Transcripts
1. INTRODUCTION: Hi, my name is Ia Llamozas
and I'm an artist. I am from Venezuela, but I am based in
Tenerife, Spain. I have been working as
an artist since 2014, actually selling my work, doing exhibitions, commissions,
and also editorial work. My medium of choice
is collage art, which I also love
to teach about. I have actually taught hundreds of people through workshops, online classes, and I also
worked with corporate teams. This is actually my
third Skillshare class. I have taught about
making collage, the materials as well. So if you're interested
in any of those, feel free to check
out my other classes. I'm really excited about
this class because working in series was really a
game changer for me. It has helped me on how I work, how I present my work to galleries and open calls and
even on my own marketing. On this class, I
want to help you get a clear idea of what working
on a series is like, what tips and benefit it has to work this way and also
how to get started. This class is
created thinking of emerging to intermediate
artists of any medium. I also will be sharing some of my own series to give
you concrete examples. For the class project, we will focus on writing an intention statement for the series that you
wish to create. This document will help
you as a starting point, thinking of the research, what you actually need to
create this body of work. And it will help you being a road-map for
creating your art. You can later use this intention statement
to actually help you craft the artist's
statement that will go once the
series is finished. Of course, also keep in
mind if you want to share any other photos of artwork related to that
series, please do. I am sure we will all
get inspired by them and it can be a great way
to get feedback as well. I hope this class is useful, interesting and also entertaining.
Let's jump right in.
2. SERIES: Before we begin, I do want to apologize for the
background noise. My studio is located
next to a busy street. We will try to make it
sound great in the editing, but just wanted to
apologize first. When talking about a series, we actually are referring to a cohesive body of work
that has similarities. The similarities can be
in subject matter, size, technique, color, or medium, or actually all or
some of the above. When viewing a series, it should be obvious that the
works are a related family. Series also are
usually presented with a artist statement
specific to these works. Actually, the intention
statement that we will do for the class
project can help you as a draft to create your final artist
statement of the series. How many pieces should
actually be on a series? This question is
completely subjective. I have seen series of
a small as two works. There can also be
series, for example, I like to work
between 6-12 works. But I have also seen series
that actually go through many years and can consist
of hundreds of work. In general, my advice for
you is that if working with series seems intriguing
or exciting to you, please feel free to
just try it out. For me what really helps
is that I actually get less pressure
when I know I'm working in several works rather than focusing all my
attention in just one. It also helps me because I
can be more productive in the sense that if I need to space out or actually
take some time, I can actually start working on another work of
that same series. Even for example, if the medium that you use
requires time to maybe dry, you can once again focus on another work and that way
increase your productivity. If you're wondering
the difference between a series
on a collection, a collection is defined
as accumulation of work, usually by a private individual
or a public institution. Simply put, a collector
collects but the works don't have to have any
relationship between them. On the next lesson,
we're actually going to talk about the benefits that I have found when working on creating my art in series.
3. BENEFITS: I want to share with you
some of the benefits that I have found when working
in creating in series. The first one would be
that you get to actually deeply think about that
subject matter or theme, which makes it better
for your art but also gives you time to
research about that topic. You also create more pieces, which means that you have
more options to sell and also more options and alternatives if someone wants a piece
that's already sold. Also for example, when showing your
work to a gallery, they can actually see consistency when you show
your work in series. For me, it has helped me also when creating my own exhibition. I didn't know where to start, but then it really helped me to actually display different
series that I have done to actually talk
about my evolution in time and about
things I've had been interested related to my art. It can also be a great ally
when it comes to marketing. For example, when updating your website [NOISE] and maybe
for example for portfolio, you just have one link that
has a lot of work on it, or maybe you separate
it already for years. But actually, just uploading it with the different projects can be a great way
to display it. Also, for example, I work with websites that are online
portfolios like Behance, and it can be great
to actually upload this series as
different projects that you have worked on. For example, also for
your social media, it is great because it takes
around seven times for a buyer to see something in your social media before
actually buying it. Imagining with one work
that can be really hard, but with a series
you can actually share the different pieces, maybe making off,
talking about it, and it can be a great way to help you in that way as well. Also in your newsletter when contacting people
to save a new work, being able to talk
about the work more in depth can be very
interesting for them. Creating your work in
series can provide a framework for talking
and promoting your work. Telling the story about
what inspired it, how you created it, what ties all the different
works together can be a great way to engage with
your potential buyers. In a way, working
with series is almost like looking at something
under a microscope. The more that you look into it, the more that you explore, the more fascinating that
it will become to you as well as for your
potential buyers. Also, something great is all of the knowledge and
experience that you're going to gain from
working actually with very defined
set of parameters. You're able to also
more convincingly get your point across and
connect with audience, and it will also help you, for example for me, it helps me when now I
receive a brief with very specific parameters I feel more confident in
approaching that. By working in series
it can also be great because you find
ongoing inspiration. Often as artists, we struggle to find
what to create next. So if you're working on a series this question will
actually not exist. You just have to figure out which next piece to
create for that series. On the next lesson, we will learn how
to start creating an intention plan to help you start working
on your series.
4. GETTING STARTED: Now that we talked about all the benefits that
working in a series has, we're actually going to go
into that intention statement, which is also our
project for this class. Please keep in mind that
the intention statement is meant to change and evolve
as you create your series, you might find that
some things don't work that you might want to
add different things, so it is okay for it
to change and evolve. It is great to start
with the intentions before you actually
create because it will help you be more specific and more focus and that will reflect overall
in the finished series. Think of it as
writing a roadmap for when you're creating
with all the ideas, parameters, and
rules you actually want to follow as you're
creating your series. If it doesn't feel
natural to you to actually write before
you start creating, then do it the other way around. Maybe you can create one work that you
actually want to get inspired with to
actually do the rest of the series and actually
start decrementing, viewing that work, what actually are the things
that you want to repeat. Talk about and how
you're going to do it. The intention statement will also help you when
you were writing the final artist's
statement that actually goes with the series. It can also help
you, for example, since you're going
to have everything like really detail when pitching to a gallery or even
applying to a residency. There are a couple
of tips to keep in mind, for example, always write in
the first person, so I created my
practice, my art. Also always use
the present tense, I do, I think, I consider, I create, and do not use language that's
over-complicated. You want it to be a
reflection of your work, so if you're simple,
if you're funny, try to use a language that you actually feel
comfortable with. Now let's focus on
the different things that you want your intention
statement to include. I am also adding a
written version of this in the resources
and projects steps, so you will find
that there as well. Define your theme
or subject matter. What do you want this body
of work to talk about? It is best to try to
focus on something very specific instead of something
too broad or general. It might also be
something that is personal to you and how you experience or are living
that situation, for example. It is very important that
you focus on the why, why are you talking about this? Why do you connect on one to
explore about these things? If you're not sure if you want to go on a
particular direction, something that I
recommend is that you instead sketch it out, create different ideas of composition and how
you want it to look, and see if they still hold
your interest when you see it together as a group or when you're looking
at them individually. The second thing
that you want to include is talking
about the size, for example, how many pieces will you want your
series to have? Remember, this is completely a personal choice and you can also set expectations that
are not that specific. Like I want to create
from 10-15 words and see how that evolves
while you're creating. You also want to talk about
the size of your artboards. Do you want them all to be
in a smaller size or do you actually want to
go big and broad and create something
that is very impactful? Think about that. You'd
also can make mix. You don't have to have all
the works in one size. Maybe you could have
for smaller works, and then for bigger works and to really big canvases,
for example. Something that I want you to
keep in mind is thinking if the sizes that
you're working with actually have a special
meaning to you. For example, maybe
you want it to be something that's in
a very big format because you wanted to
create fear or excitement. Maybe you want it to
be something smaller because you want it
to be an intimate. Also the presentation. Do you want it to be mapped in a specific way or framed
in a specific way, these are the
things to consider. The third thing to talk about is going to be the materials. What materials will
you use to create, is it materials that
you have to create, for example, for me
as a collage artist, sometimes I make my own paper, so that's something I
have to make or I have to go to a park or the woods to actually get leaves
that I then have to press to actually
work with them. Is it something that
you have to source in any way or get printed
in a specific way? Anything about the
materials that might be relevant or important
for you to keep in mind? Here I also want
you to think about the why is there a special meaning that you're working with these materials? Is there's something that
you actually want to achieve by working with
that specific material, anything in mind that can
be special or meaningful to the creation and
overall the statement, be sure to include it. The fourth thing to add would be anything related to
restriction and parameters. Here I'm basically talking about the rules that you set
yourself to follow. The rules can be anything, it can be colors, like maybe working with a
very limited color palette, or actually having a very
distinct different color in all of the works. [NOISE] It can also be for example the number
of layers that you use in each artwork or anything that's relevant to
the overall process. Up next, we're going to focus
and talk about the process. First thing to talk about is actually how do you
approach your work? Is there anything
specific or relevant in the research or in what you need for the setting
to actually create? Then go in depth of a
description about everything related to your creative process and also all of the techniques
that you might use. Finally, we're going
to focus on the goals. What is it that you
actually want to transmit with this work? Of course, going more
in-depth and telling more about what you
actually are exploring. Is it a new technique, for example, so talking about
what you are attempting, maybe it's a study, for example, of the light or a growth process of plant and
actually expressing that. Also what things have you have found challenging
and what things you hope people actually see in that final competition
of the series? Up next, on the next lesson, we're actually going to see some examples with series
that I have created to see how the intention
plans talks about everything that is then
reflected in that series.
5. EXAMPLES PART 1: I want to show you three different theories that I have created, and actually, I'll be reading to you
the final draft of the intention statement that
I wrote for creating them. Hopefully, it will
make everything fall into place that we have
talked about so far. First series I want to show you, is actually one that is the final title is
forces of nature. But I started
calling it volcano. Just to tell you a
little bit behind it and that intention statement. On theme, I wrote
that on September 19, a volcano erupted in
the island of La Palma, that's part of the
Canary Islands. I live in Tenerife,
an island nearby. I was very afraid and
impressed at that time. What actually
shocked me the most was the clash between giants, between those two
forces of nature, and I want to create
a series of artworks that captures that moment
when lava meets the water. For size, I said myself
to do 10-12 work. I actually ended up doing 10, all in A4 size, which is roughly 8 by 11 inches. I wanted to present
them with a white mat. I wanted all the focus to be centered into the
middle of the work, and I also wanted the mat to be a little window to show and
capture that moment in time. For materials, I will be using cyanotype to
create the background. I will be needing plans
to actually add them to the cyanotype and make them look like the
ocean background. I will also need card
stock in different hues of orange and gold to
illustrate the lava. I might also need some gold
leaf to add in some of the works to also illustrate that idea of the glow
of the lava at night. For restrictions, I wanted
all of the art to be abstract and pretty much to focus on creating the
background cyanotype to be the ocean and then using the layers to
create the lava. As well, thinking of including the white matts for the process. So for creating the cyanotype
backgrounds, first of all, I collected several
leaves, plans, three barks and other materials
that could help me create compositions that could actually look like ocean backgrounds. I also experimented with different things
like vinegar, lemon, and also turmeric
for creating some of the background to have also different hues
and a bit more drama. For the card stock, I actually bought all
the card stock on a paper store on a travel, on a trip to Barcelona. I searched for colors in those
orange and golden hues and also different
texture thin paper to create a very
interesting effect. Once I had created
the sunlit types and I had wash them and dry
them and hang them to dry, I did different
experiments playing with the different cutouts to create the compositions
I like the best. Then I glued down all of the collages and place them
inside that white matt. As of the goal that
I actually wanted to reach when creating this series. For me, it is to focus
on the fact that oceans actually heal faster from lava than the Earth does, making the life possible after
just a couple of months. This series was actually a reminder to focus
on the positive, especially immense
all the destruction. For the second example, I want to talk to you about this beautiful series that
it's called Magical Creatures. When I wrote the
intention statement, it was actually just
called grief and nature. To tell you a little
bit about it. Let me read to you the
intention statement for theme. I wanted to do a series about grief and how nature basically plans and the ocean can be a powerful ally to help
us heal and move on. My subject will be women, since it's a personal
reflection of how I feel and I feel
from my own grief. As for size, I want this series
to be six works, all in A3 size, which is roughly
11 by 15 inches. I want the subject
to be centered in the middle and
nothing too busy on the background to have the focus solely on pretty much the woman. For materials, I will use magazine to find the
different women. Mostly I will look and work
with fashion magazines. For the natural elements, I will actually like
to go and find them nearby in the parks and in
the hikes that I like to do. I will actually have
to search them and press them to start
working with them. I also have an
ocean imagery that I will as well add to
the different creations. And restrictions. As you can see here, I wanted all of
the women to have black or dark cloth to illustrate in a way that
grief and that sadness. The plants, as I have mentioned, will be pressed from flowers and different things
that I collect myself. And I will combine them with that quotient
images that I have. As for the process, I will first make a selection of the women that I want to
include in the series, and then I will play
with composition to discover which different
elements work best, which each one of them. As for the goal, I want to create inspiring magical
creatures that serve as an inspiration for being in
nature and healing with it.
6. EXAMPLES PART 2: Finally, I want to show you a series that is
called Malamata, and I will be telling
you all about it. For theme, this is a
collaboration that I actually did with a local jewelry brand [inaudible], that's
called Malamata. The aim of this
collaboration was to exalt the artists
and process that the earrings are made in the way that they're
made and to reinforce the love for art and especially Matisse who
inspired this collection. I want the main
theme to be focused on the women who
might actually use these earrings and
how they can actually transform the way they look and feel by wearing
different accessories. As for size, the
collaboration will consist in three
different collages. The size format should actually be something that
fits the square. This is because it was promoted
mostly on social media. We wanted the size to be
either circles or squares. I decided actually to ended
up working in circles. For materials, the materials that I
use for this collection were magazines to actually select three different
women that I wanted. But I wanted the backgrounds and the earrings to be made with card stock to resemble
Matisse cutouts. In terms of restriction, I don't want the women to be recognizable so that
anybody can relate to them. This is important to
me to find a way for their faces not to be
fully recognizable. In the colors, I also want whatever colors
I decide to include to exalt the earrings so they have to be
complimentary colors. Also for restriction,
I want to take into account that when the works
are presented together, they can actually have communication and a flow
from one to the other. As far as the process,
the first thing that I did was actually find the three different
women that I wanted to illustrate in this series. Then I had to actually find a way to make their faces
not as recognizable, so I played with this technique, cutting their faces
up into lines and miss doing them
back misaligned. It actually creates a sense of movement and a little
bit of confusion. For the backgrounds,
as we can see, I decided to add card stock. I really wanted it to be
teared with my hands. It could be more focus on the handmade process
of the entire series. I also wanted them to be in this way where the two women
on the ends are actually looking at the one
in the middle and I have the little dots to illustrate a little
bit the conversation that could be happening
in-between them. As for the goal of this series, it was actually to create
something that was interesting to both
my audience and also the brand's audience
and we wanted to create something that pretty much
plays the focus into art, artisans, and creating with your hands and also of course, a tribute to Matisse. That's actually the inspiration for the earrings themselves.
7. TAKEAWAYS: Now we've reached the final
lesson for this class. I hope that it has been
inspiring and has given you ideas to how to get started
with your next series of art. I do want to share with you some tips and ideas
to keep in mind. The first thing would
be to remember that the intentions statement
is actually a draft. It is like a live document. You can change it, you can adapt it, you can take things away if you find out
that you don't want to do it that way or that
it's not practical for you. Also keep in mind
that trial and error is a big part of the
intention statement. Keep that in mind because it
will change as you create. Try to select a
subject that will hold your interest while
you create this series. Pretty much for extended
period of time. When doing research, if you find that other
artists have done something similar to
what you are going to do don't be intimidated, but also try to avoid
imitating them. Try to find a way to distinguish your take on that
same theme or topic. Brainstorm, the
more that you can about that idea or
theme of interests. Take your time in the research. This is the most important time because it will
pretty much help you to get all the
knowledge that you need to then express
it in your work. If you need to research
online, visit a library, maybe it is that
you need to take reference photos
or make sketches, or conduct interviews, anything that you
need so that you feel you go deeper
into that thing. Take your time to do it. Be sure that you clarify the aim and intention
of your series. Also be sure that each
of the words that you create have a variation and that can work on
their own as well. Whatever rules you decide to actually create for yourself, make them simple
and easy to follow. Don't over-complicate
yourself with too many restrictions
or parameters, try to be consistent or also, give yourself some
element of freedom. I hope that you have
liked this class, like I mentioned
in the beginning, if it sounds interesting
or intriguing to you, just try it out. Sometimes just out of doing research and thinking more
about word we're creating, instead of just
letting an intuition, always guide us can really
have a powerful effect. I hope that you
enjoyed this class. I'm looking forward
to reading all of your intention
statements and maybe seeing a photo or two of
what you actually create. Thank you so much
for joining me. I hope that you
liked this class.
Ia Llamozas, Collage Artist
