Category: MakerSpace

Self-Care Saturdays

Join OFPL Live on Facebook @galluplibrary on Saturday, August 15th and 29th at 12:00 p.m. to make your DIY cosmetics from items around your home. Each ingredient list is available below:

Email jwhitman@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information.

Saturday, August 15th

Honey Lip Scrub
  • 2 tsps. Sugar
  • 1 tsp. Honey
  • 1 tsp. Coconut Oil
  1. Mix everything together in a small bowl until you have a paste.
  2. Apply to lips with fingertips and massage into your lips to gently slough off dry, dead skin cells.
  3. You’ll be tempted to eat the mixture – it tastes pretty darn good!
  4. Rinse with warm water and follow with lip balm.
  5. Keep any extra in a small container.
Sage & Blackberry Sugar Scrub
  • 11/2 cups White Sugar
  • 2 Tbsps. & 2 tsps. Coconut Oil
  • 4 to 6 large Sage Leaves
  • 1/4 cup Blackberries
  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process on high until smooth.
  2. Put in glass jar with snug fitting lid
  3. Store at room temperature for up to 1 week
  4. To use, wet skin, gently scrub with sugar scrub, and rinse with warm water. Pat dry.

Saturday, August 29th

Lavender Bath Bombs
  • 2 oz Baking Soda
  • 1 oz Epsom Salt
  • 1 oz Corn Starch
  • 1 oz Citric Acid
  • 4 tsp. Coconut Oil
  • 1 tsp. water
  • Optional: dried flowers, herbs, food coloring, biodegradable glitter or essential oils

Okay, so you do have to buy some accessories for this process such as something to mold the bath bomb with and if you’re not big into canning and preserves you may not have citric acid laying around. But not to fear, it’s all worth it if you love a good tub! Mix the wet and dry ingredients separately. Then slower (spoonful by spoonful) mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you end up with a sand-like consistency. Pack the mixture into the mold and leave overnight to dry.

Rosemary & Peppermint Foot Scrub
  • 3 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp. table salt
  • 1 tsp. coconut oil
  • 1 ½ tsp. olive oil
  • 3 drops peppermint oil
  • 1/2 tsp rosemary

Toss everything in a cup, and stir together. If it’s too dry, add a bit more oil. If it’s too wet, add more salt.

Creative Corner – Clay Pinch Pots

Create your own art from various materials found around your home! These courses are geared towards individuals 15 years of age and older. Supply kits are available at OFPL on a first-come, first-serve basis and can be requested below.

Tune in this upcoming Monday, August 3rd at 4:00 p.m. for a demonstration on creating clay pinch pots using air-dry clay. Pinch pots are the oldest form of pottery dating back to ancient times. Available through our Facebook page and YouTube channel, search @galluplibrary.

Email jwhitman@gallupnm.gov or call 505-863-1291 for more information. 

Visit our YouTube page HERE.

Visit our Facebook page HERE.

OFPL does not own the rights to the music contained within the video.

OFPL does not own the rights to the music contained within the video.

Creative Corner – Abstract Painting 101

Creative Corner features creativity freedom to make your own art from various materials that can be found around your homes and/or are inexpensive to purchase. Art courses are for the inner creative geared towards individuals 15 years of age and older.

Tune in this upcoming Monday, June 27th at 4:00 p.m. for a demonstration on abstract painting while learning the basics in oil painting. This is Part One in a multi-series exploring the fundamentals in abstract painting. Part One explores techniques and brand names trusted by our resident artist and will be laying the foundation to our painting. Available through our Facebook page and YouTube channel, search @galluplibrary.

Visit our YouTube page HERE.

Visit our Facebook page HERE.

OFPL does not own the rights to the music contained within this video.

10 Oil Painting Tips for Beginners

Artists have been painting with oil paints for hundreds of years and oil paints continue to be popular worldwide due to their versatility, quality, and color. While getting started with oil painting is fairly easy, there is a little bit more to it than acrylics, since you are working with toxic solvents and mediums and the drying time is much longer. Individual artists who have been painting for a while have their own favorite brands, brushes, palettes, and mediums, but here are some general tips that may be useful to you if you are just starting out with oil paints.

Read the full article HERE.

Shop for Art Supplies Below:

Shop at Arteza HERE.

Shop at Winsor & Newton HERE.

Shop at Blick HERE.

Shop at Gamblin HERE.

OFPL does not own the rights to the music contained within this video.

Creative Corner – Meditative Drip Painting w/ Acrylics

Creative Corner features creativity freedom to make your own art from various materials that can be found around your homes and/or are inexpensive to purchase. Art courses are for the inner creative geared towards individuals 15 years of age and older.

Tune in this upcoming Monday, June 20th at 4:00 p.m. for a meditative experience using acrylic paints set to calming meditative music. Available through our Facebook page and YouTube channel, search @galluplibrary.

Visit our YouTube page HERE.

Visit our Facebook page HERE.

OFPL does not own the rights to the music contained within video.

Drip Painting Definition

The technique of abstract painting exemplified chiefly in the later works of Jackson Pollack and marked by the intricately executed dripping and pouring of the paint on a canvas placed on the floor.

Artist Spotlight

OFPL does not own the rights to any of the following imagery.
Courtesy of other artists. (See accreditation).

Jackson Pollock
Full Fathom Five. Oil on canvas with nails, tacks, buttons, key, coins, cigarettes, matches, etc. 50 7/8 inches by 30 1/8 inches. Circa 1947.
Joshua Whitman
@artisan_josh23
Payson the Pepto. 16 inches. Circa 2020.
Callen Schaub
@callenschaubart
Effusion. 84 inches by 144 inches. Circa 2020.

Creative Corner – Collage 101 w/ Found Materials

Creative Corner features creativity freedom to make their own art from various materials that can be found around their homes and/or are inexpensive to purchase. Art courses are for the inner creative geared towards individuals 15 years of age and older.

Tune in this upcoming Monday, June 13th at 4:00 p.m. for a demonstration on collaging with paper materials that can be found around your home. Use old magazines, photographs, books, glue, markers, paint, and more. Available through our Facebook page and YouTube channel, search @galluplibrary.

Visit our YouTube page HERE.

Visit our Facebook page HERE.

OFPL does not own the rights to the music contained within video.

Collage Definition

Collage is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole.

5 Contemporary Collage Artists Adding New Layers

  1. Laslo Antal’s Collage – Visual Diaries
  2. Lance Letscher’s Collage – The Pull Towards Collage
  3. Raquel van Haver’s Collage – The Collage Mindset
  4. Vanessa German’s Collage – From Found Objects Towards Assemblage
  5. Wangechi Mutu’s Collage – Female Motives

View the full article HERE.

Artist Spotlight

Joshua M. Whitman

@artisan_josh23

Collage. Recycled Books, gold foil, and white ink. 11 inches by 17 inches. Circa. 2020 (Right).

OFPL does not own the rights to the image.
Courtesy of Joshua M. Whitman.
OFPL does not own the rights to the music contained within video.

Creative Corner – Color Theory Basics

Creative Corner features creativity freedom to make their own art from various materials that can be found around their homes and/or are inexpensive to purchase. Art courses are for the inner creative geared towards individuals 15 years of age and older.

Tune in this upcoming Monday, June 6th at 4:00 p.m. for a demonstration on the color wheel and a discussion of Color Theory and terminology. Available through our Facebook page and YouTube channel, search @galluplibrary.

Color Wheel TemplateDownload

Visit our YouTube page HERE.

Visit our Facebook page HERE.

Color Theory, Terminology, & More.

Color Theory Definition

Color theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design applications – enough to fill several encyclopedias. Color theories create a logical structure for color. For example, if we have an assortment of fruits and vegetables, we can organize them by color and place them on a circle that shows the colors in relation to each other.

Color Wheel

The Color Wheel A favorite of designers and artists, the wheel makes color relationships easy to see by dividing the spectrum into 12 basic hues: three primary colors, three secondaries, and six tertiaries.

Basic Color Wheel.

Terminology for Review:

Analogous Colors

Any three colors which are side by side on a 12-part color wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and yellow-orange. Usually one of the three colors predominates.

Complimentary Colors

Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly opposite each other, such as red and green and red-purple and yellow-green.

Hue

An attribute of a color which makes it unique. Example: Red, Forest Green, Cerulean, Violet, Pink, Magenta, etc.

Primary Colors

In traditional color theory (used in paint and pigments), primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that cannot be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues. 

Example: Red, Blue, and Yellow

Secondary Colors

These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.

Example: Green, Orange, and Purple

Shade

Refers to the mixture of a hue with black or any darker color. This mixture reduces the overall color brightness.

Tertiary Colors

These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color.

Example: Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green

Tint

A tint is created when you add white to a hue and lighten it. It is also sometimes called a pastel color.

Tone

In art, the term “tone” describes the quality of color. It has to do with whether a color is perceived as warm or cold, bright or dull, light or dark, and pure or “dirty.” The tone of a piece of art can have a variety of effects, from setting the mood to adding emphasis.

Bookmark Design Contest

Calling all OFPL neighbors! Celebrate Summer Reading 2020 (May 1st – August 1st), OFPL is having a bookmark design contest. Fill in the bookmark space with an original design and turn it in to either the Main Library or the Children’s Branch by Friday, July 31st at 5:00 p.m.

All entries will be displayed in an online poll on our website for community voting during the entire month of August and the winning bookmark in each age group (See Number 9 under Contest Rules) will be printed and distributed to both libraries.

Download the Bookmark Design Contest Submission FormDownload
Contest Rules:
  1. Artwork design must be original work.
  2. Designs can either be vertical or horizontal. Use bookmark space provided for design.
  3. Any 2D art medium is welcome (such as pencil/graphite, crayons, markers, etc).
  4. 3D and computer generated art must be approved prior to submission. Email jwhitman@gallupnm.gov for approval.
  5. No graphic or obscene imagery. OFPL reserves the right to remove an entry from contest.
  6. Words, lettering and numbers may be included in design. However, DO NOT include your name or any other personal information.
  7. DO NOT use any copyrighted material.
  8. Contest runs from May 8th to July 31st and is open to any age and skill level.
  9. A winner will be selected based on community feedback in the following age groups: 3-12, 13-19, 20+. Winners will receive a grand prize and will be contacted by phone.
  10. Bookmarks will be printed and distributed after September 7th.
Download the Bookmark Design Contest Submission FormDownload
Disclaimer

All entries become the property of the Octavia Fellin Public Library and may be reproduced for public distribution, displayed within the library, and posted to the library’s website. OFPL may use each winner’s name, design, and photograph for publicity purposes.

Download the Bookmark Design Contest Submission FormDownload

Bubble Wars

Come by the Children’s Branch on Tuesday, March 10th at 4:00 p.m. to celebrate National Bubble Week with a Bubble War competition.

We’ll be making our own bubble solution and bubble wands with different materials to see who can make the biggest and strongest bubbles.

Email childlib@gallupnm.gov or call 505-726-6120 for more information.

Drip Painting Demonstration

Celebrate Youth Art Month!

Join us for an interactive workshop learning how to use acrylic paint to create random patterns utilizing drip technique. All completed works will be displayed for the month of March.

Join us at the Children’s Branch on Saturday, March 7th at 2:00 p.m. or Saturday, March 14th at 4:00 p.m.

Art exhibition from March 9th to April 7th. *Open to all ages and skill levels.

Email jwhitman@gallupnm.gov or call 505-726-6120 for more information.