Final Frugal Still Life Photography Assignment

At the beginning of the year, I took a free photography class called Frugal Still Life Photography (you can see my class review here).  Several of the assignments called for using shadows and editing effects to try to create an "Old World" style still life. When taking the class, I don't think I was able to really accomplish that task. Recently, however, I took a counter top still life and transformed it into something that I do feel like has an Old World feel to it. The only problem? It doesn't look very appetizing! LOL!

Here's a less Old World version of the same set-up:

I think I like the second one better. What about you? 

One of the things I like about taking classes is that the lessons stay with me and continue to influence my artistic endeavors. I would never have noticed this counter top composition and taken time to photograph it before I took the class. But I'm glad I did. Have you ever noticed a class that stayed with you weeks or even months after you completed it?

2013 Classes Old and New

My friend Jacky chose "finish" as her one little word for 2013.  I found that inspiring because I have some unfinished things that I want to do in 2013.  I'd like to finish up the decluttering of the kids's rooms and garage, inspired by my 2012 word "home" (as well as fix the fences in the back yard). I also have some specific things to finish up from my 2011 word "health."
Jacky's post also inspired me to make a list of the unfinished online classes and work books I have. I'm documenting them below in the hopes of finishing them up this year.  Creating the inventory also made me realize that, although I had plenty of drawing and photography classes, I wanted to add a mixed media art journaling class to the mix. So, I searched around the internet and stumbled upon Kelly Kilmer's class "Marvel: Your Precious Life." It intrigued me because her art journal pages are very different from my typical style. I also like the idea of a "dry" class - no paints; just paper and pens. I have so many collage images and specialty papers that this seemed like a great way to bust into my stash. I'm enjoying it so far. I'm sure you'll see pages from the class on my blog this month, and I promise to do a class review when I'm done. The page up top is from the prompt: "What is your dream for today?" And my answer was "Today I want to make art."
Here's the inventory of other classes in my hopper:
Alisa Burke's Sketchbook Delight, Part 2. Bought it on sale; haven't started it yet.
Katrina Kennedy's Exposure photography class. Bought it. Printed out the pages. Carried them around all summer. Haven't started it yet.
Iphone photography e-book. Just purchased this for myself. Want to work through it.
Chris Orwig's People Pictures (30 portrait exercises). Purchased it and really want to work through it.
Art Journals on the Go. Received this video in a blog give-away and want to watch it.
Photoshop Elements - I have one or two classes purchased to teach me PSE. It was so long again I'm not even sure where they are. Sigh. I hope to find them and work through them.
Paper for the Ipad. This isn't technically a class. But I bought the app and have a stylus on order. I'm planning to work on digital sketching this year.  I have to give a hat tip to Sammi aka Journal Girl who inspired me with her 365 days of digital journaling posts.
That's a lot!!! No need to purchase any more classes until I finish these I think.
What about you? Are there classes you're working on finishing? Or thinking about joining?

Classes in Progress (A Confession)

I received an email from Strathmore today that the "Force Drawing" class in which I am enrolled is set to begin.  It's a free class, and you can learn more about it at this link.  I'm not quite ready to start it though. Why? Because I haven't finished the earlier free Strathmore class  ("Watercolor Sketching") in which I am enrolled!  I've finished the first two lessons in the watercolor class, but there's still two lessons to go.  I looked at the lessons and decided that I really do want to complete that class. There's a third free Strathmore class - Doodling Unleashed with Traci Bautista.  I haven't even looked at that one, and I'm not sure I will before the classes expire in August.
Anyway, this got me thinking about the other classes I have "in progress," and I was chagrined by the length of my list.
In the mixed media realm, I am almost done with "The Art of Wild Abandonment," for which I did the art journal page up top.  There are about three projects I want to finish before I declare that class "done."  I want to do that fairly soon, so I can post a class review before I forget what I learned in it.
At the end of last year, I signed up for a Katrina Kennedy photography class called "Exposure." I never managed to start that class! I did, however, just locate the class materials online, and I will print it out soon.  Also in the photography field, I need to do some refreshing on photo shop. I bought permanent video access to Kim Klassen's Skinny Mini class, and I want to go back and work my way through the videos again. I also bought a Jessica Sprague photo editing class called Good-to-Great. I started the class and then my hard drive died. Sadly, I never got back to it. I'm going to figure out whether I still have access to those class materials.
Finally, on the scrapbooking side, I recently won the class "Collect and Create with Amy Tan" from the Ali Edwards blog.  I need to sign up at Two Peas and figure out how to collect that class.
That seems like plenty to keep me busy through the summer!!! It is very unlike me to sign up for or start a class and then not finish it. Please someone poke me if I even hint at signing up for something else until I work my way through these!
So, there you have it - my  "classes in progress" confession. I'm willing to bet that I'm not alone in having a list of classes "in progress." I'm curious. What's on your list?

How do you "use" an online class?

Shimelle's current class, Pretty Paper Party, has been going on for a few days, and it has really helped me find my scrapbooking mojo and given me some nice blog content. As the class has proceeded, I've begun to think about how I "use" an online class and to wonder about how others do the same.  

1. For me, I rarely follow the prompts precisely or follow a sketch exactly. Part of my issue is that I have a very distinct style - it's very linear and it incorporates a lot of photos. I almost always make two page layouts.  This is very different from Shimelle's style, which tends heavily to pages with a single photo.  Instead, I tend to use the prompts as a jumping off point or inspiration to create something.  Today's layout, for instance, was prompted by a post about mixing polka-dots and stripes. I didn't do the mixing on this layout, but I did use her sketch to build the page on the left-hand side.  The rest of the layout flowed very easily from that starting-point.

2. I also use classes as major motivation. I'm not sure why participating in a class gives me the freedom to set aside time to craft, but it does. And I'm really happy to be making progress.

3. For some classes, I use the class forum a lot to meet people and to discuss ideas. I haven't done that so much with this current class so far. But I really want to (and will this weekend) because it helps me connect with others and make new blog friends.

4. Some on line classes give great instruction via the PDF's or videos. I think that Shimelle's description of putting together a "kit" or "collection," for example, was fabulous!

5. Finally, I love using classes as blog fodder. Since my blog focuses on my art, it's nice to have new artwork to share. It's also nice to discuss the various prompts in the blogosphere with others who are taking the class.

So, I'm curious. How do you "use" an online class? And for those of you tired of the vacation photos and this kit/collection, take heart! I only have one more layout left to go!

Teaching Art Journaling

Last month, I taught an art journaling class.  We met Sunday mornings for three weeks in a row and worked a variety of different creativity challenges.  My manifesto for the class is above.  It reads "This art journal is my special place to record my inner world.  It is a place to download my creative ideas, a place to remember the events of the day, a place to doodle, to draw and to dream."  It was a terrific class, and one of my students, Connie Andrews of Connie's Dream, posted the most wonderful review of it. You can check it out here.  Thanks Connie!
In other news, the woman I think of as my art journaling mentor (even though I've never met her), Dina Wakley is offering a new art journaling class starting at the end of October.  It's $65, but there's a 20% discount if you sign up soon.  You can read more about it here. I've thoroughly enjoyed the classes I've taken from her.  If you click on the class review label below, you should be able to scroll through and read the reviews I've done of here classes.
P.S. This just in . . . the San Francisco Giants won the first game in the playoffs! Yes, I'm a sports fan, and, if you are too, don't forget to enter the sports fan give-away in this post.  The give-away is open until Sunday night California time.

I teach art and law school

My first two classes at the C.Andrews Studio went very well - art journaling as art diary and a gratitude journal on plaster. So, I've come up with my next three classes.  
In September, I'm teaching a class on "Art journaling as creative play." It runs for three Sunday mornings (a two hour class with additional studio time available at no charge). One technique that I'll be teaching (and that I used for the page above) is using a photograph or image as the inspiration for art journal pages.
In October, I'll be teaching a simple, relaxing card class geared to making fall cards.
I'll also be teaching the class I call "Stump Maria - Halloween Edition."  Here's the description:
"Have you ever purchased a product and then forgotten how to use it? Want to get more out of those supplies gathering dust in your drawers? Ever wanted to take a class tailored specifically to your needs? If so, this is the class for you! When you sign up for this class, indicate one crafting supply that you would like have covered in class.  I will use the sign-up list to design a variety of Halloween-themed projects.  If I choose your product, you get a $5 discount on the class. If you come up with a product that I can't figure out how to use, you can take the class for free!"
If you're in the San Francisco bay area and these classes sound like something in which you would be interested, email me at rinda1961@yahoo.com, and I'll send you details.


Regular readers of my blog may also know that I am a teacher - a law school professor at the University of San Francisco to be precise.  The school recently interviewed me and put together a little video that I thought you mind find interesting.  It's really a different side of me than what you might be used to seeing, but I'm feeling brave these days so decided to share it (assuming the link works).  Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADMnWjM3ltk

What's your favorite creative holiday?

My favorite creative holiday is definitely Halloween, especially if you toss Dias de los Muertos in with it.  I love making cards and other decorations for these holidays.  So, when I was looking at the current Stampotique challenge (which has a very nice sketch) and perusing my Stampotique stamps, I decided to make my first Halloween card for the year! The orange is inked grungepaper and the bat is inked grungeboard covered with rock candy. Do you have a favorite holiday to create for?


I also wanted to get some input on a class I'm considering for October called "Stump Maria - Halloween Edition."  Prior to class, I would ask students to suggest art supplies that they purchased but didn't know what to do with, and I would come up with Halloween themed pieces of artwork incorporating these supplies.  Anyone who comes up with a suggestion that I end up using will get a $5.00 discount on the class.  Anyone who comes up with a supply suggestion that I can't figure out how to use (i.e. who "stumps" me) will be able to take the class for free.  Does this sound like a fun class that you would want to take?  Any suggestions for refinements?

Art Class Offerings (because I can't help myself)

The art journaling prompt this month at The Scrappy Tree is "Change," and I created this page with a quote about inevitable, unavoidable change from Anais Nin that grabbed me as soon as I read it:
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful that the risk it took to blossom."
I used to teach art classes and stopped when my local scrapbook store closed. I've missed teaching, but never really found a good, easy venue to continue.  Until now.  My friend and art teacher, Connie Andrews, has taken the risk of renting a studio space for various people to gather and create art. I'm taking the risk with her because it is just too painful not to.  So, with a great deal of happiness (and a little trepidation), here are the classes I plan to offer for the next few months:


Art Journaling 1A:  Art Diary
Sunday mornings, June 13, 20 and 27. 9:30-11:30 am, with additional studio time available until 1:00 pm at no charge.  This three week class will give you the tools you need to get started creating an art journal as an art diary and to continue your journaling after class ends.  Cost for the three week class: $75 (plus a $25 material fee, which covers a fifty page artist book filled with handmade paper, a daily journal, and pens appropriate for art journaling).  Please bring gesso, scissors, a wet adhesive (glue, gel medium, etc.) and an assortment of paint brushes and acrylic paints. If you like, you can also bring an assortment of images and a heat tool. Due to the materials provided, the class is limited to six participants.  If you cannot attend any of the sessions, instructions will be available online and we may be able to schedule a make-up session.


Creating Cards with Ephemera
Saturday, July 24 -  9:30-12:00.  Come and learn how to use collage images, text and other ephemera to create visually balanced and aesthetically pleasing cards.  We will cover four designs/techniques, and the class fee includes materials to complete eight cards.  In addition, the class fee includes a wooden cigar box in which to package your cards, making them the perfect gift.  Please bring scissors, a paper trimmer, and your favorite adhesive.  Although I will have plenty of ephemera and rubber stamps, you are free to bring your own rubber stamps and ephemera.  $30.00


 Art Journaling 2A: Themed Art Journal  Plaster Gratitude Journal
Saturday, Aug. 14  - 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Learn how to incorporate a variety of collage and journaling techniques to create a cohesive, themed art journal.  You will also be introduced to working on plaster wrap, one of my favorite materials.  Please bring gesso, scissors, a wet adhesive (glue, gel medium, etc.) and an assortment of paint brushes and acrylic paints. A pre-work handout will be emailed to those who sign-up.  
Cost: $50


Art Journaling 1B:  Art Journal as Creative Play 
Sundays, Sept. 12, 19 and 26, 9:30 - 11:30 am with additional studio time available until 1:00 pm at no charge.  This class will give you the artistic tools and confidence you need to start art journaling regularly as a way to engage in creative play and/or create a sketchbook.   Cost for the three week class: $75 (plus a $10 material fee, which covers a spiral bound journal  and pens appropriate for the course).  If you cannot attend any of the sessions, instructions will be available online and we may be able to schedule a make-up session.

The studio is located at 103-1 Harvard , Princeton-by-the-Sea.  It is in the same building as Elegant Cheesecakes and just down the street from the Maverick's Surf Shop.  Jeff Clark (of Maverick's) has very considerately put up lots of signs directing folks to his shop, so you can just follow those and then keep going for another block.


If you would like to sign up for a class, please email me at rinda1961@yahoo.com or leave me a comment below with your email address, and I will contact you to confirm everything.
Thank you all for helping my art dream to blossom!

Some Art Goals - New Classes and More

There are several things I want to work on in the future:

• Return to teaching classes. I know that several of you have asked when I will return to teaching, and I definitely plan to. I have several classes planned out. Rustic Treasures (Designs on Plaster); Creating Cards with Collage Images; and Stamp, Emboss and Paint! are the three new ones. Plus, I'd like to return to a few favorites that I haven't done for a while. Next steps are to figure out where, come up with a schedule and get some students. Feel free to let me know what classes you'd like to see and what times generally work best for you (i.e. weeknight, weekend morning, weekend evening).
• Experiment with my "signature style."
• Work on my Heritage Scrapbook and Wedding Scrapbook. These are the projects that never seem to get done.
• Complete DD's Grade School Album . . . hopefully before she finishes middle school.
• Complete the catalogue of my completed art projects.

Today's blog features a collage on plaster I made for Veteran's Day called "Latino Service."