Getting the Most out of an Art Workshop

First page of notes from a Cathy Woo workshop in 2007

I've taken dozens of art-related workshops and classes over the past 50 years, since my first one one day workshop at the Embroiderers Guild in London, England in 1966. I've had loads of fun with like-minded friends and learned a lot about making art, but I've also wasted time and money by not treating the time seriously...mostly because of lack of preparation and practice. But I have gotten smarter as I've matured and finally figured out how to make the most of the workshop experience.

EmptyEasel.com has just published my article about this subject. Hop over to read it HERE.

I'd love to hear about how you prepare and practice when you take a workshop. 

 

Stencilry

I'm enrolled in an online class called Pure Experimentation where the curriculum is all about stenciling using spray paint, spray ink, brushes and sponges to create visual journal pages. I already use alphabet stencils to create my Sermon Notes series but this will add another dimension to those and other works of art.

The class was designed by Mary Ann Moss, Dispatch from LA, and is excellent, with PDF lessons complete with photos and dozens of short videos in which MA demonstrates her skills with her favorite art tools. Many everyday items can be used as stencils: lace, plastic doilies and placemats, nursery flats, sequin waste (love those holes). And now we're transforming clip art and photos into stencils using the computer, exacto knives, and stencil burners. Over the last week I've set up 2 different spray booths: one is set up in the garage and is made from an upside down card table, an old sheet, and a trash can. (This is what I use on rainy days.) and the other is a simple setup on my studio balcony where I draped a canvas drop cloth over the table and pinned the outer edges to the railing so I don't inadvertently paint the side of the house.