Art Has A Way of Healing and Stengthening

Session I of Artful Gathering closes today.  The Hopping Into Soft Pastels workshop was so much fun.  I loved meeting new artist and working with them as they learned to use a new medium.  The bunny shown here was drawn by Cara Letho, one of the students.  I asked Cara if I could share her rabbit and she asked me to also share her story. 


Cara has struggled for a long time with creative block. Creative block haunts the best of us sometimes and is often based in fears.   Cara was determined to beat this block and she enrolled in my workshop.  The wonderful thing is that Cara found that as she worked through the steps of my Hopping Into Soft Pastels workshop, that she was finally able to find the freedom to draw.  She could finally move beyond that blank piece of white paper.  The result was that Cara drew this beautiful rabbit as a gift for someone precious to her. Her tender feelings come through in the rabbit's sweet face.  The exact colors I used in the instructions did not turn out to be available to Cara.  So she improvised and made a different choice in colors.  I think her colors are beautiful.  Such a lovely blending of warm tones.

8" x 10" Giclee print available through my shop.  

I am humbled and over joyed to have been an instrument to help Cara break free to live her creative life.  Yea for you, Cara!  The sky is the limit.  



Wind and Honey Creations
Creative Pencils - Online Drawing Lessons

Sometimes You've Just Gotta Brag

You know, sometimes you've just gotta brag!  And since this bragging is on my students and not on me, I guess its ok.

I have been teaching a workshop in soft pastels during Session 1 of Artful Gathering 2012.  Our subject was a black rabbit but we used layers of colors to create the shape and shading of our rabbit.  This lovely and fuzzy bunny was drawn by Justine.  Isn't he delightful?  He has a perky look in his eyes like he just might do a little skip any minute.

And just about the same time I was getting lovely feedback from my Artful Gathering students, my Creative Pencils students were sending drawings to me that were so nicely done.  They have grown much in their skills.  I am so proud.  What's a teacher to do, but to brag!  LOL!

This is Buddy, drawn by Sherri Fults.  I love how Buddy's tummy looks so real.  I guess its funny that I would notice his tummy.  But it just caught my eye.    Sherri is growing rapidly in her pencil skills and is anxiously awaiting the opening of the animal portrait workshop on Creative Pencils this Fall. 

And this creative composition was drawn by Sandy Simpson who began lessons at Creative Pencils as a beginner late last Fall.  She has progressed nicely in her skills.  This drawing was the result of a lesson prompting creative composition that communicates a feeling.  These items are very personal to Sandy and her family and so they do communicate her intention.  Look at that hat.  Didn't she do an especially nice job on the hat?

And now, what about you?  Yes, you can do it too.  Opening day for Session 2 of Artful Gathering is in 2 days.  I am teaching a workshop using Graphite pencils and Derwent Graphitint pencils.  I have said that this project is for students that have some drawing experience.  Don't let that scare you off.  It you can draw a very simple line drawing and if you have at least a basic idea about shading, then you are ready for this class.  I will walk you through the rest of it one step at a time.  We will be drawing this beautiful barn owl.  

I hope you will join us.  The workshop is $120 for over 4 hours of step by step instruction.  You may enroll by going to Artful Gathering 2012 and click the registration button at the top of the page.  There is a small registration fee of $5 which helps to fund the gynormous amount it takes to run a site this large. Once you are in the site, you can sign up for the workshop by clicking the Workshops tab at the top of the page.  Scroll down to session 2 and you will find Portrait of Beauty and Wisdom there.  You click on that and then can purchase the workshop through paypal.  

Whew!  Its easier to do than it is to type.  LOL!

I hope to see you there.    

****CREATIVE PENCILS HAS MOVED TO CREATIVE WORKSHOPS****


CAPTURING DREAMS ONE DRAWING AT A TIME

Wind and Honey Creations

This is how sweet your Rabbit can look when you frame it.  This bunny is created with a layering technique using soft pastel pencils.   This rabbit is the subject for the Hopping into Soft Pastels workshop in Session 1 of Artful Gathering 2012.  It is for beginner or intermediate students.  I will walk you through the whole project one step at a time.  We'll do it together.   Come and join me!  It'll be fun!

Our Next Artist is Up for the Artful Gathering Blog Hop!

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat,
Open for Registration!
Blog Hop your way for chance to win!

From June to August 2012, ArtfulGathering.com will be presenting TWO exciting semesters of premiere online video workshops offered by fabulous artists who are known nationally and internationally. We are all very excited to share out knowledge, skill, and creativity with you, and we hope that you will join us for this AMAZING annual online event.

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit.

You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200.00 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!!Two Runner Up winners will also be chosen at random for a chance to win a $25.00 e-gift card from Jerrys.

Each week I will announce the next featured blog for you to visit, and there you will find a new secret word or words that you will need to collect along your way from blog to blog. Once you have collected all the words from each blog you visit, they will work out to say a very artsy phrase. Here are the rules:

1. For your chance to win, you must collect all the secret code words and submit them upon the final destination blog in May. A random drawing will be conducted from those contestants who have submitted the complete collection of secret words!
2. Three winners will be randomly drawn. One for the $200.00 e-card to Jerry's, and two runner's up for the 25.00 e-card to Jerrys.
   

Remember to collect all the secret words. These words will work out to say a very artful phrase, and you'll need all the pieces to be eligible for the final prize drawings!

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing

Cristina Zinnia Galliher

http://zinniasart.blogspot.com

(Pick Up the Next Secret Word)


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Wind and Honey Creations

Altered Bottle Art - A Tear Bottle

I've been wanting to create an altered bottle as a gift for a friend for a few months.  I wanted to make a Tear Bottle.  Now, my only experience with altered bottles was using beeswax as an adhesive.  That was a fun process.  But it didn't create the look that I wanted for this particular bottle.  But I was unsure as to how to go about it in any other way.  I mean, I would be adhering all kinds of things to glass.  What adhesive would hold well enough to last the test of time?  I wasn't sure but since this was for a gift, I didn't want to gamble on any of it.  So I took a workshop in altered bottles from the master herself, Christina Zinnia Galliher of Roses on My Table, and also of Artful Gathering 2011 and 2012.

Now, Zinnia handles the administrative part of my Creative Pencils online learning site.  So I was well aware of how capable she is and how well she communicates and how high her standards are for online classes.  So I pretty much assumed she would be a good teacher.  But she was so much more than a good teacher.  Zinnia was an excellent teacher.  She covered everything I needed to know with abundance.  She thoroughly demonstrated every step there was to be taken and she was richly generous with a variety of examples and with her time.

After watching the videos I was able to jump right into my project with confidence, clarity, and direction.  I was very pleased with the results of my bottle and I'm sure I will have fun altering many more to come.  If you have any thought that you might enjoy altering bottles, I would encourage you to take Zinnia's Mixed Devotions Class in the second session of Artful Gathering 2012 this July.  I just know you will have the best time creating your bottles with Zinnia as your guide.

All of the images used on this bottle were from The Graphics Fairy blog.  Thank you Karen.  

Wind and Honey Creations

A Look Into My World

Learning to Draw with Wonderful Pencils

This fat little bluebird is the drawing I will be teaching in The Artful Gathering 2011 this summer.  The class is entitled An Enchanting Bluebird.  He was drawn and shaded with a Derwent Graphic pencil and then the color was added with both Derwent Inktense and Derwent Watercolor pencils.  Derwent has left their competition in the dust in recent years as they have repeatedly introduced new and wonderful lines of high quality art pencils.  There seems to be no end to what they imagine you can do with a pencil.  You will find that the Inktense are no exception to this.  The colors are intense and beautiful.  And the possibilities are wide.  I hope you will join me for this Artful Gathering class.  You'll see what I mean about these pencils.  Prepare yourself to fall in love with them!

This little girl and her friend the swan were also done in a combination of Derwent Inktense and Watercolor pencils.

Wind and Honey Creations

The Artful Gathering

Join Me July 17 - August 20 for The Artful Gathering - an online art retreat.   I will be joining 15 other talented teachers to bring you a wide variety of classes.  I am teaching a drawing class that incorporates both graphite pencil as well as water based pencils for color.  This class would be suitable for beginning artists as well as intermediate level drawers.   Just think.  You don't have to wash clothes, iron, pack, schedule a flight, reserve hotel rooms, eat fast food, or even get someone to sit with your pets.  Instead you can sit on the couch in your jammies with the cat in your lap and the dog on your feet.  And you will be joining artists from all over the world to take a wide range of art classes.  What fun it will be!  Check it out at The Artful Gathering




Wind and Honey Creations