Doodle on several sheets of paper.

Then zoom into various parts of the doodle.  Draw a frame around various interesting areas.  The frame can be any shape.   Then find the framed area you like the most and on a new  sheet of paper,  draw an enlarged copy of the framed area.  Photocopy it and try colouring in various sections.

Voila.   You are an artist.

Stripes:

 When you are designing an object with stripes, how on earth do you choose how many stripes to put in or how wide the stripes should be.

Try using the Fibonacci method.  It is a simple mathematical formula that makes stripes more interesting.   I am not sure how it works but I have used it in weaving scarves, rugs and crocheting blankets.

The Fibonacci formula is as follows:

1+1=2;  1+2=3;  2+3=5;  3+5=8;  5+8=13;  8+13=21;  13+21=34

My sister tells me that this explanation isn't clear.  So in order to confuse her even more,  I have attempted to show how the next sum is established.   Look at the sums above.  I have made the numbers bold which will be used in the next sum. So using this formula, what will be the next sum.

21+34=55

So now when you are creating a striped thing,  you know that 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 (and so on) stripes will make your project more interesting.

If you are still confused email my sister and ask her how she puts up with me.  (just kidding, Jane)

Notice how everything is black in the dark?   That's because colour is created by light.  Hang a crystal in front of a window and you will have rainbows dancing on your walls.

PRIMARY COLOURS  -  the three pure colours - RED, BLUE and YELLOW.  These colours cannot be produced by mixing other colours but by mixing various combinations of these colours, you can produce all the other colours.    But by mixing these three colours you can get all the colours of the rainbow.  Many dyers and painters prefer to mix    MAGENTA,  TURQUOISE  and  YELLOW.   I personally find the colours that are produced using them are brighter and more intense.

SECONDARY COLOURS -  the three colours produced by mixing equal amounts of two primary colours.

RED    and    BLUE    =    PURPLE

BLUE  and YELLOW    =    GREEN

YELLOW  and RED    =    ORANGE

TERTIARY COLOURS -  you get tertiary colours when you keep going....mixing blue and green gives you blue green, red and purple will give you a purple red....and so on.

COMPLEMENTARY COLOURS -  these are two colours which are opposite each other on the colour wheel.

RED  and GREEN
BLUE  and ORANGE
YELLOW and PURPLE

When you are mixing colour,  adding  one complement to another will mute or grey the colour.  It won't make it darker but the colour will lose some intensity depending on the amount added.

I personally love the way complementary colours work together.  There seems to be no loss of energy in either colour.   Look at Van Gogh's landscapes.  Notice how much he uses blue and orange.   It wouldn't be Christmas without red and green..

TINT  -  Hue (colour) and WHITE.....or if you are dying or using watercolours,  you get a tint by using more water and less colour.   Notice how when the sun hits a tree, how the leaves change colour.

SHADE  -  Hue  and BLACK.

TONE   -   Hue and GREY.

VALUE  -  The value of a colour has to do with how dark or light it is.  Lighter colours (closer to white) are considered higher in value and darker colours the lower.   When I was in art school, we did a fun exercise where we took a black and white photograph and tried to duplicate the values by recreating it using coloured paper

WARMTH -  YELLOW, RED and ORANGE are considered warm colours.    BLUE, GREEN and
PURPLE  are considered cool colours.   It is a principle of design that one should always have both.  It can be quite striking to have a lot of cool colours in a painting with a touch of  red.

Check out Color Matters - a good site about colour.

Copying a designCopying a designCopying a design

A simple way to copy a drawing or design is to tape it to the window.  Do it during the day when there is lots of light coming through.   Then tape a clean piece of paper over it and you can trace the design easily.   Try it.  

Now you don't have to go downtown to use the photocopy and besides that, you can make some changes if you want. Artists use a light box for this process.   It is basically the same principle.   A box with a piece of glass on top that contains a light.   The only difference is the light box works at night.

Handmade paper has a wonderful texture and edge. Basic papermaking is really easy and you probably have most of the ingredients to make simple paper right in your house right now.

Materials:   paper (old flyers, envelopes, use old birthday  tissue paper
                   a blender
                   a basin  (I use the plastic kind that you use to wash dishes in)
                   a screen.
                   a sponge
                   linen dishtowels or felt

THE SCREEN
Many hobby stores that carry papermaking supplies do carry these.You may decide to make a screen.   First you need two  wooden frames (picture frames) the same size.  Make sure that they are the size of the paper you want to make.  If you have an old picture frame lying around that is slightly larger, that's okay.  Just make sure your frame is small enough to dip into the basin you are using.  Get some fine screening from the local hardware store.   Using a staple gun, staple the screen to one of the frames.  Make sure you stretch it while stapling it.

MAKING THE PULP
Tear the paper into short strips.   Put it into the blender and cover with water and blend it until it is a pulp.

MAKING THE PAPER
Fill the basin with water and pour the pulp from the blender into it.   Take your screen and set the second frame (the deckle) on top of it.  Holding the two screens together, gently dip your screen into the water.  Do not just lower the whole screen into the water at once.  Dip the top edge of the screen into the water and slowly push the rest of the it until it is all under the water.   Then carefully lift the screen straight up so that you are pulling the entire screen out of the water in one motion.   Let any excess water drip off, into the basin.  If the pulp looks uneven, just put the screen back in the water and try again.

Okay,  now set the screen down and gently remove the deckle (second frame).  You will notice that the deckle leaves a nice edge on the paper.   Now all you have to do is carefully turn the screen upside down onto a linen dishtowel so that the paper is inbetween the screen and the cloth.  Before you remove the screen, gently sponge away any excess water from the underside of the screen which should be on top now.   Just dab at it.  When most of the water has been removed,  you can remove the screen by slowly raising it from the paper, beginning from one side.   Leave the paper to dry and voila....you have made paper.

Save those darn flyers that come to your house.  You know the flyers that are on a piece of coloured paper.  If you get enough of one colour and you don't need much,  you can make coloured paper.  You will find the colour will fade a bit.  You can also check your local hobby store for dyes that would work for paper.

VARIATIONS
Take a look at Gail Stiffe's site.  Many beautiful papers are made using cotton lintel, plant fibres, grasses.  This is a little more complex as plants need more process to be broken down into a pulp.

Try sprinkling some herbs in with your paper.   I have laid fine threads, dried flowers and various plant matter across the wet paper.   What else can you think of?

One of my more creative friends makes greeting cards with dried flowers, origami paper, and handmade paper as the background.  Simply beautiful.
 

Check out the art links on my link page.