March and April’s Open Studio presented a variety of colorful and new activities inspired by our current exhibition, MAGIC, COLOR, FLAIR: the world of Mary Blair. Visitors of all ages were invited to come in and experiment with different colors, textures, and techniques to help stir their imagination and creativity.
We began with our Community Mural designed to highlight some of San Francisco’s most notable landmarks in a bright and child-like style. Using Mod Podge, tissue paper and foam core tiles, the colors and shapes of these landmarks began to appear as visitors completed their own distinctive piece to contribute to the overall mural. The 456 individual tiles come together in their own unique yet cohesive way, and we highly recommend you come by the Learning Center to see this work in person!
Mary Blair is widely known for her own designs of murals, in addition to illustrations and concept art, but did you know that she also designed clothing and textiles? In the month of April, Open Studio took inspiration from Mary Blair’s bold use of color and unique shapes and patterns to create clothing designs and reusable stamp rollers with our Fashion Illustration and Printmaking activities. Materials ranged from watercolor paint to ink and acrylic, and, with a few other items you probably have at home, they are easy to recreate yourself!
To create your own stamp roller prints you will need:
- Toilet paper rolls
- Foam paper
- One small paint roller
- Scissors/glue
- Stamp pad or paint
Instructions:
1. Draw and cut out a design or pattern out of the foam paper
2. Glue your pieces onto the toilet paper roll and let dry
3. Place the toilet paper roll onto the small paint roller and roll onto a stamp pad or a thin layer of acrylic paint – make sure to cover the entire roller
4. Roll your stamp onto paper or any surface you’d like, and reload to print as many times as you’d like!
