ANOTHER ONLINE COURSE. WHAT?

You know what one of the best thing things I like about the internet?  Online art classes!  Through the magic on internet I can get art lessons in practically any medium I want. 

Some of the extra bonuses?  I can work at my own speed and when it is convenient for me. I can re-run the video as many times as I need too.   And it's totally cool that the instructors can be from anywhere in the world. 

Of course, I would love to be able to take these courses in person - nothing replaces that one-on-one interaction and energy.  But I don't see myself flying down to New York  or over to Amsterdam for a week long course anytime soon.  So....online courses are IT!

There is a teeny, tiny problem with online courses though.  This is the story.

You know from my previous posts that I am enrolled in Soul Food which I am loving.  They offer two new lessons a week for a six month period with 36 different instructors.  How awesome is that?  Fortunately the course is open for an additional six months to complete the lessons 'cause I can't manage two classes a week while I'm working fulltime.

The thing is, there are tons of online courses I would love to take.  So many classes, so little time...*sigh*. 

Well, for a couple of months a while back I started seeing ads for a new course just coming online for the first time.  It looked juicy good! Then I found out who some of the instructors were going to be. Holy cow did I want to take this course.  But it started April 4th, smack dab in the middle of my Soul Food-mega-number-of-lessons course.  I couldn't do both.  No way, no how.

I "liked" the new course's Facebook page.  No harm in that right?

Wrong.

The skool posted lovely little tidbits and quotes and videos from the instructors on what the course would be like. 

Man, it was torture.

I kept telling myself, "Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope."

Then......April 2nd came along.

I couldn't help myself.

I signed up!

Ack-k-k-k-k!

Now you know why I haven't been posting so much from my Soul Food class.  I'm still working on it though.  I'm almost completed two more lessons.

And you will get to see some of my work from Sketching Skool with Danny Gregory, Jane LaFazio and company.  It's an illustrated journal course - lots of drawing with pen indoors and out and super fun stuff.  Six weeks long, one lesson post per week with homework to do throughout the week.

I can handle it!

Ack-k-k-k-k!

Actually it's lots of fun.  I love sketching this way and it's making me do it often with all the mistakes and screw ups and lines in the wrong places which I totally have to get over and realize that it just adds character to the picture (still working on that part!!!)

I'm getting real good at planning my free time!!!!

So that's my story about the problem with online art courses.

Not such a bad problem is it?

Here are a few of my sketches from the first week.

Maxie continuously shifted around so I kept having to start over. She seemed to be aware of me staring at her.  So weird!  She'd look at me like I was a bit nuts, then stretch herself into a new, more comfortable position. 

 

                         My dad, on the other hand, hardly moved at all!  He was so "drawn" into the hockey game that he did not feel me staring at him intently while I "drew" him.  You are a much easier subject to draw Dad!

I love the memories these type of sketches capture.  Flipping through my art journals is even better than looking at photo albums.  The sights, the smells, the textures, the sounds -- they all come rushing back.  I think it's because when you draw, you are slowing down.  You are observing more and absorbing more, so more gets registered within you at a cellular level.

Anyway, I love it.

Enjoy!

xox

"Faith Is" by a Talented Person

Hello All!

I've been working but I haven't got anything to show you today.  A big part of my weekend was doing the dreaded "paperwork".  Necessary but not as fun as art.

One of my plans for this blog is to show off my wildly talented family and friends.  I haven't been jumping on that so far, but today I decided would be a good time to start.

Elizabeth Fraser is actually not my friend.  She is a friend of my children.  She is a wonderful young woman blessed with a decided talent for words.  She's studied journalism out east and also here in Manitoba. 

I've read a number of articles Elizabeth has done for the Winnipeg Free Press as part of an internship through school and I tell you, she really knows how to get to the heart and soul of the people she interviews. 

Last month she had a book launch at McNally-Robinson bookstore in Winnipeg (the absolute most rockin' bookstore ever!).   Her book,  "Faith Is", started out as in independent assignment for school. 
She was curious about people and their faith - what brought them and God together.

For her research Elizabeth interviewed eleven people including Olympic speed skater Cindy Klassen, Amazing Race Winners Tim Sr. and Tim Jr., and Lindor Reynolds of the Winnipeg Free Press.   The result is a thoroughly enjoyable, inspiring, and thoughtful read.

When Elizabeth is rich and famous I can say I blogged about her when she first started out!

Congratulations Elizabeth!!

Elizabeth's book is available through this link 

and

you can check out Elizabeth's blog "A Life in the Day" right here.

xox

 

A Few Birdies....

 

 

Soul Food lessons are back on the front burner!!!  The latest two both had me working with birds.  Birds represent a lot of wonderful things to people like beauty, freedom, peace.  I don't know what these guys represent exactly, but it was sure fun making them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

XOX

Sketches From Hawaii

Aloha guys!

 

Yup! I've been to Hawaii. That's why it's been so quiet here for a bit.  Hawaii is totally amazing.  We hit both Oahu and Maui. The islands have such spectacular views and unique features. 

 

Of course I  hauled some of my art supplies with me.  My plan was to try "plein air" sketching to see what I could do.

 

Wow!  Working plein air was crazy intimidating at first.  It took me a few pages to relax and get the hang of it.   I started out with pencil the first couple of tries, switched to pen alone, added watercolour on another couple of sketches (field kit and watercolour pencils), then tried one with straight watercolour. 

 

Basically I had WAY too many supplies and couldn't decide what to use.  I haven't mentioned yet I also had extra watercolor tubes, glue, a spray bottle, watercolor crayons, charcoal and so on.  Between hauling my supplies, my sketchbook, my notebook, my camera, my iPod, my water, my hat, my sunglasess - you get the picture!  I was the most weighted-down person in the group. 

 

So my pencil sketches are NOT below as they are pretty sad.  I felt more comfortable when I picked up my micron pen, plus when I added my iPod and earphones things started to click for me.

 

I've scanned most of my pages for you to take a pick at. 

 

Aloha!

 

 

 The lady in the foreground turned out to be an animal and portrait artist from Vancouver!

 

 

 

I started out to make a bunch of little sketches but the big one just grew and grew.

 

 

 

 Awesome fish tacos at Horhitos food truck in Kihei, Maui.

 

We stayed at the Maui Banyon.  This is only a fraction of the size of the complex.

 

 

 

One of the many beautiful lava outcroppings along the beaches. 

Dock in the Water and Boy in a Hat

Two latest projects finished in my Soul Food online course. 

"Dock in the Water"

 

 

I wanted to make something that represented home to me so I decided to do the river, the sky, the evergreen trees, and the granite rock. I love living beside the Winnipeg River. 

The shadow box was made from paper maché.  (So-so-so much fun getting gooey!) 

 

 

 

 This doesn't look like any fish I've seen in our river???  Looks kinda like a big goldfish!! Ha ha

 

My dog Maxie is just below the trees on the right hand side.

The sides have a bit of stencil on them, toned down with acrylic glaze mixed with some paint (first time using an acrylic glaze - totally hooked). 

 

I thought it was so cool that I glazed the whole back of the piece.  Has rather an old world feel to it, don't you think?   

"Boy in a Hat"

 

 

I made this with Pental oil pastels on card stock.  My plan was to doodle a bit to see how the pastels worked.  When he started to look like an actual person, I kept going!  (Worked from a photo)  

 

xox

 

PAINTING AT AN EASEL

I have never painted at an easel yet I have three table top easels built by my dad.  Go figure!  My lesson in Soul Food required me to choose several source photos and build a picture from it.  This is the largest picture I have ever done.  I could not believe how many decisions I made throughout the process.  I'm thinking painting might be kind of like learning to drive - when you first start driving, you have to think about everything because it is so unfamiliar.  Eventually, with tons of practice, driving becomes second nature and you can enjoy the ride.  Working at the easel was totally awesome. I hope some of the decision making becomes second nature.  My brain was wired and fried by the end of the work.

Soul Food

I know it's been ages since I've posted anything on this blog. But I'm into a real cool online art course called Soul Food, creating all sorts of pieces.  I have some wonderful people in my life who are so encouraging and supportive of my work.   I figured it'd be easier to share it with them, and anyone else who is interested, if they could all come to one spot to look rather than me emailing them all the time.

So here are the results of some of the first lessons I've taken:

 

 

 

 

Cheers!