Day 7: Tool Time

Tool Time Starts Today! 

 I hope everyone has survived the 5 minutes x 5 sketches challenges.

You'll definitely have more than 30 sketches by the end of the month.  Sneaky! 

The discoveries you've made in those short minutes will serve you well~

Your posted work has been outstanding, and it's only been a week!

We are glass artists. We are tool crazy.

Tools are nice, and we want all of them. (don't we?) 

You've probably noticed that there aren't really any pre-made tools specifically for drawing with powdered glass.  That is a good thing, because it forces us to be resourceful and inventive when it comes to the tools we use to create imagery.  

 I recently watched one of NBC's Dateline Documentaries about the weaponry being fashioned in prisons by very creative and resourceful prisoners.  Knives made from Jolly Ranchers melted in foil left over from dinner. Filed down toothbrush handles and bed spring pieces become serious weapons.  We can stay on the outside and fashion some serious tools to play with in our glass adventures.

The Challenge for Day 7 (and Day 8)

Select well among old things, and make a tool.  It doesn't have to be changed from its original form, but it could be.  Perhaps you have something in your junk drawer that could be useful?  The only rule:  Your tool cannot be a paintbrush... NO PAINTBRUSHES!!!  
noooooooooo paintbruuuushhhess.......

Use your tool, along with the business card, fingers, and/or sifter to make your entries for Day 7 and Day 8

If you have a blog, tell us about your tool and post a photo of it along with your work!  I can hardly wait to see what you all come up with.  Here are my entries for Day 7,  A quick glass sketch and an alcohol ink painting for my other challenge :)

Testing another 'sunrise' piece.  I added color and it's in the kiln...

A Tulip-y Flower... go away winter!

An InLinkz Link-up

DAY 6, A Sketch a Day Keeps the Dullness Away

A sketch a day DOES keep the dullness away! So imagine how brilliant the day will be with 5 sketches in it, instead of just one. 

 This is usually a pretty dull time of year for lots of us.  For me, it can be especially hard to get creatively motivated when I can't be outdoors, and when the daylight hours are so bloody short.  So THANK YOU ALL for participating in this challenge, I love watching all of your progress and have been enjoying the dialog on the FB page.  It's keeping me out of  that dreaded winter funk. 

 If you're one of us who crawls into a winter cave, come on out and play for awhile.

Today's challenge is very similar to yesterday's challenge

5 sketches, 5 minutes each, 5 photos

Give 5 Virtual High-Fives and do 5 dance moves when you finish, 

and then you will have exercised, too.

Again, please complete these using your sifter, a business card, and your fingers.

To change things up you can use other body parts if you like, but I wouldn't recommend it!  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 I'd like to see more people's work showing up here on the blog... There are lots of people who aren't on Facebook that want to see your work too!  
I'm thinking that if we get at least 125 out of 400+participants to post their sketches for Day 6, HERE on this blog page,  I might have some 'incentives' coming around in the near future... I'm digging through my tool box....

Here is my 5 minute wintery guy.  It looks windy.  So windy he can't even open his eyes....Oops, he blew away.

'Another Yellow Rose' Alcohol Ink Painting for Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Painting Challenge

Add Your Link

Storytelling #1... For the January Challenge Folks

Thank you everyone for being patient with me while I've been feeling crummy and traveling;  I'm feeling much better and I'm ready to get the ball rolling on!  This challenge is for those of you who completed the 30 in 30 challenge in January, but please know that it's open to EVERYONE who would like to contribute.

The theme of 'The Big Draw' event this year is "Every Drawing Tells a Story".  It's true, isn't it?  Every drawing that has ever existed tells some kind of story.   Sometimes we use drawings to show an idea, or how things are put together.  IKEA sells furniture with instructions that are purely pictorial.  Since IKEA sells furniture in many different countries, they use drawings to tell the story of how a piece of furniture is put together instead of relying on pages and pages of written words in every language.  My favorite drawing that is included in every set of instructions is of a little man who is scratching his head and is on the telephone.  Just by describing this scenario, I'm sure you're formulating a picture in your mind about how the little guy might look.  You can likely feel his frustration.  IKEA adds this photo to their assembly directions with the knowledge that someone who purchased their furniture is going to encounter a problem.  HMMMM.....

Every Drawing Tells a Story.

It does.

Drawings are all around us.

I could write a million blog posts about how to tell a story using art, but the most important thing perhaps is figuring out what it is that you want to say.  You can start by saying so very little.

This Week's Challenge is to complete a drawing in powdered glass that shows some form of instruction.  (I hope this is difficult!)  Teach me something that you know.  Make it yours, it can be as simple or as complex as you like.  Move that brain!

While you work on this challenge I will be on my "New Year Reset Trip", which consists of 4 days with family in a super remote wonderland of no cell/phone/TV heaven!  I'm even forcing myself to leave my paint at home this year... probably I'll still bring my black glass powder....  grr... I can't stop making things...

I've set up the regular challenge to repost on its own, but should things go awry, I will be back on Saturday to fix them.  I hope all of you in the SC area are safe and free of flooding, my prayers are with you...

Day 5 Comparalysis... What in the World is THAT?

Comparalysis, it's a deadly thing that we all face.  Comparalysis can strike any one at any time, and if you've had the chicken pox, the Comparalysis virus is already living inside you.

Ok so what I said isn't entirely true; the chicken pox has nothing to do with it at all, but we all are at risk of falling victim to 'Comparalysis', and yes, it DOES already live inside each of us. There is a lot of fear involved in presenting yourself in a situation where you feel inexperienced.  It's disconcerting to feel like the 'newbie'. Here is another story for you...

The summer after 6th grade, my mom insisted that I learn how to play the flute so I could be in band at the start of 7th grade.  I didn't want to be in band or play the flute, I already played the violin.  I liked it, and that was enough.  Besides, all the other kids started their band instruments in 5th grade so I would be 2 years behind.  Looking back, I'm wondering if she just wanted me out of the house that summer.  She signed me up for 6 weeks of free 'learn a band instrument' classes.  ugh...  Anyway, I was the only kid above the 4th grade and it was humiliating.  It took me two weeks just to get a sound to come out of that stupid flute, even though I was trying really hard. Some of those 4th graders got it the first day.  Fast forward to the first week of 7th grade...

We're learning how to march and play at the same time, in the middle of a neighborhood street.  Mr. Kondik was the band director. (I'm mentioning his name because a tiny evil part of me is hoping he is dead, and the other bigger evil part of me is hoping he is reading this)  He split the band into two sides on the curb of the street, and made my entire section march one at a time while playing the 'fight song' down the center of the street.  To say the very least, I couldn't play the fight song sitting still if my life depended on it.  When my turn came to march down the street with that flute in front of 75, 7th-9th graders, it was not pretty.  The ridicule that followed made me want to throw that flute into the Atlantic Ocean, and I bet I could have thrown it there all the way from Ohio.  

We'll talk about the end of the story later on but for now, I have noticed a lot of folks are feeling like they'll never be able to compare their work to that of some others. This is a pretty new form of art for all of us.  Think about that!  People have been drawing with powdered glass for such a short amount of time, we are all at the beginning of discovering what the possibilities are! It doesn't matter how 'good or bad' we think our work is now!  JUST KEEP MAKING WORK. Forget about that negative feeling and get busy letting yourself create. 

(and a side note for the rest of you who think you don't know how to make a blog or upload your photos.... GET BUSY and try it again. You won't regret it.  Don't give up so easily.)

Today's Challenge is mostly the same as yesterday, and tomorrow it will be the same as today.  It's for a good reason.  This is the time when you will learn more than you thought you could, and it will pay off in the next couple of weeks.  One of our 'challenge buddies' made a comment today saying that she tore the business card and made several 'tools' with it.  Hurray for you, Janet Geise Zambai (insert fireworks and mass praises from the innovator folks)!

Nobody said you couldn't change, tear, mutilate, the business card.... I was waiting to see who would do

it first!

Feel free to demolish that business card and make it into something more 'useable' for today's challenge. Another 5 for 5 is on for today, and I forgot to mention that sifters are always ok to use, no matter what the challenge is. Check back tomorrow for further adaptations!

Here are my photos for today, again one is a sgraffito sketch, and one is an alcohol ink painting for my other challenge. I'm not happy with either of them, but I'm out of time and I want to go to bed before 1 am tonight so I can get kids to school in the morning :)

Yesterday's sketch.  I added some Tangerine Orange Opal powder , along with some Sunset Coral and Neo Lavender.  I am planning to tweak this combination, as I have never used Tangerine Orange opal before in this combination.  I'll do more in this 'scenario' and post my results.

This just plain sucks.  I had no time today and this is what I ended up with in the painting mess of a challenge.

Here we go. My sucky 5 minute sgraffito sketch. It was supposed to be me, but I don't have bangs. lol

An InLinkz Link-up

Day 4: Speedy Hands

I used to build wire harness parts for an auto parts manufacturer.  Each week, the company would drop off huge bins of unassembled parts and I would build them using a jig attached to my coffee table. The stacked bins reached all the way to the ceiling!  I hated building those dang harnesses but was thankful to have a job I could do in my apartment, since my husband needed our only car to get to his job each day.

When I was first learning how to put the parts together, I wasn't getting all of my wires to click into their bases equally, and sometimes I reversed the colors, and I took way too long to finish a single harness. I built a lot of rejects in the beginning.

Over time, I got better at building them and eventually I could whip them out fast enough to considerably beat the piece rate.  I built them without thinking about which piece went where, and they were almost always perfect.  I could do them with my eyes closed, standing on one foot with one hand tied behind my back, (that's a lie)...  

I felt like I did them in my sleep, and I watched way too much Jerry Springer and too many soap operas while building them; and that is true.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today's challenge will only take you 30 minutes, and not a minute more.

It's a 5 for 5 in the middle of the 30 in 30 that will take you 30.  Haha.

Your challenge is to create 5 sketches, each taking no more than 5 minutes.  We'll be using a single piece of glass, the business card and fingers again

 (be patient, tools are coming soon enough).  

SET YOUR TIMER FOR 5 MINUTES AND TRY HARD NOT TO CHEAT!

Once you have a sketch finished, snap a photo, dump your drawing, and quickly move on to the next one.  When you finish you should have nothing but 5 photos of the sketches you made.  (the extra 5 minutes is for photo snapping)

You can create any subject, any size you like, but make them each different.  Post your favorite photo to the blog when you finish.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This exercise will force your mind and your hands to learn to work together, and it won't give the doubtful part of your brain a chance to over-think things. The goal is swift thinking, speedy hands, and no second guessing.  The best part is that when you make a reject, there's no physical reminder of it later.  Just dump it back in the jar.

Here is my 5 minute sketch, along with my daily alcohol ink painting for my other challenge.

I used Bullseye Black with a touch of aventurine blue.  After I took my photo I added some other powder colors that I'm testing and tossed it in the kiln.  I kept my sketch because I did about fifteen 3 minute sketches before I made this last one.  If you do that, you an keep as many as you like.  lol

Unfired 5 minute sketch using fingers and a business card. 4"x6".
 I used Bullseye black 0100 and some aventurine blue.

Begonia Blossoms, Alcohol ink painting for Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Challenge

Add your Day 4 Photo Here

Day 3, Some Fabulous things are Happening Here!

Wow. I am SO impressed with the photos everyone has been posting, both here and on the FB page.  I have a feeling that by the end of the month I might  be out of a job!

It takes courage to boldly display your artwork amongst others' work that you think is better than yours.  KEEP IT COMING!  Try your best to 'lose the fear of being wrong' that is putting doubt in your mind.  Your work is good enough, and you'll start to care less about comparing yourself to others as the days of our challenge progress.

I'd like to share some work by participants who are really pushing that concept of being resourceful that we talked about yesterday, you girls rock!

Charlotte Kay does not have frit.  She is using Trader Joe's sipping Chocolate and a flour sifter.

Charlyn Moellers is traveling and has tried flour, sugar, and has settled on using baking soda.  Charlyn, you have discovered why Bullseye's stiff black doesn't work well for sgraffito.  It behaves like a mix between flour and corn starch :)

I used dirt one time when I was supposed to demo at a show and forgot to bring frit...  If you want to make art,  you'll make art with whatever you have available.

Kudos to these ladies!
Here are their photos:

Charlyn Moellers is using baking soda

Charlotte Kay is using Trader Joe's
Sipping Chocolate

Day 3 Glass sgraffito sketch, 4"x6", Unfired.

Here are my entries for today, one glass sketch, one alcohol ink painting, and one photo of the piece I fired from yesterday.  Tomorrow's challenge is to keep using only the card and fingers for a few more days!  This time, try a landscape.

Day 3 of 30 in 30 Challenge 'Yellow Rose', Alcohol Ink $20 bid

Day 2 Glass Sgraffito Sketch (fired)
I added BE 301 Pink, 0137 Fr. Vanilla frits

Add your link

Day 2: Trees with Fingers and Business Cards

It's true.  The beginning is usually the hardest, especially when you're doing something new.  Today is Day 2 of the first ever 'Fused Glass Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge", and I want to say thanks to all of the artists who signed up to participate!   Getting started is difficult.  I've asked you all to jump out of your comfort zones not only in the way you work with glass, but also in respect to all of the 'techie' stuff like setting up a blog and uploading photos.  Trust me, while it is uncomfortable and frustrating now will pay off in the end.

'Trees with Fingers and Business Cards' sounds like a B horror flick doesn't it?  Ha.  I like it.

Today's challenge is to use glass powder to draw a tree or two with only the use of your fingers and a business card.  Everyone wants to break out all of their tools and get down to action already,  but let me explain why I'm challenging you to start this way...

People with nothing are usually the most resourceful.  When you have nothing it forces you to develop ways to do the things you want, without having the 'tool' you'd really like to have to get the job done.  If you need to pound a nail and don't have a hammer, you might find something else that will do the job.  A big rock, perhaps?  A brick?  My point is that if you have the hammer already, you don't have to be very resourceful; you just pound the nail with it and that's the end of it.  When you are forced to be resourceful, your brain makes connections that it wouldn't make if you were just running to your toolbox to get 'the thing that you use to do a thing'.

Tree with Fingers and Business Card.
I added some frit and will post the fired piece tomorrow.

We'll talk more about that later, but for the next few days please do your best to make yourselves stick with the fingers and a business card.  Make it work for you.  I promise that it will be frustrating, but also that you'll understand once you've done it.

I promised some firing schedules today... I'm going to post the schedules I'm using based on my particular kiln as well as the size glass I'm using, but please keep in mind that you may need to adapt for your kiln / glass if there is a big difference in your situation.  These are programs I have been successful with, but may not be 'the standard'.  More on that in a week or so.





Here are my pieces for today.  One for the glass challenge, and one for my painting challenge.  My glass piece is in the kiln right now, and tomorrow I will post the fired piece.

Firing Schedule for the tree above:  It is 4"x6", and I added a layer of black behind it to make it 2 standard sheets thick with small bits of frit on top of the powder.  I'm using Bullseye Glass. (90 coe)  Firing in a tabletop kiln with a 10' shelf, single side element, no top element.

300 DPH

1000F

Hold 10 min.

AFAP

1460F

Hold 10 min.

AFAP

900

Hold 35 min. 

End Program

*AFAP= As Fast As Possible, enter 9999 on most kilns when you program.

Best to you all, and thank you again for participating.  See you here tomorrow, Nanoo Nanoo :)

Add your link here

Happy New Year Everyone!

We've made it to another year!  Happy 2015 to all~

I love the 'freshness' that a new year brings.  I get excited when the hustle of the holidays ends and a bright, shiny new beginning to a whole year of possibilities lies before me...  Here's a little story:

Two years ago (as a New Year's resolution) I accepted a challenge to paint 30 small paintings in 30 days.  The challenge was offered by artist Leslie Saeta, and I was pressured by my painter friends to give it a try.  Here is a little background info... I did not care about oil painting.   In college I painted what I would describe as a 'whopping total of two complete failures' using oil paints, and I never wanted to use them again.  As an art major,  I thought I should automatically be good at painting, but I'm telling you that I mean it when I say 'complete failure'.  Fast forward an undisclosed number of years...  I gave in and decided to give it my best shot, even though I knew I would hate it.

The first week was torture.  I,  (being me, of course) chose the most difficult things I could think of to paint.  A yellow fire hydrant on a violet background.  lights and buildings reflecting on wet pavement.   bicycles. backhoes and orange barrels buried under piles of snow.  Those things interested me.  Painting apples did not. Strike one. (apples are easy) Trying to paint the subjects I wanted to paint with this peanut buttery disaster of a medium made me mad.  Strike two. (I got mad).  After the first 4 paintings...Strike three. (I quit).  I was so frustrated!

A few days later I 'un-quit'.  I was determined to finish my 30 paintings even if every one of them sucked, because I wanted to be a better painter.  In all, it took me 45 days to finish my 30 paintings. The timing doesn't matter.  What does matter is this:  The things I learned in that short time by experimenting on my own and forcing myself to practice amounted to so much more than I ever expected; and the speed at which I improved could not be matched by taking a painting class.

This year, I've invited glass friends to join me in a similar challenge.  We'll be working to complete 30 fused glass powder sgraffito sketches in 30 days.  Many do not have experience using glass powders, but have accepted the challenge feet-first.  I know they will improve by leaps and bounds over the next 30 days!  Surprisingly, there are currently 376 glass fanatics from 9 countries who have accepted the challenge as I write this.  It is going to be so cool to see everyone's work, and if we all complete the challenge, we will have created almost 11,000 works of art in just 30 days!

You can follow our progress each day here on my blog, and check out the artists' web pages and blogs by clicking on the photos they will be uploading each day.  Of course I'm doing the glass challenge, but I am also participating in the painting challenge once again, with alcohol ink paintings (call me crazy and maybe I'll break out the oils).

January 1, 2015 Challenge is to create a sketch using only glass powder and your fingers.  They're your best tools!

Glass Sgraffito Sketch Day One, fingers only!

Sunny Morning Aspens, Alcohol Ink Painting,  5x7
Start bid: $20

Artists: Upload your Day 1 sketches by clicking the 'add your link' button at the bottom left.  Choose a photo from your blog, Facebook, or instagram page, or upload one from your computer.  If you have trouble locating the image URL, try using CTRL+click on the image, then choose 'copy image address'.  This should give you the image URL. If you have problems, check the Facebook page for the Fused Glass Powder Sgraffito Drawing 30 in 30 Challenge.  Happy New Year!

An InLinkz Link-up

July Sgraffito Challenge (#4 or4)

The final July Sgraffito Challenge has arrived!

Today's Challenge should offer you some peace after working so hard on last week's figures.

This photo is by John Stewart, and it offers a lovely look at reflections. 

 (Guess what we're drawing this week?)

It's nice composition isn't it?  Here are 3 reasons why:

1. It utilizes a full range of value (lightest light to darkest dark)

    This makes for an interesting level of contrast.

2. The focal point (the sun and its reflection) are slightly off center, 

     both vertically and horizontally.

3. It follows the "Rule of Thirds".

     The 'rule of thirds' in a nutshell...  When dividing your subject photo into thirds using a grid overlay (like a tic-tac-toe board), interesting things should happen at the intersections and along the grid lines.  This particular photo is heavier on the bottom two thirds, compared to the top third.  When working on landscapes, it's helpful to begin by deciding where the emphasis should be- on the sky or the land. This way, the viewer's eye is settled since you've already decided for them what is most important to look at.  Tricky! 

This landscape by Elaine Cross is a good example of how images become 'reversed' in reflections.  This is a great brain exercise!  Also pay attention to the space between the actual trees and the water... the line where the land meets the water is almost always dark.

Your challenge to end the month of July (#4 of 4) is to create a drawing in powdered glass that shows a reflection.  You can use these photos as reference or come up with your own, make it as simple or complex as you like.  Add your photo link below when you finish your drawing so we can all enjoy it too!

Also, I'm working on something BIG for the month of October, so keep watch... Details coming next month... I'm so excited!

An InLinkz Link-up

July Sgraffito Challenge (#3 of 4)

The Stick Person Challenge has Arrived!

And you thought it couldn't happen! 

Stick people can actually teach us a lot about how we view drawing humans.  When we're very young, we know what is 'essential' to the human body.  Head, Face, Arms, & Legs. 

As we grow older, we add things like the neck, hands, and feet, and from there we progress to adding knees, elbows, fingers, and toes...  

Beyond that, drawing people can get a little scary as we try to make our drawings look more realistic.  THIS is where a lot of us just give up and succumb to the idea that we 'can't draw anything better than a stick man.'  This week, we're going to 'Stick-it' to that thought and tackle some fear!

First, let's look at a few funny stick figures that have serious problems...

Pablo the Stickman is headed for disaster, and doesn't even have hands to catch himself...
At least he can still yell for help.  He definitely seems concerned and looks to be falling fast.

STAN

Poor Stan.  Things in the bathroom

were never easy with arms this short, but that's a 

secondary problem...

Stan's head would likely have fallen off into the toilet first, 

just from trying to look down without a neck!

STELLA


All Stella wanted from life was to dance the
'Macarena' with her friends, but alas...
No Hips, No Shoulders, No 'Macarena'.
 She can't even reach her head...
Rats.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next, let's learn some simple tips about PROPORTIONS of the human body, or, how the sizes of different parts line up and compare with other parts.

The average adult human is approximately 8 "head lengths" tall.  Children have much different proportions from adults, so this drawing can help you notice those differences.

By the way, these photos were taken from the book "Figure Drawing For Dummies", by Kensuke Okabayashi.  It's a great, inexpensive starter book for anyone who wants to learn more about drawing the human figure.

Some Easy Tips & Tricks to help you 'figure' it all out: 

In order, here is approximately where each head length hits from top to bottom...

1. Chin
2. Armpit/ Nipple
3. Navel
4. Crotch/Groin (this is also usually the 1/2 way point)
5. Fingertips
6. Just below knee
7. Just below center of shin
8. Where the feet hit the ground

Things that line up pretty closely to each other:

• Elbows and navel
• Wristbones and Crotch
• When seated, the distance from the top of the head to the seat is about the same distance as the back of the seat to the knees.

When drawn in proportion, these guys/gals can attend themselves in the bathroom, catch themselves when falling, AND can take on the 'Macarena' in style!

And finally, on to your challenge...  
The July Fused Glass Powder Sgraffito Drawing Challenge (#3 of 4), is to use what you've learned about proportion to create a series of sketches of human figures.  
You can start out with stick people if you like, and give them mass by adding powder in the appropriate places.  Picture it like you're working on a sculpture; starting with a wire armature and adding shape with the powder as you work.
 It may help to draw a sharpie stick person directly on your glass, and add powders over your sketch.
Avoid thinking about outlines if you can!

Things you can do to further challenge yourself:

• Make your figures 'do something'... Dance the Macarena, walk a dog, ice skate, run, shoot a basketball, eat a hotdog, or hold a yoga pose.
• Draw figures of different ages together.
• Draw figures with animals, or in scenes that give a sense of scale.
• Study figure drawings and paintings by other artists... Albrecht Durer, DaVinci, and Degas are some of my favorites.

 An InLinkz Link-up

*For those of you know me and are wondering... YES, I did laugh a lot while writing this blog post and I did very much enjoy using the words nipple, armpit, navel, groin, and crotch in a legitimate post.  :) 

An InLinkz Link-up

July Sgraffito Challenge (#2 of 4)

Week one went by really quickly, didn't it?

The crows are so very cool, keep posting them!  If you are like me, and haven't done your crow yet, don't worry.  There is plenty of time to catch up.

Onward we go!

Our next challenge (#2 of 4) is to create a glass powder sgraffito drawing of a lightbulb.  You can pick your own lightbulb and compose a drawing from it, or you can use the reference photo as a guide.

It can be a real challenge to capture shine and reflection, and to make things look 'round and real'  (remember the safety pins?)  you can do it!  Pay special attention to where a dark shape meets a light shape, and compare their values.  Talk to yourself if you get stuck!..."this shape is lighter than that one, but also darker than the one next to it." etc. 

If you're feeling like you need a little more challenge, try laying the lightbulb on a patterned background and see how you capture it shining through the glass, or include your hand holding the lightbulb.

Don't forget to link your photo here so we can all see what you've been doing, now you can use Instagram to post your photos.  YAY!

An InLinkz Link-up

Here's a little quote by Thomas Edison that should be an encouragement to you! 

An InLinkz Link-up

July Sgraffito Challenge!!! (#1 of 4)

A Murder of Crows Awaits...

Hi Everyone! 

Welcome to the first of four weekly Fused Glass Sgraffito Challenges for the month of July!

I'd like to present this challenge as a continuation of the 30 in 30 Challenge that we did in January; so if you missed that one, it's NEVER too late to go back and start at the beginning! 

This week's Challenge offers you the opportunity to improve your basic sgraffito drawing skills, as well as to work on some lovely artistic problem solving skills!  

This challenge is the opposite of the "White Challenge" from the 30 in 30.  Black objects present us with a similar problem.  In order to make something appear white, you need to focus on the shadows which give the white object its form.  Reversing this idea, you'll be looking for and picking out areas that can be highlighted to give a black crow its form. 

Your challenge is to create a powder sgraffito drawing of a crow, with the goal of giving it FORM (not just a silhouette)  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You can create as many drawings as you like, and you may use this photo or any photo reference you find.  

l chose this reference photo because it's a fine example of good composition, and it also offers those of you who are 'messing with color' a nice opportunity to advance your skills.  

The photo was taken by Steve Lyddon, and taken from the website www.paintmyphoto.ning.com  This is a great website!  Professional and amateur photographers offer their photos here for artists to use as reference photos in their work.  Copyright free!  Thank you photographers!  

Be sure to photograph your drawings and add them here using the Inlinkz link, and also to the photo folder on the Fused Glass Sgraffito Facebook Page so we can build a "Murder of Crows" and continue discussion there.  If you're not yet a member of the group just send me a request to join on Facebook.  Happy Crowing!

Murder of Crows, An InLinkz Link-up

3.14.15 Happy "Pi" Day

Happy Pi Day!

I'll be the first to admit that I was never much of a mathematician. My former math teachers would likely not remember me, and my middle school report cards show striking evidence of D- grades being 'miraculously' elevated to B+ grades with the help of a ball point pen and a little carbon paper... no points for creativity when my parents caught on.

Math is very cool when you can relate it to something you are interested in, and Pi is a very Odd Bird.  Check it out!  I especially like the patterns that rivers make when you look down from an airplane.  I didn't know it before, but "Fluid dynamics" and "Chaos Theory"  are used to explain how rivers get their 'windiness'.   Einstein first described the concept of  'meandering ratios' and the 'windiness' of a river from beginning to end.  Length of the river from beginning to end as the crow flies, compared to the actual length of the river... don't ask me to 'do the math', but Pi is involved in it.

As a number itself, Pi is senseless, irrational, and crazy, with no recognizable pattern.  Odd bird, once again.  I always thought math was black and white. I'm beginning to like this "Mr. Pi'' more and more, with his chaos theory and fluid dynamics...

I guess the only other Mr. Pi I know is Mr. Mark Pi... Mark Pi China Gate, Two Spring Rolls and a Szechuan Peanut Tofu to go... hmmm.

I think it's time to hang up.

Fast Forward to February

Whew!  January is Outta Here!!

The 30 in 30 Challenge really helped those dull, dark January days fly by fast, and I'm so glad!  Thanks once again to all who participated with me, it was really fun. xx

Speaking of flying... 

This week I'll be heading out to teach glass workshops in Houston, TX, Portland, OR, and St. Louis, MO.  

I'm so excited!  We'll be designing some colorful fused glass cities in Houston and Portland, and whipping up some fused glass powder sgraffito drawings in St. Louis!  

I'll share what's going on during class with all of you next week so you can enjoy the colorful messes we make in creating our masterpieces!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To begin February,  I've spent a few hours working on the 'dreadful stack' of 2015 juried art show applications... Every show artist looks forward to this process every year.  NOT.

For those of you who aren't familiar with how it all works, here's the scoop:

Life as a show artist is a crapshoot, it's risky!  There are so many variables that have to crash together in just the right way to be successful. 

Definitely not the path to choose if you want to the 'glamorous life'.

Being an artist pays better in job satisfaction than most glamorous life occupations. That's good enough for me!

Here is how the attack of the 'dreadful stack' works.

First, you have to look for shows where you think your work will sell well.  

How do you know which shows those are?  You work hard and do a lot of them.  

Keep the good ones and mark the not so good ones off the list.

Next, you take awesome photos of your best work, set up your entire display in the driveway, and proceed to take awesome photos of that with your awesome work inside. 

Thank goodness for digital, I don't miss the days of taking slides at all!

After this, you fill in your application and try to explain your entire process in 100 characters or less. Yes, spaces count, lol.   

Now it's time to choose 3-5 photos of your best work, which I find to be most difficult.  They have to look like they go together, and they also have to represent your full body of work for sale.  I work in a few different styles so naturally, this trips me up every year.

Once you've finished all the 'guessing games' and are ready to send your application in, you rush over to your PayPal account and hope there is enough there to pay for the jury fees.

Usually they're $25-$50 per show, and everyone who applies has to pay to have their work juried.  If you're not accepted you don't get your $ back.  If you are accepted, you rush back to that PayPal account and say magic words before you look to see if there is enough to pay the booth fees. :)  Most weekend shows I've done cost between $200 and $800 for the booth space.  

My breathing is labored just from typing this.

Thank goodness I'm almost finished filling it all out and the 'waiting part' is near.

No Power? What?

The White Challenge continues!  I lost power to my computer, and I'm on an ipad  so I'll make this short and sweet.  Keep on "keeping on" this weekend with your white pieces.  I'll find you all tomorrow night and we'll catch up!