Da Vinci’s Greatest Works

There are few people so well known as Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian polymath, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer – quite a mouthful! 

 

Today we will look at three of his greatest works and why they are considered to be so valuable.

 

The Mona Lisa

 

 

Probably the most famous of all paintings is the Mona Lisa. Although it could never be confirmed, it’s believed in general that the subject of the painting is Lisa Gherardini, a middle-class woman from Florence.

 

Possibly the biggest contribution to the greatness of this painting is the faint, enigmatic smile. Is it sad? Is it sly? Is she hiding a secret?

 

These are just some of the questions that have been asked since the painting came into existence.

 

 The Mona Lisa is considered the first modern portrait and after so many years, we still can’t help but ask; what is she smiling about?

 

 

The Last Supper

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Supper is also known as Il Cenacolo and is a mural in Santa Maria della Grazie, a church in Milan. It depicts the well-known scene from the Gospel of John where Jesus and his disciples are having their last supper together and Jesus relayed the news that one of them will betray him.

The mural depicts the disciples’ feelings of anxiety and dismay upon hearing the news in a very perceptive manner. As the first painting to show biblical characters displaying human emotions and behaving like real life people, this mural has made quite the impression.

 

What contributes to the remarkable impact of the mural is the fact that the painting is fascinating in its use of perspective. Nearly every element in the painting is constructed in such a manner that it seems to guide the eye towards Jesus, in the centre of the picture.

 

The Virgin of the Rocks

You might not know that Da Vinci had two paintings that were nearly identical, that was entitled The Virgin of the Rocks. Both paintings show a rocky setting with four biblical characters – the Madonna, the Christ Child, and infant John the Baptist and an angel.

 

The paintings subject is the respect and adoration John the Baptist gives to the Christ Child. Part of what makes this painting so great is that the composition is complex and sophisticated. The figures are grouped together in the shape of a triangle and all gesture toward and look at each other.

 

This is also significant because in the artwork of previous eras, figures in paintings often seemed separate from each other.

 

 

 

Da Vinci was definitely a remarkable artist and his works of art are considered invaluable. Now that you know what makes his work so special, go and have a look for yourself!

 

Written by Marleen Theunissen

Creative Writer at ATKA SA 

Show Me How Tutorial 3 and 4

Today we will learn how to use paper and specialized pens to create gift cards and gift wrappings. First we will create a very special gift card and then we will learn about creating an enveloped gift box.

 

 

Step 1: Start off with the image you’ll be using, cut out. By using your colours of Copex, start colouring your image to suit the style you have chosen. Copex are alcohol-based markers, with a chisel tip on one end and a brush tip on the other. Remember that shading is important in helping to create that 3D-effect.

 

Step 2: Start colouring by adding colour to the parts where shadows are expected, first. This will help in creating layers.

 

Step 3: Make yourself an easel-card. Get an A5 piece of card board, fold it at 15cm and again at 7,5cm. 

 

Step4: Choose your background image and paste it to your easel-card. It doesn’t really matter what type of glue you use, as long as it doesn’t stay tacky after drying.

 

Step 5: You can add extra printed border designs or readily folded ribbons to your card as well as beads and pearls.

 

Step 6: Paste your image on the first fold of your easel-card and decorate it using media of your choice.

 

Step 7: Once all your decorative bits are pasted on your card, you can start working on the base of your card. Paste your background image on the bottom part of the card, with a white strip for your personalized message.

 

Step 8: Paste your top card onto the easel-card to allow for the standing-up of the card.

 

You will now have a lovely stand-up card to use as a gift or greeting card. But you will notice that this card cannot fit into any standard envelope. Next we will take a look at an envelope box, made especially for your gift card.

 

 

Tutorial 4

 

 

Now we will create an envelope box for your card. 

 

 

Step 1: Take a piece of card board and use a scoreboard like that of Martha Stewart. The scoreboard will help you to create folds in the paper without having to use a ruler and risk the paper breaking. 

 

Step 2: Create the folds for your envelope using the scoreboard and the scorer. You should end up with a square in the centre and triangles for the folds that will create the envelope shape.

 

Step 3: Fold all on the lines. Where you get double folds in the corners cut those out.

 

Step 4: Using two pieces of foam stuck together, fill the middle of the envelope using the foam to substitute the density of the card.

 

Step 5: Paste three of the four corners together by using a touch of glue along the ends of the corners.

 

Step 6: Choose an image for your envelope that complements your card and colour it using the same method as you used for the card.

 

Step 7: Prepare some of your background image to the size of the outer flap of your card and paste it flat.

 

Step 8: Paste your image on a backboard with a colour matching your background images and paste the combined image on the corner of the overlapping flap.

 

Step 9: Decorate your envelope with embellishments similar to those you used on your card.

 

Step 10: Place your card inside the envelope box and you’re all done!

 

Creating gift cards is an easy thing to do once you have expert input and the correct products to help you. Make sure you get all you need and start creating your own gift cards today!

 

 

Written by Marleen Theunissen

Creative writer for ATKA SA