It's just how it sounds, every month, a new art form shall be introduced, and share with you it's history and origin. We shall tell you about how you can give your creativity a work-out and try making something for yourself. You can be ensured that we will convince you that anybody can enjoy the peace and calm that comes of making art without having any great talent.
Edition 26
(15 August 2021)
Glazing
Oil paint is one of the most flexible mediums for art, with limitless potential. It was and still is the favorite medium of most masters, and over the centuries artists have developed different techniques to use oil paints to their full advantage. One such technique is glazing. Glazing has been around for a very long time, so long that it may be considered old- fashioned now. But even so, it is worth trying and has many merits.
So, what is glazing in terms of oil painting? Glazing is the process of applying a thin layer of translucent paint over a more opaque layer. This allows preliminary layers of color or value to influence the top, most visible layer. Simply put, after the first layer of opaque paint has completely dried, artists apply thin transparent layers of paint over it. This changes the value of the original opaque paint slightly and gives a certain glow to the painting. The colors obtained by this technique cannot be obtained by any other method. Glazing with multiple layers of thin paint creates a luminosity that the viewer is often taken aback by. Glazing can really take your paintings to another level.
Patience though is key to glazing. Each layer of transparent paint must be completely dry before adding the next layer. And if you have ever tried oil paints before, you will know they do not dry quickly. But, the final results you can achieve with this technique really make it worth the wait, the effect achieved through this is truly extraordinary.
Edition 24
(15 July 2021)
Warli Art
The Warli tribe is an indigenous tribe located close to Mumbai. This tribe is very close to Mother Nature, and Nature is often the focal point depicted in Warli paintings, their painting tradition. This tribal style of painting has been around since the 10th century AD, but it wasn’t recognized till the 1970s. Warli painting uses a set of geometric shapes, like triangles, circles, and squares, to depict scenes of hunting, fishing, or farming. Depictions of festivals and dances are also common themes.
Originally, the tribal people painted Warli paintings on the walls of their huts. The walls were made of a mixture of branches, earth, and red brick, giving them a red ochre color. The painting was done with a white pigment more using rice flour and water. A bamboo stick was used as a paintbrush. They make these paintings for future generations, so they might see the work of their ancestors.
Luckily though, you won’t have to go through so much trouble to make a Warli painting of your own. To try this ancient style of painting, you simply need to paint your surface, canvas, paper, or whatever you wish, with a thick layer of red ochre paint. Then, using white paint and a thin brush, you can paint any sort of scene and truly use your creativity. Men and women in Warli paintings are represented simply as stick figures, and the huts and trees are done using simple shapes. Because of this, you do not require any artistic expertise to make attractive paintings using this style.
You can use this style to decorate vases, bowls, pots, or any other such object that requires a splash of color. The amazing thing about this style is that it requires only two shades of paint, little artistic skill but a whole lot of creativity to create breathtaking pieces. Why not give it a try?
Edition 22
(15 June 2021)
Paper Machete
Sculpting sounds like a big, scary, complicated art form to most people. What with the clay and structures and tools! What most people don’t realize is that sculpting itself comes in many forms and there are numerous ways and techniques one can use to do it, some of them quite straightforward and simple. Paper mache is one such art form, by which you can make three dimensions sculptures, utensils, pots, or whatever you desire, without any great expertise. There are two forms of paper mache. One uses strips of cheap paper (usually newspaper), dips them in a mixture of water and flour or glue, and sticks them on a structure of the shape desired for the final piece. Balloons, bowls, and structures made of foil are commonly used for this purpose. Once completely dried the newspaper easily comes off the frame structure and can be painted and decorated. The other method soaks the paper in order to make pulp or clay of it and uses this to sculpt the piece. A frame structure may be used to reduce the amount of clay required and to provide support and strength to the piece, but it is not necessary. This method is useful to make more abstract shapes. Both the methods are very versatile. You can truly explore your creativity for they allow complete freedom for you to make whatever your heart desires. In addition, you can easily try them at home without any special equipment or expensive materials. Anyone inexperienced can do them, but they also allow for careful and skilled hands to make impressive sculptures using them. So, what excuse can there be for not trying them?
Doodling Art
Ever since the first early human scratched a few lines on a rock, humans have enjoyed doodling. Simply put, doodling is when you draw without a well-laid plan, using simple shapes and lines, of the top of your head. Although, as I said before, doodling has been around since humans have been around, only recently has it been widely acknowledged as an actual art form. When doodling, people usually use a pen without a pre-laid sketch and fill a large area with silly-looking figures, patterns, lines, and shapes. Doodling is a great way to express complex feelings and convey messages through visual art. It does not require any great skill and all that you need to get started is a pen and a piece of paper.
Doodling is also a great way to relieve stress. When I doodle, I always lose my sense of time and get completely immersed in it. It lets your creativity flow without any restraint and diverts your mind from stressful or depressing thoughts. These days especially, when almost all of us have been hit by the crushing side-effects of the Pandemic, doodling is one of the ways we can keep ourselves sane, busy, and calm.
So, the next time you want to express yourself through art, wind down after a long day or simply pass some free hours, why don’t you pick up a pen and a paper and give your creativity a work-out through doodling?