Journaling on Main Street - A Hit!

Saturday, July 9th, a group of us painted in downtown 
Salt Lake City a la plein air (French for "painting outdoors"). 

We met at the TRAX station and rode into Exchange Place; 
a historical site in the business district.

I introduced the group to two books about illustrated journaling: 

"An illustrated life" and "Urban Sketching."

We talked about how to make the title page of each 

sketchbook unique and special.

Each student filled a page in their sketchbook with ink line 

drawings of things they saw around them. We then washed 

over the line drawings with loose washes.

Diana

Richard and Judy

Olga

There was even a creepy life-size statue of 

an old woman just a few feet away from us.

Yikes!

The sketches were fresh and fun!

Next, we focused on negative and positive space. When we painted our subject, we were painting positive space.  

When we painted the space around our subject we were painting the negative space. Painting both negative and positive space in your artwork can add variety to your illustrations and make your journal more interesting. 

These are examples that demonstrate painting negative space.

Judy

Richard

Diana

Olga

During our lunch at Maxwell's we found out that Judy (at the age of 16) 

went on a date with Elvis Presley! They went to a Bobby Darin concert 

and to the Congo Room at the Sahara afterward. This is the kind of 

thing that is great fodder for a journal entry!!!

After an enjoyable lunch at Maxwell's East Coast Eatery 

we walked one block over to visit a "Grafitti Wall,"

an excellent example of urban artwork.

It was a perfect day for sketching; good weather, adventurous 

artists and plenty of time for us to paint!

Summer in the City

Want a great way to spend a Saturday morning?

Illustrated Journal (watercolor)

Susan N. Jarvis, instructor

Plein Air on Main Street (Salt Lake City)
Saturday, July 9, 2016
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
$50 for 4 hours
(bring a sack lunch and water)

Our group will meet at the TRAX station on
2100 South and ride TRAX downtown to the
Gallivan Plaza Station. Then we'll walk one
half-block to “Exchange Place” where we can
set up for painting.

We will be journaling the sights, smells and
sounds of the morning.

Click here to sign up.

Kindred Spirits Art Workshop

Where do I go on Wednesday afternoons?

To Art Access/VSA where I'm teaching a six-week art workshop about planetary nebulae. 

This class is being taught through the "Kindred Spirits" program. It's a lot of fun!

I thought you might enjoy a tour of our classroom experience.

Here we are working on making a nebula collage. We tear tissue paper into small pieces and then glue it onto brightly colored card stock.

We dry our projects with a hairdryer then flip them over to work on the other side. 

When both sides are finished, we sprinkle our nebula with stars.

 


Our hands get a little sticky, but it is worth the effort.

 

 

  Here's our group effort:

And now for the star show.  Each of our nebulae are unique.
Just like the nebulae in deep space, no two are alike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we created our artwork, we were mindful to remember a few things about nebulae. 

• Some nebula contain star nurseries. 

• Some nebula clouds are the remnants of dead stars. 

• Some nebula (like a super nova) explode in a violent fashion sending elements out into the universe.  These clouds of dust, depending on their composition (like hydrogen, helium, nitrogen and gold) have their own color. 

Although learning the science about nebulae was fascinating and helped us to understand a little more about our universe, creating our own nebulae with bright colors and shining glitter was the most fun! 

Wouldn't it be great to see our own nebulae creations floating up there among the stars?

Create a Sketchbook You Can Be Proud Of

It all starts with the first page.

When someone opens your sketchbook, you want to catch their eye. For me, my title page is the hook. The thing that makes the viewer want to keep going...to look at the rest of my drawings.

The title page of my sketchbook is like the smell of fresh bread wafting from a bakery. It beckons the viewer to enter and sample the goods!

            

                                                Make your title page interesting. Better yet, make it amazing!

Each time you begin drawing in a new sketchbook, turn past the first page (leaving it blank) and begin your sketch on the second page. Later, when you have taken some time to think about how to make your title page special, go back and paint or draw on it.

Usually, my title page is the third or fourth page that I write on, however sometimes it's the last page I complete. It all depends on the inspiration that comes to me. Below is an example of a title page that I painted in small sections over a period of weeks. 

At first I didn't think about making my title pages look special. My artwork was pretty simple.

Then the idea of turning my title page into a visual appetizer came to me, so I jumped on it. 

Now it's a favorite part of my sketchbook. 


There are lots of ways to get creative. You don't have to limit yourself to drawing or painting. You can experiment with multimedia such as photography, stenciling or collage.

Make sure your full name or website name appears somewhere on the title page.  That way if you misplace your sketchbook or lose it altogether (Heaven forbid), the person who finds it can look up your contact information and return it to you.

Of course, filling your sketchbook with drawings and paintings is important too. A title page without a book - is no story at all!  So, get started! Fill up one book then begin another. What should you draw? Draw things that are near and dear to you. Draw your dog, your room, what you ate for lunch. Whatever you want!

The more you practice, the more you will improve!