HOW Q-TIPS HELP US “SEE”

[sloopjones]

We paint with Q-tips at our "Make a shirt of ART" workshops.

Andrea Milam explains why in this weeks blog comment.
HOW Q-TIPS HELP US “SEE”

Q-Tips are great for leveling the playing field. Whether you’re an accomplished artist, or you’re picking up a brush for the first time at one of the Sloop Jones Shirt of Art workshops, you’ve probably never created a piece of art using Q-Tips.

“We get out the paper towels, which are throw-away items, and Q-Tips, which nobody paints with, to level the playing field,” explains Sloop. “The person who’s the accomplished artist experiments with Q-Tips the same as a person who doesn’t ever paint at all.”

Sloop employs the use of Q-Tips and paper towels to help his students shed their inhibitions – no matter what they’ve chosen to paint on their t-shirts.

In the photo below, Q-Tip and paper towel were used to find just the right shade of blue.



Here is the resulting Shirt of Art

“The transition to using a brush after playing with Q-Tips is a little easier and less intimidating to people because they’ve had the experience of laying the paint down,” says Sloop. “By this point, they understand that it might not always come out the way they want it to, but that’s okay.”

The photo below shows turtles created by a businessman who seemed “totally out of his element,” Sloop recalls

“I think having the Q-Tips brought him to a place where he could create his turtle,” Sloop said.

By hosting his Shirt of Art workshops, not only is Sloop providing an opportunity for visitors and residents alike to create beautiful take-home souvenirs that they can be proud of; he’s also encouraging students to shed their preconceptions about their artistic ability, and attempting to impart the knowledge he’s gained over decades as a professional artist.

“I talk to them a lot about the fact that what’s in your mind isn’t necessarily what you’ll be able to create with this brush you have in your hand, so you’ve got to adjust your vision to what the media is allowing you to do,” says Sloop. “It took me almost 25 years to realize that when I put a stencil down, it’s okay if it smudges a little bit and develops a halo. That’s what I’m trying to convey in the workshops – you’ve got to let go of your ideas about what art is, and make something that feels good to you.”

Click here to visit the Sloop Jones website http://www.sloopjones.com/ , where you can sign up for a summer Shirt of Art workshop, held Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through July 2.

See what experimenting with Q-Tips can do for you!

Blog written by Andrea Milam
http://sloopjones.wordpress.com/art-wor ... otos-2013/

[smilesfromMN]

I love this post! Thank you.
What a great concept to get people over that "I'm not an artist" hurdle.

The article mentions that you'll have workshops thru July 2. Will you start them back up by the end of Dec? We'll be there over New Years and I know at least some of our group would love to create shirts!!

[sloopjones]

yes we will be having workshops when you are here.
We intend to continue thru August.
There are a couple of Tuesdays btw. July2 and the end of August when we will be away.
have not figured the dates yet.
sloop