Green Art Making

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Category: Art How-To's

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Written by WAN Team

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At the World Artist Network, we are gearing up for our first public event celebrating Earth Day. We are partnering with artists worldwide, local organizations and schools, to create awareness and promote “green” living. Celebrate Earth Day with us by joining our Call for Art.

But what does “green” living amount to when comes to art?

Just as for most consumer products, there are alternative recycled, repurposed or otherwise sustainable art materials to use. Most major art supply brands have at least a few choices in eco-friendly supplies. When you purchase eco-friendly supplies you send a direct message, as a consumer, to retailers and manufacturers about the kind of product you want in your studio.

Solvents are a necessary part of the art process for many artists, but most solvents are volatile and toxic (think turpentine.) Try using citrus-based solvents instead, which are made from the natural oils found in citrus peels. They are a safe choice for your health and the environment.

Other easy tips:

• Host swap parties with fellow artist friends, and trade supplies that you never use for others you need.
• Use old credit cards, or those pesky promotional ones that come on the mail, to spread thick paint.
• Use junk-mail paper for collages, make your own paper or use recycled paper for your sketches.
• Make your own paint with natural pigments, (check to make sure they are not toxic, some natural pigments contain manganese, lead and others that can be dangerous when inhaled or ingested) plant, and vegetable dyes.
• Reuse your egg cartons as palettes.
• Repurpose unused objects and turn them into artworks.
• Make papier-mâché casts for your sculptures.
• Use a layer of gesso to repurpose an old canvas or paper.

Making conscious choices in the way you buy, use and reuse materials can make a big difference. The art community has always been a driving force behind social change, and there’s no reason not to apply it to preserving our environment as well.

Happy art-making!

Art Workshops - November 2011

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Category: Student Art

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Written by WAN - Art in the Community

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Hallen School is located in the North end of the city of Bridgeport, Conn. It serves approximately 380 students each year Pre-K to 6th grade, with a limited budget for the Arts as most public schools in the city, and only half an hour of art instruction per week per group.

While Hallen School has risen to the challenge of improving test scores for their students, classroom sizes, socioeconomic difficulties and budget cuts continue to limit the children's access to high quality Arts programs. It is our hope that through our free art workshops we may be able to assist them in bridging those gaps and encourage children to believe in their potential, their ability to succeed, and the importance of learning in the context of their lives and what they find relevant.

In November 2011, we conducted a workshop with a group of 6th graders based on Edvard Munch's piece "The Scream." They had knowledge of the piece, and we gave them a little bit of history for them to be able to place the art and the artist within a historical context. With the aid of an article published by CNN in their Science and Space section (http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/12/10/scream.munch.reut/) we shared with the group the scientific reason why the sky is thought to have been actually colored red around the time Munch painted this piece.

Edvard Munch - The Scream 1893.

This painting by Edvard Munch is in the public domain in the United States because it was first published more than 95 
years ago. The painting is protected by copyright in Norway until 2015 (the life of the  author + 70 years). The painting may 
also be covered by copyright in the countries of the European Union.

After sharing with them this historical tidbit, we asked what they thought made the main figure in the painting want to scream. They were very insightful in their answers, considering the factor of the volcanic explosion as causing uncertainty and  concern.

Then we asked them about the things that made them want to "scream" - not people, but things - and got various responses from spiders to snakes, and from crime to the loss of loved ones. We sometimes think that kids have the advantage of living in their own little world of fantasy and play - but they showed a level of awareness about their surroundings and the reality around them that some may think beyond their years.

The process was cathartic, and once we shared respectfully what each one feared, and allowed everyone a turn to express these things without anyone judging, we asked them to draw their own "Scream" figure and surround it of the things that scared them instead. This way, but putting them on paper and sharing them with others, they would be a little less frightening and as a group they would all become more connected in the process.

Here are pictures of the works they came up with:

For more information on Hallen School, please visit their website and CT School Tree.

For information on our Art in the Community program, or to become a volunteer please visit Our Programs page.

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Choosing the Right Brush

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Category: Art How-To's

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Written by Valeria Garrido Bisceglia

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Nowadays whenever we enter an arts and crafts store, or visit an arts supply website online, we can be quickly overwhelmed with the variety of materials and options.

Choosing the right brushes can make a big difference in the quality of your final piece. But by asking yourself a few simple questions and understanding brush basics, you can easily find your fit.

Different media use different types of brushes. Painting outdoors versus painting in a studio also makes a difference in the kind of brush that would work best. You also need to think of the sort of subjects that you paint; traditional landscape painting with many different sizes of brush strokes will require a wider range of brush sizes than an abstract painting, with mostly bold, large strokes.

We can start by "dissecting" the brush into its most basic parts: tuft, ferrule and handle.

The tuft is what carries and applies the paint. They can be made of natural hair or bristle, synthetic fibers, or a combination.

The ferrule is what holds the tuft on the brush. Something to look for to ensure good quality is that they be seamless and made of a non-reactive material such as nickel.

You probably need no explanation as to what the handle is, but do keep in mind that a good quality handle will be made of hardwood, finished or painted, or of acrylic.

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Watercolor Vs. Tempera

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Category: Art Miscellanea

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Written by Valeria Garrido Bisceglia

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Occasionally when speaking to artists, I find that there is some confusion between tempera and watercolor. So let's "water" things down a bit and see if we get to the root of the problem.

Paint consists of two basic components: pigment and binder. The binder is typically a solid resin, gum or other material that is diluted or dissolved in a vehicle, such as water or an organic solvent.

Technically speaking watercolor is considered a kind of tempera.

The word tempera comes from the verb temper which means to "bring to a desired consistency." Dry pigments are made usable by "tempering" them with a binder and adhesive. The term came to distinguish this kind of painting from fresco painting in which the colors were made by grinding dry-powder pigments in pure water, dry and set with the plaster to become a permanent part of (usually) a wall.

The original tempera paint is created by grinding dry powdered pigments into egg yolk (binder) and adding water (vehicle) hence the term "egg tempera."

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