08 Thursday Mar 2012
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According to my teenaged son, I’m old.
And since his definition of old is “anyone over 30,” I bet you’re old, too!
I can’t remember why Old People came up this morning while driving to school, but we did. It was something along the lines of we “shouldn’t be allowed to text” (but that might have been last week’s rant).
I think it’s so wonderful that God made teenagers to point out that we are old on a regular basis. Otherwise, I might not remember!
31 Tuesday Jan 2012
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‘Tis Monday and just back from extended PLAY,
I drew and I fussed on the ‘puter each day.
While others got messy with glitter and paint
I stuck with my Sharpie, my keyboard, restraint.
For two days I did this here Silliness thing
I worked till my shoulder blade started to sting
But it wasn’t too long ‘fore I gave up and found
that gouache mixed with fingers is happiness bound.
I didn’t work long, though, I had to get back
to my constant companion, the MacBook Pro Mac.
(For Fleep lists and puzzles and drawings of cups —
My deadline, you see, was coming right ups!)
😀
***************
Thanks to Teesha and Tracy Moore for another great event!
02 Monday Jan 2012
Posted in Uncategorized
I told myself I wasn’t going to do New Year’s Resolutions this year.
BUT! After leaving my laptop home for six days over Christmas, I realized how much I enjoyed my extra time NOT watching TV.
(I should say that I don’t consider myself a huge TV-watcher; Steve and I haven’t had a television in the house since the early 90s, and our evenings with younger children were busily spent with homework, dinner, baths, playing, and reading. Netflix, however, changed all this, and over the past five years I’ve found myself watching more and more television at nights.)
But I got out of the TV habit over Christmas and haven’t tuned in since. And I’ve been enjoying my extra time sewing, reading, and drawing! Here are two pieces I did yesterday after viewing and being inspired by the beautiful work of illustrator Nelleke Verhoeff, owner of Red Cheeks Factory. (Thanks, Nelleke!)
23 Monday May 2011
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Okay! Here is Part II of “And the Survey Says…”
Once again, thank you to the 105 112 113 people who took the survey about why they come to this blog! Please note, if you were one of the last five twelve 13 to respond, I have been unable to view your answers, due to the following:
(If you want to help figure out the dilemma that is haunting me right now, go here! And for the seven eight extra people who completed the first survey in the last few days just to torture me? “Thanks. Thanks a lot.”)
ANYHOO, back to the original survey results. Of the 100 that I CAN see, here is what you said about what you would like to see more of at this blog:
| 2. What would you like to see more of? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| answered question | 100 | ||
| skipped question |
0
|
||
| Response Percent |
Response Count |
||
| Drawing Assignments |
 |
69.0% | 69 |
| Art Tutorials |
|
81.0% | 81 |
| Artwork |
|
60.0% | 60 |
| Written Musings on the Creative Process |
|
54.0% | 54 |
| Photos of Natalie the Cat |
|
24.0% | 24 |
| Other (there were 18 responses) | |||
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So here’s what I “get” from the survey results:
• You (the “Royal You”) want more tutorials. (Check.)
• And drawing assignments would be good, too. (Check.)
• Only a little more than half of you want written “creative process” stuff. (Wow, surprising to me!)
• 40% of you don’t care if you see any more artwork. (Fine.)
• Less than 1/4 of you care about my cat.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
You can see a sampling of the 18 “Other” responses at this post.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
And finally, my favorite response to the question, “Why do you visit this blog?”:
“I liked your book, and I want to see what you’re up to. (Also, in the nicest possible way, I think you’re a little nuts. Which is good in an artist.)”
Nuts? Why, THANK YOU!!!
21 Saturday May 2011
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Carla Sonheim’s Survey #2: “Should Carla Sonheim Pay Survey Monkey $16.99 a Month?”
If you scroll down a few posts you will see that I held a survey recently, using the free service of Survey Monkey. Part I of the survey results can be found here, and I am in the middle of working on my next post, “And the Survey Says… Part II.”
BUT, I’ve hit a huge snag in the gathering of the data, and am wondering if you can help me out by taking ANOTHER Quick Survey.
It’s totally short, I promise. Thank you!
P.S. I should add here that the survey is supposed to be funny! (I think I was too subtle, based on the responses so far! LOL)
17 Tuesday May 2011
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“Birds” from my sketchbook, watercolor and pencil, probably unfinished.
Yesterday I put up a little survey using the tools over at Survey Monkey (super easy, and free!). So far I’ve had 85 responses to the questions, and a lot of positive remarks about what I’m doing here (which has been very nice, thank you!).
Just so you know, I didn’t do the survey because I want to change what I’m doing drastically or to have people tell me what to do. (I am the boss of me, and I can only do what I do!) However, sometimes my mind is a blank when I go to write a blog post… what to write? what to write? Ahhhhh!!
So now, after getting your feedback, I have at least a starting point when those times happen. (For example, now, when I’m stuck, I can work up a little eye tutorial just because it was put in my head by someone from the survey. Or, I can start writing the eye tutorial and end up writing about toes. But you get the idea. The suggestions give me a starting point.)
Let’s jump right in!! Here are a few of the suggestions and some quick answers/responses:
Random musings of a tortured mind.
You got it.
What you do when you are uninspired.
I will come back to this again, I’m sure. But right off the top of my head, the best and first thing I usually do is take a walk around the city of Seattle. The people, trees, trash, sidewalk cracks, people, bookstores, people — these do the trick every time!
(Obviously, most of you can’t walk around downtown Seattle if you don’t live here! But “walks,” “people,” “trash” and “bookstores” can be found in a lot of other places, too!)
Info about art materials, reviews & sources.
I should say right now that I’m not a huge “materials” junkie… my “favorite” pen is an ultra fine point Sharpie and my favorite pencil is a cheap mechanical pencil that I get at the office supply store in packs of 10 (they are yellow, and made to sort of look like real pencils). However, I will keep the suggestion in mind when I do use specific materials!
In the meantime, go to Roz Stendahl’s blog… she knows EVERYTHING!
I like it when words and writing are added in.
Do you mean on the blog? Or in the artwork itself?
Take more pictures.
Gosh. There are so many bloggers out there who are great photographers, too. I am not one of them!
I wish I were better at that part. I’m sorry I’m not better at that part.
I specifically would love to better understand how you layer gesso and watercolor to get the wonderful fuzzy textures in the backgrounds of your paintings.
I am working on an online class in the fall that would incorporate this technique. I can and will definitely show what I can for free here, but I can’t see how to properly communicate the process except by video demonstration, and so it will need to be part of the class (since I have to pay my son/daughter-in-law to make the video)! However, this tutorial gives the basic process…
What’s your process for getting out of a drawing funk. When you have lots of ideas, but you just can’t get going. What’s the magic formula for that?
Goodness. The thing with magic formulas is that they only seem to work the first time you come up with them.
It’s like having a crying baby. One moment the magic formula is the breast. The next it’s to be held. Then it’s to NOT be held and left alone in the crib. Then it’s the diaper. Then it’s a combination of diaper and food. Then it’s the combination of being held and left alone. Then it’s a combination of all of the above, but there’s something ELSE that needs to happen before the baby stops crying.
Do you get what I mean? Every day is new. Every “funk” has come about from a different set of circumstances. So every solution is a little bit different.
Sigh.
(But YES, of course I will try and share the things that work for me in future posts!)
How’s the photo class going? I hope you offer it again, I’m a bit up to the gills right now, but I want to sign up sometime this year.
Well, the Photo Silly class hasn’t started yet! It starts June 13th, and runs for a reasonable two-weeks. Steve is working hard on the material now. I think it’s going to be a good one!!
It would be fun to go through your book on your blog.
Thank you. I have thought of that, too, but just haven’t felt I had the time to really commit to doing it “right.” But I will keep thinking about it, and perhaps one day I will!! In the meantime, you can join some others who are going through the book (like Angie Allen and her family are), and be sure to go over to the Drawing Lab flickr group for inspiration!
* * *
Okay, that’s it for now. Part II coming “soon.”
* * *
BTW, astute readers will notice that I got the “And the Survey Says” quote RIGHT this time. (I had put “And the Survey Shows” as yesterday’s title head. I am a big one for mixing things up, just ask my husband.) When I went to write today’s post, I had the idea to Google “And the Survey Shows” to see if I had gotten it right. When yesterday’s blog post came up THIRD on the Google search, I knew I must have gotten it wrong!
HAHAHAHAHA
22 Friday Apr 2011
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A few days ago I was contacted by Ainslie Hunter, who had signed up for “The Art of Silliness 4” and wondered if she could interview me for her wonderful blog, “Courses that Matter.” My answers are below, but please do check out her site as she is starting an Online Education Revolution!! Thanks, Ainslie!
************************
Could you start by telling us a bit about The Art of Silliness 4?
Yes. Silly 4 is the fourth session of my online class, “The Art of Silliness: Drawing Worksheets for Adults”. Each session is basically the same – 30 days / 30 worksheets – but with different “ingredients”. It is a drawing class both for those who feel they “can’t draw”, and those who can draw but want to start approaching it in a way that is more light hearted and fun.
It is set up so that each day the participant downloads and prints a worksheet, third-grade style. My idea is to kind of bring you back to that time in your life when drawing was easy, no big deal, before the judgment kicked in. And didn’t you just love filling out worksheets?
I did. So I thought it would be a fun way to teach drawing.
Some people go through one workshop and feel “done.” Others have signed up for all four sessions, as they enjoy the daily prompts and the month-long community that is formed each time. (And what’s not to love about a bunch of people brave enough to take a “silly” class?!!)
How did you decide to structure the course the way you did?
I am a workshop instructor for adults, having first taught children in my sons’ elementary school classrooms. I try to make drawing fun for everyone. I had been thinking about an online class for about a year before I did the first one. But I was stuck; I didn’t have the video equipment/skills necessary to do it the way others were doing it.
When I thought of the daily worksheet/PDF idea, I was so excited that it was something I DID know how to do (upload PDFs to a website and send a daily email), that I quickly wrote a blog post about it and jumped in with both feet.
Can you tell us a bit about the planning involved in the course? > How long have you been thinking about the idea? How long from idea to launch?
Oh my goodness, this is slightly embarrassing. As I said earlier, I had been trying to figure out the online class thing for awhile — at least a year. But when I got the idea (early one Sunday morning in
March 2010), I wrote the blog post about it and the class started less than two weeks later. I even laughed at myself about it in the post (I am somewhat impulsive.)
Anyway, one of the main IDEAS of the course was that it would be created AS THE CLASS WAS GOING ALONG. In that way, I could keep it fresh, react to the students a bit more, AND eliminate that laborious pre-planning stage… I really thought I would do a better job it I could remain spontaneous about it, and I do think it works. I priced it accordingly I think, too!
What do you think are the most important features of an online course and why?
I think a good mixture of fun (silliness), content and community. At least it works for the Silly Series!!
How are you going to communicate high expectations in your course?
Actually, I don’t really worry about it…. I have high expectations for myself, and I think that is evident in my communications, both in the worksheet instructions and my emails…. and perhaps that rubs off. But I think that life can be hard, and we need to be gentle with ourselves, too. Sometimes people sign up for the Silly class and life gets in the way, and they can’t get to the worksheets for awhile. That’s okay. The worksheets will always be there, and when the time is right, they’ll get to them. (If not, well, it was only $25!)
Will you emphasise the importance of completing tasks in the course?
No, not overtly. Again, I want people to LIKE drawing, and putting a gun to their heads is not effective in my experience!
In this class uploading the drawings and/or completed worksheets to the flickr site is completely optional. Students also have the option of emailing me assignments (if they’re shy about posting publicly), but it is not required.
In what ways will you respect the diverse talents and ways of learning of your students?
Because there are 30 different worksheets, and often each worksheet has one, two or even three different things to do (write, scribble, draw carefully, etc.), I think I’m able to speak to everyone. (Plus, it’s good for really “neat” people to get messy once in a while, and really messy people to slow down and work more carefully… we do it all.)
How will you encourage active learning throughout the course?
Well, the online Silly class is basically a tangible example of how I seem to live my life, which is to constantly learn, try, adjust, correct, delight, mourn and start all over again. I will ask people to look up giraffe photos online, for example, or ask their spouses to make a drawing (learning that, my goodness, Bill is GREAT at it! And it was so easy for him! Maybe it’s not that big of a deal after all!)
Are students able to receive feedback from you during the course?
Yes. I comment to almost every photo uploaded on the flickr site, and am also available by email throughout the month. I try to answer general questions that I think would be of interest to everyone in the next day’s group email.
Is engagement encouraged between the members?
Well, I’m not sure how it happens, but each session the participants just ENGAGE each other… on the blog but mostly on the flickr site. Everyone comments on everything; it is a lively, positive, and very supportive group.
Do you see yourself as a teacher in this process? Why? Why not?
Only in that I truly love to see people drawing, and am enthusiastic in my comments!
I believe that teaching can transform lives and create a ripple effect (either in the teacher or students.) What transformation have you seen because of the Art of Silliness?
Yes. I have seen it happen so many times, where a silly assignment will create these awesome family moments that just make me cry almost! One example: an assignment for a “Silly Saturday” was to
straighten their shoes (as extra credit they could draw them). One student created the following video with her daughters.
Beautiful.
Any last words of advice?
I have kept the price low and have a very liberal policy when it comes to the classes; each household needs only to pay once and everyone (including the kids) can participate. Also, teachers are allowed to copy worksheets for use in their classrooms. I do this for several reasons:
First, I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND how it feels to be broke and not have money. $25 is about all I could ever pay (especially before I moved to Seattle in 2010), and I would want to be able to share it with my family guilt-free if I were taking the class. I figure, if enough people sign up each session, then I am “okay”. Two, my website is on each worksheet, so if a teacher uses them in her classroom, then I might potentially pick up a future student or two. Finally, I want as many people as possible to “catch the drawing fever,” so, the more the merrier!!
Also…I really wanted my online class to be a reflection of who I was, as a person and a teacher, and not just something that I THOUGHT people would pay for. It took a long time to come up with the Silliness idea, but when I did, I didn’t hesitate, even though I had no idea that it would become as popular as it did.
I was lucky in the fact that at the time my (freelance photographer) husband was fairly busy, so that freed me up that month to make a little less money if it turned out to be a complete bust.
I really appreciate all of the wonderful people who have taken the class, and helped me fill the classes by spreading the word, etc.
Thank you!!
+++++++++++++++
P.S. Silly 4 starts in just 10 days! Go here for the details or to sign up!
11 Monday Apr 2011
Posted in Uncategorized
Above: Interpretive map of Fort Warden in Port Townsend, where Artfest was held this past weekend. Created in Jill Berry’s excellent class, “Journal Mapping.” Mixed media on paper (pencil, Sharpie, ink, colored pencil, coffee)
*****************************
Dear Artfesters,
To everyone: It was so good to see you again! I hope that you arrived home from the weekend creatively refreshed and with a pocket full of new tools, tricks and stories to keep your art alive and refreshed in the coming months.
To those in my class on Saturday: Thank you for being there… I loved what you created and I thank you for the opportunity to take you into my “silly” world, even if for just a little bit. Send pictures!!
To those who bought stuff from me on Friday night: Thank you.
To those who would like to keep the creativity flowing: 2011 was my 9th Artfest; most of those times I came home after the event DETERMINED to keep creating every day. “Keep it going! No matter what! Don’t fail this year!” But the truth is, life is busy, and some of us do have a hard time carving out creative time and space when we have kids to get up in the morning, feed, drive to school and orthodontist appointments; when we have demanding jobs that take most of our creative energy; when we have spouses or other family members needing our love and attention. Not to mention those damn dishes.
My encouragement to you is to be gentle with yourself as you transition away from your creative weekend at Artfest and back into your normal life. It may be a month before you pull out your colored pencils again. I truly think that is OKAY.
To those of you who are feeling a bit of a letdown now that it’s over: Sometimes after a wonderful time at an event like Artfest I find myself fighting depression during the few days after. I know this is due to me being extremely tired, and also mourning the loss of the energy, people and creative time I enjoyed. If you find yourself a little down today, please remember that this is fairly common, I think. You are not alone, and it will pass!
To everyone (again): We were lucky to be together this past weekend, don’t you think? It was good to see you there. I am grateful for my wonderful teachers (Lisa Engelbrecht and Jill Berry), the students who took my class on Saturday, and especially for Teesha and Tracy and their crew for making it happen. Thank you.
xoxo
Carla Sonheim
28 Sunday Jan 2007
Posted in Uncategorized
This is a detail of a recently finished piece… I’m proud of it! (See the full image here.)
It was at one point last week “wrecked” — the colors were awful (too “Valentine’s Day” for me), and I truly wondered if I could pull it off. I thought out loud (while talking to my friend Karine), “I’m going to pull all the color off and start over.” Voicing that aloud, I went home and did it. And within an hour I had “saved the piece.
Moral: Don’t give up (but you already knew that).
That said, there are many paintings that I DO give up on. I’ve learned to trust myself on that one. If a painting makes me MAD to look at, it’s got to go. If I’ve spent a reasonable amount of time trying to save the darn thing, and it still makes me cringe, I put it in a big plastic trash bag and throw it away.
I’ve never regretted getting rid of the “bad energy” of a hopeless painting.
What are your thoughts?
