Category Archives: Workshops

Drawing With Friends

For the past two years the Covid variants have behaved like those annoying guests who refuse to leave, long after the party’s over. Even after we finally get angry, and push them out the door, they linger and lurk for an opportunity to mutate; then sneak back into our lives and go viral. 

But things are different now.

Our little drawing community is vaccinated yet cautious. We remain motivated and curious. Many of us have sketched together for a number of years—in the studio and on-location—and have become good friends.

Sketchy Reunion: City Hall

Over the years, our friendships have fostered a culture of learning and trust. We’ve learned new techniques and approaches for sketching our subjects. We’ve learned to trust our intuition and the lines we draw on the page. Each experience of drawing together becomes a valuable context for improving our skills. 

The first of three summer workshops was Sketchbook Basics at Santa Cruz City Hall. The courtyard garden area became a plein air classroom for reconnecting to our visual vocabulary.

Continue reading Drawing With Friends

Sketches In Paradise

Waking up to a misty Payne’s Gray sky that engulfs coastal Santa Cruz is common at this time of year. On this particular Saturday morning, I was hoping for summer sunshine that would keep our paper dry and help us to see and sketch crucial shadows.

Anticipation ran high as I packed my sketchbook and a lunch. A small tribe of my most ardent studio students was gathering for a workshop at one of my favorite outdoor sketching locations, Wilder Ranch State Park. Continue reading Sketches In Paradise

Getting Abstract: Experimental Drawing Workshop For Adults

One Saturday morning, three women set out to conquer fear of drawing from the imagination. Like brave creative warriors with swords in hand, they embarked on a 4-hour adventure into uncharted territories of the mind. In fact, they were holding long wooden dowels with various drawing media attached, participating in one of several exercises in our first Experimental Drawing Workshop for adults. And judging by the work produced and the smiles on their faces, the journey was successful. Continue reading Getting Abstract: Experimental Drawing Workshop For Adults