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Blog Hop #2

Blog Hop #2

I am a little behind on this weekly blog hop so I am trying to catch up with the posts.  Here is the information for week two.  I hope you have fun with this!

2. Destination Two: 2/24/2017
www.CreativeDollWorks.com, (click on this link)
The Secret Word is located on the front page of artist and Artful Gathering 2017 Instructor, Hally Levesque’s Blog!
Best Ever Art Sale!

Best Ever Art Sale!

You are invited to the 6th Annual Best Fine Art Sale Ever!  It is this Saturday.  I will have original paintings for sale as well as some of my jewelry.  Doors open at 9 am.  I hope to see you there!

Let’s Go – France and Beyond!

Let’s Go – France and Beyond!

Join me on a fun, imaginary watercolor trips to France and a Tropical Paradise.  I am gearing up for the 2017 Portland Art & Soul Mixed Media Art Retreat!  Here is a short video with lots of examples of what I will be teaching:

Art & Soul – Portland 

Artful Gathering Blog Hopping

Artful Gathering Blog Hopping

Welcome to Artful Gathering’s 7th Annual Blog Hop Celebration!
Here is the link to the video!  Scroll down to the bottom of the page to just below this photo:


Each year we hop from place to place introducing you to our brand new lineup of instructors and class offerings.
The rules are very simple, and very easy to follow. All you have to do is watch for our weekly newsletter so you will know which website locations to visit so that you can collect our blog hop words!
At each website destination point we send you to, you will locate a picture graphic that looks exactly like this one to the left. In the green area at the bottom of the graphic you will find a secret word (or words) which you need to record. By the end of our hop, you will have a collection of words that collectively arrange into an inspirational phrase.
Our hop ends on May 1, 2017.
You will take this collection of words, see if you can organize them and then e-mail them to: [email protected]
THREE winners will be selected at random from the group of participants that send all the words in the collection to us by the deadline. There will be one grand prize winner and two runner ups selected to win an e-gift card from our fabulous sponsor www.Jerrysartarama.com (see right column).
  1. You must collect all the words
  2. You must e-mail them to us by May 1, 2017
  3. We will announce three winners on May 7, 2017.
www.Jerrysartarama.com is Artful Gathering’s favorite online art supply store! They are our first destination!
Happy Hunting!
  1. Destination One: 2/18/2017
    www.JerryArtarama.com, (click on the post link below)
    The secret word is located IN the video!  Look for the photo below with the secret word on it.

Playing with my Muse and Color

Playing with my Muse and Color

Introducing Pixie Star!  She showed up to help me along in my creative endeavors….

Ooh!
 Pixie Star loves being surrounded by color!

Pixee Star and I have been playing around with my color palette.  Those of you who know me, know that I am obsessed with color and watercolor is my favorite medium.  In preparing for my All About Color class that I am teaching in my Bend, Oregon Studio, I took a closer look at the yellows on my palette.  My goal was to have the warmest yellow and the coolest yellow available.  I am happy to announce that I found a cooler yellow than I already had!  It is the Daniel Smith Lemon Yellow.  It is bright, fresh, and semi-transparent.  Next I will try using it in triad and tetrad mixes.  If I come up with something great, I will let you know!
Here are some photos from my Color Class.  There is some serious color study going on!

Fun Art Journal Page, Part 2

Fun Art Journal Page, Part 2

For one of the first time’s in my life, I am snow bound!  The high for the day is 11 degrees and snow is falling constantly.  What a great day to do some art but first I made chicken soup from scratch and a new found yummy cardamon cookie recipe.  Now I had time to enjoy finishing my Fun Art Journal Page.

Out my back door….
Finishing my art page:  After all the colors have dried and edges are finished, (see part 1)  I added the words “The journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step”.  This is a quote from Lao Tzu.  I love this quote because it means that great things start from humble beginnings.

I wish that I could say I can do calligraphy because I think it is so beautiful.  The one time I tried it though, I realized quickly that I don’t have the patience to learn it.  In one of my art classes several years ago, one of my art students (Cindy was that you?) turned me on to Pilot Parallel Calligraphy Pens!  I will bring them to the class I am teaching at the Art & Soul Retreat in Portland, Art for the Soul.  
They come in 4 different nib sizes and lots of great colors of ink!  

 I used the Parallel Pen to write the quote on my journal page.  I hope you have fun trying this out!

A Fun Art Journal Page, Part One

A Fun Art Journal Page, Part One

I want to share with you a step-by-step page prep for your creative art journal.  This is one of the many techniques that I will be teaching at the Portland Art and Soul Retreat 2017!  This techniques uses watercolor and mixed media.

Here is a list of supplies you need to create this page.

Start by painting 2 pages in your journal with analogous watercolors (colors next to each other on the color wheel).  I used Indian yellow and French Vermilion.  Mist the paints lightly to help them blend together.  Sprinkle and splatter a third color such as Cobalt blue teal.  Let this dry.

Paint the Twinkling H2O Solar Gold along the edges of the pages.  Add the distress stain along the edges too, blending and letting them mix. Use colors that will enhance the edges.

All About Color Classes in Bend, Oregon

All About Color Classes in Bend, Oregon

Local Watercolor Classes 2017

ALL ABOUT COLOR

Tuesdays, January 17, 24, 31, 2017 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Using watercolor as the medium, you will learn the secrets of mixing colors to create vibrant watercolors and control those dull lifeless areas in your paintings. With a deeper understanding of the relationships between colors you will be painting with confidence!
Cost:  $90 for the three classes 
Leave me a comment if you are interested in joining or have questions about this color workshop.  There are just a few spots left!


More Stocking Stuffer Ideas for the Watercolor Artist

More Stocking Stuffer Ideas for the Watercolor Artist

Little watercolor sketchbooks are a great gift idea for artists.  I take mine traveling as they are small and can easily fit in my purse.  I sketch and paint in them while sitting in a cafe or when I have a few moments to myself.  They come in several sizes.  Since I like to paint with watercolors, I get the ones that have watercolor paper in them.  The Moleskine brand is very popular and easy to find.  They are available online but also easily found in office supply and bookstores.  I found a lesser known brand that I prefer.  It is the Pentalic Aqua Journal.  I find that the paper is a better quality and great for painting with watercolors. The Moleskine paper is 200 gm and the Pentalic is 300 gm which means that the paper is a heavier weight.  Watercolor artists will appreciate that!