Continue to post under the
"Street Painting Tips" discussion topic on the Facebook Page, but for editing purposes, all tips and techniques will be listed here on this blog and in the
"Notes" section of the Facebook Page. Please contribute! Amendments are surely to come!
To Via Colori® Artists, thank you for participating! Before we begin, please know that we're all new to this, save for a few exceptions. Via Colori® Fredericksburg emphasizes the experience rather than the product--street painting is ephemeral, afterall. Participants and festivalgoers are invited to explore and relish the area's diverse arts community and the creative process itself. The festival's message is simple: art is important and necessary. With that said, work without worry and have fun!
To all artists, volunteers, performers and attendees, ready yourself for a day in the sun! Wear sunscreen and the proper attire to protect yourself; additionally, if street painting, wear clothing that can sustain the occassional pastel swipe. Please stay hydrated--plan accordingly. Food and drink will be available for purchase at the festival and at the many establishments throughout downtown. Patronize well.
Artists, if you're fortunate enough to have a free-standing umbrella or a canopy, consider setting up shop under your tenting contraption. Equipment suggestions:
-Cardboard to sit and kneel on (as recommended by Curtis), or a comparable material for comfort. Artists will receive a Via Colori® Fredericksburg kneeling pad as a reward for participation!
-Kneepads
-Baby wipes or hand wipes to remove the inevitable remnants of pastel; also, bring a towel to dry your hands.
-A blending tool, such as a cloth rag, or make-up sponge, or rubber fingertips--whatever will aid in blending, if blending is your style. You can blend with your hands, of course, but be aware, skin may tear!
-Tape measure, if using a grid; likewise, a T-square might benefit you, too.
-Masking tape (for sharp lines and separation)
Note: These are mere suggestions. Plan according to your needs and means.
Second, although spontaneity serves some, others prefer a measured path. Let intuition lead you or devise a plan of attack before the festival--it's up to you! Choose or create an image that befits you--something you want to look act, or share with an audience--be it a photo, a sketch, or an existing image. Please remember that there is only one rule: Be responsible when selecting your image--it must be suitable for the Via Colori audience.
Once you've selected your image, choose your path. Curtis recommended making photocopies of the image and placing each copy in a plastic protective sleeve. You
determine how many copies you will need. To take is one step further, mount that sleeved image onto a piece of heavy cardboard, or a clipboard even, to keep the image by your side at all times. If you can provide more than one mounted, sleeved copy, you can use these slick surfaces to lean against when drawing, so as not to erase or smudge work.
Now, let's explore the idea of the grid...
By definition*, a grid is: a pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines forming squares, as on a map, used as a reference for locating points. A grid is also a useful drawing aid to an artist who strives for perspective order and accuracy. Reproducing an image to the appropriate scale doesn't require a grid if you're comfortable drawing free-hand; but, to many, this method will help judging scale transfer.
Using a straightedge and a fine tip marker, determine the measurement of your grid. You may want to render your image to fit the square size that you will be working on, therefore a 10'x10' = 10"x10" square. However, if you're working on a 4'x4' square, the inch equivalent may be too small to capture details, so make your adjustments. Don't plague yourself with mathematics--this isn't intended to give you a headache! Try this: Make a 4x4 into an 8x8 or 16x16. Play around. Or, forget the math and just draw!
Make note: If you want to really spotlight the significant details of an image, you can always enlarge those portions of the image to keep as tangential references. Whatever your method of choice, the golden rule for any grid is to keep all squares within equal. Many agree that scale transfer is easiest when each square within your grid measures at least 1/2 inch. It is recommended that you label your grid with ABCs and 123s to maintain organization.
When developing a grid on pavement, use a soft, earth tone that won't pull attention away from the image itself. This color should also wipe away easily.
For more information--and another perspective--check out this site:
http://thepaintingwizard.typepad.com/
Melanie Stimmell, world-class street painter, maintains this site. In this particular
post, Melanie describes her methods. We might not have her experience (or talent!), but we can certainly glean something from her work.
Next up, color, blending, and what to tackle first! Stay tuned...
*UPDATE*
Where to begin? Surely, this question applicable to the activity of street painting, but it's also pertinent to this post--how to instruct on street painting when street painting will ultimately instruct you?
Via Colori emphasizes the experience, not the product. We must remember that street painting is ephemeral. When preparing for Via Colori, trust yourself. This is not a competition or a platform to scutinize--VCF is a celebration of the creative process and its significance in our day-to-day existence. Focus not on perfection, or imperfection--your work will not last! Experiment, explore and have a good time.
There is no one way to street paint. Style is preferential--from realism to impression to dada-inspired absurdity. Skill is arguably innate and polished by experience; and, beauty is...say it..."in the eye of the beholder." If you like, LIKE IT OUT LOUD! If someone disagrees, respect the opinion and move forward. Let's delight in the diversity! We come together to create and encourage one another!
Beginning your work: an assured line of attack is to start with a focal point. If you aren't the "instinct take the reigns" kind of artist, and you've selected an image to work from, choose a chief detail within your image to serve as the focal point and begin to draw that pivotal section. Establish that part of the image (understanding you can always return with detail), then move above that point and draw it's surroundings. Work top to bottom as a way to preserve your established effort and avoid lifting the pastel off of the pavement and onto your body.
When pressing the pastel to the ground, let your style lead the way. Simple application is lovely (sometimes even the perfect approach) and simplicity can be just as remarkable as a work featuring rich, juxtaposed colors and textures. If you wish to achieve the latter, building pastels is a tested method that secures your square have a pronounced appearance. Begin with a base, as one might with paint, and build atop that base. A foundation of color, or blended colors, fills in the crags natural to asphalt. Once you've secured a foundation, layer colors to add depth to your work. Like paint, each color has an impact on its neighboring color. If blending--be it by hand or tool--know that colors mix to create a new hue and look. That might sound insultingly elementary, but it needs noting. Once mixed, pastels can bleed into other areas of your work and, although pastel is a forgiving medium, your bright, bold details can get lost. Some expert street painters (see those mentioned throughout the Facebook Page) suggest that using complimentary values and hues to create shadow and depth of field is a safe bet. VCF suggests you decide what's best for you! Be as bold as you want to be! As you build your layers, and reach your crowning efforts, consider blending less frequently, letting the final layers stand alone as emphasis.
An addtional tip about use of color and blending comes from Curtis Goldstein: Curtis stresses that the use of black and white pastels should be saved for last! He encourages the use of black and white pastels to be reserved for areas that are clearly and soley black or white and will remain only black or white. Both black and white greatly dull other pastel colors, thereby rendering an image muddy.
......
A few more suggestions:
-Try masking tape or painters tape for sharp lines
-To draw circles, use a strong string (or the like) to create makeshift compass
-When blowing off your pastel dust, please don't blow into another's square. Thank you. To take that further, always be kind to your artist neighbor and be careful where you step.
-Although more comfortable, tennis/gym shoes lift pastel right off the pavement; but, plastic or wooden heels don't seem to have the same impact. Just be mindful if stepping on your work or the work of others'
-Keep walkways clear
-No open containers, please--insure all drinks with caps or re-sealable lids
-Finally, be respectful of fellow artists, the performers, volunteers, and festivalgoers
Information gathered from personal experience, workshop with Curtis Goldstein (8/21/10), http://thepaintingwizard.typepad.com/how2streetpaint/2008/06/street-painting.html/ by Melanie Stimmell (2008), http://www.ehow.com/how_1335_street-painting.html by eHow contributor (1999-2010), http://www.streetpainting.net/techni.html/ by Julie Kirk (2002)
*Definition comes from The American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition (NY, NY: Dell Publishing, 1994).
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