I have been asked this question 1,447,254 times (approx.): “Where do you get your ideas?” I haven’t yet been able to come up with a single answer.
I don’t get them from a place, but rather, from a process which is pretty hard to describe in twenty-five words or less.
And a comment that accompanies the question, but not always, is that someone would like to “run around in my brain for a day”. Ouch! Sounds painful - for me - and for them. Be careful what you ask for!
However, as I started this article on how much can be done with an alphabet and a sheet of images, it occured to me that maybe we can “run around” together a little, and through watching the progression of related ideas, perhaps that process I mentioned a minute ago, could be at least glimpsed - and shared. The challenge is going to be to avoid sounding like a pompous “you-know-what” - please let me know if I fail at that.
For a mill to run, even an idea mill, there must be fodder. So the first step in considering the possibilities is considering the possibilities. (I didn’t promise you a rose garden, did I?).
There has to be raw material and you must load it into your brain where it can simmer and become a little less “raw”. Just as good cooking ingredients will start to meld into a new thing altogether (to continue the simmer analogy), so this raw information will begin to turn into interesting combinations for “tasting”. Your chore is twofold: try to see the material from every angle - and notice the combinations.
Processing
One sheet is an alphabet - which has infinite possibilities because we can make words - and there are lots of them. The other sheet has jars, butterflies, nets, flowers, grass, and signs. We know from our life experiences that there are some common relationships between these things.What do we know about those relationships? How do we feel right now?
Idea: So, the first thing that came to my mind was the easiest - make a word and embellish it with the flowers. What word? How do I feel right now? This word was inspired by the month I have had in September! I first thought to have the word followed by an exclamation point which had been blown over in the grass, but then, I thought it might detract from what is supposed to be the tranquility of this piece. Tranquility and exclamation points just don’t seem to go together!
Technique:I first traced the grass to avoid having the bottom of the letters show through it, then spelled out the word - leaving out the parts of the letters that would not show behind the grass - and overlapping the letters a little to give depth and create interest. The flowers were added, leaving out what would not show behind the letters, and the butterfly was placed last, so I could put it in just the right place to balance the composition. The drawing was traced on Sheer Heaven.
Color was done with what I like to call “mixed water media” - a combination of Caran d’ache water soluble crayons and pencils with a combo of pan and tube transparent watercolors plus a touch of white gouache. I have used transparent tube watercolor as my medium of choice forever. I also owned a whole drawer full of the “water solubles” the whole time, which never got used because I never liked the uneven application I got on paper. When I tried these same things on Sheer Heaven, I went a little nuts. I loved the look and got into combining every watercolor “thing-y” I had - using them all to enhance each other. I finally had to come up with the phrase “mixed water media” to describe what I was doing, and it has stuck.
Idea: Now, what do I know to be the relationship between butterflies, nets, and jars? Right. How do I feel about that relationship? I don’t like it. Next idea? Let’s turn things around a little. Voila!
I have a mistake in this one. Do you see it? Yup - that darn transparent grass!
Technique: The painting was done on Sheer Heaven with a brand new “paint” called Arte Colores which are thin, water soluble dyes that have incredible brilliance (see below). They also are lightfast and won’t fade (a problem with many dyes). More about them below.
Idea: Still thinking about that same relationship leads to this combination of elements. Perhaps all hazards should be labelled. Would it really help?
Art that tells a story is called “narrative” art, and while it is sometimes thought “naive” by art snobs, it is the most engaging art for some people (me, for one). It also has a little entertainment value thrown in for good measure. A nicely twisted idea never hurt anybody.
Since there aren’t any art snobs in our perfect world of paper arts, this is a great arena in which to explore some visual “storytelling”. The benefit is that, as you think about what is going on in your art piece (the plot as it were), more and more inspiration for the visual part occurs.
Idea: Now, I forget all about the butterflies and start thinking about jars.
I find jars to be fascinating things - open or closed. They are confined spaces that defy some of the elements of confinement - - the illusion of a cage, if you will - allowing whatever (whoever) is in the jar to see and experience the vastness around them while still being protected by the invisible “shield” of glass - and actually, being visible, “exposed”, and vulnerable in a different way at the same time. Whew!
As a visual symbol, jars have immense possibilities. I have already done a lot of exploring (which I will be sharing in Tracers and other bits of art in the future). For your own entertainment, think about what you might trace or stamp inside a jar and keep there. Things? Words? Emotions that are “bottled up”? Think about the word “preserves”.
What if the jar fell over on its side - what might spill out? Then what might be “growing” out of the grass because of what spilled out?
Maybe you begin to look at things just a little bit differently - and you see something else.
Mainly, it’s about playing with possibilities.
Where do I get my ideas? That’s where.
More next time. Have fun until then.
Want to get a quik-start?
We have packaged 12 sheets of High Quality Vellum Tracing Paper, 6 Sheets of Sheer Heaven, the 2 Tracers used in this article, and a Ultra-Fine Point black Sharpie Marker together in a kit at a special price, so you can jump right in.
Click the picture on the left to get details.
Arte Colores are brand new. They are available from enviropapers.com where they are offered wholesale to qualified buyers.
Currently, there are no online Shopping Carts where they can be purchased retail. However, they can be purchased via email from Sharon Vogt at paperartstudio@charter.net, and at www.printscharming.biz (Prints Charming Rubber Stamps and Related Art Supplies, Neosho, MO 417-455-2828)
We have been experimenting with them for just a short time and have been very pleased with the results. Much more experimenting is in order, and we will be sharing what we learn.
