self portrait as animal

   We discussed animal totems in the Native American tradition, what each of us thought our totem(s) were or might be, and looked up qualities associated with those animal totems.
   Then the students looked at some reference images online and brainstormed on paper about what their compositions might look like before beginning their official totem piece, imaging themselves or their spirit in the animals they were depicting.
   Very interesting and lovely results!

mixed media stories - week 4

   These kids are awesome, I love working with them. They are so focused and 'on it'.
   Today most of them finished up their 'scenes' from last week, painting them with gouache. (A couple here are still in-progress.)
  

The next assignment is to purely play around with the paint - watercolor and gouache - creating textures and fields of color, experimenting with puddles, drips, runs, bleeds, taking their paper out in the rain, just filling the page with color with no specific imagery or story in mind. Next week they will 'daydream' on their painting, rotating it and looking at it in different ways, and see what pops out at them, a face, an animal, a setting, and work from there, allowing their painting and imagination to reveal a story to them...  

art of the self portrait - week 3

   This week we returned to blind contour or partial blind (students' choice) in a larger format, working with pen on mixed media paper which is smooth like Bristol board. We painted the resulting compositions with gouache, and abstract coloring was encouraged as well as consideration of background treatment. Very interesting and unique results!

  

Art of the Self Portrait

   Fun fun!
   Today was the first of a 12-week session I'm teaching for a cool, large, well-organized homeschool co-op.  This is the teens class, joined by Cathy who has graciously offered to assist me for my two Friday classes.

   We began with blind contours, partial blind contours, and then a more illustrative style which we are then painting (to be finished next week).