Two Shepherds for a Gift

I might make some enemies by discussing this holiday before October 31st, but I adore Christmas. The lights, the food, the nativity scenes...it all conveys an atmosphere of peace and quiet domestic life despite the busyness of the season.

I first designed this piece with Christmas cards in mind, and I would like to play with the idea of prints and digital alteration for that purpose. 

But this particular piece will be entered into Columbia Art League's "Give a Gift of Art" show that begins in November. Not only is this a fantastic organization (you can find their website here: http://columbiaartleague.org/index.html) but the show itself is, in my eyes, brilliant. The idea is that artwork made by members will be sold as holiday gifts, and I am excited for each recipient, friend or stranger, whose day will be brightened when they unwrap something so creative.

"Shepherds"
by Joelle Thompson
Sharpie pen with layers added by image-editing software

Expressive Meets Linear--The Linear

The project is finally finished and I'm pleased with the results. Although there are a few hard edges where the hatching could have been stronger, the four cut-outs blend into the image quite well.

Here are some of the techniques I used:

Stippling (lots of little dots of ink!) and contour lines (outlines)

Cross-hatching

Stippling, contours, hatching, washes

Light washes for the gray tones, contours, gestural marks and stippling

As you can see, there are so many ways you can layer these techniques. As you try them out you'll find you can manipulate them to suit your purpose for any piece. I really enjoyed this process and hope to use it again in the future. Here is the final illustration:

India Ink--Expressive Meets Linear

Recently in my 2D class--surprisingly a difficult intro-level course in my  program--we were posed the task of incorporating illustration clippings into a unified whole. I love this sort of project, partially because I love illustrations, but the idea of using India ink both expressively and technically in the same piece is daunting.

I figured I'd get the expressive down first, because no one wants to mess up tedious hatching with a single splash or other mistake. To get the clean borders I used a thinner brush loaded with water, and then filled in the spaces with moisture before adding ink. Sometimes you can tastefully apply ink in one area to achieve a spectrum of value, but most of the time, you have to let it do its own thing. It's similar to water color in that respect. 

The linear is next! More coming soon.

Trapped Mermaid

What better symbol for beauty than the mythical mermaid? She is graceful and mysterious, the ideal woman in many ways (except maybe for the fish tail.) But even then, the metaphor goes deeper. A lot of us feel like we're inside of a fishbowl, beating the glass in hopes of getting out. Women are trapped by beauty standards, either by their success to meet them or their failure. The results are that they are gawked at, or stuffed away on a shelf, hidden from view.

This drawing captures that idea. We normally think of mermaids as life-size creatures, but I wanted to go miniature to liken her to some sort of fairy in a jar   still beautiful   and to emphasize the diminution she unjustly experiences, both at the hands of others and herself. The mason jar familiarizes the scene, as well as the open cabinet. It's as if a mad scientist keeps beauty as a little pet that he really does not care for, and she is doing all she can to get out.

Free from Captivity

It's been a while, and since coming to college I've realized the importance of making art a daily part of my existence. After all, if I can write an artist statement for every piece of work I make, I can reflect on the body of artist statements after some period of time. This project will become a biography of my portfolio, which is, in a way, living.

I was blessed by my dad with a beautiful canvas from an old dance studio. I don't know if it was original artwork or one of those Wal-Mart print-outs, but it was a steely brown with silver arabesques and seemed like the perfect background for some symbolic scene. 

Lately the role of Woman has shown itself in my work, and I thought about what freedom meant. If there's one thing most women want, it seems to be freedom. regardless of her background or perspective. So I painted a woman from behind, reminiscent of Lady Liberty, holding a broken rope and raising a palm branch. I hope to encourage through my work the permeation of peace in the breaking of bonds. 

She's walking on a path lit by fireflies. Fireflies, at least in Missouri, are a very seasonal insect. They fill us with awe and wonder, and then mating season stops. This translucent scene captures a transient moment in time when Woman displays her broken bonds and steps into peace, and as they eye follows upward, the viewer is reminded that one leads to another. Captivity always leads to a release and regrouping.

Growing Ideas

Four years ago I began to write a story, never anticipating that it had the potential to become a novel. I had given up on it apparently, (and forgotten about it), because last summer as I was digging through an old drawer I stumbled upon a rough, aged notebook. I started to read it and couldn't put it down, and was surprised I'd written something so interesting so young. I picked up writing the novel again, and decided I wanted to illustrate it myself.

Most of the time book illustrations consist of ink or colored pencil, but I decided I wanted my book to be illustrated with the bright, vibrant colors of acrylic paint. Since the novel is somewhat medievalist, I thought of the bold pages of illuminated manuscripts. I didn't want full-on canvas panels for each illustration, so I started by cutting out cotton rectangles from old t-shirts and covering them in a layer of gesso. 

After the gesso dries, you can draw out a rectangle using a ruler and lightly sketch the plan within. Like all acrylic painting, the next step is to block out the base layers of your composition. 

After this essential part of the process, you're free to start adding detail. It's all about building up layers.

When you're finally satisfied with all the details you've added, you have your finished product and can move on to the next piece!

Recycled Gift Ideas

We all find ourselves in that seasonal rush to scramble and find Christmas gifts for the family in time for the big day. Sometimes smaller, hand-made gifts hold more meaning, though, so when you have the time to sit down and get a little artistic, it can be a lot of fun. 

One artsy gift idea is making fragrant oil infusers out of used tea bottles. I peeled off the outer wrapper of a clean, empty bottle, and filled it about halfway with vegetable oil (the carrier for the essential oils that give it its fragrance), and put in about 40 drops of pure orange oil and 3 drops of peppermint extract per bottle. 

Then, using old scraps of colored paper, ribbon, string, and twine, I decorated the outside of the bottles. Tape is sufficient to hold the paper to the glass, especially rolled into a circle so it doesn't show, but yarn or twine is what you'll want to use to hold the ribbon to the bottle. You can also cut out some decorative paper and cover the cap, as well.

Then, for the infusion sticks, (which are traditionally long wooden rods inserted into the open bottle, which absorb the oil and disperse the scent in the air,) I used 6 unused chopsticks from take-out Chinese restaurants and bundled them up with string, attaching them to the outer bottle. To use, simply take the cap off and place the sticks in. Unlike a candle or lamp, do not light or use fire around these. Whenever the bottoms of the sticks are thoroughly soaked in oil, (a few days) flip them around to keep the aroma circulating.                              

Another creative gift idea is crocheting or knitting drawstring pouches and filling them with a loved one's favorite soap. (I like the organic, hand-crafted types.) Knit or crochet a 5 in. x 7 in. rectangle, and "sew" the edges together using the same yarn you used to make it, leaving one end open. Then finger-crochet a 1 ft. chain and weave through the fabric near the opening, about one inch down, making sure the two tails come out level on the front. You can then insert the soap (or other gift of your choice) inside, and pull the cord taut, and you've got your drawstring bag. :)            

                                                                       I hope these gift ideas help everyone have a      wonderful holiday; and a Merry  Christmas to  all.