CHALLENGE TIME!

Pen and Ink CHALLENGE TIME!

Let’s see if you can do a fish!  I am going to try also!  Here is a link that walks you thru step by step.  I am going to use some of my Birthday Money to purchase supplies, nothing fancy but fun!  I will be more than happy to share!  Just ask!  I am going to try and make a fish!  I will post a picture of it when I am done, I would really like to see others pictures as well.  Please post one if you create one.  So the Challenge is, using pen and ink method create a fish, but make it our own, can you change it in some way so that it is your creation?

Shopping List:

Drawing Pencil

Good Eraser

Pen and Ink (I think I am going to look for one all together, less mess for an armature like me!)
Sketch Book or Paper

Shopping Results:

Went to Michaels and purchased two different pens, one fine tip and one brush tip, an eraser set (three types) and two pencils.  The total was about 10.00.  I was shopping for price as well as ease of use.  Nothing fancy just something to have fun with and try some new things with!  When I got home I pulled out a Crayola Sketch Book that I had bought for my son last Christmas, he has not touched it!

Results

Time to play!  I love to be creative!  It is who I am!  I love to learn new things and give them a try.  With that said, I also LOVE order!  My life is structured, I like things to look put together and in place.  If you know me I am sure you are shaking your head and say yes as you read this.  So when handed a blank piece of paper and freedom I sometimes don’t know where to begin.  What if turns out looking bad?  What if I get it wrong?  What if I mess it up?  These are all hesitations I have.  Can any of you relate?

Okay, so there I am in my work space with all new tools and where do I start?  Pencil!  That’s right start with the pencil, then you can erase it.  One big oval.  No not just one, I have seen artist swish pencils round and round to get the true feel of the shape, I must do that to, right?  Okay, Oval done!  What was I doing?  Oh yeah a fish, so a tail.  Long and swishy.  Swishy?  How do I make it look swishy?  Maybe this way?  Oh never mind, I won’t do a fish!

Let me try something else………  J

I have taken pictures of the two pages of doodles.  I enjoyed myself.  I have my favorite doodles and the doodles I wanted to just cover up.  (No I didn’t)  I can’t wait to see your doodles! 

Can you see the fish? 

I thought Iwould try and make a room with this one.  It ended up with just a wall, window and a night stand.  I then went back to doodles!

Hope you enjoyed!  Can't wait to see what you have come up with!

Art Medium Study #2

Pen and Ink

Okay, no surprise that I again really know nothing about this type of medium. Oh sure I have heard of it, I mean who has never heard of a pen and ink?!?  But what does it really mean?  A true artist would not just pick up a Bic Ballpoint pen that is filled with ink and begin drawing, right?  So what does it mean when they say that the art work was done in pen and ink?  Lets do some research?

“Pen & Ink drawing is similar to pencil drawing in that the use of line and technique is closely related. It is however a little more difficult to master and should only be taught to or used by the older students. India ink is permanent ink and a mess to clean up, virtually non-erasable and not very forgiving if a spill or mistake happens.”   http://www.homeschoolarts.com/penink.htm

Tools and Materials
Pens:

There are many pens on the market that you can choose from. Or if you are the adventurous type you may decide to make your own from feathers the way our forefathers did. You might also try different sticks, reeds, bamboo or other exotic materials. The crow quill dip pens and metal replacement points are still a good choice. However they will leak and splatter and require you to stop during your drawing to refill the nib. If you drop one you will have a mess that needs to be cleaned up quickly. Then there are fountain pens and felt tip markers. Each has a unique type of line. I encourage all of the above for you to try while experimenting with finding your style. However for the every day workhorse we are fortunate today to have other choices. The technical pen is a precise drawing instrument that does not have the problems inherent with the other media. Unless damaged or not taken care off the pens will not leak or clot and will allow you to draw in any direction with little effort. They come in refillable and throwaway models and range in price from inexpensive approximately $3.00 a pen to expensive $20.00 a pen. You can find these pens and other drawing instruments at you local arts supply shop.

Now we need to talk about nib size. The pens come in different sizes ranging from 6x0-.13mm (very narrow) to 7-2.0mm (very thick). The 6x0 are very fine and I use them when I want to make very subtle shading gradations while stippling (using the pointillist method). I use the 3x0/.25mm, 00/.30mm, 1/.50mm and the 3/.80mm for most of the drawing applications that I do. In the following pages you will see examples of the work and for each I will tell you what pen size I used.

Ink:

Many companies manufacture India Ink and the quality of each depends on the process used by each company. India Ink is a mixture of water, carbon black (lampblack) and a binder of shellac, latex and other binding materials. The finer the lampblack usually the more flowing the ink. It is also very important that use choose ink that is not water soluble unless that is a planned part of your work. I use inks that are classified as permanent and good for all surfaces. As you can read I am not suggesting any particular brand as we all have our preferences. Ask your local arts supply or an artist in your community what they use. Part of the learning process is research and making decisions upon that research based on critical thought. Most of the colored inks are not light safe and are water-soluble. They will fade over time and will have to be kept away from high humidity sources and must be framed and treated with care. I guess it would be important to tell you at this time that once you have put ink to surface it is almost impossible to remove it. If your work is for reproduction purposes you could use white out to cover a small mistake but you have to make sure it is completely dry before you try inking over it again or it could clog your pen. Also if the work will be hung white out is not an option. You will have to start your work over.

http://www.homeschoolarts.com/pi-l1-1.htm

Okay I have learned a lot already.  Have you?  The first thought I have is, I am so impressed!  I make accidents all the time.  When I cook in the kitchen I am anything but clean, my apron seldom can be used more than once before it needs to be washed.  So the thought of working with PERMANET INK!!  Blows my mind!  Something that will leave your mistakes forever or you do it over!  Not sure this is the method for me.  When I think back to some of the books I have seen that have pen and ink and the number of lines and marks that it took to create the look, I am IMPRESSED!  This would take a very careful hand.  I now have more respect for pen and ink illustrators!

Okay I am still wondering what India Ink is, so back to some research!  Boy I love the internet!

Basic India ink is composed of a variety of fine soot known as lampblack, combined with water to form a liquid. A binding agent such as gelatin or, more commonly, shellac may also be added, to make the ink more durable once dried. India ink is occasionally sold not as a liquid, but in solid form (most commonly, a stick), which must be moistened before use. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_ink

Upcoming Books! Invite to Read Along!

Upcoming books!

I am thought it would be fun to share the titles of some books I am reading now that will be posted in the future.  If you are a library fan then perhaps you can check them out.

1. Stone Soup by Marcia Brown

 

2. McElligot's Pool by Dr. Seuss

3. Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

There are only a few, I tried to pick ones that are popular and not difficult to locate!  Happy Reading!

Thank You!!!

I want to thank of you that have liked my Facebook Page so far!  My goal is to get my Facebook Page to 25 fans!  We are almost there!  If think you have a friend who enjoys childrens literature and would enjoy my page please feel free share this information.

Also, I started the Facebook Page in hopes to make it easier for people to comment about my reviews, or the books I am talking about!  I would love to hear what you think.

I will be visiting the library later today and am picking up more books to read so I will be posting more next week!!!

Thanks Kim Sandusky

Walt Disney Bambi Drip Drip Drop!

This clip is from Walt Disney's Bambi.  After Reading Rain Drop Splash by Alvin Thresselt I was left thinking of this song.  I love this song.  I hope you do to!

Do you miss the Rain?

1947 Caldecott Honor: Rain Drop Splash

Story by Alvin Tresselt                                   Illustrations by Leonard Weisgard

If the name Leonard Weisgard looks familiar to you then give yourself a pat on the back!  He was already featured in the 1946 Caldecott Honor for Little Lost Lamb. 

Leonard Weisgard received back to back Caldecott Honors!  What a great accomplishment by an artist.   But to top that off he also won the Caldecott Award in 1947 for The Little Island.  Wait, what did I just say.  Mr. Weisgard won the Award and the Honor in the same year!!!!  Holy cow I guess 1947 was a great year for him!  What a wonderful honor!

To summarize:

1946 Caldecott Honor for Little Lost Lamb

1947 Caldecott Honor for Rain Drop Splash

1947 Caldecott Winner for The Little Island

Book Summary

Okay, now let’s talk about this book, Rain Drop Splash. 

“Drip drop splash,

Drip drop splash,

Drip drop splash

Went the rain all day.”

This is the first page of the story.  As the story progresses we get to see how the rain drips and drops from different plants and animals.  Eventually the water drops begin to gather and from a puddle.  The reader then follows the progression of the rain drops until the rain reaches the sea.

Illustrations
Having read all three books that Leonard Weisgard was recognized for I am not able to see the correlation between the three, in terms of illustrations.  Mr. Weisgard enjoyed nature images and is able to draw them in a compelling manner.  I enjoy how the illustrations have just enough details but there are some parts of it that are left to the readers imagination.  There are only a few select colors used in this book, brown, yellow, dark “mud” green and then white as the background.  It is amazing to me how someone can depict nature with such limited color pallet.  How?  There are so many wonderful colors in nature.  However Mr. Weisgard has done it so well!

Final Thoughts:

1. Would this be a book I would pick up again? Perhaps

2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at? Yes

3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book? Probably

4. Where did I get the book? Pierce County Library, WA

Here is the link to a great web page dedicated to Mr. Leonard Weisgard.

http://www.leonardweisgard.com/biography.htm

Boat lovers here is a book for you!!!!!

1947 Caldecott Honor: The Boats on the River

Story by Marjorie Flack                  Pictures by Jay Hyde Barnum

When searching for biography information on Jay Hyde Barnum I was very limited.  Here is the small amount of information I have been able to locate.

Born 1888  Died 1962

Lived in Connecticut

Marjorie Flack is Mr. Barnum’s Mother.  Note: this is the author of the book.  So this is a mother son team!

Book Summary

Taken from the book jacket.  “…a busy river flows through a great city, carrying boats on their daily journeys.  There are little boats and big boats, ferryboats, tugboats, a riverboat , an ocean liner, and many more.  Vividly evoking New York City and the Hudson River in the 1940’s, Boats on the River offers a nostalgic look at a bygone era, as well as being an ideal gift for any child who loves boats.”

Illustrations
the book jacket states that Mr. Barnum used watercolors.  When I was researching the book I found that Mr. Barnum was found of a particular type of watercolor style, Gouache.  So what is Gouache? 

Gouache differs from watercolor in that the particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white pigment such as chalk is also present. This makes gouache heavier and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities.  (From Wikipedia)

Gouache generally dries to a different value than it appears when wet (lighter tones generally dry darker, while darker tones tend to dry lighter), which can make it difficult to match colors over multiple painting sessions. This, combined with its quick coverage and total hiding power, mean that gouache lends itself to more immediate techniques than watercolor. (From Wikipedia)

Okay now that we have educated ourselves on Gouache painting, let’s look at the illustrations in the book.  I am glad that I have taken the time to learn something new about watercolors.  Why?  The first time I read that the illustrations were watercolors I thought, but they are so dark?  How can you do watercolors and create bold images?  Now I know.  I am impressed by the details that are in the art work.  The fact that you can see words and windows, must be the use of a pencil.  (Yup I am feeling so smart now that I know a few things.  J )

The art work winds it’s ways around the text, just like a real life river winding thru a large city!  What a great connection! 

Final Thoughts:

1. Would this be a book I would pick up again? To teach about Rivers Perhaps, of if I have a boat fan!

2. Would I recommend it to others to search out and take a look at? Boats and rivers your thing?  Then Yes!

3. Would I spend my hard earned money on the book? Not sure
4. Where did I get the book? Pierce County Library, WA