Kim Young-ha on Staying the Arist You've Always Been

Do you ever log onto the net and feel like you are searching for something? Well, I've finally found it. 

This video talks art, lies, storytelling, and staying young at heart to practice the artistic skills you were born with.

Illustration Workshop for Kids Live on RTE jr

'Join Gráinne Clear and Laureate Na nÓg Niamh Sharkey, for a live illustration workshop on RTÉjr Radio on Sunday December 9th at 9am. It will will be streamed live on this page.

Niamh Sharkey (image source)

 Children are invited to tune in and create their own illustrated story with the help of Niamh. All you need is some colouring pencils, crayons, paper and a little imagination !'

I love the sound of it all. The above was taken from RTE Junior.

Culture Night 21st September South Tipperary

image source

Culture Night is an initiative co-ordinated by Temple Bar Cultural Trust and supported by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in partnership with SouthTipperary County Council Arts Service and County Museum



The events are free, fun and a must-see.

Events for Culture Night at the County Museum and Main Guard,Clonmel
Dig Where You Stand  
All Day – County Museum

Dig Where You Stand is a project and exhibition curated by Eilís Lavelle, Sarah Lincoln and Rosie Lynch at South Tipperary County Council Museum.

The exhibition explores language and text in relation to the telling of the past and geographical location and responds directly to the context of a local museum setting andunfolds through video, sound, installation, artifacts from the County Museumcollection, found objects, design and a publication.  

Artists include; Susan Hiller (UK), Uriel Orlow (CH), BridgetO’Gorman (IE)  and Philippa Sutherland (IE).



An Interactive Insight into the Lives of the Butler’s
5.15pm – 5.45pm - County Museum
Claoimh re-enactors will demonstrate swords and weaponry used during the 17th century and examine the history and the buildings of the Butlers. You will learn what life was like in Medieval Tipperary and in turn discover the character of the townsthey influenced. School parties are invited to meet Claoimh throughout the day.
Followed by tea and a chat from 5.45pm – 6.15pm

Dig Where You Stand – Artist Talk 
 6.20pm – 6.40pm – County Museum
Dig Whereyou Stand- working closely with the museum curator artist Philippa Sutherland produced a series of interventions into the South Tipperary Museum Collection.The interventions uncover new and surprising narratives and present a very personal response to the collection.

image source

The Dead  (by James Joyce) - Film Screening  
6.40pm – 8.00pm – County Museum
A  film by John Huston - The film is delicate and unhurried, detailing a Christmas dinner at the house of two spinster musician sisters and their niece in turn-of-the-century Ireland, attended by friends and family. Among the visiting attendees are the sisters' nephew Gabriel Conroy and his wife Gretta. The evening's reminiscences bring up melancholy memories for Gretta concerning her first, long-lost love when she was a girl in rural Galway. Her recounting of this tragic love to Gabriel brings him to an epiphany: he learns the difference between mere existence and living...



Ormonde - Power, Privilege, Patronage - Performance
8.30pm – 9.30pm – Main Guard, Clonmel
17th- Century Music for Voice, Recorder & Baroque Guitar from Ireland, England & France
Róisín O'Grady, Soprano, Laoise O'Brien, Recorder, Eamon Sweeney, Baroque Guitar

The17th century was a fraught and bloody period of upheaval and chaos in Irish Society – power and allegiances constantly shifted and proxy wars between Continental powers played out on Irish soil. 

The story of James Butler, Duke of Ormonde, typifies these turbulent times – Irishman, ally of Eoghan Roe O'Neill, opponent of Cromwell, Royalist, Exile,ViceRoy of Ireland. This concert features music that James Butler and his family would have known in Ireland, England and France by composers such as Turlough O'Carolan, Henry Purcell, Jean-Baptiste Lully and  Henry Lawes.


All events are free. Spend the evening doing something different -why not check out Culture Night!

To book any of the events at the County Museum or The Main Guard contact 052 6134552

For more information about Culture Night please contact:
South Tipperary County Council Arts Service,
County Museum,
Mick Delahunty Square,
Clonmel,
Co.Tipperary
Tel 052 6134565.
Email sally.oleary@southtippcoco.ie www.southtipparts.ie

Drawing Made Easy

Pick a picture, any picture....now draw it.

Often, when teaching, you spend all of your time actually teaching and showing, never doing. I mean, sure, we have to show pupils an almost finished product...but how many times do we just take 'em from the Internet or books?

When I teach drawing I emphasise an awareness of: space, form, shape, line (these are from the curriculum) I also would mention: tone, texture, debt.

When I was teaching in resource, I decided to draw a few images and then ask the pupils to do the same. I was working on hand-eye coordination and motor skills. And yes, being aware of space on the page can be translated into real life.

Anyway, I start with the eyes, then mouth and chin, I add the ears and hair. Once the neck is added, I have a shape that I can really build up. It is really that simple; start with the eyes, nose and mouth.

Here are my picutres below.

For more info on the curriculum:

Strand: Drawing

Strand unit: Making drawings

The child should be enabled to

• experiment with the marks, lines, shapes, textures, patterns and tones that can be made with different drawing instruments on a range of surfaces, demonstrating increasing sensitivity and controllooking closely at specially chosen objects and interpreting qualities of line, shape, texture, light and shade
  concentrating as appropriate on outline drawing, silhouette, shape, tone, texture, pattern and rhythm and structure
• discover how line could convey movement and rhythmmovement in nature (cloud shapes)
  calligraphic styles (the Book of Kells)
  cartoon figures in action
• make drawings based on themes reflecting broadening interests, experiences and feelings
  pastimes, outings, special events
• draw imaginative themes using inventive pattern and detailstories, poems, songs
  dream cars, motorcycles or houses
  futuristic fashion
  characters in cartoon strips
  designing and sketching plans for a threedimensional project
• draw from observationstill life arrangements
  aspects of the environment when viewed from different angles, using a viewfinder (or a classroom window) to help position objects and define space
  the human figure (e.g. a classmate in a particular setting)
  details of the human figure (e.g. a portrait of a classmate).

Christmas Presents - DIY 3

Clock Book

This is a fun and easy project all you really need is the idea (and supplies, of course) 


Resources:
A hard back book cover
A clock set (can buy these from good craft shops) or take apart an old one you have (which I did).
A drill or a screwdriver and care.


Method
Ensure that your hard back book cover is of simple design with not too much text.
Use a compass to draw a light circle, you can mark the digits or leave them blank, make a small insertion into the centre of the circle and fit your clock set.

Tick, tick.....BOOOOOM, You don't need to shake the room cause you just made a book clock.

These pictures are not mine. I will upload mine later, promise!
LAST TIME
We discussed how to make:

1. Magnetic poems
2. A Books Bracelet

NEXT TIME
In my next few Christmas posts I will show you how to make:

1. Paper Daisies
2. Book Beads Bracelet

Not so crafty? See the below:




William Blake Pin, it is a classic quotation from a talented author. Available in a choice of purple or red. Comes gift-boxed. (measures approximately 3.5 x 3.75cm. ) Cost £4.00. From The Literary Gift Company

Christmas Presents - DIY 2

Last time we made a Magnet poem. Today we are going to make a word covered bangle.



Resources
Bangle
Newspaper/map/magazine/cartoon pages
glue
scissors
sand paper
varnish
small paint brush



Method

• Decide on the paper you want to use and cut out long strips. Ensure that the piece you cut out reach all around the bangle  and that they overlap/.

• Decide on the width you are going to go with. (See below for different styles).

• Once you have decided the above simply cut the paper and lay it out.

•  Ensure your bangle is clean, and to ensure the paper stick I would advice to use a small piece of sanding paper to rough it up.

• Use the brush to paint the glue onto one piece of paper and glue on, one at a time,  with the edges overlapping.

•  Ensure there are no air bubbles, leave to dry for at least 2 hours.

• Paint with varnish to ensure the ink wont run and elongating the life span of your fab new, personalised bangle!

I will upload pictures of my finished bangle later, just waiting for them to dry.

  
Other Pretty Examples, pictured below.

I love the look of these bangles and have branched out beyond maps—you can make a bracelet with any appropriately sized image.

Danielle West

The paper should be wider than the bangle.

Danielle West

Thin strips will help reduce the visibility of your seam.

Danielle West

LAST TIME
We discussed how to make:

1. Magnet poem

Next time we will make

1. A Clock Book
2. Paper Daisies
3. A word covered bangle
4. A Book Bead Bracelet

Not so crafty? See the below:

Bodleian Library Writing Set

Description: before the advent of dust-jackets many books, especially those for children, were bound in brightly coloured cloth with pictorial blockings in gold and colours. The Book of Sports and Pastimes, Things Worth Making and The Outdoor Handy Book are just a few of the unusual 19th and 20th century book covers featured on this writing set.

Details: contains 10 sheets of writing paper and 10 envelopes. Folder has a velcro seal. 24 x 19cm. £4.99 From The Literary Gift Company

 

Christmas Presents - DIY 1

Bookish Christmas Presents

I remember celebrating Mothers Day, every year I would ask my mom what she wanted and she would always say, something 'homemade' my imagination could only ever stretch to a homemade card. The time and effort that went into these cards was something else. I was the one who wrote the poem and my twin was the one who drew the picture.

Here we are all these years later, me  teaching and writing and my sister is using art as part of her career.

I wonder if my mom's request for 'homemade' had an impact?  I would like to say hi to Sheevaun (for her home cooking skills) and Karen (for her sewing skills) ye are an inspiration ladies. Anyway, for those of you who like to be creative then check out the below.

Make Magnet Poems


Resources
Cardboard
Coloured paper
A paper print out of the XX*
Magnet Stripes
Scissors / blade (I bought mine for a few euro in Tessco)
Super Glue
Laminatetor / sellotape / resin
Freezer bag (to store the piece in)

*XX
You can go a wild as you want:
You can print out random words (to create your own fridge poems)
Print out cool quotes
Print out book names and authors (but make the authors as separate magnets so you have a fridge quiz)
Print out saying family members sayings
Print out holiday destination you went to and the dates (make as separate magnets so a fridge quiz to test your partner!)



Method

• Decide on the XX* you want to use and print/write.
• You could print/write different words on different coloured sheets or in different fonts.



Here is a picture of the formatting I used

If you are printing then:

• I would advise to use size 24, that you select line spacing of 2.
• Also if you are printing, a tip would be to select a word then press the 'CTRL' key and go on to select more words and then click change colour. (All of you selected words will change colour...saves time)
• If you want to download the poem I formatted click here to download.

Laminate the XX* or cover in sellotape or cover in resin. (this will protect them and ensure durability)

Cut a piece of the magnet strip to match the paper.

Stick them on to the magnet strip.



oh look at my handy TO DO re-usable sheet



You are done! If you look at my first picture, you will see that with the extra laminated paper I also made a re-usable to do sheet. If you use a marker you can wipe and re-use! It is the gift that keeps on giving!



NEXT TIME
I love buying books but hate giving them away. Even when I lend them to friends, I always note their name, the book and date so I know when to go after them for my book!

We have a very old (and unwanted) Encyclopaedia and I am going to turn one of the books into some cool things, in my next few Christmas posts I will show you how to make:

1. A Books Bead Bracelet
2. A Clock Book
3. Paper Daisies
4. A word covered bangle.

Goodbye old Encyclopaedia book cool stuff!


Not so crafty? See the below:

 I love this idea for a t-shirt. You would be surprised by the amount of times people have said to me, 'don't include that into your blog or book.' 'Honestly,' I tell them, 'you are not that interesting!' This t-shirt is about £20 on-line but you could go to a t-shirt place and get them to do one up for you.

The Tempest

Shakespeare meets modern wordplay in the form of Kate Tempest.

.

Stories, fables and tails’

Hi all,

I would like to welcome Lucy Phelan as my guest blogger.

Lucy is pretty cool, she; paints, teaches and pretty much rocks!
Her show opens in the Tipperary Excel Centre - on August 5th at 19.00. It will run untill August 30th at the hours of 10.00 to 17.00

Enjoy

Michelle

‘Stories, fables and tails’ at The Tipperary Excel Centre in August is my first solo show, and I am very excited at the prospect of seeing ALL the pieces hang together for the very first time. It has been an exciting journey sometimes peppered with panic and the odd low moment of frustration and doubt.

 I have drawn pictures ever since I can remember. As a child the sight of a new sketchbook and pencils would fill me with happiness and even now the smell and sight of a new box of crayons will fill me with a nostalgia; Christmas in a box. Funnily enough I now use a lot of oil bar (big sophisticated adult crayons) in my drawings along with things like varnish and oil paint. These smell less like Christmas and I need to have all the windows open when I am working.

Work in progress

 I studied Printmaking in college, Crawford, and the work tends to draw from the freedom of this medium.  I mix drawing and digital images together as I think that a drawing can sometimes be more real and more honest than a photograph and conversely a photograph can have all of its reality removed. I am interested in the various ways we make marks and how we read and interpreted them.

I love using images to tell stories and I use a lot of animal imagery in my work. I make big storybook pages often with text. Animals have always played a huge part in our myths, legends and religious beliefs. Since we have lived in caves we have used animals to tell stories, give warnings and make magic; from Red Riding Hood and her ill fated granny to Apocalyptic end times. We also use animal behaviour to describe human conditions: as strong as a horse, as sick as a dog, as stubborn as a mule and no man would ever want to be called an old goat. Our ability to understand animal iconography and symbolism is as innate as our subconscious.

I teach on the Art/Craft/Design course at Colaiste Stiofain Naofa in Cork and I love teaching. It is wonderful to assist people, who have a need to express themselves visually, build skills and begin to develop their passion into a career. I was a bit blown away with Michelle’s post about Caren Kennedy saying in relation to teaching; “those who can have a duty to teach” I couldn’t agree more!

I want to thank Michelle big time for letting me chat to you on her site. I am taking her  good advice and starting my own page, until then I am contactable at info@lucyphelan.com  and if you want to look at the work  http://lucyphelan.com/  though the images on the site are in shocking need of updating.

Please click here if you want to vote. It is one click; no personal details are needed.