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Flowers 101 with Sandra Angelo
(don’t zoom in on the pictures, they don’t improve upon closer examination)
I ordered Sandra Angelo’s Flowers 101 Home Study Course from Northlight Books in December. They were running a special. Flowers are my favorite subject and I have been wanting to get better with Graphite and Value. I didn’t know she was doing it but Sandra selected 20 people to do on-line tutoring for the class via Facebook.
I’m not crazy about some of the flowers we are drawing copying but it seems to be working as a process of learning to draw. The 30 minute lessons take me at least 2 hours. I’ve been using Derwent pencils and am curious to try others. I ordered her drawing supplies and they should be here in a couple of days.
I had major problems with the orchid and i’m still not happy with my efforts. I did get some Strathmore Windpower smooth bristol and quartered it to work on. Paper really makes a difference. I’m amazed at how differently graphite goes down and lifts on it.
Viking Knit Craft Day with Cheryl
Cheryl came over at 1 pm. Paul made baked brie, carnita and nanaimo bars for us. Made a big length of single & double viking knit and fashioned a couple of bracelets each.
- 24 gauge copper wire for the knit section.
- 18 gauge copper wire for the stringing.
- 16 gauge copper wire for the clasps
10 Baby Owls
Finished a new hat for Nik Wallish in a couple of days. I think I got the yarn and pattern for him before he was born. He has just about out grown the tomato. Mailed it off today with the owl photo so his parents will know what it is supposed to be which is a little more abstract than I had hoped. I’m trying another one with the correct size yarn. There will be one row of 6 owls on it.
The pattern is Owl Tuque, modified heavily for the yarn I had. I increased to have 9 stitch seed stitches between owls for the first set, and decreased to 8 (so the seed stitch matched up) Two alternating rounds of owls. Two seed stitch rows before starting decreasing every other row.
EYES!
The pattern called for buttons but I don’t believe they should go on baby wear (choking hazard) I bought safety eyes but the looked like they might impale the baby head. I bought felt and cut it out with a could of sized of hole punches. But the felt fell apart when I tried sewing it on. So I went with embroidered eyes and beaks.
Pomegranate Prints
I working on print making and pen and ink line work right now. Last Sunday was my 6th in a row loading Colorado Pharmacy Inventory files. There is only one more this year and with that behind me I’m hoping for more time to make pretty things. I’m going to try multiple colors for this one. I’ve completed the black outline block. Made some test prints. I’m going to carve blocks for the leaves and fruit separately. So I printed a copy on cartridge paper and then put it down on a fresh block and burnished to get the image transfered on. I’m not sure how I did with the registration.
Readycut Daphodil
Found an image in my Silhouette Studio that looks like it would be good practice for cutting and printing. I used Dick Blick Readycut which is very easy to carve and feels rubbery. It made 4 proof prints. The first (top right) was using my speedball press. 8.5 x 11 paper was too big for it. The second (top left) was my first ever hand print. Third (bottom left) water color paper. Fourth (bottom left) is bristol.
Eco Printing Week 3: First Print
Eco Printmaking Week 2
Change of direction. Decided to carve something simpler than the magnolia to start with.
Eco Printmaking Week 1
Jill is teaching Acrylics on Thursday nights so I looked around for a different kind of art class and decided on Eco Printmaking with instructor Elena Guttman. The class runs for 8 weeks and is at the Tabor PCC campus on the corner of 82nd and Division. The Eco part of the class is using non-toxic materials, water based ink rather than oil. I’m curious to try the soy ink.
Step One Transfer Design
- Using tracing paper, create the outline with a 6 B pencil.
- Flip it over and place it on the sheet of linoleum. Rub graphite into linoleum. Redraw lines with a sharpie.
- Carve. Hold the tool in the palm of your hand. Long index finger. Rest middle finger on the linoleum for support. Flat wrist. Elbow close to body. Flat angle for carving tool. Outlines first with small v tool. Larger scoop for big areas.
Supply List
- Water Based Ink: Red, Black, White, Yellow, Blue
- Brayer Roller
- Barren for Burnishing
- Photos for Inspriation
- Unmounted Linoleum 5×8″
- Bristol Paper
- Tracing Paper
- 6B Pencil
- Linoleum Cutting Knives
- Palette for rolling in on
Links
Drawing with Charcoal
There is no ideal sketchbook or journal. In my search I started creating a mixed paper journal that is ‘junior sized’ half of a page of 8.5 x 11 that is hole punch for that size of binder. I collect a variety of paper and mix it up. Colored card stock, parchment, drawing, watercolor, sketching, found, prepped acrylic color field, etc.
For the cover I use report covers (black) that I purchased from Oregon Laminates and also sheets of acetate so you can see through. Sometimes I’ll put multiple cover sections in if I want the journal to open up in multiple places (extra sketching paper). I’m using binder rings to keep it together. Its a little bulkier than a normal sketch book. Not too bad if I use the smallest binder rings (but I worry I’d run out of paper with the smaller one). They fold over flat at any page so there is no fighting how the pages open. I like the variety of surfaces, sometimes I skip around if I want a certain paper but I also like to let what ever happens happen. I can journal, sketch, draw, paint, make to-do lists, archive the stuff I’m tired of looking at.
What I discovered in the last couple of days is I like how charcoal looks on the craft paint acrylic fields I’ve been creating in hopes of Art Journaling.
- Photo 1: Cover of Journal with Grid making device
- Photo 2: Prismacolor Sanguine Sketching Pencil (top) and Green china maker (bottom)
- Photo 3: Charcoal
- Photo 4: Prismacolor Sketch Set (Charcoal and Chalk Pencils)