Tissues with animal print
A collage using all kinds of recycled materials could be called sustainable art…
Here you can find magazine cut-outs , tissues with ink stains the look like animal print, pages of a paperback book that wasn’t very interesting to read, but proved to have other qualities.
It was fun to play and to draw, it’s always interesting to discover effects and materials – some work well together – others not so much – just like in real life.
Have a nice week!
Do dogs like rain? Not in Spain….
Do dogs like rain? Most of the dogs I know prefer dry weather… The dog I drew with ink recently, had a certain uncomfortable look to it, so I decided to put him into a raincoat.
I think it’s clearly influenced by a Weimaraner, I did some portraits of a very handsome one during the last weeks and it seems I was still drawn to the expressive face this breed has.
Sculpting with wire is very fun – wether it’s lamps or sculptures of some creatures animals. It’s probably a memory of my activities years ago as a gold- and silbersmith that keeps me getting back to this material on an almost regular basis.
I work with two kinds of steal wire: This simple wire they have on construction sites to string wooden boards together for formwork I use for drawing the lines and combine them with a really thin Jeweler’s binding wire.
This time I started out with a bunny-girl that’s more or less two dimensional, with some patience you can get her to stand on her own, so there is a little hint of a third dimension, not very much of a depth though.
So, for the second one I wanted to make sure he is easier to handle and created this 3D sitting rabbit.
Time to get in shape for summer!
While it is still cool here in the Spanish mountains, around this time of year it’s time to think about where our bikini body went… Not sure how the chances are to get it back, but it’s worth a try.
The two friends on today’s drawing are right into it already. Ms. Dollyduck is trying on her bathing gear and Mr. Musclemouse is lifting weight and working out to get strong and impress the mouse girls.
Remember, it’s important to celebrate every little success – so after an intensive work-out enjoy some sweet cherries…. have a great week and don’t forget to treat yourself well!
Lampshade for floor lamp post with steal wire and African trading beads
After making some hanging lamps, I decided to explore the possibility of upright lampshade for a floor lamp that had lost its shade and was reduced to be basically a post with a lightbulb.
It looks like the shade effects are more intensive in this kind of lamp, because the light is projecting lines and shades onto the ceiling and walls. I used African glass beads and steal wire to build up the structure, no welding or gluing involved.
Take a walk through a wintergarden, and discover little treasures half hidden under the melting snow
Sometimes I like to experiment with abstract art – just going one step further and play with patterns, colors and symbols.
You start out with something in mind, and then it starts to change in something else… it doesn’t mean it’s getting worse necessarily – just different….
It reminds me of what happens in real life: not always things develop as we would expect them to – and often we find out later, what it was good for.
I like doing the exercise – looking at the whole drawing, but then also look for the different interesting parts, and how they work on their own.
Here I started out with a collage that became a bit wilder as I went along- take a walk through the winter garden and discover the little details peaking out under the snow.
Let your mind run free in your sketchbook – there are some interesting discoveries to be made.
As I started out this year thinking quite hard about all the goals to achieve, the directions to take, the priorities to set, it all got a little intense and I decided to take a break and just draw whatever came out. Sketching without thinking too much, just letting things go….
I found some details in these quick drawings that I found quite interesting – just taken on their own as abstract pieces.Have a nice week and don’t forget to play!
Love bird collage: See the video recorded during the process!
Just got started with the collages using book pages, and I really enjoy working more on this idea, it’s fun!
Without having detailed idea what picture I wanted to create, I just doodled along, cut the shapes, stuck them in my sketchbook and started painting. Sometimes it feels good to just let the natural process go on and take little decisions on the fly without thinking too long about them.
See a short making-of-video I recorded while doing one of this week’s sketches:
Creatures from books
During these first days of the year I am setting sails towards this year’s dreams and goals – we will see where the journey goes.
Over the holidays I used the time to play around painting, drawing and illustration exploring possibilities with paper cuts, acrylics and ink. I started out in a christmas mood, but by now I got back to normal.
The drawings are not really illustrations although they are very closely related to books, as they consist of pages of all paperback book – I like the different shades of white and the contrasts, just focusing on white, grey and black tones for while, and then adding a little bit of color to it.
Yes, it was a strange year, full of lessons to learn, changes to adapt to, but also new possibilities to explore… I’m sure we all will remember this year all our lives.
For me personally it pushes me out into the open again and makes me reorganize my life, my work and my way of living. This process just began, and I am exploring all kinds of ideas and possibilities that allow me to exploit my creativity and lift my artwork to the next level.
During this year, I got the impression that our severely damaged and injured planet is trying to call us to more action in order to protect it and care for it.
I tried to express this idea with a little moving image, based on a rough mixed media and acrylic painting with cut-outs of a book.
Have a good transition from 2020 to 2021, and I wish you all the best for the New Year, most important: Stay healthy and in a good mood!
Susanne Mack - Art and Design 