March 2019 Meeting - Lucky to have such great members!

After Shannon opened the meeting and welcomed our guests, Peggy lead the group in a drawing exercise: blind contour drawing!  Peggy found some fun cards that had drawings of various dog breeds on them.  Members were given a card, a pencil, and a sheet of paper and were asked to sketch the dog on their card *without* looking at the paper they were using.  Peggy set a quick timer and the group was off. It was great fun seeing how well everyone did.  

Calendar Reminders

There are still spots available for open for the book making class on Saturday, March 30, at the Chavis Center.  Penny Arrowood with Your Creative Connection will offer a CMMAG members-only workshop for a simple, stitched book with endless possibilities for use.  Penny will show us how to work with three strips of Stonehenge, 100% cotton paper to create a lovely form complete with wrap-around cover and decorative binding.  This paper has a lovely hand, and works well with pen and ink, light washes of water media, and/or colored pencils.  Here are some examples: 

On April 13, there is a members-only play date at Jeanie Rhea's house.  The focus will be on projects that will incorporate nature. We will learn to eco-dye paper, create prayer/wish flags, and learn paper-folding for small journals that can be used to do Haiga, a mixture of art and Haiku.   

Challenges Issued

Ilona shared details of our next two members' challenges.  

Challenge #1:  Curated Box Swap  

Due at the CMMAG meeting on April 11, 2019

• Choose an interesting container – not too large or too small but just right. (Approximately the size of a small-medium shoebox – not a bootbox).  Fill the container with carefully chosen items from your stash:  
• Extra paint/mark making tool
• A favorite tool, if you have an extra 
• Leftover bits from your own art
• Something unique you happen to have a large stash of like vintage ephemera, fabric bits, old photos, collectible items, etc.
• Project pieces that you are not going to finish/do
• Fodder you create and can make a few extra (i.e., stamped images, punched items, cricut cuts) 
• Remember when you needed 3-4 of something for a project (say a bead) and bought a string of 30?  Add in some of the extras; anything you may have purchased too much of. 
• Once you choose your items, package it all up in your container.  
• Add a flourish 
• Bring it to the meeting.
• We will put them on a table, draw numbers, swap them and then open them. 

The goal is to choose/curate items that are special in some way – that the recipient is not likely to have already. 

Do not spend money on this! 

Ilona's Curated Box

Challenge #2:  A Photo Three Ways  

Due at the CMMAG meeting on June 13, 2019

• Take a photo (or choose one from the internet or your archives) that had strong lines. 
• Print the photo in color and in either black & white or sepia tones on an 8 1/2 x 11 paper or larger.  
• Smaller images will be harder to work with.
• Make art that replicates the photo exactly in different art media in the same size as the original photo.  
• This will force you to look at all the different elements that go into making art: line, color, shading, perspective, positive/negative space etc.
• Examples of different media
• Watercolor
• Charcoal
• Colored pencil/graphite pencil
• Acrylic 
• Collage
• Cardboard – 3d
• Positive/negative space
• Paper folding
• Different color schemes
• Polymer clay

The goal is to create at least three variations of your photo to bring in and share at the June meeting.

Meeting Demonstration 
Amy did a hefty demonstration on how to use Instagram and social media, including the introduction of the new CMMAG hashtag #carolinamixedmediaartguild