Do a quick sketch of a face. I am using one of the prints from last lesson. I had cleaned off my brush at some point on the page. It shows a bit of eye placement, shape of face, nose placement, mouth placement and that is about all you need to do this.
Grab a couple of magazines. I used a People Magazine and Hello Canada magazine and my deepest apologies to Kate. Go through the magazine and find two different eyes that might work, a nose, a mouth, hair. Tear them out, don’t cut… you do not want sharp edges. Then simply start gluing them down with a glue stick. Pay attention to lights and darks.
To do this you will need to do layers, so once you have then glue sticked down, do a sealant with Mod Podge or |Matte Medium. Let that dry and then go over the page with clear gesso. (Again, for the tooth for the next layer).
Begin blending with pastel pencils, chalks, or using whatever medium you have as a light wash, to blend together the skin on the face, to give character to the hair, to define the eyes and mouth and nose.
I glued down words that apply to what \I am thinking about today. I started the morning off re-learning how to accept myself, my aging, my limitations, and my gifts. I need to love myself as unconditionally as I love/ed my beloved. I tried to pen around them, in white, but it grayed. I will let the pen dry for a day or so and come back and make another layer of white around the words.
At the end I did some light journaling around her head speaking to accepting self as I am, as I was meant to be. Yes, my decisions in life led me to here as well, and some of them were darn good decisions under pressure. Yes, I am a fractured character of who I could have been with a perfect life and perfect circumstances, but I have never met a perfect person, so I am pretty sure there are none. We learn to patch ourselves together, time and time again. Genetics plays a huge role, I have discovered since my birth family found me in 2007. There are similarities in body, the way we think, our emotional stamina, and spirit. Some of my siblings stories are the worst of the worst in foster homes and residential schools. My life was not as bad as theirs, and yet, when we meet together, we have that blood quantum relatedness that comes through in even experiences (choices) and we are strong people. I cannot weaken now.
I hope you enjoyed this activity and hope you will give it a go and see what happens and what meanings come out for you.
©Carol Desjarlais 4.12.21
No comments:
Post a Comment