Cathy's brassicas (she's eaten them now!)........

 

work from Terry, Mary L, and Mary R.......

 

Last Challenge......

....... now that the days are longer and the weather a bit better I am not going to suggest any more challenges after this week.

I have some pretty flowers in my garden, and so I expect you have too. What about a quick ten minute pastel of some flowers in a vase, since its so cold outside?

Think about colour, foreground, background, composition........

I look foreward to see what you come up with......

Hafflinger foals near Aylsham, and seacapes from Carole S and Jane.......

 

Two stages of a seacsape from Sheila......

 

work from Mary L and from Carole S.......

 

Something to do........A Seascape.

 The sky and the light have been so gorgeous these last few days that it made me think of seascapes.

So thats my challenge for this week, a seascape. 

But to make it more of a challenge you could try making a pair of images, to be seen together. So think about the atmosphere, colours, position of the horizon. And then think about the impact of one image on the other. Do they look balanced together? Do they look better together than apart?

They could be different versions of the same scene, or a continuation .........

This can be as simple or complex as you like!

( and of course if you only want to make one painting I don't mind, you know that! I just want you to enjoy it.)

Dragonflies from Julie.....

 

ideas from Sarah, Sheila, and Cathy (using home made bamboo pen!) ........

 

Images from Mary L, Ruth and Jane.....

carpe diem

Be Yourself  Everyone else is taken

 

This week's work from Maggie and Sarah.....

Sarah's old nursing shoes.

 

Monday Challenge.....

 

....so I suppose you could say its a design challenge this week!

This picture is a greeting card that cought my eye. It is a photograph of a decorative tile, which is why there is a cracked background. The image is obviously a hare, and the words, fitted into the outline shape say ' Forget injuries, never forget kindness.' This is a quote from Confucius (551-479 BC)

The artwork is from an original ceramic tile by 'Iris Milward poetrytiles'.

So taking this idea what I suggest you do is find a simple photo of an animal or bird and envisage how you could fit words into the shape. Your choice of creature might be significant to you as artists often have their own iconography (you don't have to explain it to anyone) or something you just like.

Choose some wise words. One of my favourites is 'all men are dogs'. Another I like is 'the only constant in life is change' from the I Ching. 

Maybe look at some fonts, or just doodle to see how you could fit the words into your basic shape.

You have several decisions to make, many choices. How will the image fit into your chosen shape, square, rectangle, circle or whatever? And how will the words fit into the shape of your chosen animal or bird? Consider background colour, texture, sense of place, as the background does not have to be empty.  How clear to make the writing, obvious or almost hidden so that the viewer has to puzzle over the image to find the key. Curvatious imagery or angular shapes? Colour scheme?

I hope you have some fun interpreting this idea! 

and more footwear from Carlole S and Carole M......

 

Footwear from Sheila and Cathy.......

 

Work from Sarah and Julie.......

is that the Willow Pattern come to Cawston?

 

Work from Mary L, Terry, Maggi and Julie.....

 

Monday Challenge.......

 its an easy one today!

Draw a pair of boots or shoes. Worn items are often more interesting to draw than new perfect items. Think about the history of your subject matter, and feed that thinking into your drawing.

Remember to include a groundline, so that your boots or shoes are not floating in mid air (unless you want them to of course) and consider where the light is coming from.

Pencil, ink or paint or any combination. (I like watercolour with pencil, or graphite stick, worked into damp paint, for texture, and effects you cannot get any other way)

enjoy.....

work from Maggie, and Sheila.....look closely!