Weekly Art Sessions

Hi - welcome to my blog...

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  Now it's time to get down to some serious painting!

During our fall art sessions in 2012 the girls in my group completed lots of new and interesting artwork - pen and ink, oils, coloured pencils, mixed media, and even some acrylic work.
Here are a few of the projects completed by the girls attending our art sessions

This painting is based on a design by Doxie Keller, and can be found in the book Trendy Textures.  Marie did this on 12x24 stretched canvas, and she definitely did not follow the instructions - she just did her own thing!.  She applied Texture Crackle to the canvas, let it dry, sanded, then sprayed with about 4 coats of Liberty Spray.  Then away she went with her green background - I think she used and mixed every colour of green paint there was to create the wonderful background.  She used oil paints to do the complete project.  After finishing the background she used some stencils, then applied the leaves, stem and flower.  The colours are amazing - and, since it turned out so well, Marie is now in the process of painting another one, and she will hang the two together.

This is an oil painting done by Linda - I don't know who the original designer was.  I believe Linda did this on 11x14 canvas, and it was all done with oil paint.  Linda stippled on the background with shades of Yellow and green to compliment the picture, then proceeded to add the various colours to the pumpkins.  As soon as she painted the black cat the picture really came to life.  Most of our paintings are rather serious, so it is great to have such a fun and crazy painting done once in awhile.  I love it!

Monique painted this on 11x14 canvas - it is called Autumn Charm and is designed by Mary Owens.  The project is a pen and ink with oil rouging piece.  All the inking is done first, the piece is sprayed to seal it and to create a smooth surface for oil paint - then oil paint is 'rouged' on in small quantities.  All the light spots on the project are the white canvas showing through.  So, unlike acrylics, there is just one application of paint -  the shadows are created by leaving the paint thicker in certain spots, and the highlights are simply the white canvas showing through.  This is a lovely piece, and over the last several years a lot of girls have done this project.

Chianti is a piece designed by Tracy Moreau, and can be found in her book Trendy Textures (she co-authored with Doxie Keller).  Ginette did this on 11x14 canvas - she textured the surface before she started to paint, then scuffed on about 4 different colours of oil paint.  In addition to using texture, there are a number of other techniques used in this piece:  pen and ink, stencils, acrylic and oil paint.  A white gel pen was used to complete the outline of the glass.  This has been a popular piece over the past couple of years, and I think Ginette has done a great job.

I have several more pieces the 'art session' girls have done, and I will post them over the next few months.

So far my spare time in 2013 has been spent working with coloured pencils.  I have completed one piece and am about to tackle two more.  I will be posting the pieces soon on my blog.

If anyone is interested in learning pen and ink with oil rouging or coloured pencils, please check with Sisterhood Craft Supplies, 1035A Pembroke Street East, Pembroke.  I will be teaching courses there starting in May, 2013.

Thank you so much for visiting my blog....please come for another visit soon!

Joan

Colored Pencils and Pen and Ink

Hi, welcome to my blog, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful season.  I love this time of year, and I am always sad when it is all over.  Speaking of Christmas, I have completed a couple of Christmas pieces and thought I should post them now rather than in the new year.  I also have some wonderful pieces the girls in our art sessions have completed, and I will be posting them starting in 2013.

This one is called 'Santa Claus' (can't imagine why!!)...it is a coloured pencil project designed by Pat Lentine. This piece looks simple, but it is rather tricky to complete.  With coloured pencils, in most areas you have to'build' the colours by applying several layers of pencil.  Santa's face is a good example of this - I probably applied about 6 layers of pencil in order to create the face.  In the dark areas I used a couple of colours, but in the main part of the face I used 4 or 5 colours.  The fur, beard and mustache were fun to do and not hard at all.  The dark green background certainly makes the bright red and white stand out. 

'Let it Snow'  is a pen and ink with oil rouging piece designed by Mary Owens, and it has been a very popular piece over the last several years.  Since I had never done it, I decided to give it a try.  Pen and ink with oil rouging is a very simple technique - first you apply the pattern using ink, the project is sprayed, and then small amounts of oil paint are 'rouged' onto the piece.  There is no basecoating, no shading and no highlights to be applied.  Your shading is created when you apply the oil paint, and your highlights are simply the background showing through.  Unlike other types of painting, there are not a lot of 'extra' things to learn or supplies to buy.  Once you learn the technique and have the basic supplies, you are good to go.

Over the next few months I will be working on coloured pencil projects - I have 3 or 4 ready to start.  So, when I post my work next time, it will probably be all coloured pencil work.  In the meantime, I will be posting some of the wonderful artwork completed by the girls in my art sessions.  So please check back in a month or so.

Thanks for visiting my blog, and have a wonderful holiday season.

Joan

Coloured Pencils and Christmas

Hey everyone, welcome to my blog:

Everything is in full swing here with our art sessions every Monday and Tuesday nights.  We have girls working with oils, pen and ink, coloured pencils, acrylics, texture, stencils and image transfers. There are so many wonderful pieces being done, I can't wait to post some of the completed artwork.

Over the summer I seemed to have a passion for silhouettes, and I worked on a number of those.  I have now had enough of that, and I have turned my attention to Christmas and coloured pencil work.

Here are a couple of projects I have finished:

I love this piece!!  It was designed by Tina Norris, and is done on an 11x14 grey suede board.  It is a big project, and takes a fair amount of time.  However, when I work with coloured pencils the time just seems to fly by, and I love seeing the progress as each section is finished.  After all the pencil work was done I used a white pastel stick to 'punch' up the snow.  I am very happy with the results of this project...and I can't wait to start another col. pencil piece.

This is an acrylic design by Wendy Fahey....as usual, with the exception of basecoating, I converted the pattern and used oils as much as I could.  While doing this project I experimented with a white gel pen and found that, in certain areas, I could use it instead of white acrylic....the star and the writing is all done with the gel pen.  When I was finished all the painting I added the 'snow' with Snow Writer, and added sparkles to the snow, star and words.  I did this on 8x10 stretched canvas, and I completed the piece by stenciling some  Christmas words on the sides.

My focus now is working on some Christmas ornaments for a craft sale I am attending, then I have a few coloured pencil projects lined up to do.  As I said above, the girls in my art sessions are working on all kinds of different projects, and I will post some of their work shortly.

Thanks for visiting my blog - please check back in a few weeks.

Joan

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