Hosted by Olivia Lin of Atiliay |
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WEEK 2 | DRY MATERIALS & TEXT |
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"The sky, a perfect empty canvas, offers clouds nontheless. They shift and drift and beg interpretation...such is the nature of art." Jeb Dickerson |
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This week we will be exploring “sky” and seeing what we can do with dry materials: pencil and eraser, colored pencils, charcoal, pastel, chalk, thread, fabric, crayon, glitter, tape, beads, sequins, etc. You can also use paper from week 1 and add another dry material to it. Using text: letters, words, a short phrase, or filling your entire page with writing is a way to add interest, a pattern or background, and meaning to your artwork. Dry materials can be an easy / good medium to do this with so I wanted to include it as something you're encouraged to use for this week. In addition to your art supplies, don't forget to look through your junk drawers or other craft materials--there might be something there you can use that you haven't considered before! Keep in mind that everything is open to your interpretation. Explore what calls to you and use only what you need below. Remember you are always welcome to go in a different direction! Follow your curiosity and connections. If you're new here--welcome! Join us for Week 2 or start with Week 1 and go at your own pace. |
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ENVISION & EXPRESS - Dry material examples: colored pencils from Katherine Akmulun's sketchbooks (notice the crosshatching), embroidery art from Danielle Clough, and more.
- What does sky evoke for you? What comes to mind first? What colors and shapes do you see? How does it feel--light and ethereal or dark and mysterious? What do you find in the sky (clouds, planes, balloons, birds, stars, astrological signs, the moon, the sun, etc.)? Draw from an experience you had that involved the sky (flying, ziplining, bird watching, sightseeing on a clear day, seeing lightening, stargazing, etc.) Sift through these different things and notice what ideas come to mind.
- Browse through photos from the 2025 International Festival of Flight. I didn't know kites could look like this! (Scroll down a bit to get to the photo section.)
- Watch: 10 short bird videos from the Audobon Photography Awards from a Snowy Owl taking a bath to Rainbow-bearded Thornbill preening in Colombia.
- Other words related to “sky”: horizon, midair, high, up, flight, galaxy, space, up, wind, fly.
Excerpt from Of What Surrounds Me by Mary Oliver
…As for sky, I am so wildly
in love with each day’s inventions, cool blue
or cat gray or full
of the ships of clouds, I simply can’t
say whatever it is I am saying without
at least one skyful…
New and Selected Poems, Part 2
“You are the sky. Everything else – it’s just the weather.” - Pema Chödrön
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TRY YOUR HAND AT… Combining Visuals & Text Here are 2 ways to use your dry materials while combining visuals and text: - Monochromatic sketchbook page Use one color in one medium (for example a colored pencil) or a few mediums (colored pencil + crayon + thread). Pick a color inspired by “sky”. If using multiple mediums they can be from the same color family, they don't all have to be the exact same color. Fill your entire blank page with drawings, simple doodles, words, detailed sketches, a favorite quote or saying, etc. inspired by things you see in the sky. If you're excited to use more colors, feel free to do that! Below are a few examples of what a monochromatic page can look like.
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- Draw in the sky. Print out these PDFs of photos I've taken of the sky and fill it in with patterns, shapes, doodles, drawings, words, etc.
Cut them down to size to fit your sketchbook, glue them to the page, and add your illustrations and text to it. You can also use the printed photos to create a collage first, then add to it. Feel free to print out your own photos to use as well! I recommend printing on non-glossy printer paper so our dry materials can be easily applied to it.
Below is an image of the printed photos using a color printer as well as a version printed in black and white if you want something darker. There's also a few examples and you can see more here.
There are 2 PDFs, each with 4 pages that print out on a regular piece of paper (8.5 x 11 inches). Don't forget to select which page(s) you want to print out instead of leaving it on print all.
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I hope you had a great first week and I look forward to seeing what gets created with our new material and prompt! Talk to you Thursday for a check-in, |
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PS: If you'd like to email me your finished sketchbook page(s) for week 1, please do! It can be kept between us or if you are OK with me sharing publicly, just let me know as I am collecting photos for a compilation gallery at the end of these 4 weeks! (For those posting on Instagram, I will repost there. If you'd like them to be featured in emails / the gallery, please email them to me. Thanks!) PPS: Here's my first piece for Week 1's prompt (I'm working on a torn paper collage today!) I used a bit of paper cutting, layering, and collaging to document how I landed in WA. You can watch a short process video on IG / TT. |
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IF YOU'RE ENJOYING THIS SERIES & WOULD LIKE TO, HERE ARE A FEW WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT MY WORK Visit my website & shop for the Creative Spark Deck, prints, PDFs, and more. Share with a friend! There's nothing like good old fashioned word of mouth and the more the merrier :) Thank you for being a part of this and your support! |
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The beautiful PNW
Renton, WA 98058, United States |
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