Returning to Classes

A bunny in soft pastels by an 8 year old student

Today my local classes resume.

The little ones will be making winter tree sculptures. That will be fun. And the older kids will be drawing again after a short hiatus to design their own pendants.

Clint is a private student who does not like breaks in our weekly meetings. He will be glad to be back.

Clint's interpretation of a lightening storm in watercolor

The adult class will be glad to be back to work as they find it difficult to work drawing time into their busy schedules without class time.

And for those of you who are not close enough to drive over today to join us for class,  Creative Pencils has ongoing workshops.   The Pencils Series 101, 201, & 301 continue providing a solid foundation in graphite skills for drawing, shading, and more. 

Calla lilies - one of the projects for Pencils 201

And Colored Pencils 101 is available for the beginner in colored pencils.  This workshop addresses colored pencil technique, color theory, and a lovely butterfly project.

One of the projects for Colored Pencils 101

New workshops are also coming to Creative Pencils soon!  I am excited about the projects I will be able to offer for 2013.  More information about those is coming....




Wind and Honey Creations

Wordless Wednesday

Wind and Honey Creations

Just a Bunny

I've been working on this bunny portrait.  This is a crop of the face area.  I've created him in graphite but added just a touch of watercolor on his ears.  I first learned of this technique of adding just a bit of color to a black and white drawing by studying the works of Clare Turlay Newberry.  She was the artist that first inspired me to begin drawing.  Newberry had a wonderful gift of capturing the softness, the fullness, and the delight of an animal with just a few simple lines drawn usually in charcoal.  Time magazine said of Newberry, "Clare T. Newberry is the best cat artist since the Egyptians."  Marshmallow was my first Newberry book and remains my favorite.  It is the true story of the introduction of a bunny to Newberry's own pet tomcat; and of their eventual warm and loving relationship.

Wind and Honey Creations

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