Idea #1: Make a Series of Pear Pictures "Andy Warhol Style"
This idea is based on making a simple "line drawing" of an every day object, reproducing the image several times with a copy machine, and then coloring all of the copies ina variation of different colors.
Hang 4 or 6 of the pear pictures together, side by side, in a grid formation. This gives any wall a hit of whimsey and color, and resembles how Andy Warhol first exhibited his images of his screen prints of his Campbell's Soup Cans.
Instructions:
- Begin by choosing a pear. If you prefer, you may choose to draw another piece of fruit, or any other everyday object whose form you would like to capture.
- Place it on a cleared surface or a small pedestal.
- With a ruler and pencil draw a 2 3/4 inch by 4 1/4 inches rectangle.
- With a ruler, draw another line, a quarter inch from the first box, to act as a decorative border to the rectangle.
- With a black pen, of any thickness, draw the contour of the pears shape into the rectangle. Just represent it's basic form.
- Illustrate the object in as few of lines as possible. Do not be concerned with the shading of the fruit or object.
- Scan, enlarge and print the same image on to a 11" x "14 card stock at your local copy center. (each copy will cost approximately 40 cents.) Make 4 to 6 copies.
- Proceed to color each photo-copy in with oil pastels just like a coloring book page, but choose completely different colors for each pear and back ground to create contrasting pictures.
- One person can color all the copies in, or invite room mates, friends or family to color them in too.
- Hang them all together, side by side, in a grid formation to resemble how Andy Warhol first exhibited his images of the Campbell's soup cans.
For those of you who may not care to draw something realistic, believe it or not, small doodles can be enlarged to make a giant abstract piece of art.
Instructions:
- Draw one or more 2 3/4 by 4 1/4 inch rectangles using a pencil and ruler. Trace pencil lines in black pen.
- Draw a small doodle or series of doodles into the rectangle boxes.
- Ask the kind staff at the copy center to scan the art into the computer and then a "blow it up" using an architect's plotter. The plotter transfers the small squiggly doodle on to a 3 foot or larger piece of paper. The cost of a 3 by 4 foot paper enlargement is approximately $5.
- Using oil pastels, color in between the lines, color on the lines and actually even make new doodles on top of them if you like. The sky is the limit.
- The idea is that the doodle is just a starting point for your imagination.
- Hang on the wall with "tacky-glue" and you have brand new wall mural.
This kind of art is very special and symbolic. It can be made with a group of friends and or family of two to 15 people at home, on a picnic or even a family reunion. This fun art exercise is an excellent event to create in a cooperate setting as well.
The result is people experience how there unique voice and creativity is vital to the community's whole. It is a process that represents mutual respect, unity and partnership.
Instructions:
- Draw a 3 by 5 inch rectangle. (this will be blown up to a 3 by 5 foot drawing.)
- Inside the rectangle make a drawing that will act as the lines for the giant coloring book grid you will invite people to color in.
- The drawing can include stars, flowers, clouds, the sun, the planet earth or anything else you wish.
- At a copy center using an architect's "plotter", print the small image onto a 3 by 5 foot piece of paper.
- On the reverse side of the drawing, using a pencil and a ruler, draw out 15 equal one foot by one foot squares.
- Along the pencil lines cut the squares out. You will have 15 square pieces of paper that will be colored in by different people.
- Invite friends or members of the household to color each segment in just like a coloring book.
- Use oil pastels to color your square in.
- Have some nice back ground music or enjoy the sounds of a birds in a garden while you all sit together to color in your art.
- People can color their squares in however they please, but the only rule in this case is ask people to honor the black lines, meaning please do not color over them.
- The black lines connect all the squares together like a puzzle, so at the end, you place all the squares together to reveal one giant piece of art made by every one in your community.
Have you ever fallen in love with a Master's work of art? Make your own, tongue and cheek version of your favorite painting?
Instructions:
- Use the free hand method, or trace the art out of a book or magazine using a skinny black marker and a piece of clear plastic paper called molar.
- Take the traced drawing and have it scanned, enlarged and printed with an architect's plotter at any copy store.
- Then go home and color it in.
- The point is not to copy, but to be inspired by it. I always give credit to the original artist, but then I take off and make my own version of it.
Joyful art & art lessons
3520 Haven Ave. Studio D
Redwood City, CA 94063
Phone: 650.868.4171
Website: www.fonoart.com
