Apple Day

I ‘m a bit out of step with the blogging of events- what with the festive season etc, so here are a couple I prepared and didn’t finish (last autumn- oops). I’ll do the next one later on!

I love autumn, and this yearly, countrywide, celebration epitomises all the beauty and bounty of the season as far as I am concerned. Plus I love it that Apple Day events actually spread out over several days – so, depending where you are, you can get to at least one.

We had a smashing event on the reserve, lots of traditional games, trails, orchard talks, stories, tasting, planting and cooking tips and, of course, arty stuff.

There was Apple Printing (very popular with toddlers, bam bam bam!) with extra printed ‘appley’ poems and words for older children to embellish their work with.

We made an apple game –a simple blockade game called horseshoe- a bit like noughts and crosses. The visitors (even grandpas) liked it even more once they worked out the winning move. There were several “Ta Da” moments when the penny dropped!

We used disks of apple wood to make coasters and pendants with (sawn from branches cut from last years poor old dead tree- but much better than burning them).

I apologise for this poor photo; it was the only one, a shame because some were lovely. The green cylinders are laundry “softener” bottle tops with thin foam shapes stuck on as print blocks.

Then there were hanging apple decorations; super easy and endlessly variable. I will post a tutorial on this idea (later on!) as it would adapt to Christmassy shapes too.

Lastly, local orchards supplied masses of traditional English apple varieties for tasting and local supermarkets donated apple juice for sampling. (Very popular!)

Sadly no cider LOL, probably not a good idea anyway in combination with all the children, paint and water.

In true British fashion it was wet and windy but we were all very cosy inside the barn.

I am not sure the story teller in his yurt felt too cosy, poor man; we had to thaw him out with hot tea…

A good day.

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Here is a quick post about printing…

I love prints of all kinds; and the print making process.

I think it is the all- the- same- but- all -different bit that gets me…

Looking at various artists work I enjoy seeing how different colourways of the same set of lines and shapes affect the look of the finished image. I like monochrome and colours- simple and detailed, all sorts of print and processes. From a more philosophical point of view I think I’m drawn to the suddenness of it, the irrevocable mark. No matter how long it takes to conceive of the block- and the time it takes to create it- once the ink or paint is on, there is that “bam” moment (ok , sometimes more than one, I know).

But the thing is it is done.
No alteration.
You can do another one if you don’t like it
You can do another one if you do like it
You can do another one to try another effect
Bam Bam Bam!
Love it!

Children love it too; and I love the “Oh look! Another one – another one -and-another one….” Realisation that they can make the mark they have created over and over again. Magic!
While drawing is sometimes hard to feel happy with- printing is such a simple joy.

bam bam bam. Look what I can do!

After an unfortunate incident with linocutting during ‘A level’ art, I went off printmaking for years. So most of my printing has been on this simple level; with children as the excuse to do it.
Lots of “this is a sample “efforts that I secretly want to keep- even if it they are in poster paint.
Like these “I made earlier” ! (a classic Blue Peter children’s’ TV quote for those of you not grown up in the UK)

I made them when we had no photocopier at the environment centre- people were always asking for colouring pages. So I printed these with paint, for them to colour in.

They are made with cut out sticky-backed foam, on cardboard. The foam was (I think) a kind of gasket; an unusable / left over industrial product from a scrapstore. I just cut out the shape directly into it with scissors as it is quite thin. ( Good job it too, because I was later challenged to produce a helicopter and a footballer! ) It is very useful!
Then I made these when the actual printing was so appealing they wanted to have a go!

We did birds, trees, birds in trees… great fun.
Later on, on “Apple Day” we printed apple pictures with real apples ( only the ones we could not eat because they were unripe etc. ). More about this when I have some pictures from Apple Day at the reserve, later this month.

Which brings me to a handy tip for those of you who are uncertain about the paint/ children/ home furnishings combo, and clearing up.
You put the very slightly thinned paint ( ordinary poster/school paint ) onto a *plate and cover it with a thin sheet of sponge foam ( mine is from motherboard packing boxes) . You hold down the sponge with a grid of sellotape or elastic bands across the edges; so it stays put. This can then be used as a giant printing pad or with brushes instead of a paint pot. I will get some pictures of this – it sounds more trouble then it looks.

I’ve had a table set out with these for a whole weekend “drop in” event- and hardly ANY cleaning up!

*You can use ceramic plates or even paper disposable ones if it is for a one off event ( but you need to make sure these don’t get too soggy ). If you cover them with cling film between sessions they will last for a few days too!

So no excuses now! LOL

and no excuses for me to do some printing, thanks for the encouragement Chantal.

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