Watercolor Painting Workshop

Yesterday, I took a beginning watercolor painting class with instructor Terry Collington at the Middletown Library.  The workshop was yet another offering of the Makery@Middletown series, through which I have taken papermaking, painted river rocks, and a jewelry-making class in the past.

Terry brought us to the front of the room to offer demonstrations of each step of the painting process, and our ultimate plan was to complete a watercolor birch tree scene, similar to the sample she offered us.

My finished project won't take the watercolor world by storm, to be sure, but it's always a good day when I get to fling a little paint around.

Here is the piece under a black mat to give a sense of what it might look like if it were framed. I believe the instructor's word was "bland" when it came to my sponge painted background; I tend to agree.

I brought the painting home, spattered some blue paint over top of it, and cut it into two postcards and a bookmark. After adhering some cut-out phrases from magazines, I outlined the papers in black Sharpie pen, and I'm pretty happy with the results.

I am a mixed-media artist at heart, and will seldom be satisfied with a straight-up watercolor painting that hasn't been "messed around with" in some way!

That's Pinteresting!: Tie-Dye Coffee Filter Art

After my mother and I tried out bubble painting the other day, I started working my way through my Art Projects for Kids board on Pinterest, trying out some of the different techniques I have pinned over the past months.

I found a homeschooling mom at The Kitchen Table Classroom who uses markers and water on coffee filters to teach her children about color mixing.  You can't beat the project for simplicity, and the coffee filters that are created make interesting background papers for other projects.

I stopped using paper filters in a coffee maker about a year ago, so the filters have worked their way into my craft stash. I was happy to find a fun, easy, and pretty way to make use of them. I also borrowed the girls' craft drawer full of markers, and pulled out a little mini-mister I have, though you can use any sort of squirt bottle filled with water.

First, you just fold the coffee filter into quarters. My daughter Katy demonstrates this step:

Then you make colorful marks all over one quarter of the filter.  The color goes through the paper to the other side, but I like to flip the filter over and reinforce with more marks on the other side for an even richer effect.  Here are Bayla and Katy adding their marks to their filters:

Here is an example of the filters filled with marker color:

For the next step, just squirt the water from your mister or bottle onto the marks and watch the colors "melt" and blend:

This is a fun step, because you never know exactly how the marker and the water are going to react.

You can set the filters aside onto wax paper to dry; they don't take too long to dry, which is another plus with kids' crafts!

No two filters look alike, so it is fun to admire all the different results!  Because they look so much like tie-dye, I thought it would be fun to use them in the background of a journal page or ATC along with vintage images of women from the 1960s era.  We will see where that project takes me!

This is one of those projects that I firmly believe you can do even if there isn't a kid in sight!  Most of the projects on my Art Projects for Kids Pinterest board are fun- and artful-enough for kids or adults to enjoy!

A Bubble-Painting Crafternoon

My mom and I played around with a painting technique this morning that has multi-generational appeal:  bubble painting!  After learning the basic technique, and trouble-shooting the process a bit, I'm ready for my kids to give it a try on a home-bound rainy day.

To create bubble paintings, we mixed 1/4 cup of dishwashing soap with 1/8 cup of water. (We messed around with those amounts randomly through the process, so you can, too!)  We also poured in some of my kids' bubble mix and some vegetable glycerine for good measure.  Then we added a squirt of Liquitex soft body acrylic paint.

We tried liquid watercolor paint first, which I was SURE was going to work beautifully, but it just didn't do as well as the acrylic.  After stirring it all together, we put a straw down into the liquid and blew bubbles.

Very important at this point to BLOW OUT rather than SUCKING IN!  You really don't want to mix up your processes here.

Once we developed lots of bubbles on the surface of our liquid, we held watercolor paper over the container so that the bubbles popped against the paper. Et voila! A bubble painting.

Sometimes we did the process again and again with the same color to get more bubbles on the page, and sometimes we moved on to new colors to get bubbles of different colors on the page.

I never really felt like I "mastered" the process, if there is such a thing.  I got too many frothy bubbles on my paper for my liking.  We couldn't decide if there is a learning curve to making beautiful bubble paintings, or if it's more a matter of luck.  Doing an internet search of bubble painting projects, I found some pretty beautiful examples that put my efforts to shame, if there is such a thing as shame when it comes to bubble painting!  You can check out some other folk's bubble paint projects here and here.

My mom and I decided that this is what you call "process art," meaning that the process of creating it is the focus, and the end result is far secondary.  Meaning we're not sure we LOVE our results, but we sure had fun doing it!

Alternatives to Rubber Stamp Carving

On Black Friday, I treated myself to some discounted online workshops from North Light Shop, which carries products and classes for Cloth Paper Scissors.  Among the {ahem} eight downloads I purchased, was Playful Printmaking with Dina Wakley.

I've been putting her class instruction to use in my art room, finding some interesting alternatives to carving my own rubber stamps for making original prints on papers for my art journaling and collage creations.

Without giving away all of her workshop secrets, I wanted to share some of the new things that have found their way onto my work table.

First, I created some monoprinting tools by cutting shapes out of thick watercolor paper (Dina used tag board, otherwise known as manila file folder, but it didn't prove thick enough to make a good print for me so I opted for something thicker) and gluing them down onto pieces of tag board.

My experiment with tag board-on-tag board

My experiment with watercolor paper-on-tag board

By applying paint with a brayer, the tag board creates a kind of stamp for monoprinting onto art paper.

My first run was more about trying the technique than producing something I plan to use for a specific project.  Some of the papers were kind of pretty, though some were a bit of a hot mess.  I think I need to spend some more time looking at Dina Wakley's work to see how this style of printing works with her art journaling style.

Next, I tried using a pen to press designs into regular old foam, like I find in the kids' section at the craft store.  I found this technique a little more promising. I could use some of the same designs I've used when carving stamps into rubber, only this process is MUCH less labor intensive!

Both of these are designs I've carved into rubber before.

It sounds like these stamps should last for quite a little while, making impressions for months and even years to come (whereas the tag board stamps don't stand the test of time quite so well).

The main thing for me has just been getting back into my art room!  I'm not sure what causes the procrastination; what crazy person puts laundry and house cleaning ahead of art time?!?

At the risk of dooming my intentions to failure by making them into New Year's Resolutions, I'd like to see 2017 be a year of increased art-making, even if it's only an excuse to get my hands into their preferred state of paint-y and glue-y-ness!

Adventures in Etegami

These three postcards were created during the Main Line Art Center etegami workshop.

 After learning about the Japanese art form known as etegami, I have created some samples of my own, which will be sent out into the world by our postal system shortly.

Recall that etegami is a form of mail art, so it is not considered "complete" until it has made its way to a recipient.

A mix of cards created during the workshop and back at home

I had initially resisted the idea of writing the words in ink with a brush, since the English alphabet doesn't lend itself to those writing tools in the way the Japanese language does.  Once I got started though, I enjoyed the challenge of forming the letters with the brush.

These might be considered more traditional because their subjects come from the natural world.

You can see that I emulate the style of my teacher, Nancy Bea Miller, with thicker, bolder lines, whereas some etegami artists draw with a much thinner, more wavery line.

Man-made objects can also be a popular subject matter for etegami, and here you can see the sources of my pictures.

I have a lot to learn, and a lot of practice to do, but etegami is really quite relaxing, and it takes very little time to create a small piece of art to send to a mail art friend!

"Put a shell on it" is something of an inside joke with my mother.  This card is a natural to send to her!

Ironic that I misspelled Brene Brown's name on a sentiment about imperfection? I think so!

My always-messy art-making space is now covered in etegami-making art supplies.

Etegami: Japanese Mail Art

Etegami by Nancy Bea Miller

This past Saturday, I attended my first class at the Main Line Art Center, in Haverford, Pennsylvania.  Nancy Bea Miller taught a group of seven of us about an art form known as etegami.  I came across the class in the Art Center's online catalog, and was drawn to the fact that it incorporates drawing, watercolor painting, rubber stamp carving, and mail art all in one art form.

Never having heard of etegami before, I did some research before the class took place. I came across the web site of Deborah Davidson, who serves as kind of an "etegami guru" for Westerners.  (Perhaps she should be called an "etegami Sensei"!)

Etegami artists at work

I found out that etegami is translated "picture letter," and can be called a form of Japanese folk art or mail art (because it is usually created on postcards and mailed).  Etegami usually contains a simple image, accompanied by some carefully chosen words, as well as the hanko, or stamped "signature" of the artist.

A summary by Nancy of the main characteristics of etegami

The art form is considered a "one shot deal"--no planning, no sketching.  There are no rough drafts.  The artist uses a line drawing brush and liquid ink to draw a picture of some object she is currently viewing.  She then adds color with another brush and two to three colors of watercolor paint.  (Traditionally, the artist uses water soluble mineral based gansai paints, which some of my classmates were fortunate to possess, but I used the basic Western version of watercolor paints.)

Nancy's workspace before the class began

Nancy's workspace during class

The traditionalist might paint her image from colors she has organized in a porcelain dish with shallow compartments for mixing the paint colors; many of us used standard watercolors in plastic pans.  The traditionalist might paint upon washi postcards called gasenshi; many of us used watercolor paper cut to 4 x 6 postcard size.  Our hankos were carved from pink erasers, going to show that there are perfectly adequate substitutes for pricier or harder-to-access supplies for the artist who wishes to jump in and try something new!

On her web site, Deborah Davidson explains the origins of etegami by describing how Japanese calligrapher Kunio Koike developed the art form in the 1960s because he wanted to develop something more spontaneous than what he was studying; he is now considered the Father of the Modern Etegami Movement.

Etegami samples by one of my classmates

Etegami samples by one of my classmates

Etegami samples by one of my classmates

The etegami motto is Heta de ii. Heta ga ii.  This is translated along the lines of, "Clumsiness is no problem. Clumsy makes it better." All of us in this beginning class at the Art Center felt pretty comfortable moving forward with a motto like that!

When I watched videos of artists creating etegami online, I saw them sitting up very straight, their elbows raised, and their forearms stretched in front of them at the same height as their elbow.  They hold the brush at the very top, quite lightly between their thumbs and first two fingers.  The brush essentially dangles down so that only the tip touches the ink to the paper.

On the web sites I was using for research, it was emphasized that the artist is to control the brush's movements with the upper arm, rather than with the wrist.  (Somewhere I read that when you hold the brush like a pencil or pen, you focus more on "drawing well," which is not what etegami is about.)

Nancy demonstrates etegami by drawing two peppers.

Our teacher Nancy reinforced the idea that we should move the brush quite slowly in order to make a more interesting line drawing.  The goal is actually not to have too much control of the brush. Wobbly lines are good! Wobbly lines are preferred!  They are "living lines" that give the work more character, and let the ink interact with the artist's heartbeat.  

Etegami creator Kunio Koike recommends spending up to 30 minutes practicing lines, letters, spirals, and other shapes and motions with the ink and brush before beginning a new work of etegami.  Since many of us enjoy the fact that etegami is a rather "quick" art form to engage in, preceding it with 30 minutes of practice is probably not feasible for most of us! But I enjoyed our ten minute warm-up more than I thought I might.  I can see the value in spending time getting "re-acquainted" with the brush, the way it makes contact with the paper, and the way the ink moves between brush and paper.

Getting to know my brushes and ink during the warm up session

Etegami uses as its subject matter the things of everyday life.  Traditional etegami often reflects the seasons through such things as fruits, vegetables, and flowers.  Many etegami artists will draw toys or other objects that surround them in daily life.  Like sketching, etegami makes the artist pay closer attention to things around her.  I found myself looking at things and thinking, "Hey, that would make a good piece of etegami!"

Nancy set up a table of objects for us to choose from as subjects for our etegami.

A close-up of some objects, with a sample of Nancy's beautiful etegami in the background

Nancy suggested that we start our drawings off the edge of the paper: the lines of the object run off the page so that the drawing looks like it is completed somewhere beyond the boundaries of the card.  This approach forces me to draw the object much bigger than I would have a tendency to otherwise, and gives a very vibrant, graphic quality to the painting.

The color is applied more by rolling or tapping the brush, rather than sweeping the brush across the paper.  Etegami doesn't result in photographically-correct images, which is probably another reason it is an approachable art form for the beginner.

The words used on the card can come from song lyrics, poems, or quotations.  The ones I appreciate most are the ones that introduce some sort of humor related to the object that is drawn.

My work space at the beginning of class

My work space at the end of class

I love the fact that etegami is created from the "stuff" of everyday life.  I don't have to look far at all to find a subject for a piece of etegami--the remote control on the coffee table, the cat curled up beside me on the sofa, the apples in a bowl on the kitchen counter, the weeds growing up in the garden outside my window, the butterfly that just landed on the bush, the back of the car parked in the garage, the toy pony my daughter left on the living room floor...any or all of these things could become a perfectly legitimate subject for a new piece of etegami.

In fact, I think I'll go make one now...

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Some more photos of my etegami classmates at work:

I will share some of my own etegami in a future post!