Harbour Workshop

This workshop focused around creating a Harbour collage from scraps of pre painted papers and using ink and line to draw on details.

One of our inspirations has been the Artist Karen Stamper.

Video links to enjoy once you have read this blog

Karen Stamper Art

Karen Stamper St Abbs

Harbour

An Introduction to the Artist Karen Stamper was initiated through web links prior to the workshop.

Biography Karen Stamper

“My Grandma was a traveller and a collector. I would spend many hours of my childhood looking through her tins of trinkets, postcards with exotic stamps, tapestries and dolls from foreign lands; I was always more fascinated by the foreign newspaper wrapping a doll than by the doll itself.” KAREN STAMPER

Class homework: Collect scraps of papers. Newspaper, tickets, brown paper, scraps of writing,

Suggested ideas at home. With MASKING FLUID- before the class- paint on a sheet of paper circles, one of stripes, one of dots, one with writing if you wish.

Markmaking techniques

The first thing we did was to create painted sheets to use later, some with layers of colour scraped through like old boat paint.

We made more marks with bubble wrap and tubes dunked in paint to make circles. These created expressive marks on top of the paint effect. These were left to dry.

Scraffito, cutting into paint with a piece of card or pointy tool is ideal to create layers of boat paint.

Stencilling numbers, letters or shapes is an easy and quick way to create the personalised boat names.

Printing acrylic anything can be used to print, even fingers. Bubble wrap is a favourite, or scrunched paper

Card line prints/loopy line in ink/stencil line ink/pastel. Line is crucial to bring an image together. These techniques give structure and fluidity.

Scraping/scribbling with a variety of media.

What we liked in the workshop was the free line and mark-making techniques, mixed media and layering effects using scraper tools and stencilling.

Tissue paper joints. Some papers are harder to glue together than others, tissue is a great way to create joints in a collage. (Use watered down pva)

Task one

Quick drawing exercise to practice boat shapes

Task Two Half an hour practice compositional drawing for main piece.

Using harbour photos, thinking about Stamper techniques, simplifying shapes and composition.

Lunch !

A selection of Artists work using the theme of harbour.

Larger piece all afternoon.

Pre inked and collaged papers, acrylic and watercolour paint, inks, p.v.a, variety of brushes, large paper, ink pens.

Firstly we drew on the composition loosely in pencil, and applied main shaped areas from torn and cut collaged papers. After the joints were sealed in tissue and painted areas scraped in, strong lines were put back in with Chinese brushes and black ink.

Different perspectives on a theme

Everybody works at a difference pace, in a different way and makes different art ! All of it is wonderful and worthwhile. The journey to get there created a wealth of new skills, made new friendships and encouraged skills and confidence.