Art Retreat Weekend - Part 2

Hi there, hope everyone is having a good weekend.  I'm back to tell you about the second day of classes at the art retreat!

On the second day, Christy Tomlinson was our teacher.  Christy's "She Art" class was my first online mixed media class, and it opened my eyes to a whole new way of creating!  As you know, I'm also a quilter, so mixed media was something completely different for me.  Quilting is so exact and precise, which I love, but mixed media is completely the opposite, it's messy and loose, and completely fun :)  And Christy's style is so inspiring!

When we walked into the art studio that morning, lovely gifts were waiting for us... seriously, how cute is this presentation?!?

Christy taught us how to draw girls.  Normally I'm kind of intimidated by drawing faces, but she made the process so easy.

First we tried charcoal...

Then a Stabilo pencil, which I LOVED.  You draw with it, then run a wet paintbrush along the lines and they smear some, resembling paint.  I'll definitely be creating with this tool again!

Then, once we were a little more comfortable with drawing faces, we created a full color girl on a canvas board. Christy showed us her process for adding shading with paint and markers - she is seriously so talented, we had so much fun!

Everyone did such a great job with their girls!  I love this group shot showing all the different personalities and personal interpretations.

Christy really is an amazing teacher, and I have to say, she's just as sweet in person as she is online :)  Have you heard about her upcoming Boot Series class this spring?  I just signed up and am definitely looking forward to learning more from her.

Our project on the final day was creating a simple mixed media background on heavy-weight paper.  It was great to have one more creative project to pour ourselves into before departing.

I'm so grateful for my time spent with these lovely ladies and hope we can keep in touch.  We started the weekend out as strangers, but our common love of art and creating brought us together and we became fast friends.  It truly was a special experience that I will always remember.  If you're a creative person who has never been to a retreat, I encourage you to give it a try, you're sure to find some kindred spirits along the way...

Thanks for stopping by!

Art Retreat Weekend - Part 1

Hi Everyone!  I recently had the absolute pleasure of spending a wonderful weekend with a fantastic group of creative gals at the Nurture Your Creative Seed art retreat on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle.  We were submerged in art and all things mixed media for an entire weekend - it was amazing!

The retreat was hosted by the lovely Serena, who seriously has a gift for organizing creative events and making everyone feel so relaxed and comfortable.  This is my second year attending one of Serena's retreats, and hopefully not the last!

On the way to the retreat, I met up with my friend Cindy, who I had the pleasure of getting to know at last year's retreat.  We took the ferry from Seattle over to Bainbridge Island, about a 30 minute ride.  The day was overcast (so Seattle!), but we got to see an amazing view of the city shoreline from the ferry.

The first night, we all got to know each other over a delicious meal in town.  It was so much fun to be around such a creative group of ladies, who had put their fears aside and traveled in from all around the country to spend time making art.

Classes on the first day were taught by Junelle Jacobsen, who is such an inspiring mixed media artist.  We started the day doing sketching exercises, which we then translated into watercolor paintings.

The weather was absolutely beautiful on the first day, so after a break for lunch, we spent time soaking up some much needed sunshine at a local harbor area.  The views were spectacular and it was great to be outside and see some signs of spring.

After our harbor visit, we went back to the studio and Junelle taught us how to make mixed media wood blocks using lots of yummy paints and papers.

Here's a group shot of all the blocks everyone created in class.  I just love seeing them all together -  seriously, what a talented group of ladies!!!

Have you signed up for Junelle's new Saturday Morning Wood Block class?  It just started and there's still time to join in - these little blocks are so much fun to make and Junelle is such an inspiring teacher!

As if that wasn't enough, we had another whole day of creating to look forward to with this amazing gal.  I'll be back soon to tell you about all the fun we had on the second day of classes - stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by!