Saturday, September 20, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Children's Books
These are wonderful Christian based stories of God's purpose for our lives. The author 'Jonathan Cooper' has been able to bring powerful meaning through the simplicity of the narrative which is quite remarkable. A lot was revealed to me about my life and it's purpose as I worked on the illustrations. So, although these books are for the young, they have meaning for the "young at heart" as well!
My illustrations for Children’s books are simple and playful. Bold colours bring out the mood of each page. I try to awaken the reader’s imagination. I really feel for the purpose of 'inspiring young minds'. I love this particular line of work as I feels it is a great challenge to my creativity and I see each page as a work of art and fresh ideas are always required.
For more information on these books and others on 'God's Creation' wonderfully written by Claire Osborne and beautifully illustrated by Heidi Hendriks and on how to order them, please visit this site: www.saltandlight.com.au
Fun with Photoshop!!
Magazine Covers
The original characters in the boxes were hand painted by us.
The theme given to us, we were thrilled at the visual we came up with.
The Back Cover (up)
Shireen and I were on the Editorial Committee of our Church in the years 2005-06. We were on the design team and we really enjoyed being creative and innovative. We are really proud of how these covers turned out and I feel the imagery gave artwork a more current feel.
Water colour
Watercolours are interesting to work in, it requires a certain amount of practise and skill, I don't feel I have mastered this media completely as yet. It isn't a forgiving medium, we have to really avoid any mistakes. It can be great fun once you have some practise and know how to control the flow of the water colour. The first painting (2007) is a definite witness to it's flow, wash, transparent, translucent and layering qualities.
Pastels
Pastel work done in 2005-06. I love the texture of this medium and it's bold colouring effect.
The first picture is entitled 'Dance'. It depicts statues in a garden in movement, a touch of irony, it is in a way a tribute to this medium as it allows me to feel free and playful.
The second is a village woman who modelled for us in college, I loved the richness of her saree and glow of her chocolate skin and so I naturally chose to work with Pastels.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
New Year Party 2006
...12 plaster of Paris mushroom stools, 6 grass cutouts..
...1 hand painted wooden tree, 2 white picket fences and a lot of extra details is what made up this fantasy. Was the party a success?..sure did look like it!
Linocut
Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum (sometimes mounted on a wooden block) is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, V-shaped chisel or gouge, with the raised (uncarved) areas representing a reversal (mirror image) of the parts to show printed. The cut areas can then be pulled from the backing. The linoleum sheet is inked with a roller (called a brayer), and then impressed onto paper or fabric. The actual printing can be done by hand or with a press.
For more information on this process check this site:
www.fimp.net/howtomakealinocut.html
The prints were done in 2005-06 at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Intaglio
Engraving is the oldest and most common of the intaglio techniques. Lines are cut into a metal plate using a tool called burin or graver. After the process of incising lines has been finished, the plate is inked. Then the surface of the plate is cleaned and only the ink in the incised lines is left. A dampened paper is put on the plate. With the paper being pressed firmly against the plate, it absorbs the ink left in the lines.
For etchings the plate is first covered with an acid-resistant wax or resin ground. Then the image is incised into the wax or resin layer with an etching needle. Finally the plate is dipped into acid. The acid bites into the exposed lines where the wax or resin was removed. These acid-bitten areas hold the ink.
Lithography
The Basic Idea:The essence of the technique is the affinity of oil for oil and the repulsion of oil and water.
Stone lithography was invented in 1798, and it was the first new printmaking technique to emerge in about 300 years. Stone lithography became very popular as a medium by the 1830s. People used stone lithography to create color art for books, as well as for more pedestrian things like labels, flyers and posters.
Stone lithography's popularity with artists came about because it was the first printmaking medium to allow the artist to naturally "paint" or "draw" onto a flat stone (limestone) to create an image. The artist creates the work directly and naturally.
The basic idea used in stone lithography is extremely simple:
- The artist draws/paints on the stone with a greasy substance. For example, a litho crayon is a soft waxy/greasy crayon. There are also litho paints and pencils. The stone picks up this greasy substance and holds it.
- The stone is moistened with water. The parts of the stone not protected by the greasy paint soak up the water.
- Oil-based ink is rolled onto the stone. The greasy parts of the stone pick up the ink, while the wet parts do not.
- A piece of paper is pressed onto the stone, and the ink transfers from the stone to the paper.
For more information about the technique and process check this site: http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/stone-lithography2.htm