Storytelling through Art

 

All over the studio today, young artists were telling stories with their work.  Before, during, and after creation, the plots arose and were thickened with enthusiasm and energy.  These girls worked together on a storyline, adding bits and pieces where they felt certain it would compliment what was already there.

A creature was born out of an idea in mind.  Its environment then developed, as more colors and lines appeared in the girls' vision and were put down onto the paper with the pastels.  Working together, the two friends talked about what happened in this environment, what was available for the creature to eat, and where it might go next, after leaving the scene in the drawing.

Showing off their partnership and combination of talents, the young artist and her friend take turns explaining their thought process and how the story came to be.  Bringing up this situational information and formatting it into a visual schema is important for learning how to transform thoughts into words.  Communicating the ideas to others can be the most difficult part, but images can assist with this.

These boys became more and more excited about their art as their stories became more enriched, and their stories went more in depth as they applied the paint to the brush, then putting that excitement onto the paper.  The young artist on the left had been working on this painting for a few weeks now, returning to the studio with a plan and a purpose.  His intentions had remained fairly solid, but today he had a new idea to add and was not hesitant about jumping in to alter it.

The final piece was just one image but a vast combination of thoughts and feelings.  No longer was a firetruck going to ride over the mountains to save a family and put out a fire.  Much more ended up happening, where bombs destroyed the earth and chaos was everywhere.  Yet, things were okay because a rainbow was out and the sun was still shining.  Hearing these parts of the story provoked interest and everyone wanted to hear more!  The young artist reported that he would return next week with even more to depict through his art and accompany with his words.

Here, the artist told a story through the art itself.  He used different sized brushes, moving from big to small, and expressed himself with corresponding strokes and colors.  Words are not always necessary for storytelling.  The overall feeling and general meaning of the story can often be understood just by viewing the artwork, just as one can view a book cover and get an idea of the plot line.

  Stories are often told and retold.  Our artists here connect stories that they may have already heard to their own new creations, or relate their stories to existing images from current culture.  Sometimes they continue a story that they began in the past, adding a twist and surprising even themselves.  Learning to develop characters, environments, and situations is important not only for academic development, reading & writing, or presenting to peers.  It is also a skill that can be used in every day life, for understanding that stories can change and that the characters must adapt to feel comfortable in their new surroundings.

Sharing these stories with others feels good.  It is exciting to create them as ideas and images come to mind, improvising or responding to the wonder of the audience.  The young artists here at the studio are learning so many ways to communicate, tell their stories, and express themselves, both creatively and clearly.

Taking the time to create

Learning new skills is much like making new friends.  Becoming comfortable with those skills, and getting to know those friends better, can result in a variety of meaningful experiences. 

It is necessary to take time for developing strong relationships and for mastering new crafts.  Both of these events happen often at our open studio, where young artists become more confident in their artistic abilities and also in their social skills.

It is important for children to understand that trying new things and experimenting in new situations will result in becoming more comfortable with the world around them.  Building upon this feeling, which at first feels awkward, helps an individual to trust in him or herself.

Trusting in oneself then allows a young artist to also look forward to trying other new things in life.  Picking up a colored pencil for the first time, after using regular graphite, can open the door to a world of possibilities.  Saying hello to the new kid in class can start a lifelong friendship.  Taking the time to create and cultivate, personal habits and social connections, leads to positive possibilities that can grow and grow.

 

 

By observing parents, strangers, other adults and children, we learn how to interact with our environment.  In the studio, we encourage individuality, but also camaraderie.  Making something meaningful cannot be rushed, nor can it be planned by someone else.  The children of our world will soon be models for the next generation.  And the artists of the world will make it beautiful for them.  Combining both of these things makes it a promising future, and being able to slow down and appreciate this is what makes it even more rewarding.

Intentional Impressions

 

Coming into the studio with a plan is not always necessary, but can result in some really awesome things when it does happen!  This young artist had started working last week on printmaking and wanted to continue exploring with this medium during class tonight.  She wanted to continue experimenting with a newly learned skill and see what else she could do with it.

Remembering the materials that she needed, she grabbed the foam trays, scissors, glue, and other various things to use that she thought would leave an interesting impression.  Working diligently to cut and assemble pieces of mat board onto the foam, the artist remained very focused and thoughtful.  She knows that this type of art making is a process, especially if she is working with intention and a desired outcome in mind. 

To have options, she alternated from squares to circles so that she can use opposing shapes to mix and match for her print.  Cutting the squares to fit the plate and sorting through collage materials to find the right buttons takes time and patience, but was worth it to this artist, so that she can achieve a desired effect.  Putting so much time and intentional effort into constructing the design plates will result in not only a very creative product, but also an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

Finishing just in time for class to end, the artist glued on the final pieces and put all the supplies back where they belong.  We are excited to come back in a couple of weeks to see how the artist uses them and what interesting prints can be made on different types of paper, with different types of inks or paints, and in different layouts.  The perseverance illustrated in this activity is important for persevering in other daily activities, especially those that need patience and practice.

When Less is More

It is nice to have options.  However, it can often be more rewarding to have limited options.  This fact was presented today when the clay tables were clear and there was only paint and paper set out to use.  Some of the young artists, who usually want nothing to do with paint and spend the entire class time working with clay, wandered over to try something new.  They experimented with different tools, smearing the wet metallic material across the paper... and liked it!  By having less options today, more learning was able to occur. 

Some of the parents were amazed, exclaiming their original assumption that the children would just opt out entirely, since their favorite activity wasn't available.  To their surprise, the kids had begun working on their own and continued to do so, diligently trying out this unfamiliar material and having fun with the possibilities.  When joined by their parents, the young artists continued to explore and felt even more comfortable in this new situation.

 

Becoming comfortable with the messy paint can be difficult for not only kids, but also for parents.  A great benefit of having a studio space available is the opportunity to get messy, to try these new things and not have to worry about ruining things at home or having to clean up again afterward on your own. 

The advantages of learning something from a new opportunity far outweigh the disadvantages of becoming a bit messy.  Beautiful paintings are created, new skills are developed, confidence is boosted and a wall of discomfort from the unknown is broken down.

 Sometimes we are forced to do things in life that we are not comfortable doing.  We are alone with a person we don't know or in a place of which that we've never been before.  It is odd at first, but is simply a new situations presenting new possibilities.  Just as trying a new material in art class can lead to mastering a new skill, learning the ins and outs of a new place, and meeting a new friend can also result in increased confidence and greater ability to face more and more unknowns in life, and to then reconsider them as fulfilling adventures.

Bloop, brush and blur

Painting can be a very energetic activity!  There are many different ways to manipulate paint, whether it is by using a brush, sponge, roller, stamp, spray bottle, or fingers.  These artists here are all using a variety of brushes, and even going from a big brush to a small brush creates a different result.

Seeing how each of these artists work differently brings attention to the notion that we are all unique.  We each go at our own pace and express ourselves differently.  This is true for verbal communication, as well as for visual representation.  Though we are all different, we can all still get along and cooperate in a way that enables further growth and learning.  Children are often the best examples of how we can work independently, while still advancing together.  There is a balance that can be maintained between the two ends of the spectrum and this is what we try to achieve, in our own lives and in sharing our lives with others.

Engaging in physical activity while also using the mind results in many benefits for us, as humans.  Being creative and sharing that ingenuity with a friend is an additional element of success, enhancing life all around.  This connection between the brain, the eye, the hand and the heart is one of the most important and can be one of the strongest, if it is practiced frequently.

Forethought

In order to create a masterpiece, time must be spent planning out how it will come together.  Sketchpads are a good tool to use here, as they can allow images and words to be visual reminders of original thoughts.  Much of the creative thinking often happens here and construction skills come into play later.

This artist wants to build a robot, which will have to be appropriately structured so that it functions effectively and doesn't topple over.  He draws out several possibilities for how it might work.  Being able to sit and focus on this task can be a difficult one, but can also be very rewarding in the end.  This is an important concept to remember when one sets out to do anything worthwhile.

 Finally, the artist feels he is ready to begin building.  He is able to enjoy the process more fully, since he can refer to his drawings and modify from them as he works.  Not all creations end up being the same as the way they were originally planned.  However, having an outline is always helpful, so that some sort of structure is available if/when one encounters a period of chaos.

Filling Space

This young artist works hard to map out her plans for her painting.  She starts by replicating an image to fill in space on her paper, engaging in this spider sequence with focus and persistence.

Seeing how a background adds so much more to the overall image, the artist carefully fills this in.  She continues to envision a final product, but really enjoys the process more than anything.

Explaining her goals for the piece, the artist learns about her own artistic skills and how to convey these to others in the social setting.  Going that extra step to add more detail to an art piece is often worth it, as it allows a creative idea to come into being and personal meaning to be made.

Color Systems

 

Discovering the different ways that colors coexist is quite amazing. Experimenting with the absence of color can also be just as interesting.  Using white pastels to draw on black paper, this artist creates the image of a bat, resulting in stark contrast and the ability to focus on the overall shape.

He then goes on to add orange and green, enhancing the image with more variety and producing contrast in a different way.  Learning about how colors can look different, depending on their surroundings, is important for emerging artists of all ages.

These two compare their creations, discovering together the many things that can be done with just black and white.  The saying "less is more" seems to be understood here, where the contrast between the ends of the spectrum is more important than its range of color. 

Even a few marks of blue on a black background create a strong and vibrant picture.  Through practice and experimentation, we can train our eyes to understand colors and how they interact.

 The fact that colors appear relative to their surroundings is an interesting metaphor for individuals in the social environment.  Activities such as this one result in developing perspectives that can be applied in the studio and in the real world, enabling young artists to adapt within both.