Patterns part deux

By the time this posts, I should be high in the sky, winging my way to beautiful Portland for a glorious week of art and friends at Art & Soul!  It did make me think however of a question I get frequently from my students about how I feel about them 'copying' my style.  Thought it would be a good time to address this.

Over at the Sketchbook Challenge Blog, I put up a little bit about how I go about making things my own style, even when in another's workshop or class.  When I teach a workshop, I never get upset if someone makes a piece of art that looks like mine.  It's only natural that when learning a new technique it will resemble the piece that inspired it.  BUT you don't want to get stuck there, making derivative work.  The goal is to move forward!  Jump in and make it your own.  I fully expect my students to do this once they are comfortable with the techniques.  It's my DESIRE that you master the technique I teach, and take it further!  I want you to be successful and move beyond where you started when you were in my workshop!  It's not acceptable to make 50 that look just like mine, and sell them, or teach the class I worked so hard to create (Even if you change the name).  PLEASE!~  Change it up, adapt it to the way you work, and add your own special ZING to the mix.  My zing is layers and pattern overload.  I will somehow find a way to add texture and pattern and layers, no matter what medium I am enjoying.  In fact, my favorite PART of a new technique is always getting it back to the studio and playing around with it, and discovering what works with it, and what doesn't! 

A simple way to make something your own in a fast workshop situation is with pattern!  I was so fortunate to take my friend Pam Carriker's class out in CA this spring.  I so adore her style!  She is the master of her style for it is authentic Pam.  No matter how I could try to copy the style, I know it would fall short, because it would just be Kari copying Pam- not true Kari.  I have to let my freak flag fly and be authentic me.  So even though I was using an image / Thermofax she created, I could still put my own personal touch on it with my own hand.  A happy meeting of her technique, with my style and embellishment.

Jump in to the unknown, learn, enjoy and own your art!

Patterns for Sketchbook Challenge

Wow!  Are you all enjoying Sketchbook Challenge?  I know I sure am!  I REALLY loved this months challenge, which was all about patterns!  I did a quick journal recently specifically to practice drawing faces.  Faces are a challenge for me, so I try to practice them.  However being a true ADHD mixed media artist, I get bored JUST sketching.  So enter my patterns!  I created the journal using patterns, and then sketched over the patterns because more is better in my book! 

Step 1  Text as pattern  using Pam Carrriker's Mixed Media Adhesive, I randomly glued down old text.

Step 2  1st layer of patterned printed paper.  I used my line of large 8.5 x 11 stamps and Gelli Arts Geli Printing plate and printed on deli paper with acrylic paint in various colors.

Step 3  2nd layer of patterned printed paper, using a different color and building layer interest.  The deli papers are translucent when created with Fluid Acrylics.  To carry that translucency forward I used pan pastels.  Notice the top picture's arm and face, you can see the text underneath her.

Step 4  Begin drawing.  1st with pencil, then pan pastels and colored pencils.  Outline with Sharpie Twin Tip Marker or Pitt Artist Pens.

Step 5  Lettering begins at this phase.  Heavy on the pattern!  This is just a work in progress.  When finished, probably the majority of the images will only show in glimpses.

Step 6.  Beginning to pattern and decorate the drawings.  Anything can be decorated with pattern.  And patterns can be made by repeating anything over and over.  This girls sweater cabling is made up from the word 'repetition' being written over and over and on top and over again.

Finally after working in this color story for this small sketchbook, I decided I liked it enough to begin working on a canvas.  Here is the beginning, as you can see, I work on canvas the same as I do in my sketchbooks, building layers of patterend color!