Part 2 of the Big News: This is Really Happening! Behind The Scenes of Making My DVDS!

The last few months have  been a whirlwind for sure with all sorts of cool projects going on,  fun trips, awesome classes with super fun students,  and just incredible memories made doing work I hardly consider a job.  This week I'm super EXCITED to share even more news (with a few more announcements to come..what the what!!!!).  

Last May, some of you may recall that I traveled to the Cincinnati film studios of F&W Media (parent company of Cloth Paper Scissors,  Artists Magazine, North Light Books,  Artists and Makers, to name a few),  to spend 4 days filming for upcoming DVDs of mine they are producing. Well....the time has come and the 4 new DVD's  are ready for Pre-order (they  will be shipping starting October 2nd). The digital downloads are available now!!!   This is one of those pinch me moments that I can hardly believe is happening!

I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the behind the scenes photos of my work table and set up as well as meet a couple of the wonder women behind the scenes filming (sorry I didn't get pics of the guys that made it all happen, too)!  One thing is for sure, there's so much hard work and effort that goes into producing videos,  each and every person plays a vital rol in making it all happen!

My producer,  Amy Jones.  She did an awesome job putting all the details of my creative vision  for the projects into an actual product that we are delivering to you!    Not to mention she is a lot of fun and has a great personality. I felt welcome and valued as soon as I arrived on set!   I was scared as could be, not knowing what to expect and I know the first day I was not as comfortable with the whole process as I could have been but it didn't take long for my nerves to settle with all the support and help the crew lent me!

 Wowza...do you see that big camera facing down on the set?  They had 4 of those around the room...and 3-4 camera/film operators at any one time working on the set along with myself and the producer. It was quite the arty party!!!  :)

The projects range from watercolors on Yupo,  acrylic painting, collage, and ink paintings. Just tons of techniques and information jam packed into the DVDs that will be soon available.   The fact that I had the opportunity to do this is just beyond words.  I know I'm blessed for sure and I am excited to bring to you this new avenue of creative education at an extremely affordable price!   There have been tons of requests in the past from students of mine to have downloadable products or dvds and I just didn't have a way to create that type of product...well that's an issue of the past.  Now you can  enjoy the classes/projects anytime, anywhere!

Here's Christine, another one of the camera woman and a photographer along with Amy, our producer.  I hope you can tell how much fun we all had from their contagious smiles!  :))

 More samples I brought for the shoot...we 'prettied' up the set with a fun selection of my art over the course of the week. I brought a ton of stuff!  I seem to do that where ever I go.  Packing lightly is just not something I'm very good at!! :))

Preparing to work on a new project for the film...there's a lot of stop and starting during the course of the day but it is definitely a FULL day of work for each of the DVD's we created and then months of editing and polishing it all up for the  the final project(s).

So other than noticing for sure how dang chunky I look, I'm really proud of everything we created at F&W Media!!  I hope that you take a second to check out the DVD's or Downloads and buy one or two for yourself!   These would make great stocking stuffers for the holidays, too...just sayin!!! :))

Here are the pictures for the DVD's and if you click on them they will take you right to the store to purchase them!

Collage Characters

Expressive Watercolor on Yupo:  Painting Flowers

Graffiti Grunge Art

Tandem Techniques 15 Mixed Media Techniques for Canvas and Art Journals

My last words of wisdom for this post is simply to be brave in your quest to achieve your dreams.  You never know what can happen if you simply try.  Now go out and make some beautiful art or run that marathon you've been wanting to do!  You got this!

Ohhh...one more thing,  if you haven't had a chance to stop by my last blog post-I'm having a giveaway. Entries taken through 9/30!  

Stay tuned for more big news coming!!

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

If you are in the neighborhood, join us for the opening reception for my new featured artist show, "Land of the Whimsical and Odd".  October 1st from 630-830. The show will be up through the end of October at Artful Living Group in Carolina Beach.  

Strive

I don't have a whole lot of exciting news every day in my boring life but this is
 something very cool to report on today.....I have a new article in the upcoming issue of  Somerset Studios (Jan/Feb)!!  Whooooohoooo!  I was asked to write for their "With One Palette" department feature which was a huge honor!  The hardest part was picking out the color palette to use because I love to work with a limited palette and expand my wings while doing so.  There are so many awesome color combinations to work with, it's like picking out candy at a candy store..haha!
Anyway, this is was a great experience to be a part of and one that I feel like is a step in the right direction as I move into my art career more and more every day.  I wish I could wake up every day and got to work in my studio.  Honestly, there are so many things I want to do and do more of but time is the only thing holding me back.

  

If I had more time....I'd be putting my work in more galleries.  Stocking the galleries I have now more regularly,  doing more art shows, taking on more teaching opportunities, working my Etsy shop more diligently, sending my neswsletter out more regularly, writing more articles, start working on the book I want to do...yes there are many things I would do in addition to this list....if only.   But the positive thing is I am able to do a far amount of all of these things even working the full time job...and I do live a comfortable (not extravagant life but comfortable) life because of my job.   I am grateful for that. I just have an eye for the future..and I think it's about time I get a business plan in order so that I can really put down on paper what it is I want to accomplish and roadmap how it is I intend to get there.  It's all a part of my 2011 exit strategy. :)

(this piece above is one in my journal that was not included in the feature but one that I created with the xs paint from the pieces I worked on while creating the series for the article).

What are you going to strive for in 2011??  What are your News Years intentions (not necessarily resolutions...more like goals and achievements you want to work towards)?  

It's fun to think about all that you want to do if the world was at your fingertips.  Why just think about it though?  The world is at your fingertips...just reach out for it!

While doing so....Be True to yourself. This is our chance to get it right, to be all that we were meant to be, and to follow our hearts towards our dreams.  I can feel that this is going to be a year of change.  I might have to let some things go so I can move forward. I may have to work harder so that I can position myself in the way that I want to be so I can do what I am drawn to do.  The signs are coming at me, it's just knowing when to turn down the road I know I'm meant to be on!

Speaking of being 'drawn' into a path....looky here...I'm taking Suzi Blu's self guided workshop and I'm loving this lesson which is really why I wanted to take this class(it's actually 3 classes bundled into one)....I want to enhance my drawing skills which I feel will in turn enhance my painting skills.  We can always grow and develop..it just takes practice practice practice.  I hope I never stop learning!  Sometimes even if we know how to do something ( I know how to draw, and I know how to paint), it's great to see a new perspective on that which you already know.  You take what you learn and apply it in a way that works for you and enhances what you do.  So go now....learn something new, or dare to see a fresh perspective.  Plan your intentions for 2011.....hopefully your  list will include bringing more passion and enthusiasm into your world by working towards things that really, truly, ignite your heart. Whatever that may be, may 2011 be the year that you find your way.  Be True, Strive, and enjoy the journey you are drawn to :)

It's All About the Possible Art Everyday Month Day 27

Even when the rest of the world is going crazy.....and the truth is hard to see, when you make time to create, all the nonsense goes away.  You can go anywhere in the world or in a land of make believe and get submersed in a garden of possibility, if you allow it to come to you.

 

Really, it's okay to believe.

Be brave by putting one foot in front of the other to get to where you are supposed to go.

Don't let anyone tell you your dreams are impossible or you're not going to make it.  It IS possible.  

Even if your dreams turn out a bit differently then you originally thought they would be, or the road you take has a few turns and detours along the way...it's all meant to be so you can be the best at what you do, and build a solid foundation for all that is to come.

You need to start somewhere though.  The beginnings don't always have a lot of direction but they are exciting and adventurous.    You know you are going on a fantastic journey and have a vague idea of where and what you want to do along the way....

And then it begins to come together and you see the magic
happen, some parts are not as clear as they started out to be but yet
they are there and you are  building the foundation,
wondering whats next and hoping it'll turn out like you intended, but you
don't know and are a bit fearful that you might not make it.

But you do.  And for the rest of the world who didn't believe you could do it, and didn't have what it takes to stick with it and make something of your dreams, tell them just look at you now...because you were brave and did it anyway, and saw all the possibilities...you conquered and made something imaginary , something in side your head come alive.

It's okay to believe in yourself. 

It's okay to let the world go and just concentrate on yourself and your immediate surroundings for a bit.

It's okay to be brave, in fact, it's necessary to stay on the path you were meant to be on.

It's okay to get to the middle and not know if it's all going to be okay.

You get thru the middle part and the not so pretty and fun part, trust me.

And then at the end,  you can sit back and say, yes this is exactly where I was meant to be.

Freestyle in Progress Art Every Day 23

How does one go from this......




To this...and still keep on going...layering, layering and more?

You just do!
Freestyle Doodle Graffiti :)   I'm still working on this but it's getting late so I'm going have to put the paint away and dream of what else I can do to this fun crazy silly piece.   So what if Turkey day is Thursday and the queen of this palace has done little more than gone grocery shopping??  It'll all get done in good time.  Life has a way of working itself out.  So do paintings.  If you work at them, solve the problems, correct your strokes, life begins to breathe into the piece and it takes off on its on. I really can't say the same about the turkey, but that will get done to.  Us women have a way of multitasking that few can understand and even less dare to attempt ;)

Persist and you will conquer!

Multi-tasking Baby, Multi-tasking! Art Everyday Month Day 6

 Art Everyday Month Day 6! We are creating baby, really creating lots of artsy goodness here in the studio. By we, I mean me...lol  but it sounds better if there's a crowd of us just hanging out sling paint, laughing, smiling and having fun.  Well, there will be this afternoon or rather over at Swank Handmade Market and Coffee Shoppe in Southern Pines, NC.   I worked on getting my final to-do's done last night for my class till the weeeee hours of the evening.     We are going graffiti and while working on my samples--I wanted to show you how you can multi task while creating.

I had my new journal at the table while painting and I used it as a secondary palette to sample colors, practice with the stamps and pretty much mirror some of what I was doing on the canvas, onto the journal. 

 I then finished it off with a bit of scribble writing to frame it out. I think it looks cool! :) 

There's never a shortage of paper around here so I had a piece of watercolor paper handy, too and continued to play with a second page all the while painting.   I can use this in another journal, cut up and use as collage fodder or just enjoy the beauty of it as is!

 For today's class, I'm going to feature a variety of techniques that will show the students how to create interesting backgrounds, layer their paint and marks they create and then finish off the canvas with funky lettering and enhanced details.

What ways can you multi-task your creative activities while working?   You never know what you may come up with while experimenting, just try it!

Tip to make your pieces cohesive--try limiting your color palette to 3 or 4 main colors plus black and white (or other dark and neutral color).   Carry your theme to other things you are doing, additional canvases, journal pages, collages, etc.  Use different values of the colors within your palette to add interest.  Don't be afraid to paint over some details.  When adding layers and creating depth--its sometimes necessary to leave those intial layers behind so  you can move forward and create a piece of work that truly has more meaning because of that depth.

Kinda like life.  We build on our initial layers of who we are.  They never go away but we do learn from them, expand our world because of them and become a person who is filled with experiences, stories, ideas, and memories because of everyday before today.

Treat  your paintings and creations like life. 

Build

Layer

Expand

Take away

Imagine

Tell your story

Challenge yourself

Work through the messy stages to emerge into all that is possible and beautiful

Enjoy the journey :)

Putting it all together Art Everyday Month Day 5

 

Happy Friday everyone!  Today my creativity rests in getting ready for the class I'm teaching tomorrow :) I'm having a blast finding cool texture making things to add to my student's art kit.  I'm going to challenge them to use everything I've collected in their pieces tomorrow-can't wait to see what they do with it!  Check out my poster I created, I took a painting I did( the one above), layered it at different levels of opacity, added some funky brushes and lettering all in photoshop, then finished the lettering in a word document.  I'm just learning photoshop so it's a challenge but fun!

Click on the poster to see class description:) Or to join in on my FB art page!

Hope you have a wonderfully creative weekend!

Pursuing Dreams....

One of the most gratifying things about teaching someone else how to do something, is the look on their face when they really get it and the joy that you hear from them as they see their work come together in a cohesive piece of art.

The class I taught last Saturday at Swank was a BLAST! I really had a great time but more importantly, so did the students. I think that I am going to change it up a bit and and offer it as a longer version for the retreat I'm going to be teaching at in 2011. In the mean time, I may offer another mini version either later this summer or early fall.

We even went out on a field trip to do our 'graffiti art' in the streets!

I have to say, the students really picked up the techniques and applied their own twist on it to make some fantubulous work :))))

I'm loving the purple and green  and pink Lori picked out for her composition!

Nothing like getting our hands dirty and having fun with a multitude of supplies!

Our Mother daughter team worked well together. It was really wonderful to see how much they enjoyed each other's company and found this connection in art that allowed them to spend time together while pursuing activities to enrich both of their lives. 

Lori said she never painted before ever--I'm so proud of her and what she accomplished for her first work of art!!  She should continue to 'STRIVE' and achieve whatever it is that she desires to do.  She can do it!

This is my piece that I worked on while teaching and demonstrating.  Dream.  What can I say. I'm living a dream that I've been wanting to pursue for so long. It's manifested itself in ways that aren't exactly the path I would have initially have chosen to take, but it was exactly the path I was supposed to take if that makes sense.

Thank you ladies for allowing me to instruct you in this artistic process. I learned a lot from YOU :)


Hope you all have had a creative week! Happy 4th of July!

Soaring with a new style...Goin' Graffiti!

What are you doing today? I'm teaching a class...Wish you were here!



For more information about my classes in person or online, please email me at johl3 at windstream.net!

Using What I Have!

It's easy to forget to take time to come up for air as I've been getting ready for Spring Fest this week (April 24th in Southern Pines, NC on Broad Street from 10-4pm)...well, truthfully, I've been preparing for  it almost all year.  I'm still not where I wanted to be.  You know how it is, you think you have so much time so you put things off....and put things off...until, oops, before you know it, it's the week before the dang show!  I can say, I'm in much better shape then I was last year so I decided to take a break and bring the studio outside this weekend and enjoy the weather.

I'm having a hard time figuring out this new blogger set up so forgive me if the post is a bit wonky!  Hmmmm maybe I ought to get back into blogging more regularly and it would be easier :)

Anywhoo...As I was creating some of my Sweet HeART blocks for the show, I decided to use some of my graffiti papers for the backgrounds for a few of the heart bases.   You could do this with really any of your painted papers as well. 

Here's a quick tutorial on how to make your own Graffiti Sweet HeARTS:

1) On 90-120 lb watercolor paper, create your own graffiti style papers, using stencils, spray paint, paint drips, paint splatters, funky lettering, and layers of paint.   Allow to dry between layers to get the best effect without muddying up your work.