New Video on homemade watercolor boxes!

It took forever to upload, guess it's pretty big but here it is...spilled coffee and all!

Watch for Interview # 15--it's Maria Hodkins!

I'm fortunate enough to have gotten to go out sketching with Maria on a number of occasions, and it's always a pleasure.  We usually have the evening to share lives, inspirations, food, and even paint--it's a ball!  Writer, artist, naturalist, journal-keeper, teacher, gourmet cook and so much more...you'll love Maria even more than you did in the book!

The image above was one of the first of her journal pages I ever saw...it looked as if you could lift the ripe peach right off the page and take a sweet, juicy bite!

Winter, summer, all year 'round, she records her life in Colorado with curiosity and love, wrapping her images with text that makes you want to sit and read every word...

You may have seen our post about her recent classes...you can find all the information in our Classes and Workshops tab at the top of this page, or click this link to go directly there to see the types of things Maria teaches.  (By the time Interview #15 is up, we'll likely have MORE information on classes, because she keeps very busy with travel, work, teaching and family.)

I'd love to show you more art, but at the moment Blogger's being stubborn!   Soooo...don't miss Maria's Flickr sets at http://www.flickr.com/photos/windwordwriter/ and watch for our interview, upcoming.  I guarantee it will be worth the wait.

Developing a journal page...

We went to Powell Gardens in Lee's Summit yesterday for our anniversary...what a wonderful idea THAT was.  The trolleys only run on weekends, so we had to stick to distances I could actually walk to...this sculpture by Dan Ostermiller caught my eye on the way to the water garden.  J. went to check it out...

Oh, wow.  Look at how the light and reflected like work on the bronze forms of the rabbits.  I liked this view--AND there was a bench to sit on to draw!

Here's partway through...I knew I'd want to add a lot more to the page, and the spread...

And so I did....more definition on the sculpture, the little ink drawing at upper left for scale, and more foliage--plus some text.

I had just gotten started on the new visitors' center, an elegant building with lots of glass, stone, and wood, when someone turned the sprinklers on--I had to finish from memory!  My dress was wet, my camera was wet, but I saved the sketch.  I've got my priorities straight...

That's the Marjorie Powell Allen chapel viewed from the water garden at lower center on that spread...its spiritual, silent, soaring space (pardon the alliteration!) with views of water garden, prairie and forest makes you whisper in spite of yourself.

I connected some of the vignettes with foliage, added a sketch of the water garden on the right, and the sticker they give to visitors adds a touch of collage, repeats some of the colors, and echos the round sketch at upper left.  A bit of text finished the spread!

Thinking about maps in travel journals and other things

Now that I have finally finished all my scanning from my recent 3 week trip to Eurooe, I was looking through a few of my travel sketchbooks last night...

last years big trip (11 weeks USA UK Italy) was so busy that I rarely drew maps, while during my 5 week trip in 2009 I drew maps every night. This year's trip I made an allowance for maps on my summary page and ended up drawing most of them when I got home.

What STRUCK me last night is... the few maps I drew last year where incorporated into a page with a sketch or two and that these ARE a lot nicer pages. If I hadn't got around to drawing a map on these pages, I could have added some text or some collage or just enjoyed the glorious white space which I generally don't have enough of in my sketchbooks.

Anyway... this has got me thinking of a different approach... it doesn't necessarily mean that it is another trip...but I am always thinking about how to do things different whether for a new trip overseas or just recording my day to day adventures.

Travel 'journal-style' pages, a set on Flickr.

Following on from last nights thoughts... I just created a new flickr set specifically for my favourite kind of journal-style pages.
A collection of some of my favourite pages that are in a journal style...ie. not just a single 'great' sketch on a page. Ones that tell a story, ones that I enjoy looking at and re-living months, years later.A combination of sketches, media, notes, a map, a bit of collage...and maybe even a tea cup sketch or two!

September 2011: New Scanner

September 2011: Grass, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

I just got a new scanner (Canon 9000F) and trying this automatic gutter correction feature - so far I'd say it looks good :) And color is very close to a real sketch - nothing corrected. I'll try to sketch in watercolor tomorrow to test and report on results.

It's Time For A Visit To Autumn's Garden!

 

Autumn has arrived and there's a chill in the air!!

Well, actually, I think maybe the humidity has just dropped as the high for today is suppose to reach 92º in Florida! Still, you can see and feel the changes....you just really have to be paying attention. Of course, many of you have really begun to feel the chill and see the changes.

And all this means it's time to start preparing for An Imaginary Visit to Autumn's Garden! This class is scheduled to begin on November 18th and run through December 16th. There will be one assignment each week.

For more information and to register for the class, please click here. If you're interested in registering, I suggest you not wait as this is one of the really popular classes over at Imaginary Trips!

September 2011: Sketching while Waiting

September 2011: Sketching while Waiting, a photo by apple-pine on Flickr.

I am not always comfortable drawing in unsuspecting crowd so I decided to use the simplest of tools - ballpoint pen. It's less of a give-away than watercolor set or my dip pen and I can put it away quickly ;)

Brand New Flickr Group!

Hi all...there have been a lot of people in our Facebook group wishing we had a Flickr group as well...and now we do!  Don't know why it took me so long...

It's right here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/artists-journal-workshop/  and please feel free to join us there...I'm lonely all by myself!

And of course if you're not a member of our Facebook group and would like to be, just click the link above...it's very active!

Sheer Heaven Travel Palette - Watercolor

Back in 2004, I ran an article in the online magazine I published then, about the "perfect" travel palette, made from my signature art paper, Sheer Heaven. Sheer Heaven has unique qualities that make this idea work flawlessly, and the palette is infinitely refillable and impervious to moisture. I know there are some renditions of the idea out there these days using watercolor paper, but there is no comparison.

Cathy and several other folks have asked me recently to bring that article back around - because the idea is so useful, and ideal for journaling artists.

So, I put the whole thing on my blog, and won't take up the real estate here to repeat it. Here is the link to the full description - mixing colors and all:

http://wisdomwoman.com/whatever

where the fun begins . . .

where the fun begins . . ., a photo by vickylw on Flickr.

Finally finished binding some new art journals this week. I've actually felt a bit "lost" not having one to grab and sketch in.

The two upper ones are Coptic stitched, both having a heavier 140 # watercolor paper in them which holds up well with this open binding.

The lower left one contains nideggen paper, a print paper I've always wanted to try. Because it is so much thinner, I also added some pages of Fabriano Tiziano toned paper --- scraps of both were used to bind the mini journal.

The landscape oriented journal is Fabriano 90 # soft press --- a paper I love but it's grain runs opposite, so I bind it in this format to get the most pages out of a sheet of paper.

I found some cardstock stickers at Hobby Lobby to stick to the fronts, making it easy to tell front from back. But some actually covers goofs --- The cover paper was from a Daniel Smith sale and was a bit thin, showing glue spots in places. The upper part of the tan bookcloth stained as well, perhaps from the green paper's dye running. Maybe it gives the book character??

New Fall Low Country Journaling Workshops

Autumn in the low country of South Carolina.... kiss the humidity goodbye and say hello to perfect Carolina blue skies and temperatures that will sooth your soul. Plan an Artful Autumn Get-Away and visit the delightful destination of Beaufort South, Carolina.

A Garden Journal Workshop with Pam Johnson Brickell

October 25, 26 and 27, 2011 • Beaufort, South Carolina

In conjunction with Coastal Art Supply and The Beaufort Inn

 

Pam is excited to join forces with Beaufort County's own Laura Lee Rose, a Clemson Extension horticulture agent and one of the area's foremost advocates of horticulture. She teaches the Master Gardener curriculum, oversees county-wide horticulture projects, speaks to schools and community groups, and has been active in organizing and promoting Beaufort's downtown community garden.

Learn sketching, page design, watercolor, lettering and artful journaling techniques from Pam and valuable plant identification/information and other horticultural goodies from Laura Lee.  

By the end of the workshop you'll experience the joys of keeping a garden journal and discover first hand how it can be utilized to plan your garden and serves as a record of your gardening trials and triumphs.

Oh yes..... lunch is provided by Southern Graces - the ultimate treat!

For information and registration call Coastal Art Supply at 843-524-2787

And.............

Pam just can't contain herself and must share the fun :)

Being offered at 

Coastal Art Supply in Beaufort, South Carolina

843-524-2787

Painting NightScapes Plein Air - The Hunter's Moon

November 8 − 10, 2011
Tues: 1 − 4 pm
Wed and Thurs 4:30 − 7:30 pm

For the workshop description, please click here

The Beaufort, SC link above has hotel and vacation rental options under the 'lodging' link.  


No matter which part of the these wonderful United States you want to head off to for an Artful Autumn Get-Away.... or if you would like to try an online workshop, there are plenty to choose from. Check out the complete listings on this blog here.

New Classes from our friend, Correspondent Maria Hodkins!

Late Summer Greetings to You!
Two more offerings yet this September for some juicy JOURNALING--in a gorgeous landscape in the high country when Fall colors will be almost at their peak.  What ecstacy, to be drinking in the landscape and recording wonders in the journal.  Join me in the Aspen, CO area for either (or both) classes at Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES)

What a great getaway it will be!
~Maria 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 - HAND MADE NATURE JOURNALS
9:00 am to 5 pm - ACES at Hallam Lake in AspenHave you always wanted to do this?  Learn to make a practical and beautiful journal to capture sketches, field notes, and writings about nature. In this one-day class you will make a simple hand-made book, with multimedia paper and a decorative cover, hand-sewn with a Coptic stitch.  Read more...

SATURDAY & SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17-18 - SPIRIT OF PLACE:  Capturing Timelessness through Illuminated Journaling
9:00 am to 5 pm - ACES at ToklatSome places on Earth seem to hold a unique aura about them, a seamless blend of the natural world and the human spirit, creating a very special energy beyond ordinary experience.  Spend a weekend at Toklat (ACES Interpretive Center, 12 miles up the road in Castle Creek Valley) with sketchbook, pen and color, gathering images from the natural world, and writing words that illuminate the moment, reveal the natural history, and capture the timelessness of this special place.  And for you teachers, this course is offered for one graduate credit from Adams State College - Read more...

To register, call 970.925.5756  Aspen Center for Environmental Studies
or online at www.aspennature.org

New Fall Classes Starting At ImaginaryTrips.com!

Gosh, it seems odd to be writing Fall when it's still hotter than blazes outside! All the same, the new classes start next week over at ImaginaryTrips.com!

An Imaginary Trip to Paris will begin on Tuesday, September 6th. You can find more information by clicking here.

An Imaginary Trip to New Orleans will start on Monday, September 12th! It will be a whole lot of fun in that great city. Please click here for info on this trip!

Also starting on Monday, September 12th, is Artful Journaling: Foundations class! For more information on getting started with watercolor journaling, please click here!

Please let me know of any questions you may have.

Thanks!

Laure

Nifty! I did the cover for this one...

Fun to see an old book still out there!  It brings back a lot of memories...and I can almost smell those gorgeous red carnations.  It came out in 1990, so that's quite a trick.

Lots of different artists in this one, myself included, but I think it's the only North Light book I did the cover for that was NOT my own book.


As I recall, it was a great deal of fun, and a real challenge--often the same thing!

It's on sale for $8.00 from the North Light Book Shop, if you're interested...and nope, I don't earn anything on sales of this one, just putting it up in case you're interested!