Upcoming Art Classes!

If you're interested in gaining inspiration, carving out time in your schedule for creativity, or trying new art techniques, check out the upcoming Continuing Education art classes at the Community College of Beaver County here: http://www.ccbc.edu/ConEdCatalog

I'll be teaching the following classes this autumn:

Recycled Papermaking :
Create your own artsy & unique paper out of a variety of upcycled materials that you can use to craft and personalize your own journal, stationery, cards, or other unique creations.  All materials are provided
Wednesday evenings 
Sept. 11th & 18th from 6-9 pm
Cost: $39 with $10 Lab fee

Jumpstart Your Journal!
 A regular journaling practice provides a way to capture the fleeting details of your daily life and to process your thoughts.  The calming, grounding experience you have been seeking awaits!  Explore ideas and fill the pages of your journal with new discoveries.
Wednesday evenings,
Sept. 25th, Oct. 2nd & 9th from 6-9 pm
Cost: $49 with $10 Lab fee

Inktober
Capture a natural scene with watercolor & colored pencil, and make it pop with pen & ink touches.  You will work outdoors and take inspiration from the brilliant autumn colors.  Join us for a relaxing immersion into nature and your own creativity!  Beginners are welcome!
Saturday mornings,
October 5th,12th & 19th, from 9 am - noon
cost: $49 with $10 Lab fee

To register, go to http://www.ccbc.edu/ConEdRegistration
or call the Information Registration Center at 724-480-3575.

Hope to see you at one of these sessions!

The Inspiration of Free Supplies!

A local framing shop went out of business recently, and a friend alerted me to the fact that the shop owner was giving away mat board, glass and framing materials (Thanks, Kerry!).  I hustled down to the shop, met the owner, Steve, and thanked him.  He seemed pleased to have folks removing the excess from his stock room, as the new tenant of the shop had already moved into the front of the space.  I primarily picked up a bunch of sheets of mat board, including this smaller piece of white mat board.

Something about free materials inspires free creativity.  A sense of playfulness and gratitude rises up, and you can experiment. The white mat board I painted this sketch on reminded me of illustration board, so I tried watercolors on it, and had good results.  No buckling or warping, and no need for taping. It didn't suck up excessive paint, but worked like watercolor paper.  I like the smooth surface.  

You can ask a framing shop to save you their mat board cast-offs.  Most are happy to do so.  You'll have a variety of sizes (usually 8" x 10" and smaller) and colors of mat board to paint on and create with (see the journal making post from May 14th).

 This watercolor sketch (no underdrawing) was made with a Koi Water Colors Pocket Field Sketch Box and Pentel and Kuretake water brushes last night about 7 pm.  The light was shifting, falling so I worked quickly to capture the deep shadows and highlighted foliage.