Owls in the style of Paul Klee

It seems every year I do a Fall owl project.

These owls are inspired by Paul Klee.




This one is on hardboard but you could use cardboard.

The wings are made out of corrugated cardboard and the beak is recycled foam.

You can also do a full paper version, this one is in the art journal.


















MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- substrate, can be hardboard, masonite, cardboard, canvas or paper
- gesso for priming, optional
- acrylic or tempera paint
- corrugated cardboard
- recycled papers
- glue

PROCEDURE:

If you wish you can prime your substrate with gesso.

Take a piece of recycled paper, this is a large book page, paint with the colour you want for the body.

I also painted a red one for the head.

I painted the corrugated cardboard in shades of brown.  This will be for the wings.

I cut a beak out of recycled foam and painted it yellow.

I painted the background (substrate) in shades of blue.

I try not to let paint go to waste. I'll paint pages in my art journal or plain paper to use in printmaking to use up any excess paint.

This is the orange body paper. I turned it over and sketched out my body shape. Cut it out.

Add dashes of colour to the body.

Cut out some wing shapes from the painted cardboard and add dashes.

To cut out the head I took the red painted paper and turned it over. I traced the head and shoulders of the body on to it.

I turned it upside down and cut a triangle out of the forehead.



I then painted on the dashes.

To make the eyes I cut 2 round circles out of white paper,  I used my circle punch.


I then cut one out of some leftover orange paper.  I cut it in half for the eyelids.

I cut 2 smaller circles out of black paper for the pupils.

Cut a branch out of black paper.

Glue down all the pieces.

Add some shading and details with black and white pencils.

These china markers work on everything.  I buy them by the box at Staples.

That's it.

Gail

Bear Collage

I was working on Bear projects today.  This painted paper collage came together fairly quickly.



















MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- brown kraft paper, I also buy rolls of 'Builders Paper' at the hardware store, it's like a heavy duty kraft paper
- background paper, I used 1 sheet of 9"x12" heavy white drawing paper
- scrap of black paper
- acrylic or liquid tempera in browns and black, disk tempera in yellow, green, and black
- glue
- a few pencil crayons
- scissors

PROCEDURE:

First you have to paint some paper for your collage.

I used brown kraft paper and painted   one sheet with brown and black acrylic. You can also use liquid tempera.


I also painted 1/2 a sheet with just brown acrylic.

I took a scrap of paper and did a quick brown wash on it.  (Take your brush that has the brown acrylic on it, give it a swish in water but don't clean all the paint out of it and then use that for your wash) 
I speckled on some black and grey paint.

Set your papers aside to dry.


This is what I ended up with.

Time to paint the background.  Take your piece of heavy drawing paper and paint some spots yellow with disk tempera.

Add some green to your yellow, mixing a bright lime green and paint in the rest.  You'll notice the green is brushed on vertically at random heights. This adds to the illusion of the forest.

Don't cover up all the yellow.

While the paper is still damp we want to add a few trees.

I'm using green disk tempera.

It's easier for me to show this technique on white paper.  You take your brush (a big flat one) and using the edge make a line by dabbing your way up.

Vary the heights.

Now add some branches.  Use the edge of the brush again but push down a little bit.  Try to make the trees a bit asymmetrical, they look more natural that way.

Fan out as you get to the bottom.

Put a touch of black paint on your green disk to mix a darker green.

We want to put in some dark sections.  Here's a hint: put the dark on only one side of the tree for shadowy bits.


Set aside to dry.

I took the paper I painted black and brown (the darkest one), turned it over to the unpainted side and sketched out my bear body shape.

You want to keep a corner intact and then its a rounded arch shape, (like a slice of bread).

Save the scraps..you'll need them for the ears.

Don't glue until you have cut all your pieces.

I wanted to do a grizzly looking bear so I cut an oval out of my medium brown paper. You could leave this one out if you wish.


I don't want too be too small so I measure it a little before I cut.

Time for the head.  Again I measure it a bit.  You could trace the size of the last piece on the back of your paper.

The head is upside down pear shaped.

Make 2 ears out of the scraps of the dark brown paper. (body)

Out of the light speckled paper I cut the muzzle of the bear.

With a scrap of black cardstock I cut out the nose.

Once you have all the pieces they way you want them you can start gluing.

Using pencil crayons I added a few details.

I tried out those inner black ears but changed my mind.

I also blackened one side of the head for more of a shadow.


That's it.

Have a great Labor day weekend everyone.



Gail

Maritime Landscapes

Time to add some colour back on the bulletin board.

These Maritime Landscapes are just the thing.










MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- check out reference material online, google Lunenburg harbour, etc.
- art boards
- green painter's tape
- rectangular painting paper
- disk tempera paint
- white acrylic paint
- light and dark green acrylic paint
- sponges cut in small pieces
- scraps of paper, or use stash of painted papers
- scissors, glue
- black paper
- black sharpie, white pencil crayon




PROCEDURE:

Tape your rectangular paper to your art board with painter's tape.

Draw in a horizon line in upper third of paper.  Draw a water line (where the ocean meets the land) in the bottom third.

Paint sky blue with disk tempera paint. Sponge on some clouds using white acrylic paint.

Paint in a nice green coastline with green disk tempera paint.

Paint in the water. Mix a nice blue green using disk tempera paint.

Using a sponge and light and dark green acrylic paint, sponge in some bushes on the coastline.

Set aside to dry.

Now I tend to collect any big scraps of painted paper from other projects.  I also paint extra paper using up paint that I have already set out.  This way I build a nice stash of painted papers. I store them in stacks by colour.

If you don't have a stash paint some scraps of paper in bright colours.  I use book pages, newspaper, recycled paper from the printer.

Set aside to dry.

Cut a number of rectangles and squares out of your painted paper.

Glue onto the coastline.  Add some low triangular roofs out of black paper.

Add boats to the harbour.

Using sharpie and white pencil crayon add windows to the buildings, details, waves to the ocean, masts to the boats, etc.

That's it.


What a colourful way to perk you up in the middle of winter.





Gail

In the Style of van Gogh: Painted Collage

One of my favorite paintings, especially this time of year, is "Siesta" by van Gogh, 1889 - 1890.  It also sometimes titled "Meridian" or "Rest".


I had the pleasure of seeing it in person at the Orsay in Paris and the texture of the brushstrokes immediately places you in that field.

What a good place to start with a painted paper collage.

MATERIALS REQUIRED:

- wc or heavy sketch paper for painting
- newspaper
- brown kraft paper
- disk tempera, liquid tempera, and/or acrylic
- sponge
- scissors
- glue
- charcoal
- colored pencils or crayons
- reference photos

PROCEDURE:

So this is a 2 session project.  One for painting and one for cutting/pasting. 


Take your heavy sketch paper or wc paper, this will be your background substrate.

With blue paint  cover at least half the paper on the diagonal.  Now with kids I just have them paint the entire page.  Set aside to dry.

Newspaper is one of my favorite art materials.  You will need 3 1/2 sheets.

With the same blue paint you were using paint over one 1/2 sheet.  Add a little white so you have a page that goes from dark blue to light.


Set aside to dry.

Paint the next piece brown and one yellow.

Take the brown sheet.  Using liquid tempera and/or acrylic paint 1/2 of the sheet with darker colours and one with lighter colors.  You also want different brushstrokes for each half.


One side has skinny diagonals and one side has wavy.

It's up to you what you do just be consistent on the half.

Here on the yellow I'm using a piece of cardboard to make my lines.

Leave your newspaper to dry.

By now your background should be dry.

Grab your sponge.  Now it can be a sea sponge or a manufactured one.


Put a little white tempera or acrylic on a plate.

If using a manufactured sponge make sure your tear a chunk off.  You want an uneven surface on the sponge.

Sponge on some white paint on the diagonal.


I ask the kids to turn their hand each time they sponge so you get variation in the sponging.




Let dry.

Take your brown kraft paper and cut a rectangle that fits in the lower 1/2 or 2/3rds of your background.  I pencil in a mark on the kraft paper so I know where to cut.


Don't attach just yet.

Using the painted newspaper start cutting out the other parts of your background.


Here is the light field.

The medium value haystack.

The dark value haystack.

Using glue secure the pieces into place.

Add some pieces to the front, (foreground).







Now with crayon or

colored pencil add in some grass details onto the kraft paper.

With the blue paper you painted sketch out the figures.

Cut out and add to the collage.  For the faces, feet, and hands I used the reverse side of the painted newspaper.

Add some shading and details to the figures with charcoal and crayon/colored pencil.

You could also sketch out the figures on white paper.

Add colour and then cut and paste onto your collage.

That's it.

Onto the results for the giveaway of the DVD Series, "Understanding Art: Impressionism" with Waldemar Januszczak.

I had a total of 57 entries and the winner by random draw is:

Here are your random numbers:

33

Timestamp: 2012-09-28 19:35:59 UTC


Which works out to be Jess who left this comment,

"Hi Gail! I have you on my google reader and I always look forward to your blog. I teach art to grades 4-8. Would love to win the DVDs! Thanks for sharing your ideas. "

Congratulations Jess!  Please email me at thatartistwoman@shaw.ca so I can arrange delivery.   Thanks everyone for entering.

See you next week.