Hello everyone! It is good to be back after taking a long break from blogging. I have been busy with craft lessons, retreats and so much more, but I am finally getting myself organized to start blogging again. Today we are kicking off a great series that has me super excited; an Art Journaling Course! We will be doing two pages in a repurposed book, as well as two charcoal drawings in Lesson 1.
We will be using a repurposed book to keep our art works neatly together, as well as to keep the learning material conveniently at hand.
I have compiles a short video to help you get started in the selection of the books, which was posted on YouTube. Here is the link to the video: Selecting and prepping a book
I have opted to use this lovely book from a Reader's Digest series to repurpose as a journal. It is a rather thick book with a number of lovely pictures included in the book.
I would love to use this serviette in the book as the colours match so well. I also like the sentiment on the serviette here at the outset of the course: 'Bless her heart, she doesn't even know she's tacky.' This journaling course is aimed at teaching us who God created us to be, rather than who we (or those around us) decided we should be. It is a journey of self-exploration by means of art. The implication is that even our best efforts can fall short and be 'tacky', whist we remain oblivious. Yes, this sentiment will suit me well at this point in the course.
Remove the two inner layers (sometimes only one inner layer) of the serviette. I like the symbolism of this. If we are going to make room for God to teach us about ourselves, we will need to be prepared to strip ourselves of some unnecessary layers as well. These inner layers on the serviettes are meant to strengthen the serviettes. However, we have opted not to rely on our own strengths, abilities and ideas any longer, but rather to trust in God. So strip away!
When unfolding the serviette, I discover that it has three pictures and three blank spaces. Bonus! I carefully cut the pieces apart. I guess we are still in the process of getting rid of the excess in ourselves.
Next, I go in search of some paint that will match my pages. When I decoupage the serviettes onto the page, it will become even more transparent, and then that white square in the middle of the page, will become a glaring mistake. As I cover this with paint, I can not help but do some introspection, asking myself what/who may have left such glaring holes in my own life that requires my attention. The space in the book reads 'This book belongs to...'. Do you own your own hurt, pain and shortcomings? Does it sound like a strange question? Unless we acknowledge these, we can not deal with them. And if we do not deal with them, they can not heal.
While the paint dries, I start planning the layout of my pages and I cut the serviette up even more. Hmmm. It seems that the process of re-molding my life, may require even some more stripping down of myself.
Before committing to a layout by gluing it down, I test it by laying the pieces on the pages. This may require a couple of attempts of arranging and rearranging, before you are satisfied with the results. Among the notes for the lesson, I have included the elements and principles of art. Feel free to use these as guidelines in settling on your layout. This makes me realize that we have been given just such a set of guidelines to help us get our lives in order as well, in the format of the Bible. It is perhaps time to consult that very important book again and treat it with the reverence it deserves.
The next step is to find a medium with which to attach the serviette to the pages. You can use any variety of mediums; mod(ge) podge, acrylic gel medium, or even a watered down craft (wood) glue. If we are to 'attach' ourselves to the Word of God, then we also need to settle on a medium to use in our own lives. Too many of us have allowed false guides to give us direction. It is time to invite God's Spirit back into our lives and to ask Him to 'attach' us to God's Word.
Lay down a layer of glue on the page. Carefully place the serviette on top, and then seal it with yet another layer of glue over the top. This will secure the picture on the page and prevent it from being torn. If we do not wish to get torn apart by a ferocious world, we also need to make sure that we are sealed in by God's Word and His Spirit.
Time to take stock. Do we like the progress so far? Leave it be so it can dry properly. In the meantime, we will start prepping the notes. By the way, do you know what is the spiritual equivalent of 'drying'? It is to prayerfully wait upon God's direction.
I start by drawing cutting lines for my notes.
You can find the links to the study notes here: https://massart.edu/app/uploads/legacy-files/Principles%20and%20Elements.pdf
The second set of notes can be found here: https://s3.amazonaws.com/scschoolfiles/289/the_elements_and_principles_of_art_overview.pdf
I fold the notes double.
Then I cut off the excess. This feels kind of liking getting rid of all the extras that people keep adding to God's Word in my life.
Oops, my paper cutter made a tear in the page. No worries, I'll find a way to live with it. Learning to live with small imperfections is one of the most important skills an adult should learn. We won't always get it 100% right, but we will still measure up. Don't discard the torn paper. It is still good enough, just like you and me.
Before cutting up the second set of notes, make sure to turn it over and number the sequence of the slides. This will spare you much trouble later on. Have you found yourself struggling to get out of a hole of your own making, because you failed to take the precautions needed in time? Life gives us many warning signs. Are you still beating yourself up over the ones you did not heed? Have you committed these to God and asked Him for His forgiveness? Is it not about time that you forgive yourself as well then?
Once all the slides are cut out, I take time to get them back in numerical order. Is your life in such a shambles at the moment, so that you do not know where to start and where to finish?
I have some great news for you. God has your number! He was there in your past, He is currently in your presence, and He has great plans for your future. Hand Him your mess. He can still make sense of it.
Once all the slides are back in order, I use a glue stick to glue them back to back. God has put people in our lives to have our backs as well.
We need to be very careful in our selection of those people. If they do not belong there, it can really mess up the pictures of our lives.
I then go in search of a sheet of 'scrapbook paper.' That is the 12x12" papers with the lovely designs on them. However, we are looking for the ones we don't particularly like. The way we use the paper will hide its imperfections (to a great extent). It is also a great lesson to us in learning to live with imperfections and making the most of it. I use one of the slides to measure how the size of the paper that must be cut.
I double it and add a little on all four sides (roughly a centimeter). Mine measured 11x17 cm. I then cut along the lines. Notice how I discarded the first measurement on my page? I realized I needed to cut myself some slack (a little more space), or the job would be too difficult to do. Art can truly be an eye-opener on so many levels. I tend to keep the reigns very tight in my life. Perhaps I should cut myself some slack more often. How about you? Do you need to tighten or slacken the reigns a bit? Can you identify what is stopping you from doing so? Do you have the necessary skills to deal with this?
I also want more of the serviette, however, not the figure, but the blank space. The expression 'too many cooks spoil the broth' comes to mind. Adding another figure (person) to the task, will be crowding it. What we need is space. There are times in my life when I crowd the situation with people (an avoidance technique), when really I should simply be giving myself some space to deal with things. Are you like that as well?
I decoupage the serviette onto the back of the craft paper that I have cut out. Notice that I let it hang over the edges. We can always tighten it up after it has dried. On one end, I laid the serviette down just short of the edge. No problem! I have cut myself enough slack to be able to simply trim the blank strip of paper. I have to stop and marvel at the benefits of blank space for a moment. It can be likened to quiet time; a time where we drown out, or switch off the noises around us, to simply grow quiet. It makes for a good time to meet with God and to hear His voice speaking into your heart more clearly.
I glue the single sheet notes back to back. Not too far from now, I will make yet another mistake on these notes. Have you ever been in a relationship with someone where you kept messing it up, despite being committed and wanting the best for the other person? It's as if our best efforts just never meet the mark. We have a choice to make. We can either keep beating ourselves up over the past mistakes and keep adding to the stress levels in the relationship, or we can find a way to move forward despite those mistakes and learn to deal with it. If we choose to do the latter, it is essential that we should first of all learn to accept our own inabilities and shortcomings, i.e. that we are not perfect. Once we do this, we can learn from our mistakes and develop the skills to start avoiding them, or improving our behaviour. But note this; nothing will change until we acknowledge that we were in the wrong in the first place.
I then use a corner rounder to get rid of the square corners. Have you ever felt like your edges were to sharp? I have! I wish I had a corner rounder to help me be a little bit less cutting with my words at times. Taking time to think about the impact that our words may have on others, is essential. When we pick up a gun and point it in someone's direction, and then choose to pull the trigger, we take time to consider the impact it will have on someone else. Why not be more careful with our words as well?
I do the same with the slides. We have a larger set of notes, and a smaller set of notes, kind of like having a life filled with both adults and children. We should be equally careful with our words, regardless the maturity of the audience.
I then use the same scrapbook paper sheet of before and measure a 2 cm line on one of the short sides.
Then I use a tab punch to cut a couple of tabs from the paper. These can easily be cut by hand of you do not have a punch, but the punch is very convenient. Ever felt like you did not have the right equipment? Struggling with a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out)? Feeling envious of what others have? We all do at times. Time to get honest with ourselves. We do not all have the same talents (equipment), but we can all participate. A little later in the project I turn small scrap pieces of paper into tabs without the punch. And if I did not point it out to you, you would be none the wiser that one was cut with a punch and one without. One will be more intricate and one much simpler, but both work equally well and both turned out to be highly decorative. What does that teach you about FOMO?
In the meantime, the decoupaged serviette has dried and I trim the edges with a pair of scissors. Time to cut away the rough edges and the excess again. Notice how this is an ongoing theme? In life as well. We tend to 'cushion' ourselves in excesses; things, friends, substances, habits (e.g. gambling), etc. However, these excesses that are supposed to comfort us, soon become snares that entrap us. As we become familiar with these excesses, identifying it as such, it is necessary to brave up and cut away all that stands in our way of becoming the person who God created us to be.
Back to the corner rounder with this decoupaged paper as well. Trim, trim, trim, trim, trim. That is the name of the game. Ever seen a rock at the bottom of a river? The river (life) has deposited so much gunk on the rock that it is barely recognizable. If that rock were to define itself, it would probably use words like 'slippery', 'mucky', and such. However, if that same rock was stripped of the excess gunk, its whole definition of itself would change to words like 'steadfast', 'reliable', 'sturdy', and such. So trim away!
I then fold it double with the decorative edge on top. We have created a cover for our slides. Once we have worked on getting rid of the gunk in our lives, we can find a safe place to keep the valuable lessons of God's Word in our lives. You see, as long as we need to accommodate His Word in our gunk, we are looking for excuses, different interpretations and reasons to twist His Word into something it is not. But when we return to the truth of ourselves, as were created to be, then we can return to the truth of our Creator as well, and we will no longer feel the need to find excuses to bypass His Word.
The hideous paper is now on the inside and looking quite acceptable, even decorative (pretty). What a releasing truth there is in this knowledge; the creator has the ability to turn ugly into pretty. If the paper resisted, the creator would discard it and move on to another paper that was willing to cooperate. Just so the Creator of human lives. However, once the paper became obedient, and parked its rebellion, it once again became useful to the creator. Are you useful to your Creator?
The next step is optional, but I like to ink the edges of the papers to give them a bit of an aged look. Unlike these brand new papers, our stress and distress tend to show on our faces. Can you wear it with dignity, or is it wearing you down? Is it time to make your peace with it? What preconceived notions do you need to let go of to be free from the worries of putting up appearances?
Inking can be done directly on the ink pad, or with a blending brush. This is a matter of preference. I'm less concerned with control and simply bring the paper to the ink pad. Not everyone is ready to let go of the control to this extent. There is not right or wrong. Do what you are comfortable with. Or do both. Or neither. Realize that some decisions are entirely in your own hands and the outcome is fine, regardless the choice you make. Then stop doubting your choices and simply accept the results and move on. Easier said than done? Perhaps it simply requires a bit of practice, like riding a bike. It did not come natural the first time either!
I love the distressed look in journals. Perhaps because I can associate with it? We have all withstood the tests and trials that life threw at us and perhaps we feel a little like this distressed paper. Can you see the beauty in your own distress? Can you acknowledge that it has added value to your life?
As the slides make a substantial pack of papers, I am not going to attach them to the journal permanently. I use a giant paperclip to clip them to the folder we have created. This will make it easier for me to continue working on my journal in future projects, because I will not need to deal with this bulk. But it will also make it easy for me to retrieve this set of principles so that I can apply it with more ease to future projects. Have we just learned something about the flexibility and usefulness of God's Word in our lives, if we make it a part of our being?
I stick double-sided tape on the insides of all of the tabs. If you want to keep tabs on something, you need to find a way to make it stick. If you want to keep tabs on your friendships and relationships, you also need to find a way to make it stick. We create tabs so that we can easily get back in touch with a page. Just so with our relationships. Have you got some neglected tabs that need revisiting? I know I do.
I then carefully align the tab on the folder we made. I don't wish to be careless with these tabs, not if I value what is inside. Got it?
This makes for a cute feature to the folder. You can decorate it some more if you like. It is a personal choice. I opted to leave mine as is for two reasons. I like the space that it provides as a resting place for my eyes on an otherwise busy page spread. But also, there is a lot more that needs doing, and if I get stuck here, something else will be left undone. Finding the right balance in how we utilize our time, is not always easy, but it is a very important issue to learn to deal with. Are you still stuck trying to tidy up or decorate something you should have walked away from already? What is stopping you from moving on? Can you give names to these reasons you are not moving on? Once you've named it, can you get a handle on it so you can take control of it? Can you now allow yourself to move on?
I had an odd sliver of paper left after cutting everything from the craft paper. I cut this off to make some more tabs. I may just find this useful a little later on. I told you about this earlier on in the blog. Keep track of these. You will not believe where they ended up in the end!
I then cut a piece of craft paper to measure 9x11 cm. This ugly paper will once again appear to be very decorative when we are done with it.
I rounded the corners and inked it. I also covered a white paper (left over blank from the slides that I had cut out) with brown ink to make it appear less stark. I love being able to use scraps and discards. It reminds me that if I can use the most unlikely and turn it into a focal point on my page, how much more can our Creator do with me and the other 'discards' of the world. Perhaps we should trust Him to know better for our lives?
I write the passage from Matthew 22:37-38 out on the paper. One of the things I needed to learn to accept when crafting, is my own handwriting. Like countless others, I have been taught to feel as if it was somehow lacking and not measuring up. Others do have better handwriting skills. Undoubtedly! But mine is legible and manages to communicate the message. And that is the point! I want to encourage you to avoid running to a printer and to simply write this passage by hand. Not only will it help you overcome your anxiety regarding your own writing, but it will also help you to better learn and understand the passage we are dealing with.
I then use a darker black pen to create faux stitching around the edges of the paper. This fake decorations do not distract from the truthfulness of God's Word. This was something I needed to come to terms with. I tend to be a bit of purist when it comes to God's Word in ministry. However, I have learned that using symbolism to illustrate the point can enhance the message of God's Word, rather than distracting from it - kind of like this craft blog that we are busy with right now. One of my most recent endeavours is into worship dancing with flags, where the flags become symbols that bring glory to God. A little faux stitching has its time and place... so long as we realize it is merely symbols of what is real.
In the passage above, Jesus speaks of the greatest commandment, which is to love God with all of our hearts, souls and minds. We are going to use the inside cover pages at the front of our journals to illustrate this. Find yourself a way to do this that can symbolize your relationship with God. I draw my inspiration from the well-loved Psalm 1 which likes the righteous to a tree with its roots planted in water, that stands firm where it grows. I couple this with my commitment to singing the praises of God to all and sunder. I recently found a stencil that illustrates this beautifully and ordered it online. I will use this in my journal. I use tape to secure the stencil in place once I have decided how to fit it in my journal. You do not need to do stenciling. You may want to draw, or paint, or use collage, or stamps, or... The possibilities are endless. Find what best reflects your relationship with God and go with that.
I use 3D modeling paste and apply it with a spatula to the page.
I then carefully remove the stencil to reveal the image of the tree. I love the texture of modeling paste. It adds a bit of dimension to the otherwise flat layout.
I wait for the paste to dry and then lightly touch the surface with ink to tone the stark white down to a more earthy hue. I am far from a saintly white! Just kidding. It blends in better with the tone of the layout and has nothing to do with saintliness!
I paste the Bible verse onto the craft paper that I have prepared for it. Then I put double-sided tape to the right and bottom sides of the card only.
I stick it into the journal to create a pocket with a side opening. Our charcoal drawings will be housed in here a little later on.
I find some leftover fabric from a project where I created journal covers (to be discussed in a following blog). I cut a strip from this fabric.
I fold the strip of fabric in half, lengthwise. Then I fold it into three equal thirds and cut it apart.
Holding the pieces tightly together, I cut out half a heart with my scissors.
I then unfold them to reveal three gorgeous hearts. Full disclosure, they don't always come out this brilliantly. I am feeling very chaffed with myself! Do you take the time to acknowledge your successes? Even the small and inconsequential ones? We tend to acknowledge and dwell on the most trivial of failures. Why not the successes as well? Better yet, why not swap them out? Choose to become a glass half full kind of person!
I spent one evening in front of the television turning all of my smallest paper scraps into paper frills. As my sewing machine shares a room with the tv, this container full of paper frills were created in time that would otherwise be 'zombie-time'. That is how I refer to time spend in front of the tv doing nothing - it is like the walking dead, good for nothing. There are much better things to do with the time allotted to us. I do a lot of crafting in front of the tele. And I watch a lot of crafting videos, inspiring me to craft even more! (You can see my stash of off-cuts from the journal-making endeavour in the right of the photo).
I play around with possible layouts for my collage before committing to it and gluing things down.
I decoupage the hearts into the journal, but this is simply because the acrylic gel medium was ready at hand. You can equally easily simply glue it down with craft or wood glue (both are pvc glue variants).
I then use pvc glue to glue the paper ruffle down.
Progress! The idea here is to illustrate the three-fold love (heart, soul, mind), and to link them into a unity with the paper ruffle. Symbolism is key here.
I wanted it to be clearer what was represented by the hearts and went in search of another punch. I punched three smaller hearts from the craft paper. (You can of course cut it out by hand, just like the fabric).
Some inking and faux stitching. I also write the words 'heart', 'soul', and 'mind' on the three hearts.
A dollop of glue in the centres, so that the edges can lift off the page a little (dimension).
And that's it. I like how this turned out. It effectively illustrates what I wanted to convey.
I then remember some plastic tape I have in my washi tape stash. I add this to the page, because it reminds me that I measure up in God's opinion. I also like the fact that it is a shiny plastic tape, because it supports the message in the serviette. It is just a little bit 'tacky.'
I still want to emphasize the idea that this is the most important commandment. I find a smaller heart punch and the number 1. I punch out both from the craft paper.
Another tiny paper ruffle and I glue these in place. This layout is now done. Time to turn to the next page.
I start by simply gluing the blank page to the back of the page we've been working on.
I fold the next page down from the corner and glue the flap down on its own page.
I then fit the craft paper onto the would-be pocket and use a bone folder to mark the size roughly.
I tidy it up with a ruler and cut on the line. Bear in mind that I want this to be about 1/2 cm smaller than the pocket page on all sides.
I fit it back onto the pocket-page and lay it in place.
I flip the page over and mark the spot roughly with a pencil. I have moved the craft paper up in the photo so that you can see the line that I drew.
Bringing it 1/2 cm in, I draw the tidy line and cut.
I ink the edges. By the way, I have opted to use the part of the page that I had been punching from. I originally thought I would simply cut this off and discard it, but I got a brand new idea and it is going to become a focal point instead.
I return to my fabric stash and cut a strip to fit behind the holes left by the punches. See where I'm going with this?
Some glue all around the holes.
Glue the fabric in place.
Glue all over the craft paper.
And it finally goes into place. The focal point created by the punches, serve as a distraction from the 'ugly' paper and ties everything neatly together.
I glue the right side of the page down, as well as the bottom, creating a pocket.
I then glue the back of the pocket-page to the next page. This will strengthen the pocket, making it easier for me to slip things in and out without it tearing.
I then carefully add a tab to the notes that have a summary of the lesson content.
When I turn it over, I realize I was not carful enough. I have managed to cover some of the text with the tab! This was the upcoming blunder I was referring to earlier in the blog. I contemplate the dilemma for a while before deciding it is not a train smash. These notes are supplementary to the slides. The slides explain the content and these serve as quick references. Move on.
I slide these in place in the pocket created for it. If you wish to do so, there is great opportunity for further embellishment of this pocket page. I decide to discard the idea, as we still have a substantial amount of 'work' to be done.
At this point, I do something I should have done much sooner. I number the slides! It occurred to me that down the line, they could get out of order. The earlier numbers are glued shut on the inside. Preventative measures in place. Proceed!
Testing these on the page where they belong. It is strong enough to carry the weight and I can carry on without having to reinforce the pages.
I have printed these expressive photos and pictures from Pinterest from a variety of sources. The idea is to give each course attendant a random picture. They are then to verbalize their thoughts or emotions surrounding the picture. The ties in with the therapeutic nature of the course. We need to teach ourselves to express our thoughts and emotions in words. The pictures create enough emotional distance between ourselves and our subject (the picture) to make expression a safe exercise. Yet, the response in genuine and authentically our own, adding value to the activity. This is essentially art therapy taking hands with narrative therapy.
I decide to play fair and not select the picture I like best from the pile, but rather to take the first picture in the top left corner from the top page. I carefully cut it apart from the rest.
I round the corners and ink it. I also grab some leftover pieces of serviette that are still floating around my table.
I decoupage the picture and serviette onto the blank page (opposite the pocket page).
I find a stencil to add interesting journaling space to the page and use an ink pad and sponge dauber to ink the lines.
I then opt to verbalize my thoughts in the form of a prayer. I see this young girl grabbing her older self by the hand and guiding her off. To me, they are moving into the future. The old woman has become so stale and encumbered with life, that she had grown out of touch with who she was created to be. Her younger self holds the key to this, as her innocence and faith has not become bleached and washed out by experiences. Does your younger self still beckon inside you? Do you remember those dreams, hopes and ideals? As long as you are alive, it is not too late to realize these.
I add a couple of embellishments to tie the page in with the previous page, but also to remind myself that simply because I feel as if I'm not measuring up, does not make it the truth.
And now it is finally time to turn our attention to the charcoal sketches, as this is the medium we will be exploring in Lesson 1. I have printed out a number of reference photos for the attendees to use. They are not restricted to these, and neither are you. Pinterest is a rich source of excellent reference photos. Feel free to explore.
When working in charcoal, you are looking for a paper with a bit of tooth (a rougher texture to the paper). This is also true for pastels. Therefore, pastel paper is an excellent choice for charcoal. The paper I chose to use slightly yellowish in colour (cream). This makes it a little friendlier to work with the daunting white page, as you already have a bit of colour on the page and the warm undertone, create feelings of warmth and friendliness.
I cut the A5 size paper in half and create two A6 size papers.
I then write out the key verses, Genesis 3:22 and 24 on the paper. This is about God denying mankind access to the tree of life, after they had sinned. When I was younger, I thought this was a punishment. Later in life, I realized that this was mercy. We can barely cope with life in the short life span we have. How would we have managed if this was to last into infinity? These two interpretations that I've held about this passage, is striking of many of our relationships with God. Do you view Him as a punitive God, or as a merciful and loving God? Do you know why? Can you express this in words? Once you know what is at the core of your beliefs about God, you can start to investigate it to get to the truth about it. Are you willing to give God a chance to introduce Himself to you anew? What preconceived ideas and defenses are you willing to let go of in order to make this possible?
On the back of the second paper, I write out Revelation 22:14. Here we once again read about the tree of life. Turns out God did not remove it from us for all eternity. It is once again within our reach to eat from its fruit, just as in the Garden of Eden. So, how can we make sense of this? I'm sure there are many interpretations out there, but I'll give you mine in short. See if you agree with me. In the Garden of Eden, the relationship between God and man was perfect and whole. Sin changed that. Where in the past mankind only knew the goodness of God, they had now been introduced to the knowledge of evil. God would overcome this gap (chasm) that had opened up between Himself and humans. However, it would require a change of heart on the part of humans. They wanted to have a choice and a say in things when they opted to eat the forbidden fruit. Now, they would have to exercise that right to choose and make the right choice(s) where God was concerned. For this reason, the tree of life is once again available to man - in the presence of God, after he/she had made the right choices that would reunite them in their relationship with God.
And this is then where I add those two tags that I had created from the sliver of an off-cut. They get prime spots on the tags that we are going to create our charcoal drawings on. And in their simplicity, they look super on these tags. Never discount someone who had been cast aside by society. Just like these paper discards, they may the ones that God has in mind to shine in the most important places.
They will be going into the pocket we have created on the first page of our journal!
A good charcoal drawing starts with a good sketch. Carefully look at your reference photo and try to copy as best you can. Bear in mind distances from the sides, width of spaces in relation to each other, and so on. Some artistic license is permitted. When selecting your reference pictures, bear in mind how you would like to express your thoughts and feelings about these two verses. What would you like to draw? It does not have to be similar to my drawings.
I always gather my charcoal dust in a small container. I now use a paint brush to lay down an initial feint layer of charcoal.
If you do not have access to charcoal dust, you can create it by running a charcoal stick over sandpaper. Or you can simply lightly colour in your drawing with a charcoal stick and then smooth it out with a paint brush.
As you can see, the two methods result in pretty much the same shading.
I then define some of the darker areas and lay down the darkest black. I will return to this later. Reminder, do not rest your hands on your paper!
You can also use an eraser to create highlights in certain areas.
White charcoal can also be used, although this is actually a chalk stick, despite its name.
Continue to develop your mid-tones. Bear in mind your light source and which areas will be in shade, versus the ones that will be lit up. In my drawing the sun comes from the top.
Add some highlights where necessary. At this point, I need to say that the light was going and the electricity was out. I was struggling to make sense of lights and darks with the aid of battery powered lamp. Seen in this light, the contrast in the drawing is too pronounced. It can be softened with the paint brush.
The final result.
We are going to use a different technique for the second sketch. You need to once again start by sketching your drawing.
Outline the sketch in white charcoal. Then fill in the background in a thick layer of charcoal. The contrast between light and dark is what makes charcoal a successful medium. And those mid-tones can make or break a drawing. Practice your shading and blending with this in mind. Remember that your focal point will always be where your darkest dark and your lightest light are adjacent to each other. Attempt to create such a spot.
Blend the mid tones with a brush, your finger, a cloth, a tissue, earbud, etc.
Once you have achieved the desires tonal value, it is time to start adding the details.
I struggled with this drawing in the increasingly bad light caused by the power outage, but I'm not overly disappointed.
It is very important to spray your drawings with a fixative. I use hairspray as this is much cheaper than the fixatives sold in art supply stores.
I cut the reference pictures apart. Never know when you may need them again.
I use some as space fillers on the back of one of the sketches. I cut them out, round the corners, and ink them, before sticking them down. Note that the picture of the owl is only partially fussy-cut.
I particularly likes the owl that is perched on the sword. The owl can represent knowledge (of good and evil). The sword can represent the swords of the cherubs at the entrance to the Garden. It can also represent the Word of God that pierces between truth and lie. And the roses represent the Garden. However, roses also has thorns among the flowers, which once again reinforce the idea of good and evil. Even though I hadn't opted to draw this illustration, I still opted to include it pertinently in my journal.
The rest of the pictures are clipped together with a normal sized paper clip and tucked into the pocket on the pocket page (for possible use at a later stage).
And here are my completed pages. This was a full day's work. I originally wanted to include pastels in Lesson 1. I have opted not to do so. It will weary everyone out. But that is what you have to look forward to in Lesson 2.
Even our course material is neatly and prettily tucked away.
Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy my books here:
You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.
Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.
Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.
Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.
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