Local Artist Shawnacy Kiker Perez
Shawnacy is a poet, fiction writer and mother; teaching English, Spanish and Creative Writing at Cornell College, Kirkwood Community College, and the University of Iowa’s International Writers House.
Class 6 of 6, Prompts 16-19
Continue your Art Journaling exploration with Shawnacy as your guide. This week students are prompted to; take on the style of someone else, an artist perhaps, think of a fairy tale from a different perspective, add something unexpected to one of your pages, and add some lyrics to a page.
Prompt 16 - Inspired by an Artist
Choose an artist whose work interests you. Get inspired by examining their style, and create a page using that style. You can copy one of their paintings or just use some elements that they use.
Materials:
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Water container
- Pens
- Whatever your chosen artist would use!
Directions:
Once you have chosen your artist examine elements of their style: Do they use certain colors, what kind of lines do they use? What shapes are common? Do they use pattern or repetition? Have some fun: dress up as them, or as if you are from their time period, prepare a meal from their country of origin, play music from their era. You get the idea, go wild! Use this exploration to fuel the art you create! Shawnacy created a replica of a piece by Ines Longevial.
Click on the title of the prompt to go to the lesson on YouTube
Prompt 17 - Altered Fairy Tale
Fairy tales are a familiar part of our cultural heritage. For this prompt we get to re-write one and create a new perspective on the tale. By making the bad guy the good guy, or telling the tale from the perspective of the villain we have a new take on an old story.
Materials:
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Water container
- Pens
- Found words or phrases
- Anything else that inspires you!
Directions:
You may begin by exploring the various characters in your story to see if one of them feels like a good one to retell the tale. If you want some help, see Storytelling with Shadow Puppets Class 3 - Story Creation section for some questions to think about. Illustrate a scene from your tale on the page. Shawnacy chose The Three Little Pigs and re-imagines the wolf as the hero that saves the day by destroying the walls of a house. Sometimes we need things to be destroyed for new things to take root, and the wolf is the perfect one for the job!
Prompt 18 - Something Unexpected
For this prompt we will be adding something unexpected to our journal, not the usual words or drawing. As you go through your day keep your eye out for something you might add to your journal.
Materials:
- An unexpected item
- Glue
- Other supplies to help incorporate your item into a page:
- Scissors
- Paint
- Paint brushes
- Water container
Directions:
Add your unexpected item to your journal. Choose a page to house this item and find a way to attach it to the page. Shawnacy added a pocket to a page using a part of an envelope. She then incorporated it into her page by using the colors she had on the page to paint over her added pocket, She also used the inside of the envelope as a repetition of the part of the pocket that showed the inside pattern. That pocket could also contain an unexpected item! Surprise yourself today with something unexpected.
Prompt 19 - Lyrics
Song lyrics are the source of our inspiration for this lesson. We all have lyrics that touch us. It seems that the lyrics we notice at any give time period seem to speak to our inner world. When we have a crush on someone the lyrics of sappy love songs get our attention. When we are in a dark mood heavier lyrics call to us. Choose a phrase from a song that resonates with your mood today and then play with how you draw them on the page.
Materials:
- Prepared page, possibly one that already exists in your journal.
- Pencil
- Pens
Directions:
Once you have selected some lyrics you will play with how they are laid out on the page. The words themselves are the design. Shawnacy suggests looking up chalk board art images for some additional examples. She has chosen an interesting space on the page to contain her lyrics. You may want to think about where you will place your words and let that influence its lay out. Use some scrap paper to practice various lettering styles. Do your lyrics suggest a way to lay them out? Use pencil to sketch your words onto the page and when you are happy with the results, trace over them with your pens.
Share your work and stay connected!
We are curious to see your project! Upload photos in the comment section below. If you have trouble, or want to share a short video, email us at info@eiaaprogram.org. Leave your school name in the comment box and we will share images with your school!
We want to stay connected to our creative students when we get back to the new normal. While you are here, learn more about the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy. While we don't have much taking place in real space/time during the pandemic, we will get back to our regular live and in-person classes. When we do, we'd love to have you as a member!
