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I am a book maker and illustrator. Books have the capacity to be designed in a multitude of ways. Books also offer the chance to fill them with any content. So, I hope to teach the workshop on a book making technique. More to come…

 

This is a wingless bird, who is unable to fly, but grateful to hop.

 

This dragon was painted with the help of Linna, who is 6 years old. She likes this project, but had a hard time finishing the painting, so we worked for 2 sessions. I found that markers were best for details.

This paper mâché lesson is inspired by the Linares Family Alebrije. The students will gain a better understanding of a family tradition and see the history of the craft. They will use paper mâché to create unknown animals with unusual features. This lesson would run several sessions to provide time to troubleshoot weight and attachments. A basic base form would be provided for younger students. Colorful patterns will be painted on the creature and the students could have a “creature gathering” to enjoy each others work.

This is the start of my Alebrije. I hope to finish it this weekend.

   

 

Sarah Drake

        

“Sarah Drake, MS, is an award-winning collagist, author-illustrator, and teaching artist in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. She has exhibited her artwork internationally in New York, Moscow, London, Tokyo, Ouagadougou, and Ulaanbaatar. Her artworks have earned her multiple awards, including the VSA Minnesota/Jerome Foundation 2017 Emerging Artist with Disability award and CMAB/McKnight Foundation 2015 Emerging Artist award, and has a piece in the permanent collection at the Marina Tsvetaeva Museum and Cultural Center in Moscow. Sarah has a Master of Science degree in Social Responsibility from St Cloud State University and is the founder/CEO of herARTS in Action. She has worked on human rights and social justice topics for two decades, which guides her artistic creations.”

more here…

I love maps. Maps provide us with a better understanding of the space around us, as well as the relationship between specific places and the unique people in them. I had an idea for a 3D map lesson for a while, but I had not found an artist to help me convey the idea to students, so I am excited to find Sarah Drake. For the lesson, the base of this map can be any sturdy flat material. The students can paper mâché forms and features onto the base. They can paint and embellish the map with found objects. The ideas in this lesson are about scale and perspective while also addressing our sense of place within a community.

Food is portrayed in many ways, so I thought I could cover this topic with many age levels. Some food art is familiar; Wayne Thiebaud’s cakes, Claes Oldenburg’s soft sculptures or Andy Warhol’s soup come to mind. There are also emerging artists who can be good examples. Stephanie H Shih is an Asian American artist working with the concept of feeling at home through food. Her artist statement says it best…

Stephanie H Shih Artist Statement

       

I think her work is a good starting point for students, she works in ceramics, but the forms are not complex. I will be teaching elementary level students, so I want to have something really accessible for them while still allowing for variation. Food is familiar can be created in simple forms.

Some days I feel like this.

 

This is one large sheet of paper crumpled to see what happens.

 

The work of the Linares family is both colorful and distorted. Mexican folk art is rich in tradition, so I have linked a short article about the work and history. Enjoy!

Link to article here

  

 

The bird and the beginning of something new.

This morning I started this form. I have not used paper mâché and am not sure what kinds of forms will work. The next form will be more pattern and shape.

First I made his legs too long, but he is kinda fun this way.

Shorter legs now.

 

Close study of feathers on 2″x 2″ cards

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The cards fit into a tiny birdhouse

   

Feathers can represent the flight from home or the comfort of home, so I built them a home

 

Concept 1.  Using a change in scale, (from small to medium to large) draw three items that relate to each other. The idea is to find relationships between the items. 

Examples:  A word, a book, a library.  or  A seed, a flower, a garden.

Concept 2. Prompt: Ants are now as smart as humans. On a 4″x 4″ paper, draw what you think they could build as a group on the first day? … What would happen if they worked as individuals ?  The idea is to think small scale and think big scale, then consider teamwork.

Concept 3. Find a small organic item, (like a dandelion) document by drawing or painting the changes that occur in one day. Look closely and show details. The idea is to observe how time induces change.

Artist inspiration: Karen Collins (Thinking small and changing scale)

Artist inspiration Thomas Doyle (Thinking small and changing scale)

Artist inspiration: Guan Daosheng  (Detailed ink drawings of nature)

 

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Words get planted here.