Free classes

So today I want to tell you about a couple of friends of mine, both of whom are offering free art classes.

The first is AMY...<--- that is her blog. She also has a NING SITE. there are currently SIX free workshops/classes/weekly challenges going on at the ning site.

The newest class is a mixed media portrait class, you can watch a trailer for it here.

watch the trailer then go to the ning site and sign up to the class where you will be able to download parts one thru to five of the class...thats 6 pdf's and 18 videos...parts 6 thru to 8 will be posted over the next three weeks.

Amy also hosts a facebook group for mixed media artists, you can find it HERE... join up and show us what you can do...and learn from all the other great members.

Finally, there are live shows over on Amy's Linqto Channel...these are different classes to those on the ning site. All the shows are recorded, so you can catch up for free. Sometimes there are guest teachers....and it is all FREE...FREE...FREE...

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and so onto my second friend....

His name is BLADE...<--- that's his blog.

Blade is currently building a studio in his hometown, and hopes to open to the public soon, offering classes and workshops and spaces for artists and groups to come and be creative.

The studio has a facebook page...CLICK LIKE... to keep up to date with all the happenings there.

Blade has set up twice weekly art lessons. On tuesday nights. it is drawing class(.6pm his time...12midnight for us in the UK) and on Wednesday nights it is painting class (same time)  These lessons take place on the OASIS USTREAM CHANNEL   the classes are free to attend live, they are also recorded and free to watch for 4 weeks. After that there is a nominal fee to download them.

So how do you get in...well if you go to Blades blog, you can sign up for the FREE NEWSLETTER  if you do that you will receive the newsletter by email, and in it you will find the password for the class channel. the password changes each week, so be sure to sign up for the newsletter and read it each week.  You can also sign up to be a paid member, that way you can download all of the classes and watch them at your leisure. The link to do that is on the blog.

Watch one of his crazy

CRAZY TRAILERS HERE

In addition to the classes Blade also does a free weekly art journal show (different channel) again this is on ustream, it is free to join ustream, and you don't need a password to watch the show. make sure you do sign up and log in so that you can take part in the chat too. This art journalling takes place on THURSDAY NIGHTS...again 6pm his time and 12midnight for us in the uk. Don't worry if you can't stay up late, the shows are all recorded and you can catch up anytime, though it is great to watch live as you can chat along with everybody else who is watching.

So do please check out these two lovely friends of mine, who put so much of their free time and talent into creating these FREE resources for you.

52 Pages 2011

Page 48.floating

Definition= having little or no attachment to a particular place; moving from one place to another.

You are sitting atop your very own cloud, who is sat with you? You may pick 4 people from anytime, past or present, who are they, why have you chosen them?

52 Pages 2011

page 47. Gratitude.

I started by drawing a really quick image of  sunrise with a purple sharpie...

then I coloured it with promarkers as my base.

over this i put a thin watered down coat of gesso.

and then I coloured it with prisma pencils..

on the back i used gesso and acrylic paint, and did my journaling with a stabilo pencil.

Tangled chameleon.

I made this birthday card for someone who loves chameleons.

first I drew the bug eyes creature on some smooth 160gms white card, and coloured with LETRASET promarkers. I used them wet on wet so the colours would blend.

then using a black fineliner I started the tangling patterns. I began with the tree branch, using curve patterns.

Then I filled in the chameleon, choosing patterns to suit each area.  Click thru for a closer look.

Finally I carefully cut out the chameleon and his branch and stuck them down over a piece of Basic Grey which was then mounted to a square card blank.

Alcohol Inks

I needed to make a new home card.  I pulled out a square card blank and cut a piece of photo paper slightly smaller. Then I had a play with my LETRASET alcohol inks.

I dripped and blended and smooshed around and dripped more and blended more...I love getting messy...

I ended up with this piece. I used poppy,cobalt blue,baby pink,meadow green and moss. you only need a little, seriously these colours are VIBRANT..

The more I added and blended I noticed this cracking around the edges... so I added more, blended more to make the cracks bigger. I love them....what a happy accident. Anyone who reads my blog knows how I love texture, love cracks and bubbles and I often heat things up to distort them.

Now I have no idea how this cracking happened, was it the ink? or the amount I used or the photo paper?  I tried to replicate it on another piece of photo paper and it didn't happen...not a single crack no matter how much ink I added...pfft..slightly disappointed hahaha

so it must have been the particular brand of photo paper that I used, and I can't even tell you what it is, because it was just a random off-cut in a drawer. Grr don't you hate it when you make something fabby and you can't work out how to do it again.

So I have my piece of inked and cracked paper....I drew my design straight onto the photo paper.

and then I filled in the shapes with a little basic tangling. No complicated patterns, nothing too dense as I wanted the colours to be the focal point.

Finally mounted to a card blank and it is ready to send off.

Mandala.

So, I signed up for the free mandala class over on WILLOWING... the class is being taught by the beautiful GUADALUPE...

you should check out the class, it is so relaxing watching her work. Making mandalas is very much like tangling, and you can combine the two.

I drew my mandala first in pencil on watercolour paper...

Then I coloured using Inktense pencils...

I went back in and added some shading with Graphitint pencils...

And finally added some doodling...

52 Pages 2011

Page 47. Gratitude

Definition = a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation, as for gifts or favours

Has someone given you a special gift lately? What are you grateful for?

52 Pages 2011

Page 46. Grow.

in the theme of the last post i drew another lil girl, holding some flowers. The dress is BG paper and the background is Dylusions inks, painted on rather than sprayed. The poem is written on using black acrylic ink. Glass dew drops added at the end.

I covered the back with more BG paper, then did my journalling.

Lil girls luv christmas...

On Friday the wonderful MANON...very generously gave us a free class over on Amy's channel.  Manon showed us how she paints her little girls, and we all had a go at them. I have to say it isn't easy arting along, trying to find the right colours, and watch and listen and type in the chat box ....but we did have a great time.

This is my lil girl from that night, so easy and lots of fun to do.

I am making an altered book along with Amy, OVER HERE...why don't you come and join us...

I tipped my lil girl into my altered book..

I wanted to make more lil girls, and decided to make some into Christmas cards. Having done the larger one in the class, it was easy peasy to do them again on a smaller scale.

The first two..

I love them...so I made another two...

Seriously I freaking love them....two more...

uh oh...cannot resist...must make more...lol

hee hee just can't stop...

ok these are the last ones, I swear...

Why don't you go watch the class then you can make them too.

Manon will show you how to draw the face, colour it with promarkers, blend out with gesso and shade with promarkers.

I  don't think shading over gesso is a good idea with promarkers though, I have tried it before and it kills them, so I have changed these up slightly and I do my first layer with promarkers, then gesso then shading with prisma pencils.

52 Pages 2011

Page 46.Grow

Definition=To develop and reach maturity

Do you feel mature? How have you grown lately. Are you watching children grow, how have they amazed you? Maybe you grow veggies, do you have green fingers and prize pumpkins?

52 Pages 2011

Page 45 Listen.

sorry no WIP shots, I forgot...and I was drinking wine...and I was watching x-factor..

Front...

Back...

testing watercolours

last Saturday i was at the NEC and managed to pick up a water colour set for £19.99. It is the Windsor and Newton Cotman half pan studio set. It has 45 half pans. I have seen it other places with prices ranging from £35-£65...so I think I got a good bargain.

So I wanted to try them out, and after watching a video demo by RHOMANY I decided to try them out along with prismas and Inktense pencils.

Now i had no intentions of blogging this, it was just meant to be a practice piece, but even though there are lots and lots wrong with it, I decided to show you anyway...I mean why not right?

so I quickly drew my girl...I should have reworked her to get her right, but I was too eager to play with the paints...

her shoulders are too big and round, waist too narrow, eyes too big and close together...but i was impatient, so I inked it..

and started colouring with prismas, using watercolour washes over them.

I kept adding layers...

and more layers... i did the hair with Inktense.

more layers... and a wash over the background.

I added more layers to the background, including some mod podge transfers.

added  a transferred word, some bubbles ....a frame and its done...

Looking for Models...

You remember the Viking from THIS POST...well here he is again...

he is looking for models, but you don't have to actually 'be' a model... he has recently done a couple of paintings in a 'fairytale' style, and has been approached to make a full calender, featuring 12 paintings in this same style.

here are the 2 that he has already done.

So, do you fancy being painted in a fairytale....go to his blog...HERE...  to find out all the details of how you can take part.

52 Pages 2011

Page 45. Listen

Definition=To make an effort to hear something

The world is a noisy old place, imagine a world of silence. What sounds would you miss? What did you listen to today?

52 Pages 2011

Page 44. Spark.

So what sets me off, what is 'like a red rag to a bull'...

this made me think of bullfighters, which made me think of the Paso Doble...tenuous link I know.

I used to be a dancer, for years and years. I love dancing. I hate to see it messed around with.

I love watching SCD on tv, but when they prance around instead of doing proper steps it really winds me up, also I hate,hate,hate the weeks when they use props. Len is the only judge worth listening to, and when he yells severrrrrn, it makes me laugh.

I break lots of rules in arting/crafting....but there are just some things in life that should be done properly, and Ballroom dancing is one of those things.


So , I covered my page with scrapbook paper, then painted over that with faux lumiere paints. I added some dimensional paint...and was then stuck while it dried...

while waiting I drew and cut out a number '7'  and a couple of dancing silhouettes.

I added my title and the front was done.

on the back, I painted with faux lumieres..and white acrylic..

next I added some torn scrapbook paper, the same as that used on the front...

I painted over the edges of the torn paper, and then cut out and painted 2 feet. Adding more dimensional paint.

Finally writing my journalling straight onto the feet.