I’m glad I took the time to journal on this trip to Italy. It does take some effort to make time to write things down each day, but it’s amazing how quickly we forget the details if we don’t record them in some way. Each day blurs into the next and you can’t rmember where […]
Category: Sketches
Vernazza Sketch + GIVEAWAY
When I visited Italy in September, I only had two full days to explore the towns of Cinque Terre, but we managed to see four of the five villages, and that was without rushing around too much. We had leisurely lunches and hours of meandering, plus time spent sketching. One of my favorite experiences was […]
Manarola Harbor Sketch + GIVEAWAY!
I have a week’s worth of Italy sketches to share with you, but rather than post them all at once, I thought it might be fun to spread them out over the next seven days and give you seven chances to win some brand spankin’ new art supplies for yourself. I’ll tell you all about […]
Step-by-Step Watercolor: Olive Sketch
The olive oil from Fattoria Bacio (the estate that hosts my workshop in Italy) is the best I’ve ever tasted! During our week at the villa, the students and I sloshed it over just about everything at dinner each night: bread, pasta, salad, meat, and vegetables. And by the end of the week, we all […]
Italy Sketchbook — Travel is NOT for Sissies!
I always have such high hopes when I head off on a trip, thinking I’ll be able to share lots of great stuff with you here on my blog while I’m away, but it just doesn’t seem to work out that way. Things get very busy when I’m teaching a workshop, and there just aren’t […]
“Sketch Your Life!” Workshop at Summerhill
Last weekend I hosted my first three-day “Sketch Your Life!” workshop here at my home, and we all had a great time exploring the possibilities of sketchbook journaling. I injured my toe when I was rearranging furniture for the workshop. Ouch!! I ended up with a nasty infection, but it’s healing nicely now, thank goodness! […]
Sketches from Maine – Part 4
Andrew Wyeth painted hundreds of paintings in Maine during his life, and the Olson House was one of his favorite subjects. It’s now part of the Farnsworth Museum. We visited on a beautiful summer day and had a chance to sketch for awhile after touring the house and watching a documentary about Wyeth. The house […]
Sketches from Maine – Part 3 (Step-by-Step Tutorial)
During my June workshop in Maine, I waited all week for the perfect day to drive to the top of Mt. Battie and spend some time sketching. My patience was rewarded when we awoke one morning to abundant sunshine and clear blue skies. The view from the top of Mt. Battie is spectacular – deep […]
Sketches from Maine – Part 2
Picture yourself sitting in an Adirondack chair somewhere along the coast of Maine, water gently lapping at the shore in front of you and seagulls soaring lazily overhead. The sun is sinking low in the sky and there’s a stillness in the air, as if the earth is holding its breath, waiting for darkness to […]
Sketches from Maine – Step-by-Step Iris Watercolor
Merryspring Nature Center is an idyllic little gem in the heart of mid-coast Maine. The day we visited, we had the place entirely to ourselves. There was so much to draw that I found myself wandering around for awhile just taking it all in, waiting for something to “speak” to me. Should I do a […]
