Weekly Art Sessions

Hi, and welcome to my blog:
It is that time of year when I have to convert from the carefree days of summer to the busy schedule that fall always brings.  So, I have jumped in and my pens, brushes, paints, etc. are just flying!  Our fall art sessions have now started and the girls are working on all kinds of wonderful projects - pen and ink, oil, acrylics, texture, etc.  While they are busy creating new 'masterpieces', I still have some work they did early in the year to share with you.

This Tulip project (original designer unknown) was done by Linda on large canvas - I think it was probably 16x20.  She started by applying Texture Crackle to the canvas - after it dried and was sanded and sprayed, Linda did all the work with oil paint.  If you look at the background you can see the textured surface showing through - this definitely adds something to the picture.  I love the tulips!!  Linda has done a wonderful job - love the colours, and her background is beautiful.

Eggstra Special Delivery is a Mary Owens pen and ink (with oil rouging) piece.  Marie did this on 11x14 canvas, and she has done a great job with both her inking and rouging.  Over the last several years I have taught this piece many times - it seems to be a very popular pen and ink piece.  This fall Marie has switched gears and is tackling a larger piece that includes texture, stencils, and right now, I don't think she has decided what else she might use in the pic.  I will post the end result!

I don't know who originally designed this piece, but Cecile did this on 11x14 stretched canvas.  She was looking for a nice light, but effective, background, and I think she found it.  She used oil paint mixed with gel and just dabbed it on with a scrumbler....after it dried (and, since it was oil paint, it took awhile) she sprayed it, then went to work on the hummingbird and flowers.  When Cecile works it seems she goes into a world of her own - she has a picture in her head of what she wants, and she works away until she finally gets that look.  Sometimes it takes awhile, but her projects always turn out unique with lots of vibrant colours, and with unusual, but effective, results.  I think this picture is lovely, and I love the background.

Finally, this is another Mary Owens pen and ink (with oil rouging) project.  Renee did this on 11x14 stretched canvas.  This is a fun project, and, like Eggstra Special Delivery above, it has been a very popular pen and ink piece.  The original project called for a brownish/red sled, but Renee decided to do the sled green, and with the bright red bow, the picture certainly looks Christmasy.  I thought Renee might have some trouble with the snow, but she zipped through it with no problem at all.  Great job!

We have so many interesting projects underway at our art sessions, and I can't wait for them to be done so I can post them.  Several of the girls are experimenting with different things, and we are all sharing our thoughts and suggestions....I am actually learning a great deal and getting new ideas just by listening to everyone else.  This type of environment allows our creative juices to flow, and I think we are all inspired by each other.  It's great!

Pen and Ink artists, here is a tip for you!  At our art sessions last week Delphine was working on an inking project that she had inked quite a while ago.  She was trying to lift some of the ink off using the glass cleaner I supply at my sessions.  Ink wouldn't budge.  I just happened to have a brand new container of Windex with Amonia, so I opened it and Delphine tried it.  Much to my surprise the old ink lifted right off!!  So, if you are working with old glass cleaner and are having trouble lifting your errors, try using some new Windex with Amonia, and hopefully, you will be successful.

I have recently had discussions with Kim and Veronica from Sisterhood Craft Supplies, 1035A Pembroke Street East, Pembroke, about conducting classes in the spring in coloured pencils and pen and ink.  At this point, all details still have to be worked out, so I will be posting further information in a few months.  In the meantime, you might want to drop into the craft store - they have lots of art and craft supplies, and they are currently conducting classes in a variety of interesting craft areas - their work is absolutely lovely.

As for me, I am just finishing an interesting project that tried my patience somewhat....I didn't think it would be nearly as time consuming as it turned out!  However, I should be finished within the next day or so - it is a multi-media piece that includes texture crackle, stencils, texture glass, pen and ink, acrylics and oils - I will be so glad when I get this project finished!  My next couple of projects will have a Christmas theme, and I am looking forward to tackling them.  In a month or so, I should have 3 or 4 of my own finished pieces to post on my blog.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog - I hope you enjoyed it.  Please visit again in a month or so to see more completed artwork.

Joan

Pen and Ink with Oils

Hi, and welcome to my blog,

I hope everyone had a great summer - I did!  I spent a lot of time at my cottage, had quite a bit of company, ate and drank too much, and now I am ready to settle down and work on some art projects.  Over the summer I did manage to get a few painting projects done - I was quite interested in silhouettes, so that is what I worked on.

This project is called Waters Edge and was designed by Wendy Fahey.  Wendy's instructions call for acrylic paint - but, as usual, I converted the instructions and used some acrylic, some oil and some pen and ink.  This piece is done on 8x10 woood...I basecoated in acrylics, did most of the background colors in acrylics, used my pen to add some of the detail (some branches, outline of chairs, divisions on the dock, birds), then used oils to add all the highlights and shadows.  This project was a lot of fun to do.

This is also a pattern by Wendy Fahey - it is called Small Fry.  It is done on a wood surface approx. 6x8.  It was quite a bit easier and faster than the one above.  I used a lot of acrylics in this one - I just used my pen for the divisions on the dock and the birds.  I used oil paint for all the highlights and shadows in the sky and the lake.  I love this pattern - easy and quick!

This silhouette was designed by Roberta Hall and is in her book Silhouettes Maple Sugar 11.  I used acrylic paint to basecoat the background, oils to add all the highlights and shadows, then finished it off by doing all the actual silhouettes with my pen.  Another easy and fast project.

This pattern is also by Roberta Hall and can be found in her Silhouettes book.  Unlike the projects above, I did not find this one easy or fast.  I basecoated the background in acrylics, but, this time, in order to get the right colors in the sky, I decided to do all the detail in the sky and lake with acrylics...won't do that again!  Next time I will add all the detail with oil (acrylics dry too fast for me - I like to have time to work with my colors).  Anyway, after I did get the sky and lake finished, I moved on and used oils to complete most of the rest of the detail.  I used my pen to do the trees and canoe.

Well, the silhouettes were fun, but I have had enough for now...I have started a new colored pencil project, and I am going to tackle a large multi media that uses texture, stencils and acrylics.   I definitely plan to use some acrylics, but I will also be using some pen and ink and oils too.  It will be a challenge, and I am looking forward to it.

Our fall art sessions start the week of September 17 and run until the end of November.  I am looking forward to seeing all the girls again and seeing what they painted over the summer.  So, in a few weeks I will be posting some new work done by them.

Thanks for visiting my blog - happy painting!

Joan

Hi and welcome to my blog:

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather....we have been spending a lot of time at our cottage, and, there are so many things to do outside that I have had little time to devote to my painting.  But, all that is going to change...I am packing up my painting supplies and colored pencils and hauling everything over to the cottage.

I have some artwork to show you that the girls in my art sessions completed earlier in the year:

This is a design by Sherry Nelson called Emperor Morpho and Torch Ginger.  Sherry's instructions are for oils, but Cecile decided to do the piece with colored pencils on 11x14 mi teintes paper.  This project took Cecile quite awhile...unlike working with acrylics or oils, colored pencils require a layering technique in order to obtain brilliant colors, so it takes quite a while to build the colors.  I think the piece is lovely, and Cecile did a wonderful job.

Ginette did this sunset piece (designed by Bonnie Seaman) in oils and pen and ink on a wooden surface that was approx. 10x20".  In most pen and ink pieces first the pattern is traced, then inked in, and the paint is added later.  However, we have found with the sunset scenes if you do all your inking, spray, then try to do your sky, you are constantly erasing the sky colors off all your inked areas.  So, we decided to do all the background colors first, gave the piece a few good coats of spray, then applied the pattern outline and inked it in.  The piece is then finished with a few coats of spray.  It works wonderful.  Ginette's has done a great job.

This is Linda' dog.  She took a photo of him, traced the outline on 11x14 mi-teintes paper, then completed the piece in colored pencils.  Although it looks rather simple, there are a lot of layers and different colors of pencils used in order to get the dimension of the dog's hair - you have to build the dog's coat in layers.  When coloring animals, it is crucial that the face (particularly the eyes) is almost perfect.  Linda did a great job on this project and her dog is so-o-o cute!.

Ruth did this piece that combines a few techniques - she did it on canvas that was approx 20x24".  First she applied a coat of Texture crackle, let it dry, sanded it lightly, applied several layers of spray, then basecoated it with acrylics. After sponging the various areas with acrylics, she then applied the decorative design and words with stencils.  Finally, she applied the flower and butterfly - not sure if she used acrylics or oils for this.  After a few coats of spray, Ruth had a lovely, colorful piece to hang on her wall.  Nice job!

This is a project originally designed by Claudia Nice that a few of us have tackled.  Monique decided to do it on 11x14 canvas, and did it using pen and ink with oils.  There is a lot of inking to do on the moose, and it can be rather difficult to keep all the hair going in the right direction.  Once all the inking was done and the piece was sprayed, small amounts of oil paint were rouged on, just to add a touch of color.  Monique has done a lovely job on this piece.


I have recently joined the Artists Clubhouse (www.artistsclub.com)...it has over 900 members.  It is a wonderful site - everyone has their own individual page where you can add your profile, display your work, add friends, post a blog (which every member can see), carry on discussions with other members of the club, and, generally add anything to your page you want.  There are also individual groups you can join - snowman club, santa club, unfinished projects club (and many others), where you can join in discussions, ask questions, etc. with other members who share an interest in that topic.  You can also chat online and join in general discussions with the other members.  If you have a question, or want to answer a question asked by another member, you can do that too.  I think there are a lot of advantages to being a member of this club, so, if you are interested, please check it out.  Oh, did I mention there is no cost to belong to this club!!!

Well, I am off to my cottage!  Right now I seem to be rather intrigued with silhouettes and sunset pictures, so I will be working on a few of these.  So, in a few weeks I will be posting some new artwork of my own.

I hope everyone has a great summer, and thank you for visiting my blog.

Joan

Mixed Media and Colored Pencils

Hey, welcome to my blog.... Over the past couple of months I have been busy doing a lot of things, but NOT artwork. I have finally settled down and am concentrating on some new projects.

I just finished this wall hanging, and it was a lot of fun to do. I did not follow any specific instructions...I just made decisions as I was going along. The project is done on 12x24 inch stretched canvas with 3/4 inch sides. First I covered the canvas with Texture Crackle, sanded it, then sprayed it with Krylon Matte. I then basecoated the entire piece with acrylic yellow ochre...after it dried I taped the different sections off and started stippling (using acrylic paint) with a sea sponge. The basic colour scheme I used was deep burgundy, dark brown, medium yellow and metallic gold. After spraying the project I applied the pattern (original sunflower pattern is by Linda Lock and can be found in her book Altered Art), basecoated it with acrylics, sprayed it, and then rouged on all my highlights and shading with oil paint. All the butterflies and inspirational words were applied using a stencil and Texture glass (with some acrylic paint added). I really enjoyed doing this piece - it ended up a little more colourful and bolder than I was expecting, but I am very pleased with it.

This piece, which I displayed in an earlier post, is the mate for the one above. Although I used the same basic colours as above, this one ended up with the lighter colours more predominant. It is quite obvious that I did this one first...it seems the more I do the crazier I get with my colours!

This pattern was designed by Sherry Nelson and can be found in her book Painting Songbirds - the bird is called a Blue Tit, which is a garden bird found in England. What a strange name for such a beautiful bird! All the instructions for this piece were for oil paint. I decided to convert everything to coloured pencils, and I completed it on 9x12 mi-teintes paper. The coloured pencil set I have consists of 150 different colours, so I found it easy to find all the shades to do this little blue tit. When I finished the main picture, I found the background paper to be very dull - it was a soft aqua colour. So, I decided to dress it up a little. I sprayed the picture with three coats of Krylon matte. Then I took a mop brush and VERY lightly brushed the light blue colour of the bird here and there on the background. I then did the same with the medium yellow colour from the flowers. I was very happy with the result.

 After working on the above wall hangings, I feel rather adventurous, so I am lining up some different projects to work on at my cottage this summer. I will be doing some silhouettes, quite a bit of texture work and some image transfers. I am looking forward to doing some experiments - should be fun. As usual I will be posting my work as I complete it. In the meantime, I still have lots of photos of artwork completed by the girls in my art sessions....I will post some of these pictures in a few weeks.

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer. Thank you for visiting my blog, and please check back soon.

 Joan

Weekly Art Sessions

Hi, and welcome to my blog:

I have been in Florida for the last month and just returned a couple of days ago - we had a wonderful time, but it was a shock to come back to this cool weather!

Now that my vacation is over, I am ready to get back into painting.

Our winter art sessions finished on February 20, and I have several interesting projects to show you.

The first piece was designed by Sherry Nelson, and can be found in her book Painting Garden Birds. Sherry's instructions are for oil paint. Sue decided to convert this piece to coloured pencils, and she completed it on 11x14 mi-teintes paper. When she finished the pic she sprayed it a few times, then added some blue oil paint to the background. There are a lot of colours in the female cardinal, and, I think Sue has done an incredible job on this piece.

This is a Christmas ornament, which was done by Ginette mostly in pen and ink with oils.....although the actual basecoating was done in acrylics. I do not know who originally designed this piece. Ginette decided to do it using a 4 paned wooden window, which is approx. 5x5". The snow at the bottom is white oil paint sprinkled with glamour dust....I love this piece.

This piece is called Evening in the Foothills, and was designed by Mary Owens. It is a pen and ink with oils project. Monique decided to do this on an 8x10 wooden board. The board was prepped by whitewashing it twice, then spraying with a few coats of Liberty spray. The project only used three colours of oil paint. The finished piece turned out lovely.

Nicole did this project on a large canvas (do not know the size) in oils. The original designer of the project was Arlene Beck, and Nicole found the picture in a 1993 decorative painting book. Nicole started by applying some Texture Crackle to the canvas, sanded it, sprayed several times, then started to apply her oil paint. This was a big project, and it turned out great.

I did this project a few months ago and posted it on my blog at that time. Guylaine liked the piece and decided to do TWO of them! The design is by Tracy Moreau and can be found in her book Trendy Textures. This project uses some different techniques...Texture Crackle, stencils, Texture Glass. Guylaine was very happy with the results, but, after doing two of them, I'm sure she was glad when they were finished.

That's it for now - I still have lots of pictures of projects the girls did in our art sessions, and I will keep posting them from now until our art sessions begin again in the fall.

Over the next couple of months I plan to do some silhouette work (pen & ink with acrylics and oils), and I also plan to work with texture, stencils and image transfers. I have some projects lined up and I am anxious to get started...I will post them when finished.

Thanks for visiting my blog - hope you enjoyed it.

Joan

Pen and Ink on Texture

Hi, welcome to my blog:

I have just finished a couple of projects that incorporated some different techniques, and I am very pleased with the results.

This piece is called Le Chat Noir, and was designed by Linda Lock. Linda's instructions for this project are for acrylic paints. Since acrylic paint is not something I use on a regular basis, I converted most of the project to pen and ink with oils. I started by applying a layer of Texture Crackle to the board, let it dry, sanded it lightly, sprayed it with about 4 coats of Liberty, let it dry, then applied the pattern. I outlined all the main parts of the pattern with pen and ink, then I used my pen to ink in a lot of the detail (roof, chimney, steps, etc.) Then I used oil paint to apply most of the paint. When I was finished with oils (and after spraying) I used acrylics to apply all the greenery. With all that finished, it was time for the highlight of the piece - to do an image transfer of 'Le ChatNoir' sign. I had never done this before, so, it was quite an experience! However, with the help of a video on YouTube, and with some practise, the transfer worked great. And, I already have two new projects to work on that use image transfers.

This piece was a lot of fun to do - I prepared a textured surface, used acrylics for the background, pen and ink and oils for the flowers, and Textured Glass (with acrylics) for the words. I used a stencil to apply the design on the strip that runs from top to bottom. The basic design for the flowers was from a pattern by Doxie Kellar (in her book 'Trendy Textures'). After all my painting was done, I sprayed, and I was ready to add the final touches to the piece - Texture Glass. It was applied with a stencil - and, although it was a bit tricky, by the time I stencilled the last word on, I was actually having fun doing it. I plan to do a matching piece with the colours varied with a sunflower on it. When done the set will be put on my diningroom wall - the colours will match perfect!

I am so intrigued with the Texture Crackle, Texture Glass and image transfers, that I have several projects lined up to work on over the summer. Hopefully, by the fall, I will be a pro at using all these techniques!

My winter art sessions end in a week - all the girls are finishing their projects, so I will take pics and post their wonderful work over the summer. My fall art sessions will begin in September.

Take care and thanks for visiting my blog.

Joan