Exciting New Online Painting Class!

 

If you love to paint, would like to learn how to paint, want to be a better painter or just want to learn some new techniques, I found an incredible online class you won't want to miss!

Class Sample

The Dynamic Duo of artists, Chris Cozen and Julie Prichard have teamed up once again to bring us another fabulous online class that is sure to inspire you. It's called, "Chaos and Calm: Over the Edge Painting Techniques." It starts on Sunday, July 18th, but you are welcome to join at any time and complete the course at your own pace. 

Class sample

It includes 15 different high definition, video classes, with a beautiful PDF for each class; which you can download. You will get enough instruction to complete five paintings from start to finish. You can also work on any other painting you're having a tough time finishing. 

 Class Sample

You can watch a video about the class and workshop here or click on the video below.    

Chris and Julie will teach composition, form, fine glazing and really interesting ways to help you incorporate abstract shapes into your artwork. This course material has not been taught in any other of their other online workshops.

Class Sample

The class goes from July through September, but you may take as long as you need to complete it. Plus, you will receive timely feedback from both instructors. All of this for only $49!  

Class Sample

Chris Cozen is a member of the Working Artist Program for Golden Artist Colors, Inc.  She lectures and teaches throughout Southern California. She is the author of three popular books on acrylic painting techniques:  ALTERED SURFACES, TRANSFERS & ALTERED IMAGES, and MIXED MEDIA & COLOR. You can buy these books by looking on the right side of this blog at the "My Favorites" box and clicking on Chris's books.

Julie Prichard has been published numerous times in Art Journaling and Artful Blogging magazines and teaches a plethora of other online classes.

 Class Sample

If you've taken any of Chris and Julie's classes before, you know how inspiring, instructional and fun they are. If this is your first time, you're in for a treat. Don't sit home alone struggling with your paintings - sign up for this class and receive quality feedback to create beautiful, luminous, finished pieces.

(All images are copyrighted and the property of Chris and Julie. Please do not copy or use them without their consent.)

 Class Sample 

Added note: If you live in Southern California, Chris is teaching five classes in a weekend workshop at Stamping Details in Poway. Sign up as soon as possible, because seats are limited for July 30th, 31st and August 1st.

The Best Collage Class EVER - and it's inexpensive too!

Have you ever looked at a collage and immediately fell in love with it? Have you looked at others and felt nothing, but couldn't really say why? There's an excellent online class called Complex Collage, that explains in great detail why some collages work and other don't. 

Mixed Media artist Chris Cozen, a working artist for Golden Acrylics and San Diego artist Julie Prichard have teamed up to create a very special class. It's for anyone who loves collage and wants to make the best possible choices to make them spectacular!

Chris and Julie give one-on-one feedback for every piece you upload into the network. You can't get this kind of attention at any class in person, unless you're the only student. And then there's no promise the teacher will continue to help you after you left the classroom.


I've found the feedback given to students to be invaluable, so I cut and paste a lot of the information into a file so I can look back on it later. You get to see a lot of before and after photos to show how the lessons are applied to each collage.


Chris helps you figure out how to decide what elements go together and helps you makes sense of their arrangement. She covers color values, design, size, shapes, patterns, movement, lines, composition, backgrounds, transfers, copyright and much more.


Do you want to tell a story in your collage? Chris will show you how to do that. Is abstract more your style, Chris can help with that too. This class runs the gamut and will help you stop struggling when it comes to making the perfect collage.


There are 18 lessons and each one includes a PDF you can download and keep, plus at least one video lesson in high definition. Some lessons have two videos. 


The class also offers some free ephemera from Chris and Julie's private collections. Students offer invaluable links to find tons of free images all over the internet.


The supply list is so simple, you probably won't have to go out and buy anything new. Just use paint and other supplies you already own. 

The above canvas is one I've been struggling with and not sure how to fix. Here's the feedback Chris gave me: "Nina, Use some straight titan buff to soften the sharp angles first to integrate them into the composition and to marry them to your images. Then, go back in over the darker color with another lighter tone in the same family as the background, but thin it out with glazing liquid so that some of the dark still shows through. To get the lighter tone pick one of the yellow/golds and lighten it with Titan Buff and then cut it with 20 percent glazing liquid. Let me see it after you have done this."

I ask you, "Where else can you can that type of feedback?" So now, I'll take Chris's suggestions and repost the canvas and see what she says. Every lesson is like this!



Have I mentioned you get all of this for only $49?! Chris and Julie pack so much information into this class you get more than your money's worth. Plus, you can join the class at anytime. The last lesson will be posted on May 11th, 2010, but Chris and Julie will continue to give feedback anytime someone posts their work to the network.


If you love collage and paint, you don't want to miss this excellent online class! Sign up today by clicking here.


Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you in the Complex Collage Network very soon! 

 Pink Lotus Collage: 10x11" on Paper, by Nina"Ruthie" Reeba, 

for sale, $50; with mat, glass & frame, $150.

Despite Losing My Job, I've Registered for New Art Classes!

Two Black Birds: 8x10”, Wood Panel

From Julie’s Prichard’s Real Time Class in March/09

SOLD!!

Despite losing my job last week, I decided to go ahead and register for some art classes. I had planned on signing up for these before I lost the best radio job I’ve ever had on 01/03/10. It was on my list of art goals for 2010, so I can't shorten the list this soon in the year. I know they are an investment in my future and will bring me so much joy in the present. I am staying positive and have a ton of hope about my future!

Two of my favorite teachers, Julie Prichard and Chris Cozen, have teamed up and are teaching an online class all about color. I have taken real time classes with each of them, so I could not allow myself to miss this exciting opportunity. This class is all about color.

Lesson 32: 8x10”, Wood Panel

From Julie’s Prichard’s Real Time Class in March/09.

SOLD!!

If you aren’t familiar with Ms. Cozen, she’s a working artist for Golden Acrylic Paints and this woman knows color! I am 100% certain my knowledge of color will go through the roof by the time I’m finished with their lessons. The first video lesson will be posted Jan. 24th, but you can register anytime.

Click here to read about the online class, watch a video with Chris and Julie, check out the supply list and sign up for it yourself.

Lesson 8: 9x12" Stretch Canvas

From Julie Prichards Online Class, Layered Love, July/09

I also signed up for Chris Cozen’s weekend classes at Stamping Details in Poway, which is in North San Diego County, CA. It's slated for the last weekend in Feb. 26, 27 and 28, 2010.

Here's a run down on the classes being offered:
Fri. 02/26 pm - Developing your Backgrounds: Layering Color over Color
Sat.02/27 am - Design Elements in Mixed Media Applications; Sat.02/27 pm - Collage Composition & Construction
Sun. 02/28 am - Deconstructed Screen Printing on Paper & Fabric.

Texture Painting #1: 8x8" Stretched Canvas 

from Chris Cozen’s class Aug/09

For sale: $100

I’m taking the first three classes, which looks as if I’ll have six completed paintings to show for it. I’d love to take the fourth class on Sunday as well, but didn’t think I should push it. If you’d like to make a donation to my art education, please email me at Nreeba@aol.com to make arrangements. You’ve always wanted to become a benefactor to the arts haven’t you?!

Texture Painting #2: 8x8" Stretched Canvas 

from Chris Cozen’s class Aug/09.

For Sale: $100

 Click here to read the details about each class, listed towards the bottom of the page on this link.

Chris Cozen has written two books and is expecting her third publication to be for available for sale sometime next month. I own both and cherish them. They aren't thick books, but each page is jammed packed with more information than most books have with three times as many pages.

Click here to learn more about AlteredSurfaces.

Click here to learn more about Transfers & Altered Images

I also found out about a FREE online Watercolor Class!!
Click here for the link

I'm so happy and very grateful there are so many wonderful teachers living and working in San Diego! My sister Melanee lives in a small town in PA and therefore, doesn't have access to great teachers like I do. But she's taking Julie and Chris's class with me. It will be fun to paint with her again, even though it's online and not in person. I wish she would win the lottery so she could move to San Diego too!!

Fabric Circles Aug. 2009

from Chris Cozen’s class Aug/09

For Sale: $75

I hope you are fulfilling your Art Goals for 2010 and living an authentic, artistic life too! Stay positive and thanks for visiting my blog.

My Sister and I Go Full Circle with Our Art

My Sister, Melanee Herrera, of Williamsport, PA, painting in her studio during my visit in 08/09.

After being estranged from most of my family for the last ten years, I reconnected with them in 11/08. I noticed how much my sister had changed, thanks to applying the spiritual principals of Eckhart Tolle's, "The Power of Now," to her life. She told me about, "The Law of Attraction," and how she is now focused on what she wants rather than what she doesn't want. I'd heard about these books before, but hadn't taken them to heart. It made me sit up and take notice, because her life had obviously changed for the good.

               Me happily painting in my sister's studio.

During the conversation, she reminded me of the oil paintings I had done as a teen. I'd taken summer art classes at Bucknell University, in Lewisburg, PA, where our Mother worked as a secretary. As a child, I had always loved art and my Mother encouraged all of her kids to draw, paint and make crafts throughout our childhood. But somewhere along the way, for reasons unknown to me, I stopped painting, drawing and creating anything. I know I was told I couldn't be an artist when I grew up, so perhaps that's why I stopped. But my sister reminded me how much fun painting was. She suggested I "just play" with paint on paper and mix some colors to see the stunning results I could get. So I did!

My sister's new Angel painting after I showed her the Julie Prichard style of drip painting. (Julie teaches this method online.)

The result was the beginning of my foray in Mixed Media Art, focusing on acrylic painting with collage. I poured over internet web sites, art blogs and Yahoo art groups; getting tons of ideas of things I wanted to try. I began taking workshops and art classes in San Diego, CA where I live. Unlike my sister, I'm fortunate so many talented artists live here and travel here to teach.

Meanwhile, my sister, Melanee, was stuck in an artistic slump. She hadn't painted anything in ages, except the Angel painting, (shown above), she was finishing up when we reconnected. I went to visit her for my summer vacation in 08/09 and we spent almost everyday painting together in her studio. I showed her what I had learned from taking classes with Chris Cozen, Julie Prichard and Karen O'Brien. She soaked it up like a sponge. Previous to my visit, her style mainly focused on Vintage and she wasn't attracted to bright colors like I was.

Here are some cool Needle Punch Rugs she made:

She had also discovered Mixed Media Art and made this assemblage for a friend of hers to help her after a painful divorce.

But it was the heavily textured, sgrafitto painting style I had learned from Chris Cozen, which really changed the way she thought about color, texture and painting in general.

Look at these!

Shortly after she painted these, she visited a few galleries in Williamsport, PA and found one where she imagined having her work hung one day. Just before Thanksgiving, that dream became a reality. They are now hanging in The Harvest Gallery on W. 4th Street, as pictured below.

She's already sold a few pieces and is busily creating more! News of her work in this gallery even made the local paper.

Melanee and I also had a blast painting Mythical Creatures as taught by Karen O'Brien. Here's what she made during my visit.

Here's what she created on her own after I left, with more of a vintage style.

Meanwhile, I showed her the web site of one of my favorite inspirations, Mixed Media Artist, Teesha Moore. Here's what she came up with!

                    These are also hanging in the gallery!

So there you see the full circle. She encouraged me to start painting, after being dormant for too many years. I didn't resist, but instead, flourished with her support. So I took a few workshops and taught her some of the techniques I had learned and viola' ... her work is hanging in a gallery, she's sold a few pieces and thrilled and happy to be painting more and more!

Meanwhile, I have applied the spiritual principals of, "The Power of Now," and "The Law of Attraction," to my own life and it's bettered my life more than anything since I got sober, 22 years ago. I would encourage anyone who wants to make some changes in their life to read these books. Changing the way you think, will change your life!

Please click on the links to learn more about the artists I've mentioned. Thanks for visiting!

Please note: ALL of the art work in this posting is the property of my sister, Melanee Herrera. She created ALL of them. None of these are mine. You can easily view my artwork in previous posts.

My Sister & I Painted These Together

My Monkey Princess

While I was on vacation, my sister Melanee Herrera I painted together. I owe her my eternal gratitude, because she was the one who suggested I start painting again after many years of ignoring my Muse. I stayed at her charming, country, farm house in the woods of South Williamsport, PA during my recent vacation. We painted together almost everyday.

Melanee Herrera in her studio, creating Mythical Creatures with me.

Boy Swan by Melanee Herrera

She loved my mythical creatures, so I showed her what I learned in a class taught by Karen O'Brien. Melanee's style is Folk Art Primitives, so this isn't exactly her cup of tea. But one great thing about learning techniques is being able to adapt them to fit your personal style and taste. Before I left, she started four more of these in more vintage looking colors. As of this post, she had not finished the images to adhere on each canvas board. I'm excited to see what she comes up with and will post them here if you'd like to see them as well.

Boy Lion by Melanee Herrera

We each completed two 9"x12" canvas boards, but one of mine didn't turn out, so I'm reworking it. Please check out Melanee's Mixed Media Folk Art Blog here. The vintage male face in Boy Lion is actually a distant relative of one of my radio listener's.



This is an 8"x 8"x 1/2" wooden picture frame with Golden paint and vintage text collage. The center is empty, but you can place any 3 1/4" x 3 1/4" photo in it. A wood peg comes with it, so it can be propped up on a desk or you can hang it up on the wall. The sides are painted, so it doesn't need a frame. My sister made two of these in different shades of blue. I'm planning to make a lot more of them in different colors. This one IS for sale. Just email me at Nreeba@aol.com if you're interested.
Since my sister, Melanee, loves things that look old, I knew she would love this style of painting. I learned it from Julie Prichard's online class, Layered Love. Find out all about her class on her blog. It's really a fun way to paint.

Me working in Melanee's studio creating the second layer of our Texture Paintings. See below what I made.



Melanee's Smile

This is a mixed media painting done with Golden paints and mediums on a 9"x12" canvas. (It's not for sale.) I named it Melanee's smile, because we were both smiling the whole time we painted together. It really means a lot to me and inspires me to keep learning and growing and most of all to keep painting. (I have one more to show you, but haven't scanned it yet.)




Textured Painting by Melanee Herrera

I learned this style of painting from the wonderful artist, Chris Cozen. Melanee doesn't usually paint with such bright colors, but loved the process of making it.

Textured Painting #2 by Melanee Herrera

Melanee does not want to sell these, because she said on her blog, that she cherishes them for the time we spent together creating them. Thanks for stopping by! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. ~Nina/Ruthie~

Mixex Media Collage and Painting Class 04/09

Back in April, 2009, I took a Mixed Media Art Class in Escondido at Stampfully Yours, taught by Julie Prichard . We completed two 8x10 paintings on Wood Board Boxes. We used vintage text and music paper, the wonderful new line of studio acrylic paints by Claudine Helmuth, stabilo pencils, rubber stamps, with a stencil on one and a mask on another. It was an ambitious workshop, but Julie is an excellent, organized teacher and marched us through it so everyone finished their pieces in three hours. I'm really happy with how mine turned out.

I'd love it if Julie taught another class at Cat's again soon!

Both of these have been sold.

Layers of Love Painting Style

Earlier this summer I took an online grunge painting class taught by San Diego artist, Julie Nelson Prichard. It's called, Layer Love, but she calls her style, "Julification." She's an excellent teacher and I learned to love the look of a painting that looks old and beat up. I always liked that style, but never knew how to achieve it. I also learned the joys of polymer acrylic medium and acrylic glazing medium and how it can enhance your painting style. Julie also loves the looks of drips and expertly teaches this technique. I learned to love and enjoy the process of applying many layers of paint to get a certain look. Her style isn't for everyone, but it works great for me.



It started out as a closed class for six weeks, but she decided to open it up, so it's still available. It costs only $43 and you get access to 9 HD Video Lesson's and as much feedback as you want. More than 200 students participated in the first rendition of this class and left a lot of art to look at, with their own feedback, suggestions and encouragement galore for each other's work. I highly recommend this online class. You will enjoy it if you're new to painting or looking for some different techniques and mediums to add to your repertoire.


I'd like to show you the paintings I did in her class. Many of them are backgrounds for now and I will eventually collage over them to complete them. They were all painted on 9x12 inch, 140lb watercolor paper, except the last green one, which was done on 8x10 canvas. I have some collage in mind for it, but haven't added it yet. I finished my final project, but haven't taken a photo of it yet to show here. I'll try and remember to do that later this week.

You can use this technique for art journals, atc's or stand alone. Please enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments section. If you want to see the details of the texture's and layers, just click on each on to see it enlarged..