Hello, hello! Happy day to you! Thanks for visiting Orange Spiral Arts for another edition of Mark Making Monday.
I am doing something a little different today. I am adding another form of creative expression that I love just as much as I love mixed media art. You may or may not know it, but I adore photography.
When my family went out for a winter walk this weekend, we came upon some large construction equipment. As soon as I saw it, I knew that I had to take some close up pictures for Mark Making Monday!
First I will share some photos from the art studio, then I will share the photos from the construction site.
Let's play with paper and paint!
After you select a variety of papers and you stop drooling over their potential (er-maybe that's just me??), get out your paints. I chose a variety of inexpensive acrylics.
Paint some simple shapes in solid colors on a few book pages.
On a larger piece of paper with text on it, use up that extra paint by creating a variety of abstract shapes on one page.
While your paint is still wet, make marks in the paint with the end of your paint brush. (See the orange section above or below).
Use the end of your paint brush to remove paint around words that you might want to appear more clearly.
Now, get out a pen or pencil. I chose a Staedtler Mars Lumograph 2B pencil.
Keep your mark making simple and enjoyable.
Move on to another book page with paint.
Add pen or pencil marks.
It's subtle, but even simple marks can add a lot. See the photo below comparing the three book pages with paint. The book page with yellow does not have any additional marks.
These papers can be doodled on, sketched on, or torn up as collage fodder.
Next Up: Painting on an old magazine page
I simply adore painting on magazine pages. There is just something so delicious about the texture of the paper.
If you still have extra paint to use up, like I did, by all means, grab something and keep painting! I grabbed a magazine page.
Try not to be too precious with the page. Let your brush swoop and swirl all around.
Add a few colors and vary the way you use your brush. For example, the cream paint was applied in a varied dash pattern over the magazine page. You are making marks as you paint. Enjoy the process and have some fun!
Magazine Page Number 2
Still wanting to use up extra paint, I played with a circle pattern on another magazine page. I filled in a few circles here and there. I also painted some stripes. I really like the contrast of the colorful paint over a black and white image. What do you think? Have you tried painting on magazine pages? Do you have any favorite methods or techniques? I'd love to hear all about them in the comments below.
Again, these painted magazine pages can be added to with doodles, writing, sketching, or torn up for collage. Have fun! It's all about the process of creating that matters. Enjoy the moment. Unwind from your day, and play with art supplies!
Photography: Inspiration from the Construction Site
Oh, and I had to show you a photo of my little helper who thought the construction equipment was really interesting, too! In this last photo, check out the marks and lines from the dripping water. Feel inspired to go drip some paint? I do!
Thank you for being here.
I hope that you might try at least one mark making technique from this post.
In Summary, Mark Making Ideas to try:
- Paint on old book pages. Use a pen or pencil to make some subtle marks.
- Paint on a magazine page. Use the end of your paint brush in the wet paint to make marks on the page.
- Play around with different ways to make marks while painting, such as dashes and dots.
- Keep your eyes open for mark making inspiration, such as at a nearby construction site!
Have a beautiful day!
PS The first lesson for the Beautiful BEing Program ONLINE went out on Friday, January 22nd. There's a private Flickr Group for students to share their writing and painting experiences. We'd love to have you, if you feel called to join us! The Pay What You Can option is still available!
