Art Ideas! - monochrome - art in black & white

(/ green & white / blue & white / pink & white ... )

In my two most recent films for Room For Art I show various techniques for sketching and painting with ink - using a dipping nib pen, using a paintbrush...



1 - adding ink to a colour painting 
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb5gsJYw5PE







2 - sketching & painting with ink for atmosphere & drama 
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0Y2eNDTrJQ







Monochrome
There's something about black ink on white paper, the extreme light-dark has such impact. 
If you fancy going for this but have no drawing ink - don't worry!


Try:
- paint (watercolour, acrylic, household...
- oil pastel
- chalk pastel
- charcoal
- biro
- drawing ink
- coloured pencil
- graphite pencil
- collage - black paper cut & torn & stuck onto white
- photography - turn on black & white setting on your camera or convert photos you've already taken.
- any form of printmaking - linocut, polystyrene print, potato print, etching...
- whatever else you may have!


Examples:
Here are examples - a few my own and lots from the Art In Healthcare Collection. 

I look forward to seeing some of yours :)

Kate Downie

Abbeyhill Joker

printmaking

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P300

(watch a short film about Kate's work at link above)

Vincent Butler

Basket of Fruit

pencil

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P1627

Ade Adesina

Decline

printmaking

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P1491

(watch a short film about Ade's work at link above)

Wilhelmina Barns-Graham

8 Lines II 

etching

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=L356

(watch a short film about Wilhelmina's work at link above)

Thomas Grace

149 Steps

printmaking

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P1192

Kirstie Behrens

Windswept Trees

etching

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P1514

Luke Vinnicombe

Ceremony II

ink

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P1615

Leo, pencil

Leo, pen

Leo, ink & brush & dip pen

What do you think? Love the impact? Too cold? Too harsh? Too gloomy?



Monochrome needn't only be black & white!
Monochrome means 'one colour' - https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/m/monochrome 

Try making an artwork of only sepia brown & white, red & white, green & white... 


Examples:
Here are more examples. Again from the Art In Healthcare Collection and my own.
nb. some are black & white and one colour

Ian Hamilton Finlay

CITRON BLUE [AFTER A DETAIL IN A PAINTING BY WILLIAM GILLIES]

printmaking

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P1086

Ian Hamilton Finlay

SEA MS

printmaking

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P1084

Cat Outram

Seedheads

etching

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P1066

Ross Georgeson

Playfair Parade

printmaking

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P310

Brenda Herdman

Border Collie

photo

https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/work.php?code=P533

 Leo, sea and rails, watercolour

Leo, felt tip pen

Leo, lifeboat abstract, watercolour

Leo, library abstract, felt tip

Leo, watercolour

Leo, watercolour

Leo, acrylic

I seem to like blue and grey don't I.

Which colours do you find yourself monochroming with?

Art In Healthcare Collection - lots of monochrome works:

Explore the many monochrome works in the Art In Healthcare Collection - https://www.artinhealthcare.org.uk/collection-results.php?s=1&searchtext=&colour=monochrome

Art Idea - painting without brushes

It's the time of year when umbellifers are appearing along footpaths and verges across the country. They are the carrot family, they include angelica, hogweed, wild carrot, wild parsnip, hemlock, cow parsley and many more. I love them. Have a look at these links:

- https://www.first-nature.com/flowers/~apiaceae.php

- https://www.naturespot.org.uk/taxonomy/term/19628

I've been enjoying their emergence and thought I'd share a related art idea. The painting below is made using black paper, brown paint, white paint, the edge of a piece of card, a finger, the end of a stick:

Think of a painting and we assume brushes are involved but **no paintbrushes were harmed in the making of this painting.

Try you own brushless painting, and it needn't be of a wild carrot:

I used:
- a piece of white paper
- a stick
- assorted pieces of card and corrugated cardboard (all old packaging)
- Oren's paints (don't tell). Use whatever paint you wish, experiment with different types.

First marks - light green paint applied using the long edge of a piece of card.

Darker green and a finely comb-cut piece of card.

Golden yellow and a not-finely-comb-cut piece of card (old cracker box).

Red paint and finger!

More yellow paint and stick.

Corrugated card and blue. (going for a pond effect)

Ta-da! Watery pond with wildflowers.

Decided to try a bit of pencil.

Quite like the pencil but now I want some warmth in the background - yellow smeared on thinly using not-comb-cut piece of card (old cracker box).

Sun-dappled watery wildscape, no paintbrushes used :)

Which non-brushy tools work for you?