Creative Printmaking 2 OPEN for Registration!

Hi. I’m Anita!

Three of the things I love about printmaking are the “ah-ha” moment of surprise,  the unique look of a print and the way you can make multiple versions of a design. Printmaking is so fun, easy and accessible… and in this class—the second in my Creative Printmaking series— we will discover dry point etching and collagraph. And all by HAND (no printing press required!).

With drypoint, we will explore delicate and beautiful LINE by etching into plexiglass plates with either hand tools or a dremel. This physical process of etching the plates is surprisingly addictive and fun, and we will create several prints atop our colorful monotyped bases.

Then we will work with TEXTURE & SHAPE and make collographs! This mixed-media  process lets us investigate shape, color and reinforce our design concepts and work on multiple prints.

Finally, we have our arsenal of 6-10 dryprint and collograph prints, we will then assess each and finish the works with pastel,  ink and collage. Practicing the subtractive and additive process will give us never ending discoveries.

Printmaking is trial and error in the very best way, with so many happy surprises… please join us for round two where we roll, wipe, scribe, dab + design!

Anita

Add my first class: Creative Printmaking to your cart as well and get it at 35% off.

P.S Scholarships are available. Click HERE.

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Samples of prints made by the techniques shown in this class:

Drypoint Etching:

Collographs:

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Class Itinerary

Videos are pre-recorded and will release on the following schedule:

Week 1
Lesson 1 – Tuesday, October 17
Lesson 2 – Wednesday, October 18
Lesson 3 – Thursday, October 20

Week 2
Lesson 4 – Tuesday, October 24
Lesson 5 – Wednesday, October 25
Lesson 6 – Friday, October 27

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Lesson 1: Six Base Monotypes
In this first lesson we will review monotype printing skills and create at least six base monotype prints that we will use as starts for the rest of the class.

Lesson 2: Dry Point Plate Preparation
Get out your sharp instruments and create one or more drypoint plates. I will demonstrate with hand tools, Dremel, and sandpaper on plexiglass.

Lesson 3: Printing our Dry Point Plates
Today we will learn how to properly ink our plates and make our first series of prints!

Lesson 4: Collograph Plate Preparation
We will get out the gloss medium and create Collagraph plates today.

Lesson 5: Printing our Collgraph Plates
Today we will learn how to properly ink our plates and make our second series of prints!

Lesson 6: Evaluation and Finishing Touches
Evaluation + Finishing touches: Pastel, Collage + Trace Monotype Additions

Click HERE for more info and to sign up!

Three Amazing NYC Art Shows

New York City is my happy place. I’ve loved it since the first time I came 33 years ago, with my 2-year-old son Christer in tow, to attend the wedding celebration of a good friend. I remember making a cassette tape recording of Christer babbling in a yellow cab (which I would love to find again!), and walking through Central Park on a glorious Fall day with Christer asleep in his spaghetti stroller.

I’ve been able to visit 8-10 times since then (an average of once every 3-4 years) and it never disappoints. And now I have friends who live here as well, so it feels like home in many ways.

Yesterday was a really big visiting day. I had dinner with some of my writing group friends (SO FUN!), but spent spent the afternoon before that with Kara Kramer, a Brooklyn artist and illustrator AND one of our teachers! Kara and I visited some gallery shows in Harlem and Chelsea. Here are three artists that really stood out that you might want to check out if you are needing some colorful, “more is more” inspiration today!

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1.
Artist: BK Adams (from Washington, DC)
Show Title: Five Miles
Claire Oliver Gallery
Harlem, NYC

I took this detail photo because I loved the expression on this particular lion’s face, but go HERE to see the whole show.

From the show description: “Five Miles features all new multimedia paintings, created in the artist’s signature style, and layered with cyphers and narratives. Representing joy, empowerment, faith, fatherhood, and wisdom, this body of work offers the viewer a moment of reflection and encouragement. Adams employs a series of animal characters including a pride male lion and a blue (collar) horse to narrate his complex biographical and metaphorical stories.”

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2.
Artist: Jacob Hashimoto (Ossining, NY)
Show: The Disappointment Engine
Miles McEnery Gallery
Chelsea, NYC

My photo above DOES NOT do his work justice! Click HERE to see some beautiful images!

From the show description: “It’s an interesting moment for artist Jacob Hashimoto. For nearly three decades, his kite-constructed works have captivated viewers with a fusion of meticulous hand-craftsmanship and the optical effect of digital pixels. His wall works often consist of six suspended layers of circular paper and bamboo “kites” that obscure as much as they reveal, shifting with every footstep. His newest exhibition The Disappointment Engine is a knock-out at Miles McEnery Gallery in New York, presenting 11 new works, including a massive wall-to-wall, cloud-like installation at the entrance.” — David Behringer

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3.
Artist: Jeffrey Gibson
Show: Ancestral Superbloom
Sikkema Jenkins & Co.
Chelsea, NYC

This show was so amazing! In the detail photo above, I really responded to his blocky words. Here is an e-catalogue of the whole show… colorful and fantastic!

From the show description: “Sikkema Jenkins & Co. is pleased to present ANCESTRAL SUPERBLOOM, a solo exhibition of new work by Jeffrey Gibson. This exhibition features a series of recent multimedia paintings, including large-scale painted elk hides, and a painted bronze sculpture edition. The title refers to the botanical phenomenon of the superbloom, during which a high volume of wildflowers blossom within an area at the same time. Gibson relates this explosive blooming to the vibrant saturation cultivated in his own work, and to the greater contemporary landscape of Indigenous artistic production and representation.” See more HERE.

An In-Person Workshop with Alayne Spafford!

Hi everyone!

I just spent this past weekend at a workshop taught by Alayne Spafford! I’ve admired her work on instagram for years and was thrilled to get a spot in her class with NYC’s Visionary Projects!

Here are some samples of her wonderful work:

Right?!

I’m not an abstract artist but have dabbled here and there over the years… and I love it! But I knew I was in for a challenge with Alayne’s class because her style feels so intuitive and ORGANIC… and with abstract art it’s hard for me to trust myself that I am going in the right direction.

Alayne is a warm, knowledgable and fun instructor who spent a lot of time with each of us individually, helping all of us “see” the potential in our paintings. Seriously, she was a master at this… I appreciated her very much!

After the first day, I came away with four small pieces with first layers:

Four solid starts! I had a good day Saturday, and really enjoyed seeing the work of my fellow workshop participants as well.

But Sunday we were tasked with isolating shapes and blocking them out with paint and, boy, did Alayne make it look easy during her demo! I spent most of the day reworking the last piece shown above, and here is where it was mid-way through the day:

I liked this version, but I really wanted to try and get the hang of isolating shapes like Alayne does. So after she sat with me and made some suggestions as to where she would take it if it were her piece, I went back in.

And it was so challenging! I didn’t resolve the painting by the end of the day, unfortunately… but I did have a more successful result with the second piece I worked on… It started here…

… and ended up, here:

I was able to isolate some shapes! 😀

Thank you Alayne for a wonderful class… and thank you to all of my fellow class participants who made the weekend even more fun!

Spray Painting

The past few months I’ve been spray painting a lot… first with regular (stinky) spray paints, but more recently with newly discovered Ecoline liquid water colors… and it has been really fun and maybe even a little addictive! Mostly I’m spraying through lace fabric or crocheted doilies that I have collected during my thrift store visits:

Here are some collage papers I’ve sprayed:

And here are a few journal covers I made for a recent show:

Here are some paintings using flowers and leaves as stencils instead of lace:

And here are some color pieces (the first one worked into with colored pencil):

I’m hoping to develop this into an in-person class in 2024 (with Bellissima Art Escapes), and also possibly a standalone online class as well.

In the meantime, I hope you will experiment on your own! I use watered down Ecoline Liquid Watercolors and these spray bottles. And I’ve used all kinds of paper as substrates… rice paper, graph paper, regular computer paper, watercolor paper, etc.

When spraying, you end up soaking the lace with watercolor, but I don’t wash them out. I just continue to use them, and sometimes the residual color bleeds through, making for some unexpected surprises.

I hope you have fun with it!

(If you are interested in in-person teaching information or new online class information, please sign up for my newsletter HERE!)

“The Magic of Colored Pencils” NEW CLASS!

The Magic of Colored Pencils
Teacher: Robert Lucy
6 Lessons

In this class we will take a deep dive into the delightfully meditative process of working with colored pencils. We will discuss the unusual and individual properties of the colored pencil, and through a series of exercises we will practice shading and layering on white and then colored paper.

Then I’ll guide you through a final drawing that will focus on a technique that I have developed extensively of layering images one on top another, and then worked up so that both layers are visible at the same time. This is a technique that is very valuable in making ethereal, dreamlike and poetic works of art.

I hope you can join me!

Bobby

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Class Itinerary

The lessons are prerecorded and will be available on the following schedule:

Lesson 1 – Tuesday, 9/19
Lesson 2 – Wednesday, 9/20
Lesson 3 – Friday, 9/21

Lesson 4 – Tuesday, 9/26
Lesson 5 – Wednesday, 9/27
Lesson 6 – Friday, 9/29

Lesson 1
We will begin by discussing the particular properties and advantages of the colored pencil, and then move into a series of exercises to practice shading and layering on white paper.

Lesson 2
We will introduce colored paper which is such a lovely and rich paper to use with colored pencil. We will then continue with more exercises to explore the different qualities that the colored paper introduces.

Lesson 3
We will move from our abstract exercises to the introduction of imagery using clouds as our subject. We will make an 8”x10” cloud study on colored paper, practicing the shading and layering techniques introduced in Lessons 1 and 2.

Lesson 4
In this lesson we will begin our final drawing, introducing the idea of drawing in monochrome. We will begin our final 8″x10″ drawing by drawing a light layer of a monochromatic face of your choosing.

Lesson 5
Having introduced our monochromatic face we will now introduce the technique of adding a second image of clouds on top of our face, discovering how to allow this second image to whimsically interact with the underlying face.

Lesson 6
Finally we will develop the face and the clouds together to make a drawing where both images are visible and interact with each other.

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For more information, click HERE!

Three CREATIVITY Classes You Might Like

Hi everyone! 

We wanted to break down our 50+ class catalog into some categories, and hope you find this series of blog posts helpful.

Here are three CREATIVITY classes you might like!

1.
Spark!
Teacher: Lynn Whipple & Carla Sonheim
12 Lessons

This 12-lesson class is taken from Spark, the yearlong class that Lynn Whipple and I did together some years back. And it is all about ART, and how we can infuse MORE of it into our lives. We each teach 6 lessons on everything from collage to painting and we tried to fill each one up with the best ideas and processes we had to make a fun-filled class of creative exploration.

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2.
Imaginary Creatures
Teacher: Carla Sonheim
6 Lessons

“I have learned how to enjoy drawing again for the sheer pleasure of it!” — Jennifer M.

As a lot of you know, I love to draw and paint animals… and in this class we draw from life, from photos, and from our imaginations. From there we’ll look for our fictional animals in the paint and I’ll demo some no-fail watercolor tricks and how to put the finishing touches on with pen, colored pencil, marker, collage, or whatever else the piece needs so you can create a series of your own imaginary creatures.

We also did a bonus video with some gift ideas you can make with your new creatures.

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3.
Year of the Rabbit
26 Lessons

The biggest thing we do every year is our yearlong class (we started in 2013 with Year of the Giraffe) and it is always a special place to grow and encourage each other.

For 2023 I am teaching 24 lessons…don’t worry, if you start now you still have access to all the material… and we have been getting together every month on Zoom to work and share. We are using the rabbit as an anchor image throughout the year of drawing, painting, collaging, writing, sewing, printing and creating together (but not just rabbits!) and we are also making an artist book to hold it all. 

I hope you can jump in with us!

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If you would like to check out our full catalog with over 50 classes and 20 teachers, click HERE!

Three BOOKMAKING Classes You Might Like

Hi everyone! 

We wanted to break down our 50+ class catalog into some categories, and hope you find this series of blog posts helpful.

Here are three BOOKMAKING classes you might like!

1.
Buttonhole Stitch Journal
Teacher: Bari Zaki
4 Lessons

“I adored Bari’s class. She has a lovely presence, and the process she showed us for making books is delightful, engrossing, and accessible. ” — Beth W.

In this bookbinding class we will be making a beautiful handmade journal using the buttonhole-stitch technique – a non-adhesive style binding. Bari writes:

“It’s a delightful binding style (no glue!) and the book we’ll make is wonderful for journaling, sketching, doodling, drawing, or to use as a photo album or keepsake book. With the little window on the spine, it might be fun to alternate the colors of your pages. It also makes for a great gift anytime of the year!

I look forward to sharing my love of paper and making books with you!”

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2.
Seeded Notebook
Teacher: Henrik Drescher
6 Lessons

Making these notebooks using Henrik’s process is something that I keep coming back to again and again. The project is so simple and yet so magical that it can (and maybe should!) become a regular part of anyone’s art life!

Henrik has us start by randomly placing drawings and collage pieces on large sheets of paper, then cutting and gluing so that you have a book that has “seeds” of ideas already sprouted on the spreads. From there, you “finish!”

A seeded notebook is like someone taking your work, mixing it up in a blender and then showing you all kinds of new things about your work and yourself.

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3.
Doing More With Your Gelli Plate
6 Lessons

One of the great things about Gelli Plate printing is that you can create a lot of artwork in a short period of time, and this class is about making lots of stuff and it combines three of my favorite things: Animals, Printmaking, and Artist Books!

“The lessons are really inspiring… they motivate me to experiment and have lots of fun with the Gelli Plate! Thanks!” — Mathilde M.

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If you would like to check out our full catalog with over 50 classes and 20 teachers, click HERE!

Three PORTRAIT Classes You Might Like

Hi everyone! 

We wanted to break down our 50+ class catalog into some categories, and hope you find this series of blog posts helpful.

Here are three PORTRAIT classes you might like!

1.
Mixed-Media Girls
Teacher: Cori Dantini
6 Lessons

This sweet and wonderful class brings together the things that we all have floating around in our studios and our heads! A true mixed-media class that also combines story, illustration and personality. From the class description:

Cori Dantini has a gift for making magical story portraits using vintage papers, watercolor, inks and markers. In this class you will learn her process of layering vintage paper to create a different type of an underpainting, one that will (typically) reveal its own message as you draw and paint—a delightful process filled with its own kind of surprise.

“I never thought I could draw faces, but Cori’s freestyle method is giving me confidence!” — Karla H.

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2.
Making Faces
Teacher: Lynn Whipple
6 Lessons

Lynn Whipple takes on this traditional subject matter—the human face—from a fresh contemporary angle that will take the “intimidation factor” out of trying to capture a likeness and, like all Lynn’s classes, make it fun and addictive.

In this class you will create dozens and dozens of different types of faces. You will draw, paint and collage, play with line, shape, color and mark and you’ll come away with an approach to keep your art practice fresh and full of new ideas.

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3.
Portraits with Lewis Rossignol
6 Lessons

Lewis Rossignol might be best known for his striking and enigmatic portraits. Each one is a multi-layered, mixed media composition that captures the personality of his subject in a very simple and direct way.

About the class he says:

“Drawing portraits is the most satisfying type of drawing that I do. However, learning to do portraits can be both challenging and maybe even frustrating if you come at it from the wrong angle or with the wrong mindset. This class will help you to actually enjoy drawing portraits. We’ll work on learning on how to draw what you see in a reference photograph, without ruining the fun by worrying about ‘the rules’.”

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If you would like to check out our full catalog with over 50 classes and 20 teachers, click HERE!

Three MORE COLLAGE Classes You Might Like

Hi everyone! 

We wanted to break down our 50+ class catalog into some categories, and hope you find this series of blog posts helpful.

Here are three MORE COLLAGE classes you might like!

1.
The Collage Techniques of Anne Marie Grgich
Teacher: Anne Marie Grgich
9 Lessons

One look at Anne’s collage work and you realize why she has been called “ … one of the most original and innovative of the group of American artists known as ‘Outsiders’.” 

In this class Anne generously shares her lifelong passion for making art, you will learn her step-by-step technique as she demonstrates mixed-media elements of ornamentation, printing, drawing, painting and cold wax treatment. You’ll assemble overlays of collage and cutouts and build up color fields and use subliminal tactics, such as overpainting collage with glow-in-the-dark paint, to achieve a deep transparent layering. Anne is one of a kind and has been featured on the cover of Raw Vision Magazine. We are lucky to have her.

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2.
Fine Art Collage
Teacher: Melinda Tidwell
6 Lessons

From Melinda:

“This class is part treasure hunt, part deconstruction and discovery, and part reconstruction and art-making. We will be using used books for our raw material so your journey begins at the thrift store and ends with some surprisingly cool pieces of art. Every part of this journey is interesting and fun.”

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3.
How to Make Abstract Art That Works
Teacher: Melinda Tidwell
6 Lessons

Melinda has a way of breaking down the process of abstract composition that allows us to relax and enjoy it while staying focused. Her approach came from her desire to go from appreciating abstract art to making it:

“When I first began to attempt making abstract art, I knew what I liked in museums, but I had no idea how to do it myself. I had taken both drawing and painting classes at college but our work was always representational. I had also taken classes where you just sit down and start painting abstract colors and shapes. I would get this horrible anxiety of just feeling aimless and utterly lost. This is the course I wish I had had to get me started, a primer on abstract composition for art.”

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If you would like to check out our full catalog with over 50 classes and 20 teachers, click HERE!

Three ILLUSTRATION Classes You Might Like

Hi everyone! 

We wanted to break down our 50+ class catalog into some categories, and hope you find this series of blog posts helpful.

Here are three ILLUSTRATION classes you might like!

1.
Creative Illustration Workout
Teacher: Katie Vernon
6 Lessons

“There is no wrong way to draw something that doesn’t exist.”

This pretty much sums up this class from contemporary Illustrator and artist Katie Vernon. Katie is able to find that delicate balance between not taking yourself too seriously and making real work. Nothing is impossible or too silly to become an idea for a story or a piece of art. With Katie it is all about letting your imagination run free… really, really free!

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2.
Creating Simple Characters
Teacher: Nelleke Verhoeff
6 Lessons

We had Nelleke come over from the Netherlands to film this class and it was a bit of a risk, not because we didn’t love her work but because had never had someone travel so far. But we had such a great time with her… and she is really fun to watch, too! Her ideas and techniques are fresh and can be a big boost for anyone interested in illustration and story. Creators of children’s books, animations, graphic novels, comics… all can benefit from Nelleke’s character creating process. Her mastery of composition and understanding of emotion can bring a few little scraps of paper to life.

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3.
Fairy Tale Illustration
(aka Fairy Tale Summer)
Teacher: Carla Sonheim
16 Lessons

One of our first really big classes was Year of the Fairytale… we put everything we had into it and this class includes all eight lessons. I love illustration and, like many of you, especially children’s books. I had so much fun going through these favorite stories and coming up with different ways to illustrate them. Watch the promo video and see if it grabs you!

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If you would like to check out our full catalog with over 50 classes and 20 teachers, click HERE!