Home Forums Explore Media Acrylics Different Strokes Challenge: August 2021

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  • #1425450
    ozeanbay
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        WELCOME TO THE August 2021 DIFFERENT STROKES CHALLENGE
        If you would like to host a Different Strokes, please see the Schedule thread here .

        Please read the guidelines below carefully.

        GUIDELINES:

        On the first of each month a theme/subject, reference photo (or photos) will be posted in a thread entitled “Different Strokes”.

        All entries must be for this challenge and in acrylics – any type of acrylic.
        Join in the discussion about the project – it’s friendly and fun to learn how others are  coping/struggling/thriving!!! But no visual images!
        Help can be gained from asking but also from looking for resource materials elsewhere – the RIL e.g.

        A ‘reveal’ date for all is 21st of the month – that gives us 3 weeks to make the work, plus an extra week for latecomers.

        Interpret the ideas any way you wish – be inventive, realistic, influenced by another style or ‘…ism’ – it’s up to you!

        PLEASE DO NOT UPLOAD WORK TO THE THREAD BEFORE THE 21ST OF THE MONTH.** Much more exciting and fun to see what ‘masterpieces’ appear!
        If work is uploaded early it will be moved to a safe place until 21st.

        At the end of the month the thread /discussion will be closed and a new challenge will begin.

        **Please note, the single ‘reveal’ date is chosen so that we do not influence each other with our individual interpretations …… that’s the whole point of it being called ‘Different Strokes’!
        By all means ask questions in the thread or initiate discussion about the challenge – just don’t post images!!!

        The challenge this month is…conscious metaphors!

        I was watching the Draftsmen podcast where Marshall Vandruff was talking about using metaphors in composition (specifics at about minute 55 to min 58, though the time beforehand has relevance) and thought we could have fun with this. He talked about “ingested” (subconscious?) metaphors, but also being careful in how you use metaphors in general. I’ve casually done this before, but I’ve have been wanting to more carefully and consciously try it out and thought others might have fun with it, too. So, let’s try it!

        Everyone will have one reference image that is just that, a reference or jumping-off point. (Crop it, adapt it, etc. as desired.) However, everyone will come up with their own metaphor to use in crafting and influencing their individual painting. Note that your metaphor can basically be anything except the same as the subject you’re painting. If you’re painting a Japanese garden, your metaphor cannot be “a Japanese garden.” This is an exercise in stretching creativity and composition choices. See the process and example below:

        1) First, think about how you want your artwork to feel. (e.g. flowing)
        2) Then think about what, besides the subject you’re painting, feels like that. This will be your metaphor. (e.g. waterfall)
        3) Bring elements from that metaphor into your painting to get the feeling you want. (e.g. use a metaphor of a waterfall to design a dress for a flowing feel)

        When you reveal your painting, please also share your metaphor! Have fun and enjoy the creative process!

        Reference photo: Cuatro & Bougainvillia by tonyjazz

        #1425583

        Erm ………. well……….. er ……………. yes ………………… I think I …… ? :lol:

        Wow, that’s a challenge and a half Ozean!!!!

        I’ll find my thinking cap! ;);)

        Thank you for hosting and preparing this ……… it actually is how Different Strokes started back in 2005 – only difference is, we didn’t have to consciously state our metaphor! :lol:

        Cheers, Maureen


        Forum projects: Plant Parade projects in the Florals/Botanicals forum , WDE in the All Media Art Events , Different Strokes in Acrylics forum .

        #1425647
        ozeanbay
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            Maureen-lol! Yes, please join if you’re able and you can find that thinking cap, but no worries if it doesn’t happen. :)

            Those older DS challenges were part of what inspired this one! It’s so fun to see different takes on the same subject.

            Now, I need to decide on what direction I want to go for my own painting. It was hard to think of metaphors at first and then they came in a flood!

            #1425787

            So…. we make a metaphor from the reference photo or we choose a reference photo that reflects our metaphor?  Or… is it that we choose a reference photo of something that causes us to think of a metaphor and create a painting of that metaphor using no elements of the reference photo?

            I’m very confused.  :scratch:

             

            Sheila

            The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.
            -Helen Keller
            The question is not what you look at, but what you see.
            -Henry David Thoreau

            #1425791
            ozeanbay
            Default

                Sheila–I’m sorry it’s confusing. I’ll try again. :)

                Basically, you choose a metaphor to aid you in getting the feeling you want for your painting. We’ll all be using the same reference of the guitar and flowers and then choose our own metaphors to help us in our creations.

                *******************

                So, using the reference photo given of the guitar and flowers:

                1) First, think about how you want your artwork to feel. (Here are some adjectives that might help as you brainstorm.)
                2) Then think about what, besides the subject you’re painting, feels like that. This will be your metaphor.
                3) Bring elements from that metaphor into your painting to get the feeling you want.

                ********************

                So, someone could possibly do the following with Tony’s guitar and flower picture as a reference.

                1) Decide that they want their painting to feel “hot.”

                2) What is “hot” (that isn’t the same as the reference photo)? Maybe…fire…a flame…wildfire…sparks…lava…the sun…the desert…a cooking skillet…boiling water. The person chooses “fire” as their metaphor.

                3) What elements from “fire” could the artist steal to make their painting feel “hot”? Maybe the colors of fire…Maybe the way shadows happen…Maybe mimic the “glow” of the fire…Maybe mimic the dancing movement of the fire somewhere or the shimmer of the heat…etc.

                *Note: this post was edited for a more relevant and, hopefully, less confusing example.*

                I’m not an expert in all of this, but this is how I’ve understood it generally works.

                Does this help at all?

                #1425879

                Going be your explanation, I think the problem could be combining two sets of images …. the octopus in comfortable four -poster bed with gauzy drapes, playing the guitar with the bower of roses climbing onto the bed!?? or …….

                ……. knowing that Tony, the photographer, loves the sea and tranquility, beach etc, how to just make the reference look tranquil….. maybe by ignoring local colour ( as per July’s challenge)!!!! and painting that ref in tropical beach colours?

                It’s good to discuss!?

                Cheers, Maureen


                Forum projects: Plant Parade projects in the Florals/Botanicals forum , WDE in the All Media Art Events , Different Strokes in Acrylics forum .

                #1425882
                ozeanbay
                Default

                    Hmmm…I think I may have just caused even more confusion. I was just trying to give the octopus reference as an analogous example to show methodology, not as what we should necessarily do. I was still thinking of just using Tony’s guitar and flowers image for our challenge.

                    I’d love to see everyone pick their own way they’d like to interpret the reference, but if the idea of consciously choosing a metaphor to do that is too confusing or too much, I’m happy changing the challenge. :)

                    #1425911

                    Lol, just emphasise that last sentence in your first para, in your last post there …. That solves the confusion!?

                    Cheers, Maureen


                    Forum projects: Plant Parade projects in the Florals/Botanicals forum , WDE in the All Media Art Events , Different Strokes in Acrylics forum .

                    #1425924
                    ozeanbay
                    Default

                        Ok, better now? The “octopus” example is now replaced with an example using the original reference image and I’ve emboldened the sentence Maureen mentioned.

                        I do hope that others will join in with this challenge! It might look intimidating, but it shouldn’t be! Please just have fun playing with ideas to stretch creativity and help in composing your painting.

                        Here are some different lists of adjectives that could help inspire how you want your painting to feel:

                        Adjectives That Start With A to Z List

                        https://eslgrammar.org/list-of-adjectives/

                        https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/adjectives/list-of-descriptive-adjectives.html

                        #1425933

                        Ok, so I think I’ve got it.

                        If you were Van Gogh, the guitar could represent “that which is stable” and the red bougainvillea could represent “that which threatens to engulf what is stable”.

                        Or if you were Renoir, the guitar would be a metaphor for “the woman who is beautiful” and the bougainvillea, “the fleeting fragility of beauty and youth”

                        Or if you were Rembrandt, the guitar could be “that which is the soul” and the bougainvillea either “that which is the glory that emanates from the soul” or, alternatively, “the darkness that will claim the soul”, or more complicated, both.

                        Or, if you were Goya, the guitar could be “he who is the prisoner” and the bougainvillea “the tide of violence that will crush the prisoner” or “the passion of idealism which compelled the prisoner to stand up to authority”

                        And of course the grass and the fence could be spun into their own metaphors, depending on what the guitar and flowers are approached.

                        Is that sort of what you were thinking? If so, then I might try and pull something together.

                        "None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm." - Henry David Thoreau

                        Moderator Acrylics Forum~~~Reference Image Library

                        #1425934

                        Keep going Colin, you’ll soon provide a great list from which all participants can choose one!!???

                        Thanks Ozean …. the ‘embroidery’ will, I’m sure, help the understanding!?

                        Cheers, Maureen


                        Forum projects: Plant Parade projects in the Florals/Botanicals forum , WDE in the All Media Art Events , Different Strokes in Acrylics forum .

                        #1425940
                        ozeanbay
                        Default

                            Colin–I love how your mind works! What a great list you made! Please, keep going!

                            I think you may have flipped what I was originally thinking and used the reference image as a metaphor for other things, but maybe we’re actually thinking the same way. What I was thinking was, if you were Renoir, to use “the woman who is beautiful” as your metaphor to help you paint the guitar.

                            However you interpret this challenge, please join in!

                            Maureen–Yes, the “embroidery” should help! And it’s just fun. :)

                            #1425984

                            Ok, thanks for the clarification, Ozeanbay. Even knowing I may have flipped your intent around helps conceptualize how to approach the challenge.

                            I will see what I can come up with.

                            "None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm." - Henry David Thoreau

                            Moderator Acrylics Forum~~~Reference Image Library

                            #1425987
                            Old_hobbyest
                            Default

                                I still don’t grasp the concept. So, pleading ignorance or out-and-out stupidity, I’ll pass this month.

                                My college English professor could not clearly define the difference between metaphor, analogy and simile. She said (and I quote) a simile is like a metaphor most of the time. an analogy can be either but often it isn’t. My guess is that most of us can’t define these either.

                                #1425989
                                ozeanbay
                                Default

                                    Colin-Glad that helped and you’ll be joining in! Yay!

                                    Old Hobbyist-Are you sure you want to sit this one out? I’m sorry this has proven a difficult concept for me to get across. I’d love it if you joined in whatever way you’d like or if you’d like me to try to explain it better, but I completely understand if you are passing. I’ll try to choose a simpler challenge next time!

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