Summertime… It’s the official season for drawing tropical plants, migratory birds and coastal critters. I have scheduled several classes and workshops, both here in Fairhope and at the studio cottage across the bay in Mobile, for June and July. Please email me if you have any questions. I’d love to hear from you!

Botanical Drawing: Tropical Summer (daytime class in Mobile)
Thursdays beginning May 19, from 2pm until 5pm
Six weeks
$140 includes all art supplies
It’s the season of brilliant colors and unusual forms — we’ll use watercolor and colored pencil to create realistic renderings of summer plants including palms, succulents and tropical flowers. We’ll also paint butterflies and other insects associated with summer blooms.  In addition to our regular class meetings, we’ll plan one weekend field drawing day for anyone who wishes to attend. No experience necessary, and all art supplies are provided.

Botanical Drawing: Tropical Summer (evening class in Mobile)
Thursdays beginning May 19, from 6:30pm until 8:30pm
Eight weeks
$140 includes all art supplies
The same subjects as the daytime class, but scheduled for those who need a class with evening hours.

Old and New: The Lost Art of Hand Lettering… and a New Way to Make “Vintage” Photo Transfers
ONE DAY – Saturday, June 4, from 10am until 3pm
Val’s home/studio in Fairhope, AL
$60 includes refreshments and all art supplies, plus illustrated tutorial pages to take home
This is not calligraphy, but the “drawn letters” used by old-fashioned sign painters and type designers. Learn to adapt this method to label your botanical artwork or write beautifully in your sketchbook or art journal. We’ll cover how to letter on curves, how to use perspective in your lettering, and how to design your own personal lettering style. After lunch in a nearby cafe, we’ll turn our attention to photo transfers for the afternoon. I’ll show you how to transfer a vintage-looking image to paper, cloth or wood using butcher’s paper and acrylic medium. The original photo is not affected in any way, and the final product has a hauntingly ephemeral look that is quite beautiful. Plus, you can tint your transfer with watercolor for a more impressionistic result. This works especially well with old family photos and garden subjects.  Embellish a journal or family album, make truly lovely greeting cards, frame them as keepsakes or gifts — the possibilities go on and on.  This is a limited, small-group workshop and may fill quickly.

Drawing Small Mammals of the Gulf Coast
ONE DAY – Saturday, June 11 from 10am to 3pm
5 Rivers Delta Resource Center (on the Causeway)
$45 includes all art supplies
Working in one of the most beautiful natural settings in our region, learn to draw fur textures, lifelike eyes and realistically rendered gray squirrels, rabbits, opossum and other small creatures that inhabit our coastal fields and forests. No experience necessary! Bring a sack lunch. All art supplies provided.

Quick and Easy: Watercolor Pencil Workshop
ONE DAY – Saturday, July 9 from 10am to 4pm
Val’s studio cottage in Mobile
$50 includes some art supplies
Versatile and easy to use, watercolor pencils are perfect for drawing outdoors or adding color to your sketchbook pages. Learn three techniques for getting a wide range of effects from your watercolor pencils, plus tips on using them to capturing light and texture. Bring your favorite set of watercolor pencils, and your other supplies will be provided. We’ll break for lunch at a nearby cafe.

Drawing Birds (daytime class in Fairhope)
Tuesdays beginning June 7, from 2pm to 5pm
Six weeks
$140 includes all art supplies
Use traditional illustration methods to accurately see and draw migratory birds in pencil, ink, colored pencil and watercolor. Also draw realistic nests, wild bird eggs and feathers. No experience necessary, and all supplies are provided. In addition to classroom sessions, there will be one Saturday field trip for anyone who wishes to attend.

Drawing Birds (daytime class in Mobile)
Thursdays beginning July 14, from 2pm to 5pm
Six weeks
$140 includes all art supplies
Use traditional illustration methods to accurately see and draw migratory birds in pencil, ink, colored pencil and watercolor. Draw realistic nests, wild bird eggs and feathers. No experience necessary, and all supplies are provided. In addition to classroom sessions, there will be one Saturday field trip for anyone who wishes to attend.

Drawing Birds (evening class in Mobile)
Thursdays beginning July14, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm
Eight weeks
$140 includes all art supplies
Same as the day classes, but designed for those who need a class with evening hours. In addition to classroom sessions, there will be one daytime Saturday field trip for anyone who wishes to attend.