Still out on The Seas

Let me tell you, a new blade on an exacto makes ALL the difference. It was cutting through paper like it was fresh butter you bought just so you can have it on freshly baked bread...mmmmmmmmmmmm.

I wanted to make a better detailed ship on my first project, but it was too small and I thought that my exacto wasn't up to the challenge (but with this new blade, it might be). So I made this guy

The pages are from Shakespeare's "As You Like It" and it's about 3 3/4 x 5 in.

There's a book sale at our library today. I'm hoping it will be old books and not newer ones. I'm also making an office appointment with the head of our Art Department so I can talk to him about where my art is going and what I should do to further push myself and if I should get a studio space on campus.
For the pushing myself, this project was a bit of a beginning for that. I've been making my designs and drawings more detailed and intricate, so it takes more skill and precision to cut out.

In other news, it's been rainy and cloudy here!!! (she says as the sun's rays start to break through the clouds.. stupid sun.) I wore a sweater yesterday, and today I'm wearing two! I only hope it will stay cool enough. I still have an entire drawer full of sweaters that have been waiting for cold weather (and the sun just went away again! YAY!).

I've been thinking that I need to start getting more into photography. I will need it to be able to document my work as an artist. The first thing would be to get a good camera. The one I have now is pretty bad, even cheap newer point and shoot digital cameras are better. We'll see, right now I've been getting help from my photographer friends, but I can't rely on them forever....

I think I'll play my ukulele now. It sounds like a wonderful thing to do.
-Brenna Kathleen

Sailing Away

This year I wanted to start focusing on my own personal art and figure out what exactly it is that I want to do with all the stuff I've been learning. I know that I love paper. The ways that it can be made into something amazing, delicate, simple, and whimsical all at the same time. I get genuinely excited when I see really cool paper art.
So I've been trying to incorporate that into my school projects now that I've done all the basics. So far my illustration class is the one that I've been able to do the most paper art in, but I'm also looking forward to the things I'm learning in my sculpture class and how I can incorporate that into my work (can you say bandsaw?).

This is the first project I've made just for kicks, with no class requirement. It started with appreciating one of the best noses and profiles I have ever come across in my Contemporary Art Trends class on Friday. That led to some sketches, and some ideas, and more sketches, and soon it became art.

It's all black paper and an exacto knife.
I still don't know how I'm going to finalize it yet. Should I mount it on nice white paper and frame it? Does the paper 'frame' I made need to be re-done? Should I just ditch the paper frame and get a nice oval black frame for it?
I know it's not the best, but I'm learning, so I'll get better.

I also need to figure out a way to transfer my sketches to the black paper to cut out.
So far I make a black copy of the sketch, go over it with a white charcoal pencil, and then burnish the image onto black paper. But I loose a lot of details that way that I had in my original sketch. Perhaps I could find a way to print with white ink onto my black paper?

Now I just need to find out what the best exacto knife is for really detailed work. Even after replacing the blade it still isn't the best. 

This isn't the last of this, more will be coming in the future. I love it too much to not make more.
-Brenna Kathleen