workshops

Thursday, February 10th at 6pm EST

This workshop is an invitation to get creative with bold colors and playful patterns to create stylized digital portraits in Procreate. Using a limited color palette and a creative brief, Chanell will guide you through the process of collecting reference images, sketching your composition, choosing the right brushes and coloring the final illustration.

Suggested Materials:

-iPad
-Apple Pencil
-Procreate app

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Wednesday, February 9th at 1pm EST

In this workshop, printmaker and book artist, Sarah Matthews will show you how to design, carve, and print a custom stamp on a greeting card and postcard for Valentine’s Day. Sarah will go over basic block printing, pattern making, and layering techniques during this tutorial. Join us for a fun afternoon making Valentines for the special people in your life. No experience is necessary. Fun is required.

Suggested Materials:

• Speedball Lino Cutters

• Utility Knife '

• Speedy Carve 4” x 6

• Stamping Ink

• Blank Greeting Cards or Postcards

• Pencil

• Ruler

• Chisel Tip Marker

• Cutting Mat

• Scrap Paper to Cover Your Work Surface
  

  You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Wednesday, February 9th at 10am EST

Beginning with just a few spontaneously drawn blobs, in this workshop you’ll create a unique character design in your own intuitive style. Sage will guide you through the basics of creating short-form comics using your newly-created character as inspiration. This is a workshop for creators at any experience level that are interested in loosening up and having fun with drawing and narrative-based art.

Required Materials:

1. Pencil & Paper

Optional Materials:

1. Ruler

2. Your choice of media to add color (such as markers, inks, watercolors…whatever you’d like to experiment with!)

3. Black marker / pens / inks for line work

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Tuesday, February 8th at 3pm EST

Have you ever started a Vision Board with the best intentions and then a year later found it half done under your bed or shoved in a closet?!? Well not this year! This year we are going to make a vision board together and have it done in one sitting! This workshop begins with a reflective writing exercise that will help you get clear on what you want so that your vision board helps you reach goals that truly matter to you. After we are clear on what we want, we will begin by collecting images that help bring our goals to life. You will learn how to create your own personal symbols and find images that make a dynamic composition. At the end of this class you will have a visual tool that will encourage and guide you as you go out into the world and attract what you desire.

What to Expect:

-Reflection and goal setting exercise.
-Tips and tricks for creating a strong Vision Board and my magic formula for making a powerful board.
-At the end of the class you will be clear on where you are at and where you want to go! Let the Vision Boarding begin!

Suggested Materials:

-Pen
-Paper
-Bristol Board
-Magazines or you can collect images online.
-Scissors
-Glue

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Friday January 28th at 11:30am EST

In this workshop, mixed media artist Brianne Burnell will show you how to create unique art tools from easy to find materials. Let your imagination run wild and explore what new shapes and patterns can be created with your original tools. This is the perfect workshop for abstract artists who are tired of using the same old paintbrushes, and are looking to make unique marks in their artwork.

Suggested Materials:

-Cardboard
-Hot Glue Gun
-10-15 Wooden dowels (alternative: sticks from outside, old paintbrush handles, popsicle sticks)
-A few sponges
-Yarn or string
-Pipe cleaners
-Feathers
-Tape
-Any kind of paper to test out your new tools
-Acrylic paint
-Scissors

Optional Materials:

-Pompoms
-Mini Pompoms
-Fabric Scraps

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Thursday, January 20th at 10am EST

Struggling to start working in your sketchbook? In this workshop, Clara Cook will share her process of brainstorming and planning a sketchbook from start to finish. Working with our Volume 19 themes, Clara will help participants decide how to choose a theme, come up with enough illustration ideas to fill the sketchbook and plan their pages to form a narrative or connected sequence of images.

Suggested Materials:

-Pens, pencils and markers
-Paper to jot down ideas that come up when exploring different themes
-A sketchbook

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Tuesday, January 18th at 11am EST

Combine paper collage with painting to illustrate your own animal in their natural habitat. Shelley Hanmo will share with you a couple of adorable sea animal collage designs that you can create using paper materials found at home, and Emma Lopes will guide you in using paint to illustrate to compliment your collage, and how you can use color techniques, brush work and composition to bring your scene to life.

Suggested Materials:

For collage:
-Colorful but matted magazine paper, craft paper, or other types of paper you would like to use
-Some shades of gray colors and black will be needed for the seals
-Coloring pencils to add texture (optional)
-A pair of scissors for cuttingWrinkle-free glue or rubber cement
-Double-sided clear tape

For watercolor:
-Paper (preferably 300g/m2 but heavy paper or watercolor paper will do)
-Pencil
-Paints- preferably gouache but watercolor or acrylic will also work
-Brushes (including some smaller ones size 2 or 1)
-Water container

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Tuesday, January 4th at 2pm EST

In the course Sarah Nelson will guide you through an open and imaginative creative process to illustrate and commemorate places that are special or significant. This course is for all skill levels and is not rooted in a specific medium or art techniques. Instead this workshop is focused on creative expression, composition, and storytelling! It is meant to be a fun experience using unexpected compositional tools to create a personal illustration using your own visual language in order to commemorate a place that matters to you!

For this course you will need:
-Drawing Paper
-Pens or Pencils
-Eraser
-Either markers, colored pencils or watercolor (A way to add color elements).
-Watercolor Paper (only required if you choose to use watercolor)
-Scratch paper
-Reference photos to a place that matters (home, neighborhood, park, school, trip, etc) to you and the components that are special to you (examples: a specific tree, playground set, dog, shadows, colors of walls, picture frame, tile pattern, etc.)
-If you prefer to trace and are not working digitally have tracing paper and a printed version of your place at the ready.

Digital Drawing Platforms are also acceptable!

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

In this workshop, Anna Williams will be demonstrating one of her favorite art mediums: collage. She will show you fun ways of combining images to create a "third" new image, and talk a little bit about some of her favorite artists. You will leave with a very cool piece of art whether that's digital or physical.

Suggested materials:

analog:

• canvas, illustration board or any paintable surface

• mod podge

• collected images (magazines, printed photos, newspapers)

• exacto knife

• scissors

• micron pens, acrylic paint or any mark-making material

  digital:

• iPad with procreate or computer with photoshop

• collected images

Wednesday, December 6th at 6pm EST.

Sarah Laree will demonstrate her style of painting house portraits in a colorful palette. You will learn the process of illustrating a house (or apartment building) from a photo. Sarah will also show you her process of painting windows, building materials and surrounding foliage with acrylic gouache. You can paint along with her photo example or choose your own.
Suggested Materials

1. Acrylic Gouache paint (Sarah’s favorite brand is Holbein) - a set of cmyk primaries: cyan, yellow, magenta, plus black and white

2. Paper: hot-pressed watercolor paper (smooth surface, 140lb)

3. Ruler or straight edge to tear paper

4. Brushes: 4 Round, 2 Round, 1/4” Bright - if you don’t have these, any brush you have on hand will do :)

5. Stay-wet palette (or any air-tight palette) - you can also use a ceramic plate or palette for mixing instead

6. A jar for water and paint cloth (or paper towel)

7. Colored pencil (any color, Sarah usually uses Prismacolor light cerulean blue)

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Tuesday, November 23rd at 5pm EST

Spend the afternoon with illustrator, Chingya Weng, doodling plants! Chingya will spend the hour helping participants connect with nature by guiding attendees through exercises that will help them best draw the plants they find around them.

Suggested Materials:

-Sketchbook/paper
-Watercolor
-Color pencil
-Ink
-Any of your favorite doodling supplies!

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Monday, November 22nd at 2pm EST

You're invited to join Janna Maria Vallee for Tiny Tapestries - an intimate live workshop which introduces new weavers to the fundamentals of small-scale tapestry in a rigorous 2-hour workshop. We cover the elements of design to consider for small-scale tapestry using paper collage and then dive into the basics of tapestry weaving, including 'magic' techniques.

Why weave tiny tapestries? Let me tell you! Tiny tapestries can be made into magnets, pins, patches, tiny wall hangings and whatever else your imagination can dream up, AND they are a great way to dip your toes into the world of weaving tapestry.

Materials You Need:

1. A tapestry loom. Any loom will do, even a homemade 5"X5" cardboard loom.

2. Three or more colors of the same weight yarn (fingering, Sport, DK, or worsted weight)

3. Two tapestry needles

4. Paint chips or magazines cutouts that match your yarn colorways

5. Archival glue stick

6. Scissors

7. A pencil

Janna's Tiny Tapestries Loom Kit has the first three items on the list above.

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Tuesday, November 16th at 2pm EST

Learn how to keep notes and write down the most relevant stories and feelings of your day to day and then put them into comics! Pepita Sandwich will give you tips to write scripts for your cartoons using the right words to generate different sensations.

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Tuesday, October 19th at 11am EST

Wondering what to do with the pile of magazines at home? In this workshop, you will learn to create fun animal designs on a sketchbook using only repurposed magazines and paper bags. Shelley Hanmo Qian is a paper artist and illustrator who specializes in creating whimsical and colorful collages. She will be sharing some of her favorite animal designs with you, and how to cut desired shapes and put them together.

Suggested Materials:

-Magazine paper/paper bags found at home (various solid colors with matte finish), OR construction paper if magazines are not available.

-Rubber Cement or wrinkle-free glue stick

-Double-sided tape

-A pair of scissors for cutting paper

-Optional: coloring pencils

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Wednesday, October 27th at 12pm EST

In this workshop, Molly will show you how to adapt and amend images using the domestic repair technique of darning, inspired by her own practice. Add colorful, detailed patches to images to bring new life to them as Molly shows you how to plan and make darning samplers that you can go on to apply to your own creative endeavors.

A little knowledge of sewing or embroidery is useful, but not required. If you’d like a starting point, try out Molly’s “Embroidering over Images” workshop.

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email upon purchase. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Wednesday, October 27th at 5:30pm EST

Get ready for the holidays with illustrator Cat Willett by learning how to make your own digital greeting cards! Cat will guide attendees through the process of creating a lush digital drawing from setting up a still life or working from a photo, to sketching on paper, and finally to inking and coloring in Procreate. At the end of the class, you'll have an illustration that you can email, text, or print out and snail mail to a lucky recipient.

Suggested Materials:

-Still life or photo to work from

-Sketching paper and materials to draw with

-iPad and Apple Pencil

-Procreate App

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Join us on Thursday, October 7th at 6pm EST! We're hosting a drawing night with Greg Kletsel! In this small group, participants will spend the evening creating with Greg and members of our community!

Unlike our typical class style, everyone will have the ability to have their cameras and mics on, ask Greg questions personally, meet other members from our community and make art together!

Tickets are $25. All proceeds from the event will go to paying our instructor and funding future programs and events

Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at 6pm EST

In this workshop, you will learn to swap realistic colors for bright hues. Sarah Laree will demonstrate her style of painting colorful streetscapes in a unique palette. Sarah will show you her process of setting up a palette, mixing colors, planning color for an illustration and more acrylic gouache techniques. She will also share some paintings from her sketchbook, and process of illustrating from travel photos. You can paint along with her photo example or choose your own.

Suggested Materials

• Acrylic Gouache paint (Sarah’s favorite brand is Holbein) - a set of cmyk primaries: cyan, yellow, magenta, plus black and white

• Paper: hot-pressed watercolor paper (smooth surface, 140lb)

• Ruler or straight edge to tear paper

• Brushes: 4 Round, 2 Round, 1/4” Bright - if you don’t have these, any brush you have on hand will do :)

• Stay-wet palette (or any air-tight palette) - you can also use a ceramic plate or palette for mixing instead

• A jar for water and paint cloth (or paper towel)

• Colored pencil (any color, Sarah usually uses Prismacolor light cerulean blue)

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 6pm EST

In this workshop, Aleen Montchal will be demonstrating a monoprinting technique using items found in nature. This process can be accomplished in any home studio: no print shop required. 

Suggested materials:

• Botanical materials (e.g. plants, flowers, leaves, twigs, shells) 

• Block printing ink (water-soluble for easy clean up) 

• Rubber brayer 

• Paper

• Scissors

• Palette 

• Palette knife 

• Smooth surface for rolling out ink (plastic or glass panel) 

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Friday, October 1, 2021 at 1pm EST

In this workshop, Anna Williams will be showing her favorite ways of collecting images, drawing flash, and creating a tattoo portfolio. Using classic old school imagery as well as modern illustrations, she will show you how to create a unique style of tattoo designing and the best way to create a body of work uniquely your own. Whether you will tattoo it yourself, take it to an artist, or try and get an apprenticeship.

Suggested materials:

• sketchbook 

• black ink pen (think micron but any felt tip will work)

  paper

• Paper

• iPad with procreate (for the digital)

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email the day the class starts. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

In this workshop, you will learn the art of flower decoration. Julietta Weimer will walk give simple exercises to walk you through the process of how to build up each flower design.

Wednesday, August 25th at 11am EST

Learn how to integrate little storytelling elements into your nature sketches and city drawings. Lisa Frühbeis is a comic artist and author, who majored on sketchbook theory. She will also share some of her findings on why sketchbooks are so effective as an artist's tool, and how they can improve your process.

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email upon purchase. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Thursday, August 26th at 11am EST

In this workshop, Natalia Tcherniak will give a demonstration of camera-less, darkroom-less, historical alternative process photography technique, using available ad-hoc materials and improvised space.

Suggested Materials:
- Cyanotype chemistry kit (I use either Jacquard or Photographers' Formulary Please read instructions carefully, check whether your kit requires additional steps prior to mixing the Sensitizer solution (i.e. if the kit comes with dry ingredients) We will begin our workshop with mixing sensitizer solution together and coating the paper.

- Protective gloves (recommended)

- Something to measure required parts of chemical components (usually the mixing is required in equal part in the liquid kits, so a small cup or plastic spoon will do)

- Bowl to mix solution in (porcelain, plastic, just not metal)

- Brush or a sponge (ideally new, again, make sure there is no metal elements, otherwise they will corrode. If using a brush, this will be a specifically dedicated cyanotype brush)

- Paper (watercolor, washi, mixed media, something that is sturdy that can withstand being in a wash)

- Glass frame (picture frame that can be easily taken apart, a piece of glass with any backing and bulldog clips, anything that can you can sandwich paper and negatives together) - size to fit your paper.

Optional, but Recommended Materials:

- Negatives and/or found objects - either photo negatives, or homemade images printed on acetate, or cut outs, any objects such as feathers, leaves, household objects. Objects don't have to flat, just anything that would make an interesting shadow/ silhouette.

Optional Materials:

- Hydrogen peroxide 3% solution (standard household quality that can be found at any pharmacy or supermarket), We will be diluting it at 1:10 with water, so you would need about 20-30ml

- Wash basin/ tray/ large bowl - anything to make a hydrogen bath in. I use plastic filing basket

Have Access to:

- Room with no UV light (indoors, dark room/bathroom - any room that doesn't have sunlight and safe (incandescent) lighting can be used)

- Access to direct UV light (outside, direct sunlight Ideally clear sunny weather, but can be done in overcast)

- A timer/ stopwatch (on the phone or otherwise)

- Hairdryer (optional, but recommended)

- Running water or ability to change water frequently during the wash

- A place to hang dry, or lay flat to dry your prints.

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email upon purchase. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Friday, August 27th at 2pm EST

In this workshop, printmaker and book artist, Sarah Matthews will show you how to use an existing image, transfer that image to lino/rubber, how to carve a stamp, and make colorful and dynamic prints. Sarah will go over some basic block printing and layering techniques along the way. No experience is necessary. Fun is required.

Suggested Materials:

• Mikisyo Power Grip Carving Tools

• Pfeil Swiss Made V Gouge #12 8mm (optional)

• Pfeil Swiss Made V Gouge #12 1mm (optional)

• Speedball Speedy Carve

• Versafine Clair Stamp Pad – Get at least a Pink/Red, Blue, & Yellow

• Neenah Exact Vellum Bristol 67lb paper – Cut your pages down to 6” x 6”

• Cutting Mat

• Utility Knife or Xacto Knife

• Bonefolder

• Ballpoint pen

• Ruler

• Pencil

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email upon purchase. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Tuesday, July 27th at 11am EST.

In this workshop, John Paul Gardner will teach participants the basics of 2D dry needle felting and create a small geometric piece. This is perfect for every level—whether you’re a beginner or looking to advance your skills with felting.

Suggested Materials:

• Wool felt sheet or linen. (minimum size 5" x 5")

• .25 to .5 ounce of wool in six colors. (Roving and/or batting)

• Felting work surface. Foam Pad or Wool Pad (minimum size 5" x 5")

• Variety of three felting needles: (#36T, #38T, #40T)

• Fabric Marker or Sharpie

Optional but May be Helpful:

• Finger Guards

• Single Needle Felting Tool

Wednesday, July 28th at 2pm EST

In this workshop, Molly will show you how to transform images using easy embroidery techniques inspired by her own practice, using traditional darning methods to "fix" images of her local coastline. Sharing artists and images she has drawn inspiration from over the years, you will learn how to create beautiful and colorful amendments to your work, working with the image to 'alter' it or working with geometric patterns to form new layers. You'll be shown how to plan out patterns and colors to develop an exciting new embroidered image.

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email upon purchase. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

In this workshop Anji Timlin will be demonstrating some simple color mixing using three primaries and white to make the colors we will need to paint a landscape.

Anji will also show you some gouache techniques with brushstrokes and layering to learn how to use this very fun and accessible paint to create gorgeous atmospheric landscapes. She’ll talk about composition and drama and she’ll share some photographs and video I have taken locally around Haworth, in Yorkshire, which is where Anji’s “Worth Valley Winter” sketchbook was made. You can choose to paint along with her photos or bring your own, just be sure to bring a nice, high contrast image which will make it easier to check composition and value at the same time as making a satisfying striking image.

Suggested Materials:

-Gouache paint: A set of primary colours, red, blue, yellow plus Titanium or Permanent White I’d recommend warm primaries for a summer palette and mine are Permanent Red Light, Phthalocyanine Blue, and Permanent Yellow Light from Wallace Seymour, but please bring whatever you have or can find!

-Paper: Hot pressed (smooth) watercolour paper 140lb or heavier. Daler Rowney Aquafine Smooth 140lb is what I’ll be using. 5 or 6 A4 sheets or equivalent.

-Brushes suggested: 1” flat, ¼” flat and a size 4 round for details

-Masking tape for the edges

-A drawing board or piece of cardboard or I like foam core board because it's so light and water resistant.

-Ceramic plate or palette for mixing.

-Pencil

-3 jars of clean water and paper towels

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email upon purchase. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Friday, July 30th at 4pm EST

In this workshop, mixed media artist Ashley Blanton (@faint.as.fog) will teach you how to make a three-dimensional, layered tunnel book out of paper. We will also explore how the diorama-like nature of this format can serve as a container for expressing inner experience, personal narrative, and memory.

Suggested materials:
- Multiple sheets of sturdy paper such as card stock, watercolor paper, or Bristol board. A pack of index cards may also be used.
- Ruler
-Pencil and eraser
-X-acto knife
-Glue
-Art materials of your choice to use on paper (such as markers, colored pencils, crayons, watercolor, collage materials, etc.)
-A sketchbook or notebook for journaling and brainstorming

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email upon purchase. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Monday, June 21, 2021 at 10am EST

In this workshop, mixed media artist Brianne Burnell will show you some of her favorite techniques for creating unique and unexpected marks in your artwork. You will transform some simple household items into exciting art tools, and open your mind to the possibility that everything around you can be used for mark making. This is the perfect workshop for abstract artists who are tired of using the same old paintbrushes, and are looking to add some exciting texture to their work."

Suggested Materials:

• Cardboard scraps (corrugated)

• Some sticks from outside (sturdy, 5-10 inches)

• 15 q-tips

• Many sheets of your preferred paper (watercolour, mixed media, newsprint)

• Masking tape

• Scissors

• Acrylic paint

• Water

• A couple of paintbrushes

• A rubber roller

• A rubber band

You will receive access to the workshop in a separate email upon purchase. All workshops are recorded and the replay will be available after the class ends.

Tuesday, June 22nd at 3pm EST

Jamie will take you through the process of creating a pen and ink drawing from the concept phase to the finished drawing.

Each participant will need to bring a picture of a landscape that is meaningful to them, this could be a personal photograph or a googled image.

From this source image, Jamie will break the scene down into basic forms and share how to use texture, patterns and shapes to bring each part of the landscape to life.

Jamie's work is full of windy roads, archways, floating eggs and florals that are all personal symbols to her. Participants will create their own personal symbol and incorporate this into their landscape to complete the drawing.

Jamie lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. She is an artist and the founder of THRIVE Art Studio an online community that supports female, non binary, gender queer and trans artists. You can see her work at www.jamiesmithstudio.com and @jamiesmithstudio & @Thrive Studio

Materials:

• ink pen or fountain pen

• paper

• an image of a landscape that has personal meaning to you.

Access to the class will automatically be sent to your email after purchase.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 12pm EST

Nikki Shaill (aka @OriginaryArts) invites you to play with bold and bright splashes and scribbles of color this summer! Sharing inspiring images and sensory stimulus from the British seaside and her hometown Brighton, this workshop will provide a taste of the great British seaside. Looking to the vibrant sights, sounds, shapes and shades of the beach for ideas, bring along your most colorful marker pens/crayons/collage materials! Join Nikki for a virtual trip to the seaside and explore adding lots of color to your sketchbook as we celebrate the middle of summer.

Doodle and have fun at this playful and experimental drawing workshop.

Suggested materials:

- At least two or three different coloured marker pens / felt tip pens

- Crayons/pastels

- Colourful pencils

- Collage materials (optional), scissors and glue

- any different colourful drawing materials

- paper / sketchbook (at least 10 different pages/pieces)

Access to the workshop will automatically be sent via email after purchase.

Learn how to notice what really captures you about an environment or scene and how to translate this into painting through form, color, texture and pattern. We will explore working from a number of different visual references and how to draw from these something that is individual to you. We will look at the importance of creating your own "techniques library" in a sketchbook to refer back to time and time again.

Suggested Materials

• Sketchbook or several sheets of paper (preferably at least 300gsm)

• Watercolors and/or gouache in a range of colors

• Palette or plate for mixing

• Brushes of varying sizes including a couple for finer detail

• container(s) for water

• pencil, eraser, pencil sharpener

Visual resources to consider

• At lease one clear and well-lit photograph of nature you have taken/or found: this could be of an landscape, plant, animal etc (better to have multiple of the same subject matter)

Optional for considering mood boards

• Images from magazines, books, films and documentaries.

• Images from your favorite artists, photographers: these do not need to be connected to the theme of nature but we will use to reflect on visual elements which resonate with you.

Thursday, May 27 at 2pm EST

Looking to alter your sketchbook? Whether you want to change out the paper, create a new cover, or deconstruct the sketchbook entirely from start to finish, this workshop is for you!

Sarah Bassett will walk students through a step by step process on how to rebind a sketchbook. This is a great class for anyone who is looking to make their sketchbook unique or wants to create their own sketchbooks in the future!

Suggested Materials:

• Scissors

• Bone folder (or similar object to make crisp folds, I have used the edge of a pen in the past!)

• Drawing paper or sketchbook paper for the interior cut to size (keep in mind that about an inch or so on the left side of these sheets will become part of the binding)

• (2) Sheets of thick handmade paper or card stock for the cover sheets

• Waxed linen thread (if you don't have waxed thread, a string will work as well)

• Bookbinding needle

• Awl

• Ruler (Metal, if possible)

• Triangle (or set square)

• X-Acto knife (or craft knife)

Access to the class will automatically be shared upon purchasing the workshop. Please note, these classes are live and a replay will be sent to all participants the week after our Small Talk Sessions end.

Have you ever walked through the woods and felt that beautiful light shining down on you through the trees? Surrounded by the beautiful greens and fresh spring yellows?

Join Charlotte Hamilton in capturing that light in a watercolor workshop. Charlotte will teach students a step by step approach using just a paint brush, watercolors and some watercolor paper.

The class will warm up with some quick sketches before Charlotte shows participants how to layer their watercolors to create a beautiful woodland scene.

Suggested Materials:

• Watercolors. Any set will do.

• Paint brushes: Round size 6, 4 and any others you usually use.

• Watercolor paper. Charlotte will be using a 9x12 sheet of Canson XL coldpress watercolor paper.

• A sketchbook for the quick preliminary exercises, or any loose paper you have.

Learn how to create patterns out of anything you want. In this class you will learn about ideating and patterning in your sketchbook and how you can make your patterns repeat seamlessly.

Suggested Materials:

• Sketchbook (ideally with thicker paper)

• A4 copy paper (for learning how patterns repeat)

• Posca markers, paint pens, pens, color pencils or any other medium you are comfortable working with

• Pencil

• Eraser

In this workshop Alexis Winter will guide participants in the art of creating a digital tapestry. Drawing inspiration from family history, special events, and unique shared experiences, Alexis will help you transform these personal events into a visual form.

While the process can be carried out using manual methods, students can bring the following supplies to add a digital element:

- iPad

- Apple pencil

- Procreate app

Illustrator Cat Willett by diving into the art of botanical illustration! Cat will guide attendees through the process of creating a lush digital drawing from setting up a still life or working from a photo, to sketching on paper, and finally to inking and coloring in Procreate. Attendees should have an iPad, Apple Pencil, the Procreate app, paper and pencil, and some real plants or a photograph of plants to work from.

In this workshop, Darci will teach participants all the basics to get them started on their hand embroidery journey. This is a great introduction for people interested in learning a new skill to create or add to their art!

Suggest Supplies

· Fabric. I suggest a piece of mid-weight woven cotton or linen fabric large enough to extend beyond your hoop by an inch. The color is your choice, but lighter colors are easier to work with for beginners. What does mid-weight mean? Not too thick, not too thin. Denim from your jeans would be too thick. Easy to read text through the fabric without light behind it would be too thin. If you have light-weight fabric, you can double it to get the right thickness. Woven fabrics do not stretch easily (so no on that t-shirt fabric. You can repurpose old fabric for this. Think pillowcase, shower curtain, button-down shirt.

· Needles. I recommend a multi-pack of embroidery, craft, or crewel needles with different lengths and sizes to find one comfortable for your needs.

· Embroidery hoop. My favorite hoop is the plastic hoop from Loops & Threads (Michaels) with the extra ridge in the middle to keep fabric from slipping, or other brand of no-slip/super grip or tongue in groove plastic hoops. I think they are easier and less frustrating to work with. Bamboo hoops are cheap and available everywhere and will work for this, but the fabric will need to be adjusted more often because it slips easily. The hoop is only for while you’re embroidering; you can change to a permanent hoop or frame after you’ve finished. I would suggest a 5-6” hoop, but any medium size is fine.

· Scissors. Any kind is fine as long as they’re sharp!

· Embroidery floss. Any color or colors of six-strand cotton embroidery floss. The most common brand in the US is DMC.

· Other items that may be useful:

o Needle threader (free with some needle packs or emergency sewing kits)

o Pencil or water soluble fabric marker

o Embroidery thimble

o Seam ripper

o Magnifying glasses (if you need them)

In this workshop, Sara Elands Peterman will teach us how to create illustrations and layer our work using gouache paint! This is the perfect class for anyone who has worked with gouache before or is just getting started and wants to learn more about incorporating this medium into their work!

Suggest Materials:

• At least two colors of gouache paint

• a couple of brushes

• water

• a paper towel

• paper or your sketchbook

In this workshop, Jordan Sondler will guide participants in making art as a reflection of lived experience! Sondler will ease you into the process with examples and anecdotes and will have you creating vulnerable work with ease in no time.

Suggested Supplies:

• paper

• markers

• paint

• pens and pencils

• clay

• collage material

Let’s celebrate Spring by making some fun fanciful colleges that incorporate colorful flowers, patterned papers, hand-painted accents, and found images. Erin McGean will guide participants through her approach to building a story in her collage work through the selection and placement of created and found imagery. With a focus on composition, you will be guided through the process of creating your own Springtime collage in an easy-going and relaxing environment.

Suggested Materials:

• Old magazines/books to cut-up

• Colored/patterned paper

• Watercolor paper

• Watercolor set

• Watercolor brushes

• Scissors

• Glue Stick

• Craft knife

• Cutting mat board

In this workshop, Orland Soy Yo! will help participants explore their creativity! Through examples and stories from their past projects, Orlando will discuss their own process and give participants tips and tricks to expand their own creative processes.

Learn the art of designing for and weaving tapestry in small-format sketchbook studies.

We will cover the elements of design to consider for small-scale tapestry using paper collage and then dive into the basics of tapestry weaving. Students will complete a collage and tapestry pairing to mount on paper.

Suggested Materials:

• Paper or sketchbook

• Paint chips or magazines

• Archival glue stick

• Scissors

• Pencil

• Loom. Any loom will do: frame loom, homemade cardboard loom (5”X5” piece of cardboard)

• Three or more colours of the same weight yarn (fingering,dk, or worsted weight)

• Tapestry needle

• Sewing needle and thread for mounting on paper.

In this workshop, Toko will teach participants how to make simple templates to turn artwork into hand-drawn animations! This is the perfect introduction for anyone who is looking to create animations but isn’t sure how to start.

“Telling a Story with Printmaking.” How is storytelling related to printmaking? How can we draw inspiration from folklore and mythology to create art? In this workshop, Beatriz will give you tips on how to get inspired from the fantastic world and use that to get creative. Participants will learn to create a monotype print by setting up a simple printmaking studio at home.

You will need (materials):

• Paper

• Surface to roll ink in (it must be smooth and non absorbent)

• Relief printing ink

• Pens, pencil, eraser

• Scrap paper

• White Spirit or turpentine substitute

You will receive an email with a link and password to access the workshops.

Learn how to integrate little storytelling elements into your nature sketches and city drawings. Lisa Frühbeis is a comic artist and author, who majored on sketchbook theory. She will also share some of her findings on why sketchbooks are so effective as an artist's tool, and how they can improve your process.

You will receive an email with a link and password to access the workshops.

Small Talks Week 2 includes a panel discussion with Steven Peterman (Founder, The Sketchbook Project), Tara Segall (Tampa Bay Creative Mornings Host), Madelon Juliano (Artistic Director of Renegade Art Fair), Joey Bordenga (Account manager of RealThread), and virtual workshops hosted by Greg Klestel, Megan Mraz, Rob Jelinski and Julia Yellow.

You will receive an email with a link and password to access the workshops.

Small Talks Week 1 includes virtual workshops hosted by Cat Willet, The Jealous Curator, Amber Vittoria, Kate Castelli & Sarah Myers.

You will receive an email with a link and password to access the workshops.