Magnificent Metal

As we know, artists use lots of different mediums.  Do you remember what an artistic medium is?

Some artists use metal to build and sculpt and others  use metal to show off their drawing skills!  Let's find out how that is even possible.

Metal embossing and Repousse push and move the metal using tools to imprint marks and designs  onto the surface. (what's the surface?)  Embossing presses lines and patterns into the front side of the metal. While Repousse pushes the metal from the back raising up the design.  The metal can also be worked between the created lines to raise areas of the metal.  

Artists around the world work with metal and metal tooling is created most often in tin, copper and aluminum.  In Mexico there is a folk art tradition of making tin ornaments.

Repujado which is the metal tooling art. Hojalata means tin artwork in Spanish.  The metal is malleable which makes it easy to create details in the surface.  What does malleable mean?

Mexican Folk Artisans shape, stamp, punch cut and paint metal into decorative and sometimes functional art.  It's popular and inexpensive and the shiny surface is part of the quality.

You may choose to make a metal embossed ornament and if you don't we will still add the process to our creativity bank account.

Place a piece of cardboard on your table. The metal needs a soft surface to press into.

You can sketch a design in pencil onto the metal or start drawing with a stylus.  

Patterns with short lines will be easier to draw into the metal. If you are making longer or curved lines slow down the metal is slick and the stylus can slip and wobble. (turn mistakes into a beautiful oops)

Draw with a wooden stylus.  Go over the pencil lines while firmly pressing into the metal surface. 

Draw on the front.  More lines  will create more visual interest.  Press lines into the front, press lines into the back and repeat back and forth from front to back.

Embellish with colorful sharpies, beads and ribbon

One Artwork, Two or more Studios

When your art combines more than one medium we say that it is MIXED MEDIA.   Multiple mediums or materials are used to create the work of art.

We have many studios to choose from in our Art Room.  You can paint, draw, collage, sculpt, print, sew and weave, build structures, mold ceramics and create jewelry.   What would happen if you visit more than one studio with your art?  Let's find out.

A DRAWING but make it FIBERS



Artist Victoria Villasana embroiders, sews, right into photos.  She is "drawing" with her thread.  Artists can use fiber materials like yarn to create various stitched lines.

You can sketch a drawing and then sew running stitches and other embroidery stitches.  Make a stuffy and embellish your fiber arts with fabric markers right onto the cloth.

You could sew lines right into painted paper to make tree branches and grasses.

A PAINTING but make it COLLAGE

Start in the painting studio creating colorfully painted paper (or maybe you have a painting that wasn't what you had envisioned). When your painting is dry, cut it into shapes and glue.  Or glue other papers onto a painting.

a COLLAGE but make it a DRAWING

The artist Henri Matisse called cutting out paper shapes "drawing with scissors".  This artwork by Henri is cut paper shapes.

Could you use your scissors to draw?  Your cutting becomes a drawing as we see in the lines of these paper portraits. Use your scissors to "draw" into paper. 

a PAINTING but make it COLLAGE

Paint paper in the Painting Studio.  Tear and glue painted paper onto a painted sky background and add boats or sea-life.  You now have a Collage.

More PAINTINGS turned into a COLLAGE

Which part is painted which part is a collage?

FIBERS but make it JEWELRY

A PAINTING but make it a SCULPTURE

Painted cardboard can become a sculpture.  or Add painted cardboard shapes to a painting.  Paint on a cardboard relief of a sunshine.

a DRAWING but make it SCULPTURE

Draw onto cardboard or paper.  Twist, fold, bend, twirl, slit the paper or cardboard to make it 3D.

a DRAWING but make it PAINTING

take a drawing and paint in areas of color.  Watercolor is transparent so your black Sharpie will show through the paint.  Try stippling.

a CERAMIC ARTWORK but make it JEWELRY

This work combines drawing and painting.  with a touch of collage.

Will you try to work on your art in more than one studio?

Will you persist in working on your art for more than one class?