I Love Tutorials

Just a quick post about a great tutorial I stumbled upon.  And it's affordable!  Only $10.   One thing I've loved for some time now, is transfering images and text to fabric.  But I'm also looking to do more mixed media as well as exploring other methods of doing artwork.  Painting with watercolor and acrylics, encaustic, color enhancement on black and white photography, etc.  I especially like images of old barns, old trucks, windows and doorways.  Don't know why.  I just do.

So here's the information about this latest tutorial that I'm excited about.

http://www.grittyjane.com/blog/

And if you're like me. . . you'll be digging in your change purse to be able to view this treasure!  Oh, and her art is great besides!!!  Enjoy.

I Can't Draw . . . . but if I practice I will be able to draw - so can you!

I use to say "I CAN'T draw" or "I even draw really bad stick people" and I had the drawings to prove it!  But I firmly believe that creativity and talent all start somewhere and if we have the desire, and we practice (a lot for some of us - me included) and keep practicing. . . then we develop talents we didn't have before!  OK so what about natural talent you ask?  Well, then I'd say that some people are naturally gifted and I don't have time to delve into that right now, but basically I put all gifts into one big God box!


So I've always wanted to paint.  The I discovered that to paint I'd most likely needed to draw or sketch.  I took one drawing class, oh somewhere around 1998 and found it challenging, but even I was amazed at what I could accomplish with a little instruction.  I look back at my classwork and for the life of me, I can't remember how I did some of those drawings.  But they look pretty darn amazing to me now.  Too bad I didn't continue to practice, because who knows I might be pretty darn good right about now!  Ah well.


Last week another opportunity to learn to draw came about by reading our local Alsea newsletter and reading that someone in our community was offering public art classes.  Every Saturday evening from 6-9 and for only $7 a class.  The fact that he and his wife had painted signs for local businesses gave me an idea of their expertise, but it wasn't until I googled him and checked out his web site  www.danandmaehitchcock.com/ (if you don't want to see nudes then don't click on "Dan's Art" but do check out the murals) that I saw what an amazing talent the had.  Actually it's he and his wife Mae's website and art.  His name is Dan Hitchcock and he's self taught!  I'm not sure about Mae, if she's self taught also.  Anyway, I couldn't wait for the first class.  So here's my class projects.  1st one is using a grid to transfer lines.  I liked the picture I picked out to use, but I think a face or a person's form would have been a bit easier.  With my picture I wanted to finish with paints or watercolor pencil, but I may do some of that later.

This second class sample of the first night we were suppose to draw a head form that was sitting in front of us on a table.  Mine looks ridiculous.  It looks like an alien to me!  This will not be finished!

OK, on to something I've been wanting to paint for some time.  My favorite coffee cup.  I call it my comfort cup because it's big and the colors really please me, every time I use it.  What I did was take a picture of it then change it to gray scale on Picassa.  After I printed it out, I remembered something from my last drawing class and I traced the cups lines with a graphite pencil.  Then I laid that drawing face down onto watercolor paper and burnished with an old spoon.  When I lifted that picture from the wc paper, there was a light pencil image of the cup.  Then I proceeded to go over the lines once again, then I used Staedtler watercolor pencils to color in the cup.  

After everything was colored in I used a fine tip brush and carefully went over the pencil and there I was Watercolor Painting!  It truly was just filling in the spaces and kinda like paint by number without the numbers.

After the painting was completed the last step for the cup was to go over the black lines one more time with a black pen.  I used a Precise V5 roller ball black pen.

It's not a perfect match by any means but it does give me the same visual satisfaction as the real cup.

Here's the completed painting.

The title was done with a Sharpie marker the exact same color as the inside of the cup.

And I can't tell you how happy this makes me.

Too Cool Not To Share!

I thought it time to share this cool resource that I stumbled upon.  It's called "Creative Catalyst Productions Inc."  I actually was looking for a past painting teacher Lynn Powers, from whom I first took a watercolor painting class at the Benton Center in 1998.  It's something I would like to do again.  So I googled her name and came across her new venture with her husband (they live in Albany) and wowza - take a look at what they are doing, right here in my own backyard!!!  http://www.ccpvideos.com/

I've known about this site for a couple of months and really thought I'd purchase a few of my favorite artists ( ANN BALDWIN / SHERRILL KAHN / LESLEY RILEY / CLAUDINE HELLMUTH ) DVD's, but not until I'm employed again and can afford even that.  But think of the tremendous opportunity this is. . . . workshops are getting increasingly more expensive and this option is affordable to say the least!!!

BUT. . . . the surprise that I had today is that you can also RENT these DVD's too, right on your own computer.  http://www.artworkshops.tv/  Check out the freebies!

The Sherrill Kahn screen-prints below are from one of the freebies that I watched today!

I think she's at the top of my favorites list!

I've taken a workshop from her in person and I've used her painting on fabric techniques more than any other.    She's also on of the nicest people you'll ever meet.

So what are you waiting for. . . .  go check out these DVD's.

Let me know if you find anything you like!

Sisters Quilt Show Years

I unearthed some photos of the Sister's Quilt Show, many, many years ago when it was still relatively on the small side before the crowds overtook and it became almost unbearable to attend.  Notice the older location of the store!  Certainly not the first location because that was practically a tiny hole in the wall.  But boy how it's grown in size and notoriety! 

One of my entries for the block contest and I happened to win the top too!

 

That's me in the HUGE bug-eye sunglasses, dressed very appropriately in my stylish quilt show t-shirt!

View of all the entries that year.  Opps, sorry no quilt top photo.  When I find it - I'll post it.  I think I still have the top.  I may have ripped off the binding fabric (I remember thinking about it) because in my opinion, well let's just say I didn't like it.  Never thought of actually finishing it either.  Those were the days when machine quilting was talked about out behind the barn and with a whisper so no one else would know you were one of those kinds of girls!

 

This was another of my block entries one year.

Yikes, it that the same t-shirt?  Must not of been able to afford a new one that year.

You can see there were many more entries than the previous year.

I think this is a photo I received of the winning top, that I didn't win.  Someone must have snitched on me that I didn't do the last one justice, that in fact I down right may have ripped it apart.  Oh my!

Oh, this little quilt was really a favorite of mine.  I've always loved little nine patch quilts.  Here it is hanging inside at the Sisters Show and I can't tell for sure, but I think that's some sort of judging sheet with a ribbon.  How nice.  I also think this was a class sample for Jessie's shop Quiltwork Patches, when I taught machine quilting there.  Boy, that was when I still lived in Springfield and drove up to Corvallis to teach.

OK - here's a workshop I took in Sisters from a woman and I can't think of her name right now.  I'll come back to this when I do.  She did fabulous quilts where she hand painted some of the fabric and made quilts around it and with it.  I absolutely loved her work.  Bought her book too!  It must be in all that stuff I still have stored.  This was what I worked on from a photo of my husband fishing in Alaska.  I recently came across this piece and have it around.  Has it progressed from this point in the photo you ask.  (I just took it out to look)  No, it's still at this point.  Is it something I think I'll finish someday. . . . well, yes.  I still have an interest in it and I know it will be a beautiful wall quilt someday.  Unless I die first.  But I think it would be perfect to hang in our new house, especially since we have that fishing theme going on!