Tombow Pen CONTEST

[Celeste McCall]

Dear All,

Here is another 'card' contest if you all want to try.


There will be winners but they will be chosen by the one's with the best story.


To do these......take a sheet of watercolor (smaller size) paper....or bristol paper.....and divide into AECO card size or whatever you want which can be mailed in an envelope.

Then.....take a Tombow pen and make a dark 'shape' which interesting (not symmetrical in other words).

Then add areas of dark so that you have only LIGHT AREA and ONLY DARK AREA.

Next, take water and fill in SOME of the white area using water and the black Tombow ink.

BE SURE TO LEAVE LIGHT AREAS.

In this first one....I have done such. Black and white patterns are called NOTAN & has a whole art form devoted to only this type of B/W art.







But this is the only beginning of this challenge. Don't do only black and white like above and LEAVE it that way. We want one more 'middle' value and some 'soft' edges as per the examples below.


Next, you add the 'medium' value as shown in the following 3 examples. BE SURE TO LEAVE INTERESTING light shapes also.















Now, add a story. Turn them this way and that first until it 'looks' like something. Then make up a story about it.

Or is that too much???

What would you think about doing something like this?

If we make them ACEO card size, then we could trade them by putting them on the ACEO site (along with the 'story').

Let me know what you think....and who would be willing to try this?



NOTE: I made all of these from random black strokes....then they began to look like certain things.....so I emphasized THOSE. But these pretty much 'paint themselves'.

[Celeste McCall]

STORY:

An old tree sits in the deep forest. The last days of Autumn have heralded and another cold winter is afoot. The days are shorter. Colder. Lonelier.

Sunlight becomes precious as the hill shades through fall and winter months.

Friends are disappearing. The squirrel gathers acorns and nuts. The bear eats from the fat-fleshed migrating salmon. The raccoon seeks out shelter amid the crevices in the surrounding rock walls of the cold canyon.

The first snow begins to fall.

Along the path a rider comes thundering on horseback. It is the last man left in his tribe, his lady and baby come swiftly behind him. Everywhere they look is open and dangerous. Yet the old tree finally catches the man's eye.

Is it big enough for them to hide in? YES. Quickly they dismount and chase the horses away. They know that the horses will head to the stream up on Bighorn mountain near the clover fields.

They hide inside the old tree, and cover themselves with discarded leaves. The baby nearest to the inside bark of the tree in order to not cry from sticking-leaves.

More thundering sounds approach and then disappear towards the valley below.

The man is thankful but wonders why the riders did not head up to Bighorn mountain.

But he prays silently thankful that God has saved him and his family for another day.

It snows lightly....silently....but not lonely for the tree anymore.

The tree can not move, but still it hugs it's new found family.

The end.

Dorky....but....LOL.....oh well. It's what we need to do. But can be as short as only 4 sentences such as:

A tree was lonely in the forest.
A man and his family came and hid inside because they were being chased.
The man and family is saved by the tree. The man thanks God and the tree is happy to have them near it.


OR, make cards which tell CHAPTERS within a story.....so at the end of 7 cards or so.....you have an illustrated BOOK to save for someone.

[Celeste McCall]

OR you can do a poem.


The above could be:

I love northern Mexico in spring summer and fall,
But when winter comes, the southern lands call
To beaches and sand and oceans azule,
I take my belongings along with my mule,
And along we go...away from winter's cool.

[Celeste McCall]

I love being goofy. LOL!!!!

[Celeste McCall]

Remember that 'things need both hard and soft edges. And the LIGHT needs to be near the darkest dark.

Even if you don't post them......this is a good exercise for artists.

[Celeste McCall]

Also.....the light needs to travel OUT. Don't trap it. In these paintings the dark and the light are the directors of the 'journey'. So should touch (or hop/skip) from top to bottom and/or side to side.

Do 'diddles' and then let them develop INTO something. Throw away the ones which are not interesting.

If you need more 'white' either use a razor to carve out the white area OR use an electric eraser OR use a Mr. Clean cleaner spongy thing OR use white paint.

[Celeste McCall]

Don't draw THINGS.........draw SHAPES. Then.....add details but don't set out to draw a particular thing.

Otherwise your right side of your brain will kick in. And we need to stay on the RIGHT side of the brain for this challenge. The one which is only making interesting shapes.....nothing more until you have the story....then add detail if you want (such as windows, roof line, fence, etc. if it looks like a landscape for instance.)

Do this for fun......not technique. LOOSEN up and let the shapes melt together except lightest lights and darkest darks. This is good for you. C'mon.....do it.

[Penny Nangle]

Oh dear, I do hate to admit it....But, not familiar with what a Tombow Pen is....

Please let me know what kind to look for and where I can purchase one? of maybe I have one??

I love a challenge and would like to participate..
Thanks, Penny

[Pat Alexander]

Penny, I Googled it...and I still don't know...must be a brand name Celeste, could a Sharpie be used instead? >^..^<

[June Watson]

Same with me Celeste ......is it a watercolor pen?

June

[Celeste McCall]

Dear All,
A Tombow marker (water soluble) is sold at most art/craft stores. It should cost around $2. Or, use a 'sketch and wash' watercolor pencil. Similar except the Tombow pen is much easier to get a 'flow' to it. But in the past, I think it was Jill Egan who did the examples with watercolor pencils.

Here is a good article on something similar to this technique:
www.explore-oil-pastels-with-robert-sloan.com/notan.html

www.artistsnetwork.com/articles/art-demos-techniques/the-value-of-notan

Here are some links about Tombow pens also:

www.dickblick.com/products/tombow-dual-brush-pens/



Maybe we could also, LATER, do some real sketches where we are painting actual THINGS. And using photos. That would be fun too. See here:

kaysmithbrushworks.blogspot.com/2010/12/hold-your-horses.html

[Celeste McCall]

Let's have TWO categories maybe. One which is shapes.....that evolve.....like mine did above. And another which is of THINGS. such as in the link above....actual objects or things.

Then we can exchange from same category. The ones who do THINGS from the outset (on purpose in other words) and then those who are doing SHAPES and letting the painting evolve into interesting shapes. Don't really care if it is SOMETHING....just needs to be a black and white pattern which flows.

Here is a tip to do this.

START off center with your major black shape.
THEN make that black shape interesting....and no more than 1/5 size of card.
THINK OPPOSITES when doing that. THICK and THIN....ROUND & STRAIGHT, etc.

THEN paint dark areas on edges of card. 3 is usually good. Papa, Mama, Baby sized.
LEAVE an interesting WHITE shape next to your original BLACK shape when you use the water to bring the MIDDLE values from outside edges in toward the WHITE shape that you are LEAVING (next to black shape near middle...but not on middle).

NOW connect and this is the hardest part....and still leave interesting WHITE shapes.


Make these about 2" x3" to start off with and it will be easier. Or smaller.

Don't think....just do about 20 of them with a sheet of watercolor or bristol paper. (Cheap stuff, and normal size....not the big expensive sheets of watercolor. TABLET size in other words)

Sit and watch TV or something so that you don't concentrate on it.

And just do SHAPES with these. It's GREAT learning in so many ways. And reinforces contrasts of all kinds because you have to think OPPOSITES and that is such good training for our art brains.

Good luck and hope you all can do this. It will be fun.

BTW, this is a thing that Paula White also teaches. It is also what Edgar Whitney was teaching about the 7 patterns which I have often talked about here on this forum.

[June Watson]

Celeste,
I will give this a try.....next week I'm not so busy.
I really love the horses done by Kay!
June

[Pat Alexander]

This is very interesting, Celeste, and I have been wanting something that would help me with composition. I am looking at the Dick Blick site and thinking about what to order. What colors would be best for a first set? They have a set of grays? What about colors?

I love the cat! >^..^<

[Jole Nash]

Sounds interesting stuff will give ita go...the Tombow was new to me..so I looksed it up... I have a "thingy" it comes apart and has a nylon brush one end and you can obviously fill one half with water..ink... or what ever I'v never used it as it was a gift.. but no instructions......HMMMM.....I should go take a photo so you know what i'm talking about.... Jole

[Celeste McCall]

Dear Penny,
If you have watercolor pencils.....a black one.....you could use that and likely get something similar. The only difference is Tombow is really black and has two tips on it. One like a soft point and the other like a tiny marker. But anything that is water soluble would work most likely.


Dear June,
We will take till first of September before we close this contest/challenge. So, anytime before then would be great. I loved the horses too! Saw something like that at the gallery in Fredericksburg with Cherryl.....but was an oil painting.


Dear Pat,
I would only use the black one. However, for your own use you might want some of the others if you like to make handmade cards and such for people. Which would be cool also.
But black for this challenge.

Dear Jole,
That sounds like it would work. Try it and see. Use black 'ink' made from watercolor and see if it works. Sounds very interesting. You probably also have watercolor pencils also maybe? If so, that would work as well....but harder than the Tombow.

I would guess that they call them water soluble markers or something like that in most stores maybe. I love your freehand work so can't wait to see what you could do....And faces....you are a pro at those. Would be as cute as always.

[Penny Nangle]

Thanks Celeste....what a blessing you are to us all...

I think this kind of excersise will be very helpful to me...as I try to make everything photo reolistic..
I fear It's going to be hard for me to leave it alone if I can't make out a form of something.
I gave away my wc pencils a while back so After class I will be going to the craft store and see if I can find a Tombow pen...
lv, Penny

[Celeste McCall]

Dear Penny,
You are a dear. And such a terrific artist and teacher. Your students are a testament to how well you teach. Because each of them (which I saw) were really good. So, you are doing the best that a teacher could do and I applaud that. There is no better thing to be said about a teacher than that their students who have been taught well.

And there is nothing wrong with photo realistic. We should all have that skill in our techniques bag. Probably the first and most important thing to learn is this type of style. Because it teaches people to 'see'.

The opposite skill, which this exercise is for.....will just plug in the 'other' side of the brain so that we have even more tools in our art bag.

Not that we need to use it....but that it is there IF we ever want to use it. And also with the other 1/2 of this challenge (painting something that is 'real' after all.......looking at something or tracing it and using the Tombow to shade it......is just good to do also. I think that increases our skills as well when we reduce the painting down to just 3 values (light, medium, dark).

And, of course, the story.....well....that gives a chance for whimsy and stretching another part of the brain.

So, will be fun to see what everyone comes up with.

[Jole Nash]

well I was doodling away last night with a w.c. pencil.. I still seem to have an idea to start with...like cutting a scene into 3 hues.. can't quite let go enough to do just shapes... will show you what I came up with. did one in editing.. Jole

[Celeste McCall]

Wow, Jole! What interesting landscapes you did. I see 4 different ones. Boy howdy.....I can't wait to hear the stories/poems. Cause I could come up with several for each painting.

Way to go in doing this challenge. I love your work and this presents even more to show your talent in artistry. Love the first one (upper left) especially! All feel balanced too. That's a chore to get these to balance so BRAVO! Well done.

[Celeste McCall]

What is the size of these paintings. Mine are about 2"-3" tall.

[Pat Alexander]

Very cool, Jole! >^..^<

[Jole Nash]

Celeste.. Mine are 2"x3" but I must've stretched them a bit cos they don't look that size.. I've found another water proof pen I'll try that too... then have to think about a story

My print size has gone back to v small ..can someone remind me how to make it bigger again..... Jole

[Pat Alexander]

Jole, I'm working with this Windows 8 - I have a little tools icon in my upper right corner where I can enlarge the print. I would say to look under tools on your PC. In the upper left corner I View and there you can change the text size. I also remember that in the Control Panel there should be a display to click on. I hope this helps... >^..^<

[Celeste McCall]

Dear Jole,
Try this for bigger text:
it.language101.com/usability/make-text-bigger/

wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_make_font_larger_on_browser

or

www.ehow.com/how_7147140_make-text-size-bigger-pages.html



I forget sometimes too.....when font size is too small on webpages. So, these, above, help me remember how to do that.

[June Watson]

Soooo nice Jole, Can't wait to hear your story.

Yours reminds me of the swamps in New Orleans!!
Love it!
June

[Jole Nash]

Thanks for the tips on the printing size... pretty spooky actually cos today it's back to normal size & I haven't done anything....\\

JUne ...I was watching a film about the bayous when I was doing those sketches....how about that? the brain does things one doesn't even know about.... now for the story... Help... we don't have bayous in Oz... will think of something Jole

[Celeste McCall]

Dear Jole,
One of the things that have happened in the bayous were people who got lost and never seen again. Or, of things seen by people that are beyond comprehension. Or, funny tales about people in the bayous about hunting and fishing. Or about all the big RATS called....Nutria.

Here is a pic of these great big rats who took over lower LA and which is now given money for each tail in order to get people to kill them.

markmaynard.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/nutria.jpg

www.pestcontrolrx.com/.a/6a00e55272212588330105360434ff970c-320wi

[Jole Nash]

EEEEooooww....& Yuk... theyr'e mean looking critters... Jole

[Pat Alexander]

We have a bayou that runs thru Brownwood...I wonder if those rats are here.... >^..^<