Cherpful Mixed Media Birds

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I had the delight of looking through Abigail Patner Glassenberg’s The Artful Bird last weekend. It is full of cute patterns and birds in all poses.

Mixed Media Art creations

The book includes 19 patterns to make a variety of birds, from graceful swans to cheeky penguins. The basic bird-making techniques are useful to help understand the proportions of a bird and the step by step pictures show how to make the wire framework, right through to the options for adding feathers and stuffing the little creatures successfully.

And although this book is primarily for sewers, there are a few patterns that can be adapted to mixed media creations. Certainly well worth a look!

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What is an Online Tutorial?

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With Mixed Media Art’s second online tutorial, or webinar coming up, I have had a few side-long glances and querying looks – what exactly is a webinar? I have been asked.

An online tutorial is also known as a webinar – simply a “seminar” over the internet – hence web-inar. It provides the ability for people all around the world with internet access to come together to share information in a lecture style format. Usually one or two people present a slide show and talk, and the audience or attendees watch and listen.

Go-to-Webinar is the online service that hosts our webinar, allowing us to register, send out links and where we sign in to connect.

What will happen?
To get started, you need to register via one of our special link with your name and email address. You will then receive an email with your individual link to sign into the tutorial at the appointed time. Don’t worry if you loose your first email, a reminder will be sent the day before, and a few hours before, the actual tutorial begins. Your email address will only be used to send these reminders and a few follow up emails.

There is no cost for you to register and attend.

On the day:-
A few minutes before the tutorial is set to begin, open up your email and click on your individual link.

If this is the first Go-to-Webinar you have attended, allow a few extra minutes to allow the program to open and get settled on your computer. (If you are having trouble, trying another web browser can work. For Macs, Safari seems to work better than the latest Firefox)

All attendees will arrive at the tutorial with any computer microphones muted, so you don’t need to worry about  making a noise. Feel free to have a cup of coffee ready and you can take notes or work an a project at the same time! You don’t even need to be dressed!

On your computer you will have two windows – one will have the main presentation and the other is the “control panel”. There is a section for typing in questions. Keep the main window open or your session will end.

At the end:-
When the tutorial is finished, the presenters will end the session and the window will close. You will get a dialogue box to click on “close”

A follow up email will be sent, thanking you for your attendance and with the links to the internet pages mentioned in the presentation.
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Looking forward to “seeing” you there!

 

Mixed Media Art journal webinar

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Use your crafting time effectively – Art Journal

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Trying to fit mixed media art into our everyday activities can be challenging – there will always be other things vying for our attention.. but when we do finally get that scrap of time together – or even find ourselves with a few unexpected hours ahead of us – how do we use that time effectively? This series of articles will look at tips to help you hit the ground running when you have that crafting time.

Part 3 – Sketch Book or Art Journal for ideas

If you are finding that all of your ideas flee when you finally have the time, I suggest a sketch book or ideas book is the way to go. I find inspiration strikes at the strangest times and you need to capture those thoughts – even if it is a colour combination or card layout. A sketch book is good to have handy for a quick sketch (even for those of us that can’t draw) with notes about what colours or textures or materials you are thinking of in that initial flash of inspiration.

Mixed Media Ideas journal

Your sketches don’t need to be brilliant – only you will see them. They just needs to be detailed enough to jog your memory or to create a new thought when you do have the time to create. During your crafting time, you can also add offcuts of paper or the colour pencil or paint you used, creating a fantastic future reference if you need to create a similar piece of work again.

Mixed Media Art journal

Many great artists have used sketch books, including grand masters like da Vinci, who made wonderful sketches of elements of his paintings, like fabric drape or his subjects hands. Over time you will have collected a book full of ideas that may turn into wonderful art or be used to fuel other ideas – who knows where it will lead?

So when you get the time and the table is tidy, reach for your book and get started on your next creation.

Happy Creating!

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Use your crafting time effectively – Art Kit on-the-go

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Trying to fit mixed media art into our everyday activities can be challenging – there will always be other things vying for our attention… but when we do finally get that scrap of time together – or even find ourselves with a few unexpected hours ahead of us – how do we use that time effectively? This series of articles will look at tips to help you hit the ground running when you have that crafting time.

Part 2 – Art Kit on-the-go

We aren’t all lucky enough to have a crafting space of our own. Or there may be times when we are away from home and would dearly like to take something creative to do.

A few years ago, Michelle Ward at GPP challenged us during one of the Crusades, to create a portable art kit, so we could be creative on the go. My kit is in an old plastic case that just fits my sketch book, coloured pencils, a few pens and, at a pinch the latest magazine I am reading or a small glue stick and scissors. These are enough supplies to allow me to be creative wherever I go. I can draw, make pretty coloured shapes, try some Zentangles or even do a bit of journalling or collage with things I find and have collected, if on holidays.

Mixed Media art kit

Having this art kit together really does free you up to take your creativity supplied along. You are free to sketch while the kids are playing at the local park or waiting for your partner or hanging around an airport; Paper and pencils (and glue) are always at hand.

Mixed Media art kit

I hope these few tips will help you use your crafting time well, wherever you are!

Happy Creating.
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