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The Shieldbug that Hitched a Ride
One day I was over at my mum‘s with the dog. It had been a nice day and we had had a good play. As I was driving away down the road I found a little shield bug clinging to my arm. I opened the window and encouraged him to fly out. When I arrived at home, I got out of the car to find the intrepid shield bug had been clinging to my car roof! I helped him into a buddleia bush and went about my business. Later that day I spoke to my mum on the phone and told her the story of the enterprising creature. She laughed and suggested that he had been on a quest. That gave me the idea that follows…Generating Character Design Ideas from Everyday Life
Animals can be such an inspiration for character design with anthropomorphising being a way to generate a strong human connection with your animal characters. Just look at some of the Disney greats like Mickey and Donald to see how successful this strategy can be. And animals give so many opportunities for new ideas; from pets to bugs to farm animals or migrating birds, their worlds are full of stories just waiting to be uncovered. The animals’ behaviour (or misbehaviour!) provides the inspiration that leads to ideas for stories and these stories are the secret sauce for character design from everyday life.
And it’s not just animals that do funny things, what about cars backfiring or washing on the line on a windy day or balloons escaping from a child’s hand. When something unusual happens in daily life, try turning the ‘actors’ into characters and work backwards from the event to find their story. Try changing the context of the event e.g. a car coming to a sudden stop at traffic lights could be reimagined coming to a sudden stop in front of a … insert crazy obstacle here … then work out why the ‘car character’ was in such a situation. Then once I have a story I can start designing the character visually to fit it by giving them suitable body/clothing/accessories/abilities. This is character design. There are some great sites where you can get tutorials on how to develop your design visually like 21Draw or Schoolism.
Courageous Shield Bug Knight: Sid the Determined
Sid woke up early that morning knowing he had a great journey ahead of him. He had been asked by the tree council to help them save the creatures and plants where they all lived from the great sickness that had grown there. Plants and animals were dying and no one knew why but the tree council had learned of a crystal that would protect them and Sid was the one chosen to go on the quest to find it.
Sid pulled on his boots, sword, water bottle and helmet then he grabbed his walking stick and set off in the dark early morning. He headed East for a while then as it got lighter he climbed a bush to get a good view of the way ahead. He stood looking out over the ocean wondering drowsily how he would ever cross it, because that’s where the crystal would be found and the lives of all his friends depended on him returning with it.
Recap of Character Design Ideas from Everyday Life
No need to steal questions for brainstorming character design ideas; here are some for free:- Look out for animals’ odd behaviour. Also plant life and man made objects can provide inspiration.
- Be aware of out of the ordinary events happening around you or on the news.
- Turn plants/animals/objects into characters and work backwards from the event to find their story.
- Try changing the context that the event you noticed occurred in.
- What characteristics might your character have to help them in this story?
Here’s another post I wrote about character design looking more at the visual aspect while I was studying a module with the OCA (highly recommend). I hope that post about getting character design ideas from everyday life is of some help and you enjoyed my little story. Please do comment below with other character generating ideas, either for the back story or the visual storytelling. Hugs, Ceri xx
This cute, mixed media jewellery range was a long time coming . . .
When One Idea Leads to Another
Shortly after developing my resin pin process I realised I could make tools for stamping with my printer. Then it occurred to me that cutter tools for clay would be just as easily created. This meant that I could have a reliable way of replicating my cute designs meaning I could make multiples to sell. There is a bit of trial and error involved in making designs that work just as well in a 3D print as in clay as on paper. I persevered with this process and have come up with 3 (up to today – 24.07.23) that I would say work. For this range I wanted to aim for cute so I have a cloud, a bee and a rainbow design with very round shapes.The Dark Side of the Creative Process
I would just like to note here that the creative process is hard work. Ideas may come freely but working through them and getting them to work in real life and deciding between which ones are worth pursuing takes time and effort. And it can be so demoralising when a great idea you have turns out rubbish because you haven’t worked out the process well enough yet. I have no one to teach me so I learn everything the hard way with all the mess and wasted resources. Importantly, this problem solving process keeps my mind occupied which helps to keep me well. Despite the struggle I would recommend it to anyone suffering with intrusive thoughts. In my role as educator I encourage people to be creative and I share my experience to help them but there are no shortcuts to getting great results. The good news though is that those results are so worth it.Individuality Through Creativity
Having made the cutter/stamper tools, I then decided on a mokune gane technique for the clay. This is a process of folding clay to produce marble – like patterning throughout the cane. This is then accessed by slicing layers off the cane. It is a deceptively simple technique and it takes a while to get it working the way you want. Just another step in the creative process – making well known/used techniques work for you. This creative journey we go on is nothing without our individual approaches. It is our human interpretation of reality from small decisions like which pens we like to use to larger decisions relating to our own moral perspectives that make our creations valid as art. This brings us to topics like copying another artists work/using it as your own or AI training of machines with living artists work. I won’t dive into these rabbit holes today but it is worth considering that when you are being creative the magic ingredient is ‘you’.Learning About the Creative Process
The creative industries in Britain are worth about £109billion/year according to DCMS. You can learn more about the creative process here including the 4 stages.I hope this has been helpful and food for thought. Hugs, Ceri xx
Giveaway Prize
The prize for one lucky winner will be a print of this painting.. The print will be unmounted and on A3 canvas paper with no margin. I will happily point you in the direction of a frame and mount that will fit.How to be in with a Chance of Being Sent this Joyful Print
The winner will be chosen randomly once the 50th person has entered.
Claiming Your Prize
I will provide you with a coupon that you can add to your cart that will discount the price of the print and the postage.Here’s a little something on the theme of 50 that will do everyone good: 50 Art Journal prompts. Good luck! Hugs, Ceri xx
Mixed Media Jewellery Starts with a Design.
So the design had to be cute and inspiring I start all my designs with pencil on paper and it’s not pretty! Chuckle. Of course it doesn’t have to be at this stage; it’s just a way of testing out ideas. I’m getting better at this as I always used to just run ideas in my head but having them on paper makes it easier to mix and match elements of ideas and ‘hopefully’ come up with something new and interesting.Creating Jewellery with Blender
I love to make my own resources with my own designs – it’s a way of making the course be part of my brand. For this course I decided on designing a cutter/stamper tool to make the technique more straightforward, similar to the fondant cutter/stampers you can buy for cake decorating. To do this I use an open source program called Blender – it is a really powerful tool that can be used for animating in 2D or 3D. I use it to build 3D models of tools or jewellery designs which I then 3D print.Mixed Media Jewellery with a Mokume Gane Base
There are soooo many ways you can be creative with polymer clay and mokume gane is a very fun technique that has endless creative possibilities. The basic approach is to stack several coloured layers of conditioned clay and then press tools into it, cut it, texture it before compacting it back up by pressing in from the sides. Finally you take thin slices off top and bottom to reveal the patterning within. It is important to make sure no air bubbles remain between your layers of clay as you stack them or they will spoil the finished pieces when they are baked. It is easy to slice the clay with a tissue blade to remove air pockets but you must be diligent to find them all. It originated from Japanese steel working techniques. The image to the right was my first slab and I improved my procedure in subsequent sheets to add the intrusions when the layers were at there thinnest and then slice the compacted block of clay before rolling to my desired thickness. I used translucent clay in some layers to provide an element of depth which worked best with very thin coloured layers in between.Before and After Baking
Mixing Media with an Inlay Technique
Inlay techniques are common and old approaches to jewellery making and here I have use oil pastels in an adaptation. I used iridescent pastels here to give some sparkle but if you don’t have any pastels to hand you can use more polymer clay, re-bake and sand down to remove blemishes. Rub the pastel on to the surface of the baked piece after sanding and wipe away ecess with a baby wipe. It’s a bit of a messy job but I think the result is worth it.Finishing Off Mixed Media Jewellery Pieces
To finish off these mixed media I use a UV resin to seal in the oil pastel inlay and then add eye screws to add beads and findings as necessary. The beads are glass crystal rondelle which I chose because they sparkle and who doesn’t want jewellery to sparkle? ;). Here are some pictures of the range:1. Be Prepared for Oil Painting
Like most things oil painting has a lot of things you can learn about but also like most things it is possible to start simply. The first things you’ll need are some oil paints, brushes and something to paint on. I would recommend getting some good quality student paints in the basic colours rather than a huge selection of colours. Half the fun of painting is in mixing your own colours and here is a link to some oil paints on sale on Amazon that would be a good starting place. If you don’t want to start painting on canvasses or panels just yet you can start out on canvas paper for oils. This will be simpler to file in a portfolio to chart your progress as you get to know the medium. You can you brushes or pallet knives to good effect and cheap brushes are fine to start with and actually will remain useful as you progress and expand your kit. You may also need some chemicals but I will discuss this further on.2. A Few Basic Rules for Oil Painting
- Ventilation is a must if you are using turpentine as a thinner.
- Paint fat over lean: the proportion of oil in the painting mix increases as you add further layers. The first layer may even be applied with just solvent to give the canvas a tone or to mark out the basic form of your piece.
- Generally work light over dark unless you are using a glazing technique that uses the white of the canvas (like watercolours).
- HAVE FUN !
3. Know Your Options for Painting with Oil Paints
You can get classic oil paints or water-mixable oil paints. The benefits of water mixable oil paints are that you don’t need to use a smelly solvent with them, water will do. When choosing oil paints bare in mind the opacity of each as this will effect how you use it. This is normally depicted on a paint tube often with a circle/square that has a proportion white or black. For example here is the code for winsor newton oil paints.You can use turpentine (very smelly and expensive) or a turpentine substitute to thin paints and clean brushes. Some artists use liquin for thinning paints and it also makes oils dry quicker. Linseed oil can also be used as a thinner, making the paint more translucent, but as it adds ‘fat’ to the mix should be reserved for later layers. Be sure to use refined linseed oil and be aware that there is a risk of spontaneous combustion of linseed left exposed on rags. Some artists use walnut oil instead of linseed oil which can also be used for cleaning brushes. It can easily go rancid though so should be stored in the fridge.
4. Make the Most of the Advantages of Oil Paints
Oil paints are naturally thick bodied, some more or less so. This gives the perfect opportunity to work in an impasto way and this can be enhanced by adding a cold wax preparation to your paint. Impasto paintings are really textural and allow the paint to speak for itself. Oil paints take a long time to dry and this gives them certain advantages although it is not an ideal feature for some painters who like to paint fast. This long drying time can give you the opportunity to paint flexibly throughout the day as time becomes available and can also allow you to take a few days to consider what the painting needs next. Paint that is still wet can easily be wiped off with an old rag, and this can be an effective way to create a tonal underpainting. Use the fat over lean principle to build up layers when painting a la prima (all at once) but leave your art to dry for several weeks or even months, depending on how thickly you applied the paint and the brand of paint’s drying time, before moving on to the next phase.5. Protect Your Oil Painting
The next phase is protecting your oil painting. There are numerous products on the market you can use which are basically varnish. Be sure to choose one that says it can be used with oil as the spray on ones may be acrylic based. A painting that is going to be framed behind glass/perspex doesn’t necessarily need varnish. However, you may enjoy the way varnish can make the paint look like it is still wet although matte varnishes are also available.I hope these tips help if you’ve always fancied trying oil painting. Have fun and enjoy the process. Hugs, Ceri xx
Here’s the Encyclopedia Britannica definition
luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked forSo how to cultivate the art of serendipity ….?
5 Ways to Encourage Serendipity in Art
I say 5 ways but these are just the tip of the iceberg. Think of this as stimulus to get you generating your own enticement for serendipity in art.Build Up Your Image in Layers
Layers are a very ubiquitous art technique; they are used in many traditional styles and are ingrained in art software. To invite serendipity through using layers apply your early layers in an expressive way. As you add each new layer try to respond to the layer beneath, choosing what to keep and what to obscure. You can continue this process until either the canvas suggests a subject to you or it fits with your planned subject in an unexpected way. It’s worth checking out Flora Bowley if you’re interested in the potential of this strategy. The process can be hugely therapeutic as it engages all of your attention in making marks and then thinking about them in a creative way.
Draw/Paint Something Without Looking at Your Canvas
This is a great technique as you just don’t know exactly what you are going to get. It is especially good with self portraits as it helps to reduce self consciousness and the results can help you step back from any attachment to your own image. The results can be very interesting to look at because of how unintentional they are. If you find it difficult at first you can allow yourself you look at your work each time you need to reposition your pencil. As an extra twist you can do the exercise without removing your pencil from the paper. I would suggest redoing the exercise, possibly from different angles to your subject until you serendipitously get a result you’d like to develop into a full piece.
Work on Multiple Paintings
By working on multiple paintings you can help your mind become less attached to any one of them. This can help you see each more clearly. It can also help you to see each in different ways that are somewhat influenced by the last painting you worked with and in this way you invite serendipity in to your process.Work Loosely
Working loosely is very popular as it allows much more expressive marks to be made. By working loosely you quieten the voice of the controlling part of your brain that likes to measure exactly. Because of this reduced control unexpected results can occur. Of course they may not be to your liking but there is the chance of a serendipitous effect. I think it’s a question of process here as to how you are able to deal with/correct/cover over marks that you don’t like. This then will free you up to invite more serendipity into your art.Write Techniques on Sticks
A fun way to add spontaneity and the opportunity for serendipity is to write techniques and materials on pop sticks and then choose a stick without looking. Effectively, you are bringing random constraints into your work that can enhance creativity and bring unexpected results. Each time you choose a stick you have to determine how best the instruction on it will work with the piece you have so far. Again you may not always have success but it could be worth the risk.
An art journal is a great place to try out the above strategies and can be an important tool in your artist’s experimentation towards finding a unique voice.
I hope this post inspires you in your artists journey and you benefit from much serendipity in art. Hugs, Ceri xx
I love doing art journal pages of the Chinese zodiac as it is animal based and there is lots of colour and nature symbolism. The rabbit is 4th of 12 animal signs and the story of creation tells how he would have been first if he hadn’t gone to have a nap while the first 3 arrived.
Year of the Rabbit Symbolism
The element associated with the year of the rabbit in 2023 is water and rabbits are always associated with Yin (yin/yang). Looking into the colours associated with the rabbit the lucky colours are pink, red, purple and blue. Unlucky colours for rabbits being dark yellow, dark brown and white. The rabbit is also said to symbolise the moon.Year of the Rabbit Graphical Rendering
The colour symbolism of the rabbit zodiac sign gave me an idea for my page as these colours can work as hot/cold colours for suggesting form if working graphically. Red and pink would be hot colours while purple and blue would be cold. I chose to work in metal having mistakenly thought of the rabbit as associated with metal this year but that would have been the last Year of the Rabbit in 2011. The association of the elements with the zodiac signs can be quite complicated and on some sites the 2023 rabbit is described as associated with wood and having water as its complimentary element. Well I had decided on metal leaf for this art journal page which would give a very graphical look so on I went …Making my Year of the Rabbit Art Journal Page
As I had decided to work with metal leaf for this page, gouache was a good compliment as it has a matt finish and is less likely for the leaf to adhere itself to. I started by sketching out my outlines with Neocolour crayons.Video Process of Year of the Rabbit Art Journal Page with Metal Leaf
Below is a video (also available on YouTube) of my process. It has been edited to show the techniques and main sections of the process rather than the whole thing which would be time consuming. I hope it gives you all the information you need to try out the techniques yourself and maybe experiment with different ways of doing them.I hope this has been interesting and maybe inspires you to have a go with metal leaf or working graphically and maybe research the Chinese zodiac. Best wishes and hugs, Ceri xx
I decided to do an ‘editorial’ style illustration about this issue as a personal project because of how much I admire these gutsy women and their ability to invigorate the gender debate. My approach was to feature Beth, a book and some young female fans in a fun way and hopefully tell the story of a football star leading the way for young girls to achieve their dreams.
Thumb-nailing Some Inspiring Football Woman Ideas
I start with some footballing thumbnails. Here they are, done in charcoal really rough and sketchy just to give an idea of how the concept would work:My Selected Thumbnail
I selected this thumbnail because it is a nice ‘action shot’ with the book as the focal image. I like the inclusion of young girls who might be inspired by Beth’s success.Inspiring Football Woman Linework
Here is the linework I created from that thumbnail.Football Woman Editorial Illustration
Here is the final piece with colour. I love that it is so bright and bold. I decided to render it graphically using Affinity Design (vector based) as I thought clean lines would work best for this illustration.I hope you enjoyed my take on the success of Beth Mead and the Lionesses. Here is the book she wrote Lioness; I must have I have not read it … yet! Hugs, Ceri xx
Pinimals
Failed Pin Making Attempts
My first look into making pins was to create polymer clay moulds and then pull polymer clay pins from these. It worked but the resultant ‘pins’ were more brooches and heavy for that. Back to the drawing board and I next tried using outliner dimensional paint on silk and then filling these with resin. It also worked to an extent but I could not get consistent shapes and the process was too time consuming. Next I tried embossing aluminium sheet and filling the depressions on the opposite side with resin. I did the embossing with my Cricut maker and this produced consistent results but was too laborious and fiddly.Handmade Resin Pins Success At Last
I followed a course on making resin jewellery on Domestika and it occured to me that pins made completely from resin ought to work. I just had to make moulds and the idea came to make masters from 3D printing and then make silicone moulds from these. When I looked into it I found that moulds were easily made from pla 3D prints so I got started with Blender were I had a couple of false starts before deciding on a strategy for building my models. I had to learn a bit about 3D printing and found a great addon that checks models for their ability to print. Then I had a few false starts printing the models because they were fairly small and I only had a 0.4 nozzle on my machine. Some 0.2 nozzles arrived and shortly after I had my first successful 3D print. The mould making was fairly straightforward. Then I used resin to fill the moulds which of course involved the elimination of bubbles. With such small details bubbles were bound to get stuck in places so I developed a technique of putting the resin into the moulds with a syringe.From Pencil to Handmade Resin Pins
So my ideas start life in my sketchbook as little doodles. I decided to start with a series of animals – which acquired the name Pinimals. My first was a hedgehog and badger, weasel, fox and frog soon followed. Here are some pics of the initial sketches.The sketch gets photographed and then imported into Blender where I convert the linework into walls on top of a base the shape of the outline. The first few took a while as I got up to speed with some Blender shortcuts but then the process became very therapeutic. The model gets exported as an .stl file which then gets chopped up into layer information by some 3d printing software. I use the Kingroon version of Cura.
N.B. Blender is such fun when you get into it and I ended up making some fairy earring models with the sculpt feature but have not found a good way to reproduce them yet . . .
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my process and how it developed and maybe you are inspired to build your own process for making something. I would also love it if this post has intrigued you to look at my handmade resin pins, and maybe collect them. Hugs, Ceri xx