Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Scratch Board 2 - I think they got it!

I think they got it!

How to create interesting scratchboards.


Drawing with a paper clip
When I was showing them now to make the scratchboard I was not sure the young artists really got the concept of planning art.

Well

I think they got it!

they had no difficulty at all drawing with paper clips, old pens and even nails!

They seems to really enjoy the unusual drawing tools.

While using really sharp things is traditional with scratch board, I was a little apprehensive about giving 10 year old a knife to draw with!

But they had no difficulties with using an old pen, out of ink, paper clips and nails.


Sci Fi Fan drew a Tardis
They were very careful and deliberate in their use of the tools. No one scratch through the cardstock, one of my concerns.

They also used several different colors of oil pastel to create their boards, and did plan ahead to the artwork they were designing.

It took planning to get the right colors just where they wanted under the layers of India Ink. Simple thumbnail sketches helped in this.

Still, it is a lot for anyone to plant ahead like this.
Sunset on the ocean






Monday, May 19, 2014

Scratchboard Drawing: Part 1-Making Your Own.



Scratchboard is a form of art, where you have a nice smooth unblemished surface and you scratch your drawing into it. 

Usually this is a stiff board, with a layer of white wax on it, covered with a layer of black India ink. Many companies make prepared scratchboard for you in various sizes.

 

You can make your own.


 

When  you are working larger than card sized, you do want to use a stiff support. The layer of wax means that if it flexes a lot, it can crack and peel. Something you don’t want if you work very hard and achieve really good results.

 

You can practice this skill and enjoy some new takes at a smaller size.

 

For my drawing classes, we made our own scratchboards.  We used card stock. Stiff enough for the first try.

 

Covering them with hot wax and getting a smooth layer could be a problem with a junior class. Also, a bit boring.

 

Instead we are using oil pastels.

 

Cutting the cardstock into 2 pieces. We do have a support that is large enough to work on, but not so large that the piece will over flex and crack a lot.

 

And covering it in oil pastels was a lot more interesting.

 

First,

 

Using a standard precut mat, we drew a rectangle that will contain our masterpieces. This also gives us a large margin for handling the material without compromising the scratchboard surface.

 
 
 
 
 


Also, using a bright, light color will make the finished pieces more interesting for the class.

 

Choosing a light color, we colored in our rectangle. After it was filled in, the surface was checked for missed areas (much easier to do with a color than white wax) any missed areas are fixed, and the whole thing smooth with a chamois cloth.

 

Then a layer of good India ink was used. Something permanent is necessary for this.

 

It does require 2 good coats, one in each direction to get a good coverage. If you have used more than one color for your scratchboard, you can mark the card with the top.

 

India Ink should set for at least 24 hours before you beginning scratching a drawing into it. It does work better with some time to cure.
 
 

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Still Life with Pots

Started a new painting.

A still life based on a photograph posted at about.com/painting.

Here is the post with the possible still life photos we had to choose from

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=1&nav=messages&webtag=ab-painting&tid=18949

I choose F the one with all the pots

http://forums.about.com/n/docs/docDownload.ashx?webtag=ab-painting&guid=01fb6f6c-b3b8-489d-ac8f-75fd7c94701d

So started with that composition.

 
 
This quickly turned into a rather nice composition with bright blue pots.

I did use two new pigments, Indian Red and turquoise. Two I was not that familiar with.

I was given the Indian Red, and used it for the first time on my Holly Hock painting. I bought the turquoise a while back but never used it.This seems the ideal painting to try that one out