Hi and welcome back to the Chrissie Murphy Designs Blog. Today I thought I’d share my tangling of Plate 11 from “Cusack’s Freehand Ornament” book. I know that sounds a little obscure, but it’s a wonderful book I’ve owned for quite some time. Let’s get into it, so I can fill you in on it some more.
The Expressive Bits
What is the “Cusack’s Freehand Ornament” book all about?
“Cusack’s Freehand Ornament” was originally published in 1923. Charles Armstrong states on the cover that it’s;
“A textbook with chapters on elements, principles and methods of freehand drawing, for the general use of teachers and students.”
Charles Armstrong
The book contains 192 Plates or templates.
“Many of the plates have been designed to emphasise some particular principle, and have been used successfully in large classes under the authors supervision.”
What’s Plate 11 though?
Plate 11 is the 11th template from a collection of 192. Plate 11 focuses on “tangential junction”. Yep, you’re right. I don’t know what tangential junction is either and neither does Google. I do know however, that is an element that’s explored in this plate and I liked the look of it 😃
What techniques did I use for tangling Plate 11?
I kept things quite foundational for this tile, with the only coloured pencil shading being the central gem and some pearls.
I alternated between black, blue and white ink for the linework and used Generals pastel chalk pencils in blue and white, as well as a HB graphite pencil for shading.
What does it mean in terms of my artistic work as a whole?
Over the years I have amassed quite a collection of art books. I’m ashamed to admit, that many haven’t even been opened and are sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust!
I’ve been convicted about this and have been thinking of how I can start to use what I own for my tangling more often. It seemed only natural to start here because this book is full of templates.
The templates are not strings, but I’m using them like they are. I think the Magnified Fragments Project has unlocked a lot of things for me. You can read about it here. If I hadn’t been so deep into using fragments as strings, I’m not sure I would have ever considered tangling these plates.
It feels good to use MY OWN RESOURCES. It’s embarrassing how much I own but don’t use.
Its a familiar feeling because I felt this way about music 2 years ago. I have so many CD’s it’s not funny, and I kept buying more music. This last year I made a commitment not to buy any new music at all (digitally or physically). I’m pleased to say I have maintained this commitment with the exception of a new CD I’ll unwrap on Christmas Day 😃
I’m thinking of doing something similar around my art resources for 2022.
How can you take this idea and be more Expressive?
Is the situation above a similar one in your house? Do you have art books sitting on your shelves that you’ve never really used? Do you have video tutorials saved in a file on your computer that you haven’t really watched?
It’s a simple idea this week. I challenge you to get them out and start using them. Tag me when you do because I’d love to see what you create.
The Factual Bits
The materials used for Plate 11
- Strathmore Grey Artist Tile
- Signo Uniball Gel Pen in white.
- Pigma Micron in blue
- Unipin Fineliner in black
- Prismacolor Premier Coloured Pencils in varying blues
- Grey Copic Markers in C3, C5 and C7
- General Pastel Chalk Pencils in blue and white
How big is the Plate 11 tile ?
It is 4 inches x 4 inches square.
Want to be more Expressive?
Come and Zentangle and Journal with me!
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Until next time, listen to your heart and sharpen your coloured pencils. A masterpiece awaits!
Bless you my friend
Chrissie xx
