NFAC - Ode To Blue

This is my entry in the Nibblefest Art Contest this month. She's available on ebay and she's tiny.

*SOLD

IF - Mesmerizing

"That's mesmerizing..."
He says that a lot, but I don't think he really means it.

Online Class

I am taking an online class from Katie Kendrick and I am loving it! She is amazing. I love her work and I love her teaching style. Here are some of the pieces I've been working on using the techniques I'm learning.

Sunday Sketch

This little sweetie came about during church today. I promise sketching helps me listen better--really!

I use whatever paper I can find and I ALWAYS use pen. I sort of hate pencil.

She may get some touches of color and end up in my art journal. I kind of love her glasses. :)

IF - Boundaries

There are no boundaries to who we are and what we can do.

First First Friday Art Class for September 2011 - Mixed Media

I've recently started a little art class for my daughter and some of her friends. We'll meet the first Friday of each month. I'm posting a little overview for any girls who couldn't make it, but if someone else finds this information helpful, that's great too.

We began with a tour of my studio, which is a small area just off my kitchen. I showed the girls all the tools and media I work with. I wanted them to become familiar with them, but also to see that I use a lot of stuff they may already have around their house. Art should not be intimidating!

We then moved onto our worksheet portion. We tried 10 different art medias (in each square of the worksheet pictured below):

1. Watercolor paints (wet)
2. Watercolor paints (dry-ish, they can never really be completely dry)
3. Colored pencil
4. Printed (scrapbook) paper
5. Acrylic paint (wet)
6. Acrylic paint (dry)
7. Magazine or book pages
8. Gesso (plain or mixed with paint) - this may be the only thing on the list that isn't familiar. It can be found in the art section of most art/craft stores. It comes in black and white and is a wonderful base coat for paper or canvas to prepare the surface to accept the paint. I also many times use it mixed with acrylic paint as background for a painting. It's not what I'd call "cheap" so if you want to skip this one, that is fine. :)
9. Ink (thick and thin Sharpie)
10. Rubber stamps (design elements, text, numbers, etc.)

Next we did our masterpiece using most or all of the medias we had just learned about. I gave the students this page to work on:

And this page to practice on or cut up to use as a pattern. The numbers are just to delineate the spaces. The students were free to use whatever media wherever they wanted to and could skip ones they didn't want to use.

Here they are hard at work:

Here they are with their finished pieces:

This one has such a happy nature to her and her lovely art.

This one is NOT afraid of color. She is bold and daring.

This one has such a sense of humor and it's reflected in her art.

A finished piece:

We had fun! I am already looking forward to next month!!

IF - Mysterious