Getting Started – Paper

Piece of paper

I want to be an Origami sheet

They can make a boat of me

Then make a rose of me

For the friend to cherish me.

 

I want to be an art sheet

The artist can paint on me

Sketch their mind on me

Craft something new on me

For the world to adore me.

 

I want to become a plain sheet

For a writer to scribe on me

To open their heart on me

To recite a poem on me

For the readers to review me

Neeti Tibrewala, 2016

If I have learnt anything from my first two OCA courses it is not to be afraid of the blank page. I feel like I am facing multiple blank pages at the moment – GD1 is a new direction (my last two courses being photography based), I have had to set up a new blog and I have a new sketchbook – I needed to find a good place to start.

I am a little apprehensive because I also have to learn Illustrator and In-Design quickly. I am pretty familiar with Photoshop and have used Inkscape, PageMaker and Publisher in the past so I am hoping that will at least help me get going.

I like that the course starts with some of the basic building blocks and talks about paper, so I set myself a small exercise of exploring the different types of paper I had in the house. My new sketchbook is now adorned with an amazing variety from natural and handmade papers to photo and coloured tissue paper. It feels good to have taken a first small step and I actually quite like the collages too!