honoriartist

Making sushi out of 300 lb Arches watercolor paper. Just made wasabi and ginger out of thinner stuff. What fun. Photos later.

Notes from the ACTLAB Fall 2009 by honoria and others
Select the ZOOM TO PAGE button to see each page in full.

bamboo screening front
landscaping falling into place
muhly blows rock stays

Y'all have fun now.
Happy Holidays from the Starbucks and the Knutster.

# 1 of 104
I don't know how to get them digitized?
Our scanner bed is too small.
I will photograph them and see.

Fun to draw
Drag to digitize

Hurray for paper and pigment.
Boo on Pixels and afterimages.

Drawing is a cumulative process. You learn, you apply, you adapt, you experiment -- in the long run you learn from trial and error and from experience.

There is no ONE good drawing style and the path is always crooked through the realm of shading, of edges, or light logic, and composition.

I support students' paths through knowledge and skills (tools and techniques) rather than demand a theoretically "good" drawing and consistency.

If you are consistent you are not learning - if you are not learning, you are not valuable to the Knowledge Economy.

The sorrow which has no vent in tears may make other organs weep. -Henry Maudsley, psychiatrist (1835-1918)

Wet cement plopping
lumping in parking spaces,
chilly shovels spread

In a great storyboarding teaching book (Prepare to Board!) Nancy Beiman discusses using headlines as starting points for student drawings. In our first trial last week I used Onion headlines. After initial success with the headlines I told our creative writing instructor about the idea. She volunteered to assign her class to write six-word stories that our class could use for text model prompts. Here are the results of the first six-word story collaboration between Creative Writing and Life Drawing and Gesture, Fall Semester 2009.

Using text model prompts had a stimulating effect on class dynamics and the work produced. Before using model prompts we used to ponder over what story to tell with any given model based on props that the model brought to class. In contrast, using the text prompts seems to relax both students and model who use the words to collaboratively explore the possibilities of the prompt theme for 3-pose sequences. With the prompts everyone is off the hook in terms of overall theme. The challenge shifts from what story to think of to draw to how to interpret a creative existing story. The process of using the text from the other class reflects the real world where the artist animator works with stories in an interactive and interpretive way with a creative team.

1. Gather prompts that are not too literal for an action.
2. Give the list to the model to select some that touch a chord and stimulate pose ideas.
3. Read one selected prompt to the class before each sequence of 3 drawings.
4. Let the class and the model work out the 3 poses.
5. Sit back and watch the creativity unfold. Time the poses.
6. Give extra time to work on thematic elements after the three poses
7. View the drawings and instead of traditional critique, discuss what techniques worked to interpret the theme and brainstorm other ideas to interpret the theme
8. Start another sequence of drawings with another prompt

Model prompts New hairspray sets hair on fire and Alleyway hijinx hiding above in the shadows.

While planning the 3-pose sequence for the New hairspray prompt, students had to decide their narrative arc. For example the model could have dunked her head in a bucket as the model suggested and she demonstrated the dunking pose, but students decided that instead she would roast a marshmallow on her flaming hair.




With the Was blown away by the wind prompt, the challenge was to depict the invisible force of the wind. Students use India ink, pastel, and charcoal to give direction for the wind by smudging, flowing ink wash across the page and raking the soft pastel with their fingers. Students became experimental and bold as they used the extra time to add background, texture, and directional elements for the wind.

Based on the success of the technique I recommend using creative writing model prompts in life drawing classes.


( Read six-word stories from the creative writing class )

The primer paint layer is on the interior walls. Next step is light gray.

George makes an electric car from an old Porche. Knut, Lucas and Josh appreciate the progress.
It was so yummy.

Happy sexy day
Fall volunteer nasturtium
thanksgivingly blooms

Three bookmarks, original life drawings by honoria from Full Monty on Sunday.
2.75 x 7.5 inches. Gouache, charcoal, pastel on 300 lb. Arches cold pressed watercolor paper.
Price $11.00 each.

Full Monty is a life drawing group that meets on Sundays in Austin Texas. Full Monty sessions always have male models.

Building the story-telling chops of students in life drawing is one of our objectives (gestural narrative). Recently I read about using headlines to stimulate the mood for a pose. A professor in Rhetoric and Composition suggested that Onion Headlines were quite concise stories so I collected a list of Onion headlines and gave them to the model.

Here are a few that the model selected to set the mood of the poses.

• Insane Clown Posse Gets Ride to Concert From Mom
• Archaeological Dig Uncovers Ancient Race of Skeleton People
• North Dakota Not Heard from in 48 Hours
• And also a real headline: Glamorous rogues, Charming gangsters

These are all done with the same model, poses, and theme prompt of North Dakota not heard from in 48 hours. I am proud of the range of interpretations and look forward to more adventures in life drawing and creative writing.

I told the creative writing instructor about the change this technique had on the class and she said she would assign 6 word stories to her writing class. I will use the prompts from her class in my class and hope to create a great installation of the collaboration for a hall exhibition.

Stay tuned for 6 word stories.

How to buy original art from the 2009 Mystery Art Envelope Sale.

Get 5 Honoria Original drawings/paintings in an envelope delivered to your door.
Limited supply of work available.
Go to Pay Pal
Pay $5 into account of Madelyn Starbuck
Be sure to include your address with your payment or email me your address separately.
You will receive a large brown envelope with 5 original art works inside.

I will send you an envelope with 5 ORIGINAL artworks that I have culled from my studio. These will be hand painted or hand drawn original artworks. Yes, that is $1 per drawing or painting! Warning may contain nudity from life drawing sessions.

Buyers outside USA please add $2.00 for extra postage.

This x-ray shows the angle of the femur as it comes from the hip joint.
Image source http://www.connecticutvalleybiological.com/images/ch2200.jpg
Thankfully used to teach human anatomy for artists.

JDFC celebrates

This plan includes a lot of mulch and bamboo muhly.

I love vermilion.  These windows will get garden or Dr. Sketchy drawings in them.

Only a few minutes in the gardens between meetings.
Fast gouache on prepared paper.
When I was leaving a monk in saffron robes arrived
I drew him with leftover paint on the palette my fingers and bamboo stick.