2019-12-01 The Artist\'s Magazine

30 Artists Magazine December 2019

Build ART HACKS

PetiteProjects

Winter holidayscanstuffyourhomewithrelatives,giftsand

gear. There’sroomforart,too—justthinksmall:

● A postcard-sizedwatercolorina readymadeframemakes

a greatgift.Orcreatea seriestokeepandhangtogether

or to inspirea newbodyofwork.

● Portablesketchbooksallowforartanytimeand

anywhere—withfamilyinthekitchenorlivingroom,

late atnightina cozybed,oreveninthebathtub,

à la Bonnard.

● Try a mini,no-travel,plein-airoilstudy.Stepoutsideand

turn ina completecircletochoosea vantagepoint.Then

start painting.ArtistEmilieLee(emilielee.com)offerstips:

►Skiptheunderpainting

(ittakestoolongtodry).

►Todepictanentire

scene,lookimmediately

forbigshapesanddrop

inyourhorizonline.

►Alternatively,focuson

onedetail—painta branch

ratherthana tree.

FamilyPictureTime

Does yourfamilygatherfora holidayphotoshoot?Turnthe

results ofthatsessionintoa sketchordrawing.Avoiddetail

overloadwiththesetips:

● Applyhorizontalandverticalgridlinesacrossyourphoto

referencesoyoucancopyyourcompositiononesquare

at a time.

● Simplifyclothingdesignsanddecorations.Allowoneor

two detailsperfigureorelement.

● Go abstractwithbackgroundsandanatomicalfeatures.

● Concentrateoncolorvalues.If yougettheseright,the

hues neednotexactlymatchthephoto.

READERHACK

“Iusea batteryoperatedmilkfrothertoblendpaint

andglazingmediumina smallplasticcup.I waita few

minutesforanyairbubblestodissipatefromthefrothy

mixandthenapplyit asneededwitha softbrush.”

—davidi. sommers

Fora chancetowina monthoffreeaccessto

ArtistsNetworkTV,emailyourfavoritearthackto

[email protected]:

“ArtHacks.”Submissionschosenforpublicationmaybe

editedforlengthandclarity.

Ties That Bind

Celebrate the season with close-to-home creations and family collaborations.

—COURTNEY JORDAN

SKETCHBOOK: NIKADA/GETTY IMA

GES;

TREE BRANCH: IULIANNA

EST/GETTY

IMA

GES;

SNOW

GLOBE:

KRISTIN

DUVALL/GETTY

IMAGES.

Wintry Mix

What makes this season one of a kind?

● The tunes: If you're solo in the studio, turn on your

favorite holiday music. Need a theme to jumpstart your

creativity? Try the winter solstice.

● The shine: Everything seems to shimmer during the

holidays, so reach for the metallic paints, pens and inks.

Don't scrimp on the mica or glitter. Heighten

the drama by using a black surface.

● The scenery: Create a festive still life

sketch. Think colorful lights, wreaths,

snow globes, holiday foods, candles—

you get the idea.

Portrait Party

Gather friends and family for a self-portrait

painting party. Artist Sandrine Pelissier

(@sandrinepelissierartist) offers details:

Materials: small mirror that reflects your whole

face, fine-line washable markers, spray bottle of water,

tissue paper cut to the size of your mirror

1. Trace your features directly onto the mirror with the
   marker. (Hint: Close one eye and draw your face. Then
   open your eye, align you face with the drawing and trace
   the eye that was closed.)


2. Make corrections, fill in details and add shading.
   Encourage everyone to share so they can show off their
   skills and seek assistance from the resident artist (that's you!).


3. Spray the tissue paper with water and press it onto the
   mirror's surface.


4. After the ink transfers to the tissue paper, pull the print.
   (Note: The wetter the paper, the softer the lines.)


5. Try variations with additional color—or do mirror-swaps
   with a partner. (Learn more at bit.ly/mirrorportrait.)