studio practice – Page 4 – Mixy's Art Blog

waves

Playing in this part of the color wheel naturally lends itself to watery effects. Inks and watercolours swirl beautifully on puddles of water and mingle together.

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

― Jon Kabat-Zinn.

Today’s one-color piece came about by accident, through a series of frustrations, not knowing what I wanted to make.

As the colors mingled and the shapes began to show up I saw a pattern emerge – I caught a wave – and let it carry me through this process.

Like all creative folk, I don’t always love what I’m making – I don’t always feel lit up inside by a vision of what I’m making – and I don’t always feel sure it will result in something good / usable / worth the time it took to make.

But experience has shown that, more often than not, I can bring it round. At least to be better than it was at it’s lowest point.

And, even if I don’t like it now, I will likely see it through different eyes in the future. Perhaps it needs to be put away for a while to rest so when I revisit it I can see what it needs to bring it around to be something I like.

That’s just how it went today.

I began this piece moving color about. Two turquoises, a greenish-blue & a blue-ish green. The very first wiggles and waves in the paint marks became a repeating motif, despite them being lost under layers quite early on, I think that idea was lodged in my unconscious thinking.

A thing I often find myself doing while I’m lost in the ‘no idea’ foggy stage I’ll just smother more and more layers until a critical mass of muddiness appears – like the tide which reaches it’s furthest stretch and has to return – there’s no more way to add more paint so I have to blot some away.

Then if all else fails, cut it up and rearrange the bits.

All those layers of wet paint and collage gave the whole piece a pleasingly wiggly rippled surface to echo the waves.

Here’s how this piece came together…

“Twelvty” 12 Colors in 12 Months

Every month this year I am making a series of pieces in just one color. At the end of the year I’ll combine them into one big multicolored work.

I’m sharing my process throughout this adventure here in this blog. (So far this year I’ve explored Yellow, Yellow-Green & Green)

I’d love for you to join me. TWELVTY is open to everyone, and better yet, it’s free!

Sign up for my newsletter to find out more and get your free TWELVTY guide ebook.

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a place to rest

Playing in this part of the color wheel naturally lends itself to watery effects. Inks and watercolours swirl beautifully on puddles of water and mingle together.

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”

― Joseph Campbell

How are you adapting to this new upside-down world?

In all the uncertainty I’m finding my feet in small ways by coming back to some familiar practices: Simple things, safe places, one day, one page, one color at a time.

I hope you’re able to find some moments to step aside from the background noise of the news and the confusion.

Blue-Green – Watery Swirls

Playing in this part of the color wheel naturally lends itself to watery effects. Inks and watercolours swirl beautifully on puddles of water and mingle together.

If these colors have a textured surface to run rivulets through, all the better. I used some clear tar gel medium, but any gel medium, gesso or mod podge will do. With a thick layer you can draw valleys and squiggles in the surface (any tool with a pointy end – I keep old pens that have run out of ink, also forks and combs work well. As do fingernails)

Let the textured surface dry completely then splash some water on. Inks and watercolours dripped into the water will wiggle along the paths in the texture.

“Twelvty” 12 Colors in 12 Months

Every month this year I am making a series of pieces in just one color. At the end of the year I’ll combine them into one big multicolored work.

I’m sharing my process throughout this adventure here in this blog. (So far this year I’ve explored Yellow, Yellow-Green & Green)

I’d love for you to join me. TWELVTY is open to everyone, and better yet, it’s free!

Sign up for my newsletter to find out more and get your free TWELVTY guide ebook.

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Bluey-Green & Greeny-Blue

If you’re feeling adrift in between places, in between times, join me for a dreamy watercolor interlude in between blue and green.

“I did not know how to paint or even what to paint, but I knew I had to begin.”

― Margaret Atwood

In Between Places, In Between Times.

Well hello, fellow twilight zone dwellers. Are you feeling as betwixt and between as I am?

Last week we stepped around to a new month, so it’s time to shift attention to the next bit of the color wheel.

This month is all about the delightfully fresh aqua tones of turquoise & teal, the in between place that’s not quite blue and not quite green.

Here’s a little dreamy interlude of watery watercolours, I hope it inspires your creativity, or at least gives your thoughts a place to rest for a few minutes.

“Twelvty” 12 Colors in 12 Months

Every month this year I am making a series of pieces in just one color. At the end of the year I’ll combine them into one big multicolored work.

I’m sharing my process throughout this adventure here in this blog. (So far this year I’ve explored Yellow, Yellow-Green & Green)

I’d love for you to join me. TWELVTY is open to everyone, and better yet, it’s free!

Sign up for my newsletter to find out more and get your free TWELVTY guide ebook.

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100 days of junk journaling

The 2020 #100dayproject begins Tuesday 7th April. This year I plan to do something a bit different.

The 2020 #100dayproject begins Tuesday 7th April.

I’ve taken part in this for the last 3 years. 2019 was the first time I achieved 100 consecutive daily posts on Instagram, of my daily art journal doodles.

This year I plan to do something a bit different.

100 creative acts in 100 days is no small undertaking.

Given that 2020 has the added factor being, so far, upside-down and spectacularly unpredictable, I’m factoring in a little more leeway to my 100 day project.

This year I’m going to explore 100 days of

Junk Journaling

As almost all the pages start out with something going on – some color or pattern – so I’ve got an easy starting point each day. On days that are full to bursting I can just add a few little doodles, a swipe of paint or some collaged bits. When studio time is more spacious I can be more inventive in the ways I can play.

So in readiness I gathered together an assortment of paper to use – scrap paper, painted, printed & dyed papers, book pages, maps, graph paper, tracing paper, envelopes and paper bags.

I like working fairly small, so I’ve made my pages no bigger than 6 inches square.

There’s a mix thick and thin, flimsy and heavyweight paper with torn and cut edges. (I kept hold of the offcuts to make collages with as I go through.)

I bound the pages into signatures of 5-6 sheets, plenty enough to make a spread every day + a couple of spare signatures for just in case.

The little 10-12 page booklets are a manageable size to work in, I figure I’ll find a way to bind them all together into a big chunky book when it’s finished. As is my way, I’m making this all up as I go along 😉

If you’re interested see how I made these bundles of book pages, take a peak at my process here:

So join me, will you? I’m @mixygregory over on Instagram, and for the next 100 days I’ll be posting daily updates with the tag #100daysbymixy

more page hopping

So I’m back to my art journal. Flipping back and forth, adding little bits here and there…

Finding a place in this new, weirder version of reality where it feels like all the adults have gone out, and we don’t know when they’ll be back. If they’ll be back. If it was all a big illusion all the time…

[optional move: fall down that rabbit hole then have to take another nap]

OR, try to get a foothold in what used to be normal.

Okay…

So I’m back to my art journal.

Flipping back and forth, adding little bits here and there. Not quite every day, but that’s what I’m aiming towards right now, to build a bit of structure back into my days.

Here’s what this new (temporary?) normal if looking like in my studio.

How are you doing?

If you’re just keeping home, keeping sane and washing your hands more than you used to, you’re doing well.

I’ll be back with the next color in my year full of color next week. Meanwhile, take good care my friends. X

Doodling Details

Sometimes I find my painting experiments take me to unexpected places. And the results aren’t always what I’d like them to be.

“Art is in all the details.“

— Christian Marclay

Little Steps

As I type this, for context, we’re on lockdown day 1 in the UK.
Early days in the unfolding story of 2020.

It seems more poignant than I could have predicted to be talking today about the little steps along the path to an uncertain destination.

The context I had in mind was about creating mixed media art in a single color. And saying it now feels trite and superficial.

But, this is here to take or leave as you choose. It might serve as a distraction, or a metaphor, or just some visual music to soothe a few minutes in your day.

“The true secret of happiness lies in taking a genuine interest in the details of daily life.”

~ William Morris.

In life, in art, the details are what I’m focussing on right now.

Especially when using a single color, it’s the little details that bring a piece to life, adding character, dimension.

Details in a neutral color (black, grey tones, white) break up the intensity of a solid field of one hue. That’s exactly what I did here.

Above all, doodling is a low-mental-bandwidth activity that seems to dissipate angsty monkey mind chatter.

You don’t need a plan, just follow the lines and shapes. Use little marks, dots, scribbles, whatever shapes take your fancy. For once, don’t look at the bigger picture, just take a little area and dance the pen about. Doodle until you’ve had enough and then set it aside. That’s all there is to it!

“Twelvty” 12 Colors in 12 Months

Every month this year I am making a series of pieces in just one color. At the end of the year I’ll combine them into one big multicolored work.

I’m sharing my process throughout this adventure here in this blog. (So far this year I’ve explored Yellow & Yellow-Green)

I’d love for you to join me. TWELVTY is open to everyone, and better yet, it’s free!

Sign up for my newsletter to find out more and get your free TWELVTY guide ebook.

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a small distraction

Just for five minutes, let’s look away from all the chaos and uncertainty. Join me between the pages of my art journal. Let’s go hide out amid some squiggly doodles and swirls.

Friends, I’ve got a 5 minute distraction for you.

Let’s go hide out amid some squiggly doodles and swirls.

Just for five minutes, let’s look away from all the chaos and uncertainty – join me between the pages of my art journal.

I don’t (usually) start on the first page an art journal, or methodically work my way page by page through. It doesn’t have a right way up or an upside down. Everything goes everywhere.

(I’m far too flighty and easily distracted.)

Instead, I’ll flip back and forth, adding colors, shapes, doodles and scribbles in the spaces until it feels finished. This book is almost done, so I thought I’d share some of my page hopping doodle process.

Page Hopping Doodle Flip.

I hope you enjoyed this flip as much as I enjoyed making it. I’ll be back in a few days with an update on TWELVTY progress. Until then, take good care. Much love to you.

Types of Stripes

Sometimes a series of simple actions – paint smeared and dolloped onto paper, folds, slices, arrangements – can add up to something new with a curious charm you’d never have anticipated.

Painting, I think it’s like jazz.
Brian Eno

One part of this year long color a month adventure I really enjoy is discovering new ways to play with the same patterns.

Really simple patterns – we’re talking fundamental building blocks here – the squiggles, the dashes and dots. And one of my faves:

Stripes & Lines

How many ways can you make a line on paper?

Aside from drawing or painting…
Lines can be straight and wavy, and a bit of both.
Consider tearing or cutting.
Experiment with folding and pleating
Layer pieces together and see the shadow of a partially stuck down shape form another line.

Simple is not always easy, as I explained yester-post. But sometimes it actually is.

Sometimes a series of simple actions – paint smeared and dolloped onto paper, folds, slices, arrangements – can add up to something new with a curious charm you’d never have anticipated.

welcome back to my messy desk 😉

“Twelvty” 12 Colors in 12 Months

Every month this year I am making a series of pieces in just one color. At the end of the year I’ll combine them into one big multicolored work.

I’m sharing my process throughout this adventure here in this blog. (So far this year I’ve explored Yellow & Yellow-Green)

I’d love for you to join me. TWELVTY is open to everyone, and better yet, it’s free!

Sign up for my newsletter to find out more and get your free TWELVTY guide ebook.

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The Spiral Path

Sometimes I find my painting experiments take me to unexpected places. And the results aren’t always what I’d like them to be.

“The path isn’t a straight line; it’s a spiral.

You continually come back to things you thought you understood and see deeper truths.“
— Barry H Gillespie

Funny how, no matter how many times we circle past the same landmarks on this spiralling journey, the same things can appear new again and again.

This is the fourth time I’ve taken on the year long color a month adventure, and with each iteration, each color is establishing a familiar pattern. And still, each time, this surprises me.

Green

Moving around the color wheel from Yellow-Green to Green, stepping from green-ish to full on green, once again has felt brought with it a familiar sense: it’s an amplified sense of something oppressive and stifling.

And with that, a little confusion.

The first time I wondered if it was just my mood of the moment, outside life reflecting back in my studio practice, but it’s returned each time, so I suspect there’s more to it than that.

Hidden Links

Every color has connections and associations, some commonly accepted and some more personal to the individual.

Rolling meadows and fields, lush long grass, deep forests with winding paths with their curious rustlings (usually squirrels). These are all things I love, and I’ll instinctively seek refuge here when the modern world gets too frenetic.

I think it’s something primal that connects the color green with a sense of soothing tranquillity.

And yet none of those feelings, which I’d expect to accompany a month of green painting have turned up. Just the opposite.

All this led me to wonder if the problem lies in the synthetic nature of green paint. Maybe when my unconscious brain sees so much green but doesn’t sense any chlorophyll, it gets agitated. (when it comes to landscape painting, there are a bunch of recipes for natural greens that don’t involve any readymade green paint. But I digress…)

Maybe, maybe not. I’m not here to dig out a reason, I’m here to seek a solution. I’ve circled back around to a lesson I picked up early on in TWELVTY:

When single colors are too intense and overwhelming, dilute the intensity with tonal contrast:

Darken the darks and lighten the lights – right the way up to black and white if need be.
Leave white space, add white to desaturate the color.
Water down ink or paint to build up delicate layers, increase intensity in places but leave ‘quiet’ places.
Begin with black or darkest green background, add elements of brighter, lighter green.
Pull color back by adding water to wet paint or ink, dabbing & wiping with a rag or sponge.

Simple is not always easy.

All that said and done, I don’t find holding back on color easy.

One way around this is to paint across a few pieces at once, setting pieces aside before they get too covered and moving along to the next one. Sometimes I’m a bit heavy handed, but I know I can always go back to and tweak the tones with white or black once they’re dry 😉

With that in mind for some first layers, let’s play.

Join me next week to find out what I did with these bits of greenery next.

“Twelvty” 12 Colors in 12 Months

Every month this year I am making a series of pieces in just one color. At the end of the year I’ll combine them into one big multicolored work.

I’m sharing my process throughout this adventure here in this blog. (So far this year I’ve explored Yellow & Yellow-Green)

I’d love for you to join me. TWELVTY is open to everyone, and better yet, it’s free!

Sign up for my newsletter to find out more and get your free TWELVTY guide ebook.

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Weaving & Wiggles.

Sometimes I find my painting experiments take me to unexpected places. And the results aren’t always what I’d like them to be.

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way–things I had no words for.”
— Georgia O’Keeffe

Sometimes I find my painting experiments take me to unexpected places. And the results aren’t always what I’d like them to be.

It’s no secret I mostly create this stuff in a haphazard, directionless fashion. I like throwing color around. I don’t much like planning my art. There’s plenty enough opportunity outside the studio to be responsible and ‘adult’. When I’m making art it is – for the most part – spontaneous messy fun.

Generally I keep going until I have a result that I like, and stop there. Of course there are small regretful moments of taking something too far, but it’s only paint on paper and the remorse soon fizzles away.

sometimes moving paint and color about makes for something like this, and I’m happy to leave it be. But not always.

When a piece gets stuck or stale or I just don’t know what direction to take it in next, I set it aside to rest.

And then there are other times, when more layers of color just don’t feel like the right next step and impatience won’t let me leave it to rest. I’m compelled to make it into something else.

At times like this I’ll often take the scissors to it. Cutting it up and rearranging the pieces takes the adventure in a whole new direction.

There are all kinds of cutting up – with scissors or a craft knife, tearing up, die-cutting and punching out possibilities to make collage bits for remixing and reassembling, but today I’ve got something else for you:

Paper Weaving

This works best with lightweight cardstock, watercolor paper or heavy cartridge paper. Lighter weight floppier paper might be possible, but I suspect could become infuriatingly fiddly.

Use straight lines or wiggly ones, vary the spacing, overlap the pieces.

In my usual manner, I made this up as I went – adding more strips to already woven bits and then filling in some spaces in between later. I don’t know how instructional this video will be – but you might like to use it to spark some ideas.

When all else fails cut it up and make something new with the bits.

Every month this year I am making a series of pieces in just one color, so at the end of the year I can combine them into one big multicolored work.

I’ll be sharing my process throughout this adventure here in this blog.

I’d love for you to join me. TWELVTY is open to everyone, and better yet, it’s free! Sign up for my newsletter to find out more and get your free TWELVTY guide ebook.

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