Pen & Ink with Oils

This project is called Orchids and Bamboo and was designed by Janelle Johnson (http://www.janellejohnson.com/) - it is a colored pencil pattern, but, I decided to be creative, so I used colored pencils, pen & ink, the oil rouging technique and also straight oils. It was a lot of fun. I started by basecoating the surface with J.W. Undercoating (mixed with some acrylic paint). I then took colored ink (I used disposable pens because it is such a pain to keep filling and refilling my tech pens). At this point, since the surface was not white, I could not just use the oil rouging technique, so, after spraying the piece, I used oil paint to basecoat everything except the bamboo - I also used some of my colored pencils to add some color here and there. After spraying, I proceeded to use the rouging technique for most of the project. I am pleased with the results, and I plan to use different techniques in some of my future projects.

Now, onto other news - my husband had shoulder replacement surgery on February 5 and is now on the road to recovery. It will take quite awhile for the strength in his arm to come back, and, at this point, he has very limited movement in his arm. Since I am spending a lot of time helping my husband and doing extra chores around the house, I will not be scheduling any teaching classes this spring. I do hope to hold classes in the fall, and my schedule will be posted at that time.

I am going ahead with my weekly art sessions, which start next week. As the girls complete their projects I will continue to post some of their artwork on my blog. If anyone is interested in attending these art sessions please contact me.

Mary Owens now has her teaching schedule posted for 2010, and she has added some interesting items to her website (http://www.maryowensdesigns.com/). If anyone is interested in purchasing Mary Owens' patterns or products, I have most of the items in stock.

I have decided I have way too many pieces of completed art - I don't have enough room to store any of my new pieces. So, I am planning to sell most of the artwork I have done over the past ten years. To see my artwork go to the main page of my blog and look in the gallery, or you can look at the slideshow at the bottom of the page. If you are interested in purchasing any of my art please contact me.

Well, I think that is it for now - I am just finishing a couple of colored pencil projects and I will post them shortly.

Weekly Art Sessions

Our 2010 weekly art sessions have not yet started, but, I still have a number of projects that the girls completed last year. So, I thought I would post them now.



Linda Dufour completed this project on canvas This is a Claudia Nice design and is called Wild Roses in a Canning Jar. Linda actually inked the project, and then proceeded to add oil rouging - the finished piece was beautiful. For some strange reason I took a picture of the project after the inking was completed but did not take one after the oil paint was added - not sure why I did that!! In any event, I thought I would post the inked project - I think it is lovely even without the oil paint added.






This project was taked from a photograph and was done on 11 x 14 canvas. Ruth Hisko traced the design from the photo, inked it and then added oil paint. She managed to come very close to the original colors in the photograph. Ruth gave this as a Christmas present.




This picture was done on 16 x 20 canvas by Marie Sallafranque. The building and horses were taken from various designs by Claudia Nice, which Marie put together - she then added the background, fence, etc., and ended up with a lovely picture. I understand that after she took it home she continued to 'play' with it until she got the inking and colours to her liking. This piece was given by Marie as a Christmas present.


The following two projects were done by Sue Deighton.


The first one (Albert's Rose - designed by Janelle Johnson) was done on mei-tentes paper. It was Sue's first project with coloured pencils, and she did a great job.










The second project is called Lets Go Sledding and was designed by Jane Wunder. Sue also used coloured pencils for this piece. Sue enjoyed working with the pencils, and, last time I talked to her she was thinking about doing more colored pencil projects in the future.












These angels (Timeless Angels) were originally designed by Jamie Mills-Price. During our pre-Christmas art sessions several of the girls completed the angels, each adding her 'personal' touch. The ones shown here were done by Nancy Blimkie, and she has used some very unusual colors. It was very interesting to see all the different colours and designs that all of us came up with.



I expect to start the 2010 weekly art sessions soon, and as I get pictures of completed projects I will post them on my blog.

Colored Pencils

I have just finished matting and framing my latest colored pencil project - it is going to be a Christmas present. The project did take quite awhile to complete, but I am very happy with the end result. The picture is called Goldfinch at Feeder, and it was designed by Janelle Johnson - to see other designs by Janelle please visit her website at: http://www.janellejohnson.com/. Now that I finally have this project finished, I can tackle some other designs, including some pen & ink work.

I absolutely LOVE working with colored pencils. The colors are so varied, there is no mess, and it is relatively inexpensive to get started - the biggest expense being the cost of the colored pencils. Since you are just working with the pencils, you can leave your work station with absolutely no cleanup (no brushes to wash!!!). Right now I have another large picture on the go, and I am also working on designing a couple of smaller pieces. One of the girls in my Monday night group has also tried her hand with the colored pencils, and has finished two pictures already. She managed to complete each one during an evening session, and I will be posting those pics. soon.

As soon as I have more news and pictures I will post them.

Weekly Art Sessions

Our fall weekly art sessions are now drawing to a close and we have had a lot of very interesting and beautiful artwork produced. The following are just a few of these creations....I will post more in the next month or so.

Monique Masseau is new to pen and ink, and this was her first project. The pattern was designed by Mary Owens and is called S'Nobody's Home. Monique is now working on a Christmas piece designed by Jamie Mills-Price - I will post it when it is finished.

Sue Deighton (who is always wowing us with her creativity), brought some skates in, and proceeded to ink this design on. The pattern is Cardinal, and it was designed by Laure Paillex. Since completing this piece, Sue has done designs on a number of skates, including a black pair. All the pieces turned out beautiful.

This project (Cardinal on a Fence) was completed by Ruth Hisko, and it was designed by Mary Owens. Ruth just started working with the pen & ink technique last year, and she has since completed a couple of Mary Owens projects. She is currently working on a project she has taken from a photograph- it is all inked and she is about to start the rouging - it looks great so far!!

The man (Hoeing the Strawberries) and woman (Grandma Celesta) are projects designed by Claudia Nice. The patterns are in two of her older books (Barnyards & Billygoats and Scenes from Seasons Past). Linda Dufour took the patterns, added a little detail, inked the design, then rouged on oil paint. The two pieces side by side look wonderful.

Ginette Beaulieu completed these little ornaments (Chilly, Icy, and Flake - all were designed by Jamie Mills-Price and can be found in her new book Christmastime between the Vines #6). There are actual wooden cutouts for the designs, but, at the time Ginette did her pieces, the cutouts were not available in Canada. So, Ginette put the designs on wooden decorations - they look great. (I understand the wooden cutouts are now available in Canada).

That's it for now - there are several new projects in the works, along with some that are finished, but I just haven't posted them yet. So, stay tuned for more interesting pieces in the future.

Colored Pencils

The first weekend in October I attended a 3 day colored pencil seminar in Ajax...the course was taught by Janelle Johnson (http://www.janellejohnson.com/). It was a lot of fun and a lot of work, but I learned a lot, and, since returning home, I have been working on several projects. The first day of the course we completed the Baltimore Oriole in the Cottonwood, and on the second and third day we worked on Copper Still Life (I did not get this picture done, so I will post it when it is complete). I love colored pencils! It is so nice to work with just the pencils, a sharpener and scotch tape in front of you - no paint, no cleanup material, nothing to spill.....it is great. At this point, I realize I still have a lot to learn, so since returning home, I have been working on 'beginner' pieces. I have attached a pic of the two pieces I completed - Albert's Rose and Calla Lillies (both of these are patterns by Janelle Johnson). I do have some harder pieces to work on, and I plan to tackle them very soon.

Janelle was a wonderful instructor, and I certainly learned a lot from her. I feel with a little time and experience I will be able to convert some of my patterns into colored pencils, and I am really looking forward to the challenge.

Some of the girls in my Monday and Thursday art sessions have expressed an interest in working in this art form, so I expect to have some company while I am learning.

Well, I'm off to work with my colored pencils....I will post new projects and information soon....

Pen and Ink with Oils

Over the past couple of months I have been so busy working with colored pencils, that I do not have a lot to report on pen & ink with oils. I did complete the attached two pieces....both projects were designed by Renee Mullens, and can be found in her book 'Christmas Spice'. Renee's instructions for the projects are for acrylic paint, so, I converted this to pen & ink with oils. The snowman outside the window pane is on 4 1/2" x 4 1/2 " wood (the pane and window are separate pieces), and the larger snowman is on a porcelain plate that is approximately 7" wide.


On the top project I was able to add color to some of the very small areas with colored pencils. I had sealed the wood with J. W. Undercoating, and I found the surface rough enough that the colored pencils worked. The larger piece (on porcelain) was all done with oils, as the surface was much too smooth for the pencils to work.




Mary Owens News: Mary (http://www.maryowensdesigns.com/) has added a new feature to her webside called Monthly Tips. You might want to check this out - I'm sure the tips will be very interesting and helpful. Mary has not released any new patterns in quite some time, but, as soon as she does, I will report it in my blog.

If you are interested in purchasing any Mary Owens supplies I do have most items in stock, along with a lot of her patterns...just call or email me if you are looking for supplies.