth. 

Here are some of the works in progress.....

Completed work to follow. ENJOY!!

 

Lets Face it.

We began this class on drawing a potrait, by drawing a grid. Firstly, everyone drew a grid on the picture of the face that they had chosen to draw and then translated this grid onto the paper by measuring and making it larger than the grid on the face. There is another way to do this ... you can divide you paper in ahlf and then into quarters again. The do the same on your face picture. With both you have a grid on which to draw and position eyes and nose etc. The grid we chose was very small and made the work quite exact. The class moslty chose the finner grid and the results were amazing. I know that the process is important here but I have found that adults really enjoy the process when the product looks like it is emerging into something that they can see really works. 

 The class worked in pencil first. The problem for the artist will be how to 'cover' the pencil. I love it when the art work creates a problem that the person then has to solve. Children are great examples to us adults of going towards the problem with great gusto. They are not generally afraid to try and figure it out. Children however do not have all the many solutions at their fingertips. 

Adults aproach problems in are very differently. Personality comes into play in a big way.

In both cases I love the solutions or lack thereof that people come up with, both adult and child alike. 

Lots of learning and growing takes place when we are faced with a problem. Creative thinking is stimulated . 

Check out TED Talks on line and in particular Ken Robinson.

http://www.ted.com/talks

The inspiring thing for me as a 'teacher' is when the student takes what they are learning, home with them, and builds and develops and practices what they have learnt. 

One mom in this class took her art home in such an encouraging way, that she gathered all her children and began to have family art Saturday mornings. What an inspiration for me!!

Keep drawing!

Keep observing!

Keep practicing!

*

Exploring Postive and negative spaces

 Charcoal - A lovley medium to use when drawing. These artisits had to draw on large pieces of paper.

 Each had a cup, jugor tea pot as a choice of material to study. The idea here was to draw the object by consentrating on the negative spaces.

 In other words, draw what you do not usually see!! The project was great fun and although it was a new experience for most people, and some found the concept difficult, in the end the process was fabulous.

 I love these drawings because they look like they are alive. They have life. Almost an Edward Munch - The Scream - quality about them. Delightful.

Trying Oils

 Painting with oil paints is not my strength but these amazing people set forth and gave oil painting a bash.

There is so much exciting infomation to experience when using oils.
The fun part was the block drawing. I loved these objects.
The artist has to really practice getting the angles right

so that the blocks work well.

 These first attempes at using oils worked very well.

I loved that this person, who has really emerged herself in these art classes, made a great attempt at painitn a shadow.

 At the end of this class each person will have experienced something of using oils and how they can blend together. We have so much more to experiement with. :) what fun!!