Mixing into the light
Mr. K (short for a really long and hard to pronounce name) was my 9th grade art teacher.
We all loved him, not only cause he was a funny, but because he had so many great lessons and interesting art projects. He always had a trick up his sleeve, that made the obvious in art, look like magic. I was like a sponge, adding all those magic tricks, and entering them into my art repertoire of, "Oh! that makes it so much easier". Who knew I would follow in his footsteps, and even teach beside him for many years before his retirement?
Some teachers just get "it". Learning all the principals of art and design is important and valuable, but when you are struggling with the basics of your mediums, all those principals won't mean a thing. Especially if you are fighting your medium. So here are some great lessons I have learned about creating art in many different mediums.
1. Mix into the light. We have all wasted so much paint mixing white into black to make gray or white into red to make pink. ALWAYS, start with the lighter shade of color and slowly mix the darker shade into the lighter one. You will save a lot of paint and time with this one.
2. Start with a damp brush. Another educator, reminded me that the best way to start painting is to wet your brush. Think of it as your brush is "thirsty" and it will thank you by applying the paint smoother and with more control. You do not want to DROWN your brush, so I always dip it into water, and then blot off the excess. Obviously this wouldn't apply to a "dry brush" technique, where you are striving for those straggly brush marks.
3. Too much water is a bad thing. Mostly with hand building in clay, it is the most common mistake to add too much water. Water makes the clay very slippery, and most beginning artists love the sensual feeling of wet clay and add way too much water. Excess water can create air pockets in the clay, which can explode in our Kiln.
Our simple tip: a fingertip of water, is enough to smooth out your clay.
4. Dark will always dominate. This one sounds like what a villian would say in a Marvel, or DC comic movie. It's also a very common question at our store. "If I paint my bowl black, can I paint a light color over it? Will it show?" Our answer is simple. With Ceramic glazes, dark will always dominate. Your lighter colors will have a watercolor affect, unless you are meticulous and try to put 3-4 layers of the light over the dark. Just part of physics and the ceramic glazing process.
Looking for more art tips and tricks? Join us for some of our adult workshops, or kids events. Starting Monday July 24 we will have a Monday Manga' workshop for Tweens, suggested age is 10 and up. This is an aftercamp event, more details are coming soon. We are constantly adding to our adult art workshops. We just added a 4 week clay series.
Make sure you stay in touch, if even it's just to get a few helpful art tips.
creatively yours... all summer long,
~ Michelle and Tim Kelly
