Drawing workshop in Mississippi

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art, art classes, birds, creativity, drawing, illustration, Val Webb, workshops

I will be heading up to the Pearl River delta in March to teach “Drawing Native Birds of Mississippi,” a live workshop hosted by the West Point / Clay County Arts Council. Here are the details:

Drawing Native Birds of Mississippi
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Louise Campbell Center for the Arts
West Point, MS
$65

No experience necessary - this class is open to all levels of
art experience. See and enjoy Mississippi's migratory birds in
a whole new way as, with step-by-step guidance, you learn to
use traditional illustration techniques to create a realistic
drawing. Start with a series of fun sketching exercises, then
complete a finished bird drawing using layered charcoal and
colored pencil.

All art supplies are included so that everyone can expect
consistent results. Each student will be provided with a supply
of drawing paper, 2B pencil and kneaded eraser, tinted pastel
paper, black charcoal pencil, white pastel pencil and a set of
illustrated tutorial pages to keep.

Please bring a sack lunch.

Pre-registration is required. To sign up, call Kathy Dyess 
at 662-494-5678.

Hooray! Two-day watercolor workshop at Mobile Museum of Art

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Alabama, art classes, birds, creativity, painting, Val Webb, watercolor, workshops

If you liked the “essential watercolor” technique from Birds in Watercolor and Beyond, I have some very good news for you:

The Essential Bird and Flower in Watercolor

A two-day workshop with Val Webb

Friday, January 9  from 1 to 5pm

Saturday, January 10 from 10am to 3pm

Mobile Museum of Art

$150 members / $180 non-members

Inspired by the bird-and-flower paintings used centuries ago as a form of meditation by Buddhist monks, learn to see the essential parts of your subject and paint them in a series of simple, richly colored brush strokes. Learn to use the spontaneous flow of watercolor to paint birds and blooms that are loose and dynamic, yet surprisingly accurate in their appearance. Use techniques borrowed from traditional Chinese painting — dropping, blowing, and mixing color directly on the paper — to paint vibrant botanicals. No experience necessary, and you do not need to know how to draw. There is a very short supply list, and instructor will also provide some supplies. There is a possibility that you will get paint droplets on your clothing, so wear “studio clothes” or bring an old shirt along.

Info and registration here:

http://www.mobilemuseumofart.com/learn/adults/adult-workshops/

For the aspiring artist on your holiday list…

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art, art classes, botanical art, colored pencil, creativity, drawing, fairies, how to draw, illustration, Val Webb, workshops

Last night, I finished up the drawing for my new gift certificate. Sign someone else up for the online course “Draw & Paint Six Culinary Herbs” and I’ll send them one of these. (I will add hand-lettered course info and your message – and I’ll even decorate the envelope with a little sketch!) Starting Jan. 7, the course is 10 lessons with video and personal feedback, work at your own pace. The cost is $50. No experience necessary… something fun and different for the aspiring artist in your life.

Draw & Paint Monarch Butterflies

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Alabama, art classes, butterflies, colored pencil, drawing, how to draw, painting, Val Webb, watercolor, workshops

I’m delighted to offer a new workshop, “Draw and Paint Monarch Butterflies,” at beautiful 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center on Saturday, January 12. Working from actual specimens, with step-by-step guidance, learn to create a realistic monarch using gouache and colored pencil on handmade buff paper. No experience is necessary and all supplies are provided. Class size is limited to 10. The cost is $65, and illustrated gift certificates are available if you plan to use the workshop as a Christmas gift. Email me to reserve a spot.

Two more things about the workshop: We’ll meet from 10 to 4, so bring a sack lunch to enjoy on the deck during our midday break.

Also, it’s important to me that you know our butterfly specimens were not wild-caught and killed. They were raised from egg to caterpillar to cocoon to adult, allowed to live a natural life and then after they died were carefully collected for our use. Butterfly farming preserves habitat and discourages destructive land use; it can also be helpful in supporting threatened species. Just so you know.

New Workshop: Aquatic Plants in Watercolor Pencil

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Alabama, art classes, botanical art, colored pencil, drawing, ecology, how to draw, Val Webb, watercolor, workshops

I’m delighted to offer a new workshop at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center:

Aquatic Plants in Watercolor Pencil
Saturday, September 8 from 10am to 3pm
5 Rivers Delta Resource Center (on the Causeway)
Spanish Fort, AL
No experience necessary!

 The Mobile-Tensaw Delta, considered the best remaining delta 
ecosystem of its kind in the United States, is home to 500 species
of plants. We'll focus on some favorites including lotus and pitcher
plants, sketching from specimens and reference material and then
creating color studies in watercolor pencil. Step-by-step guidance
will be provided -- all levels of art experience (or none at all) 
welcome. Bring your lunch and a small set of watercolor pencils, 
and all other supplies will be provided. My botanical drawing
workshops fill up fast -- your registration must be received to
hold your place. The cost of the workshop is $50. Email to sign up:
studio@valwebb.com

Irresistible: gouache resist

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art, art classes, botanical art, flowers, Val Webb, watercolor, workshops

My online class in Watercolor Lettering has kept me very busy for the past several weeks, but on Saturday I had the pleasure of teaching a small workshop in a beautiful riverfront hideaway near Moss Point, Mississippi. The trees overhanging the water were full of trumpet vine, and we put them to use as the subject of gouache resist paintings. I love gouache resist, which is the art equivalent of opening a mysterious present on Christmas morning. You don’t know what you have until the wrappings are torn away to reveal the surprise beneath. In my method, I begin with a quick pencil sketch on heavy watercolor paper. Next I create the painting with a very thick (we’re talking peanut-butter-thick here) layer of gouache. After allowing it the dry completely, the painting is covered in a layer of waterproof India ink — I use a two-inch housepainting brush for this step. That has to dry, as well, before the fun begins: I take the piece outside and put it under a stream of water from the garden hose, scrubbing the ink away with the aforementioned house painting brush. Under that layer of inky blackness is a jewel-toned image, and everywhere the paper remained blank are lines of India ink. Old clothes are highly recommended for this adventure!

Drawing birds of prey

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Alabama, art classes, birds, drawing, how to draw, Val Webb, workshops

I live in a place where it’s not unusual to hear the “who-cooks-for-you?” call of barred owls, especially just before dawn. Eerily beautiful with their pale faces and dark eyes (they are the only brown-eyed owl in the eastern US) they thrive in neighborhoods. Despite the fears of my neighbors who are convinced that the owl roosting in their oak tree wants to make a meal of their chihuahua, barred owls are usually after rodents… and older neighborhoods, like the one where I live, provide a steady supply. They are large creatures, with wings spanning three feet. Twice, while walking at night, I have seen barred owls soar past just a few feet above my head like silent ghosts, gliding fast, suddenly materializing out of the dark. It is a sight that will stop you in your tracks.

We drew barred owls (along with a number of other owls, and some hawks, eagles and osprey) during a recent workshop at 5 Rivers. By popular demand, I’m going to lead the “Drawing Birds of Prey” workshop once more on Saturday, July 14, from 10am until 3pm. No art experience is necessary, and all art supplies are provided. There are a few spots left at this time… registration is $60 and must be received to hold your spot. Email me for info.

Name that herb!

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Alabama, art, art classes, botanical art, gardening, how to draw, painting, Val Webb, watercolor, workshops

Six culinary herbs in watercolor… can you name them all?

(I’m painting some samples for a June 30 workshop, “Draw and Paint Six Culinary Herbs,” to be offered in Birmingham, Alabama. Join me for a day of creative botanical fun… no previous experience required, and all supplies are provided. Best of all, you get to take home six organically grown potted herb plants at the end of the day!)

Upcoming Studio Classes & Workshops

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Alabama, art classes, birds, botanical art, colored pencil, drawing, green living, how to draw, Val Webb, watercolor, workshops

Coming up in Pensacola, Florida:

To ask a question or sign up, email me: studio@valwebb.com

                                          

Nature Drawing Workshop: Winter’s Tale   (Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10am-3pm, Five Rivers Delta Resource Center, on the Causeway in Spanish Fort, AL)        The stories of spring lie hidden just beneath the surface as winter draws to a close along the Gulf Coast. There is a simple beauty in bare branches, seed pods, tiny buds emerging and the first insects to venture forth as the seasons turn back toward warmer days. Spend a day in one of Alabama’s most beautiful waterfront settings, using traditional drawing techniques to create elegant and accurate drawings of winter nature subjects in pen-and-ink. No experience necessary! All art supplies provided.  This event helps support wildlife education programs at 5 Rivers.                                                                                                                                 $60                                                                                                                                        

Embellished with original illustrations and hand lettering, GIFT CERTIFICATES are now available for all classes and workshops listed here. Email me to request one: studio@valwebb.com.

                                           

So what is that workshop about, exactly?

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Alabama, angels, art classes, Val Webb, workshops

You know the old saying… a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, instead of trying describe what we’ll be doing in the “Old and New: Hand Lettering and Vintage Photo Transfer” workshop on June 4, here are a few thousand words’ worth of explanation.

Not calligraphy, but hand-drawn letters that you design to fit your taste and personal style. Perfect for labeling botanicals, enhancing your journal or creating a wondrously literary sketchbook! Here is another example:

After lunch, we’ll switch to “vintage” photo transfers, using a simple nontoxic technique with baker’s parchment that does not harm your original in any way. Here’s one made from a snapshot of a stone angel in a New Orleans cemetery, transferred onto heavy Strathmore watercolor paper:

…and here’s one made from a 1932 photo of my grandparents, transferred onto handmade bark paper. Enjoy!