Block Printing

First Friday Art Club stamped things down and got a little messy in the process in September.  We entered the world of Printmaking and created our own blocks to print.

Block Printing supplies

For simplicity, I equated Block Printing with rubber stamping.  There is a block with an image that will get ink, then stamp on a surface to print.  The idea is straightforward, but there are nuances along the way.

Printing means the image is reversed.

This class immediately followed our week long Theatre Camp and my brain was having trouble shifting into Art Gear.  Printing from a block or stamp means the image gets flipped.  What you design on the left of your block will be on the right side of your print.  This is easy enough, but the students wanted to use wording.  OH BOY!  The image above is my sample and demonstration piece.  Once I showed the students how this reversed image works, their brains clicked and they finalized their designs.

Little Fishy

We used Styrofoam scratch plates to easily achieve the image, using pencils or paint brush handles to scribe the plate. Designing the images to print held everyone up for  a bit.  There is often that Blank Page Syndrome that all artists face.  I stressed that drawing skills were not necessary to achieve great results.  Abstract imagery complimented the designs and allowed for more freedom of expression.  That reassuring message got the designs done quickly and then we hit the ink.

Puffy Cloud

We had fashionistas who preferred to print on clothing.  This Puffy Cloud was adorable!  The vertical lines are an effect from the cardboard spacer that protected the bottom layer of the shirt.

Giraffes on Safari

Giraffes were printed twice.  Students learned the brightness of an ink color in the jar might not be effective on a t-shirt.  After a too-light-to-be-seen run of yellow, this artist chose pink for her Giraffes on Safari.

Words can be tough to achieve

This student discovered the woes of wording in printmaking.  She mastered the reversed image, but still struggled with one letter.  Lessons in life....

 

Warhol-esque

This artist went bold like Andy Warhol and printed multiple colors within the same page.  A lesson on Andy Warhol is pending.  No one had even HEARD of him!  There was vague recollection when I mentioned the Campbell's Soup Can prints that made him famous.

Special thanks goes to Lynn Dates and 171 Cedar Arts Center who graciously let me borrow the brayers (the rolling tool used to transfer the ink from the block to the paper), which saved the library over $70!  Community support as simple as that makes Corning, New York a very happy place to live and work.

Check back next month when we dive into the world of Coloring Books with Maegan Cook.

Thanks for visiting!

Recycled Creations with Kimberly Canale

Recycled Creations

We rummaged through the recycling cans to prepare for Recycled Creations with Kimberly Canale.  Taking used soda cans, spray paint, glass gems and a crimping tool, flowers and suns popped up by the end of class!

Kimberly Canale original Pop Can Flower

I encountered these adorable lawn decorations at a local craft fair and asked Kimberly if she would work with First Friday Art Club to make more. Collecting trash over several weeks, I had a stash of soda cans ready to be bloomed.  There were options to create a flower and a sun for this project.  The sun was a more difficult endeavor, but so pretty!! 

A sun in process

To make these, cut off the top of the can.  This tutorial from Make It Easy Crafts reveals the steps to make a spinner.  This tutorial will guide you through the same method we used to make the flowers and suns.

Make It Easy Crafts flower tutorial is absolutely adorable! 

Ask an adult to help get the can cut clean and even, so there are no metal bits to snag your skin.  The can without the top resembles a cup.  Cut strips down the sides of the can from top to bottom.  These strips will be petals for flowers or rays for suns.

Step 4 from Make It Easy Crafts

The images from the Make It Easy Crafts tutorial are for a flower.  If making a sun, create more "petals" to be sun rays.

The tricky part begins

The tricky part begins by folding the strips at 45 degree angles closest to the bottom of the can, which is now becoming the center of the sun.

Roll the rays

Roll each "ray" toward the center of the sun.  Roll these strips as tightly as possible.  Be sure to roll so that the color of the can is concealed, unless you choose to use the color to your advantage.

Using the original logo can reveal a cool design or pattern

Once the rays are rolled, all that is needed is a little paint to unify the look of the sun to your preference.  Adding  a glass gem once the sun is painted gives another bit of pizzazz.

final product

These suns can go in the ground by gluing a post to the back.  We hammered holes in one of the rays and added string to hang these in windows or from the ceiling.
There was time left to make flowers, but they were made too quickly for me to get pictures.

Another option to create something useful with recycled materials is a mini basket.

Soda cans and plastic bag strips

There was not enough time to create these mini baskets.  I will save this activity for December, when we Make and Bake Gifts for the holiday season.

Check back next month to see what we make in our Block Printing lesson.

Thanks for visiting!

See you again soon

~erica

Cosplay Costumes

July is a big month for teens at the Southeast Steuben County Library.  The Summer Reading Program takes over for six weeks, but we start with the First Friday Art Club.  We ran our first ever Comic Con in 2015 called Library UnMasked.  It was so much fun, we brought it back and planned other programs around it.

The Cape Quest Commences

"Cosplay Costumes" was a great theme to inspire young adults to design wearable art,

that could be worn to our Library UnMasked event.  

We enticed teens to attend the comic con event with the prizes they could win, like weekend passes to T2C2, Twin Tiers Comic Con, and unusual library activities they could attempt after hours, but these bribes were not necessary.  Creativity took over once the supplies were provided and a little guidance was given.

Slew of Supplies

Tetyana Buchholz (a.k.a. Tat, a.k.a. "FASHION SUPERSTAR") graciously donated her time to guide the design process.  Tat brought a ton of materials sent to her by The Art Institute of Chicago, her alma matter.  Our students appreciated the variety of textures, colors and items so much, the room was a chaotic creative cloud in moments.

Red and gold were popluar colors sought to make super hero design elements.

Gold + red + shields= super hero design palette.

One student took her art to a creepy level with dark colors, cobwebs and crows.

Crows and Cobwebs

Another student made an Olympic games inspired cuff, because she said, "cuffs are tough."

Cuffs = TOUGH!

Wale print yardage beckoned this student to create a warrior of the sea costume.

Wale Warrior

Textured scrapbook paper and duct tape made the most simple robot costume.

Gold-Bot

Capes and hoods were also popular.  

Tat showed student simple techniques to cinch fabric and gather it.  These simple suggestions allowed quick creation without the need of sewing machines.

Caped Crusader of the Night

This program was fun and easy to accomplish.  Tat donated supplies, but many of these items are free to source from you local community.  I saved lots of scraps from my home crafting collection and spread the word of need for particular items.  With various donations, this program was free to host and there is still a TON of left-overs to plan an accessories project this Fall.  The students enjoyed the freedom to create without worry of wrecking valuable supplies.  I enjoyed seeing the variety of directions each student took to finish their project. Several of these designers attended Library UnMasked 

and someone even won "Original Character" category!

Check out the latest Teen Tones blog entry to find our who won.... 

Stop back in August....

Recycled Creations by Kimberly Canale

when we refurbish rubbish with Kimberly Canale.

Thanks for visiting!

~erica

Stencils and Etched Glass

Stencils and etched glass were the focus of the SSC Library's First Friday Art Club in June. This project used clear glass plates, bottles and votive candle holders that I had in storage. Recycled jars from jams or sauces can easily be used to upcycle an object into a piece of art, in case you want to try this method.  Re-usable stencils were purchased to show students the difference between a hand cut stencil and a purchased stencil.  The library's Makerspace, the SSCL Creation Station has a Cricut Machine, which also aided in creating one-of-a-kind stencils with a professional appeal.

Feather stencils and Armour Etch cream

Glass artists etch with engraving tools or sandblasting machines, but the beginner approach is using an acid etching cream.  We took advantage of Armour Etch, which works it's magic on the glass within 10-15 minutes.  Engraving tools and sandblasting machines require lots of skill, time and practice.  

Cricut cut stencil, weeded and placed on the glass

After cutting a stencil for my demonstration piece, I had to "weed" out the elements that were unnecessary to the design.  Any space that reveals the glass and has the etching cream applied will turn a hazy, cloudy appearance--that's the acid etch cream doing it's job!

Armour Etch applies to the "open" spaces

Once the cream was applied with a tool (ie. very high tech cotton swab), the waiting game begins.  If your surface is curved, like the bottle pictured, you need to keep a close watch that the cream stays in place and does not drip.  As mentioned, any place the etching cream touches will have a hazy, cloudy appearance if allowed to sit for a few minutes.  Students who took part in this class had their patience tested!

Flat surface and purchased stencils

The students naturally gravitated toward the plates, which helped them as beginners. (Curved surfaces test patience!)  Although I cut several stencils on the Cricut machine (I had a lot of "Happy Father's Day" stencils prepped in consideration of the pending holiday), everyone wanted to get creative and set up their own designs.

Students creating stencils on the Cricut

One thing about designing in Cricut Design Space (and really any digital design work) is the time needed to train yourself in the software.  Then there is the time needed to get your vision accomplished.  Beside that bulk of time required, there is the cutting time taken by the Cricut machine.  The process is much slower than printing a sheet of paper.  This slowed our progress to a degree.

Luckily students became self sufficient and proficient with the "Gloopy Stuff" ("gloopy stuff" = Armour Etch!) and these are a few projects which were produced:

"Lobster" from the Armour Products stencils

Hand cut stencil with Armour stencils in the mix

The Crystal display for June

These projects are on display in the library for the month of June.  Corning, New York is the "Crystal City," renowned for it's rich glass history.  The Glass Art Society (G.A.S.) Conference met in Corning from June 9-11, 2016.  The First Friday Art Club welcomed the G.A.S. Conference participants who visited the library with their own glass art.

YOU can make this with tools in our Creation Station

Teaching students how to create a hand cut stencil and how to proceed in the acid etching process is quite a challenge in under an hour and a half class, with 19 students on hand. Results were achieved, but I would prefer to split up this class into two sessions.  Hind sight is always 20/20.  Nonetheless, this project worked well and many visitors have stopped to enjoy the art on display.
If you would like to create something like this, let us know!  Our Creation Station is open to the public during library operating hours.  Just a quick registration and tutorial will give you access to a world of creating.  I hope to see you soon!  

  Check back in July for our Cosplay Costumes event recap.  We are gearing up for another fabulous Library Unmasked on July 15, 6-8 pm. 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Thanks for visiting,

erica

Hidden in Plain Sight with Wynn Yarrow

On May 6, the First Friday Art Club made miniature books with a special guest artist.  Wynn Yarrow is a local artist with a broad portfolio.  She is represented by the West End Gallery, located on Market Street in Corning.  Wynn came prepared with her pile of crafting supplies and took over the community room for the class.

Table O'Craft-Color-Creation

This group was very excited to have control over so many beautiful and colorful supplies.  It's refreshing to watch the creative process as a spectator rather than the instructor.  

Each budding artist ventured in their own direction, from imagery to words.  

Abstract imagery on the cover

Whether images were abstract or representational, the art came directly from the soul.  Students were thoughtful in their creations, considering that Mother's Day was pending.  Lucky moms had miniature books made just for them.

Mini Books for Mom

Some students enjoyed creating as many mini masterpieces as possible, with no intention of giving them as gifts.

Multiple Mini Books

Ribbon book marks were taken to another level and became beaded beauties.

This marker weighed more than the book!

A first time book maker created a comic book.

Comic book made before Free Comic Book Day

By the end of an hour and a half session, each of the nine students made at least 1 Hidden Treasure to be cherished in secret or shared as a gift.  These items were made into necklaces, pins, bracelets, or simple mini-books.

A productive afternoon

Wynn Yarrow will return to the Southeast Steuben County Library in October to teach three book making classes to adults.  Please check the calendar this fall or call ahead to register.

In June, young adult students will learn how to make stencils and etch glass with a liquid etching cream.  The work created from this class will be on display for the month of June to dress the library in crystal in honor of the Glass Art Society annual conference being held in our Crystal City.

See you again next month!

Clay Coil Creatures Part 2

April 1 saw Part 2 of our Clay Coil Creatures class at the Rockwell Museum.  No foolin' (wink, wink), we made creatures inspired by the collection in the gallery.  Please catch up with Part 1 to follow the progression of this project.

The pieces were bisque fired to remove all moisture and create a stone-like surface.

Bisque Baked Beauties

The time to design the surface of these beauties had arrived.  Education Programs Coordinator, Amy Ruza, led the class on glazing instructions.

She had glazed ceramic samples to show the changes in color from the jar to kiln firing.

Glaze changes drastically in the kiln.

After a short glazing tutorial, students chose their preferred colors and went to work finalizing their masterpieces.  Some had direct inspiration from the gallery.

This artist was inspired by the gallery installation

Some students were inspired by the Native American picture dictionary provided by the museum.

Replicated Native American Eagle

Some students let their heart design for them.

A Spring Bunny

The class went quickly with all of the activity, excitement and creation.

Students hard at work

The glaze dries to a dull finish, but shimmers like glass after the kiln firing.  Here are before and after shots of the projects for your enjoyment:

The Whole Lot

The image above shows the entire class project from cart to kiln.  Now let's look at some pieces a little closer.

A Charming Snake

The snake maker's sister went to the woods for this cutie pie.  Remember to slip and score very well when making clay objects.  If you do not follow this step, items will pop off!  This poor bunny's limbs were lost in the bisque fire.

Limb-less Bunny

This little girl captured my heart.

Sweet Lil' Lady

A few more pieces looked like this:

Elephants, Turtles and Teacups

These lucky participant are now able to pick up their projects and present them to their families.  Like relics from our past, these pieces are part of future archaeology.

I am proud to share this knowledge and collaborate these lessons for my students.  The process of making objects never ceases to amaze me.

Visit here again next month when we dive into the world of book making with Wynn Yarrow.

Thanks for visiting!

xoxo, erica