The Ten+ Commandments of Being a Rock N ARTist

When I was little, I used to dream of being a Rock Star, didn’t we all? I mean, really, we had this great big rock behind my grandma’s house that we to use as a stage. My cousins and I would take our place on the “rock stage” and belt out one of our favorite tunes. Sometimes, I really felt like a Rock Star. Others, I just felt like I was on The Gong Show! (Does anyone remember The Gong Show?) But, all in all, it was fun to dream. In the end, I didn’t become a Rock star, I became an artist.

Recently, I was reminded of that time in my life, not by actually performing, thank goodness, but I was introduced to a new art product developed by the Mitz Company. Mitz, an alternative paper company, has created a printable paper made from rocks called Terraskin.  Terraskin has been used in the printing industry for years and is now making its debut into our neck of the woods. This wonderful new surface can be used with virtually every artistic medium from oils to acrylics, watercolors, pastels, and dry media without the addition of any special preparation or gesso to the surface. It is smooth, water resistant, tear resistant, archival, and cradle to cradle certified. This means it does not impact the environment in a negative way and is fully biodegradable. It is made from Calcium Carbonate (mineral powder) and a non- toxic resin that is used as a binder. Terraskin has a more absorbent surface than its cousin, Yupo, the plastic paper. It gently pulls any moisture into the surface causing it to dry more quickly. Terraskin comes in sheets, rolls, and sketchbooks. It is also a great surface to work on for scrapbook art, collage, embossing, silverpoint art, pen and ink, and all dry mediums as well.

When I first thought about blogging about Terraskin paper, I went looking for a phrase online. “Rock Journaling,” I thought, journaling on Rock paper, right? Wrong! It seems the phrase has already been taken to describe the journalistic reporting of rock (hard rock or metal) music. In my search, I stumbled onto a sight prescribing the ten commandments of rock journalism and as I read the list, I became more intrigued at the fact that I could replace the words “metal or hard rock” with Rock ART and all of the commandments seemed to make sense! Here is how I transformed the list.

The Ten+ Commandments of Being a Rock ‘N ARTist

1. Be a Rock ART hound – Get to know about ART! Study other artists. Visit exhibits at museums. Read up about past and present artists. Collect another artist’s work. Research all mediums and time periods of ART.

2. Know your Rock ART – When you have selected a path of ART, whether it is watercolor, oils, acrylics, or dry mediums, find out all you can about it. Take ART classes and workshops.  Invest in Instructional books and DVDs. Join an ART society or group in your community. Support the ARTs in your town. Share your knowledge of ART with others. Volunteer at facilities by teaching your ART to others.

3. Be open to all forms of Rock ART – Keep an open mind when viewing unfamiliar art, abstracts, manga art, collage art. Try something new like encaustics, airbrushing, glass painting. Encourage another artist to expand their experience with art.

4. Rock ART has a lot of elements, it is not just a technique – Emotion, meaning, passion, color expression, and technique. It’s not always about making something look exactly like it is supposed to. Unravel the meaning of a work of art. Try to get into what the artist was feeling when it was painted. Try to read and decipher the story behind the art.

5. Listen, watch, read, and learn, before you create Rock ART – Listen to music while creating. Watch instructional DVDs and videos to learn in depth about a new technique. Read books, magazines, blogs, to see other points of view and experience other works for yourself. Listen to new ideas. Sit and Ponder. Get Outside. Then create your own Rock ART.

6. Have your say when you create Rock ART – Make your point. Be Clear. Be Loud. Shout with Color and Line. Let everyone know what you are thinking, feeling, experiencing through your Rock ART.

7. Be You. Be Original and Unique with your Rock ART – Everyone knows that fresh ideas in the art world are few and far between. Art has been around from the beginning of man, so most techniques, mediums, subjects and ideas have already been explored. If you are inspired by another artist, make your final Rock ART unique, personal, and original by blending the inspired idea or technique with your own personal choices. It’s OK to learn from other artists, but, please do not take as your own what is not yours.

8. Be prepared to be hammered by Rock ART critiques and hammer back – No one has to like your ART but you. Don’t be afraid to show your work in exhibits and art shows because you think you aren’t good enough. Always know and understand that there is a style of ART for everyone. Don’t be discouraged if your ART does not appeal to everyone. Be confident in your ART. Express Yourself! Don’t take creative criticism, personally. Be open-minded to someone’s opinion. They might just see something you didn’t and improve your work or technique! Be not ashamed of thy Rock ART.

9. Go against the Rock ART rules – Who says you can’t paint a tree purple. It’s your tree, it’s your ART. It can be any color you want. Break the rules that say you have to stay within the lines. Think outside the lines and discover something new! Ever think how someone came up with wax resist painting, aka Batik painting. This is an ancient art. Who’s to say it wasn’t discovered accidentally? Maybe someone spilled wax on silk and then decided to paint it anyway and found it was exciting! Experiment, ask “What if?” Do something unexpected. Try a new surface, like Terraskin, the Rock’ N-est Paper! And continue to learn.

10. Stay true to your Rock ART, to your fans, to your students, to yourself- If success finds you, don’t rise above the ones who support you. Keep your feet on the ground. Stay eye to eye with your fans. Don’t hesitate to share your knowledge with others. You learned from someone else, allow others to learn from you. Be humble and appreciate others’ interest in your ART.

11.  When you begin, buy the best Rock ART materials you can logically afford. Then, as you gain experience and use up supplies, replace with higher quality ART materials that you can truly appreciate. Learn all you can about the materials you use. Safety information, handling information, disposal information, what it is made of, this is all great information to know when using ART supplies.

12.  For the best products and best customer service, Always buy your Rock ART stuff at Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff by calling 800 227 2788 or online at www.cheapjoes.com! We are always ready to help!

Ok, I added that last one in for good measure! However, we are always here to do anything to help in making your Rock ART experience the best possible. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced artist, we want you to be successful and enjoy creating ART.

So, in a world, where one thing leads to another, my early experience on the Rock stage gave me the freedom to express myself and try new things, which led me to have the desire to try a New Rock paper, Terraskin, and finally to have the courage to be a Rock ‘N ARTist! Terraskin is a great surface and I highly recommend that all of you try it. Something new and different takes time to get to know and enjoy. Take the time to experiment, to play, and to discover. And allow me to be the first to welcome you, New Rock ‘N ARTists, to the New Stone Age!

Have a Happy Rock ‘N ART day!