Art

Introduction 

It's Springtime!- shouted the brochure I got in the mail in February. Intuitively I opened the art part. "Emerge into Springtime and awaken your sense of adventure",- continued the page. I felt spacey.…

Couple years ago, still working in a school  with kids, I often was called 'an artist' for crafty projects, offered to students as part of activities. Sure, I could copy also some pictures from books...

At the moment , in the midst of winter, holding this activities brochure, I felt some urge.. to 'emerge' into art, to get express myself ....to be happier? ...to have more positive activities...to be more contented...- all of that, I think.

Choosing a shape over the line, I’ve picked the class ‘Painting with Pastels’ with teacher John Caron.

Below I invite you to be the witnesses for 2 months, 8 sessions of my steps in art. Feel free to share your view on my idea to find one more reflection (besides poetry)…

Thank you!

Anticipation. Copying.
Positive/Negative space study.

March. I’ve registered for ‘Painting with pastels’. The class’s starting on April 4^th. Anxious and anticipating  a new challenge, I was wondering how to start... So, made couple copies of the Dr. Seuss' characters, also checked videos on Youtube about painting with pastels.

One of my friends suggested studying a positive and negative spaces in pictures, limiting the drawing area by square shape. What to do inside of it - only my soul knew, I just let my hand to doodle in the square…

These were the results of my efforts. Now - to Michael's  for class supplies...

Painting with Pastels

 There are no need in much supplies with pastel painting compare to oil, watercolor or acrylic painting. You use pastels and special papers to paint on.

 Pastels made of pigment (animal or plant sources), filler (the chalk) and binder (type of gum). Pastels can be hard or soft, applied to surface with sufficient tooth or texture to hold the pigment dust, which also assist at building sufficient depth of color.

To help to hold the pigment in place it’s possible, but not always necessary to use the fixative (some kind of hairspray).

You can manipulate pastel on surface with sponges, cotton-wool buds, paper towels , brushes, erasers or just fingers.

So, for getting started I’ve bought 28 piece set of soft pastels with contents: 12 Chalk Pastels, 4 Blending Sticks, 4 Sheets Sanded Paper, 6 Sheets Pastel Paper, 1 Eraser, 12 Instruction Cards.

Also I bought Sketch Book for multi use including pastels, Special Pastel Paper with Assorted Colors, and  the book “Pastels in 10 steps” by Ian Sidaway. 

My personal favorite pastel paining artist became Wisconsin Artist Michael Pintar,you see his technique on the video above. More about his work please read at www.michaelpintar.com

1^st Session. Shapes & Shades

Manipulating and mingling people and pastels was a goal…

Couple of artists have registered for this class. As beginners my new friends and I walked around to see different projects and techniques.

Also we had fun to try soft and oil pastels…

All my projects so far painted with the soft pastels, on special pastel paper, using instructional cards as example, included in the package I’ve bought in craft store.

Love to get fingers dirty, smudge the edges, use paper towel for smooth surface... 

This one I painted on bigger paper and very fast...I felt  like jumping in a cool water: boldly drew outlines of a house and plants, started to fill with pastels. From the right hand side I wanted to add some water, so ...asked my teacher to help. 

These fruits I painted at home, after 1st session, just practicing and enjoying shapes and shades.

Second session. Shoes and more

The topic for second session we knew in advance: shoes. Since the weather didn't cooperate at this day,( 6-10 inc. of snow in April!), I worked at home at this project by myself...

 

Later, I was praised for successful light reflection on the shoes.

Cat's face looked at me from the Sunday's newspaper, so I gave it a try...

Last touch (whites) was added by my teacher though...

I feel like painting more of faces soon.

Third session. Focus on flowers

Flowers. First approach. Try to stay calm… Yeah, have to keep practicing…

Well, three of pictures painted on the sand paper, having very sharp tooth. And the flowers with blue

background - on special mixed media paper.

Fourth session. Leaves.

Here …no success so far. Just one pic with added ‘effects’ for inspiration.

'Leaves'  edited in Picasa 

Fifth session. Fruits

More fruits. It seems, I like them to paint…and eat too!

Grapes as a plural - challenge after only one apple/pear...


Sixth session. More flowers

For first on the left bouquet I got the inspiration from Vincent Van Gogh sunflowers.

For second, on the top, I was just playing with petals, practicing their forms.  

And third, on the bottom, the lilies, I painted from some notebook front picture, like these flowers, had pink lilies in the past by our house...

On this third picture I filled the background with watercolor purple, mixed with water, here it looks even blue...

Now, after painting with soft pastels, I'm looking forward to try stronger pastels: for outlines, sharp edges of flowers...

Seventh session. Portraits

First (left to right) portrait - we're learning about proportions, just abstract face.

Second, in the middle, I've been struggling most with eyes and smile. There was the photo in a magazine, smiling girl, but with closed mouth. My girl couldn't smile..., her eyes were too big...

So, when I asked to help, the portrait of girl was turned in the portrait of grandma, which made me upset. At home, I've decided to "open her mouth" , and happily it did the trick: the girl has become younger and smiles...

Third portrait hadn't have much problems, besides the lips (MHO).

Love the magic of changing the appearance of person, laying under your hand with pastel...