Task #30: Instructional Paint Session (Kim)

30.  Art Task:  Attend an art class and learn how to paint a painting.

As I have reiterated many times in this project, art is not my thing.  Project 52 has motivated me to attempt one art project, but I decided to further expand my art horizons and attend a painting session.  I went to a class at Muse Paint Bar in South Norwalk.  They host painting sessions with snacks and drinks, and an artist stands at the front of the room and teaches everyone how to create a specific painting.  We were given blank canvases, paint, and paint brushes.  Some people to chose to use different colors or designs from the artist, but my friend Olivia and I decided to follow the artist's instructions since this was our first time really painting. 

My blank canvas

The paint provided before all of the color mixing

Our pre-painting selfie

The painting being taught at this lesson was an ocean sunset.  It was completed in layers on the canvas.  An artist taught it in the front of the room, and this example was hanging on the brick wall behind her.

Artist's example hung up in the front of the room.

We started about one-third of the way up on the canvas with the yellow.  We then would paint layers of a darker color working up to a light red.

The sky came next.  The painting looked like stripes before we blended it together and added the clouds.

Clouds added in the sky.

Olivia's painting, the artist' painting, and the example on the wall.

Touching up the clouds.

Adding the reflections of the sun.

Finished product after adding reeds.

Finished products with the artists' example displayed behind us.

Going to Muse was an entirely new experience for me, but not only because I have no idea how to paint or draw.  It was also because it had a very different atmosphere than what I am used to in a regular class.  Talking, conferring, and even singing along with the music playing was encouraged. Making a complete mess was practically encouraged, too; as you can tell from my pictures, paint is on everything at Muse, and that isn't considered a problem. Though the instructors wanted you to concentrate and be proud of your painting, they really wanted you to have a great time.  My painting turned out okay, but I found the black reeds very difficult to get the hang of.  And, as you can tell, they are prominent in the painting so those mistakes are obviously on display.  However, it was a great experience overall, and I would definitely consider returning to Muse for another session.  It is much harder to find things to do for Project 52 because the weather has been so awful, but this was an enjoyable activity to do indoors on a freezing winter night.

Task #24: Animated Picture and Snow Photographs (Kim)

24.  Combine photographs to create an animated picture.

Our recent snow days have certainly hindered our upcoming Project Explore plans.  However, I have been using this time to experiment with my camera in the winter weather.  I was able to combine several shots of snow using a Google application to create an animated snow picture.

These are other pictures I took in recent snowstorms and wanted to share.

I must have fifteen photos of nearly this same picture.  I was working on my up-close photo capabilities and trying to really focus on part of the branch.

Another photo working on close-up focusing capabilities.

I experimented with different features on my camera to capture the snow.  High-speed worked well to capture it but often made my photos less focused.

Task #22: Snow Graffiti (Kim)

22.  Snow Graffiti

With the impending snowstorm Juno, I decided to look up non-traditional snow day activities.  Project Explore motivated me.  I tore myself from the Netflix and hot chocolate (after some shoveling this morning, of course) and went out there in the cold.  My neighbor Olivia DiMarco and I put food coloring and water in several spray bottles to make "snow graffiti".  A very unappreciated art form, in my opinion.

In the spirit of Project 52, we used the remainder of our food coloring to splatter colors around 52.  

Before we splattered the remainders of the solutions around it!

We also used sprinkles in the snow to fill in drawings.

Task #18 Completed: Create A Stop Motion Video (Kim)

18.  Film a stop motion video.

1. Stop motion: a cinematographic technique whereby the camera is repeatedly stopped and started, for example to give animated figures the impression of movement.
2. 
   

I attempted to film the stop motion video when I created Open When letters for my friend Molly.  However, I never posted the video because although it was a learning experience, I didn't find the video to be any good or interesting to watch.  Once again, I attempted a stop motion video with the melting crayon art project.  Since I asked for a tripod and received it as an early Christmas present, I had the added benefit of the tripod.  However, I once again was not impressed with the results.

I have decided to combine the videos and post them anyway to show my improvements.  I have learned the importance of keeping a camera perfectly still; even with a tripod I struggled with this skill.  In addition, stop motion is very time consuming.  Each movement takes about twice as long with the added necessity of pressing the camera button.  I think that when done correctly, stop motion can be a fascinating technique.  I hope that next time I attempt a stop motion video, I will have learned from the mistakes you see here and succeed.

Task #17 Completed: Melted Crayon Art (Kim)

17.  An art project: melted crayon art

Art has never really been my thing, but I have always wanted to try melted crayon art.  I've seen it on websites like Pinterest.   So, I tried it out.  Even though it took a long time, I am absolutely in love with how it came out.

I hot glued crayons to a poster board.  I used RoseArt crayons mixed with a few neon Crayola crayons.  I believe the Crayola produced brighter colors when melted.  Other than that, the only necessary materials are a hairdryer and newspaper to cover your work spaces (include the walls behind the poster.  You may actually melt the top of the crayons without meaning to).

I also obtained a silhouette of a couple standing under an umbrella.  I covered it with tape while melting crayons around it.

The whole process took several hours to get the final product I wanted.  The best part was you couldn't really mess up - you could always simply move around whatever you had already melted by re-melting it with the hairdryer.  The crayon also had a tendency to splatter into the areas of other colors, but it turned out looking cooler that way.

Something like this is the whole reason I love Project 52.  I never would've made the time to do this, but it was great.  Plus, I have something to hang up in my room that I can actually say I made.  This will stand as a reminder of everything Project 52 stands for in my mind: to live without regrets and take advantage of opportunities like a couple taking advantage of a special moment despite the adverse weather conditions.

Task #11 Completed: Say "Yes" to an Odd Job (Rachael)

I have performed many  miscellaneous jobs over my 17 years, so how does this one in particular qualify as something I've never done? Well, the reasons it qualifies for this project in particular is due to the lack of qualifications I had for the job, aka I was hired as a face painter at a 3-year old's Orthodox Jewish birthday party.

Now I am the type of person who could think they were drawing a beautiful sunset and later have someone misinterpret it as a deformed Octopus. So I was pretty terrified by the fact that I would be drawing on human faces. Okay now that I have given the gist of the situation there are a few realizations that I would like to share.

• It is very very, very, very, important to test the paint before you arrive otherwise you may end up with paint chunks on a child's face.
• Surprisingly enough, a parent will not tell their kid if the drawing on their cheek looks as if the artist attempted with their eyes closed.
• Klezmer music for 4 hours can be found very relaxing. 
• There is no room for mistakes when a child asks you to paint their hand (they'll eyeball you the entire time -no pressure)
• The kids will eventually get bored and if you so choose to entertain them they will do all or any of these five things:
  

  
  

  1) Ask you to take pictures of them doing flips

  2)  Force you to do the Macarena with them
  
  3) Ask to paint on the right side of your face
  
  4) Ask to paint on the left side of your face
  
  5) Ask to draw on your forehead  

  To which you will only have one choice: let the madness ensue.