HONU BABY GOES TO THE SHANE VICTORINO CELEBRITY DINNER & GOLF CLASSIC

This is the third year I've been invited to be involved in the Shane Victorino Foundation Celebrity Dinner & Golf Classic in Maui for Hawaii's Keiki and this year I donated my Honu Baby Crayon Collectible from my Blue Honu Collection!

HONU BABY CRAYON COLLECTIBLE

ArtsQuest: The Blog - For the love of crayons

Thanks Jon & ArtsQuest for featuring me in your blog!  Read it below or click on the link above if you love crayons & be sure to visit the Arts Quest website, a great non-profit for the arts www.ArtsQuest.org

-Posted by Jon Lunger, ArtsQuest’s Marketing Manager and crayon lover.

Remember the joy of a brand new, 64-count, box of crayons?  It was the Cadillac of coloring.  An entire spectrum of possibilities; each brightly colored crayon even more enticing than the last.  A box of waxy, colorful potential.  If you were really lucky, that box even came with a fancy crayon sharpener on the back.  Sweet.

That simple rectangular box housed a world of endless coloring possibilities.

Then you grew up.  Crayons vanished from your life, abruptly and without warning.

But what happened?  Why are crayons reserved only for children?  Its really quite an injustice to a tool that, for many, is the very first exposure to artistic creation and expression. 

There’s nothing wrong with crayons, but yet, once you reach a certain age, they’re universally frowned upon.  And for what?  Because they’re for kids?  Poppycock. There are lots of things that are “for kids” that adults use on a daily basis.  Heck, look at your smart phone.  That thing is pretty much just a Gameboy with a phone in it.

Well, some intrepid crayon lovers (like myself) are bringing the crayon the love it truly deserves.

Enter the crayon artist.

A simple Google search reveals a number of fine artists who choose to create their art using only crayons.  Finally! Our waxy, childhood friend is getting some love! 

Some may call it a gimmick, and I get that… it’s easy to dismiss “fine art” that is created by something that is so closely tied to our childhoods.  But before you judge, do you feel the same about someone who chooses to use watercolors to create fine art?  Probably not.

One of my personal favorite crayon artists is Jeffrey Robert:

The art this guy creates with crayons is ridiculous (in an awesome way).   Check it out at http://thecrayonartist.com

Hopefully it inspires you to get a 64 count box.  I know I did.

ALOHA SURF GUIDE MAGAZINE features crayon surf art PIPEDREAMS on Summer Issue

THE MAGIC OF WAIKIKI

From the past to the present Diamond Head, for me, is the most distinctive landmark on Oahu. Although my Crayola Crayon Surf Art Original “Waikiki” was completed last year, while actually living there, it carries with it a multitude of my memories and experiences of a lifetime.  The magic of Waikiki! Yes, it still has that ambiance of years past where tourists can take surfing lessons from the Beach Boys, experience a canoe ride or just stroll the beach. And on any given night you will hear musicians playing Hawaiian music while talented Hula dancers perform under the stars of beautiful Hawaii!

This piece was originally framed in the traditional Hawaiian koa wood (and nothing wrong with that) but after contemplating the overall look, I decided that it would be even better to blend the nostalgia of Waikiki and the modern contemporary feel of my artwork with my new Floating Crayon and Plexiglas frame design.

I enjoy creating new frame designs to complete my art work. For my surf art, a conceptual frame design was created to compliment the aesthetics of surfing, reflecting the attributes of the transparent water, power, grace, skill and technical development of the sport. In the place of an ordinary matted and framed image, the artwork is encased between two transparent pieces of Plexiglas (one clear and one colored) then bordered by a deep metal frame. The colored transparent acrylic behind the art helps to extend an illusion of water and sky; clear, floating, translucent, and calming. The metallic metal frame evokes a sleek, sporty, stream line look reflecting the speed and advanced technology of modern day surfing. The overall design is now perfect and complete!

GETTING TO THE POINT (How to sharpen a Crayola Crayon)

Here’s a tip for all of you who want to step up your fine art coloring experience. Maintaining a sharp point on a crayon is fundamental for creating detail with crayons.
I find that when the crayon becomes blunt, I tend to get impatient and frustrated. When this happens, I begin to get careless and hurried! It is important to know when, where and how to use the point of a crayon. You might look at it as selecting the right brush or tool for your painting.

Some helpful hints for a sharp point:
1. Purchase a good (pencil or makeup) sharpener that cuts smoothly and does not get stuck because the opening is too small.
2.Turning the crayon slightly as you draw will wear the point evenly and cause it to last longer.
3. A sharp point will last longer with light hand pressure.
4. Begin coloring in the key areas where a fine point is needed, then move to the less particular areas.
5. To refresh or fine tune the tip, try dragging and turning the point on a scratch sheet of paper until the point is sharp again.

Constant sharpening will form a good habit and will ultimately develop a skill into an automatic response of a disciplined crayon artist.

P.S. Be sure to check back because my next topic will be “How to hold the crayon”.

*CLICK THE CRAYON ART TECHNIQUES ON THE NAVIGATION BAR ABOVE TO VIEW & PURCHASE

WE ARE ALL NATURALLY CREATIVE

Children look at crayons as their art medium (check out my first grade Christmas tree).
When visiting a public school, I asked a group of about one hundred first graders "who wants to be an artist when they grow up." Every one of them raised their hands!
Although that number will decrease drastically before they reach the fifth grade, I told them that I believe that all of us (the human race) are creative because God created us in his image and God is creative. Children are amazing little creatures and I hope that they will always remember that they are creative.

How Crayons changed the way I think of art?

I received the following question from Allie and friends through my website and thought it would be a good question to post on my blog site. Please feel free to post comments and/or questions.

Dear Jeffery,

My friends and I are doing a History project on Crayola Crayons and how
they impacted art supplies. We wondering how crayons changed the way you thought of art and if it made art any easier for you.

Thank you so much!


My answer:

Crayons have most certainly changed the way I have thought about art!

In the beginning and as it still is, the idea of drawing with crayons has a certain childhood charm about it that probably affects us all in a similar way. I think the crayon, for most of us, represents our first art experience with all the innocence and confidence of being a young creator of art. I still have those wonderful feelings when drawing with Crayola Crayons and in this way they serve to stimulate and motivate me

As far as making it any easier for me? Yes and No. There is an oxymoron attached to crayon drawing.

" Yes" because it's just a box of crayons and I'm just coloring! Crayons took the pressure off of comparing myself to some master artist.

"No" because the challenge for me was to technically make the crayon do what I wanted it to do, which has taken many years of trial and error to reach a satisfied level of control.

For the novice, yes it’s nice to just pick up a box of crayons and start coloring but there is a learning curve that can be very frustrating, depending on how much of a perfectionist you may be.