Holiday art idea and workshop

Glastonbury Studios

Reminder! Pen and Ink workshop with colored inks and Brusho is scheduled for this Saturday, December 7th. Just in time for the holidays! Learn pen and ink techniques using India ink colored ink and Brusho. All the supplies are included along with lunch! Great for gift cards, illustrations and journals. 10 am to 4 pm. Contact Jill at jjgoodell@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting me throughout the years. I especially want to thank those long-time students who have been with me for over 10 years. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. You have all made this the best 14 years of my life. I hope you all will strive to continue fine-tuning your basic skills. Since we are celebrating the holidays, I thought I'd give you a simple lesson on how to make a Christmas tree in less than 15 minutes. A few years ago, I sent this card out to my friends and family. It's simple, fast and festive. Back then, I used watercolor, but today I'm going to use Tombow Dual Brush pens. Notice that on the left side, the pen has a brush and on the right a bullet tip of the same color. These are highly versatile, water-based pens. You can paint with them as well as illustrate. Be careful though because they are water-based, which means you can experience smearing if you used a wet brush on top. Another pen brush that I use is the Faber-Castel Pitt Artist Brush Pens. These do not have the same large brush, but can serve as a pen as well as a brush. They are not dual. Recently, they have brought out the Big brush. I haven't personally used it, but the brush does look considerably larger. The biggest advantage of using Pitt is the pen is permanent, using Indian ink. So when the ink is down and dry, there's no smearing. So lets begin with the first marking. Again, I am using the Tombow Dual Brush in this exercise. Step one Create the base tree. Here I am using Tombow 177 on watercolor paper, hot press (smooth) paper .Now understand this is a free-style drawing, so one tree will be different from another. Notice to the right I am showing the marks I made, along with a zig-zag. Step two Now I added color #493.   Step three I added #N60 (lt. purple) and #158 (lt. green)  Step four and final Using the bullet tip #N23 (black), I added some details (I actually used an ink pen #01 but it wasn't bold enough). The trunk was #879 and undergrowth  was #177. Finally, I placed red balls, using a red paint pen. In my original I used glitter paint, but no longer have it.     As in real life, no Christmas tree is the same when drawing free-style. But that's the fun part. By the way, for those who want to know the type face I used, it is Papyrus. I hope this holiday season will bring you all the joy and happiness you deserve! Keep Playing with Art! Questions or comments please go to: jjgoodell@gmail.com

Fall 2019 Workshops Give yourself a fun day break with  Art! Come and enjoy one of our informative and skill-based workshops. We supply most of the materials, so no long list to contend with. Plus we even provide lunch (pizza and salad). All of our workshops are held at Glastonbury Studios in Tigard from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost $90 per person, unless stated differently. Pre-registration is required. To register or for more information, contact me at: jjgoodell@gmail.com or 503.524.6981.

Fall Flowers and Leaves Saturday, November 16 Learn the basics to sketching flowers and leaves, using pen and ink along with watercolor. We will delve deeply into the anatomy of both, including pursuing some dissections. Bring a 90#, or heavier sketchbook. All other supplies and lunch provided.   Pen and Ink— The traditional way Saturday, December 7 Learn pen and ink, using India ink and watercolor. Explore different methods like hatching, crosshatching, stippling and more. Bring a 90#, or heavier sketchbook. All other supplies are included.

Reminder: Winter classes begin week of January 5, 2020. Plus! Sketch'n on the Go™ Aix en Provence Workshop has moved to September, 2020 (more to come)

I haven’t fallen off the edge of the world or building.

Instead, I’ve been incredibly busy with a new project:  getting our house ready for a sale and move. We’ve been working on it since mid-summer. The hardest part was breaking down the classroom and office and returning the space to a living room and dining room. Finally, that’s done.

So what happens to the classes and workshops?
For now nothing will change. My home-studio classroom is now in its original space—the front room (den) and can hold 10 in a pinch, but I’m still limiting classes to six people. Once the dust settles here, I plan on hosting a workshop in November (Drawing Birds) and December (Pen & Ink). Travel sketching workshops will continue as always—this next year we’re headed to Aix en Provence, France, in late April (see below for class and workshop details). My website will be updated soon.

Where are you moving to?
That’s a good question. We originally thought we were going to Port Townsend or Sequim, WA, which may still happen, but we’re now investigating the Vancouver and Camas areas.

Will you stop teaching?
Nah, I’ll won’t stop (until I drop). I will be converting everything to online classes, which I am in the process of learning how to operate. In fact, this new direction will be far better than my limited brick and mortar set up. Here’s why:

• It will be live
• I can offer the class to 20 students per session
• You can live anywhere, no commuting needed
• No concern about weather (unless your power goes out)
• You can learn in your pj’s.
• You can meet new people. Since the program is online and live, you will be able to share ideas, ask questions as is done in any other class.

Will you continue your newsletters?
Yes, just give me at least another month and I’ll be back in the saddle again, seeking new and interesting art horizons to discuss. In fact, any subject ideas are always welcomed!

What's Coming Up?

Fall Classes

Further information contact me:
jjgoodell@gmail.com

Art of Sketching Begins  10/29 Two openings
Learning to sketch actually improves your drawing skills; besides it’s amazingly fun.

Mixed media
Limited supply list
Every Tuesday morning
10 am to 12:30 pm
$80 per five-week term

The Morning Draw Begins 10/30 Full class
We will be exploring a variety of subjects and drawing techniques.
Mixed media

Limited supply list.
Every Wednesday morning
10 am to 12:30 pm
$80 per five-week term

Fall Art Workshops

All of our workshops are held at Glastonbury Studios in Tigard from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost $90 per person, unless stated differently. Pre-registration is required.To register or for more information, please contact me at jjgoodell@gmail.com.

Saturday, November 16

Sketching Flowers

Saturday, December 7
Pen and Ink—the traditional way

2020 Sketch'n on the Go!™ Workshops

Mark your calendar.

Every year I take students to different locations. In 2019, it was Ireland. In 2020, I’m planning a trip to Aix en Provence. We are now in the planning stage, but will have everything in place shortly.

Workshop Tuition
The workshop tuition is $800 per person and covers a week of instruction. Hotel rooms, transportation costs, food, entrance fees etc. are additional.  If you are taking a friend or partner, the companion fee is $250.

Travel Agent
For the travel side, I work with Barb Gossack, owner of the Expedia Cruise Ship Centers in Wilsonville (yes a brick and mortar location). For more information on any of these trips, you can contact her at BGossack@CruiseShipCenters.com

 Aix en Provence 

Itinerary and Hotel TBD

April 26-May 2, 2020

Workshop openings July, August, September

Workshop openings available at Glastonbury Studios Studio workshops are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and include lunch Saturday, July 13  Drawing Fun Bugs Beetles, butterflies, dragonfly, etc. $90 Two-Day Workshop  Saturday & Sunday August 3 & 4 "Art Journaling from the Heart" $199 September 1-8,2019 Sketching Dublin and Beyond (see below)

Spots available due to last minute cancellation! Sketching Dublin and Beyond Workshop Sunday, September 1- Sunday, September 8, 2019 Eight Days & Seven Nights Workshop Tuition: $800* For one week, we'll unpack once and sketch Dublin, Galway, Belfast and Malahide and it's charming castle.  We will stay at the Castleknock Hotel, just outside Dublin. The accommodations include a nicely appointed room with daily breakfast, indoor swimming pool, biking and walking trails, golfing and only minutes away from the local bus to take us into town. Fun sign in Galway (west coast of Ireland) We'll meet everyday at 8:30 a.m. in the hotel lobby. From there we will leave for our sketching destinations, from the west coast of Ireland to the east coast. Once on location, we will sketch for three to four hours, taking in the sites, and yes! there will also be time for you to wander on your own. The workshop tuition is $800 for the week. Interested, contact me: jjgoodell@gmail.com For more details click the button below or go to: https://sketchingdublin.blogspot.com/ Find Out More

A fun way with Watercolors

Watercolor is a hard medium to learn. But it's the most popular. A lot of first-time art students will sign up for a class in watercolor. I remember before I took any classes and was just experimenting, I bought a set of cheap watercolors and a book on how to make watercolor cards. What an utter disaster.

It's all about good materials
First of all, I didn't learn until much later that it's imperative to use good watercolors made with an ample amount of pigment. If not, your colors will most likely be muted, hard to work with and just a big disappointment. So go with the best products, such as

• West Linn's  M. Graham Co.,
  
• Seattle's Daniel Smith, 
• Germany's Lukas or 
• California's DaVinci to name a few. 

Using Crayola or Prang, while good for children, are substandard for fine arts.

Secondly, I learned to use good paper. As I've described in other posts on this blog, there is no match for 100% cotton paper, weighing at least 90# or preferably 140#. There is a world of difference in comparison to what I call "wood pulp" paper--cheaper forms of watercolor paper: right weight but no cotton. Here are a few I recommend:

• Beaverton's Bee Paper Aquabee Watercolor Paper
• France's Arches
• Italy's FabrianoArtistico
• England's SaundersWaterford (my favorite)

Let's try a new project

Here's a fun way to approach watercolor, which includes a pen too. Instead of drawing a flower with pencil first and then adding pen and watercolor, why not try laying down the main color first and switching the process.

In this sample, I placed a very light wash of pink down on cotton watercolor paper. After letting it dry, I sketched my flower, first with pencil and then with pen. I erased the pencil, then painted another layer of color, leaving some pale spots here and there. While still a bit wet, I added the third layer with a slightly darker shade, creating more value. At the end, I painted the center with appropriate colors.

Here's another one.  Say you don't have time to sketch a full scene, there's a quick way to do it in less than 10 minutes. Lay down a light wash of blue and green, sketch in your picture with pen and add values where appropriate.

I've used these methods a bundle of time and it's so much fun. Yes, I agree, this isn't fine art watercolors. Just another way to play with them. In fact, speaking of playing, what a great activity this is for your kids or grandkids. They'll love the freedom and creativity it spells out for them. Hope you enjoy this technique.

What's Coming Up?

Summer Classes
Further information contact me:
jjgoodell@gmail.com

Art of Sketching Begins 7/2 Learning to sketch actually improves your drawing skills; besides it’s amazingly fun. We'll be using pen and ink with watercolor washes. 
Watercolor Pencils
Limited supply list
Every Tuesday morning
10 am to 12:30 pm
$80 per five-week term

The Morning Draw Begins 7/3 We will be exploring a variety of subjects and drawing techniques. 
Watercolor Pencils
Limited supply list.
Every Wednesday morning
10 am to 12:30 pm
$80 per five-week term

Summer Art Workshops

All of our workshops are held at Glastonbury Studios in Tigard from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost $90 per person, unless stated differently. Pre-registration is required. To register or for more information, contact me at: jjgoodell@gmail.com

Saturday, June 22
Drawing Cats (closed)

Saturday, July 13
Drawing Fun Bugs
Beetles, butterflies, dragonfly, etc.

New!
Two-Day Workshop
Saturday & Sunday August 3 & 4

"Art Journaling from the Heart"

$199

2020 Sketch'n on the Go!™ Workshops

Mark your calendar.

Every year I take students to different locations. In 2019, it is Ireland. In 2020, we're planning three locations. We are right now in the planning stage, so it would help if you see something you like to drop me a line: jjgoodell@gmail.com. 

Workshop Tuition
The workshop tuition is $800 per person and covers a week of instruction. Cruise costs, hotel rooms, transportation costs, food, etc. are additional. 

Travel  Agent
For the travel side, I work with Barb Gossack, owner of the Expedia Cruise Ship Centers in Wilsonville (yes a brick and mortar location). For more information on any of these trips, you can contact her at BGossack@CruiseShipCenters.com

Here are the preliminary offerings:

Hawaiian cruise around the islands

Norwegian Cruise Line

January 04 - 11, 2020

           

North to Alaska

Celebrity Cruise Line

September 4-11, 2020

Aix en Provence 

Hotel TBD

May 10-17, 2020

May 2019 post

Today I’d like to talk about a passion I have: journaling. 

I've been writing in a journal (diary) since I was a little girl. I liked to put my thoughts on paper, especially when I was angry, sad or happy--in other words when emotional about what was going on in my life.  It was a safe place. I could call it like I saw it without anyone putting in her own two cents.

I'm still doing the same, but with an added twist. I've added art to my words. I've also created many journals on different subjects. No longer a place to vent my emotions, my journals take me on different types of journeys. Let's see, I have journals on:

Nature
I mostly cover my backyard and parks with animals, flowers, trees, people, and verbal observations. The one major observation I can share is that when sitting in a natural setting, you become part of the landscape. Amazingly, all sorts of animals and activity occur just by sitting there. As I always tell my students, "Be still and they will come."

From my backyard journal

Travel
Wherever I go, so goes my sketchbook. As I have covered in previous blogs, I carry a small sketchbook in order to capture moments with word and drawing. It's amazing how much one can recall a moment in time when sitting on a curb sketching years ago. Suddenly you are back there with the breeze in the air, the children messing about, traffic coming and going, people walking by. I've never experienced that with a photo. As I said, it like your have truly grabbed a timeless moment in your life! That's why I'm addicted to it.

Travel in San Francisco

Animals
Okay, I'm a bit of a nut regarding birds. No, I'm not a birder at all. I just love watching and drawing them. My small backyard has nine feeders, two bird baths and a pond. We've been able to attract all sorts of birds and behavior. What a wonderful setting to enjoy these little creatures. Yes, I do have one journal specifically dedicated to birds, which is almost full.

Animals (of course a bird)

I'm not stuck exclusively on birds though. I thoroughly enjoy downloading some photos (from places like Morguefile or Pixabay) and spending time on different animals: lions, tigers, sea turtles, roosters, camels and so on. (I haven't created one dedicated journal to animals in general, but will probably do so this spring or summer).  What's especially fun about journaling animals is that you can find all sorts of information about them in order to add to your enrichment and writing.

Art Journal
I also call this one my ad hoc or visual journal. It's my favorite. I can do whatever I feel like doing. No restrictions or themes. Because I put anything and everything in this book, I am usually restricted to my studio because most of my supplies are there.

With this journal, the sky is the limit. You're not bound by drawing, sketching or writing, you can now use visual objects to tell your story or express your feelings. Here's a short list.

• paintings (your own are best)
• collages
•  magazine cut outs
•  photos
• found items: washi tape, stamps, fabric, post cards
• maps
• music sheets
• envelopes for secret messages
• specialized paper

Unlike the written-only journal where the words matter the most, the art journal takes on a life of its own. Several visual journalers will say they don’t know why they pick a picture or a piece of fabric to express themselves. But once done, they are certain it was the right choice for that day, for that hour, that moment.

Additionally, this journal takes all sorts of media, such as acrylic paint, watercolor, colored pencil, marker, ink, gold leafing and more! Paste a favorite card down and surround it with everything you can find or desire. It's truly art for art's sake--no entering of competitions, no sales, no markets, no galleries. Just a place for you to be truly raw in your creativity.

Emotional Reasons

A few years ago, I was teaching art journaling at St. Vincent's hospital to cancer survivors. Through the help of my own counselor, I had started a "cancer" journal to help me get through the difficulties. I called it My Garden. Here's my first page:

My first ever visual journal page

Wow, I haven't read this page for awhile, but gosh it really sends me back 14 years ago, especially these quotes:

"This is my life's garden. A metaphor for my new life after cancer." 

 And then on the next page,

"Now more than ever, I want to live life at the fullest. ... Now I can greet each day with a sense of adventure!... My garden is filled with hope. I survived on hope and it's given me wings."

As I progressed with each page, then book, I changed, helping me with my "new normal." But what happened in the class was even more phenomenal. I saw women, who was darkly depressed, spring to life as we cut, pasted, wrote, searched for that right paper, photos, paint. Over time, I witnessed people coming to terms with problems (physical, emotional or even spiritually) and most importantly, they were growing.

Since those days at the hospital I've continued to journal--either thematically as described above or through a general art journal. I find a magical life inside my pages. Not only do I continue to learn more about myself, I am finding my creativity has exploded. I'm trying out new media, new avenues, new techniques, even working on eventual paintings. Here are a few examples of my current work--all originating from a blank book:

It is truly amazing what happens when you start to journal either thematically as I've covered above or through a general art journal. Lives change. Yes! You can be creative again and forever.

Here's an interesting trailer clip of the video 1000 Journal. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

What's coming up!

Glastonbury Studios Classes

Just a warning. The students in these classes are 
very liberal-minded, fun-loving women!
Be prepared to laugh, love and live a lot.

New classes begin the week of May 19th. If you want to join us, please contact me: jjgoodell@gmail.com. 

Art of Sketching  Begins 5/21

Learning to sketch actually improves your drawing skills; besides it’s amazingly fun. We'll be  using pen and ink with watercolor washes. 
People: faces, in motion, about town
Limited supply list

Every Tuesday morning

10 am to 12:30 pm

$80 per five-week term

Seats available

The Morning Draw Begins 5/22

We will be exploring a variety of subjects and drawing techniques. 
Faces: people and animals
Limited supply list.

Every Wednesday morning

10 am to 12:30 pm

$80 per five-week term

Afternoon Art Journaling Begins 5/22

Drawing, painting, collage, writing, mixed media. 

Includes most supplies. 

Every Wednesday afternoon

1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

$80 per five-week term

One-Day Workshops

All of our workshops are held at Glastonbury Studios in Tigard from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., unless otherwise indicated. Workshops include most supplies and lunch. Cost $90 per person, per day. Pre-registration is required. Seats are limited to a minimum of four students.

To learn more about the offerings and dates, go to my website. To register or for more information, contact me at: jjgoodell@gmail.com

Saturday, May 18
Drawing with Colored Pencils

Saturday, June 1
Discover Watercolor Pencil 

Saturday, June 22
Drawing Cats 

Saturday, July 13

Drawing Fun Bugs

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New!

Two-Day Workshop

Saturday August 3-4

"Art Journaling from the Heart" 

$199 
 Glastonbury Studios in Tigard from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

(includes materials, light breakfast, lunch)

Location: In-studio

Maximum: 10 students

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Future Sketch'n on the Go™ Workshops

Currently I am looking at two locations to travel with students in 2020. (Yes, I do work this far in advance.) One is Japan and the other is Aix en Provence, France. Both places have wonderful sketching opportunities. If you are interested, please let me know. It will help in my decision-making.