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Coffee Art Session

Venue: PSHS-SMC Gym Date: 15 July 2011 2:00 4:00PM

Part I: Introduction to Coffee Painting Basics Part II: Create Your Own Coffee Painting

Philippine Science High School Southern Mindanao Campus Friday Afternoon Activity

Introduction

Coffee painting is very much like watercolor painting. The difference is that coffee painting is monochromatic meaning you work with only one hue or color in different tones or shades.

There is a natural characteristic in coffee painting because you are using a pigment coming from an organic source. Others use pigments from flowers, leaves, tree barks, and etcetera; but on this one you are using the pigment coming from coffee beans.

Coffee Painting Basics

There are many ways in which you can express your own art through coffee. It s just a matter of how much coffee you mix with water and how you control the paintbrush to get the desired effect you want in your painting.

Paintbrushes

Pencil, Pens or Markers (Optional)

3 containers/plastic cups

Paper

100% Pure Coffee powder (instant coffee)

Coffee Painting Materials

Step-by-Step Process of Painting with Coffee

Water for cleaning your paintbrush

Light and dark solutions of coffee

1. Prepare your coffee painting solutions and a cup full of water for cleaning your paintbrush

2. Draw or outline the subject of your painting

3. Start with a lighter hue of coffee in painting your subject

4. Then apply darker tones or shades of coffee to give your painting depth and detail.

Tips
You can start with a darker shade of coffee and spread it out over your painting until the shade becomes lighter. If you are painting without stretching your paper, it is advisable that you don t dab too much water or coffee so that the paper won t sag or become too soggy. Dip your paintbrush lightly on the coffee and spread it out evenly on your paper. You can use black pen or marker on your painting to give it more details. If the ink of your pen takes a longer time to dry, paint with coffee first before creating details with your pen. If you are using 0.1 tech pen or 0.3/0.4 Gtec pen, let the ink dry first before dabbing on coffee to your painting. When storing your painting, make sure that there are no other papers or things on top of it since coffee painting tends to become sticky.

Doing Coffee Painting on the Next Level


Materials
100% Pure Coffee powder *Other coffee artists would grind and blend their own coffee and add a fixative to make coffee paintings last longer without glass framing.

Watercolor paper or Matte board Paper tape Ply board (a little bit bigger than the size of your painting) Sponge Paintbrushes (preferably animal hair paintbrush, flat tip brushes for initial painting and round tip brushes for shading and detailing) 3 containers/plastic cups (one for the water to clean your brushes, the other two for different shades of coffee) Cutter and Straight edge/ruler Frame

Doing Coffee Painting on the Next Level


1. Stretching Your Paper Note: If you are using a matte board for painting you can skip this step. Stretching your paper will allow you to apply as much paint or water as you want on your painting without making the paper sag or become too soggy. Lay out the watercolor paper on the ply board. With a wet sponge, apply water to the watercolor paper. Make sure the watercolor paper is thoroughly wet and flat on the ply board before applying paper tape on the edges of paper. Apply paper tape on the edges of the watercolor paper. Half of the tape should touch the ply board and the other half on the edge of the watercolor paper. The water from stretching your paper will make the paper tape stick to the ply board. Allow the watercolor paper to dry. You can use a hair/blow dryer to dry the watercolor paper or simply leave it to air/sun dry. 2. Painting Draw or outline the subject of your painting Start with a lighter hue of coffee in painting your subject then move towards darker tones or shades of coffee to give your painting depth and detail. Another alternative is to start with a darker shade of coffee and spread it out over your painting until the shade becomes lighter. You can use black pen or marker on your painting to give it more details. If the ink of your pen takes a longer time to dry, paint with coffee first before creating details with your pen. If you are using 0.1 tech pen or 0.3/0.4 Gtec pen, you can outline the details before dabbing on coffee on your painting. 3. Signing Your Painting Artists usually sign at the lower right of their painting with the date (month/day/year) the painting was made. There are, however, artists that prefer to sign at the back of their paintings to do away with distraction. They prefer that the painting is a creation of its own, and that the painting must impose on itself a direct relation with the viewer. 4. Framing If your painting is already dry, use a cutter to take out your painting from the paper tape and ply board. Use the aid of a straight edge or ruler to guide you in cutting. If your frame does not have any matting, you can use a matte board or felt paper to line the sides of your painting before installing it with a frame. If you are strapped for time (and have extra money for that matter), you can go to a local carpentry shop and have your painting framed.

Tips
When creating a collection of coffee paintings, documentation is a must. Take photos of your paintings and record the date they were made. This is important if you sell your painting or have it exhibited in art galleries/museums. The price of the painting will depend on the materials used, the technique, and style, how it goes with the trend nowadays or in the future, the story or message it conveys, and sometimes by the status of the artist. If you want to keep your original paintings, you can sell reproductions or art prints based from your painting.

Part II: Create Your Own Coffee Painting


What to Paint ANYTHING paint what you most feel like painting. Paint with your own strengths.
But you can also practice painting on a style you wish to master.

Paint what inspires you. Express your emotions (happiness, sadness, joy or excitement) through painting. Painting is also a means of capturing the beauty of the environment you are in at a particular moment. Painting can also be a means of therapy an outlet whenever you are depressed or stressed out.

Other things you can do with Coffee Art


Paintings can be an instant gift to give to your loved ones. Paintings are actually a form of investment or status symbols. Treasure your paintings because they might be worth millions someday. You can personalize your own stationery, greeting cards, notebooks and so much more with your coffee art.

"The greatest scientists are artists as well,"

All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom. -Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Lets start painting with coffee!

Reminders
Allow enough space between each other so that you can work properly with your materials. You can actually go wherever you want within the school grounds find a place where you feel most inspired or motivated to paint. Please be reminded that you have to return to the gym by 3:45pm so that we can have a mini-exhibit of your paintings. Please clean your plastic cups/containers after using them. Recycle them for further use or throw them at the designated garbage bin. Don t leave them lying around somewhere. Borrowed materials should be returned after the workshop they are also needed in other painting sessions.

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