The story behind my mixed media art debut
It’s currently the 2021 Christmas x Summer holidays on the Gold Coast in Australia.
For the past few years, I have made it a thing where I spend my holidays disconnected from the computer and web design and spend it outdoors or in the workshop in my garage.
Last year was spent designing, making and testing the first Handy Surf Craft models, as I wrote about here. It was a great way to unplug from the matrix – but it created a newfound passion for shaping foam and fibreglassing. As a result, I am still making them, and each generation of the bodysurfing handplanes is looking better.
For this 21/22 new year’s break, I had planned to continue working on the next-gen of hand planes and surfing as much as possible.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
Two weeks before Christmas, during what seems to be the busiest time of the year, at the end of a very long day of working and shooting, I tripped over my son’s shoe at home and, in turn, fractured my foot.
Just like that, grounded for six weeks.
Moon boot_
I suck at one thing. Sitting still (when I am not on my computer).
Admittedly the first week of the injury, I kept moving around. There was way too much happening leading up to Christmas and slowing down the business for the break, and I needed to be mobile.
But I knew it was not a good thing. Instead of feeling better, my foot was starting to feel worse. So I knew I had to stop moving around as much as possible during my holidays.
To do that, I needed to find something to do that kept me seated. But it also needed to be something not work-related.
Waking up on the first day of my ‘not going to move’ holiday, which was Christmas eve, an ad came up on my Instagram feed.
The ad was for “Vector portrait with manual textures” – Illustration online course by Alvaro Tapia Hidalgo
I clicked the ad, and before I knew I had purchased the course without really reading much about it – it just felt right.
It was only after starting the course I had realized what I signed up for… Mixed media art. I had wanted to do this for a very long time.
I was pumped.
The course itself was challenging for me. It was in Spanish with English subtitles. So I found myself watching the video to see what he was doing, then going back to read the subtitles, then watching it again to piece it together. It was a mission. But it was worth it.
In the end, I found the course to be a high-level view of the mechanics of creating these types of pieces. I would have liked it in a little more depth, but it was enough to learn how to make these pieces.
Part of the mixed media art debut process_
The most significant benefit from the course was the inspiration. Not only is Alvaro’s work inspiring, but the lesson he teaches is to go out and find your inspiration, to build the foundation of your art.
For me, a key phrase from the course is:
The basic elements of creativity are: Copy, Transform and Merge.
Overall I am happy with the course and recommend it, but be aware of the translation.
For the course’s final module, you need to provide your final piece.
This is not my final piece, nor my first. It’s the second ; )
The first piece was my wife; this second one is of myself. (I had to paint myself pink too after doing that to my partner)
I have done two pieces leading up to my mixed media art debut; I think the third will be the final to present to complete my course… fingers crossed.
I reckon there will be more of these types of blogs and pieces. I can’t wait to explore the infinite number of ways to mix different mediums into a single art piece.
Mixed media art debut – to be continued…
See more from my art gallery here.
