I picked this prompt inspired by the art movement for this month and the idea that summer will soon blend into fall before fully transitioning into crisp weather and shorter days. I hope you find some inspiration below and have some fun playing around with how you can express blend on your page! (Also, I absolutely love the cat image above and think it's an excellent representation of our theme :) I might have to use it as my reference image!) |
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- Recreate I love this image of creamer being poured into coffee--the way it's starting to blend together, the shapes and swirls, and still seeing the two elements separately. Use a reference image and recreate that blend. Here are a few more coffee images to choose from. You can also zoom in on a certain area instead of recreating the entire thing.
- Blend 2 Things Together Instead of a reference image, make your own blend whether it's mixing 2 colors of paint, using 2 techniques (collage and stamping, abstract acrylic and doodling), 2 materials (paper and glitter, paint and sharpie, etc.) or 2 elements (light and dark, text and shapes, etc.). Consider having the elements each on their own then creating a section that combine both. For additional inspiration consider fusion cuisines, dance that blends ballet with hip hop, music that's part country and part rock, as well as blending fabrics in the fashion world (florals with plaids, polka dots and stripes, etc.)
- 3 Ways To Blend Acrylic Paint Not only is this video satisfying to watch (the tape peel at the end!) it also gives you some ideas on how you can blend paint. Keep in mind they are working on canvas not paper, so the blending may not be exactly the same. But I've tried something similar and it still works! They are using acrylic paint but I'm curious how this would work with other types.
- Camouflage Recreate a camo pattern using torn pieces of paper or paint, include a secret message in your piece that might take a second to come into view, turn to nature and the way animals camouflage themselves.
- Spill Your Coffee – literally! Take your favorite blend of coffee (or tea--or maybe do a mix of both!) and spill some onto your page. Let it dry. Then with a pen, doodle over the spill depending on what you see (it's kind of like looking at the clouds and seeing what you see in its shapes!) You can also dip a brush into coffee/tea and paint with it, blending it with watercolor or acrylics. Experiment and see what happens! Before starting this, I highly recommend wrapping the rest of the book in plastic wrap or inserting a large sheet of plastic under the page you'll be spilling on--like a clipboard or folder or cardstock in a sheet protector--so that the other pages are protected from any spills! Examples: Coffee spill monsters, coffee ring cats (so cute!), flowers. If you don't drink coffee or tea like me, mix some paint with water and use that instead. This is a great exercise if you're feeling stuck and just let your imagination take over!
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Neo-impressionism is characterized by using a more systematic approach of painting, as well as scientific and color theory, to create images that capture scenes from modern life and people's relationships to the city and the countryside. The paintings rely on the viewer to optically blend the many dots of color on the canvas together. Artists would place contrasting colors and black, white, and greys next to each other on the canvas to try to create vibrant scenes and shimmery, illuminated surfaces. Below are some examples including Georges Seurat's A Sunday Afternoonon La Grande Jatte, Vincent Van Gogh's Self Portrait with Felt Hat, and I really liked Paul Signac's Against the Enamel of a Background Rhythmic with Beats and Angles, Tones, and Tints, Portrait of Félix Fénéon. |
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Two characteristics of Neo-Impressionism that often get mistaken as the same are Divisionism and Pointillism. Divisionism refers to the separation of color and its optical effects and pointillism refers specifically to the technique of applying dots. In the next few weeks, try some of the techniques or do a deep dive on some of the characteristics found in Neo-Impressionism: - Divisionism: Find a reference photo you like, lightly sketch out the scene, then begin adding the colors you see in short strokes like in Van Gogh's painting. To keep the colors from blending, make sure the fist layer is dry before adding more paint.
- Pointillism: Here is a tutorial using black ink and one using color using pens/markers. I think this technique takes a lot of patience, but can also be a relaxing exercise!
- The Science of Color: Artists of this movement were interested in Michel Eugene Chevreul's color wheel and using contrasting colors beside each other to create a moe impactful visual effect. And if you want to really get into color, here's an article explaining why everything we know about color is wrong!
- Scenes From Normal Life: The next time you go out, notice what normal life looks like around you. Take photos or some quick sketches and use that as a starting point for this week's prompt (you don't have to apply the divisionism / pointillism techniques unless you want to!)
- Make It Your Own Neo-Impressionism paved the way for Fauvism. Fauvist painters were inspired by the bright unmixed colors in Neo-Impressionism and adopted the use of scattered brushstrokes of color. However they were more expressive and spontaneous, as seen in Henri Matisse's Luxury, Peace and Pleasure. If the structure of divisionism and pointillism feel too restrictive for you, make it more free and more comfortable for you like the Fauvist painters did!
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I'm looking forward to seeing your interpretations! Have a great weekend, |
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PS: Thank you for your patience with this email--I had some technical difficulties that set me back but finally got things up and running again! |
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