painting

Some Sketches

Posted on by maya

hey

It’s been a while since I’ve posted any of my artwork, so I thought today I’d share a few of my most recent sketches with you guys! I drew these with my HUION Graphics Tablet using a digital painting application called Krita. I usually do these sketches in 4 steps/layers. First I draw a quick ‘skeleton’ of my sketch in a light colour, then I fill out the skeleton in the same light colour. Next I outline the whole sketch in black and finally, I colour it in.  Let me know what you guys think in the comments below and which sketch is your favourite! If you want to see more of my drawings and paintings, check out my Artwork page.

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standing sketch 1

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headphones girl

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#ArtKnowItAll: Ink Wash Painting

Posted on by maya

hey

So for this month’s #ArtKnowItAll, I’ve decided to do something a little different. So far I’ve only covered ‘Western’ art movements that I’m familiar with, but today we’re going to be looking at Ink Wash Painting, a beautiful East Asian type of brush painting. I hope you guys like it!

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What is Ink Wash Painting?

As I mentioned, Ink Wash Painting is a type of brush painting which uses the same black ink that is used for East Asian calligraphy. It originated in China during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and was refined during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). For centuries, this sophisticated form of Chinese art was practiced by highly educated scholars or literati. Shortly after China discovered the ink, this style began to develop in Korea and the rest of East Asia.

Key Features

  • To create the ink for their paintings, artists would grind an inkstick (usually a combination of pine or oil soot and animal glue) over an inkstone with a few drops of water. Prepared inks were also used, though they were of lower quality.
  • Traditionally, ink wash paint brushes were made from bamboo with animal hair tapered to a fine point, which was essential for this style of painting. I’m not going to go into the list of animal hair they used, but let’s just say it ranged from goat and horse to boar and wolf!
  • What makes Ink wash painting so stunning is it’s use of tonality and shading achieved by varying ink density and pressure within a single brushstroke. As a result, artists must spend years perfecting their basic brush stroke techniques. A true master can create an incredible range of tonality in a single stroke. A huge amount of concentration is needed for this painting, especially since once a stroke is painted, it can’t be erased or changed.
  • Interestingly, the majority of landscape paintings depict imaginary scenes or at least loose interpretations of reality. Mountains which were famous for their beauty but often located nowhere near the artist, were commonly featured in ink wash art.
Three Artists
 
  • Bada Shanren (born Zhu Da, 1626—1705) was a Chinese painter and calligrapher of noble lineage. He was a descendant of the Ming dynasty prince Zhu Quan and a leading artist of his time. Sharp brush strokes were a distinctive charactaristic of his paintings, probably due to his sideways manner of holding his paintbrush.
  • Jang Seung-eop (1843–1897),often known by his pen name Owon, was a Korean artist of the late Joseon Dynasty and one of the rare painters to hold a position of rank at court. He grew up as an orphan and first began truly painting in his twenties when he was taken in by a rich aristocrat. His paintings later received wide recognition and he painted in all genres of the period from landscapes and flower paintings to representations of daily life.
  • Okuhara Seiko (1837-1913) was a female Japanese painter who established a respected reputation as an artist, adapting Chinese literati styles to Japanese tastes. Despite her gender, she managed to build a successful art career in the largely male-dominated world of painting in 19th and 20th century East Asia. Aware of her disadvantage as woman, she changed her name from Setsuko to gender-neutral Seiko and omitted the the feminine character ‘joshi’ in her signatures, like many female artists of the time. 
Philosophy
 
In actual fact, East Asian ink wash painting is really a form of expressionistic art. It’s aim is not to simply reproduce what we see, but to capture what is unseen – the ‘spirit’ of the subject. For example, if an ink wash painter wishes to paint an animal, they must have a strong understanding of its temperament more so than its anatomy. Rather than creating totally realistic imitations, artists strive to convey emotion, perception, sensation.
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I can honestly say that this is my favourite #ArtKnowItAll art form so far. Not only is the art truly beautiful (in my opinion, anyway) but I also love the philosophy behind it. As you can see below, I attempted a few quick paintings with my brush pen (the featured image above the title was unfortunately not painted by me – I don’t know who the artist was but it’s lovely! ). I think I definitely need a bit of practice… maybe in a few years I’ll be accepted into literati school 😉
 
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Let me know in the comments below or tweet me using #ArtKnowItAll what art movement you’d like to see next month. Enjoy the rest of your week!

 

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Featured Artists

Posted on by maya

Being an aspiring artist myself, I know how hard it is to get your work noticed! So, last week I invited artists to send me their artwork for a chance to be featured on my blog. Firstly, I’d like to say a huge thank you to ALL the artists who sent in their art! I received loads of incredible submissions and narrowing them down to five pieces was really tough. However, after much debate, I finally chose five fantastic works that definitely deserve to be showcased. I also included a link to each artist’s site, so make sure to check them out!

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Porcelain

Artwork by: Isabelle Fang (Saeriel)

blog: saerielblog.wordpress.com

I love the way Isabelle used soft pastel colours to create a delicate, porcelain-like effect for this piece. It’s really beautiful!

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Time Machine

Photographer: Yasmeen Noelle

Facebook page:/www.facebook.com/yasmeennoellephotography/

‘Time Machine’ is a perfect example of classic black and white photography. I’d love to have this hanging up on my wall!

3

frog

Artist: Molly Flynn

Blog: www.wordpress.com/redefiningcreative

Drawing animals is really tricky, but Molly truly managed to realistically capture this vibrant little frog.

4

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Wander

Artist: Brian Sostrom

Website: http://www.briansostrom.com

‘Wander’ is another unique piece,  combining abstract art with a touch of detail here and there.

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Decisions

Artist: Dawn Lomako

Blog: Brushofdawn.wordpress.com

Another great piece. As soon as I saw this painting, the contrast between the dark colours and bright red immediately caught me eye!

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Thanks again to everyone who submitted their art. If your artwork wasn’t featured, don’t be discouraged – there’s always a next time!

Comment down below which piece was your favourite and follow me on social media to keep up to date with Artsy Teen news, contests, posts and more 🙂

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Attention All Artists…

Posted on by maya

I know a lot of my followers are amazing art bloggers and I really want to give them a chance to showcase their talent!

So this week I’m inviting all aspiring artists to send me their latest artwork! On Monday, 28th of March 2016, I’ll post my 5 favourite pieces on Artsy Teen.

I can’t wait to see your work! All artwork will of course be credited to the artist, and if you’re a blogger I’ll include a link to your blog as well.

Before sending me your work, please read guidelines below.

 

Guidelines for submitting Artwork to Artsy Teen

  • If you are a minor, please ask your parents for permission before submitting artwork. Note: you don’t have to be a teen to submit artwork, all artists are welcome.
  • You may submit up to 3 pieces of artwork.
  • Artwork must be your original work.
  • You retain all copyrights of your work.
  • You must state in your email that you are giving me permission to post your material on Artsy Teen blog.
  • Please note that Artsy Teen is a family friendly blog and inappropriate/ explicit material will not be posted.
  • Submission of artwork does not guarantee publication. Publication will be at the discretion of Artsy Teen.
  • Please email artwork as a jpeg/png attachment to artsyteenblog@gmail.com

 

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#ArtKnowItAll: Impressionism

Posted on by maya

The artwork above is called ‘Poppy Fields near Argenteuil’, by Claude Monet (photo courtesy of http://www.pixabay.com).

Welcome to the second post in my #ArtKnowItAll series. For those of you who are new to my blog, this is basically a series where I post about a different art movement on the first Monday of each month, along with some of my own artwork that was inspired by said-movement. After last month’s #Popart post, I decided to travel back in time to the 1860s, where the radical artists of Paris founded Impressionism.

What is Impressionism?

Often seen as the first ‘modern’ movement in painting, Impressionism developed in 19th century Paris, later spreading throughout Europe and the United States. Much like Pop artists did a hundred years later, Impressionists challenged traditional rules of academic painting, seeking to capture the momentary impression that objects and nature made on the naked eye.
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Features
  • The first characteristic that set Impressionism apart from conventional European art was that the focus was taken away from realistic depictions of scenery. Instead, artists tried to capture human perception and reflect the optical effects of light and colour in their canvases, particularly at twilight and dawn.
  • Impressionism was all about personal response to scene, a fleeting impression of a moment in time. To truly experience this, many Impressionists left their studios to paint ‘en plein air’ on the crowded streets of Paris and in the sunny french country side.
  • Impressionist work can be easily recognised by the looser, detached brushtrokes and pure, vibrant colours. Traditional linear perspective was abandoned, while unusual angles and open composition were incorporated into the artwork.

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Three Key Impressionist Artists
 
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    Claude Monet

    Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) was one of the founders of Impressionism. During the late 1860s, his artwork was rejected by the conservative Académie des Beaux-Arts but, refusing to accept defeat, Monet and a few like-minded artists organised the ‘Anonymous Society of Painters, sculptors and Engravers’ to display their artwork
    independently. In 1874, they held their first exhibition, where the term “Impressionism” was coined by a harsh critic who derived it from the title of Monet’s ‘Impression, soleil levant’  (Impression, Sunrise). Monet’s best known works include a series of haystacks and cathedrals painted at different times of day and his late Waterlilies.

  • Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) was also a leading  french painter in the development of Impressionism. Also rejected by many Salon Juries, he too joined the Anonymous Society and slowly gained recognition as a true master of light, shadow and colour. His works typically featured nature scenes and large gatherings of people.
  • Berthe Morisot (1841 –1895) was the only female artist who managed to successfully integrate herself into the Impressionist circle. As the daughter of a bourgeois family (with a long history of successful painters) it was customary for her to have an art education. She exhibited regularly in the Salon de Paris, until she joined the ‘rejected’ group of Impressionists in 1974. Morisot paintings emphasised the cultural restrictions of her class and gender at the time, focusing on everyday domestic life.
Society’s reaction
 
During the mid-19th century, Paris was hugely renovated and transformed into a modern metropolis, including new railway stations, wide boulevards and massive apartment buildings. Times were changing and Impressionists saw this. They bravely rejected the official, government-endorsed exhibitions and were in turn rebuffed by powerful art institutions. Their new painting techniques gave their artwork an unfinished appearance which was at first hugely critised and labelled as ‘amateur’. Still, they soldiered on and eventually, Impressionism gained global recognition and respect, marking an enormous change in European painting.
My #Impressionism inspired artwork
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So I clearly I’m no Impressionist artist, but for this months #ArtKnowItAll artwork I tried to incorporate different elements of Impressionism into my painting, such as the detached brushwork, vibrant colours, bright lights and if you look closely, the eiffel tower’s silhouette in the background paying homage to the city where impressionism was born. I’m not gonna a lie, this artwork was a bit of a fail (let’s just say I grossly overestimated my artistic abilities when planning this article and did not give myself enough time), but I decided to share with you guys anyway because hey…you win some, you loose some 😉 Maybe you guys have some helpful tips you’d like to share with an aspiring artist who sucks at time management?

 

Let me know what art movement you want to see next in the comments below or on twitter using #ArtKnowItAll !

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5 things to make with that random piece of cardboard

Posted on by maya

Yes, I know…that’s quite a bizarre title. Let me explain.

The other day, I bought something (isn’t that specific) and when I opened the packaging and took out this unnamed purchase, inside I found a thin, square sheet of cardboard. The thing is, this sheet of cardboard served no evident purpose whatsoever. It wasn’t there to provide support or give information. No, it’s sole purpose was to just… be there.  Kind of like that one teacher at school who never really teaches anything, but just sits there for “adult supervision”.

And this isn’t the first time this has happened to me. Oh no, it’s happened several times, with several purchases – clothes, shoes, food, electronics, you name it.

And that got me thinking… is this some sort of conspiracy ? I mean, surely companies aren’t trying to waste money.Is there some sort of unwritten code around the world that cardboard has to be included with each purchase? Are packaging companies being blackmailed by cardboard manufacturers? Is it even cardboard, or is it some sort of espionage device recording our every move?

Yeah, that escalated quickly. Anyways, luckily for us artsy teens there are tons of ways to put these supposedly purposeless pieces of cardboard to good use. I’ve been working on this post for quite a while now (editing the photos took ages), so I hope you guys enjoy it!

 

  1. A Makeshift Paint Palettepaint cover 2

Now I’m no professional painter, but every once in a while I do like to pick up a paintbrush and attempt (unsuccessfully) to become the next Picasso. Seeing as I don’t own an actual palette, during these random bursts of motivation I tend to use a piece of cardboard instead and, trust me that works just fine!

2. DIY Bracelet Holder

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If you’re anything like me, some part of your room/desk/shelf is covered with tangled heaps of jewelry. Or maybe you’re a normal, organised person -who knows. Anyway, for this simple DIY just take a square sheet of cardboard, cut it to desired size, roll it into a tube-shape and staple the sides together. Then, just slip on your bracelets and you’re done!

3. DIY Stencils

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Stencils probably aren’t something you use on a regular basis, but now and then they do come in handy. Instead of wasting money and buying them in a shop, you can simply print off a stencil template at home and cut out the shape from cardboard. Then you can spend your money on something else. Like food 🙂

To download the flower stencil I used, click here.

4. DIY Vintage Bookmarks

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I love reading and one of my greatest struggles in life will always be my inability to hold on to bookmarks. Every year, I’ll get about seventy eight bookmarks from friends, families, bookshops etc.,  but whenever I’m actually reading a book I can never find one. Then I end up using random bits and pieces laying about my room which will inevitably end up falling out of the book.

So, I thought I’d improve my chances of finding a bookmark by making a few more (which I’ve probably lost by now) out of my sheet of cardboard.

As you can probably tell, it’s not a very complicated process. Just cut out strips of cardboard and decorate them with pretty paper, drawings and just whatever takes your fancy. Making them look “Vintage” is not a requirement, but seeing as you can basically stick some old newspaper onto cardboard and call it “Vintage”, I decided it was my easiest option.

5. DIY Diamond Garland

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This DIY is a simple way to add a pop of colour to your room. All you need to do is cut out your desired shapes from the cardboard (for the diamond design I used click here), colour them in with pencils and give them a black outline with a permanent marker. Then, simply tape them onto a long piece of string/wool and hang the garland up in your room!