Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Workshop preview

It's driving me bonkers that I don't really have time to blog today. Who knew the last two days of the year would be crazy busy here at this real work desk. Two days that I'm "holding the fort down" alone as HE is off hunting with son and grands.

I want to quickly share a little bit about my on-line workshop that I have been working on.

Just to answer a few questions that you have ask.

First of all, yes it is on-line workshop and I will be using the Ning.com network. If you have created a profile at Ning, you have finished the first step. More about that later.


You ask if you will be able to view the videos on dial up connection and I don't really know but I'm thinking not. If you are able to watch YouTube videos like the one in the last post, then yes. I do notice that most workshops presenters do say high speed is required.

I'm sorry, I haven't yet committed to an exact day to open registration but it will be soon. Like within two weeks. I hope.


This little canvas shown is one of the projects in the workshop and it is a start to finish in real time with many segments and lots of information. I'm almost done with editing.

This workshop is about Norah'S Faces.
She and I paint in many mediums and will share several face painting techniques.
It is not about painting backgrounds; although, we will create one.
It is not about gel transfers; although we will create one.
It is not about sketching faces; although we will draw an egg with eyes, nose, and mouth.
It is not about napkins; although there is a fabulous bonus video about layering napkins.
In addition to the above face, I have already videoed four others to include in this workshop.
For now, that's all I can tell you as I'm rushed for time.
Looking forward,
Sharon
PS Just a favor to ask. Please share the word about the workshop because it will be lots of fun.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

I lied



Yes I know, I said I wouldn't be back until the Christmas weekend. But here is a little video of the Sketchbook Project.

Your interest in my upcoming face painting workshop warms my heart. Thank You! I'm working real hard to get all the detail ready to announce to you.

Also, just a little tease, I wanted to mention that three of the pages in A Timekeepers Diary will be separate video segments in the workshop.

Expect more,

Sharon

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Finished Time Project

Here is the finished page.
It is the last spread in the book but not the last page to complete.
Hey, look..........
my eye is so much better.
really and I should have told you that it was not painful at all.
Thank you for you all your caring words. It means so much.
See.........all better wink wink
********
Visual Tutorial on this the last spread.
Here is how it happens sometimes.
But first, the finished spread for
"I need face time today".

The above was the background that I had prepared last week.
As I was getting so close to the end of the Sketchbook Project, I was beginning to run out of steam, energy, inspiration and time.
This background stumped me and I kept looking at it and waiting for inspiration.
Nothing.

The thing that works for me sometimes is to just pick up the paint brush.

So, that is what I did.

I knew I wanted to paint a face so I chose to push around some Folk Art "skintone" in the middle of the background.
That couldn't hurt. This background was doing nothing for me.

Then I added some blue on the left.

Then I started scrounging through a stack of "stuff" and ran across these two pages of doodles.

They were art-at-the-desk while I was waiting to receive the Moleskin.

I was trying to think of what in the world I could do with the theme, "time".

I am so happy now that I brought the doodles home.

The little sketch in the upper right corner inspired me today.

That was all I needed.

Using a water soluble pencil, I just made a continuous circle around and around.
Then added face features.
Fun funky features.
Then I started adding shading around the edges.
Think I was using violet oxide liquid acrylic.
I decided to switch to a Folk Art terra cotta because it was more of the color in the background.
That's when my eye was directed to Folk Art Metallic Copper.
I used that but eventually covered it with other colors.
Say what you will, but I really like the way Folk Art acrylics blend on paper substrate.
(off topic but I think one of the lessons in my first online workshop will be with Folk Art paints)

OK

You know how I am, I reach a point and get lost and forget to photograph.
But here she is before I added the clock hands.
In Gold.

Also stenciled gold dots.

And she is finished.
Notice that I changed the writing from black to white.
More better.
I think.

Just as soon as I type the information on my Library Card that I added, I will be on target to mail this on December 22, 2009. That is all the TIME that I allowed for this project.
I'm happy it is done.
I'm happy with it.
I'm sad to send it away.....to never see again.
Unless, it comes to a location close to me.
And it could.
More on that later.

I'm thinking I will be absent from posting until Christmas weekend.
But I will be visiting blogs and stopping in to say hi.
I will be working on another pressing project, as well as,
my workshop videos.
Expect to hear more about that,
Sharon

Friday, December 18, 2009

In Progress

Another Sketchbook Project page.......
In Progress

This page is not finished which is why I'm only showing this close up.

I'm showing unfinished for two reasons:

One:

We are about to have a family Christmas weekend celebration.

Therefore, I will be off line and absent for a bit.

Number Two:

I am so very excited to tell you that I have been working on an online workshop

that I hope to have ready in January.

Painting the above little face is one of several lesson included in this first workshop.

Expect more about my workshop soon.

Expect me to go on and on and on about it.

Expect a fantabulous workshop not to be missed,

Sharon

*********************************************


WARNING


GROSSNESS


AHEAD


......


......



I'm seeing Stars...................


no no


I mean


HEARTS


subconjunctival hemorrhage

not a serious thing

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Cover Time




I'm about to run out of TIME.
How about you?
I meant for these faces to be "sketches" over the prepared background. However, when I picked up my brush with the medium to set the sketch marks, the Stabilo pencil marks just became paint for me. I moved the pigment around until I lost the "sketch" quality. Sort of. All I added was Zink White in the high spots.
I'm happy it is done.
Although, you know how I am, I always see something I would do different. I won't tell you what.
Two more spreads and I will be mailing this off to Art House Co-op for the Sketchbook Project.
Until next time,
Sharon

Friday, December 11, 2009

Kiss Kiss


Good Morning,
Sometimes it starts like this. A desk doodle, also known as art-at-the-desk.
I wondered if I could paint "kissing".
So I gave it a try. Then I chickened out on painting the second person.
Anyway, it is another page in my Sketchbook project and it is good enough.



How about you give k.i.s.s.i.n.g. at try.
Expect kissing,
Sharon


Thursday, December 10, 2009

Par-Ta-Time

I'm just a little bit excited this morning only because I did get up with huge energy and went to my ART desk and painted. I talked to you all while I did that. I know I know, you didn't hear me but that didn't stop me from talking. I pretended.

After I finished that other page then I came back to this one where the pat-ta-girls are letting their hair down for party time.
Expect to hear me,
Sharon

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Time Do-overs

I know you've thought about it.
If you could have time do-overs.
Or what about this? What if you could just go backwards in time?
You know, what if we started out with knowledge and experience.
And we went backwards in time and did everything perfect and made all the right choices.
Or maybe this, what if we could go back and repeat those really really good times.
Just because they were so good that you would want to experience them again.
Heck, I sometimes want to go back and have the same dream.
Just because it was so good.
Or what if there is just that one little tiny thing you wished you had done different?
I know you have thought about it.
Expect to,
Sharon

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Time Flies



That's it, Time flies when you are having fun.

Having a lazy day here.

Making a little progress on the sketchbook.

and

Watching movies.

Expect something or other,

Sharon

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Night Time


Another page in this project. I am officially half way through not counting the cover. That is because I glued some pages together. That is because I would have never finished otherwise and mainly they needed to be more substantial for painting sketches instead of sketching sketches. I like this page and i have all sort of thoughts while I'm painting and then when it comes time for the "words" (because I declared this A Timekeeper's Diary), I'm blank.
Expect words soon,
Sharon

Monday, November 30, 2009

Happy Hour

Aren't they happy?
That's how I feel today having to come back to real life work.
This was my last prepped background for the Sketchbook Project.
No worry, I did three more this morning.
For some reason I was late for real life work.
Expect Monday,
Sharon

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Misty Class



I'm playing ART with the ever so generous Misty Mawn in her online "Painting Layers" class. The first week was learning how much fun it is to paint a whole stack of backgrounds and have them all waiting for the next step. Week two was collage which I hope to do more of.


Well my four days are almost over and I can report a great balance of outside and inside fun.

Now, I think I will go and try a nap for fun.
Expect sleep,
Sharon

Friday, November 27, 2009

Sketchbook Project



I really do enjoy painting on top of a prepared background. I seldom did that in the past. But what I like is just letting the background show through the face. The only thing, it really doesn't take much "time" to paint the face. Well that's good because "no matter what I do time just keeps ticking around me."
Expect a great weekend,
Sharon



Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Timeline

Here is another page in my Sketchbook Project. Sorry I forgot to give the link last time to Art House Co-op. It is a great site and they have many projects that you might participate in. This one is closed I believe and my Sketchbook is due January 4th. I think I will have enough time to finish.
Expect more,
Sharon

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Timekeeper




I'm finally getting started on the Sketchbook Project. It took four weeks for the Moleskin to arrive and then I had to put it off a bit more. Today I official became the Timekeeper. You see each participant is assigned a theme and mine is "Time". This should be easy as I'm always talking about needing time; more time; enough time; etc etc etc...........

Update on our life: my Mother-in-law passed away last week. She had reached the end of her time. We will grieve for her but she had a long life and we feel blessed with that.

I started a new Thanksgiving tradition at the Tomlinson house this year by celebrating Thanksgiving with dinner on the Saturday before. Ryan and Kristy didn't get to be with us because Ryan is not doing well right now. Kevin and Zack came as did Melissa, Timothy and Ashley who declared the dressing the best ever.

I'm sitting here right now feeling stuffed after finishing the leftovers and happy after playing ART all day.

Expect Time,

Sharon

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Texture


I don't know why but I always get one eye out of whack. It seems to be the same eye too high and too big. But I never see it until I have nearly finished the painting. Usually, I leave it.
As I worked on this page this morning, and sketched her off the edge, it became a challenge for me to see if I could balance the page. I like the result and I didn't wish to write over it. It may be time for me to get out a canvas. But I have to tell you that I am enjoying exploring in my Gut Art Journal.
Expect ............
Sharon

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Faces

Painted with homemade pallet knife (new favorite tool).
Scrapped eyes and shape into wet paint with homemade pallet knife.
Then outlined. No additional paint added.

Just had to show you the spreads and how they integrate.
The hamburgers were great.
Thanks Sonic for bargain burgers.
Expect faces,
Sharon

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Beauty


I thought you might want to see who she is looking at. Their story continues.


Many of you have ask about the white pen I have been using in my Gut Art Journal. So here it is. It writes and flows better than any I have tried and I have tried all of them. After it dries, I usually seal it with Golden Matte Medium. Then it is permanent.


Expect hamburgers for supper,
Sharon


Monday, November 09, 2009

Dare Book

My friend Zorana sent me her "I Dare You" book. You know that's the one where we have matching books and we swap back and forth and play ART in each one.

Before sending it, she played ART on the above page and then dared me to play ART on the same page. Actually, what she dared me to do was exercise. Notice the words she deliberately left showing on the page.
Oh, it was a wonderful page to play on. Especially when I turned it sideways and saw that nose and eye. Maybe you'll want to go back and look closely and even click on the picture for a much better look. During my morning ART session, I did very little to bring out the story on this page and what a fun way to start the day. Makes me happy.
And by the way, the girls from the previous post have been identified. Turns out Laura knows them, Jessie and Jane Johnson and their story. She told me about them in her comment. And you were all right. It is a compelling page. It's just that I didn't enjoy painting it. But I do now enjoy staring at it and the mystery of it. I know I don't say it enough but I do Thank You all for sharing your comments with me. It means so much.
Expect ART time,
Sharon