Starts Tomorrow!!

Hey Friends!  I've been a busy girl this week with tons of artsy goodness flying around my studio, and tons to share in the upcoming weeks. One of my biggest projects of the week has been buttoning up the last little tidbits for the launch of my new class, "Texturize This" !   While it starts tomorrow (and I hope you DO join in), it is an open ended class. After the initial launch where you will get new lessons each week for 4 weeks, you will have unlimited access to the class for the next 12 months.

PLUS...a HUGE bonus:  A 30.00 coupon off of your next product purchase at Dreaming Color to assist in buying supplies for the class!! A big whooohoo for that!!

Take a look and see what we will be doing:
(click the image to see a sampler video)

You can register over at the Arte Village and once registered you will have access to the supply list.  With your registration you should immediately get a coupon code which you can use over at the website to get started!  Then tomorrow, (November 1st) most likely in the early morning, you will have access to the first lessons !   EZ Peezy:))

Hope to see you there!!

Artfully Yours,

Jodi 

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Have you seen what's new in my Etsy shop?  

Stop by and take a look!

Do you love Texture and Color? A little somethin' somethin' for you...read on there might be a PRIZE!

UpDated...read below to find out who won the goody pack!!

 

 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!! 

My newest online class is now open for registration!!! Read on for more info!

 

Texturize This!

Open Date: November 1st
Duration: 4 Weeks of Video Releases
Access: 12 months of Subscription
Description:
As seen the Cloth Paper Scissors September/October issue and by popular demand, Artist Jodi Ohl turns this amazing technique into world wide accessible online class!

 

Let go and dive into a world of shimmering color, tantalizing texture, and mysterious layers during this multi-week workshop full of experimenting on a surface that will make your paintings sing with intensity. Be a painterly scientist as you uncover ways to work with contemporary abstract compositions that employ exciting textural designs and layers. Your work will amaze everyone!

In this work shop, Jodi will share additional techniques , tips and compositional exercises that will take your work on adventure like you’ve never experienced before.

Example of some of the topics we will cover:

• Color choices
• Understanding Silks Acrylic Glazes and how to enhance the intensity of this paint as well as how to manipulate it.
• Adding texture using heat and assorted mediums
• Create depth using unique layer techniques
• Experiment with abstract designs
• Carving Surfaces

And MORE!

Not to mention you will receive a 30.00 gift certificate to our store to purchase a portion of your supplies. *Note the supply list will be accessible AFTER purchase.
 Register today!!!




Your basic list will include Silks Acrylic Glazes, Precious Metal Paint, Ampersand Claybord surfaces (multiple pieces), Viva Modeling creme, Rubber stamp carving tool. Other supplies will be items readily available at your craft or home improvement store.

wait a minute...there's more...

it just wouldn't be right if I didn't offer a little goodie pack of some sort to celebrate the launch of my new season of online classes, right?  

Well I gave a class already for a donation so this giveaway will be a bit different...I'm going to give you a chance to win most of the products needed for this class:))) whooohoo!

 a little selection of some texture tools

of course you'll need something to paint and play with...

and of course something to paint on...or maybe even a few somethings to paint on!!

 Total value of your gift should you win....well it will be well over $50.00!!

Ta-daahhhhhh we have a winner!! 

The random number generator picked number 44 and that person would be:

Jo Anne O. said... Oohhh Jodi! I am looking forward to this class and appreciate the chance to win a few goodies! I have been busy putting the finishing touches on the pieces I made at AIY, and am SO glad I took your classes as I learned so much! Thank you for inspiring me! :)

Congratulations Jo Anne!! 

Email me with your contact info and I will get your prize pack out to you!!

Thank you all for your enthusiasm and for sharing my page!!

I hope to see some of you in class Friday!!  

*This is an open ended class so if you can't join this week,  you can join in at any time.  Over the next 4 weeks, new lessons will be accessible each Friday. Thereafter you can view the lessons anytime!

Simply leave a comment on this post and tell me what your top 3 favorite colors are!!

PS....

Extra  entry if you share this post!

Winner will be announced on MONDAY,  October 28th1

I hope to see you in class, you will have a BLAST:))))

....Jodi

You Are Not Alone...

Whooohoo!  I'm a featured guest designer over at Stencil Girl's blog his week.   If you haven't fallen 'victim' to the stencil craze...oh my, you are missing out on some big fun!

Read on about a special project I did using Seth Apter's newest Stencil "Numbers":
(excerpt taken from Stencil Girl).

Hi Everyone!

My name is Jodi Ohl and I’m a mixed media artist, writer and work shop instructor out of central North Carolina. I’m here today to feature my friend Seth Apter’s newest stencil  release with a project that I created that combined printmaking, collage and mixed media techniques. 

  Seth’s stencils are great because each and every one has a variety of elements that can be used together or on their own. In a sense, you actually get a variety of stencils all in one.  One useful way to work on a project is to find a few areas that you want to work on and in essence, create your own surface design with those elements within Seth’s Stencils.

 ......For the rest of the project, click HERE!:)))


Have you seen this?  New class starts November 11th~

Embrace Your Limitations-and Winner of my Giveaway

 Good Monday Morning!

I hope everyone is well rested and ready for a beautiful week ahead, our first full week of June! It hardly seems possible we are hitting the halfway mark of 2013!  

With each passing day, time flies faster than the one before and each year melds into the next in a blink of an eye. 
I think acknowledging this and making the most of each and every day is so important. I know you all know that, but until something sneaks up on you or a life changing event happens, we often forget to make the most of every day and every moment we have with our loved ones.

We forget to do this with ourselves as well. How often do we do something just because others think we should? 

Granted there are times when we just need to do something  or it's the right thing to do, but how often is it that you put yourself to the wayside or make excuses as to why you can't do it?

 Reading through the comments in my giveaway last week really reconfirmed to me that we often make excuses, let fear override our faith and, and put off what we want for the sake of everyone but ourselves, (Among many other amazing 'aha' moments that were shared")

The winner of  my giveaway,  Mo Wassell had this to say,

 "  my AHA moment... so many... I heard something yesterday from an inspirational speaker - basically, to embrace your limitations. I thought of how I don't have much space to create, and even less time, and I tend to put off even trying. But his advice was to use that to push you as an artist... so I will begin creating small pieces that don't take as long... duh! Who knows from there?"

Congratulations Mo! I love what you had to say, even though it was a random pick of numbers that led me to you...I think the words you chose to share with us really are so important and I'm grateful you shared what you've learned.

Embrace Your Limitations.

Make the most of what you have, when you have it (or where you have it).

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No excuses, now go out and do great things in the world. We need you to 'show up'.  Time is ticking as we all know. :)

Jodi

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Did you know my class "Painterly in Pink" over at Dreaming in Color is now open for self study work?  Your registration comes with a 12 month subscription to the class AND a 30.00 coupon for product on the Dreaming in Color (website within the Splash of Color family) for the class!

Stop on by and check it out....learn tips and tricks to drawing facial features and painting semi stylized semi realistic portraits.  Over 36 videos shared all for one low price.

Regenerate and Redefine

 "Regenerate"

20x20 mixed media acrylic painting

re·gen·er·ate

 to re-create, reconstitute, or make over, especially in a better form or condition.

to revive or produce anew; bring into existence again.

Biology . to renew or restore (a lost, removed, or injured part)..

Physics. to restore (a substance) to a favorable state or physical condition.

Most of you probably already knew this...but I just re-remembered when I was looking at some photo references for starfish that they are a species that can regenerate a broken or missing limb.

Amazing.  I wish we all could do that, especially those that were injured in the tragic events last week in Boston...or to those brave soldiers that have been injured and lost limbs while fighting for our freedom....sigh...

...since we can't grow back what's lost in our body or symbolically in our spirit when things go awry in life, it is however possible to transform our mind into a new existence.  How does one transform against all odds?  I wish I knew. I think the best any of us can do is to breathe...let go...forgive...forget..move on..and try to grab on to whatever determination and initiative you have to reinvent your world based on your new circumstances, whatever they may be.

 

Lately I crave peacefulness and quiet.  I am by nature, introverted (that is unless I truly know someone)  but by being introverted, I don't necessarily want to be alone...just in a state of calmness in my surroundings, needing time to think and reinvent, climb higher, and move forward.
 There is advice at every corner and coming from every angle letting me know how or what I should do to accomplish this but in the end, I simply want to do better and do better at what I do. Does that make sense?  And do it at a steady not work 16 hours a day pace.  Regenerating is a funny thing. It comes in many packages, and reveals itself in it's own sweet time.
This week I will be heading out again to the coast, partially business and for part pleasure--restocking galleries in the outer banks, doing some prospecting, market research, photography,  planning for a big event that I will be participating, and then, finally a few days with friends on one of the most peaceful and serene islands around....in Ocracoke. I can't wait to see the water. Feel the sand.  Dig for treasures, laugh with kind souls, and create with the wind outside facing the sun.
Peace.  That's what I really crave right now and can feel it surrounding me because I've starting to calm myself down. I know it's especially important because big changes are coming, and I want to take them on from a place of grounding.
Hope you find that your feet firmly planted as you leap onto the next leg of your journey.

*The painting above was completed with a sheen of inka gold over top some of the textured areas along with over the starfish created a creamy metallic glow on the canvas.  LOVE these products I was given to sample out from my friends at Splash of Color, and Leslie Ohnstad! They are very simple to use, can be rubbed on with your fingers or a brush then buffed out a bit with a soft cloth. If you use them over top of Silks Acrylics, the effects are even more vibrant! Stay tuned for more projects using these cool supplies!

*Also over at Dreaming in Color, I am re-releasing my Twinks on Yupo class-stop by, would love to have you join in on the fun!

(This is a four week class, and then the access to the class will be for an additional 12 months. Every student also receives a 30.00 coupon for product in the Dreaming in Color store! whooohoo!)

See what's new in my shop this week~

" Development"

Just Do It! Free ART Friday :)

TGIF!  Or at least in some countries it's Friday!

I hope your week was magical and productive. I spent the week doing a lot of learning. We are never too old to learn, right? I've been taking a couple of creative business courses this month which I put a lot of effort into this week,  along with just simply sitting my butt down to figure out things I haven't done yet but have had on my 'to do list' for awhile.

For example, I sat down and created a skeleton of a website I hope to grow into something a lot more flourishing than it is right now. But it's there at least, right? It's farther along than it would be if I was just 'thinking about doing it it' . I actually did it.

Here it is if you want to see it. I mean I should hang my head by even posting it because it's not 'complete'  by any means, but by putting it out there, and I know you will be looking...it'll coax me into keep improving it.  :) I have to use reverse psychology on myself from time to time.

I also learned how to thread my sewing machine this week. HA! I know that's not a biggie but it's something I haven't done in almost a year so I totally forgot how to use it. I couldn't even remember how to sew  in reverse. How sad is that?

But look what I made...well it's not perfect but it's pretty cool. Again..it's a lot cooler in person than just an idea in my head that I never got out. It's here in the world because I forced myself to at least try.

I'm working on several projects for 21 Secrets which opens April 1st.  I have to say, it's been a little bit of a struggle for me because I've moved more away from journaling in a book to  just playing with printing with anything I can get my hands on, sketching in a note pad, doodling on something else, scratching out ideas on loose papers. Journal pages and painted papers are  EVERYWHERE!!  That's actually part of the theme for my class, "Diary of a Highly Effective But Inconsistent Journaler"  you may journal here and there, but it's not consistent, heck it may not even be in a book..but what can we do to make it more a part of our artistic routine?  What are some ideas to reel it all into  one or two places so we CAN use our journals for a reference for future art or just to play with ideas. And just WHAT do we journal on? Do we have to journal on the same type of paper all the time?  

All good questions...and I don't know all the answers but I will share with you several things I've learned along the way and assure you we are in this together and that we can make BEAUTIFUL journal pages..even if they are different from the rest  of the world.  That's the amazing part of journaling. It's totally owwwdilly all about YOU. 

 My other aha 'educational' activity was today when I created my  

Free  ART Lesson

 video for the week.  (haha...like the name?  I had fun playing with some of my facebook friends today trying to come up with a name for my tutorials that I'll be doing weekly) Kinda going off topic here but my idea was to work with some of my partner company's products (as well as other assorted projects)  and share tips or lessons with  my friends and followers on a weekly basis, Friday namely... and come up with a name for this project. 

Free ART Friday or Farting on Friday came up as one of the top choices.  Okay so maybe that's not the best choice, but a funky playful name is trying to be born as we speak but I'm not there yet:)

 

 

 Any whoosers,  in doing this video, I just wanted to do a voice over narration. I had no idea how to do that. I mean, I've done MANY MANY videos before.  I've never narrated a video. No clue.  I literally spent 3 hours trying to figure out how to do it, where the button was, how to get there..then how to edit it once I figured out how to do it.

The videos is just over 3 minutes.  3 hours (not including actual creation time) to do this little ez peezy project. Maybe not the best use of my time...but there again....I LEARNED something and  in doing so...that something I surely can use down the road in other projects. Right? Hopefully! Yes, I know I can use that little nugget of info in future things;)

So are you getting the drift of my article today? You never stop learning.  Even when you haven't done something in eons, you can pick it back up and do something even bigger and better than before.  Doing SOMETHING is a heck of a lot better than doing nothing at all.  When you don't know how to do something..sit your butt down and figure it out...or go ask for help (after you've at least tried to make a go at it). 

Magic will happen, I can assure you.

And last but not least, don't let fear paralyze you from doing the unknown. It doesn't have to be perfect either the first go around.  It gets better and better the more you do it.

Okay so with that said, here's my perfectly IMPERFECT video on creating a 

Faux Stained Glass Journal Page using Twinkling H2O's, Pearl Pens on a gessoed substrate. What am I using for my substrate?  Umm....You'll have to join my class at 21 Secrets to find out the rest of the details.  C'mon, you know you wanna! :))

Enjoy your weekend,  make it fun..play art,  enjoy family and friends....and relax.  You deserve it!


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