Mixed media artist The CreativeMindClass Blog
"Let's begin with the words that are most appropriate to describe my art: bold, expressive and layered."
Claudia's family background
"My name is Claudia Melchor, I am officially trained in architecture, however, I have had a passion for art and 2D mediums since I can remember."
How did you transition your architectural designs to mixed-media drawings?
"When the time came to decide on a career I was also advised by numerous others, to not pursue a career in arts. and I was adamant. After completing a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Architecture. I found myself completely bored with the job in the front of a computer. In my time off at university, I decided making illustrations, drawings and other products that featured my designs on them, and I had never felt happier!
All of it started right when I was offered a position in an architectural office which I now juggle with my illustration career and my recent studies in art historical studies. I'm hoping to be able to drop the job in corporate architecture quickly enough to focus completely on what I enjoy doing and using mixed-media techniques.
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I'm hoping that my experience will help individuals who aren't sure which subject to pursue to understand that a degree in art isn't important. You are an artist regardless of no background. The best aspect is that it will create a unique art. Of course, going to an art institute is a wonderful learning experience too!"
What would you say about the style of your illustrations?
"I consider that the process of describing your style is a difficult task. I was forced to talk to my acquaintances about this and their descriptions of it could not be more exact. The way they described my work is like my paintings are moving like the wind is blowing through the painting and dropping color onto everything it comes into contact with. It's impossible to find a better description of my work than that.
I love layering textures as well as exploring a variety of colors. I'm an extremeist in this sense. The harder I try to limit a palette of colors and the more expansive the color range gets.
If we look at my subjects selections, the things I love to draw are landscapes that feature mountains and oceans, since it is a reminder of my hometown Tenerife, a quaint little island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean.
In addition, I create human-like characters that have exaggerated features as well as vibrant skin. Also, of the course, I include some architectural element - the six years of studying architecture have to show up somewhere."
What's the secret for creating mixed-media artwork?
"I think that the most important thing for me to create my work is not to plan excessively in advance. To be fair, this technique sometimes works and it sometimes doesn't however, not worrying excessively about what will happen allows you to be free to explore your art.
I enjoy watching the process of coloring and painting and changing my mind in my final pieces. The work reveals my connection to the paper, to my context, and to my painting. You can trace my decision-making process to the end product.
I enjoy being able work with my hands to mix up my own colors. All you require to be able to recreate my art is a lot of various materials (doesn't require anything extravagant, however I like to mix media), a very loose hand, and some courage to mix paints and to start with a blank canvas."
You can find Claudia her Instagram or her website. Claudia is an innovative educator and shares her expertise online. Her class Mixed Media illustration Painting your home from childhood attended already more than 2k students.
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