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dirrhope.bsky.social
dirrhope
@dirrhope.bsky.social
weird animal artist • cats! cats! cats! • zero-covid fanatic

How to be an Artist! new lessons on Fridays
learn real magic • save the world
i am very happy you are joining me on this artmaking journey!
until next week, happy artmaking! 🥰

next week we will cover the power of the SIGN! (an introduction to SEMIOTICS and how to use it in art)
October 6, 2023 at 8:47 PM
don't worry if you still don't understand what the art means, that will come with time

choose 3-5 items from your ongoing collection and practice making observations. slow down and spend time to notice everything you can, and begin to ask questions about the work's context
October 6, 2023 at 8:46 PM
images have creators. they are not naturally occuring objects. they have an origin. there is intent behind an images and collections of images. why does this image exist? who created it? for what purpose?
October 6, 2023 at 8:45 PM
people who want to manipulate you use images and media to do so. we call this advertising and propaganda. it is effective because of this layering of ideas to create messaging where something is explicitly stated, but something else is explicitly not stated (subliminal).
October 6, 2023 at 8:45 PM
a limitation of communication is that we cannot say everything all at once. we have to choose words or images or music to convey an idea. we can even combine words and images and music to layer ideas.
October 6, 2023 at 8:44 PM
what is important is realizing that the artist made choices. what is there is not an accident, and what is not there is also not there for a reason!
October 6, 2023 at 8:44 PM
as you gain practice noticing what is there, you will begin to notice what is not there. noticing what is not there is both trivial and difficult.

what is not in an image? Why, up to an including everything else in the universe!
October 6, 2023 at 8:43 PM
I Notice that the large red triangle points into the large white circle

I Notice small clusters of smaller shapes...

i have deliberately left much left to be Noticed. what else can you notice in this poster that i have not? there is a lot!
October 6, 2023 at 8:42 PM
I Notice that one of the white circles is much larger than the other and a small part of it intersects with the black side and the white side

I Notice that around the opening of the white circle there are two smaller white rectangles filled with black dots
October 6, 2023 at 8:42 PM
I Notice the red triangles are isosceles triangles

I Notice that one of the red triangles is much larger than the rest. its equal sides are long and the point is crosses the black/white dividing line
October 6, 2023 at 8:41 PM
I Notice red, black, and white

I Notice there are triangles and circles and rectangles placed about the composition

I Notice 4 red triangles, 8 red rectangles, 2 white circles, 10 white rectangles and 2 white rectangles with black outlines filled with small black dots
October 6, 2023 at 8:41 PM
I Notice that the composition is horizontal and rectangular

I Notice that it is half black and half white, and is divided by a diagonal from bottom to top. the dividing line starts 1/3 from the left at bottom and ends 1/3 from the top at right
October 6, 2023 at 8:40 PM
i'll demonstrate what i mean with one of my favourite artworks of all time

(don't worry if you don't understand russian, the meaning of the work can be still be read and understood!)

start by saying "I notice" and list what you see. start with the big stuff then the details
October 6, 2023 at 8:40 PM
we figure out what is going on by noticing what is there. In a song, in a movie, in an article, in a book, in a play, in a painting, notice everything that is there.

what can you see?

what do you hear?

what is written?
October 6, 2023 at 8:39 PM
instead of consuming images or media, examine them.
analyze them.

take it apart into smaller and smaller pieces until you are confident that you have noticed everything that is present in the work.
October 6, 2023 at 8:38 PM
the saturation of the environment with images is new. mass media and social media flood us with images in a way that magazines and tv could never do alone. and the images DO, in fact, mean something. there is a reason we are flooded with images, and we can figure it out.
October 6, 2023 at 8:38 PM
have you noticed how you are surrounded by images and yet nothing has any meaning? advertisements, television, movies, video games, social media.

images are everywhere but who cares? it’s just a movie! it’s just an ad! It’s just instagram! It doesn’t mean anything, right?
October 6, 2023 at 8:38 PM
if you're like me and you've ever visited an art museum or an art gallery and found yourself stood there, totally confused, looking at something and you have no clue what is going on, whether it's good or bad, then this lesson will help you too!
October 6, 2023 at 8:37 PM
so there we have it

our first lesson in making art is about getting in touch with what we like

notice what attracts you, and collect it

and we can go on from there 🥰

happy artmaking!
September 29, 2023 at 2:27 PM
this course is medium neutral and can be applied to any form of art.

sure, drawing and painting and sculpture are artistic media and there is nothing wrong with using them, but do not limit yourself to one answer, or to the most obvious answer. try something new!
September 29, 2023 at 2:26 PM
spells that influence the emotions and actions of another can be made in any form so ask yourself:

what do you like to do?

what do you do well?

can you remember a time when you made something and it made someone else laugh? or cry? or get very angry?
September 29, 2023 at 2:26 PM
contrary to popular belief, art is a skill that you can learn. creativity is a skill that you can learn. art is magic, but artmaking is mundane, no matter how magical the technical talent of an artist may seem
September 29, 2023 at 2:25 PM
this painting, Voice of Fire, is enormous. and when you stand before it, the orange column breathes fire
invisibly, the artist can cast a spell that will compel another’s emotions. this spell continues to be effective long after the caster’s death. this is the power of art.
September 29, 2023 at 2:25 PM
oh and speaking of spells... have i mentioned yet that ART is MAGIC??

...because it really is. the closest thing to magic that exists
September 29, 2023 at 2:24 PM