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 .com...the link between you, the visual artist, and the manufacturer of art materials. Established 1990 |
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Elements Of ArtworkCreating Texture for Added Interest and AppealOne element in our world that is stimulating to the eye and touch, one that captures our interest and inspires a personal attachment when enjoying artworks, is texture. Even slight texture can grab our eye and hold it when that texture is applied with skill. Many artists consider the finishing textures they give their work their trademark. This visual “icing” is one element that can captivate a viewing audience. Each painting, drawing and sculptural material has its method of textural application and each is created at a precise time during the process. Drawing, acrylic painting, watercolor, oil painting and sculpture can be textured to give that final “touch” to the artwork. When graphite artists want to create texture, they can accomplish it in a number of ways. The fastest is to rub the drawing instrument over the paper while the paper is sitting on top of a rough surface. This will cause the underlying texture to come to life on the drawing. Experimentation will yield neat materials that can be rubbed and that yield distinct and unique patterns. Another way is to manipulate the surface by using a change in material application. For instance, stippling or dotting on the paper with the point of a graphite stick or other instrument will yield a new look. If the drawing is otherwise smooth in nature, cross-hatching will give an immediate textural change, even if it is only visual rather than actual. Extreme darks and lights are in themselves great eye catchers that are not textures at all, but appear to be. These types of visual excitement offer the graphite artist many options for implied texture.
Acrylic painting offers a huge opportunity for the development of texture. The heavy application of thick paint creates its own texture. The surfacing of the canvas—prior to painting—with modeling paste, heavy or thick gesso and even embedded found materials (coffee grounds, sand, tiny pebbles, etc.) can create many degrees of texture. Different brush strokes and pressures can sculpt the paint into shapes that can add visual interest and appeal. Acrylic is one of the easiest materials to manipulate and, therefore, lends itself to all levels of textural surfacing. Acrylic paints also offer excellent coverage capabilities, so the textural elements can be toned appropriately. Watercolor painters have devised many appealing textural methods and ways to engage the viewer. The very nature of watercolor’s fluid, soft appearance makes the perfect ground upon which to add line work, specks or splatters to create implied texture. Because the surface of a completed watercolor is smooth, bold textural creations like extreme darks with bright lights sprinkled on them (such as painting rocks or tree trunks) is an instant magnet for the viewer’s eye. Another method for the creation of texture is low profile scrapes and scratches through dried, painted surfaces to reveal the paper color beneath. A sharp blade scrubbed across a darkly painted area will skip and shutter and leave a broken line that doesn’t look out of place and will give an enormous level of contrast and interest. Such textures are subtle but very effective. Oil painting is one of the media in which actual painting of textures is the most common way to create them. For ridges, ruffles or translucency, oil painting stands alone in its ability to captivate the viewer. The layering of tones can create a depth and texture that is like no other. You can mix materials with oil paints, but few artists do. Such additions will affect the drying, adhesion and perhaps the finished color of the tone. And most oils are created with such a smooth and finished surface that such additions would alter the overall sheen and quality of the art. Sculptors, depending on their medium, have many ways to create textures. Clay and plaster artisans have only to work the surface into whichever surface quality they desire. Since many bronzes start with either a wax or clay master, there are hundreds of tools and methods that can add interest to these sculptural surfaces. Wood artisans work in the opposite way in that they must create their textures as they remove or deplete the material in which they work. They, too, have many surfacing options: gouges, files, chisels, etc. When asked which element of a painting is most liked, the overwhelming answer is often texture; it captivates and entertains. Although it seems simple, texture is vital to many artworks. One of the most famous examples is the work of Van Gogh. What would it be without texture?
The Artist’s Marketplace
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Cell phones are everywhere and we have grown to depend on them as part of our lives. For a fun project, you can create cool and unique phone charms by combining wire, beads, charms and trinkets. You will need tiger tail wire (a special coated wire that is tiny but very strong), crimp beads (to finish your loops of charms), charms, beads, and a pair of small flat-nosed pliers.
Start by cutting a length of wire twice as long as the length of charm you will make. Thread beads and trinkets onto the wire, starting with a simple bead, which will be the end of the phone charm. Loop the wire back through the charms, but not through the small bead that you started with. It will be used as a “lock” bead and will hold the other charms in place. When you have threaded the tiger tail back through all the other charms, put a crimp bead on one of the top wires. Slip the free wire end through the phone strap connection. Create a loop with the free wire, and then slip its end through the crimp bead, too. Use pliers to pinch the crimp bead, which will hold the charms and wires in place. Trim any excess.
You can make unique book markers using the same technique, but make the lengths of charms and beads longer. Attach a larger bead or charm in the loop where you attached the phone to the charm and it will act as the “place finder” when the reader closes the book.
Your local art supply or craft store carries all the materials and tools that are required. But beware! Choosing beads and charms may be difficult when you see the vast selection of styles and colors that is available.
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The Victor D’Amico Institute of Art, affectionately known as The Art Barge, is a summer art school for all ages. It’s located on the eastern end of Long Island (Amagansett, NY) and is situated on a WWI Navy barge that was towed ashore and beached along Napeague Harbor. At the Art Barge Family Art Carnival, children are introduced to the elements of art through the use of motivational “toys,” after which they enter the studio-workshop where painting easels, collage turntables and other art materials are waiting for them to create. Dates are Aug. 23, 24, 30 and 31, from 10a.m. – 12p.m. To coincide with the carnival, the Art Barge Gallery will display an exhibition of the history of The Children’s Art Carnival from MoMA in the 1940’s to the Tokyo Children’s Art Carnival in 1995. Call 631-267-3172 or visit www.theartbarge.com.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA, presents Free Neighborhood Nights, a family program where you’ll find special storytelling, music and dance performances that celebrate cultures from around the world. On Aug. 7 you’ll make and create your own rice-dough animals with artist Chaun Dao, be astounded by dancing lions with the exciting Gunk Kwok dance troupe and listen to the unique sounds of the vocal jazz group Syncopation. Call 617-278-5156.
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Silver is a beautiful metal that is one of the easiest to work into many different shapes and forms. The finish is easy to maintain and jewelers have enjoyed working it since around the 16th century when Spaniards came to southwest America. The Mexican people learned how to silversmith from the Spaniards and the knowledge was shared with the Indians of the area. Documentation of Navajo Indian use and wearing of silver appears as early as 1795. The skill is taught to new generations as a form of cultural awareness and as a method of support.
Gemstones were and are an important part of the most valued pieces of American Indian jewelry. These include the indigenous turquoise stones as well as coral and onyx, for which they traded animal hides and other goods in the early years of silversmithing.
Today, it is easy to find jewelry-making classes in nearly any college art department. But, if you want to do something on your own, without specialized equipment and with a close eye on safety, it is very possible to create some beautiful, original creations. While simply crafted, they can be used as gifts or presented for sale. The materials are easy to find at art or craft supply stores and most lapidary shops.
Simple wire twisting and bending can make some very charming earrings and necklaces. You don’t need to do any soldering or other manipulation if you explore the options of tight twist endings on your loops and twists. With silver wire, alone, you can create some dynamic looking jewelry.
Silver wire wrapping is almost as instantaneous as silver twisting/bending. Silver wire, which is very easy to bend and will hold shapes easily, is the base material used. With the addition of stones of various colors, shapes and sizes, you can create beautiful pendants, earrings and broaches. Practice some of the simple techniques and you will soon be ready to master the art of ornate curls and bends. It won’t take you long to realize the methods of holding stones in place by the type of designs you create with the wire. Use tight-nosed pliers to form tight circles and square-nosed to make angles. Look around and see what “tools” you already have that will form the silver in unusual ways.
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Using a one-foot scrap of soft copper wire, experiment with the bends and shapes you like best. This practice will make the final use of silver more effective and will save you the money of unsuccessful wire bending. Use forms such as nails, round pencils or hexagon-shaped handles of tools around the house or garage. You will find that there are very neat shapes possible when you look for forms to bend around.
With a cabochon (a gem or bead cut in convex form and highly polished but not faceted) that has a flat back, you can loop and bend the wire across the back and around the edges. With a square or emerald cut stone, you can catch the corners with loops and bends and hold the stone firmly in place. Add loops and you can display from a neck chain; or, in pairs, you can create earrings.
With sheet silver, you can stamp or press designs into the surface to create a textured look. These textures can be created with any tool or found object that gives the desired shape/design or hole. Smooth the surface with emery paper and use a rubber hammer to bend the strip into a bracelet shape. Certain chemicals can be applied to the surface to create patina finishes and are available wherever jewelry supplies are sold. Caution: Read the directions before using. Many of these chemicals are very hazardous if mishandled. Wear protective coverings over eyes and hands and do not inhale the vapors!
So, even without soldering, you can create simple yet elegant silver jewelry. It is not super expensive to make, but the result can surely look high-end.
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—The Allied Artists of America 95th Annual Exhibition will be held Nov. 13-Dec. 2 at the National Arts Club Galleries in New York City. Entry is open to all artists and eligible works include paintings in Oil; Watermedia, Pastel and Graphics; and Sculpture in the round or relief. $22,000 in cash and medals will be awarded. Entry Deadline: September 15. For a prospectus, visit http://www.alliedartistsofamerica.org/prospectus.htm.
—Walker on the Green is an artist-designed, green-themed mini golf course on the Walker Art Center campus, Minneapolis, MN. Two 7-hole courses have a shared grand finale and play is on a first-come, first-served basic. Open Wed.-Sun., 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., weather permitting, through Sept. 7. Fee. http://calendar.walkerart.org/canopy.wac?id=4403
—On Sept. 6, from 11a.m. to 4 p.m., The Drawing Center, New York City, and River to River Festival will present “The Big Draw,” a day-long celebration of drawing now in its third year. People of all ages are invited to join in hands-on, artist-led projects that are guaranteed to change the way you think about drawing. Pick up a free sketchbook and express your creativity through inventive, site-specific projects at Lower Manhattan venues: Battery Park City Parks Conservancy’s Teardrop Park, National Museum of the American Indian, South St. Seaport Museum’s historic Schooner Pioneer and World Financial Center Plaza. 212.219.2166
—The renowned Sausalito Art Festival (CA) takes place Aug. 29 – Sept. 1 at Marinship Park and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Bay Model Visitor Center. You’ll find more than 20,000 original works of art, a sculpture garden, activities for children and more in an idyllic waterfront setting. 415.331.3757 - www.sausalitoartfestival.org.
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The National Endowment for the Arts has announced the release of Artists in the Workforce: 1990-2005, the first nationwide look at artists’ demographic and employment patterns in the 21st century. Almost two million artists represent one of the largest classes of workers in the U.S., as well as 1.4 percent of the U.S. labor force. Note that artists include actors, architects, fine artists/art directors/animators, dancers/choreographers, designers, entertainers/performers, musicians and writers/authors. Some additional key findings in the report follow:
—The number of artists has kept pace with the growth in the overall labor force.
—Artists remain highly concentrated in urban areas, with the metropolitan areas with the highest percentage of fine artists in the labor force being San Francisco, CA; Santa FE, NM; Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA; New York, NY; and Stamford-Norwalk, CT.
—The artist population, like the labor force, is becoming more diverse.
—Artists are generally more educated than the workforce as a whole.
—Artists are 3.5 times more likely than other workers to be self-employed.
—Fewer artists have full-year, full-time jobs than other workers.
—Artists generally earn less than workers with similar levels of education.
—Women remain underrepresented in several artist occupations.
—The West and South have seen the greatest growth in artists by state.
Visit www.nea.gov/news/news08/ArtistsinWorkforce.html to read the full report.
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Liquefied colors that were designed specifically for airbrush use have been in existence at least since the 1920’s. (A set of colors in a limited palette appears in a 1920’s Wold Airbrush Company catalog.) The original airbrush colors and those that exist today are not much different from ink in viscosity.
Today the term “airbrush colors” refers primarily to pre-reduced paints that are water-soluble, in most cases acrylic-based, and available either opaque or transparent. What makes these colors specific to airbrush use is their convenient ready-to-spray consistency. Other features of these colors include low toxicity, since they are not used with any harmful solvents; easy cleanup from both the airbrush and your skin with soap and water; and quick drying capability, which is important to airbrush artists working with stencils.
When dry, pre-reduced airbrush colors are resistant to moisture, but not necessarily waterproof. All are available in jars with convenient nibs or eye-droppers for filling the airbrush reservoir. Some of these jar colors contain a BB that helps keep the paint homogenized, as it may separate when left on a shelf for a period of time.
Airbrush colors are used primarily on paper surfaces such as illustration board, airbrush paper and watercolor paper. They can also be applied to wet media acetate that is treated for paint adhesion. Some artists use these on canvas, as well. If done so and exhibited without the protection of glass or Plexiglas, the colors must be coated with clear varnish—which must be applied by spraying and not brushing—to insure permanency.
Pre-reduced airbrush colors make airbrushing easier for artists because (1) they don’t have to thin them for spraying and (2) the finely-ground pigments eliminate the possibility of clogging. See your retailer and visit www.iwata-medea.com for Com-Art Airbrush Colours.
In the history of airbrushing, there were and are today several additional paints designed for airbrush technique: tube and block watercolor, gouache, and artist acrylic color, all of which require thinning. The use of these paints will be discussed in the future.
New Airbrush Newsletter
Visit www.airbrushtalk.com for the new bi-monthly issue of AirbrushTalk, an e-newsletter for airbrush enthusiasts. This month you will find “Be Ready for a Cool Snap—with Wearable Art!” by Janean S. Thompson; “The Home Stretch—How to Stretch and Prime Your Own Canvas” by Thomas Adams; “Pop Art Portrait Project” by Robert Anderson; and more. While there, be sure to sign up for your FREE subscription.
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Jewelry Line Celebrates Anniversary – The Guggenheim Museum has released Restoration Rocks, a special edition jewelry line, designed and fabricated by California-based jewelry artist Cara Tilker. The collection features 9 different designs, and each piece incorporates actual historic lightweight concrete or Gunite fragments of Frank Lloyd Wright’s landmark Museum—set aside during the 2007 restoration process from the building’s walls—that are presented in resin and sterling silver settings. The limited edition line is a component of the planned 2009 50th Anniversary celebration and is available on the museum’s website and in its retail store.
NEA News – The NEA has announced the 2008 recipients of the National Heritage Fellowships, the country’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Eleven fellowships, which include a one-time award of $20,000 each, will be presented to honorees from eight states and Puerto Rico. Visit http://www.nea.gov/news/news08/Heritage2008.html.
Postal News – The U.S. Postal Service has issued the Olympic Games commemorative stamp during gymnastics team trials in Philadelphia. This coincides with the games of the XXIX Olympiad, which will be held Aug. 8-24 in Beijing, China. Designed by Clarence Lee, it features a drawing by artist Katie Doka of a gymnast surrounded by ribbon-like design elements.
Auction News – Christie’s summer auctions of Impressionist and Modern and Post-War and Contemporary Art in London achieved the highest ever total for a corresponding series of sales in Europe. Monet’s Nympheas realized a record price for the artist at auction at $80.5 million, Bacon’s Three Studies for a Self Portrait sold for $34.4 million, and 26 artist records were established. – Sotheby’s summer sales of Impressionist and Modern and Contemporary Art realized $497 million and set a European record for contemporary art sales. Marlene Dumas’ The Visitor (1995) realized a record $6.3 million, the most expensive work by a living female artist at auction.
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6-Hour Workshop
www.arttalk.com/workshop/workshop.htm
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The Art Institute Online is looking for graphic designers interested in learning additional skills, or in getting their bachelor's or associate's degree in graphic design. Make yourself more marketable in the graphic design industry. Click here to find out more. (http://quinst.com/clk/kittedatoukumushiigyo) |
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| •ARTtalk's Manufacturer Art Materials/Product Info. Center • |
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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 18 No. 10 — August 2008
Savoir Faire – Artistico Cut Sheet Packs: ¼ and ½ Sheet Sizes
Strathmore
has a
longstanding tradition of environmental stewardship, from pioneering the
industry’s first line of recycled artist papers in 1972 to today’s first line
of artist papers manufactured with 100% certified renewable energy. The Windpower
Series, manufactured with emissions-free, wind-generated electricity,
includes five fine art pads—with two that feature 30% post-consumer waste to
maximize the use of recycled materials. Strathmore’s Premium Recycled
Series and Artagain pads maximize the use of recycled fibers to
include high levels of post-consumer waste fibers. The popular sketch and
drawing pads are available in a full range of sizes; and, with its fiber-enhanced
surfaces, Artagain is ideal for soft pastels and charcoal. For
tree-friendly fibers, Strathmore’s growing collection includes papers made with
cotton and hemp plant fibers. Alternative fibers grow faster than trees and
harvesting does not disturb natural ecosystems.