Magnificent Mark Making
Is there such a thing as left-handed charcoal?
Almost at the end of the month of the 64 Million Artist January challenges. Today a corker! Using your non-dominant hand sketch a portrait of someone.
I always prefer charcoal when I am doing any portrait. It has a life of its own and you can move the image with a brush, lift out mistakes with an eraser and use your fingers! I have never created an image left-handed. I think I like the result!
I hate shopping for school uniform.
Today’s 64 million artist challenge is to remember a memory of childhood clothes. I have memories of standing patiently in line waiting for a number to be read out so that I could have my feet measured for school shoes. Whatever you picked it would be out of stock in your size.
In the summer there was only one choice and that was Clarks sandals. Horrible leather with a punched pattern and a strap.
The adverts of the time sold more promises of comfort than there was room in the shoe.
This is a collection of shoes and adverts from the 1970’s!
A stich in time…often leaves me with a whole in my pocket.
I always like to think I am good at fixing things but in practise that is not the case. If I I’d had the skills I would like to think I could have fixed my Land Rover Freelander. Probably the nicest car I have ever owned.
Our fiesta has a wobbly exhaust holder-upper bracket. If my dad had been alive, he would have been under the car and had it fixed in a jiffy. The car is booked in for a garage visit and an probably an eye watering fee…
This is an image of a fixed Land Rover Freelander!
Do you have a favourite work colleague?
Today’s 64 million artist challenge is to brighten up someone’s day!
I have worked with Sandra for a number of years. She is very entertaining and always has a story to tell. Sandra is very hard working and if she is going to do a task she will check with other people to see if she can help.
Hence the image. Sandra going to the franking machine with an envelope and a trailer full of other people’s mailing!
Can you change your ways?
Today’s 64 million artist challenge should have been a dream from me as it was playing with paint. I’m stuck in my ways. The brief was to spread paint without any plan…and that didn’t go to plan.
Brush in hand I couldn’t stop myself from painting in a sky from a photo taken in Stratford-upon-Avon.
In keeping with the challenge, I decided to use my inch brush through the first stages of applying paint. I used primary colours set in a triangle adding yellow to red and blue, blue to read and yellow and red to blue and yellow, producing secondary colours.
I needed to add windows to buildings and trunks to trees, so I cut several pieces of mount board to different sizes adding in the highlights caught on glass and darks silhouetting tree trunks.
The final flourish was to mark in two figures walking into the scene with the edge of the card.
The final piece is quite an abstract image.
Does your day run on time? I wonder what dogs really think.
I started collecting photos of Luna from the day we brought her home. Following Luna around the house has been a fun exercise. She is into everything, and every experience is new. There are no limits to her curiosity.
Luna’s face has many expressions, many questioning the situation. She is sneaky, She is kind, and she is mischievous.
She also doesn’t appreciate a bath!
What brings you joy?
Today’s 64 million Artist challenge is to draw round your hand and illustrate it with items that make you smile.
There are so many things that I enjoy, today is about Luna our puppy. She came home to us in November last year and made her mark immediately. Establishing her favourite toy and taking up residence in the bed we brought for her. Never once did she moan or whine about the separation from her mother.
I’ve chosen green as a colour to illustrate my hand with stencils before applying collage elements of the dog.
Dancing is not my bag, but I like the rhythm of music and a good beat.
I felt inspired to create an abstract collage piece today based on the classic floor maps used by dance teachers.
I’m not particularly fond of dancing but I think I have managed to get the energy of movement within this image.
I created some collage paper using some old Japanese tissue paper and ink drawing freely some musical notes. This paper when added to the collage becomes transparent and is a nice way to add more detail.
I’ve continued to use orange, red and I’ve added some blue to this image for a change!
Breathing is something we all take for granted. Having Cystic Fibrosis makes todays challenge quite difficult. Breathing can be a source of anxiety.
Each morning and evening I have to do a series of breathing exercises to help remove any mucus build up in the lungs. Over the years these exercises also known as physio have changed.
One technique called Autogenic Drainage – shortened to AD, physiotherapists love an acronym – involves exhaling all the way to the bottom of the lung and then slowly building up shallow breaths. In my opinion the ZEN of Physio techniques.
My illustration serves to remind me of those breaths – swallow building to deeper breaths.
For more information about Cystic Fibrosis physiotherapy click here.
Day 19 of the 64 million Artists January Challenge. I feel like I’m really getting into my stride now with these challenges.
I have been reading about sustainable art and creating inks from natural dyes.
(Re)Imagine made me think about my art materials and how I could create natural ways to mark making. I decided to create some brushes using hay as the bristles. I collected a variety of thick and think hay, some string and some sticks for the handles.
The brushes produce very erratic marks. The paint flows unevenly and I like the effect I have produced. The hay brushes were particularly good for creating natural feeling tree shapes.
