Hi! How was your weekend?  The weather was so great…. Did you get out?

Imagine if I could pile everyone on a bus and we’d go tour Vancouver’s burgeoning Street Art scene. Here’s about 20 sites in Vancouver of more recent works from street artists.  Let me know which ones are your favourite:

https://foreverlostintravel.com/vancouver-street-art-main-street-self-guided-tour/

Did you like any of them?  I’d like you to find a street artist whose work you really like. Next week I’ll ask you to do some research and reporting on one.  Til then, it’s time to do some art.

Last week you got warmed up to the street art topic by designing your name in street art style.  Pretty fantastic results, I must say.

This week the objective is: for you to develop some creative street art  type images of your own styling.

You will need your pencil, eraser, and empty sketchbook pages.

Notice that street artists use a myriad of styles – some are realism, some stenciled, others very flat outlined and coloured, others very mixed in their approach.  What is important is to get some imaginative images flowing and then pursue that direction with more focus.  Where do you get your imaginative images?

Imagination drawing exercises:

Please complete the following 3 imagination exercises, each on a clean page of your sketchbook.

1. Tim Gula’s “Automatic Drawing technique”: in this video Tim demonstrates the act of letting your mind relax while drawing constantly.  Note how he holds his pencil – try it. After watching Tim, take 15 minutes and complete Tim’s exercise yourself.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJYGFwGhHnA&list=RDCMUClM2LuQ1q5WEc23462tQzBg&index=1

Once you have completed this exercise turn the page around – upside down and sideways and look for images – much like you do when you are lying on your back looking at clouds.  Using your heavy pencil, outline the figure, character, or image that you can see/imagine in the lines that you have made.  Now, use your eraser and remove unwanted pencil lines and add and embellish the idea that is emerging on the page. Don’t judge it, just keep adding to it.  This is where you make your idea grow.  Finesse it, build it, improve it with the necessary details that it needs to make the idea complete.  If you have colours – pencil crayons or markers – add them to enrich your developing image.  Step back, look at it, and step forward and refine some more.  Use a sharpie or a black pencil crayon to sharpen the outlines more and build some strong contrast.    That’s it.  Take a photo and send it to me.

2. Transmogrify: Start a new page in your sketchbook.  Make a list of 10 random items, objects, animals on your page.  Now, match up number 1 with number 10, 2 with 9, 3 with 8, etc.   Pick one of these pairs, say pair 2 and 9.  Draw these two objects combined in some way.  For example, if it is a toaster and a cat draw a cat with toast popping up from its back or out of its eyes.  Use references from the internet to help you if you want.   This combining of two totally unrelated objects offers infinite expansion of surrealist style results.  Once again, refine your drawing by erasing the sketchy type lines and drawing in the refined lines.  Add lots of details – they are what make an idea rich and enticing.  Darken the outlines, colour some parts.

That’s it.  Take a photo and send it to me.

3. Recall Stories from your past, your traditions, your heritage, or your recent experiences. Think of a story from when you were very young.  Perhaps it was a cartoon story, or one told to you by a  family member, or one that you read.  Make sure that it is a childhood story, then you won’t judge it😊  The look of that scene is shaped by your heritage, your past, and your identity and uniquely how you see the world.  Have a listen to Ola Volo, one of the street artists in Vancouver, tell of how she found images from the stories of her past:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SOmZ5bPPT4

Now draw one of the moments from a story you recall…..  Once again, refine your drawing by erasing the sketchy type lines and drawing in the refined lines.  Add lots of details – they are what make an idea rich and enticing.  Darken the outlines, colour some parts, or fill in areas with patterns.

That’s it.  Take a photo and send it to me.

Complete a Self assessment: