Hi, Tuesday at Creightoners,
It seemed there was some experimenting going on this week.
- Marjorie was making blacks and we talked about or favorite black combos: Prussian Blue and Perylene Maroon, Alizarin Crimson and Pthalo Green, Burnt Sienna and blues, any red and green, blues and oranges…remember the dark chart assignment from Kay??? .
- We also talked about white, which is the whitest? Joanie just did a little test with the whites in the classroom closet at CCSF. She thought the whitest was WN Permanent White gouache. A couple others thought it was Zinc White. Chinese White is quite translucent and a little creamy. Shirley said that gouache originally meant that there was double pigment but doesn’t know if that still holds true. It has little or no gum arabic so it doesn’t flow but is easy to lift. Quality is also important, as always.
For #14 - Let a Motif Stand Alone:
- Mary created a HUGE aphid with amazing wings. She like not having to do a background. Who knew how complex and interesting they are, although they are a pain on the roses! Their mouth parts are cool!
- Avelina did a beautiful autumn leaf but she was struggling with the shadow. Shirley reminded us that shadows get softer as they move away from the object and that there is a little reflected highlight in the object where the shadow starts (hope that’s clear!)
- Sue did a sunflower that was bursting with energy. She tried sea salt and other colors dropped into the center to make texture.
- Marjorie was moved to do a prickly pear cactus although she doesn’t know why. She used some Chinese watercolors and tried to limit herself to 3 colors, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red and Chinese 123 Green. She realized that you cannot get a cool dark when you are only mixing warm colors so she added alizarin crimson so she could have a cooler dark. Then she tried sandpaper and an exacto knife for texture.
- Carmel did a simple and elegant musical symbol with the pen and ink that Jesse often uses in her images. After she inked her line she sprayed with water which created and “electric” effect. Which ink is important as some inks are very fugitive.
- Joanie did a Cypress Cone ibn detail.
Another thing that came up was what some thought they “should” do. Background or no? Style? Whatever…THERE ARE NO RULES!!! This is YOUR art and you can do whatever you want. The experiments are suggestions! We are doing this to experiment, grow and have FUN!
Pam is working on a trip to the Academy of Science in November and Sue is working on a trip to the Asian Art Museum in January.
Next week: #23 - Concentrate On One Shape, pgs 76 + 78.
‘Til then,
Shirley and Joanie