Ian Tremewen is an artist who knows how to make his mark. Whether it’s watercolour, glass, textiles, sculpture or a large scale mural, Ian is inspired by the colours, patterns, textures and shapes he finds in the landscape. You can also take inspiration from what you see around you. With a combination of shapes and some cool mark-making skills, you can create your own unique world. Are you ready to Make Your Mark?

You can listen to the artist talk about how he made Black swamp reflector and learn some of these cool techniques here or use this link: <https://youtu.be/Kn_mI7cO9YQ>

ART PLAY WITH IAN TREMEWEN MAKE YOUR MARK!

Image: Ian Tremewen, Black swamp reflector (detail), 1993

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ian Tremewen lives in the Tweed Region but was born in Montreal, Canada and grew up in Hawaii. Ian’s artwork Black swamp reflector (right) was inspired by a trip he made with a group of artists to South Stradbroke Island. Black swamp reflector is part of the exhibition You are here: art of the region.

Ian TremewenBlack swamp reflector 1993

graphite on paper179 x 128.5cm

Acquired as the Winner of the Friends of the Gallery Acquisitive Award through the

Tweed Valley Art Prize, 1993

Photo: Lorraine Abernethy

GETTING READY TO MAKE YOUR MARK

If you are feeling inspired after watching the Make Your Mark video with Ian Tremewen, you might like to follow these steps to create your own artwork based on textures, patterns and shapes.

You will need:

1. Paper2. Pencils & Eraser3. Engraving Tools

1. PAPER: GET THE RIGHT SUPPORT! Artists often refer to the material they paint or draw on as the ‘support’. Painting on canvas feels different to painting on board because one has texture and bounce and the other is smooth and hard, and this is the same for paper. Your paper might not have bounce but it is made with a purpose in mind. It may be thin or thick, smooth or textured because it has to be able to do the job you need it to do. It is there to support you!

In Black swamp reflector Ian has used a heavy textured paper. It had to be able to take all the rough treatment he gave it - lots of scratching, and rubbing and cross hatching. It is about 650 GSM, or 650 grams per square metre!

For our activity we have used 250 GSM but you could try different papers and see what you think is best.

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Did you know that pencils have their own code? If you have ever wondered what the letters HB, 2B, or 6B mean on the end of your pencils, here’s a quick guide.

‘H’ is for hard‘B’ is for black‘F’ is for fine point

The numbers relate to how hard or black they are. You can think of it as a scale. The harder the pencil, the less graphite it leaves behind so it tends to look lighter. The blacker (or darker) the pencil, the softer the graphite and the more graphite it leaves behind. HB sits in the middle and is a good general pencil.

Looking at Ian’s shapes below you can see he has used a lighter pencil like an HB to draw the initial shape and then a darker pencil, like a 7B for the shading.

2. PENCILS: 2B OR NOT 2B?

Before you draw your shapes, you will need to collect some tools to engrave the paper. We call these tools your ‘Team Invisible’ and you will see why.

First, make sure your tools are safe to hold. The inscribed marks will work best if you put your paper on a hard surface, and most importantly, you do not want to mark your kitchen table! An old large hardcover book is a good option if you do not have a hard surface to work on. To make your marks you can use:

3. ENGRAVING TOOLS (OR TEAM INVISIBLE)

* chopsticks * large knitting needle* small screwdriver * a pen with the lid still on* the end of a small paint brush

Anything that is sharp enough to leave an indent but not so sharp that you cut the paper!

Now you are ready to begin...

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FIRST DRAW YOUR SHAPES

In Black swamp reflector Ian has based his drawings on palms, tree trunks, and floating leaves. Can you think of shapes you find in your garden, at the beach or in the park? Using a light pencil, like a regular HB, draw a few shapes across your paper.

Notice how Ian has flipped his shapes as if they are reflected in the water. He has also raised the horizon line so that you feel surrounded by these shapes. This is a great way to create a floating swampy world.

THEN ENGRAVE YOUR PATTERNS

Once you have your shapes, you can think about the different patterns you find in nature, in bark, on the water, or in the sky. Using these patterns fill in your shapes with your assortment of ‘Team Invisible’ tools.

how many different patterns can you create for your drawing?

Image: Ian Tremewen, Black swamp reflector (detail), 1993

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NOW FILL IN YOUR SHAPES AND BACKGROUND

Now it’s time to reveal the marks you made with your Team Invisible. Using your pencils, play around with pressing lighter and harder - as you do this, your invisible marks will begin to emerge. For your background or shadows, use a nice, dark pencil.

A few more tips

As you can see, some pencils leave dark, soft, wide marks, and are good for large areas like the background.

Notice how some of Ian’s marks can give his shapes character - some seem quiet, like they are floating or hiding, others seem fast or loud as if they are calling for your attention.

Drawing dark lines underneath your engraved lines creates shadows.

The white shapes you see in these circles are the engraved marks.

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A very big thank you to Ian Tremewen for his participation in this Art Play activity.

Website http://www.tremewenart.com/Email itremewen@hotmail.com Instagram @iantremewenFacebook Ian Tremewen Art+DesignAll artwork is © Ian Tremewen

Thank you also to Yellow Brick Studio for their support with this project.

CUT AND PASTE YOUR EXPERIMENTS

Step back and see what you have. What other patterns and shapes can you add to your drawing? You can even cut out some shapes from one drawing and add them to another. And most important of all, remember to have fun!