Weekly Art Sessions

The girls in my art sessions have been very busy, so I have lots of wonderful artwork to show you.

Cecile decided to try pen & ink with oil rouging, and, for her first project she chose October Pickins (designed by Mary Owens). The painting was done on 11x14 canvas. This was Cecile's first pen & ink project, and she really enjoyed it - she did a great job....love the colours.

Nancy has been very busy working with coloured pencils. The little girl with Bonnet was designed by Helen Barrick, and Nancy completed it on 11x14 mi-teintes paper. It is a tricky little piece, but, as usual, Nancy did not seem to have any problems - she whipped it up in no time.

Nicole is one of our experts in oil painting. She brought in this picture of a marsh she had completed. I do not know who the original artist was. There is a lot of work in this piece - and a lot of detail. I think it looks great.

This pen & ink with oil rouging project was designed by Mary Owens and is called Kiss of Sunlight. It was completed by Renee - it was Renee's third pen & ink project. When she started she said she wanted her sunflower to be VERY bright. So, we adjusted some of the instructions, and she ended up with her BRIGHT flower.....great job!

Ruth decided to do something different (although when she started I don't think she knew just how different this piece would be). Original artist is unknown. Ruth started by stippling the background (11x14 canvas) with acrylic paint, then she painted the objects with acrylics. After spraying she switched to pen & ink and inked in the details - then she used oils to rouge on the final details. She was very pleased with the result, and with good reason - I think it looks wonderful.

This beautiful piece was completed by Darlene - it is called Let it Snow and was designed by Mary Owens. Darlene did this on 11x14 canvas and used pen & ink with oil rouging. The colours just seem to jump off the picture, and the big red bow seems to set the whole piece off. Creating 'snow' on a pen & ink project can be somewhat challenging, but Darlene did not seem to have any problems. Great job.

That's it for now! Our fall art sessions are finished this week, and I will have a lot of finished projects to post over the next few months. In the meantime, I am busy with my coloured pencils completing several Christmas gifts....I seem to have a lot to do - hope I get everything done!

Please check my blog early in the new year - I should have some new projects to share with you at that time.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas holiday.

Colored Pencils and Pen and Ink

This is the last day of November! I can't believe where the time has gone.....it seems like yesterday that I was closing my cottage.

We have been very busy at our weekly art sessions and I will be posting some of the WONDERFUL artwork by the girls shortly.

In the meantime, I have completed a few pieces I would like to share with you.

This is a coloured pencil project called At the Beach and was designed by Pat Lentine. I absolutely love this design! I did the project on 8x10 sand colored mi-teintes paper. When I started this piece I thought the little girl's dress and hat would be the hardest part, but, it turned out the water was the most difficult. I really enjoyed working on this project.

Since it is the Christmas season, I decided to complete some decorations, so I got my pen and oil paints out, and this is what I came up with. The designs are by Jamie Mills-Price and are called Gingerbread Angels and Snow Angels....the patterns can be found in Jamie's book titled Between the Vines 10. These projects were done on wooden cutouts - I inked on the pattern then rouged on oil paint. I used acrylic paint for the dark blue dress, and also for the berries and other dots on the decorations. I think the angels are really cute - have to decide now whether to give them as gifts or keep them myself.

I am now working on a couple of large coloured pencil projects that will end up being Christmas presents. So, I won't be posting any new projects of mine until after Christmas. In the meantime, I have LOTS of very interesting projects the girls in our art sessions have completed - so, I will be posting these over the next while.

Weekly Art Sessions

I finally had some time to sit down at my computer and transfer some pics from my camera. The last few weeks have been crazy - I have been out of town a lot and, when I am home, there are so many things I have to do........however, I am finished running around for now, and I am now in the process of getting everything organized and up to date.

Our weekly art sessions run for four more weeks. I was reviewing all the pictures the girls completed last spring and realized there were quite a few I had not posted yet. And, now, all our new fall masterpieces are being completed! So, I am posting quite a few pieces this time to try and catch up with the rapid flow of wonderful art being produced.

This piece was done by Nicole on rectangular porcelain. It is so cute, I just had to post it! Although I believe there is a small amount of pen & ink work, most of the project was completed in straight oils. I do not know who the original designing artist was. I have posted another of Nicole's pieces below.

This is a Claudia Nice Design and can be found in her book titled Familiar Faces. The book is full of faces - people, dogs, cats, horses, etc., etc., and is a wonderful reference for anyone working on portraits in pen & ink. The book is out of print, but can usually be found on Ebay or Amazon. Sue decided to tackle this project and completed it on 11x14 canvas - it only took her a few hours to complete. There is no paint on it - it was all done in pen & ink.

Linda decided to try her hand at coloured pencils, and for her first project she chose this Sherry Nelson project titled American Goldfinch and Daisies (she is a brave lady - this is a difficult piece!). The project is in Sherry's book titled Painting Garden Birds, and all the instructions are for oil painting. Linda, who is obviously quite artistic, converted the instructions to coloured pencils and created this wonderful piece. Linda enjoyed working with the coloured pencils and plans to work on future pieces using them.

This project was designed by Susan Scheewe and was completed by Ruth on 11x14 canvas. The instructions on the pattern were for straight oil paints, but Ruth decided to do it in pen & ink with oil rouging. So, she had to convert the pattern. I think Ruth used every colour of oil paint I had - she was constantly adding colours and touching up everything. I think she was happy with the final result and I think it looks great.

This is another piece by Sherry Nelson taken out of the book Painting Garden Birds. The piece is called Western Bluebird and Morning Glories. Nancy completed the piece on 11x14 mi-teintes paper and used coloured pencils. Once again, the instructions were for oil painting, so Nancy had to convert all the instructions to coloured pencils. I love the colours in the picture - I think Nancy did a wonderful job.

I don't know who the original artist was for this piece, nor do I know the title of the project. This is an oil painting completed by Nicole. She is always showing up with very interesting projects to work on. I think she has done an amazing job on the fruit and I love the background. It is always interesting to see what Nicole brings to the art sessions to work on - always a surprise!

This is a coloured pencil pattern designed by Pat Lentine titled Ava Rose. I think it is a lovely pattern. Sue decided to do this on mi-teintes paper, and I think it only took her two nights to complete. I love the hat! Sue has now done several coloured pencil projects and, I think she is enjoying working with the pencils as much as I do.

This project was completed by Cecile. It was done with coloured pencils on mi-teintes paper. The pattern is called The Painted Lady and was designed by Janelle Johnson. There is a lot of fiddly detail on this piece, and I think Cecile did a great job.

I hope you enjoyed the above projects. The girls in my Monday and Tuesday night and Thursday morning art sessions are very talented and they are currently busy producing all kinds of wonderful works of art, and I will be posting some every few weeks.

I have been busy working on Christmas ornaments with pen & ink and oils, and I will post pics of those shortly. I am now starting to work on some coloured pencil projects, most of which will be Christmas presents. Christmas is only six weeks away! Can you believe that? It is my favourite time of year, so I better get busy and get all my projects finished so I can sit back and enjoy the season!

Pen & Ink with Oils

On a personal note, the renovations to our bathroom are almost complete, so we have finally moved home from our cottage. So, now I am in the process of getting everything organized and in order, and, I am finally getting down to some serious art work. The following pieces were completed over the summer months - I am now focusing my attention on some coloured pencil projects and Christmas ornaments and decorations.

This first piece called Springtime Clock (notice mine did not end up being a clock!), was designed by Maxine Thomas and can be found in PaintWorks April 2002. The instructions are for acrylic painting. I just love this piece! I decided to do it on wood - after prepping the wood (whitewashing, sanding, spraying) I took a cloth and applied some burnt umber oil paint to it, then rubbed the paint around the edges, constantly drawing it in towards the center of the pic. This technique gave me a darker outer area with the colour fading towards the center - almost an antique look. I then sprayed the piece, put my pattern on, applied the inking and then the oil rouging. I did add some acrylic paint to the pussy willows and yellow flowers.

I found this project interesting and different. However, for some reason, it did not like the camera - I took many photos, but could not get a picture that showed the true colours - and, the pics always seemed to be somewhat blurry. Oh well, I decided to post it anyway. It is called In Perfect Solitude and was designed by Susan V. Cochrane - it can be found in the August 2010 edition of PaintWorks. The instructions are for acrylic paint. I used a plastic oval platter that I found at the Dollar Store - I prepped it, then applied the background with acrylic paint. I used a Faber Castel disposable pen to apply all the inking (and there was definitely a LOT of inking in this pic), and then just added touches of oil paint here and there to the sky and water.

I thought this design was adorable - it is in Viki Sherman's book Kindred Hearts and is called Makin' a Wish - the instructions are for acrylic paint. I had a little wooden sleigh and decided to put the design on that. After prepping the wood, I basecoated it with acrylic paint, then applied the pattern. I then inked the details in and rouged oil paint onto the snowman and moon. I used a stencil and white acrylic paint for the stars. This pattern could be applied to any number of surfaces or ornaments.

My fall art sessions have now started, so the girls will be completing lots of new artwork that I will post over the next few months. I actually still have some pieces that the girls did in the spring that I will post shortly.

Happy painting!

Weekly Art Sessions and Classes

CREATIVE ART SESSIONS:

Monday evening: 6:15 - 9:15 p.m.
Tuesday evening: 6:15 - 9:15 p.m.
Thursday morning: 9:00 a.m. - 12 noon
Dates: Sessions start the week of September 27 and end December 2 (participants can attend some or all of the sessions)
Projects: Choose your own project - I have numerous completed projects on display, as well as many books, magazines and patterns for pen and ink, oil and coloured pencils.
Cost: $8.00 per session


Note: During these sessions everyone works on whatever they want - pen & ink with oils, coloured pencils, oil, etc. Rather than teaching, I will be a member of the 'group' and will also be working on various projects. The idea of these sessions is to bring together a group of artists to share ideas, be creative and delve into different areas along with pen & ink with oils. Participants will have access to all my books and patterns, and, with a few exceptions, I will supply most miscellaneous items (oil paint, paper towels, Liberty Spray, etc.). If anyone is interested in learning pen & ink you are welcome to join our group - I will provide instruction and help in this area as needed. If you wish more information on these sessions please contact me at 613 638-9769 or email me at joan_sarginson@hotmail.com.


CLASSES:
I will not be holding any classes until late October or November - information about upcoming classes will be posted soon.


MISCELLANEOUS NEWS:
Usually at this time of year I am completely organized and have everything in order for the fall sessions and classes. However, this year we are having our bathroom completely renovated, and we don't expect it to be done for another week or two. So, with all the renovations, we have been spending a lot of time at our cottage, and I am running a little behind with my scheduling, projects, computer work, etc.

I did complete a number of projects over the summer, and, as soon as I take pictures, I will post them on my blog.

With respect to upcoming classes, I will be working on this towards the end of September and will post the information at that time.

After the wonderful summer we had, I hope everyone is busy inking and painting, and starting to think about all those Christmas decorations and gifts that have to be done over the next couple of months. I know I am, and I already have a couple of decorations completed!

Weekly Art Sessions

Hi - I have some more artwork to share with you. The following pieces were completed in the spring by the girls in my weekly art sessions - they were very busy! I think I still have enough pieces that I will be able to do one or two more posts before fall.

Sue decided to tackle this coloured pencil design by Pat Lentine called Bella. She has done a wonderful job. The picture is done in different shades of browns and yellows, and the addition of the bright red flowers on the hat really makes the piece come to life. Sue is doing a great job with the coloured pencils - I have one more of her col. pencils projects, which I will put in my next weekly art sessions post.

You may remember seeing this project a few months ago - at that time I only had the pen & ink version. I recently took a picture of the completed piece and thought I would share it with you. This is a pen & ink piece designed by Claudia Nice, and it is called Wild Roses in Canning Jar. After inking the project Linda rouged oil paint on - then she added a very subtle background. I think Linda has done a great job.

This project was completed by Nancy - it is called Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Fuchsia. It was designed by Sherry Nelson, and the pattern and instructions can be found in Sherry's book titled Painting Garden Birds. All instructions in Sherry's book are for oil painting, but Nancy has converted everything to coloured pencils, and I think she has done an amazing job.

These two whimsical pieces were done by Renee, using the pen & ink with oil rouging technique. Both pieces were designed by Susan Scheewe. Renee just started working with pen & ink this year, and this is only her second project. She advises me that she is really enjoying the technique and she is looking forward to the fall

when she can tackle some new projects. Renee is always full of enthusiasm, and it is so much fun having her in our art sessions.

This project is called Downy Woodpecker & Tulips, and was designed by Sherry Nelson - it can be found in her book titled Painting Garden Birds. Nicole used oil paints to complete the project, and she has done an amazing job. I love the vibrant colours and all the detail. It is a very nice piece.

Our fall sessions will start in late September, and, as soon as the girls have new pieces done I will post them on my blog. Information about my fall art sessions and classes will be posted on my blog in September.

I am currently working on some pen & ink pieces and also some Christmas projects (can you believe that??). I will post my projects as they are completed.

Hope everyone is having a great summer.