Friday, September 22, 2017

Day?? 30 in 30 challenge

What is it??? Working on a coloured pencil course by a friend of mine ...deadline approaching! Yikes! Stay tuned for progress!  (Sort of fell off the 30 in 30 wagon - jumping back on :-)  )

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Day 20 of the 30 in 30 challenge


It's a GLAD DAY!!  I've been working on this for a while. This is from a photo I took at a friend's garden on a sketchclub outing. Gladiolas were her father's favorite flowers. I made her a painting that is very similar ;-) I'm including the reference photo. You will notice I changed the colour a bit. I've done a LOT of orange paintings and I much prefer the pinky tones. Artistic license!
Not sure if it's done yet. When you take a photo of your painting you see all kinds of things you might like to change LOL!


Friday, September 15, 2017

Day 15 of 30 in 30 challenge


I think it's the 15th day of the 30 in 30 challenge - and I haven't posted for a couple of days because...life... but here's my latest 30 in 30 painting. This took me 2 studio sessions.  I may still do some tweaking here or there but this is all for tonight! Anybody want to give him a name??? #30in30

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Day 11 30 in 30 challenge


I know it's hardly fall yet, but by the time I teach this painting at ByDesign it will be late November and people will be looking forward to snow for Christmas. Don't the little cardinals just cheer up this winter scene?  This is my day 11 painting for the 30 in 30 challenge Snow scene with cardinals.

Monday, September 11, 2017

Day 10 30 in 30 challenge


Today I spent most of my day getting ready for the new class I hope to be teaching at ByDesign Academy. There's so much preparation to do to teach a class. There are price lists to figure out and instructions to write. And after that's all done I painted another two beginner paintings for the teens to do. Day 10's painting is a still life with sunflowers in a blue jar.

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Day 9 30 in 30 challenge


So this weekend has been quite full! We were with our grandkids on Saturday and Sunday has just flown by. I have been working on two different paintings, but neither of them have been going as planned. This happens at times... One is a coloured pencil iris that is very overworked right now and I intend to start it over again - I just ordered a new set of Polychromos Coloured pencils and I can't wait to use them for my flowers! I also will be using a different kind of paper for the iris painting because the paper I used isn't as good for building up layers - which you have to do in order to blend the colours together well.

The other painting I have been working on is of some hydrangea petals in watercolour. It was fun because Hudson (3 years old) pulled up a stool beside Grandma to watch me paint. He was fascinated watching me put on the initial wash. Maybe he'll take painting lessons from Grandma in the future!

I just love the varied shades of blue and purple and cream and pink. But alas, I tried it on a new type of watercolour paper and it's not taking the paint as well as what I normally use - so I will be starting that one over again this week as well.

Good news is that Paul will be away tomorrow so I will be able to spend most of my time painting without distraction except from my doggie who likes to play a LOT! And Tuesday I will have quite a bit of time on my hands as Paul will be having a surgery in the morning and likely sleeping off anaesthetic in the afternoon and evening. Painting really helps me to keep occupied when life doesn't always go the way you hoped! It's great therapy for what ails 'ya.

I decided to post a photo of a watercolour painting that I have done recently. This one is of Chinese Lanterns - these are very interesting flowers - the pods dry to a vibrant orange colour around this time of year and you often can find them as dried flowers at the market. I haven't seen any in gardens lately. I understand they are quite invasive and they spread all over. I painted this (adding my own touches) from a step by step article in an art magazine a number of years back - the Leisure Painter. I love this magazine. It's truly one for beginners and has so many step by step tutorials. It's on my "have to buy" list every month. I have QUITE a stack saved up!

Friday, September 08, 2017

Day 8 30 in 30 challenge


Nuthatch
Colored Pencil
Look at this!! I'm actually posting a finished painting on the proper day :-) This is a coloured pencil painting that I did in an online course. Actually the background is done with pan pastel so it's officially a mixed media painting. The design is by Patsy Deal. I love doing birds and wildlife so I enjoyed this piece. 

Thursday, September 07, 2017

Day 7 30 in 30 challenge

Three amigos
Acrylics
6x6
personal collection

So a lot of my paintings take more than a day to paint so I'm posting one I painted a while ago. I found these cute baby swans on one of our regular jaunts to the beautiful park in Stratford Ontario. I think I have more swan pictures than any other kind of photos - including the cute squirrels and birds in my back yard!! 

Day 6 30 in 30 challenge


Sooo... pressing on today with getting samples ready for my upcoming ByDesign painting class for teens... I painted this simple canvas art bag for them to carry their stuff back and forth to classes. They will learn the basics of painting on fabric as well as mixing paints to learn the colour wheel. I love creating lessons where the object painted on is useful!

Wednesday, September 06, 2017

Day 5 of 30 Old Roses still life



In the fall I will be teaching a teen art class for ByDesign Academy in Bloomingdale. This will be one of the projects in the 8 week course to be held on Tuesday nights. If you know of a teenager who loves art and who wants to learn to paint with acrylics, please let them know about my classes.

Stay tuned to see more painting projects I'm working on for this course.

Tuesday, September 05, 2017

Day 4 of 30 in 30 challenge


This old barn is falling down more and more every time I go by it. It was the perfect subject for a pen and ink drawing. I did some oil rouging on it to add in the colour. 



Saturday, September 02, 2017

Day two 30 in 30 challenge

This is the second painting in the 30 in 30 painting challenge put on by Leslie Saeta.

I painted from an actual plant in my studio and I added a china bird that I have. I looked for it but couldn't find it when I wanted it, so I drew it into the painting.

I thought I'd include step by step photos this time. I don't think it's quite finished but almost :-)







30 in 30 Challenge

This is my first painting in September. I have decided to enter Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 challenge - which means I will be trying to paint 30 paintings in 30 days...In reality it may be fewer than that but I'm going to try to keep it up this year.


Some of my paintings will be quick and easy paintings and others will be ones I have worked on already for quite some time and I will try to finish them up this month. Some of the participants have a theme but I don't think I will have one. I just want to get more paintings added to my own personal original body of work.

As a Decorative Painter I often paint designs that other artists have created - using their line drawing (with permission) and loosely following their instructions. I usually have a pattern packet or I'm taking an online course from the artist, or I'm using their design packets or published books. It's a great way to learn new techniques and skills. Then I apply what I have learned to my own designs.

This painting is my own original - painted from a still life set up in my studio.


Friday, August 11, 2017

Aug 11 Sketching Kit

 

I thought I'd show you some photos of the supplies I take with me to Sketch Club Wednesdays. I found a cute little blue polka-dotted bag at Michaels a couple of years ago. It has lots of outside pockets and one large inside pocket. In the pockets, I keep a palette knife, and an assortment of erasers. I use them a LOT!!, a waterbrush, some watercolour brushes and a bulldog clip or two to keep the wind from blowing my pages. The name tag is from the Master class I took from Robert Bateman (inspiration)

 I take mosquito spray with me in case they are bad -

The inside holds mosquito spray in case they are bad, and I have sunscreen because you can't always stay in the shade for .the whole two hours as the sun moves.  My watercolour set has just the basic colours from tubes, water, a water mister, 2 little gelato cups to hold clean and dirty water, a pencil case with various sizes of Pigma pen markers. Pigma pens are permanent when dry so you can paint over them with watercolour and they don't smear. The other pencil case holds a selection of mechanical graphite pencils. and a pencil case with pencils, a blue col-erase pencil, another waterbrush, a carbon ink fountain pen and another uniball marker. I sometimes include a small set of coloured pencils.  I also take a small package of kleenex tissues (without lotion in them) and I will throw in some paper towels folded up in a ziploc baggie. I also have a small kitchen sponge which I wrap the paper towel around to absorb water, and little bits of sponges to make trees. There are blending stomps too. I have some watersoluable graphite pencils. You can draw with them and then add water to make the shadows. I keep my monopod for my camera in there too because sketchclub is always where I use that - to steady my camera if I want to take a better shot.

I still have room in that bag to put my sketchbook - right now I'm using a Canson Multimedia sketchbook. The paper takes water and ink really well and it is good for pencil sketching also.

You could just take a sketchbook, and a pencil and eraser. You can draw anything with just that much equipment. But I like to add some colour so I take a lot more stuff with me. I try to pack light and this is what I normally carry with me each week.

I often have a tea in my pop up top tea thermos.

I take along my camera. It's a Canon Powershot SX60HS with a zoom lens built in. I first learned about this camera from Robert Bateman. He uses it when he's out on hikes looking for reference photos :-)  I love it for its ability to zoom in to capture details that are too far to get close enough to. And I usually just use it on the automatic setting. It does such a great job. If I forget my camera I do use my i-phone 6s but it's only good for close ups.

I have a lightweight aluminum and canvas fold up stool to sit on. It has a shoulder strap so it can be carried easily.

There are lots of places online that show what other people pack and carry in their sketching kits.
Keep it as simple as you can because even a small bag can get heavy if you have to carry it any long distance. Mine is just right!

Keep it packed and ready to go so you will be able to join us any Wednesday a.m. you happen to be around in the KW area. All summer we travel to different locations. There is a schedule print out at the Button Factory on Regina St W in Waterloo. In the fall and through the winter into spring we meet at the Button Factory for sketching in one of their meeting rooms.

Or there is a group that meets on Saturdays called the KW Urban sketchers. They have their own schedule and they often go further afield than the Button Factory Sketch club.
But we are all fun people and we don't bite! Please join us :-)

Sunday, April 09, 2017

Workshop weekend!

WOW! This weekend was busy.
On Friday I went down to Toronto for the Artwaves painting convention. I didn't take or teach any classes this year but I had fun visiting with all my friends that I found in the trade show.

Then on Saturday and Sunday I was at a workshop with David McEown who is a phenomenal watercolour artist who lives in Richmond Hill Ont and BC - but most of the time he is travelling around the world painting. Here's his website - you should check out his work!
http://www.davidmceown.com/

We were painting Trilliums this weekend. SO much work left to do on my paintings! LOL
Here's a photo of what I got done on my first painting. I've just started on the flower and have ALL the leaves left to work on and the rest of the background. I hope to work on this and finish it for myself...to hang in my house. Why is it that artists are always selling or giving away all their work and never keep any for themselves :-) I love Trilliums so I will find a place for this one when it's done.


Friday, February 17, 2017

More February Painting classes at Keepsakes

I still have openings in these two classes starting February 21st and March 4th (the date for this class was changed)

 
I Love Crows - a coloured pencil design by Lydia Steeves
Tues Feb 21 & 28
$32.00 plus supplies
This painting will make you LOVE crows too!  The design is painted on black paper with an application of DecoArt Media Shimmer Misters.
Then coloured pencil over top. 
The whole painting glows with 
Pink and Blue and Turquoise pastel shimmer and coloured feathers. 
Approx. 9x12"










Monday, January 16, 2017

March Classes at Keepsakes


Radiance - Thurs. Mar. 2 and 9 OR evenings Mar 2 and 16th

Designed by Wendy Fahey
Perfect for NON-painters.
This design uses metallic paint and absolutely shimmers in the right lighting. You are welcome to change the colours to anything that goes with your decor. Maybe blue, or teal, or pink or violet would suit you better :-)
There is homework (texture paste and basecoating) before class so that this can be done in one night. I will have a short video for you to watch so you know how to apply the texture paste, or come to the Open Studio night the week before so it has time to dry. Easy peasy!

Where will you hang it?  It would look cool over a furniture piece or even over a doorway. The small version is approx 2 1/2 ft wide and the larger version could be painted on 5  9x12 canvases.

Cost: $30.00 plus supplies. Please let me know as early as possible if you would like me to get a surface for this piece.


Birches Ablaze 

design by Wendy Fahey

This painting on canvas shimmers with metallic copper and gold just like the autumn leaves of the birch trees. The shimmer doesn't show in the photo!
​The canvas is 16x20" gallery wrapped. No need for a frame.
Date:  Friday pm. March 10 - to apply the background and texture paste and give it time to dry overnight
AND Saturday Mar 11 - 9:30 to 4 To paint the birches.

Cost: $50.00 teaching fee includes lunch on Saturday.
 Pattern packet ($8.95) and supplies extra.
​SUPER SUPER easy!! Learn to paint realistic looking trees. :-)




Paris Rendezvous
Design by Holly Hanley

Dates: Tuesday, Mar 14 and 21 
Teaching Fee: $30.00
Supplies Fee: TBD (includes So Soft Fabric paints $5.00 (palette fee), painting pattern $8.00 and bag approx $15.00)

Learn to paint on Fabric! SO easy!  This pattern is styled after Vincent Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" and it's painted with Decoart So Soft Fabric paints. The paints are included in the cost of the supplies kit. Paris designs are all the rage right now and this cute over the shoulder bag with black and white striped handles will come in handy to carry shoes, books or "vino et baguette". Make one for yourself and/or give for a gift!    
Definitely an Intermediate piece.




Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Beginner Intermediate Acrylic classes in February 2016

Here are the February Acrylic Project classes at Keepsakes. You'll want to sign up soon!


A Valentine project by Judy Westegaard
Learn to do Chalkboard art
Wed. Feb 8th - afternoon 1-4 or evening class 7 - 9

Cost: Teaching fee $15.00 
Supplies extra - Board $4.00 


A Snowflake is winter's Butterfly Banner
Learn all kinds of Mixed Media texturing tricks
and Chalk techniques. 
Design by Judy Westegaard
Cost: $30.00  Supplies extra  Banner fabric $5.00 
Date: Thurs Feb 9 & 16 Afternoon 1 - 4 or Evening 7 - 10


Enchanted Cottage
Date: Saturday Feb 25th from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00.
​ We will paint all day - have lunch together and then you can finish it in an Open Studio class on Thursdays for free if you need more help with it.
Cost: $50.00 - lunch included. Supplies and surface extra.
Painted on a 16x20" Gallery wrapped canvas.

Design by Jacki Claflin

This is not difficult when you go step by step - It's an Intermediate piece. You will certainly learn a lot of new techniques!

OR come to an Open Studio class - this will take 4 weeks at Open Studio classes (or so) unless you do homework :-)
I painted this for a friend on a mailbox she supplied. It can also be painted larger on a canvas or masonite board and then frame it. 
Beginners can do this...it just takes longer (wink) There's nothing too hard - just lots of layers!


Monday, January 09, 2017

February Beginner Classes

Here are the February Beginner Classes being offered.
Choose Monday afternoons 1-330 or evenings 7 - 9:30


Sepia Birches - a Wendy Fahey Design


A daisy a day... 
Design by Debbie Eckmier


Winter Scene
Design by Moe Shier

So easy!!! Just show up and paint!  
You will get to paint all three of these paintings in class. We go step-by-step - NO drawing or previous experience necessary!
You will learn the basics of landscape painting as well as a simple strokework design (daisies) The class cost is $100.00 for 4 lessons, 3 surfaces, your brushes (which you get to keep) all the paint, varnish and miscellaneous supplies you need. After your beginner class you will be able to jump in and try some of the beg/int classes being offered in acrylics. 

February class is done - Register for the March class
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