How green is your thumb? Do you like bringing a little of the outdoors inside with houseplants? Potted plants are a great way to dress up any room, windowsill, or patio. But while the plants add life and color, the pots themselves are often overlooked. Add some personality to your little terracotta tubs with paint. There are tons of ways you can paint your pots—and feel free to try any that strike your fancy—but two techniques that stand out lately are color blocking and drip-drying.

For this project, you’ll need: terracotta pots (or any ceramic pot), masking tape or painter’s tape, and paint, either acrylic or spray, in any colors you like. As you can see, you’ve got lots of options here!

First, decide how you’d like your pot to look. If you want it to have a base color, start by painting the whole thing in the color of your choice and letting it dry. For those who prefer the natural terracotta to show through, jump right into whichever technique you’re trying.

Photo via Dellie

If you’re going to color block, start by wrapping tape around the pot at your desired height. Next, grab your paint (be it on a brush or in a can) and paint the half you want to be colored. Spray painters should aim for about two to three coats. If you’re using a paintbrush, you can also freehand the line around for a more rustic look.

Photo via The Proper Pinwheel

If straight lines aren’t your thing and you’re ready to drip some paint, flip that pot over! Once it’s upside down, pour a bit of paint around the sides on the “top” (what’s technically the bottom) and start swirling your pot around on its edges so the paint spreads closer to the edge and eventually runs over the sides. Try to do this over something like tinfoil or plastic—paper will stick to any dried paint that reaches the bottom and give you a hard time.

Photo via The Lovely Cupboard

Let your pots dry and then load them up with your favorite plants (cacti, succulents, flowers, etc). To weatherproof these, spray with a clear sealant and then set them up outside.

Et voila! Your pots are as pretty as the plants they hold. Which style do you prefer? Do you have any other favorite ways to jazz up your planters?

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Yesterday, I went to the movies and saw To The Wonder, directed by Terrence Malick (Tree of Life, Days of Heaven). Malick is probably best known for his gorgeous cinematic poetry. He uses beautiful camerawork to showcase the natural beauty of our world (and sometimes our destruction of it). One element of nature that he seemed to really focus on in this movie was water. Oceans, puddles, rivers, indoor pools—this film was swimming in shots of water, each more beautiful than the last.

To the Wonder (2012) – photo still

As I watched this visual theme develop, I started thinking about taking it beyond the theater with me, which makes it our new Scribblin’spiration! Water can take on so many forms and appearances. Sometimes it looks blue or green or gray… other times it’s clear. From far away, it seems opaque, while up close it’s transparent and can distort whatever you’re seeing through it. It can be in a natural body, like an ocean or river, or it can be in a pool. It could be running from a faucet or waterfall, or just sitting in a glass. Sometimes it’s still and tranquil while other times it’s rough and choppy. And that’s just in its liquid state! Don’t forget ice, steam, and fog! But for now, let’s focus on liquid. While seeing water is a pretty common occurrence, it still makes a fascinating subject for art.

Now it’s your turn. Try out your own artistic interpretations of water by observing a couple different examples. Go out to nearby river or pond. Take along a sketchbook on a trip to the beach. Check out some puddles after a rainstorm or just fill up a glass of water. Try working with pencil, pastels, paint, and watercolors. See how each medium changes the way the water looks and the mood of your picture.

Here are some artists’ own interpretations to give you an idea of how different water can look from one painting to the next. Have fun experimenting and don’t forget to share a link to your work with us!

Starry Night Over the Rhone (1888), Vincent Van Gogh

Portrait of Artist (Pool with Two Figures) (1971), David Hockney

Lemon Water (2010), Debbie Becks Cooper

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Pointillism is a real nifty painting style for any budding art lover to acquaint him or herself with. Not only is it an interesting moment in art history, but it’s also a great technique to play with and explore in one’s own work. In this project, we’ll make our very own creations comprised of dots. It’s a wonderful way to explore texture and color. This project is suited for anyone and is a perfect mix of fun and education for kids. If working with little ones, supervision or assistance is strongly recommended since there is a flame involved (see below).

First, a little background: Pointillism is a painting technique pioneered by artists like Georges Seurat and Paul Signac towards the end of the Impressionist movement (late 1800s). The artist uses dots of color to create a larger whole picture. The connection our eyes make between each dot can create the impression of different colors and specific images. Pretty neat, huh? It’s similar to Impressionism in that the brushstrokes are visible and central to the aesthetic of the painting, but pointillism is more precise and controlled—you can see each dot. You may have seen these famous pointillist paintings:

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884-86) by Georges Seurat

 The Papal Palace, Avignon (1900) by Paul Signac

It may look super complicated, but don’t let that stop you! You too can create your very own pointillist masterpiece! You’ll need: a canvas or sturdy piece of paper, a pencil, wax crayons (with the paper wrappers removed), and tea light candles. Ideally, you’ll want a lot of crayons—a couple shades for each color to add depth and make the dots stand out. For example, if you’re creating a blue sky, try using a dark, medium, and light blue.

Okay, let’s get started! First, take your pencil and lightly outline the picture you want to create—just big, general shapes… nothing too detailed. When you’re ready to start filling the picture in with dots, start with the background and work your way up to the foreground. Take a crayon and hold it about an inch over the candle flame.  Once it starts to melt, but before it drips, start dotting the desired section of the canvas. Leave some spaces so you can go back with another shade of the color. Repeat this process until you’ve worked through the section, then start with your next shade. The process is time-consuming, but I actually find it strangely soothing. The relaxed repetition of creating dots and seeing them slowly build a picture can be both calming and fulfilling. Also, don’t feel obligated to finish your whole picture in one sitting. Sometimes it’s better to take a break or even work on it over a few days.

Here are some great examples of homemade pointillist projects (click links for each blogger’s tutorial):

Photo: Intellidance                                      Photo: Helping Little Hands

One good alternative to melted crayons is using acrylic paints and unused pencil erasers (the pencil acts as a great brush handle and the round eraser makes perfect dots). This creates a similar look, but avoids using a flame.

Photo: Classic Play

Once you have a feel for the general method, feel free to make it your own. Art is a wonderful combination of understanding established techniques and experimenting to make them your own. Happy dotting!

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Did you know you could use art to be a secret agent? Well you can! With the right combination of supplies, you can make hidden messages and codes. You don’t need any training or fancy gadgets or powerful connections. All you need is white paper, a white crayon, and watercolor paints. Sounds pretty easy, huh?

Take your white crayon and write a secret message or draw a picture on the paper. Make sure to press firmly or go over it so that it really stands out. Can’t see it on the white paper, can you? Good. Now grab your watercolor paints and a brush and paint over your words or drawing. You can paint a picture, or one solid color, or a lovely abstract design. See how the crayon shows through the paint? Your hidden message is now visible… and beautiful, might I add!

Now, if you’re not in the mood to be a super secret spy but like the technique of using white crayon and watercolors, just make a pretty drawing or design for the fun of it! This simple trick creates a beautiful and unexpected look for a greeting card, wall art, or sketchbook page.

Never underestimate how far you can go with your basic art supplies. Many people find the white crayon to be useless, but these fun creations wouldn’t be possible without it! Give it a whirl and see what exciting pictures you come up with.

Photo: A Little Artsy

Photo: Alisa Burke

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Scribble Town (ST): Hi Ernest! To me, your work is very playful so I wonder how do you describe your own artwork.  Especially in the portrait of you I can see the play oozing out of you as you play at work on your One Cloud painting (see below)!

Ernest Concepcion (EC): Hi! My name is Ernest Concepcion. I’m a Filipino visual artist and currently live in Brooklyn, NY. My works usually depict opposing forces engaged in ridiculous battle based on the nostalgic references of childhood and adolescence.

One Cloud, work in progress by Ernest Concepcion

ST: From the Philippines all the way to Brooklyn, where are you and what are you up to these days?

EC: I still live in Brooklyn, and have been here since moving from the Philippines in 2002. I do go back often to my home city of Manila and was just there for 6 months last year. It was probably my most productive trip so far. I was only scheduled for 1 solo show and then when my friends found out I was coming home, they invited me over to participate for more shows. In half a year, from February till August 2012, I ended up having 2 solo shows and 4 group shows, including exhibiting at a prominent museum in Manila. It was pretty crazy.

Gerana (The Wrath Of), ink, acrylic and colored pencil on paper by Ernest Concepcion

All the works were made there. For the first three months I was cranking it up doing 6 x 4 feet paintings. My sleeping habits changed. I started doing the UBERMAN cycle. Have you ever heard of that? You’re basically awake and work for 4 hours then take powernaps for 30 minutes to an hour and then work again for 4 hours and so forth. I tried it – I wasn’t exactly successful. Haha. Nah, I took it easy and still hung out with friends. I found out it’s better that way. But when I do work at the studio, I’m like an unstoppable freight train. I’m going back this year on August 2013 for more art projects.

ST: Your friends sound so great! So supportive of you and your art. I’m sure they were also just so happy to have you back home. When did you start drawing?

EC: I would say I started drawing when I was real young mostly because I was inspired by my older brother. He would draw these fantastic cars based on the 80’s movie Mad Max and I totally got into and started copying him. Later on I started drawing my own little stories with pictures on notebooks similar to the CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURES books. Comicbooks and Saturday morning cartoons have been a major influence as well. Come to think of it, my drawing style has not changed much at all. It probably has changed technique-wise in terms of perspective, anatomy, linework – but I would say it has retained its childlike qualities that harkens back to young Ernest. I was trying to think if art school changed my drawing style at all, but I think not that much. Undergrad in the Philippines was more about theory for me and my drawing process went into a dormant state because I got heavily into conceptual art and video. But when I moved to New York, it almost seems like that hibernating child-general woke up all of a sudden ready for action.

Life In A Hidden Valley by Ernest Concepcion

ST: Between all the traveling, is there a favorite place you like to create?

EC: Well, I currently work from home and do my oil paintings in my own apartment. Oftentimes I couldn’t believe how I managed to do this but I guess I was able to adapt and develop my organizational skills in paintings. So I would say this is my favorite place right now. I did have a studio in Gowanus, Brooklyn for 3 years and that used to be my favorite place to work. I would spend countless hours there and was able to produce a ton of work. But alas, I had to move out in 2009. However, when I fly back to Manila I work at Mom’s house and she has prepared a space for me to work there, which I would say is probably the best. Its right beside her garden and there’s a sense of calm and serenity in the studio – a perfect contrast to my conflict-ridden works. I’m not exactly the type who draws in the subway, in a café, etc. I don’t usually carry a sketchpad at all even. Just a notebook to jot down ideas and that’s it. I make art at the studio. When I’m at a café, I drink coffee.

Queens 2020, Ernest Concepcion

ST: What other forms of art do you practice? What are your favorite tools you use to create?

EC: I also practice installation art and I collaborate murals with my friend Mike Estabrook as the Shining Mantis. I’ve been getting more and more into comicbook making and that’s definitely something I would like to develop soon. I was a big fan of the Sharpie for my drawings, I still am! But I’m totally getting into drawing with a brush these days and India ink tends to stay longer and seem more vibrant in the long run. Also, I could make entire fields of black with an ink-filled brush and that saves a lot of time.

ST: I’m seeing and hearing a theme of childhood in your artwork, but is there something in particular you want to say with your art?

EC: In my works, I would like to express what it’s like to be a kid again. The joy of expressing relentlessly.

ST: Is there a piece of art that speaks to you?

EC: There are so much art that speaks to me, but the ones I really appreciate are the works that I could feel express a certain vibe of ferocious expression – I don’t know, I can’t explain it too well.

Pajama People vs. Apparitions, ink on acetate, watercolor on paper by Ernest Concepcion

ST: Where do you get your inspiration from and who inspires you?

EC: Right now I’m getting a lot of inspiration from independent game designers. Haha. Seriously. I’m an avid gamer and seeing the works of most indie game developers and feel the years they spent on coding, designing, beta testing and perfecting these games via patches and downloadable content never fail to inspire me. I recently attended a festival about Andy Kaufman and it ran for 2 weeks. I was there almost every day! It was amazing. For me he’s a real inspiration, and he’s true to his craft. And when I mean ‘true’, I meant he doesn’t care what he was doing really, he was totally just having so much fun at the moment. And to me that’s awesome.

Kangarok 1 and 10th, Ernest Concepcion

ST: Your work does look fun and Ernest, you have done so much!  Any tips for us?

EC: I would advice to everyone to just keep making work and expressing without boundaries. I am also an art teacher myself to kids and I have always been open in encouraging my students to constantly experiment and explore. Breaking rules are great, but it will be futile if you don’t know the rules first. So learn the basics, the parameters, the limitations, the rules, and then transcend them.

ST: Thank you Ernest for sharing so much with us!  And don’t forget to play Ernest’s Shooting Stars game, http://www.scribbleshop.com/content/play-shooting-stars-game-ernest-concepcion

Kangarok III

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For those who’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may remember how I sometimes see snacks in art. Well, call me crazy but there really are snacks in this art! Jelly Belly, the famous jellybean company decided that their tasty candy isn’t just for eating. It’s also for creating beautiful art!

Jelly Belly Candy Company commissions talented artists, such as Kristen Cumings, Malcolm West, and Peter Rocha, to create masterpieces entirely out of jellybeans. Some of these include already famous works of art, like the Mona Lisa originally by Leonardo da Vinci, Starry Night originally by Vincent Van Gogh, and American Gothic originally by Grant Wood. They also have portraits of pop culture icons and politicians, like Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, and Margaret Thatcher.

These impressive pieces are usually around 4 x 4 feet or 4 x 6 feet and can contain up to 12,000 jellybeans attached with spray adhesive. With Jelly Belly’s incredible variety of flavors, artists have so many options when matching shades and choosing color palettes. Consequently, these candy creations have a beautiful depth and precision worthy of a spot in any museum.

Want to get in on the sugar-filled creative action? Grab some jellybeans, glue, and cardboard and get started! It helps to give yourself an outline to work with (it will be covered by the beans anyway) and organize your colors a bit before starting. Or hey, why not make it entirely edible? Use some sort of baked good as your flat surface (a cake, brownie, or cupcake) and frosting as your adhesive.  This could be a perfect treat with Easter coming up. Yum!

The Starry Night by Kristen Cumings, original by Vincent van Gogh

Martin Luther King, Jr. by Peter Rocha

American Gothic by Kisten Cumings, original by Grant Wood

Here’s a fascinating  peek inside how artist Kristen Cumings works on her jellybean creations.

To check out more Jelly Belly art, take a look at their website gallery. Have you every tried making art with edible materials? What food or candy do you think would make great art supplies?

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Who’s ready for another dose of Scribblinspiration (get it?)?! Last time, we looked at some jellyfish to get the creativity flowing. Now for a change of pace, let’s try something a little more open-ended to prove inspiration can truly come from anything! Even something as simple as a pattern or type of fabric. Try brocade for example.

Brocade is a kind of fabric that dates back as far as the Early Middle Ages. It’s woven on a shuttle and is generally made with silk and gold or silver thread (it doesn’t technically have to have gold or silver, but it often does). What’s fun about brocade is it doesn’t always look the same as it’s managed to make its way around the world.  You can trace it all the way back to Byzantium and it was originally worn only by nobility, but many parts of the world put their spin on it, from China and Japan to Greece, France, and Italy.

Today, brocade is used for upholstery and drapes, formal clothing and costumes. Let your imagination run and see what this pattern inspires for you. Maybe the gorgeous flourishes take you somewhere abstract. Perhaps it brings to mind royalty from another time or a lavish ball with everyone dressed in their finest. Maybe all the silver and gold or rich jewel tones get you going—remember, even just the color scheme can serve as inspiration. I see flowers in many of the designs and that makes me thing of a fabulous garden. Since it’s a fabric, maybe it makes you want design your own costumes or modern outfits or even rooms inspired by brocade. For those of you crafty sewers out there, feel free to take the inspiration literally and try using brocade or something similar like damask or brocatelle to actually create something.

See? There really are a lot of possibilities, even with something as simple as fabric. Give your imagination the royal treatment and see what happens!

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Scribble Town (ST): Pedro Mena, a person of multiple trades and interests, is here with us in Scribble Town!  Pedro is an artist, teacher and a first time dad. He likes NY Pizza, Spanish Soccer, and the History of Rock and Roll!  Pedro, where are you and what are you up to these days?

Squeegees of Spain by Pedro Mena

Pedro Mena (PM): San Francisco Bay Area. Off on Paternity Leave! Returning to teaching visual art shortly. Donated a piece for the upcoming annual HAPS (Haight Ashbury Psychological Services) Art Auction Benefit.

ST: Congratulations on your new baby! Having a new family member will put a special spin on things How has your art practice changed over time and does being an art teacher (and for the future- being a father) have an effect on your own art practice?  Please let us know what ages and where you teach.

PM: It has become more specific in addressing necessity. Yes! It has allowed for more patience and flexibility – and a new outlook on seeking and bridging ideas. Middle School, Burke’s, SF.

A peek into Pedro Mena's classroom

ST: From the looks of your classroom you definitely encourage all kinds of artistic practice- from visual to musical!  What do you hope to communicate with your art and with your teaching?  Are there any other artistic mediums you work with to help push your idea along?

PM: Excitement and Engagement. Anything and everything! Music, technology, storytelling…

ST: How old were you when you first started making art and who encouraged you to create?

PM: I remember the first time getting recognized for my drawing – it was in 1st grade. A classmate asked for a drawing of Spider-Man after seeing mine. I won 3rd place in a community coloring contest later that year. I bought a toy robot of Twiki from the Buck Rogers series with the $10 toy store gift certificate prize. My family encouraged me. I was surrounded with the paintings, drawings, and prints of my grandfather growing up. He encouraged me as well. 

ST: Who are some of your favorite artists and/or authors?

PM: My grandfather, Bolivar Mena Franco, El Greco, Andrea del Castagno, Velasquez, Max Ernst, Rothko, Forrest Bess, Philip Guston,Jack Kirby, Wes Wilson, ’80s Ashley Bickerton, Jonathan Lasker, Steve Dibenedetto (college professor), Lady Pink, Nate 1…too many to name! They’ve all brought static works to life. As for writers, Peter Guralnick can sure bring a biography to life.

Pedro Mena's Rock Benefit Merchandise

ST: I can see how your favorite artists have inspired you.  Your students are very lucky to have such an enthusiastic and caring teacher.  Thank you for sharing with Scribble Town and keep us posted on your upcoming auction and other benefit programs!

To read more about Pedro Meno’s tips on how to make Sticker Art please go to:
http://www.scribbleshop.com/content/sticker-art-pedro-mena 

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