Live Streaming of Etsy event today

Hi! I forgot to mention that there will be an online run-through of my etsy project at 3:30pm Eastern time… here’s info from the etsy website:

Webcast at 3:30 p.m.: If you can’t make it in person, we’ll be doing a live demo via Livestream (instead of the Virtual Labs). You can check out the feed right on Etsy Community page – http://www.community.com

PS… I’m not EXACTLY sure how it will work… but try this link: http://www.etsy.com/community?ref=si_com

or the etsy.com site and hit the “community” button. See you there!

Off to New York!

Wish me luck! (I’ve been so nervous the past few days!!)

*****
Sunday • Fly to NYC

Monday • February 28 • EtsyLabs Craft Night • 4-8pm • Brooklyn, NY
“Picasso Dogs and One-Liner Elephants” • free

Tuesday • March 1 • LifeLabsNewYork • 7-9:30pm • Brooklyn, NY
“The Art of Silliness” Drawing Workshop • $35

Wednesday • Fly home!

*****

Etsy Shop Update

Hello!

I spent some time today listing some originals and journals that I have here in the studio.

(And wouldn’t I have LOVED to have had this done before yesterday, when I had loads of new hits to my store and blog due to this…  BUT, we do what we can do, right!?)

Etsy How-Tuesday

The Cereal Box Paper Dolls project from my book was featured yesterday over at the etsy blog… yay! Thank you so much, Julie and etsy!!

Bunny Woes

Wes is home from school today and so last night I stopped by the studio and got my gouache paints and a pad of paper… figured I would be home for most of today and I could “practice.”

Last night I worked the above rabbit into the UGLIEST mess of brown you’ve ever seen… I should have taken photos. But you have to trust me, it was bad.

I started using the “painting” as a palette for another piece… in tones of brown, of course. Then, as a last-ditch effort (and because of some Facebook encouragement from Dar Hosta), I went into it anew.

And it worked! I was able to salvage it!

It reminds me of a phrase from one of my favorite movies:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI5hi4c4y9k

(The phrase is 44 seconds in…)

 

Drawing, Life Drawing, and Life

“Believe it or not, I can actually draw.”
—Jean Michel Basquiat

Every once in awhile I feel the need to throw up a realistic drawing on this-here blog so that You — all of you who read my book and take my on-line classes — can see that I CAN “draw.” (The “real” way. The “serious” way.) So here’s a life drawing from last Sunday:

It was a 3-hour pose, and I worked on this drawing for about 2 hours and 15 minutes (red conte crayon, PanPastels). I enjoyed myself so much that I told Steve later I wanted to do life drawing every single day. Starting last Monday.

(I can see now that that arm in the front is a little “off,” but overall, I’m happy with it!)

But it was the process of concentrating, looking, making a mark, erasing a mark, correcting, adjusting, etc. that makes me want to go back and do it again. It reminds me of “life.” That’s exactly what we do each day, isn’t it?

* * *

I’ve been in a tiny funk the past few days. This almost always happens after the end of a big event, such as a retreat or an online class, where I just feel a bit “lost.” I’m trying to be gentle with myself for my lack of productivity, energy, and drive. (Right?!)

Still, I am slowly making headway on my giant to-do list. Almost all of the people from Silly 3 who completed their scavenger hunts have been mailed their prizes. The Squeens’ packages are slowly getting filled. Spanish Silly ends tomorrow. Then I need to figure out the rest of 2011. And schedule that mammogram. And take some walks. And clean the sty we call our home.

* * *

For Christmas I got some cash and bought myself “Man with a Blue Scarf: On Sitting for a Portrait by Lucian Freud,” by Martin Gayford. I’m really enjoying it a lot. Lucian Freud said the following, which struck home for me:

“One thing I have never got used to, is not feeling the same from one day to the next, although I try to control it as much as possible by working absolutely all the time. I just feel so different every day that it is a wonder that any of my pictures ever work out at all.”
— Lucian Freud

And that dove-tailed nicely with another quote I found when surfing for Silly 3 stuff the other day:

“You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one, and each day brings a miracle of its own.”
— Paulo Coelho

* * *

Over and Out.

The Playing Dog

By DeJeanne E.B.

Once upon a time there was a family of goats.  They had a puppy and a butterfly and a unicorn.  They played football with a lot of animals.  They didn’t know the rules, but they played anyway.  They had lots of fun!

The End!

____________________________

I am part of a wonderful project called “Big Class.” If you’re interested in the project, read on!

____________________________

Hi friends,

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Doug Keller and I teach 1st grade at Lincoln Elementary School in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, in the Greater New Orleans area.  I have recently started work on a project called BIG CLASS that aims to break down barriers between public schools and creative types, giving kids access to a world outside their school walls that will engage with them on creative projects.  To learn a bit more, please visit our blog at http://bigclass.tumblr.com/.

For our first project, we are producing a book that pairs the students’ first written stories with illustrations from artists located all over the country (and even one in Hong Kong!).  The students are beyond excited for the project, and we believe it is having a profound impact on their burgeoning passion for reading and writing.  Some example stories and artwork can be found here, here, here, and here.

To reach the final, most meaningful stage of having printed books in the students hands, we need some help.  To print in the quality we’re aiming for- so that it is not a pamphlet from Kinkos but a legitimate book- we need to raise a legitimate amount of money.  Please visit our Kickstarter project page and DONATE.  There are some awesome rewards for certain donation levels…

Our goal is to raise $1000 to cover printing and shipping costs but, frankly, that won’t even cover the 150 books we’re hoping to make, at least according to the quotes we’ve been receiving from area printers.  So please, donate what you can.  We will be selling the book in local stores and having a big release and reading event somewhere in New Orleans (look out for information on that in the coming weeks).  We will also be working on similar projects in the near future.

Please let me know if there are any questions by e-mailing me at ourbigclass@gmail.com.  And thank you so much for your time.

Sincerely,

Doug Keller and the BIG CLASS

Etsy in New York

The details are finally getting firmed up for the event at Etsy at the end of the month (read: Carla is finally getting her act together)!

Every Monday night etsy.com hosts a Craft Lab at their Brooklyn Headquarters… I will be the guest instructor on Monday, February 28th!

When: Monday, February 28, 2011
Drop in anytime from 4-8pm

Where: 55 Washington St, Suite 712, Brooklyn, New York

What: “Picasso Dogs and One-Liner Elephants”

RSVP: http://www.meetup.com/etsylabs/events/16023732/

Can’t make it to New York? I will also be hosting an online demo the same day at 3:30 EST via etsy’s Livestream channel! For info on that, go here: http://community.etsy.com/

Student Portraits = Awesome!

Hello!

I LOVE hearing from teachers who are using “Drawing Lab” in their classrooms! Look at this fantastic work, created by high school students from Woodstock Collegiate Institute in Ontario, Canada!! Their teacher Sue writes:

Students spent three days creating many portraits…..they were to use photographs of family or friends, but for those who forgot to bring in photos, I had a collection that they could use.  Students worked on 140 lb cold pressed watercolour paper cut to 5×7 inches.

– Station one was from Lab 9 Wrong Handed Portraits
– Station two was from Lab 11 Cheater Blinds
– Station three was from Lab 13 Eyedropper Faces

On the fourth day students were to experiment with colour on all of the images they had created over the previous three days.  Students could use watercolours, pencil crayons, markers, gel pens, etc.

To finish off the project, on the fifth day, students needed to look at all of their images, and pick three that could work together as one art work. They did not have to select one from each of the three stations…..students could chose whichever ones they wanted from their stash.  Once they had the images chosen, students followed an instruction sheet on how to cut the mat. They had several colours of paper to select from for the matting.

Thank you, Sue, for sharing these with us!! Please tell your students… WONDERFUL work!

“Girls” Greeting Cards, and Valentines

Recently four of my “girls” images were licensed to Leanin’ Tree, a card company out of Colorado!

I got my samples last week and I love them. I’m ordering more to sell at the etsy shop… I’ll let you know when I have them! UPDATE: They’re here… here’s the link.

P.S. In 2009 I made some Valentine’s Cards from the bottom right image… you are free to download and use this year as well!