This project involves first hand nature journaling, painting on textured surfaces and culminates in creating an original artwork inspired by your garden and enriched by studying Monet, Klimt, Renoir or Kandinsky….excited? I am!
This is the time of year when we make the most of the sunshine and warmth and head outdoors with a sketchbook, basic selection of art materials and a broad brimmed hat. Given the current times I’m not suggesting you go far -just into your garden or allotment. Although the sketches you make this week will be used as a springboard for a studio painting next week they are also very much for there own sake.
You will need:
a simple selection of drawing and colour media (including water if necessary)
a sketchbook
a garden or allotment
a moveable chair
a wide brimmed hat
Time to experiment with creating the effect of thick paint without the expense (or drying time). in this activity you will explore how to create a textured surface to paint on using tissue paper and modelling paste. Ideally you will create a reference resource that shows how different colour media work on the different surfaces, that you can refer back to.
You will need:
A suitably rigid board (very thick card board, mount card or a canvas board)
Tissue paper (ideally white but lightly coloured will work)
All Purpose Filler/ Polyfilla and or Art Modelling Paste
PVA glue
A plastic card or glue spreader
A palette knife
Various colour media
Pen or pencil for labelling
This final part of the garden project involves creating your own original artwork inspired by your own observational studies and studies of the artworks by the masters like Klimt and Monet and potentially incorporating some of the textural media techniques using tissue paper and paste.
It is a patchwork in the sense it is patching together elements into a new form but the term patchwork could also apply to the appearance of the composition.
My example is going to be a painting but you can apply the outline and principles to other media if you want (clay, embroidery, digital art, lino or other printing techniques, wire sculpture etc.)
You will need:
Your pages of summer observational sketches (and any reference photos you took)
Your Artist’s study/copy (and or examples of Impressionist or Expressive Garden Art)
Paper or sketch book
Pencil or pen
Watercolour or colour pencils or pastels