I've received a lot of questions recently about how I learned the mixed media techniques that show up in my work. Thanks to the magic of the internet the resources are endless! Here's an overview of my favorite online art instructors, who all offer FREE tutorials to get a flavor for their unique style and teaching approach.
JANE DAVENPORT Jane is an Australian artist with a serious art supply addiction, which she has dubbed "rainbowitis". She started her career as a fashion illustrator in Paris, then transitioned into fashion photography. From there she started photographing bugs, and has published a billion calendars, books and other goodies featuring her photography. Then she started creating in an art journal, and the rest is history. Watching her create art makes me happy. She has a fantastic way of breaking down drawing in a way that makes it super easy to do. If you think you can't draw faces or figures, you need to take a class from Jane. She has a bunch of online classes, and I've taken most of them. She just launched a line of art supplies this month (you can find them at Michael's) and has just launched a FREE mixed media course. You can see a preview of the free course on her blog, as well as what you need to do to enroll. https://janedavenport.com/blog/ DONNA DOWNEY Donna started her career as an elementary school teacher. She started her creative career in scrapbooking, and over the years has evolved into a fantastic mixed-media artist. Donna has several free weekly video tutorials on her blog, including "Artist Gang Tuesday" and "Find Out Friday". She offers many courses on her website (donnadowney.com), but the best free goodies from Donna are found on YouTube. Her "Inspiration Wednesday" series started as a free weekly video. The new Inspiration Wednesday tutorials are offered as a paid course on her website, but the old videos are available for your viewing pleasure on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVT7cf4dRlE&list=PLjuRMh8MePSkzFamPx66r5BuxpsJjpMPm IVY NEWPORT Ivy has a lovely, refined style and works with some unusual mediums and techniques such as encaustic. She has a BFA in illustration, and has held a variety of jobs in art and design. She has a really gentle and calming style of teaching, and generally offers modifications to her lessons to accomodate all skill levels. Ivy has several free classes, which you can find on her website. https://ivynewport.com/free-videos/ TAM LAPORTE Last, but certainly not least, is Tamara LaPorte from willowing arts. Tam tends to offer lessons that incorpoate reflective or meditative exercices, which I really enjoy. Her main offering is a year-long mixed-media course called Lifebook. It isn't a free course, but it is super economical. You receive a lesson each week from a variety of different instructors. I've been doing Lifebook since 2015 and have learned a ton of different techniques. It's also where I learned of other inspirational artisits such as Ivy, Donna and Jane. Tam has several free courses on her website, including a lesson from Lifebook 2016. You can find out about the free course on her blog. http://www.willowing.org/2015/10/19/free-life-book-taster-yay/ YouTube & Pinterest The last two resources are chock full of content, but do require a bit of sifting through the junk to find the bits that inspire you. A search for art journaling or mixed-media will bring up a plethora of resources. If you find something you like, I encourage you to share it with others via the comments section of this post. Happy creating!
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I admit it. I'm an art supply junkie. I also tend to bounce around between painting, jewelry making, scrapbooking, embroidery and card-making. This means I have piles and piles of supplies. I have decided that in 2017 I need to use it or lose it. I am on a mission to use or give away the supplies I have cluttering up my studio. My first project is to take the hundreds of pages of scrapbook paper and cardstock to make journals. So far the journals are coming together nicely. I'll post another picture of the finished product, once the signatures are bound and I've added a cover.
"Having a lot of fun in the studio lately. This winged woman appeared on my canvas last week. I started out just playing with color, lots of orange and blue. Then white around the circles to make them pop. Then red and magenta on top of the white, because white felt really boring. Then more blue around the circles. And then she appeared! I could see a faint outline of a woman amongst the circles. The wings were added by me just for fun. Its far from finished, but I like where its heading so far. Who knows if the winged woman will stay? For now I'm calling it "and so she flew". Jane Davenport, one of my favorite, favorite mixed-media artists, is launching her own line of art products in January. Everything she does is wonderfully magical, and I'm sure her products will not disappoint. As part of the product launch she decided to assemble a small team of artists, dubbed the Davenparty Design Team. Jane posted an open call for Davenparty applicants, so of course I had to apply. I crafted an email and sent off several pics of my favorite pieces to be considered for a coveted spot on the design team.
Jane is a talented artist and a super dynamic teacher, and she has a huge following who are affectionately known as Davenpeeps. No surprise, she was flooded with applications to be a part of the design team. I wasn't one of the seven artists selected for the Davenparty, but I received the most thoughtful rejection letter ever. Rejection is a part of the gig as an artist, but it was super refreshing to have the rejection letter be so positive. It was kind, uplifting and made me love Jane even more. I submitted my application knowing it was a long shot. Even though I was not selected for the Davenparty, there is hope! There is a possibility Jane will tap into the applicant pool for "guest appearances" to be featured on her blog, and I am thrilled that my name is on that list for future consideration. If you're not familiar with Jane, I highly encourage you to check out her website (janedavenport.com) and online workshops. Her classes are amazing! And look for her products coming to Michael's in January (or Jane-uary, as she likes to call it). If you're an artist struggling to get yourself out there, I highly encourage you to go for it. What have you got to lose? Worst case scenario, you deal with a bit of rejection. Best case scenario, people love your work and the risk pays off (hello...who thought I'd ever have a gallery show!?!). Or maybe you face a bit of rejection, but the rejection letter is so nice that it actually feels like a bonus. I can hardly believe it. Carson is officially a teenager. We celebrated his birthday on Saturday with a few of his buddies. The evening started off with an intense game of monopoly, followed by homemade pizza (courtesy of chef Paul), and a movie on the big screen in the back yard. We capped off the evening with a cake so loaded with sugar that not one of these teenage boys could finish an entire slice.
All in all a really fun evening. We are so lucky to have such a smart, funny, thoughtful kid with a great group of friends. Isabelle has been super into baking recently, and asked if she could help me bake a spectacular birthday cake for her brother. The finished product generated lots of ooohs and ahhhs when Carson's friends arrived. And it was delicious. Between a crazy work project (affectionately known as "the kraken") and the crazy presidential election, I am all crazied out. I am physically exhausted and my heart hurts from all the negative political vibes.
exhaustion + (lots of sadness + periodic bursts of anger) = a major case of insomnia Last night around midnight I found myself struggling to sleep, so I decided to get up and play with my new box of oil pastels. I poured myself a glass of wine, settled in at the kitchen counter and got busy with the very important task of drawing a pear. I had a great time sketching, scribbling, layering and smudging. I am officially in love with this medium, and am dreaming of the day when I purchase a super-fancy set of Sennelier pastels. If you aren't familiar with Sennelier, they are located in Paris and the founder made the oil pastels used by Picasso. I'm sure they are divine, but for now my cheapo set from Amazon will have to do. At least they are artist quality, which is a huge upgrade from the kid's pastels I was borrowing from Isabelle's giant art supply set. Once I was satisfied with my scribbly pear, I finally went back to bed. That was around 2:00 AM, so I managed to squeeze in a couple of zzzz's before my alarm went off at 4:00. I am in desperate need of a nap right now, but on the bright side oil pastels are my new favorite art supply. Hoping for easy sleep and sweet dreams this evening. I just finished up a commissioned piece. It was exciting and humbling to have someone ask me to create a painting to display in their home. It was also scary, as the request was completely different in style and color palette than what I'm usually drawn to create.
I learned several things while working on this piece. 1) Taking risks is good! I was so nervous to start on this piece. I procrastinated forever until I finally couldn't procrastinate any longer. My anxiety was a sign I was pushing out of my comfort zone. That's a great thing, because that's where growth happens. Lots of anxiety and lots of growth from this piece. 2) If I take it one step at a time and have patience with myself I can paint anything. I have dabbled in drawing, but mostly painted abstracts or stylized images. I had to paint a person! With a pre-defined pose and expression. A girl with long, flowing clothes and a flower in her hair. I approached the painting as a series of small problems to solve. I loosened up by tackling the background. Big swipes of buttery yellow and steel gray. I could do that. Then a rough sketch of the girl. A bunch of sloppy ovals and squares. I could do that. Then I added the shawl and flowy tunic. Just a bunch of long, wavy lines. I could do that. One by one, I turned each problem into something that felt achievable. And before I knew it, I was painting this picture! 3) I have a style! This is something many emerging artists struggle with, the elusive "signature style". And how do you know when you've found it? I can pick out my favorite mixed media artists' work no problem. After taking hours of online courses from artists such as Jane Davenport, Donna Downey, Ivy Newport, Flora Bowley and Tam LaPorte, I can spot Jane or Tam's signature eyes on the beautiful girls they paint. Donna's free, wild style of messy texture and bold brushstrokes. Ivy's color palette and her refined yet free technique. Flora's organic imagery and fresh color blending. And bit by bit each of them inspires and influences me. How it clicked for me on this painting, was recognizing the choices that gave me joy versus the choices that made me go "meh". I had her sketched in and eighty percent complete and I didn't love her. Then I changed her face to something that made me happy. Then I added the halo. Then several birds. Then a touch of gold paint. Then I scribbled with oil pastels. I made the flower HUGE. I changed up her hair. I added highlights with a white paint pen. I threw in collage and plaster. Until I loved it, and it felt like me. I highly encourage taking risks and pushing out of your comfort zone. For those of you who have said "I wish I could draw or paint, but I can't" I'm here to tell you that you can! What have you got to lose by trying? My first course was "Draw Happy" by Jane Davenport, and it was awesome. I was looking for something to do while my broken ankle healed, and it seemed like a good place to start. Then I took Flora Bowley's "Bloom True" intuitive painting e-course, which was a game changer for me. I highly recommend all of the artists I mentioned above. They are all amazing artists with a gift for teaching. Many offer free online tutorials to give you a flavor for their style and teaching method. Would love to hear if anyone is inspired by this post to try something new! Up until recently I've felt really uncomfortable calling myself an artist.
In my mind the term was reserved for a very small group of people. These people had beautiful studios in old warehouses with soaring windows and exposed pipes and beams. They dressed a certain way, ate certain foods, read certain books, watched certain movies, and only associated with other artists. They were tortured souls who could only express themselves through their work. So passionate about their craft that they were willing to live a life of poverty to devote their life to doing what they love. They were a brooding bunch, bordering on anti-social. They were eccentric and delighted in shocking others. I have clearly watched too many movies that romanticize the tortured artist. I chuckle now, reflecting on my silly notion of what I thought an artist was. Over the last two years I have significantly shifted my perceptions. I have taken painting and drawing courses from wonderful, beautiful people who are anything but tortured. They are joyful and lovely and so willing to share their knowledge with others. Many working artists I've met have day jobs. They work in law firms and factories and offices to earn their primary income, working on their art in the evenings or on the weekends. There are no special artist foods or artist clothing. There isn't a reading list and you don't have to limit your movie watching to indie or foreign films. Many use their art as an outlet to express their emotions, including joy and sadness, excitement and boredom. And yes, there are a few tortured souls who pour their angst and anger into their work. I've also come to realize you don't have to earn your living from making art to be an artist. My friend who makes baked goodies, decorated in the most amazing ways is an artist. An acquaintance who makes super cool metal sculptures by welding and pouring molten metal is an artist. A friend who does intricate collage, sometimes using the work of other artists, is an artist. People who dabble on the weekend because they love the messy joy of painting in a personal art journal are also artists. My point is, I was using a silly, narrow description of what it meant to be an artist. An artist is more than an occupation. Its a state of mind. Anyone who is passionate about creating something is an artist. I am an artist. I dropped off my work Friday for the Emergence show at Chartreuse Muse in Modesto. There were some really cool pieces submitted by other local artists and I'm excited to see how they choose to display all of the pieces together.
It's also a bit unnerving. Will people like my work? Will someone like a piece enough to buy it? Did I price my art too high? Too low? How will I compare against the other artists? Will I be a one hit art show wonder? Prime material for my inner critic to work with. Thankfully I don't depend on selling my art to pay the bills so the situation is low risk. On the positive side, how many people are invited to participate in a gallery show!?! That's a pretty cool deal. I was thrilled to be asked to participate in the show, and will be over the moon if a piece sells so I can feed my art supply habit. At worst I will experience a slight blow to my ego, but nothing I can't eventually get over. If you're in the Modesto area, please visit Chartreuse Muse to support local emerging artists. For those of you too far away to make it to the show in person, you can be sure I'll post lots of updates and pictures over the next six weeks. Cheers, Adele If you haven't already heard, I have my first gallery show in July. That's right, I have a gallery show! As I was sharing the news with a friend the other day, she said "it seems like the stars have aligned and everything is falling into place for you." And she's right. Getting exposure and selling art takes a fair bit of luck. I am so thankful for the combination of support and luck that has fueled me so far. But getting a spot in a gallery show wasn't all luck. In addition to learning about color and design I have fully embraced the business side of art and how I can make it work for me.
When people suggested I try to sell my work, I had zero idea how to go about it. So I figured it out. I did a little research on marketing and pricing and took a stab. I was clueless about preparing a portfolio or writing an artist statement, but I figured it out. Nothing a quick google search couldn't address. When I saw an open call for artist submissions at a local gallery I was prepared. I did a quick scrub on my artist statement and portfolio, took a deep breath, and hit send. And guess what? They accepted my submission and asked me to show my work this summer. Super exciting!! So now I am learning how to pull together select pieces to develop a cohesive installation. And I'm learning the best way to work within commission pricing structures. If you're thinking about selling your work I highly encourage you to do some research and figure out what works for you. Write your artist statement. Determine your pricing structure. Put together an electronic portfolio. You never know when Lady Luck will knock. If you're ready when opportunity strikes the stars might align for you too. |
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About the ArtistI am a self-taught mixed media artist with a passion for vibrant color and lots of texture. My hope is that my paintings will inspire joy, and encourage others to connect with their inner artist. Archives
March 2020
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