Javan Ivey, a student at Pratt Institute, created this video using the “Stratastencil” technique, which seems like a great, yet challenging, project to do with a high school group. Unfortunately, difficult is an understatement for elementary students; a ton of X-Acto knife blades in the hands of reckless 12 year-olds, strict attention to detail, and the patience to continue without instant gratification. Who am I kidding? These are problems that I’d have doing this, too.
Ivey explains the process in great detail on his website, amongst many other projects to get inspiration from. (BTW-The audio track on that particular video is not kid-safe due to language)
There is no end to my longing for a computer lab in my school. Oh, the magnificent things we could create! I should research the grants available for this…
PITT Artist Pens are my new little pet. I love the ease of shading with these gray-toned brush markers, with two nice fine tipped black felt pens in the mix. I’ve been carrying these around in my purse for the last month or so and have used them fairly exclusively for the One-Drawing-A-Day challenge. The changes in gray tones from marker to marker are subtle, so it’s easy to get a smooth gradation using only a few strokes. They’re like watercolors without the mess.
Because I enjoy them so much, I will conveniently disregard that they are marketed towards Manga artists… which is too tricky a subject to get into here… fellow art teachers may already guess my views on that kettle of fish.
Their description on DickBlick:
Manga Marker Set of 8 — Faber-Castell Manga markers are recommended by leading Manga artists for their performance and range of colors. Waterproof, smudgeproof, lightfast, archival-quality ink contains a high proportion of pigment. Set of 8 includes five markers in five shades of gray with brush tip, one black brush tip, one black medium brush tip, and one black superfine brush tip in a durable plastic wallet. A leaflet provides helpful hints and advice on getting started.
I need to get a set of these in a multi-color pack, perhaps their sepia set as well. I’m a confirmed addict. For me, markers are fun again. Whoopee!
