Nature by Dori in our mixed media painting class.  The concept of mixed media has been utilized for hundreds of years. There are two aspects to mixed media. One has to do with advertising and the multiple ways of presenting information. This can be using methods such as radio, television or billboards together. The other has to do with art. This second mixed media, or assemblage, concerns works of art that are put together using different media for a composition such as collage, photography or painting made from whatever the artist chooses to use.

A mixed media collage implies two separate art techniques. First there is the art of collage, which is defined by the free online dictionary as an artistic composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface, often with unifying lines and color. Mixed media adds to the overall concept of working with one or more types of painting in addition to the process of attaching collage elements. Elements can include photographs, colored paper, ticket stubs, magazine articles and advertisements. Even with all this visual information, a mixed media collage can still effectively convey a strong image and message.

A real fun, and obvious, form of mixed media art is assemblage. Assemblage is a form of art that is three dimensional and composed of putting together objects that are found. Assemblage really takes mixed media art to a new level. Instead of using the traditional mixed media objects, it branches out to include anything that an artist uses to create their piece of art. It can range from common, everyday items to unusual things that you wonder where the artist even managed to find them. This form of mixed media art is fun for anyone to try, from young to old, you yourself or with a group.

In a world today where "going green" and recycling is highly promoted, and even encouraged and taught in the schools, using items in art that no longer can be used in a traditional manner has become very popular. It is another form of recycling. Some artists have become very popular and talented in this field of art. Regardless of your preference of artistic styles, it is not unusual for there to be a mix of different media. Check out the mixed media art the next time you are in an art gallery, some will be obvious, but look closely at the different canvases, some will unexpectedly be mixed media art.

Even though the term multimedia art is applied to mixed media it is not the same. Multimedia art incorporates the use of differing areas like music, dance or interactions with the person viewing the display. Mixed media provides the artist with diversity both with the use of material and with what is represented by the work. The visitor to the gallery or museum can interact with an installation or simply view. Mixed media art using fiber combines fiber along with paint, dye, thread and ink among the media. The United Nations has declared 2009 the year of natural fiber, encouraging the use of fiber in art.

Do you want to enroll yourself in painting classes Los Angeles? Have you been secretly having the very idea of learning how to paint? If you love the artistry of painting and wish you could learn to paint well, then you’re well on your way. The first step of any venture begins with having the passion to do something. The next step is to act on that desire. If you really like to learn about painting, there are individuals who are willing to help you to achieve your dream. Can be as easy to do is a bit of research by using the internet as your guide.  Find an art school or perhaps college art class near your home. Painting classes in Los Angeles has to be inexpensive.  Begin shopping around for the finest establishment which fits your budget.  In the meantime, here are a few types of painting classes that you might be interested in.

Watercolor painting is an excellent way for beginner artists to start in the realm of painting. You don’t need too much equipment and also watercolor paints are generally a lot less expensive than oils. The process of making a watercolor painting also is relatively quick, which is part of the appeal for new artists who want to see outcomes quickly. While painting with watercolors is pretty easy, there are several guidelines to keep in mind which will help your artwork stand out. Make a few test paintings just before to work on something much more substantial. Watercolor paint is extremely finicky and it takes a while to find out how to get your desired color intensity. Practice holding the brush in different ways and manipulating it to get different brush strokes. When you think you have the hang of it you may want to try your very first official painting.

Oil pastels are actually art tools that look like crayons, but they’re oil-based instead of wax-based. They permit you to blend colors more freely, but they also do not dry or fix entirely to paper; so they can be more hard to protect. Nevertheless, you can make use of pastels to make very colorful artwork. All you need to do is understand the techniques. Take an oil pastel drawing course in your art school or local community university. These types of courses can provide you with the most complete instruction on oil pastel method. The courses must teach you mixing and scraping techniques at least. Once you learn exactly how to work with oil pastels, you can practice every technique on your own.

Portrait painting is a struggle for any artist, especially a beginning artist. When learning how to do portraits, an artist must train himself to paint what exactly he sees and to do that by looking at his subject objectively. The best way to learn how to paint a portrait is by painting a portrait, then painting another and another until you turn into a skilled portrait artist.

Now that you’ve been informed in three types of painting classes Los Angeles, it’s up to you to decide which type of painting classes you believe will interest you.  Don’t forget, you are not limited to three Los Angeles painting classes stated above; you can actually select various other painting classes.

Do you want to enroll yourself in painting classes Los Angeles? Have you been secretly harboring the idea of learning how to paint? If you enjoy the artistry of painting and wish that you could learn how to paint well, then you are well on your way. The first step of any venture starts with having the desire to do something. The next step is to act on that desire. If you really want to learn about painting, there are people who are ready and willing to help you fulfill your dream. All you have to do is a little research by using the internet as your guide.  Find an art school or college art class in your local area. Paint classes Los Angeles should be inexpensive.  Start shopping around for the best establishment that fits your budget.  In the meantime, listed below are different types of painting classes that you might be interested in.

Watercolor painting is a great way for amateur artists to get started in the world of painting. You don't need an excessive amount of equipment and watercolor paints are generally a lot less expensive than oils. The process of making a watercolor painting can also is relatively quick, which is part of the appeal for new artists who want to see results quickly. While painting with watercolors is relatively easy, there are some guidelines to keep in mind that will help your artwork come to life. Make a few test paintings before getting to work on something more substantial. Watercolor paint is very finicky and it takes a while to figure out how to get your desired color intensity. Practice holding the brush in different ways and manipulating it to get different brush strokes. When you think you have the hang of it you may want to try your first official painting.

Oil pastels are art tools that look like crayons, but they are oil-based instead of wax-based. They allow you to blend colors more freely, but they also don't dry or fix completely to paper; so they can be more difficult to protect. Even so, you can use pastels to make very colorful art. All you need to do is learn the techniques. Take an oil pastel drawing course through your art school or local community college. These courses can give you the most complete instruction on oil pastel technique. The courses should teach you blending and scraping techniques at least. Once you know how to work with oil pastels, you can practice each technique on your own.

Portrait painting is a difficult task for any artist, especially a beginning artist. When learning how to do portraits, an artist must train himself to paint exactly what he sees and to do that by looking at his subject objectively. The best way to learn to how to paint a portrait is by painting a portrait, then painting another and another until you become a skilled portrait artist.

Hannelore Baron was an artist whose work has become known for the highly personal, book-sized, abstract collages and box constructions that she began exhibiting in the late 1960s. Born in Saarbrücken, Germany, on June 8, 1926, she and her family fled persecution in Nazi Germany in 1938 and relocated to the Riverdale, Bronx area of New York City. Without a formal art education, her interest grew and was nourished through a variety of art classes at adult education and community centers.

At age 40, in the mid 1960s, Baron combined her knowledge of a variety of art making techniques (watercolor, drawing and printmaking) and began making her first collages. Baron embarked on an uncharted voyage into collage as a method of containing her search for human connection. Her mysterious and intriguing works of ink, paper and fabric are eloquent testimonials to the common heritage of humanity. Plunging deep into an expression of the common roots by means of personal suffering, she developed a cohesive language through the weaving of texture, shape and symbol. Her transcendent communication expresses the reassurance of the continuum of nature’s cycles reflected by the injection of new life to old fabrics.

Hannelore Baron works reveal the path by which an artist’s self-discovery transcends into universal expression. Working in the form of two-dimensional collage and box assemblage, Baron explored the archeology of the soul. In the early 1970s, Baron established a studio and devoted her time and energy completely to her artwork. Although her compositions are completely abstract, she considered them to be both personal and political statements. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s her work garnered critical acclaim, along with gallery and museum exhibitions in the United States, Europe and Japan.

Her work is marked by the gravity, discretion and understated wit of a survivor. She had a special feeling for paper, for the weight of communication it can bear and the weight of history that settles so easily on its edges and surfaces. She described herself a pacifist and wanted her quietly intense work to convince others of the need to listen. She used letters as symbols of memory and birds as symbols of vulnerability and the need for song. She had numerous solo shows in New York and was a participant in ''Jewish Themes - Contemporary Artists II'' at the Jewish Museum. Although the diminutive collages and doll-size assemblages by Hannelore Baron clearly belong to the 20th Century, it's impossible to link them to a specific decade. Hannelore Baron died of cancer at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center on April 28, 1987. She was 61 years old.

In 1995, her work was the subject of a one-person exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. In 2001 her work was the subject of a traveling exhibition curated by Ingrid Schaffner and organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Her works can be found in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, and Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Real strangers to time's steady progression, these haunting works are timeless in a profoundly untraditional sense. 

David Smith-Harrison was born in Salt Lake City, Utah where he has spent the greater part of his life. In 1977 he was awarded a Utah State Sterling Scholarship, before going on to be educated at the South Glamorgan Institute, Cardiff, Wales in 1983 and the University of Utah, Salt Lake City in 1984.

His highly original printmaking, which blends traces of Renaissance style architecture with vividly rendered natural objects, relies on his fascination for drawing. “Drawing is of central importance to me,” he says, “it is a tool for developing my powers of observation and memory.”

The delicate process of printmaking carries a greater element of surprise. Smith-Harrison enjoys this slightly unpredictable delivery of his ideas. He says “I am attracted to the infinite possibilities of impressing ink onto paper and I find the unique textural characteristics of prints to be stimulating, seductive, and full of subtlety and nuance.” It is a time-consuming technique inherited from the great engravers of the Renaissance, a period which particularly fascinates Smith-Harrison. He stresses that his interest in past artistic tradition is as important to him as his interaction with current life.

Smith-Harrison’s high artistic standing has ensured wide exhibition of his work. He has presented numerous solo and group exhibitions across California. His work was also exhibited at the Evergreen Graphic Art Association, Taipei Cultural Centre, Taiwan in 1993.

In addition, Smith-Harrison has participated in many juried exhibitions. Among these are the Ashland University Printmaking Invitational Exhibition, Ohio, at which he displayed work in 1999; National Printmaking, College of New Jersey, Trenton in 1997, Tokyo International Mini-Print Triennal 95, Japan; 65th National Print Exhibition, Society of American Graphic Artists, Federal Plaza, New York in 1993 and US-UK Print Connection, Barbican Centre in London in 1989.

William Stolpin was born and raised in Flint. He went to Garfield elementary, Emerson Junior High and old Northern High School, where he is currently a Distinguished Alumni with his picture on the wall at the new High School. He graduated from Northern in 1960, and went directly to GMI. He graduated with my BME in 1965. While he was in Junior High, he was making linoleum block Christmas cards. One card in particular had 7 blocks and about 15 colors. He realized, at that time, that he had a knack for printmaking, and have been making images ever since.

Collage artist utilizes the strategy painting and mixes two or more mediums and other found items together in a work of art. Collage artist describes his/her work as a strategy concerned with the use of 2 or more artistic media. For instance, a work on canvas which fuses paint, ink, and collage could appropriately be labeled or you can utilize a few kind of art supply, like paint and ink, paint and pastels, pastels and ink, and the like. Throughout the entire art background of mixed media artists, you will find numerous expert and well-known painters who have considered the mixed media art and astonished the industry of the arts. Listed here are a few of the impressive mixed media artists.

Cathy Horner mixes classic papers, photographs, discovered objects, as well as handmade papers with layers of paint and varnish to make her original collages on canvas, full of whimsy and a smart sense of humor. Horner's subject matter consists of a cool assortment of domestic scenes, individuals, robots, fairies, and anthropomorphic figures - all imaginatively carried out with the sort of humor that simply leaves the viewer with a grin. She brilliantly blends images, textures, and color, and her devotion to details can be seen in her own distinctive kind of presentation, as even the backs of her canvases were properly covered with vintage text and images.

Liu Shih-tung is a Taiwanese mixed media artist, born in 1970 in central Taiwan’s Miaoli County. He has been a practicing artist ever since 1985 the moment he went into the recently established senior high school art major classes and has been doing work mainly with collage since the early 2000s. From July to August this year, Liu undertook a residency at 18th Street Art Center in Los Angeles, California. Liu Shih-tung continues to be quitting installation and performance art since the early 2000s, and is right now moved by folk tradition, specifically collage making. He makes use of images cut from printed objects, a primary source of which are fashion periodicals, and recombines selected images along with paint on flat canvas.

Ray Yoshida, whose mysteriously humorous, semi-abstract paintings and collages and 40 years of teaching at the Art Institute of Chicago influenced generations of prominent artists. Mr. Yoshida’s 1st mature work was a series of collages consisting of tiny images and pieces of pictures clipped from comics organized in neat, gridded order on pieces of paper. They look as if they were produced by a methodical but possibly deranged researcher for some unknown scholarly or scientific purpose. During the 70's Mr. Yoshida turned to painting, but he returned to the comic image collages during the early 1990s.

 Lindsay:  monotype created in our printmaking class.  Printmaking is a process for producing a work of art in ink; the work called a print is created indirectly, through the transfer of ink from the surface upon which the work was originally drawn or composed. Performing this printmaking can be done in the following techniques. The most popular are the woodcut, etching, lithography, and screen-printing. Other printmaking techniques include chine-collé, collography, monotyping, engraving, drypoint, mezzotint, linocut, aquatint and batik. These techniques can also be combined.

Woodcut is a type of relief print thought to be the earliest printmaking technique, dating back to 9th century China. The artist draws a sketch on a plank of wood and then uses sharp tools to carve away the parts of the block that he/she does not want to receive the ink. The raised parts of the block are inked with a brayer and then a sheet of paper, perhaps slightly damp, is placed over the block. The block is then rubbed with a baren or spoon, or is run through the press.

Etching prints are generally linear and often contain fine detail and contours. Lines can vary from smooth to sketchy. A waxy acid-resist, known as a ground, is applied to a metal plate. After the ground has dried the artist uses a sharp tool to scratch into the ground, exposing the metal. The plate is then completely submerged in an acid that eats away at the exposed metal. This process is known as biting. The waxy resist protects the acid from biting the parts of the plate that have not been scratched into. The longer the plate remains in the acid the deeper the incisions become. The plate is removed from the acid and the ground is removed with a solvent such as turpentine. The entire plate is inked. A wad of cloth is often used to push the ink into the incised lines. The surface is wiped clean with a piece of stiff fabric known as tarlatan or newsprint paper. The wiping leaves ink only in the incisions. A damp piece of paper is placed over the plate and it is run through the press.

Lithography a printing technology developed a method of imaging limestone from which a print was produced. Based on the principle that oil and water do not mix, an aluminum or plastic plate is coated with a photopolymer film that is exposed to light through a photographic mask. The exposed areas are chemically "hardened," and the unexposed areas are dissolved when the plate is put through a chemical process. When printing a page, the plate is dampened, and the water adheres only to the unexposed, non-image areas, which repell the greasy ink that is applied to the plate immediately thereafter.

Screen-printing also known as "silk-screening" creates bold color using a stencil technique. The artist draws an image on a piece of paper or plastic film can also be used. The image is cut out creating a stencil. A screen is made of a piece of fabric stretched over a wood frame. The stencil is affixed to the screen. The screen is then placed on top of a piece of dry paper or fabric. Ink is then placed across the top length of the screen. A squeegee (rubber blade) is used to spread the ink across the screen, over the stencil, and onto the paper/fabric. The screen is lifted and the image is transferred onto the paper/fabric. Each color requires a separate stencil. The screen can be re-used after cleaning.

Lindsay created this beautiful work in our printmaking class.  Monotype prints are made by painting on nonporous surfaces such as glass, plexiglass or copper. Monotype prints, once made, need to be transferred to another surface immediately and can, for the most part, only be used to make one print. When there is ink left over, a second print, called a "ghost print," can sometimes be made, though it will be a lesser quality print. Monotyping is usually done with monotype ink, but many artists experiment using different paints, including oil pastels, and transferring to various surfaces.

Things you’ll need to make a monotype: Plexiglass or glass plate, Oil pastels, Paintbrushes, Rolling pin, Tape, Watercolor pencils, Paper. The following is the detailed steps on monotyping: 1) Find a glass or plexiglass work plate. Glass from a picture frame will work. This will be the surface where you create your image. Place the piece of paper where you will be transferring your image on top of the glass plate and mark the edges of it as a guide. 2) Place your reference photo beneath the glass plate. This could be a picture from a coloring book or a real photograph. Use watercolor pencils to outline your picture. 3) Paint your outlined drawing with oil pastels applied directly to the glass plate. Apply the oil pastels smoothly and be sure to flatten them out. You don't want any overrun when you roll your print. 4) Dampen your paper with a spray bottle of water and apply the paper to your painting plate, lining the edges up with the markings you previously made. Use clear tape to ensure the paper doesn't slide around. 5) Press your rolling pin at the center of the paper and begin rolling up and down. Do this several times to ensure your paper picks up the oil pastels. Allow the paper to sit for five minutes, then slowly peel it off your plate to reveal your monotype print.

A monotype is unique, a one-of-a-kind print. While there are a variety of ways to approach this technique, it is done using a blank piece of Plexiglas, and water-soluble oil-based paints to create the image on the Plexiglas. The image is printed onto damp paper on an etching press. Key to this method is that the print must be made while the paint is still wet.

Monoprints and monotypes are very similar. Both involve the transfer of ink from a plate to the paper, canvas, or other surface that will ultimately hold the work of art. In the case of monotypes, the plate is a featureless plate. It contains no features that will impart any definition to successive prints. The most common feature would be the etched or engraved line on a metal plate. In the absence of any permanent features on the surface of the plate, all articulation of imagery is dependent on one unique inking, resulting in one unique print.

Monoprints, on the other hand, are the results of plates that have permanent features on them. Monoprints can be thought of as variations on a theme, with the theme resulting from some permanent features being found on the plate—lines, textures—that persist from print to print. Variations are confined to those resulting from how the plate is inked prior to each print. The variations are endless, but certain permanent features on the plate will tend to persist from one print to the next.

Teaching kindergarten art lessons can be fun, simple and very, very messy.  We all know that children love to get their fingers dirty which, is why art is one of their favorite subjects. For this reason you the teacher should be always prepared for the unexpected. Make sure you sharpen your sense of smell, your hearing and your eyes in the back of your head.  So, let’s get started!

Listed below are the 7 basic tips that will help you on your first day in art class.

It is a great idea to take note of your cleaning supplies in your classroom.  Read the direction of each bottle to help you in case there is a spill or a big mess.  If you feel that you need more cleaning supplies then go to your local grocery store and buy the supplies you need.

As mentioned early children love to make a mess, it would be best to have plastic bags or drop cloth to protect the furniture.  If you are teaching your pupils a lesson on coloring then no need to protect the furniture. But you might want to reconsider if you are planning an art project on watercolor paint, acrylic paint and oil paint.

It will save you more time if you prepare each pupil’s art material than having them get it one by one.  If you allow your pupils to get their own art supplies you will create a ruckus.  Also, always remember to prepare extra art materials just in case.

When teaching an art project to your kindergarten pupils it is always a good idea to show examples for your pupils to follow.  Or you can hang your art material on the board so your pupils will have an inspiration.

It is important not to forget other work areas, such as an area for art projects to dry. If you art project involves water make sure you have several cloths on the floor while your pupil’s art is drying.  The last thing you need is a child to slip and get hurt because the floor was slippery.

Teach your pupils to clean after themselves. They should be responsible to clean their desk, paintbrushes and other art materials.  If they miss a spot you can clean it.

Now that you know how to prepare for art lessons you can apply it on the first day of school.  Remember you are the teacher and your pupils will follow your instructions.  So, do your best to make all art projects fun, simple and easy.  It is especially important that you make clean up fun. For example think of a song that your pupils enjoy and have them sing while cleaning.  Good Luck! 

Tamara Gold created mixed media art in our painting class.  Los Angeles painting classes are great for people who genuinely wish to develop their painting skills. These kinds of classes provide different kinds and forms of painting like oil painting, watercolor painting as well as abstract painting.

Los Angeles painting classes are conveniently located in the vicinity of the place. They provide classes for kids and older people and students obtain personalized training in a group setting. Beginner, intermediate and advanced students are also accommodated.

Painting programs are available to children as an art education as it's been proven that it helps them to boost intellectual growth, encourage perseverance and control, improve confidence and creativeness, and hone communication and problem-solving skills. There are basics of paintings that you have to recognize as part of the lessons' introduction. To precisely express your emotions concerning the subject you are painting, you should understand these fundamentals of painting such as sketching, color, value and composition. Below items present you with knowledge of these fundamentals in oil painting classes.

1) Drawing - Understanding how to draw is among the most useful skills a beginner oil artist could have. Many new artists normally frown on the very thought of sketching first. They might instead dive into painting, as nearly all newcomers do. Absolutely nothing is more fulfilling for a painter, than dealing with color. Nonetheless, if you wish to get experience working with values, form and space, then sketching is a thing you must think of grasping. You should at the very least have a basic understanding of drawing methods before starting.

2) Color and Value - Color is just about the one most exciting part of oil painting. It is certainly remarkable how an artist can take a two dimensional surface that will create the impression of depth and length using color. To properly depict a 3 dimensional scene utilizing color requires a lot of exercise as well as an understanding of concept and how to blend colors. The basics of color are its value, hue, saturation and temperature. The value of a color is how bright or dark it is on a range from white to black. The color represents the color itself as it appears on the array of colors. The saturation is the intensity or purity of the shade. The temperature of a shade is how cool or warm a color is. Artists could use temperature to provide the false impression of distance. Cooler colors tend to recede into the distance, as in a distant mountain range, and warmer shades have a tendency to progress closer in the direction of the facade of a photograph. Color concept is an extremely broad subject, the one that warrants better interest.

3) Composition- Have you ever went to an art gallery and a specific painting simply got your attention and drew you in? A thing in that piece of art appeals to you and makes you remain there looking and examining it. One element the artist has utilized successfully in that artwork is in fact composition. The artist has organized the shapes and has separated the area in the piece of art in such a way that attracted your sensory faculties.

In Los Angeles painting classes, there isn't any reason why a novice should not begin with oil paints, it's actually a difficult medium to perfect. It could mix up and frighten beginners but it is correct, nobody's born with a paint brush in their hands, everyone learned from nothing at certain phase.