Contrast – Vive la Difference

January 17, 2021

 

So, I tried writing about contrast and variations for this week but it got REALLY long. So I’ve split them up. You will want to read this post first in order to get the most out of next week’s so don’t skip this one. It’s not too long.

So, how often do you think about contrast in your designs? Although all the principles of design appear, to some degree, in all work, contrast is, whether you realize it or not, integral in the choices you make for all design elements that you have more than one of—marks, lines, colors, shape, form, and texture. It also works between applications of design principles like rhythm, balance, proportion and movement.

How does that work? Well, since contrast is the difference between two or more features, every time you choose to use multiple lines, colors, textures, types of rhythm, etc., you are going to determine the degree to which each iteration will be different from the others or not. And that choice can say so much since contrast contributes to the visual interest, mood, and energy of a piece as well as being employed for emphasis and other compositional considerations.

Contrast and Compare

Contrast is really more about comparison among things we see as related. Those comparisons help define the elements themselves.

For instance, a nice cerulean blue looks rather light when in the company of a royal purple but next to a pale peach it doesn’t seem light at all and yet, in both cases, there is a contrast in hue and value. The commonality is that they are both color elements while their differences are the characteristics you choose.

See this in action in Anarina Anar’s earrings (above). She uses an orange that looks light paired with black but it appears as the darkest of the colors, aside from the spots of black, when paired with the light cyan and white.

This works with any element. With shape, for example, a particular circle may seem small when near another circle that is much bigger, creating a contrast in size. However, that one circle’s smallness disappears if the other circle is of a similar size. It also eliminates the contrast.

These relationships make contrast relative which means you, ideally, chose your contrasting elements based on how they appear in combination with other elements of the same type. In other words, you can have contrast between different types of line or different types of color but you don’t identify contrast between a line and a color. They are already different, right? The contrast needs to be something that can be adjusted to make the contrasting elements more alike or less alike.

 

Speaking with Contrast

Working with contrast means you compare specific elements and change them out or adjust their differences to create the degree of contrast that you want. In this way, contrast can help you define the purpose or meaning of the elements in your work by how they relate to each other.

Take a piece that is all circles and squares and black and white. You have high contrast in shapes and in value. Rather high energy, right? That seems to work with the graphic nature of the overall theme. How about a piece that is all earth tones and hand cut leaf shapes? There may not be a lot of contrast in color or shape but that can convey harmony which does seem to support the concept of nature that it is likely rooted in.

Let’s look at an example of Arden Bardol’s work. The brooch you see here is a study in all types of contrast. The most obvious is its three-way value contrast with all that black, gray, and white. However, there is even more contrast with the “marks” of sliced cane, dots, and white rectangles.

In the marks, there is a shape difference between the circles and rectangles, a size and proportion difference between the large circles and small dots, and a difference in rhythm between the random placement of the black bordered white marks, the alternating placement of the gold dots, and the orderliness of those running up and down the lines of the left side.

This works for the predominant theme in all Arden’s work—” that life is a series of events which are sometimes magical, sometimes challenging. These events affect who we are. When they are viewed together as a whole, they create a unique and wonderful ‘coat of many colors.’” She also describes her work as “rich in complexity and simple in form” which the use of contrast greatly supports.

 

Put Contrast to Work

Now, how have you been using contrast and how might you employ it to speak for you in the future?

When trying to determine how to use contrast in your work, consider how much energy, tension, and drama your intention needs and then look to your elements of design for options to increase or decrease contrast. Adjust the characteristic of your different marks, lines, shapes, forms, color, and texture to create that level of contrast.

Angela Gerhard went for high contrast in her sgraffito enamel pendant here. Light versus dark, messy versus orderly, the vertical columns of seed beads against all those horizontal elements, and, even, color versus no color with that one wide swath of orange-red in the midst of all that black and white. That’s a lot of potential energy.

Even so, there is a restraint, a stillness in the piece. How did that happen? Well, the horizontals are dominant and they typically convey calm due to the stillness they represent (a principle of movement; in this case, minimal movement) so all the contrast in the elements helps infuse the pendant with energy that would not otherwise be there. That in itself is a contrast. You have high energy in contrast against low energy in movement, the comparison being between the choices of energy levels rather than the principles used to create it. It’s very intriguing.

So, like everything else, contrast is part of a mix of decisions that all have to play well together. I do find contrast a great place to start though since it can help you make decisions in so many other areas. Once you work with contrast as a guiding decision for other choices, you will probably start seeing more ways that contrast speaks for you, whether through the implied energy, the way high contrast can bring emphasis to a particular section or set of elements, or even metaphorically.

Questioning your use of contrast is also a great way to examine work you aren’t pleased with. Maybe you’re not happy with the shapes because they are too much alike or things feel chaotic because there is just too much of a difference between the types of lines you are using. Try adjusting the contrast between those elements and see if that doesn’t bring the work to a much better place.

 

 

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A Call for Unity (in Design)

January 10, 2021

Telling someone that a piece of artwork needs to look unified seems terribly obvious. However, a lack of unity is often the “I can’t quite put my finger on it” aspect of a piece that could use some improvement. But what exactly is unity when it comes to design?

Unity is the principle of attaining cohesion throughout the whole of a piece. Key to creating unity is establishing similarities which are really about finding points of commonality between the elements. In fact, as I discuss this, I’ll often use the term commonality instead of similarity because it’s that common connection that you’re really after.

(Above) Christine Dumont, creates commonality among her elements through an even, symmetrical design, restricted to only straight lines and right angles, and choosing equally bright colors on top and bottom. 

Unity in Review

We actually talked about the core of these concepts back in September as we wrapped up the discussion of color. Do remember these analogies about how we want to find the similarity and connection between things?

Our minds are always analyzing our world, weighing and judging all kinds of things our senses take in, but the mind works particularly hard to find connections between things, trying to divine a relationship between objects or concepts we encounter. When we can’t find the relationship or common connection between things that seem to belong together, it feels uncomfortable. Like, if you see two people sitting on a park bench in close proximity to each other, you assume they know each other. But if one is dressed in a business suit and the other is all punked out in black clothes and sports a mohawk, you may find it weird. The close proximity makes you think there should be a connection between them but their appearance makes a connection difficult to ascertain.

That particular paragraph pointed out the fact that proximity is not enough to make things look like they belong together. So just because you have a number of elements within the same frame or on the same form does not mean they’re going to look like they belong together. They have to have something in common.

That something might be visual such as a color, shape, texture, or pattern but it also might be conceptual. For instance, they could all may be related to a particular style, place, well-known story, or other subject matter. That comes up in the next recollected paragraph referring back to the two men on the park bench:

Now, if those same two people both had French bulldogs sitting at their feet you might assume that they are part of a French bulldog lover’s club. Or, if they have similar documents in hand then you might think that they are a businessman and a client going over paperwork. Once you find a connection, then the relationship makes sense even if the contrast between the two is odd. That contrast simply makes for an interesting combination but it’s not a wholly comfortable one until the viewer is able to divine a possible reason for them to be sitting together. We simply want things to make sense.

So, unity and similarity work together to help the viewer make sense of what they see. The most direct and often easiest ways to create similarities is to choose visual elements or characteristics of visual elements that support your intention and are used throughout the piece. For instance, lines that are predominantly curved, even if curved in different ways, would create commonality between those lines. Or if most of the elements were blocky or thick there would be commonality between that characteristic of your element’s forms.

But here’s the catch. You want commonality but you don’t want everything to be the same.

 

Similar but Not Boring

The concepts of unity and similarity are often discussed in tandem with variety and contrast. You really need to have both similarity and contrast to create unity and variety, and you need unity and variety to create a piece that is both cohesive and interesting. If you don’t, the work is likely to seem uncomfortable or boring or both.

That’s all I’m going to say about contrast and variety until the next lesson. It’s kind of a big subject. But keep in mind, you really can’t have a unifying piece without some variety so the objective is not to make everything look alike but to ensure the viewer can make connections between everything they see.

Seen here on the right, Carol Blackburn’s Odd Couple vessels employ visual unity in strong geometric shapes, well-defined lines, and consistently saturated colors. For all those points of commonality, this is anything but boring due to the high contrast in color, direction of elements, and variety of pattern.

 

 

Using Concepts to Create Unity

Are you starting to get the idea that unity is a tad more complicated than it might at first sound like? This is why using style, story, or other particular subject matters as the guiding or underlying concept for a piece (as long as it is related to or is the subject of your intention) is often a better way to go. These sources for your intentional choices are going to be inherently more complex and will always include points of similarity and contrast simply because they are rooted in the broadness of our ideas or experiences.

Style concepts you can use to guide your choices could be anything from a historically recognized aesthetic period such as Art Deco or Colonial, a modern trend such as minimalism or BoHo, or a subculture like goth or steampunk. It could even be a style of your own that you have developed after unearthing your own well-developed artistic voice.

Beatriz Cominatto created pieces inspired by the native work of the Marajoara people who lived on Brazil’s Marajo Island. An avid researcher and history lover, Beatriz studied archaeological finds from the island extensively before starting the series. The story of these people and their aesthetic inform all her design choices here, resulting in cohesive and intriguing piece.

 

The bottom line is you want all your elements to be seen as connected. That will create the unity and therefore the cohesiveness that makes a work feel masterfully complete. Whether you connect that through visual elements or connect your choices to particular concepts or subject matters, the important thing is that your viewer can see or sense why all of your chosen elements belong together.

 

 

My New Year Begins

After a particularly distracting week (for all of us, I know!) I am finally digging into the preparations for the “year of me” that I am planning, creatively speaking. I’m clearing space in the garage for some messier work involving glass and stone but I’m not so good at just quickly making space. I figure if I am reorganizing, I’m going to do it right. So I think I will be lost in there for whatever time I can manage for while yet. We never had the opportunity to really organize the space after he moved in four years ago so I’m using it as both a bit of downtime (yes, I know, only I would consider cleaning out a garage as downtime) and a literal and symbolic way to start this new chapter of my life off right.

I’m not sure when I will have work to show since my projects are rather ambitious and will take some time, but my fiction writing has work has already begun. I still have more research for the book to do but unlike the artwork, I’m impatient to get to the writing so I’m allowing myself time to work on short stories related to the novel’s characters. I cannot tell you how incredible it is to be working on creative projects that are not related to anything I’m trying to sell. Sure, I’ll try to sell the book the future but, for now, I am so enjoying getting lost in the writing.

I’m also working on an author website and I updated my artist website enough to allow cross promotion between the two. Luckily, my web guy is completely free right now to work on those for me and I get to pay him in trade, writing content for his clients so everything is just falling into place.

When websites, new writing, or new art is ready for prime time, I’ll let you all know.

I hope the start of your year and whatever you have planned is getting happily launched. I know we’re not out of the woods yet with the struggles we have had since early last year but I think we are starting to dig ourselves out. As long as 2020 doesn’t drag its trials and tribulations into 2021 too far. Last week wasn’t a great start but sometimes you have to go down to go up. Just hoping we don’t sink down much farther!

Please everyone stay safe, warm, healthy, kind, and positive!

 

 

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Moving Art & My New Direction

After all the talk of repetition and rhythm last week, it is only natural that we should discuss a concept I have casually brought up numerous times already—the concept of movement and its role in design.

Movement can be found in a single element or can refer to the whole of a composition. It can be implied, such as the sense of gravity pulling on objects set on diagonal lines or the flow of a wavy path of dots. It might be symbolically expressed as in arrows directing the eye or curled lines reminding us of wind. It can also be literal, kinetic movement as seen in the swing of a dangling earring or the moving limbs of a ball joint doll.

Although all those examples are recognized types of movement, you should keep in mind that, as a concept, movement is a range of possibilities. From absolute stillness to a maelstrom of energy, some level of movement is going to be present in your work whether you consciously consider it or not. However, its importance cannot be ignored. Movement does two particularly important things—it creates or restrains much of the sense of energy in the work and it is, usually, key to leading the viewer’s eye around the composition.

(Above) Using polymer marquetry J.M. Syron and Bonnie Bishoff create highly directional lines of branches, densely sweeping up towards the single bird flying through the open space of the sky beyond them.

 

Movement Through Elements

You can create movement with any element such as lines, marks, color, and texture in order to convey the degree of movement desired. Lines are the most obvious because they can be so insistently directional and our eyes follow them like paths. Marks can be arranged to create lines or can create a sense of movement by a progressive change in density, from sparse to crowded. Texture can be manipulated in the same progressive way.

Color can be a little trickier but can definitely still convey movement through the use of light versus dark values or saturated versus dull. Light and bright colors feel more dynamic and can accentuate a sense of movement while dull and dark colors tend to feel heavy and more inert.

In the brooch here by Sabine Spiesser, movement is created by line, form, and balance. The form in black is a blunted arrow heading left, the movement in that direction reinforced by the echo in the shape of the red line and the direction of the black lines connecting them. The textured form also creeps over the red line in that same direction. In addition, the balance favors a lean to the left with the heaviness of the black form but the broader gold and red side pulls it back, giving the impression that only the weight of the larger form is holding the black boomerang from taking off.

 

Movement Through Principles

As you may recall from previous lessons, movement is conveyed with these elements primarily through various concepts of design.

For instance, last week we saw how a sense of movement can be created by employing types of rhythm such as flowing (using wavy or curly lines) or progressive rhythm (such as colors going from bright to dull or marks going from sparse to dense).

Don’t forget that rhythm also creates tempo which is all about a sense of speed and the passing of time, and speed is about nothing if not about movement.

The concept of balance will also establish degrees of movement. A centered composition tends towards stillness while asymmetry can create a pull as our minds mentally try to move objects towards more grounded positions or a logical equilibrium.

 

Even the concept of proportion can affect the degree of active movement. Elements of equal proportion can convey inactivity while uneven proportions can be used to produce a sense of movement through space or larger objects bearing down on smaller ones.

 

Aleksandra Micic uses line to create a swirling movement, densely packed at the bottom of her pendant where the tempo seems fast compared to the area of open space above, but the dark, heavy colors weight that energy down in a way that quiets the movement. The light and brighter flowers would increase the energy but for their widely spaced placement which, again, slows the tempo down, giving the pendant a reserved energy that moves languorously underneath the delicate, twinkling appearance of the blossoms.

 

Movement and Intention

So, when designing your work, consider how much movement you would like to see. It should come up with the same question as to how much energy should the piece have to best convey your intention.

A piece reminiscent of a lazy day at the beach would probably have calm energy and therefore minimal movement. If trying to capture the bustle of the big city, you’d probably be going for high energy and a very active sense of movement.

No matter what degree of energy you want in a piece, the sense of movement it has is going to be a primary visual conductor of that energy. And since so many other elements and concepts feed the sense of movement, you may want to ask yourself while making your design decisions not just how your decisions will fulfill your intention but how they will create the degree of movement that your intention requires.

Geez, that sounds heavy. And, yes, movement is very important but is also extremely fun and fulfilling to create.

So, don’t be afraid to spend a little time planning or manipulating elements to increase or decrease, as needed, the sense of movement in your piece. Just an awareness of the movement in your work can reveal so many exciting opportunities for your design.

 

New Year, New Directions

Okay gang. Here we are, finally, out of 2020 and into a new year that I think we can be quite hopeful for. For many of us, this past year has been one of the hardest years in our lives. For me, and I expect a lot of you as well, 2020’s hardships got a lot of us doing some soul-searching as the trials and tragedies we watched or endured gave us a different perspective on our lives and on our world.

That got me looking back at the past two years of changes I’ve made to the business. Those changes were not only to relieve the physical toll it took on me but in hopes of giving myself more time for my own artwork and writing projects. That hasn’t worked out as I’d hoped, especially with all the wrenches thrown into things this past year.  So, this year, I’ve decided, is going to be the year of prioritizing my own creative work.

Unfortunately, that means I need to reduce what I do under Tenth Muse Arts and to that end, I am making these changes:

  • The next 4 Mini-Mags will be the last for the foreseeable future. These will wrap up the Principles of Design lessons, ending on January 20th. The Devotee Club will close after the last mini-mag.
  • I will still blog, although just every other week starting this month. I will continue building on your design knowledge plus share what I am making and writing.
  • There is a hold on art book production for at least for the first half of the year.
  • The shop will stay open and I’ll put out a newsletter when there is news or I plan a sale.
  • I’ll continue coaching and am looking into offering periodic group coaching and/or critiquing sessions once I have my own work going.

I’ll keep in touch on this blog and in newsletters so I’m not disappearing. Just resetting my priorities. I have some challenging mixed media art I want to try and I aim to finish a novel I have been working on for years. Well, I’m actually going to rewrite the whole thing so I have some serious work ahead!

I do feel this time with my own work will benefit you as well as myself since getting back to a more creative life will give more authenticity and depth to what I share with you. If I can renew the joy in my own work, I should be better able to help you find more joy in your own in all the things I share in the future.

So, let’s see what great things we can bring about in 2021!

–Sage

 

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The Beat of Your Art

December 27, 2020

Rhythm and repetition are integral parts of artistic design. Although I pair them together, they are not simply variations of the same thing or two sides of the same coin. They are two aspects of design that work together.

Repetition in art is the repeated use of a specific element. The element doesn’t have to be exactly the same each time it is repeated but it should be recognized as essentially the same even if there is a change to its size, color, shape, or texture.

The principle of repetition is used to emphasize, adorn, and lead the eye as well as being a tool to create rhythm and movement. Design elements commonly used to create repetition include marks, lines, shapes, forms and even color.

Rhythm is the regularity and perceived tempo of repetition. Is commonly employed to suggest movement and evoke atmosphere or emotion. Rhythm helps to define the energy in a piece by setting the pace of its perceived motion while leading the eye around the composition.

Rhythm can’t be established without repetition and repetition is going to define some kind of rhythm so, you see, they are quite the design duo. Let’s look at what you can do with them to support the intention of the work you’re creating.

(Opening image: Martina Buriánová employs repetition to create a random as well as a regular rhythm in this intriguing pendant. She also displays examples of both a fast tempo (in the white dots down to the middle) and a slow tempo (in the black dots dropping away from the grid of dots) in the rhythm created.)

 

Types of Rhythm

 

Regular rhythm

This is established when an element is repeated at a regular distance and usually in a straight or predictable path. Classic pearl necklaces have a regular rhythm as do, white picket fences, and those dashed lines down the middle of the highway. Regular rhythms support the concept of order and predictability.

 

Laura Timmins’ necklace is an example of some pretty dense random rhythm. She uses a set of, what looks to be, six different types of elements, each used numerous times, some with varying colors while others vary in size, all crowded together in a random and crowded composition that speaks to an undersea world teeming with life.

Random rhythm

When elements are repeated without a recognizable order, that would be considered random. Nature is, of course, big on random rhythm such as a line of trees at the edge of a forest, the scattering of seashells on a beach, or the blooms of flowers on a bush. Random rhythm support concepts that are frenetic, organic, or involve a high energy emotion, among other things.

 

Progressive rhythm

DDee Wilder’s carved ring uses a progressive rhythm in the enlarging of the shapes revealed through its carving that makes it almost pulse with energy.

This describes the use of a repeated element that progressively changes as it moves through the composition. Changes in size, color, shape, or value are common changes that can create progression in rhythm. Examples include the chambers of a Nautilus shell, the scales of a pinecone, and even those dashed lines on the highway getting smaller as they run towards the horizon. A rainbow Skinner blend is also a type of progressive rhythm as the lines of color change hue. These all speak to concepts like growth, progression, and movement through space.

 

Flowing rhythm

This can be about the arrangement of the repeated elements or the type of element used to create that repetition but it always involves curved or circular elements or formations. The reason it is discussed separately from other types of rhythm is because it’s specifically used to create flowing movements. Examples in nature include waves, masses of climbing vines, or the rippled layers in sandstone. These support concepts such as comfort, calm, and acceptance.

 

Alternating rhythm

Małgorzata Wawrzyńczak’s silk screen bracelet has an alternating rhythm in color (black-orange-red-turquoise) but she changes up the width of each line as well as the pattern.

This type of rhythm uses two or more elements, alternately repeated. You can usually identify a second type of rhythm within an alternating rhythm such as regular, progressive, or flowing rhythms. Alternating the repeated elements is a common way to take a regular rhythm up a notch in a beaded necklace, particularly through the use of spacer beads or changing the color or pattern of every other or every third bead. This rhythm increases energy and adds interest.

 

Creating tempo

The type of rhythm you choose will be the first step in creating tempo but your size, placement, and proximity of the elements will also affect the perceived speed and weight of that rhythm. For example:

  • Small elements repeated lean towards feeling light and staccato.
  • Large, repeated elements tend to feel heavy and deliberate.
  • When elements are set close together it feels fast.
  • Distance between elements slows the tempo down, particularly when there are just a few of them.

 

Of course, consider the tempo you want that supports the intention of what you’re creating just as you choose marks and lines that have characteristics to support your intention. So, between choosing the element to be repeated, determining a type of rhythm, and setting the tempo, the use of repetition and the characteristics of its rhythm can be key to getting across the ideas and concepts of your work.

 

Looking forward to the New Year

 

So, what have you decided for your 2021? What will be your priorities and your goals?

 

I have a big list myself. I will be sharing some changes and thoughts in the coming week, so stay tuned!

 

I do wish you all the very best in the start of this new year and thank you so much for spending time with me this past year!

 

 

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It’s All Relative (+50% off Christi Friesen books, last days!)

December 20, 2020

The uneven proportion of the windows in this steel, paper, and liquid polymer pendant by Tish Collins adds variation as well as bringing our attention to the large primary window and its details. Making the smallest window also the darkest keeps it from being ignored as dark values also draw our attention, aiding in the balance between the left and right side of the pendant.

Do you remember in October when we were talking about the concept of size? Although size is considered an element because it is a characteristic of the forms you work with, it is so intertwined with the design concept of scale and proportion that the discussion may have felt a little incomplete back then. Well, this week we will delve into it in more depth and, hopefully, make you feel complete! Well, at least in your knowledge of size, proportion, and scale.

 —
Scale vs. Proportion

Although we design nerds tend to talk about proportion and scale together, they are actually 2 different things. Proportion is about the relative size between two or more objects or details when they are grouped together or juxtaposed. Scale, on the other hand, refers to how big or small something is compared to the general understanding of how a thing usually is or our expectation of how it should be.

You can use both of them to add variation in contrast to your work. Many of us do this intuitively but having a better understanding of what they are can help you do so intentionally as well as giving you another tool to increase or decrease contrast as needed. Let me give you the definitions of each with a few examples.

 —
Proportions

My 75-pound black German shepherd, Ember, is small compared to my friend’s 120-pound monster of a German shepherd, Ican. (Ican, by the way, stands for I Can Eat You Whole. I have some very humorous friends if a tad morbid.) However, Ember is large compared to her housemate here, Kimba, a 32-pound spitz. Our perception of Ember’s size as a dog changes relative to other dogs she is next to so she is proportionately smaller than Ican but proportionately larger than Kimba. That’s proportion.


The perspective of this photo exaggerates the proportions between Ember and Kimba but it was deliberate choice. The exaggeration allowed me to better hint at who is more attentive to her people!

I know that example isn’t art but who doesn’t like a little doggie detour? So, okay, as a visual art example, let’s talk circles but use the color and size of the dogs as our basis. That would give us a large brown circle, a medium black circle, and a small white circle. If these circles are part of an art piece, the differences in size says something about the importance of each circle. In general, larger means more important than smaller. That certainly not always true but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Since we have a tendency to personify inanimate objects, we often consciously or unconsciously assign some form of social or power dominance when comparing grouped objects, just like we would with those dogs. Ican certainly sounds like the most powerful of the 3 and Kimba seems like the one that would be dominated by the other two. We are likely to assign the same sense of dominance to the circles. This perceived dominance can help us determine hierarchy.

Now, of course, as noted last week, characteristics of an element can make it stand out even if it is smaller, especially when it comes to color, although texture and marks can make a huge difference as well. But the takeaway here is that you can alter the proportion of elements in a piece to help create hierarchy, aid balance, and/or create contrast.

(By the way, if you’ve had dogs, you know that size doesn’t actually tell you much. Kimba is, of course, the toughest of the bunch and Ican gets scared if you laugh too loud!)

 —
Scale


Megan Bogonovich isn’t one for limitations or meeting the usual expectations. The scale of these beads, so much larger than we’d expect someone to wear, really draws your attention as does the fabulous choice of model!

Now, with scale, we are dealing with our perception of how things should be rather than comparing objects to each other. For example, we expect a chair to be sized for human beings to sit in and a teapot big enough to hold a decent amount of tea yet be easy to pick up and pour from. Anything significantly larger or smaller than these expectations would be a change in scale. It’s like a mini pinscher. They look like someone hit a Doberman with a shrink ray! Anything hit with a shrink ray would have a difference of scale.

 

In art, scale often relates to reproductions or representations of things we are familiar with that are much smaller or much larger than expected such as miniature food or large brooches of small insects. But that’s not the only way it works. We also look at things in terms of our expectations for things in a more general sense.

For instance, you walk into the park and are faced with a 12-foot-high silver monolith. First, you alert the local news stations as to the appearance of yet another mysterious monolith, this time in your local park. (If you’re unfamiliar with the mysterious monolith trend, check out these stories.) You tell them it is big and tall and silver. Now, why did you say it was big and tall? There are no other monoliths nearby to make a judgment and there is no standard for the size of a monolith.

The reason you would say that is because we look at things in terms of its relation to our size. If something is taller than us than it is usually thought of as tall. If it is bigger than us then we think of it as big. Strangely enough, if it’s smaller than us, is not always thought of as small because if we can handle it then it is a usable size. Large and small not only did note our perception of size but also our perception of whether the size is proper or normal.


I know … another non-art photo but it’s too good an example of scale! This is myself and my step-daughter feeling like munchkins on this oversized picnic bench in Sydney, Australia. From a distance it looked like a normal sized table so it was quite a surprise and delight to experience the scale of it.

Adjustments to our expectation of scale in art is used to convey concepts. For instance, a sense of things like enormity, importance, or presence can be relayed when the scale is large. Items on a small scale invite us to come in for a closer look often for the purpose of eliciting wonder and joy. So, if you’re making a necklace that is very large it’s going to have a presence that can give it a bit of a “wow” factor. If it is very small and dainty, the goal would more likely be to elicit a smile or curiosity.

 —
Now, What You Do with It?

Stopping to think about your artwork in terms of how it will appear in scale and proportion will, like every design element or concept we discuss, give you the opportunity to make intentional decisions that can further affect the way the work is viewed and experienced. You have to make a decision about size for all your elements. Just include considerations for how the proportions (how elements will be seen relative to each other) and scale (our expectations of size) can support those intentions.

 

 

 

Last Days of Club Exclusive Sale

25% or 50% off Christi Friesen books!

 

Club members have been snagging deals on this all week but in the holiday spirit, I’m offering this club exclusive discount to everyone for the last few days of the sale!

Whether you just want to get yourself a little something to make these holidays a bit brighter or you’re aiming to start or feed a polymer addiction among family and friends, Christi Friesen’s project books are perfect gifts filled with fun and whimsy!

Take 50% Off PRINT editions of Christi Friesen books (not including sale packages.)
Promo Code for print editions: CFBX50

Prefer digital? Take 25% Off digital copies of Christi Friesen’s books
Promo code for digital editions: CFDG25

 —

 —

Get it there by Christmas deadlines: Our guaranteed delivery deadlines are past as of today but the Priority Mail option might still make it if ordered by Monday morning and ships to a Western US address, otherwise you or your giftee can look forward to late season treats the week after Christmas (US) or a start to the new year (outside US)!

*Discount good on all regularly priced Christi Friesen books excluding package specials. Discounts end December 21st, 2020

 

You can support this blog by buying yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or just …
Buy me a coffee

Inside and to the Right

December 13, 2020

This mixed media collage by Anna Dabrowska has all its activity on the right and well as having the face, lines and opening of spaces predominantly looking or leading towards the center.

This week’s concept is not a Design Principle as you might have expected. We’ll return to that usual programming next week. Instead, I want to share something I chatted with Club members about a couple weeks ago that does tie into both composition and the concept balance we’ve been talking about. To start out, here’s a question for you.

How long do you want people to spend looking at your work?

Ideally, we want them to spend a ton of time! This is affirming for us as artists but also demonstrates the attractiveness and interest of our work. So, to keep them looking, it helps not to lead them off your “canvas” with elements that direct them towards and off the edge of your work.

It’s not that there aren’t times when you want to allude to what might be “off the canvas” but let’s assume you want to lead the viewer’s eye around and inside the piece. To keep them inside, you want to direct your elements inside as well.

For instance, if you have a profile of a face, have it turned toward the inside of the work, not towards its closest edge or, just like when you see a guy looking up, you’ll follow that gaze right off the edge wondering what they are looking at.

Same would go for anything that is arrow-like or has any kind of perceived front. You will usually want these things to face inward to keep the viewer in the composition.

So that’s a trick you can use for keeping viewers inside the composition. I’ve got one more little idea for you though.

Important elements, focal points in particular, do better when they are set off to the right (if they are not being centered which can be a very strong, if sometimes stagnant, position). I believe it’s because we start taking things in from the left and move right. You don’t want to have the most interesting part on the left with little of interest going on to the right to continue drawingthe eye in that direction.

I suspect this preference for the right side is largely a western world phenomenon because we read from left to right. I do wonder (and tried to research it but came up with nothing so far) if in countries where they read right to left or top to bottom, if they like things to be opposite the side they start reading on. Regardless, thinking about how we read a page should help you remember that little rule.

 

Again, it’s art, so keep in mind that the so-called rules are just ways to guide your thinking. Many artists create successful compositions without regard to these two ideas but these ideas are good options or a place to start. They could also be helpful if you need ideas to help fix a composition that doesn’t quite look right. Perhaps the right side is being ignored or strong elements lead off the canvas but nothing draws the eye back.

These ideas are certainly worth experimenting with, just don’t let them block you from experimenting beyond them.

 

Last Days of the EVERYTHING SALE

ALL Packages 30-50% off (already discounted, no promo code needed!)

or

Grab 20% off any items not on sale. Use Promo code 202020

Just jump over to Tenth Muse Arts!

 

 

 

 

 

If you like this blog, buy yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or just …
Buy me a coffee

Balancing Acts

December 6, 2020 ,

A flower inspired mandala like arrangement of canes shows symmetry and radial balance, including symmetrically mirrored canes, in this piece by Jana Roberts Benzon.

Us humans really like things to be logical, have purpose, and be in balance with the world as we know it. We are constantly assessing what we are looking at so that we automatically recognize when things aren’t quite right. A lack of visual balance in artwork is one of those things that we readily recognize even if we can’t verbalize why we know that.

What we are identifying is dissonance in the use and distribution of the elements of the design. Visual balance is about how elements in the various sections of the artwork play off each other, achieving a comfortable visual equilibrium or, if it is discordant, an intention to make us uncomfortable. This is all rooted in what we call visual weight.

The Concept of Visual Weight

Visual weight is wrapped up in our perception of weight as we know it in our physical world as well as the emphasis or importance of each element. We assign a heavier visual weight to elements that we either perceive as being heavier or that have more visually dominant characteristics than the other elements they are arranged with.

For instance, with all other characteristics being equal, larger elements appear to weigh more than smaller elements (because in the physical world larger versions of an item do weigh more.) The same is true for black or dark elements which look heavier than white or light elements, possibly because we associate white and light colors with fluffy things like clouds and cotton and dark things with heavy stuff like mud and iron.

In other cases, the element that has more of an attention grabbing characteristic such as largeness, energy, or colorful-ness, will appear to have more visual weight. Busy, energetic textures grab our attention more readily than sparse or smooth textures. Brighter or richer colors draw the eye more insistently than lighter or muted tones.

This balancing of characteristics is why a small red dot can feel like it has as much visual weight as a large gray circle. The bright, attention grabbing red dot has more color weight, so to speak, while the large circle has more perceived weight due to its size and, so, they can balance each other out as they do here, evenly placed on the canvas.

 

Now, let’s take the concept of visual weight and think about how it can be applied to the types of visual balance in art.

 

Types of Visual Balance

There are 3 types of balance in visual art: Symmetrical Balance (including Radial Balance), Asymmetrical Balance, and Discordant Balance. Their names are pretty self-explanatory but let’s take a look at how each works.

 

Symmetrical Balance

Symmetrical balance simply means that the different sides or sections of the artwork mirror the elements and/or arrangement of the elements from one side to the other with the sides or sections evenly split.

This is quite common in jewelry, especially necklaces, earrings (especially when considering the pair), belts, and other adornment where the two sides of the piece mirror each other, split on the central vertical line of the body upon which it will be worn.

Symmetrical balance can be achieved around a single point as well. This is often referred to as Radial Balance. A kaleidoscope cane is an example of symmetrical and radial balance, as are flowers, mandalas, and wheels. The opening image hits symmetrical balance in a few different ways as noted in the caption.

 

This polymer and wood pin by Margaret Polcawich creates asymmetrical balance through varied placement on a central line that we recognize as the points the forms would need to touch on so as not to fall over.

Asymmetrical Balance

This polymer and wood pin by Margaret Polcawich creates asymmetrical balance by varied placement but on a central line that we recognize as the points at which the forms, if loose, would need to touch on so as not to fall over.

In the sides or sections of an asymmetrically balanced composition, the visual emphasis and/or placement of elements are varied, as may be the size or shape of the sections. So, although not alike, all sides or sections feel balanced by the give and take of our perception of weight or visual emphasis.

There is another cool application of asymmetrical balance has to do with where things are placed in a composition. I like to think of it as the teeter totter effect. The farther out an object is from a central position (like the fulcrum of teeter totter), the more force it exerts as if it weighs more the further out it gets. The closer to the center, the less force it exerts and therefore the less weight it seems to have.

Because we have an inherent understanding of how to balance a teeter tooter (even if not a conscious one), visually we see it the same way. Place a visually heavy object closer to the center and a visually lighter object farther away and they will contribute to an asymmetrical but balanced composition.

 

 

Ford and Forlano use discordant balance just within reach of our comfort limit, further mitigated by the presence of their playful intent.

Discordant Balance

A discordant balance means that there is little or no even distribution of visual weight. This type of balance can make people uncomfortable, which may be desired if your subject matter is uncomfortable and you want people to feel that, but it can also quite effectively convey a sense of motion or action.

So, that’s the concept of balance in art. Not too heavy, was it? We will come back to balance a lot as we explore upcoming concepts in the next few weeks but for now, just take notice of the way elements are balanced in the artwork and designs you see day to day. From the symmetry of the Christmas ornaments to the asymmetry of a holiday card to the discordant balance of your studio table, balance is everywhere!

 

Don’t Forget the EVERYTHING SALE!

It’s a great time to fill in your own library or buy creative and inspiring gifts, all while helping to support this blog and all the Tenth Muse Arts projects.

–All Packages on Sale 30%-50% OFF

–PLUS 20% OFF all non-sale Publications and Design tools in your Cart*

Use promo code 202020

*20% off not good on sale packages or club memberships. Discounts ends December 15th, 2020.

 

In Unrelated News …

I’m trying out a new (to me) service, as I vet ideas for me and my coaching clients. It’s called “Buy me a Coffee”.

With it, wherever you have free content, you can ask people to show their appreciation by clicking a little button to send you a few bucks. The kind benefactor doesn’t have to sign up for anything and can use common forms of online payment like PayPal. There are other ways to get financial support through this butt I’m trying just the basic button right now.

If you are interested, in trying it yourself, click here . Of course, I have no objections if you do want to buy me a cup of coffee with the wee button below. Gotta support the habit (and the late nights) somehow!

If you don’t see the little button below – because I don’t think some email servers will show it – just click here.

The Leading Part (And the Everything Sale!)

Ronna Sarvas Weltman‘s Talisman necklace leads us on a simple but effective journey, starting with the large white bead that sweeps our eyes across the width of the piece, then down the vertical bead set that is unlike the others strung below it, dropping us into the dense collection of side view beads and right back up to take another circuit around it.

As mentioned last week, choosing a composition has as much to do with your intention as any other choice you make. However, there is another consideration that, although it is still steered by intention, is usually about holding onto your viewer’s attention so you have time to communicate your ideas, stories, and/or aesthetics.

What I am talking about is commonly referred to as “leading the eye”. This is the path that the viewer’s eye will take around your work. A visual journey around your piece, especially if it allows the viewer to take in all the elements you’ve created, adds to a sense of cohesiveness and intention in that it helps all the elements feel purposeful as well as showing your mastery and control of your design

As mentioned,  two weeks ago, you can use a hierarchy of focal points and interest to lead a viewer around the different areas of your piece. A viewer will usually take things in from what is perceived as the most important element to the least, giving you a controllable path to lead them through. You can also use lines and shapes to make more literal paths as we like to follow lines and edges of shapes to see where they go.

Knowing this, you can determine where the viewer will first look (your focal point) and then create a path they will take from there. Not only does this allow you to ensure that they take in all of your hard work but it can also help fulfill your intention.

For instance, you can lead them smoothly from one point to another on a curve, communicating calm and ease. You could, alternately, have them energetically hopping around from one section to another to build on the idea of enthusiasm, fun, joy, etc. Or you can quickly shoot them from one side to the other on a straight line which can convey determination, strength, and/or force.

I will be feeding these ideas into your eager little minds as we delve through the upcoming lessons on Principles of Design. The principles will not only help you communicate your intention but they can be manipulated to assist you in leading a viewer’s eye through your piece.

Pretty cool, right?

 

Also … HUGE (nearly) EVERYTHING Sale!

[For those who ran into problems ordering digital yesterday, the glitch is fixed. Technology is such a grinch!]

I’ve never jumped in on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday thing but this year, I think we all need to get our shopping done early, destress, just spend some good quality time in our studio spaces! So, I figured this sale could help with both gifts and encouraging studio time, depending on who you buy for!

 

All Packages on Sale 30%-50% OFF

Print Packages

  • The Polymer Arts magazine – 23 issues: $119 ($230 value)
  • The Polymer Studio magazine – 3 issues: $15.95 ($24 value)
  • All Christi Friesen publications- 8 books: $84.95 ($122 value)
  • Christi Friesen Project booklets – 5 pack: $39 ($58 value)
  • Polymer Journeys 2016+2019: $32 ($47 value)

Digital Packages

  • The Polymer Arts – ALL 29 issues: $99 ($173 value)
  • The Polymer Studio – 3 issues: $12.50 ($18 value)
  • Polymer Journeys 2016+2019: $20.95 ($32 value)

 

PLUS 20% OFF
ALL non-sale Publications and Design tools in your Cart*

Single issue magazines, any books (print or digital), CMY Color Wheel, Grayscale, Composition Grid tool … all at a discount!

Use promo code 202020

*20% off not good on sale packages or club memberships. Discounts ends December 5th, 2020.

 

The Big Picture … in Words

November 22, 2020

Micromosaic polymer and silver brooch by Cynthia Toops and Chuck Domitrovich. Do you see the Rule of Thirds in use here? Diagonals? Implied lines? These concepts and more come together to create an intriguing composition with a story.

Has composition creeped into your design time in the studio yet? Have you been stepping back and pondering just how your work is laid out?

If not, you might just be soaking up the composition basics (review the basics through the blog starting here if you are new to the club) waiting for that lightbulb to come on that tells you why and how to choose a compositional layout. Well, I am hoping, this week, I can click that lightbulb on for you!

The classic composition items I’ve introduced so far are just guidelines or starting points for planning the layout of your design elements. I just want you to keep that in mind as this is not a science—it’s art. That means that this is really about you, as the artistic mastermind, choosing how you want your work to look so no hard and fast rules here.

Now, how to choose compositions that you like and that fulfill your intention? Even though there is no formula for this, there are some basic concepts that you can turn to get you started.

One would be to try out a number of the classic composition such as the Golden Ratio, the Rule of Thirds, composing on a diagonal, or in any triangular formation and see if any of those hit home. That would be a visual approach.

I, personally, like to start with words. If you have been with me all year, you may recall that at a couple points I talked about coming up with particular adjectives, concepts, or a story to describe your intention and guide your choices. This works for composition as well.

So, for example, if the words, ideas, or story you are working with include movement, then something with diagonals, including triangular compositions, would be a good place to start. If your intentions involve calm, you might look to composing horizontally, probably rooted on a horizontal line in the Rule of Thirds grid (going evenly through the center can feel stagnant) could help project this. Or, if your intention involves strength, vertical and centered arrangements (verticals look grounded and commanding centered, unlike horizontal) might be just the thing.

Just get to know and understand how different arrangements feel and you can connect them to the words, concepts, or stories you attached to your design ideas.

That’s the first half of my lesson on how to choose and plan compositions. We’ll get into what I think of as the key to cohesiveness in composition planning next week!

 

Getting Caught Up

Yes. we’ve gotten a bit shorter here this week, for a number of reasons but mostly because I poured all my work energy into a rather intensive MiniMag for the Club members. We not only talked about the above ideas of connecting words, concepts, and stories to composition choices but we also went through a very detailed step-by-step on how I plan a composition that still leaves plenty of room for creative play, followed up by a way to study and learn from the composition of others.  No discounts, giveaways, or new products to offer, just a ton of really core composition skills to take in.

Unfortunately, I am no longer in a position to give the full lessons for free as I did all summer but, due to a number of requests, I have decided to put together the weekly MiniMags in monthly collections.

So, if you aren’t ready to commit to a club membership or what to check it out without signing up first, you can get the content, albiet quite a bit later than the club members and without timely access to the specials, discounts, and giveaways, but at least you can get the full lessons and further your design knowledge and creative skills.

Check out the MiniMag collections on the VAB page of the website.

 

Design Tools Back in Stock

If you missed out on the Gray Scale Finders or the custom ViewCatchers with Grids, I have them back in stock. Find those on the Design Tools page.

 

 

Stay Creative, Stay Safe, Stay the Course!

The news has not been wonderful from most corners of the world of late although wonderful glimmers of hope and the desperately wished for “light at the end of the tunnel” are appearing on the horizon for the craziness that has been 2020. We have just a little bit more to get through and I am earnestly praying we all get through this safely!

So, for my American readers, as we head into a big holiday week, please, please, please, do not let your guard down. You are creatives after all! You can come up with a wonderful, safe, socially distanced or remote version of Thanksgiving that will keep you and every loved one you want to see safe and healthy. (Zoom lifted its 40 minute limit for free accounts on Thanksgiving so take advantage of that!) And then, next year … watch out! We’ll go crazy big next year! I’d say I can’t wait, but I can. We can. It will be soooo worth it!

For all the rest of my dear readers around the globe, I am wishing all the best for you and yours. Stay safe, put on some fabulous, expressive, creative mask when you do have to head out and otherwise, put your energy into family and lots of studio time! Good? Good.

Care for yourselves like the precious people you are and I will see you next week with the second half of the lesson on how to plan out wonderful compositions.

 

 

 

The Party is in Full Swing. Come join us!

May 31, 2023
Posted in ,

 

What party is this? The latest project from little ol’ me, Sage. The Sage Arts podcast is more than up and running… I have 25 episodes up as of this posting, ready on your favorite podcast player (New to Podcasts? Click here to find out how easy it is to enjoy them!) and a new one coming out every week.

 

What’s This Podcast All About?

This podcast is all about feeding and exciting your muse. By enlightening or reminding you about important and maybe unconsidered aspects of creating and living as an artist, I hope to help you find more joy and satisfaction in what you do, sharing ways to create with authenticity and fearlessness, while supporting your uniquely defined version of success.

Now what the heck does that all mean? Well, let’s look at what this is and what this is not…

 

It IS…

… a way to consistently feed your muse

… all about you. Myself, my guests, and my guest co-hosts speak to the issues, curiousity, and hurdles that you as a creative deal with on a regular basis.

… focused on creating a more fulfilling, joyful, and meaningful artistic journey.

… a conversation that goes both ways with lots of opportunities for you to be heard.

 

It is NOT…

… all about polymer clay or any one medium, as it’s important stuff for all artistic folks.

… focused on “how-to” or the latest tools and materials.

… just interviewing successful artists and talking at you. Rather it is like a coffee house chat or other friendly gather and I include you, the listener, in every way I can.

 

I created this podcast to supercharge your creativity, motivation, and artistic style through novelty, story, conversation, and community. Everyone has how-tos and ways to increase your sales – valiant and necessary stuff, of course! But what does your muse need? What does your work and your love of your art need to thrive? That’s where I want to help.

I aim to give artists ways to further hone their unique voice, increase their joy and productivity, and create a version of artistic success that is meaningful, satisfying, and anything but ordinary.

 

Come Join the Conversation

If you have something to share, would like to be a guest (for a chatty interview), or be a guest co-host (you and I banter on a particular subject) drop me an email me via my contact page on the show website: https://thesagearts.com/contact/ or send a voice mail (use the red button on that same site, bottom right corner of any page.)

And join me on social media!

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesageartspodcast/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSageArtsPodcast

And don’t forget to click “FOLLOW” or that little arrow on your favorite Podcast player so you get notices of new episodes. New Episodes come out weekly on Friday evenings, barring natural disasters or other bits of interference, of course.  I hope you’ll join me there, on The Sage Arts podcast!

There are new artists and creatives joining every day with tons of great things to say…

 

“Just what I needed!” 

“I just binged-listened … and I can’t wait for more!” 

“There is so much validity in your presentation…” 

“Looking forward to all the thinking and creating that they prompt.” 

 

 

Taste test on my RSS website: https://rss.com/podcasts/thesagearts/

Or on the podcast home website: https://thesagearts.com/

Or start with this episode:

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Persistence of Ideas (And 50% OFF+ Damage Sale!)

June 20, 2021
Posted in ,

First, my apologies for being absent the last few weekends. I kept thinking I’d be able to post something, but my days have been exhausting.

The roller coaster of the last month, not to mention the last year and a half, has really brought into perspective the concept of self-care. Balancing responsibilities with care for yourself as well as for others can be a tricky thing but, it’s not unlike art—if the composition can’t achieve some sort of balance, not much else is going to work.

So, I’ve been hashing out some ideas that will allow me to keep chatting with you as well as do what I need to do for my family and with my creative projects. I am hoping that will all be settled this coming week and we can have a little chat about that next weekend.

 

Persistent Ideas

In the meantime, let me share a thought by a fellow polymer artist, Adam Thomas Rees. He posted this intriguing piece, seen above, on Facebook last month, saying:

This was my first hybrid sculpture mixing metal and clay. I’d had this idea floating around in my head for about 10 years before I finally went for it. If you have an idea you’ve been sitting on, it might be time to go for it!

I have to agree. The first of the two novels I’m working on was also started a decade ago, maybe more. It can take some time to get around to it but, if an idea sticks with you, I think it’s a sign that you should really try it out!

What have you always thought about doing but haven’t tried yet? It can be very invigorating to take on something brand new and challenging.

Annual Damage Sale!

Grab Imperfect Publications for as little as $3.98 or Perfects & Supplies for 30% off

So, it’s that time! I’m cleaning out the mailing room and collecting all the publications with a dinged corner or a little shelf wear and am putting all these perfectly readable publications up for purchase at 50%-60% OFF the list price.

  • Print Magazines: 3.98 each
  • Print books: $5-$12 each.

Half of the imperfect issues will sell out day one if tradition holds so don’t wait!
This only happens once every year or so and once they are sold, the great deals are — whoosh –outta here!

Go here to grab up these steals before they’re gone.

Need Something Else?

Get new PRINT items and design tools for 30% off! So, if you can’t round out your collection of TMA publications with an imperfect copy, you can do so with an amazing deal on a shiny new one!

PROMO CODE FOR 30% OFF : damsale21

Promo code works for any PRINT publications or Design Tools NOT already on sale on the whole of the website. 

 

30% off sale end June 30, 2021. Not good with other discounts, coupons, or on shipping. Damage sale ends when stock is gone, which can be pretty darn quick so don’t wait!

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The Shadow Side

May 16, 2021
Posted in

To all my fabulous readers: I apologize for not having a post last week and for the lack of much of one this week as well. I am overwhelmed and exhausted as the first half of this month has been a rough one.

Still struggling with the loss of our brother-in-law and childhood friend to cancer last year, we found out last week that my baby sister is now also faced with a cancer diagnosis although the doctors are fairly positive about her prognosis. On top of this, my mother’s situation is deteriorating more rapidly although she is hanging on and literally every other member of my immediate family is dealing with some trauma or fresh tragedy aside from the bad news we’ve gotten. I spent the last two weeks in Colorado and Kansas just trying to be there for everybody. I’m back in California now but then, today, my cat, who we also found out had a large tumor just a couple weeks ago, passed away today. I wasn’t ready for that. We thought she had months, not weeks.

So, today’s image is a lesson in contrast. I’ve actually posted and blogged about this image before because I love the quote so much. The quote speaks to the same concept as yin and yang, that balance is found in the interconnectedness of opposites, that all light needs dark and dark needs light in order to be understood and appreciated.

In design that’s the concept of contrast. Dark colors make light colors seem lighter and vice versa. Rough textures emphasize the evenness of smooth textures and vice versa. The more contrast you have, the more the opposite characteristics of your colors, textures, shapes, forms, etc. stand out.

As you might have surmised, this photo is of the cat I lost today, the incomparable Cleo. She was not even a week old when we rescued each other—she was to be sent to a pound to be destroyed and I was being destroyed by depression. I was just trying to do the right thing for the innocent creature, but didn’t realize how she would change my view of my own life through the act of helping her and receiving so much love in return.

Being allergic to cats, I had planned to find her a home when she was well and old enough, but she crept into my heart. She was the friendliest and most empathetic cat I’ve known, but she also didn’t put up with any crap and ruled the dogs. And, honestly, the humans too. In like fashion, she decided not to put up with this tumor crap and left us on her own terms.

So, of course, I’m sad—heartbroken to be truthful. But it was such a wonder and privilege to have that little creature in my life that I am as grateful as I am sorrowful. And, maybe, it’s not until we feel the absence of those souls that touch us that we fully understand and appreciate the importance of their presence. That’s the contrast we find in life and death and in so much of our own lives, a contrast which we can express in our own art.

 

I would like to say that I will be able to continue with my posts as usual as of next week but I am honestly not sure how the rest of this month is going to go. If nothing else happens and my sister’s doctors continue to bring us hopeful news, I think I should be able to continue writing posts each weekend, but if I miss one, know that I will be back and am thinking of you.

 

You can support this blog by buying yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or, if you like…

 

 

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The Source of Beauty

May 2, 2021
Posted in

What kind of things do you do when you have had a really bad day or week or month? Sometimes we can be helped just by looking for the beauty in the world. That has been my solace this week.

It’s just been a rough week for me and my family and I’ve heard a few too many stories from friends who are having a hard time as well. It’s almost like 2020 hasn’t ended quite yet. So, when I sat down to work on this blog, all I wanted to do was find something to feed my spirit. As a result, I decided to look through images of artwork I’ve collected and find pieces that I find particularly beautiful.

The necklace here, by Kaelin Cordis, is the piece I decided to post as a representation of my idea of beauty. No, it’s not polymer but, as you know if you been with me a while, I don’t think, as a polymer artist, we should just look at polymer. There is so much inspirational artwork in all types of mediums that can spark ideas for us as well as help us understand and appreciate different types of beauty.

I don’t know that anyone’s been able to identify why some people find one thing beautiful and others find the same thing dull but I find it very interesting that each of us can be mesmerized by a beauty that only some of us see. For instance, although I think most people will be able to see beauty in this piece, I am certain that a lot of you would’ve chosen pieces to epitomize beauty that are much different than this. So, what is it in the pieces that we choose that defines our idea of beauty?

To me, the beauty in this piece is in the movement created through the use of lines and edges. I am also drawn to simplicity and although this isn’t a super simple piece, it is not complex, certainly not in terms of color. Accented only by the blue stone, the particularly white silver reins in the energy from the movement with its absence of color, conveying a calm and grace that I find entrancing.

When I think about the artwork that I have always been drawn to, the principle of movement in the form of curvilinear lines and shapes is almost always present. I think there is also a dominance of limited color palettes. Although it was not difficult for me to come up with that conclusion, I’m not sure I really recognized the root of my aesthetics before writing this just now. It’s interesting what we can learn about ourselves when asked just the right questions.

So, do you know what primarily defines beauty for you? If that’s not something you have defined for yourself, consider looking around and see if you can find the elements, principles, or compositions that you are most drawn to. Not only will it give you the opportunity to exercise your design knowledge, but you may find that spending time with beauty will refresh your mind and spirit as well.

 

You can support this blog by buying yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or, if you like…

 

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A Second Collective Look

April 25, 2021
Posted in ,

This week, I need to beg your forgiveness as I am recycling a post from a couple years ago. There’s been a small avalanche of family emergencies — nothing life-threatening — and I need to head out to Colorado and Kansas for a couple of weeks. I’ve been unable to put something together for the blog with all the distractions, but I’ve been thinking about this idea of collections again. It seems a lot of us were doing it a bit of exploring last year, which tends to result in lots of unused bits and pieces. So, this might be a useful reminder of things you can do with those bits and bobs.

Do you have a bin or box of pieces and parts of your handiwork yet unfinished but which you are too in love with toss? If you regularly create, I can’t imagine that you don’t. But what exactly do we do with these pieces? Do we hold on to them, hoping that they will be just the thing needed someday or do we toss them?

It can be quite the dilemma, one that even Marie Kondo can’t easily help with because, hey, these do spark joy for us! We see value in them, in that they represent our creativity and what we can accomplish. But do such little jewels of our work belong in a bin where we don’t get to admire them?

I’ve been thinking about this question for a while and came up with a few solutions of my own. If you have a copy of Polymer Journeys 2019, you can see, in the very last entry, my contribution, which is a display case of small exploratory items for which I had no particular use in mind when created them. I created them without thinking, “This is going to be a pendant,” or “This is going to be a set of earrings,” or “This is going to decorate a vessel.” I just made them to see what the material would do, most of which I liked, and they all represented a little exploratory learning experience.

I had already been tying bits onto ribbons and hanging them off the edge of my studio corkboard as little festive decorations. That doesn’t work for pieces that only had one viewing angle though as they would twist around on the ribbons, so I was still in search of other options.

Then I was out talking to the butterflies in my backyard (Yeah, I talk to the creatures in my yard,) and remembering how I used to catch and collect them in shadow boxes as a kid. It just randomly struck me that my little creative bits were like butterflies. They are lovelies I caught in a moment of exploratory creativity and in that small frame of time, they became a kind of unexpected friend, going through that creative time with me. I didn’t want to toss my little friends, even though I had no end-use for them. You don’t do that to friends! You hold on to them and support each other, right?

Does that sound silly? Maybe it is, but it was revealing to me to realize that I kept certain pieces not because they were so beautiful or well done, but because I felt connected to them. So, why not collect them and put them out like a collection of butterflies or a collage of photos? What you see here is what I started making. My husband and I would find shadow boxes at garage sales and thrift stores for cheap, and I’d arrange my bits in them like compositional jigsaw puzzles. I’ve made half a dozen of these so far.

By the way, I use a hot melt glue gun to tack the pieces onto a bit of mat board cut to fit the box. The nice thing about the hot melt glue is that if you do every want to take a piece out of the collection, you warm the back of the mat board with heat gun or hair dryer for a couple seconds and pop them right off. So, your “friends” can come out and play in another piece or a new collection if you like!

As I shared in the previous version of this blog in 2019, people have also used old collectibles display boxes to show off small sculptural pieces or heavy pieces of fabric to pin or hook jewelry pieces as a means of display as well. Look around at how you are other people put together collectibles for ideas about how you might display your polymer bits.

So, do I have your little wheels turning? These should give you ideas not just for what to do with your extra bits, but many of these could be a jumping-off point for creating your own unique show displays and photo setups.

Do you have a cool and unique way to display your extra bits or jewelry? Send me links to images if you do. Put it in the comments below, or if you’re reading this by email, click the header for this post to get to it online to leave a comment.

 

 

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Hard Won Joy

April 18, 2021
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Libby Mills’ Mod Flowers are her latest challenges. Take a look at her Instagram page and all that she’s been doing over the last couple of years, including process and studio pics.

How adverse are you to hard work and challenges?

Recognizing your ability to face the challenges and incredible effort that goes into creating original artwork can be a necessary, if somewhat painful, bit of self-assessment. Most of us find ourselves on one or the other extremes—either we give up too soon, not doing the work or finding shortcuts that don’t help us grow, or we don’t give up even when the process becomes pointless or detrimental.

Are you one or the other, or are you somewhere in the middle? Or does it depend on the type of work or challenge?

The Easy Way

Trying to find an easy way around hard work and difficult challenges is probably a bit more common. If we’re all being honest, there’s few of us who have never used a tutorial or ideas from artwork we’ve seen to develop our own pieces. That’s okay. I’m not saying that it’s bad or wrong—taking inspiration from other people’s design is one way we learn. However, if you don’t get past that stage, you are missing out on some of the most joyful work you’ll ever experience.

Using other people’s instructions or ideas allows you to create something without putting your creative self or your ego at too much risk. However, it’s taking chances and doing the hard work that makes the successes so exceptionally sweet. By going out on a limb and creating purely from your own inspiration can result in one of the most joyful feelings I think a human being can have. Seriously. There is nothing like hard earned success in your creative work to put you on Cloud 9.

Now why do we feel that way about our own artwork? Well, for one, the work is born of our ideas, experiences, and loves. But more so, it’s because of the struggles we went through either to learn the skills that allowed us to make the art and/or the hard work and time we put into its creation. When it’s done, your talent, your spirit, and your perseverance become a concrete thing that you can revel in and share.

In one of my writer’s group, a friend of mine asked why every story has to have conflict. The answer is that story IS conflict. Can you imagine watching a movie where the hero of the story had everything happen just the way they wanted it to? If Harry Potter just flicked his wand and make Voldemort go away, or Hamlet didn’t care that his father was killed, why would we watch those shows? Do you gossip about the good things that happen to people or the difficulties people are having?

Now, think about how satisfying it is when Harry vanquishes his nemesis and Hamlet finally avenges his father. Those moments are so immensely satisfying to us because of what we went through with the characters to get there. And that is true of anything we want to attain as well. The more conflict and struggle we face, the more satisfying it is when we accomplish or gain what we are after.

There’s actually science behind this. Researchers have studied everything from job positions to winning the lottery and they have found that when people are simply given something without having to work for it, not only does any elation from the acquisition die quickly but people are far less fulfilled and, sometimes, even become depressed. However, when people struggle to get promoted or have wealth because of years of hard work, they are not only happier, but they are also more motivated to keep at it than those that were simply given those things.

So, when you’re in the studio, don’t be frustrated or shy away from challenges. When you find them, think, “This is my chance to achieve something wonderful and fulfilling.” If you presently lean on the ideas of others, challenge yourself to create from your own designs as much as possible if not completely. Take risks. Push yourself just past the point of being comfortable. Do the hard work and see if you don’t find it more than worthwhile.

 

The Other End of the Spectrum

Now, if you’re one of those that doesn’t give up when you should, or you don’t give yourself the time off when you should, learn to take more breaks both physically and from the work you’re struggling with. It often helps to put a difficult piece away for a little while. Pull it out a few days or a few weeks later and you can see whether it is still worth working on. If it is, you’ll probably see a solution you didn’t see before.

Just don’t be afraid to set aside a piece that is going nowhere. Don’t feel you have to try finishing something because you put a lot of time into it. None of your time spent is wasted. Everything you do helps you learn and hone your skills.

Me, I’m of this sort. A dog with a bone, as they say. I look at every challenge as a battle to be won, and I don’t know the meaning of surrender. It’s rather ridiculous sometimes. I also don’t stop working when I should either, which is why I keep hurting myself.

 

Scaling Back on the Blog for a Bit

For those of you that were not with me for the Great Elbow Drama of 2019, I developed an advanced form of tendinitis in my right arm and can no longer type with it for any length of time. Well, now I have an overused left arm after too much research for my novel and too much gardening. *Sigh*

So, this post, and probably the next few, will be primarily chatting rather than deep dives into design concepts as I’m limited to using my speech to text software while my arm (hopefully) heals. Searching for a selection of great art images to go with what I’m writing about requires too much mousing I’m afraid. I hope you’ll stick with me though. I’ll aim for a mix of “Life As an Artist” articles like this one and design refresh posts that need only one image for the time being.

In the meantime, for those of you who can, get to the studio, give yourselves some reasonable challenges, and enjoy the fruits of your labors.

 

 

You can support this blog by buying yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or, if you like…

 

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The Right Size

April 11, 2021
Posted in

Big bold earrings in polymer and brass by Pavel of Handmade by Tarja on Etsy.

Does the question of how big to make a piece just flummox you? When we were doing the giveaways last month, many commentors asked about size, particularly about how to determine what size to work in, It’s a great question. So, let’s go over the decision-making process for size.

If you’ve been a reader for a while, then you know this statement is inevitable: Choosing size should be based on fulfilling your intention. Sort of. Although I usually push you to consider intention in terms of your expression or creative goals, there are other factors that also play a role in this decision.

Yes, every design decision should reflect your creative intention, but size is also a consideration of construction, wearability, feasibility, and the end user’s preferences. So, I’d like to propose two general approaches to determine size—put your creativity first or put your market first. You choose what works for you.

 

Putting Your Creativity First

So, are you one of those that makes jewelry for giants? That’s great. There is nothing wrong with big jewelry. In fact, if you pick up any art jewelry book, you’ll notice that much of the jewelry is so huge it would be quite uncomfortable to wear for any length of time. So why is it still considered jewelry?

Big, uncomfortable art jewelry is created with the artist’s expression and ideas being dominant not the comfort of the wearer. These pieces coexist with the human form to relay a particular message. Without a body to adorn, the work would diminish in meaning or impact. So, the artist was either not concerned with its wearability or was purposely making it uncomfortable to drive home a point. That valid. And intentional. They put their creative concepts first.

Mariyana Avramova created this huge necklace to move with the whole body, not just the neck.

What you have to say, and your process, is as important, if not more important, than the end result. I know we tend to think our studio time is about creating finished work, but is it really? Can the joy of creating be equal to, if not greater than, the value of the finished piece? If so, then your consideration for size comes down to what you need to express or create what you want.

I think if you continuously make large pieces, then that must be where your creativity wants to take you. Sure, it could be because bigger pieces can be easier to work with and you have more space to embellish and play with surface design, but what’s wrong with that? Just check that your design choices make sense with that size and your intention for the piece.

It’s true that big jewelry is not for everybody, but if that’s what you want to make, and you intend to sell it, then you need only to find the market that wants that kind of work. Look at how big those earrings are in the opening image. All her earrings are that big or bigger, and she’s sold thousands of them. She found her market and so can you.

If you make decor that is too small or too large to be functional, so what? Do you make wall pieces that are far smaller than most people would hang on a wall? I bet somebody out there would. You can also make multiples and sell them as collections to be hung together. The bottom line is, if your muse takes you there, I think you should keep exploring it.

I know we are often inclined to create work based on what the majority of people seem to prefer, but remember, you aren’t the majority of people. The majority already have a lot of choices anyway. Make what gets your heart singing.

 

Creating for Your Market

Now, if you create primarily to sell work and put food on the table (or to buy more materials even), you may want to consider size in terms of the wearability or usability of your pieces for the sake of your sales before, or in addition to, what your muse wants you to make.

If you make wall pieces, sculpture, or decor, your consideration of size will probably revolve around pricing since you won’t have the issue of comfort that adornment has.

For instance, if you’re inclined to make enormous pieces, you will probably need to price them higher because of material and time involved. Will your market pay those prices or can you find a market that will? If not, what can you make that still expresses your creativity but can be priced at a more acceptable level?

Whatever you do, don’t price yourself low just so you can sell it. Value yourself and your work! You can always put an expensive piece on sale if you really need to sell it. Remember, you can always discount your prices, but it is very difficult to raise them.

If you have the option, it’s often best to make smaller, reasonably priced pieces and large, impressive pieces. This way, you can draw people into your booth, online shop, or website with the large, impressive pieces while giving those with smaller budgets something of yours they can afford.

Now, I’m not saying that the size of jewelry and its pricing doesn’t have a similar consideration at times. With jewelry, it’s often as much the complexity of the work as the size that affects people’s perception of its value and how much they are willing to pay. However, a range of sizes as well as price points is a very sensible approach unless, of course, very large a very small pieces are what your signature style is about.

 

Overcoming Limitations

We all do it. We make our pieces based on the size dictated by our tools or materials. In some cases, it can’t be helped. There are limitations we have to work with because of physics, finances, or our studio situation. But what you do want to avoid is making size decisions based solely on what you have on hand when you could have other options.

Really, in art or any type of creativity, you should decide what you want first and then find what you need to make it happen. This is true of everything from material to tools to size.

Even if you’re not sure what you’re going to make when you sit down, you can at least determine some generalizations about whether it’s going to be a necklace or wall piece or sculpture, right?

You could also determine what you want to do with the piece when you’re done. Is it for you, a friend, family, or are you going to sell it?

Carol Simmons made these tiny bowls for a swap. They had to be a specific size, so her choice of canes and the size of the slices was dictated by the size of the bowls.

If it’s for you or friends or family, what size do you or they prefer? If you’re going to sell it, and you want to take the market approach to deciding size, what does your market want or what do you need to fill in your gaps in inventory?

If you are going to let your creativity determine size, how big do you need it in order to express what you want?

Making these decisions before you start exploring can give you some direction, right? Even though you don’t know what you’re making or maybe even what techniques you want to use, size can give you a broad jumping off point.

For instance, if you want to create a small piece with hand tooled texture, delicate pin tools would work wonderfully. But if you’re making something big, you can confidently pull out a selection of bigger ball stylus tools.

If you’re thinking you would like to go bigger than any cutters you have on hand would allow, put those cutters away and hand cut your work.

If you would like to make a wall piece bigger than your 10” X 12” toaster oven space, then figure out what it will take. Use your kitchen oven with your work securely enclosed so you contain any fumes. Or buy a bigger countertop oven or a cheap used electric stove and put it on the porch or in the garage. You can also create your piece in sections and put them together after they’re cured.

You know the old adage—If there’s a will, there’s a way.

If there’s a certain size piece you want to make but polymer doesn’t seem feasible because of the amount of polymer needed or strength issues, use another material. I know, sometimes that doesn’t seem possible because of the additional skills, tools, or material costs, but consider what is possible before simply giving into the limitations of what you have and are familiar with.

 

So, was that the talk on size you thought you might get? I know, we could have talked about how your choices communicate different emotions or we might have discussed standard sizes for pendants or bracelets or bathroom wall pieces. But the fact is, there aren’t really standards in art, are there? We make what we need based on our muse or market. The important thing is to stop and consider the options and make a determination based on those considerations.

So, make jewelry for giants if you want or bowls too small for anything but a mouse’s meal. As long as it makes sense for you, your muse, and your market, then it’s the right size.

 

 

You can support this blog by buying yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or, if you like…

 

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Diving into Exploration

April 4, 2021
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Flickr’s Dragonfly555 shows off impressions samples.

Do you feel like you have to make a finished piece or be working on a particular design when you sit down at your studio table? Sure, it feels good, and it’s very exciting to have a finished piece to show and share, but learning a craft is as much about exploration as is about creating finished work.

So, if you’re not giving yourself that exploratory time, let me give you some reasons to highly consider it. And if you do a bit of exploring already, maybe I can offer up some new ideas about ways to use and organize your exploratory bits that you might not have tried.

 

The Exploratory Reasoning

When you’re fairly new to a material, technique, form, or construction method, it is to your advantage to spend time just playing with it. This is especially true, I think, of texture, mark making, color mixing, new techniques, and new materials including new brands of a familiar material. Trying to make finished work before you are familiar with the technique or material can get frustrating, if not downright depressing. You can gain more success in the long run if you develop a better understanding of what it is that you’re working and hone your skills a bit before gambling your time, materials, and hopes on finished work.

It certainly can be tempting to just pick up something and see what you can make with it right out the gate. With a lot of home craft materials, polymer clay in particular, you can create a decent completed piece within a day of picking it up. However, the ease of these materials is a bit of a deception. They may be easy to get started with, but mastering them, even just a little, takes time and effort. Give yourself a gift of that time to get to know what you’re working with without the pressure of trying to finish something presentable.

 

Samples to Reference

Mica powders with sample chips

Probably the best way to explore new materials and techniques is to make small samples, ones you can keep and reference as you make decisions for future finished pieces. If the color of the sample is not relevant, you can just use scrap clay. If you use clay straight out of the package, you may also have an option to transform the samples into finished work. Let’s go over all these options.

(Although I’m going to talk specifically about polymer clay, if you work primarily in another material, consider an equivalent process. Consider how you can cut out or form small samples that can be saved as references. See if this clay focused process inspires you.)

For some orderly exploration, sheet your clay and then hand cut or punch cut the sheets into whatever shapes tickle your fancy. Then you can just go crazy with whatever you’re exploring. Use as many of these pieces as you like for each process you’re exploring. Keep the ones you are pleased with, etching with a needle tool or, after curing, writing on the back with permanent marker, what you made them with. Keep cured pieces in a baggie or punch holes in them before curing so you can string them on wire or chain, making them easy to flip through.

If you are playing with textures, mark making, or any kind of tooling on polymer clay, I would suggest sheeting three different thicknesses—the thickest setting, a medium setting, and the thinnest setting on your pasta machine. Then try out each of your experiments at least once on each of the three different thicknesses. Anything that impresses or otherwise moves around the clay will be affected differently by the clay thickness, sometimes subtly but sometimes quite dramatically.

Cure the samples you like, being sure to inscribe or write a note on the back indicating what thickness the clay sheet was along with what made the impression or marks.

If you’re color mixing, sheet the finished color, then punch out a decent sized shape, one that has enough room for you to write down your proportions for that color mix. For example, if you mix a deep rich purple by combining 6 parts cobalt, 3 parts magenta, and one part black, inscribe on the back:

6X blue

3X magenta

1X black

Also include a big initial for the brand of clay (P for Premo, F for Fimo, K for Kato, etc) since colors by the same name in one brand are usually nothing like those colors in another brand.

You can also note proportions visually by punching out a circle of clay, smaller than your mixed sample, from each of the colors you used in the mix. Cut out portions, like pie slices, from each color in proportion to how much was used in the mix to re-create a single circle showing how much of each color was used in the mix. Don’t forget to inscribe your initial for the brand of clay. See the image here for an approximate example of the purple mix above.

Adhere this combination pie to the mixed color shape, punch a hole in the sample, cure, and string on a chain or wire.

(If you are confused about how to figure out the parts aspect of the color mixing, just use a small cutter to punch your unmixed colors out of sheets of the same thickness. Each piece is a part. Use these punched bits of clay to make your mix, keeping track of how many pieces/parts you use to create the color you’re making.)

If you’re playing with a surface colorant, try it on both white clay and black clay or on clay colors you use quite often. It’s a rare colorant that doesn’t allow the clay base underneath to the show through, so trying it on black and white will give you an idea of how the colorant will appear on lighter versus darker colors, not just black and white.

I punch small-ish circles out of white and black sheets of clay, then I cut them in half and put a white half with a black half. I apply the colorant to these splits chips. After curing, I glue them to the colorant’s product container so my reference sample is right on the product. You can see here how well this works for those little mica powder containers, above. I keep them in a drawer with the samples facing up so I can quickly find the color I want.

The best part about all these samples is that while you’re designing a finished piece, you can pull them out and compare them side-by-side to see what works well together. You can also hold them up to a partially finished piece to see what you might want to add. Personally, I can’t imagine working without all my exploratory samples.

 

Turning Discovery into Works of Art

Just a few pendants and beads I made with extra texture samples by reforming and/or adding pin lace layers of clay. You can learn the pin lace technique in the February VAB here. The VAB PDFs are 40% right now too.

Now, for those of you who are anxious to produce something with your time at the studio table, you can take any samples you’re not going to save for reference and create with them. You can add additional layers, reshape, or attach embellishment to your extra samples to easily create pendants, earrings, or brooches. You can also use them for collages or mosaics.

Keep cured samples, even if you’re not going to use them for reference, for further experiments where you want to play with cured clay techniques or to test new glues or sealants. This way, not only is your time not wasted, neither are any of the materials you’re playing with.

 

Give Yourself Permission to Explore

Whatever your inclination, the big take-away here is that in-depth exploration can, and probably should, be a regular part of your creative process. Give yourself the permission and time to do this throughout your creative journey or career, not just when you’re starting out.

Keep in mind, not only does this kind of exploratory time hone your skills, your familiarity and confidence with the processes and techniques grow stronger and faster than they would if you tried to learn just through making finished work. This is because you are willing to take more chances with these scrap samples. They just don’t have the same stakes, right?

And, you know, taking chances with this exploratory sample work should eventually translate into taking bigger risks with your finished pieces. I think, when we take the big risks, that’s when we make the biggest leaps and create the most amazing work. Well, sometimes we make absolute disasters as well, but it’s all part of the process. You’re certainly less likely to have a disaster if you do a lot of exploration first.

Christi Friesen shares unusual and creative mark making in the March Virtual Art Box

So, if you have not let yourself just explore and play with the materials you work with, maybe, this week, you can either set some time aside or make all of your studio time exploration time. Making many of your mistakes in the exploratory phase and not always on completed pieces will make your creative time more efficient, less stressful, and more enjoyable.

 

Texture Hungry?

If you’re one of those who is looking for more ideas and direction on texture, don’t forget we have an entire issue of The Polymer Arts on texture, the Fall 2017 issue. Also check out the mark making focused edition of the Virtual Art Box from March of last year. All Virtual Art Box content that was previously members only is 40% off right now.

 

 

The Last of the March Giveaways

Our month of giveaways has ended, but all your wonderful comments have given me so many ideas for upcoming posts. I thank all of you who commented so very sincerely!

I have one last giveaway winner to announce. Valerie Hall is receiving the last batch of my giveaway Polyform clay. I was very excited about this. Valerie is a very active and giving soul who has been trying to teaching through the great clay shortage of 2020 in any way she can. So it’s fantastic to aid her with this clay package. Congrats Valerie!

This was so much fun. I will try to do this here and there as I receive samples or find opportunities to gather stuff for you. So stick around for more free stuff in the not-too-distant future!

 

You can support this blog by buying yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or, if you like…

 

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Metaphor and Simile

March 28, 2021
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Christine Damm fits together leftovers from old veneers to create her “Distant Worlds” earring components. Just for fun, what kind of soup would make a suitable metaphor for these? I was thinking Italian Wedding soup!

How often do you use metaphors and similes when you are trying to explain something? I read somewhere that we use metaphor about five or six times a minute. I’m not sure about the accuracy of that number but we do use metaphor in small ways all day long and similes are often our go to option for things that we are having a hard time explaining. Why do we use these so much? Because metaphors and similes help us simplify complicated or hard to grasp ideas. They also help us see old things in a fresh way or make daunting things less intimidating.

Can you think of some things in your life that you would like to simplify, see in a new way, or find less intimidating? I think we all do and our creative time often has many complications and blind spots as the rest of her life. So let’s talk about metaphor and simile in terms of how can help you resolve questions in design.

To ensure the terminology doesn’t get confusing, let’s quickly define these devices.

Metaphor: assigning a word or phrase to something for which it is not literally applicable. For instance, “my studio table is a disaster area,” or “think outside the box.” Certainly, the studio table is not being cordoned off and applying for federal emergency relief, and I do hope you aren’t in a box to start with.

Simile: comparing two unlike things to make an interesting or exaggerated point, usually using the word like or as to make the connection. For example, “my studio looks like a war zone” or “I was as sick as a dog.”

 

Find Your Answers in Metaphors

The idea of metaphors and similes as a device for helping in design came up when I was reading the comments made last week for the giveaway in which I asked what design element people were struggling with. A lot of people are struggling with color which was expected since that is one of the harder elements to master but there was also a lot of concern about size and, most surprisingly, confusion surrounding the use of texture. Of course, this got me thinking about how I can help you better utilize or master these elements. The first things I came up with were metaphors.

So, let me give you a little design lesson on texture, since that’s the one that surprised me the most, with a metaphor.

In terms of techniques, textures are not hard to create, especially if you’re working with something as forgiving as polymer clay. The question seems to be where to use it, how much to use, and how to choose textures for your work. Thinking about this, I came up with a broad metaphor—cooking.

So, think about what you would have to do to throw together a pot of homemade soup. (Even if cooking is not your thing, it’s not so much about whether you can relate as whether you can imagine the equivalences the metaphors draw between art and cooking.) When you start a soup, you make a lot of your big choices up front, such as what kind of base—broth, tomato, or creamy—and then what’s going to go into it, particularly the protein and vegetables.

Your artwork isn’t that different. Your base choice starts with your intention—what you want to make or what you want to express—then you choose the materials you use and some key design elements such as colors marks, lines, surface design, and embellishments.

At the end of the soup recipe is where you usually find the spice. Texture, to me, is the spice. Although I tend to have an idea about what textures I might want in a piece just as I tend to know what kind of spices I think I’ll want in the soup, my process tends to bring in the texture towards the end of the decision-making. Note that I say it comes at the end of decision-making not at the end of the making of a piece since often times materials need to be textured before they are cut or attached.

Now, why would I save my decisions about texture until the end? Well, with soup, spice is what creates a lot of the discernible flavor and can really bring all the ingredients together. So, if we think of texture as spice, use it where this visual or tactile spice will heighten the “flavor” of the piece or, if you have kind of disparate sections, if they all have a similar texture then it becomes more cohesive.

The metaphor even works for the amount of spice or texture you use. Use a lot if you want the spice to be the primary experience the viewer has or keep it subtle or light so that it complements the other elements or helps them shine. Choose textures that work with the other elements just as you would choose spices that go with the proteins, vegetables, and soup base.

Kathleen Krucoff spices up her dangle earrings with a very light rough surface on the silver and a touch of gritty gold texture to bring our eye up from the focal point gems.

For instance, you’re probably not going to throw a bunch of pungent nutmeg and turmeric into a delicate chicken and wonton soup. That kind of simple soup needs some flavor from spice and herbs, but you would be better off with some bright lemon or ginger, maybe a sprinkling of cilantro or shallots. Likewise, if your artwork is pale and delicate, you might not want a deep and dense texture, but something shallow and subtle.

There is one point at which the soup metaphor kind of fails. You don’t actually have to have spice In soup but in artwork, every surface has texture even if the texture is smooth. Still, you can think of smooth textures as equivalent to a soup that doesn’t depend on spice for its flavor. That does mean that all the other ingredients/elements need to carry the design. If you go heavy on the texture, keep in mind that is it will probably overpower, visually, many of the other elements. You know, like cayenne pepper does in a pot of Texas chili!

Okay, so, This metaphor soup for texture will work for some and not for others. For some of you, the idea of texture being spice may have lit a big light bulb over your head and you just left me to run off to your studio table to try some things out. Fabulous! Of course, then there’s a bunch of you who have gotten this far but are scratching your head thinking, “I don’t get it.” That’s okay. Maybe you can find a different metaphor, or you might find similes easier to visualize. There’s Bound to be something that can give the concepts you’re struggling with the structure and simplicity you need.

I’m going to work up some ways to talk more about texture, size, and color over the next few weeks since those seem to be the primary concerns for so many of you. But in the meantime, look to other things you do for potential metaphors that might help you with your approach to various aspects of design, especially things you find easy to do or have a lot of experience with such as gardening, party planning, interior decorating, writing, or putting together the perfect ensemble for a special night out (if any of us can remember what that was like.) Ask yourself, what do I start with, what do I add next, what are the little decisions I have to make to get it to be perfect?

There is a good chance you can find a somewhat equivalent process to plan your designs if you think on it. At the very least, searching for metaphors and similes might bring up some options for a new approach to your work that you would not have seen had you not looked for a metaphor.

 

An Easy Search

If you need more detailed information on various aspects of design right now, go to the blog and use the search box there to find the posts in which we discuss those elements.

Also, did you know that you can search for articles and artists published in any of the Tenth Muse magazines by going to this table of contents page? There is a link at the top of all the magazine sales pages too.

The page allows you to search through the titles of every magazine article published through Tenth Muse, most of which include the subject matter in the title. The listings also include artist’s names and the author of each article. To search the page, use your “find” keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+F in Windows or Command-F for Mac) to bring up a search box that will help you find specific subjects, artists, or authors. Use the simplest version of keywords, (like mokume instead of mokume gane, or transfer instead of transfers) to have the most success in your search.

If you have a collection of The Polymer Arts or Polymer Studio magazines, bookmark the table of contents page so you can find out which issues have the technique, artists, or subject matter you’re looking for.

 

Last Week’s Giveaway

Last week the giveaway box went to Kathleen von Balson. She actually posted about trying to be more subtle in her use of contrast. I just love when the blogs get someone going in the studio and I get to hear about it!

Congrats Kathleen!

(You know, you are always welcome to post comments below or send me an email about what you got out of a blog post, especially if you have suggestions or questions. It helps me determine what to share with you here.)

 

This Week’s Giveaway

Thank you to everyone who took part in last week’s giveaway through comments on the post. I do hope it gave you a moment to think and refocus on design elements you’re struggling with. I think it was really revealing for other readers as well– there were quite a lot of replies to the various comments. So, let’s do this one more time.

The Goodies:

  • This week I have a selection of Sculpey clays in 2 new Soufflé colors, 3 new Premo colors, and 2 big 8 oz. blocks of clay stash basics—Sculpey III in Pearl and Silver. That’s 26 ounces of fresh clay along with a three-piece set of Sculpey silkscreens.
  • Or if outside the US, I have a $30 Tenth Muse certificate, since it would be such a gamble to ship clay outside the US.

How to Win:

  • Put a note in the blog comments* (below), this time letting me know what else besides design elements you’re struggling with in your artwork or creative time. (Yes, I’m using you to give me ideas about what to write about my coming months. I think that will work well for all of us!) It can be one word or a whole explanation.
  • Note: It may take some time for the comment to appear if you’ve not commented before since, due to annoying spamming, I have to approve it .
  • Giveaway winners will be chosen by random—it will NOT be based on your answers. I do hope you’ll give it some thought anyway. The answers could be helpful to you as well as interesting for the rest of us.
  • And let’s say you can only win once this month so we can spread the love around.
  • Get your comments posted by Wednesday March 31st at midnight Pacific time to get in for the raffle.
  • I’ll announce the winner here on the blog next weekend!

 

 

You can support this blog by buying yourself a little something at Tenth Muse Arts or, if you like…

 

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