Friday Post: "Steal Like an Artist"

Good morning Designers...HAPPY FRIDAY!

Isn't Friday always the best day of the week? It always seems that way to me! A little side note/digression here: I am participating in Flannel Fridays, which are a fun way of celebrating the coming of fall & winter (tweet me @60srangevintage and hash tag #flannelfriday). Okay, side note terminated.

I heard that your first critique was this past week. How did it go? I am sure some of you worked hard (I'm hoping so!) and some of you hardly worked (uh oh!). At any rate, if you lost a night's sleep from this 1st critique, then you know how it feels to go into a critique without much energy. Remember to work smart, so next time, you can get more sleep and hopefully improve (whether you make an A or a D, there is always room for improvement).

Alright, now, to the good part! This Friday morning post is about the book Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am expanding the "review" of this blog into books, TV shows, and movies as well (as they pertain to art and design, of course!). I visited Barnes & Noble this past Tuesday, and I am so fortunate that I stumbled upon this book. Steal Like An Artist is a New York Times Best Seller. This book is a short read, only  140 pages, and it is centered around a list of 10 things that the author himself has learned about leading a creative life (see below).

This list is extremely important, as the author states that this is advice that he wished his 19 year old self would've known. Each chapter is based off of one listed phrase under "Unlock your Creativity". Because Steal Like An Artist is based off of this list, you do not have to read it chronologically! This is great news to me because flipping to a random page and reading that section takes only about 10-15 minutes out of my day, and I love the element of surprise-not knowing what page I will land on, but I am still able to know what the author is talking about in the book. I will guarantee you that, as an artist and designer, you will be able to relate to at least one out of the 10 things on Austin Kleon's list on how to unlock your creativity.

I was able to identify with several, but two phrases on the "Unlock Your Creativity" list really jumped out at me:

#8) Be nice. (The World is a Small Town.)

       and

#9) Be Boring (It's the only way to get work done.)

I especially identified with #9 because it is along the lines of what Professor Pumphrey said to our Design I class last year: Artists don't have to be messy. It may sound dumb, but this was such a revelation to me. I realized that people were stereotyping me and automatically labeling me as a messy,paint-splattered artist, who was that way because that's just how I was. This is not true. Artists have jobs just like any other employee like a banker, doctor, or historian. As an artist, you need to have organization skills to get you through your job and school! Austin Kleon also addresses that the glorified Artist's life is overrated in his book Steal Like An Artist,

            "That whole romantic image of the creative genius doing drugs and running around and sleeping with everyone is played out. It's for the superhuman and the people who  want to die young. The thing is: It takes a lot of energy to be creative. You don't have that energy if you waste is on other stuff" (p. 119).

I am still in the process of reading Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon, and I am thoroughly enjoying it for his humor and how relate-able it is to my life as an artist. My review of this book so far is very positive because it is helpful advice, and a good break from working on Design projects!

For more information, and a sneak peek look into the book, go to

http://www.austinkleon.com/2011/03/30/how-to-steal-like-an-artist-and-9-other-things-nobody-told-me/

I'm sure you noticed the coin symbol at the top, which is the review symbol I use for "cheap". The book is available at Barnes & Noble for about $11.00. You can find it on amazon.com used for a little over $6.00. Also, you can find the PDF version online for free, but I suggest that make sure it is a credible sight that you are downloading the PDF from (make sure it is not infringing on copyright, and a safe website).

This concludes the Friday post, and I hope that you all have a relaxing, restful weekend full of fun!

*#8&#9 phrases and quotes courtesy of Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon (copyright 2012). More information about the book courtesy to Austin Kleon's blog www.austinkelon.com. Price information courtesy of Barnes&Noble and amazon.com. Images courtesy of google.com

Peace,

Ella Bella

Friday Post: Want to get out of Town?

Hello Designers,

And...HAPPY FRIDAY!

Want to get out of town? Today's post is all about my review on the Taubman Museum in Roanoke, Va.

Over the summer, I went to the Taubman Museum in Roanoke, Va, and I had a wonderful experience. If you're into architecture, the Taubman museum itself is an engaging building with contrasting, yet unifies structure. The building has many curves, which appear with ease, but it also has sharp, angled lines and corners. 

At the top of this page, I included the "coin" symbol, which means that it is cheap to visit the museum! General admission for ages 14 to 64 is $7. The $7 gives you access to all of their galleries, up stairs and down stairs, and to the gift shop.  Also, when I went during the summer, there was free admission on Saturdays, so I did not have to pay. I have looked on the Taubman Museum's website, and I have not been able to find this "free admission on Saturdays" deal, so I will follow up on this blog post to see if that is just a summer ordeal.

The gallery exhibits local artists, as well as photography from the Roanoke Star  ( the main newspaper for Roanoke), and art from all over the nation and world. I actually had the privledge of viewing Norman Rockwell's Framed. 

I found the Taubman Museum of Art's location easy to find ( the directions can be found on Google maps, map quest, GPS, or just an old-fashioned map). Also, the Taubman Museum of Art is located in Down Town Roanoke, so it is close to the Farmer's market, and several other local and unique boutiques that sell hand-crafted items and art. 

For extra information visit...

http://www.taubmanmuseum.org/main/

I enjoyed the Taubman Museum of Art so thoroughly that I am planning to go again sometime this semester. If you are interested in car pooling with me or coming along, please let me know! My contact information is all over this blog, so you can e-mail me, comment on this blog, or tweet me.

Have a wonderful weekend, and make sure you know your vocab (is it true you have your first critique on Monday? Exciting!).

Peace,

Ella Bella 

*Admission prices information courtesy of  www.taubmanmuseum.org, and images courtesy of goolge images from google.com

 

Friday Post: Interested in the art of Make-up?

Hello Designers!

Seems as if another week has passed already, and it is time for the new Friday post! If you are ahead in your studies...Great job! If not, hang in there! 91 days left to go in the semester (you can do it!).

I have decided to expand this "Review" blog into other realms of art and design. I will start to review TV shows that involve artists and mastering artistic and design skills! I decided that reviewing a TV show or two would be a great break from reviewing galleries, art supplies, and museums, although I will continue to review all three of those things as the core of this blog.

Last night, I watched a few episodes of, "Face Off", a TV series that airs on the SyFy channel (don't worry, no blurry film clips of big foot or UFOs are involved). This show is a competition for make-up artists to display, hone, and develop old and new skills in the artistic field. There are so many options for artists in the job market, and this show is a great indicator that you can use your Design I skills in the field of make-up and special effects!

Each contestant has a time constraint to create an idea of their own that complies with the challenge that the judges present (not too far off from art class in college!). The skills that the artists use within this TV series are: design in prosthetics and 3-D design, painting, animatronics (the use of engineering, in order to create the 3D illusion of animation, ability to sculpt, effective use in eye enhancers, skills in  puppeteering, casting and molding. I found the show very interesting because it displays the wide range of skills that each artist needed, in order to perfect his/her vision of the original idea. This show is a great way of showing the artistic process, in which you see an idea, see it turned into a sketch, become critiqued, and eventually turned into a 3D reality.

Of course, it is a "reality" TV show, so at the end of each episode, an artist is let go for under performance. This show is a fascinating application of Design, and also just a great show to watch while you are taking a break from work or homework (Design homework, of course), or just life!

"Face-off" aires an all-new episode on Tuesday at 9/8c. For more information, visit http://www.syfy.com/faceoff/ 

*Information courtesy of www.dictionary.com, www.imDd.com, and www.syfy.com. Image courtesy of google images!

Happy Designing, and HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Peace,

Ella Bella

Friday post: No-Wrinkle Glue!

Hello Designers!

HAPPY FRIDAY! You know what this means...time for the weekly Friday post! Because I covered my preferred epoxy last week, I decided to stay on the topic of adhesives.

When working with different weights of paper (standard 8.5 x 11 being 20 lb-to give you a reference point), it is essential to know and understand the paper weight. The paper weight will help you know ahead of time how sensitive it is to glue. For example, standard 8.5 x 11 printer paper is 20 lb, and is very sensitive to folding, bumps, and to adhesives. This is not the only paper that is sensitive to wrinkles; just about every paper is sensitive to glue. The wrinkling just varies in degrees as paper weight goes up/down and the amount applied goes up/down.

Elmer's No-Wrinkle glue is my adhesive of choice when gluing paper on paper or paper on cardboard/foam board/matte board.

Although the title says "no wrinkle", it is nearly impossible for any glue to not wrinkle paper, solely because it depends on how you apply it, paper weight, and how much is applied. However, I have found that Elmer's No-Wrinkle glue leaves the smallest trace of evidence, and is user-friendly in that it is easy to apply!

Elmer's No-Wrinkle glue has dual tips. One tip is smaller, and is for detail work, like gluing a paper snow flake or sequins to paper, for example. The other tip is thicker and has ridges on it, and this end is for broader areas. The thicker, wider tip is great for applying the glue on smoothly, without clumps. The detail tip can come out in blobs depending on how evenly or unevenly you apply it. A quick tip for smoothing out blobs of glue: designate a paint brush for glue. This way, when you accidentally "blob" glue onto the paper, you can smooth it out with a paint brush, in order to reduce the wrinkling affect and possible damage for your art piece. Make sure you then clean off your glue brush with warm soap and water immediately after use. The soap will prevent the glue from bonding to the bristles.


 Other glues I have tried...

• Elmer's glue stick glue
• Elmer's Spray glue
• Krazy Glue
• Elmer's Craft bond
• Tacky Glue
•  Foam Glue

I have tried several other glues (above), which have deemed useful for other purposes, but Elmer's No-Wrinkle glue continues to be my choice when working with paper, cardboard, matte board, and foam board.

Elmer's No-Wrinkle glue is available at many places including, Michael's, AC Moore, Wal-mart, and online. The price range varies from $1.27-$3.69 depending if you order it online or not (account for shipping!).

Have a wonderful Friday, and stay tuned until next time...

Peace,

Ella Bella

*Price information courtesy of google.com. Remember to give credit where credit is due!

New Haircut=New Post

It was noted that I should update my picture on this blog because of my new haircut.

Well, this is me! If you see me around campus, don't hesitate to stop, and say hello. I would love to hear from you.

Peace,

Ella Bella