Proven Formula For Increasing Skill

“Drawing is a frame of mind,

a loving embrace, if you will."

~ Susan Avishai

Do Eight Drawings in 15 minutes!

Discover how you can drastically increase your drawing skills,
when you sketch for just 15 minutes a day!
 

Models at Sandarosa Studio

Everything has a gesture!

Although often used as warm up for a life drawing session,

gesture drawing is an important exercise in developing skill in drawing.

Drawing from life uses different "muscles" than drawing from a photo does.

The brain processes 3D objects differently than when viewing flat, 2D reference. 

See more about gesture drawing  here:

Models. Timer and 2 Minute Sketches

I downloaded a free Simple Interval Timer (SIT) for my iPad and

set up 16) sets of 2 min. each with 10 seconds in-between ea. 2 min.

8 Drawings in 15 Minutes

Here's How To Do It -
• Start the the timer and sketch for 2 minutes.                  

• When the timer goes off,  turn (the model) 1/4 turn.      
• Repeat every 2 minutes.                                                  

• For 16 sessions, you can draw 4 views each                   

of four different models in just 33 minutes.        

• If you only have 15 minutes to spare, just do 8 drawings.
• And if you are really strapped for time, just do one set.  

Even a very small amount of time that is
allotted everyday will make a huge difference.

 Think of it as homework.
"I must warn you that it's addictive and the more you draw,
the more time you are going to want to spend doing it."
~ Sandy

A Quick Watercolor Wash is Added

 Join Our DrawingEveryday / SketchingEveryday Group on Facebook!

Gesture drawing is not just for figure drawing anymore!!

See more about 6 step sketching here.

Thanks for your friendship.

Happy Happy Creating!!

X ♥  O

Believe In Magic

“The world is full of magic things, 

patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” 

~ W.B. Yeats

Magical Things by Sandy Sandy SpiritArtist

Testing out some new (for me) paper. Stonehenge Aqua Cold Press 140# from Legion Paper. I mostly work on Yupo these days, but have also exclusively used Arches for over 4 decades. Really feel rusty working on the cotton, but liked the soft, forgiving, absorbent quality of this sheet. Trying the same image on the Hot Press Stonehenge next. Of course, after using Yupo, these colors really look washed out to me, but I'm getting used to it. This was done wet-in-wet, first wetting both sides of the paper. Your comments and any recommendations for improvements and for working on the HP paper is appreciated.

Have a great weekend and happy creating!!

Thanks for stopping by.

X ♥  O

One Day Only - Black Friday Sale

“Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.”
 ~ Tim Fargo 

Get 1/3 Off - One Day Only - 11/25/16

Remove stress and have FUN!

Take advantage of the Pre-Launch BLACK FRIDAY SALE

on the January 2017 FUNdamentals of Alcohol Ink E-Course

Get 1/3 off the regular price of registration

ONE DAY ONLY!

Get more details HERE.

November 25th - ALL DAY to closing at midnight

Sign up to receive updates, prices and resources.

A Revolutionary Approach To Painting And Design

"Invite the viewers into the picture

and entertain them everywhere." 

~ Edgar Whitney

Ed Whitney 1979 - discussing the Three Bears
(Momma, Poppa, Baby Formula) photo by Shirley Landgraf

Edgar Whitney was a brilliant artist, writer and watercolor instructor. His Seven Elements and Eight Principles Of Design can be applied to any art medium and truly revolutionized my own artistic journey. Ed's students benefit from an accelerated understanding of art and visual design, leading to a broader scope of exploration and creativity.

Edgar A. Whitney spent twenty-five years in commercial art before devoting himself full time to painting and teaching. He taught at Pratt Institute in NYC and lectured regularly at New York University. Twenty years after his death, his book, Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting, continues to be one of the foremost and extensive manuals on philosophy, design, and watercolor painting. In his golden years, Ed demonstrated and taught workshops from Maine to Florida, producing many extraordinary modern day watercolor masters while establishing himself as a legend in the Art World Hall of Fame.

THE SEVEN ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

THESE ARE THE PARTS OF A PAINTING

* SHAPE - Anything with height and width - They can be . . .
* Curved
* Angular
* Rectangular

* SIZE - The relationship of objects to each other - think 3 bears - Momma, Poppa, Baby
* Small
* Medium
* Large

* LINE - There are two main types
* Curved
* Angular

* DIRECTION - The overall dominant direction of an art piece can be
* Horizontal
* Vertical
* Oblique

* TEXTURE - There are three basic textures
* Soft
* Hard
* Rough

* COLOR - Warm or cool, one should dominate

* VALUE - The lightness or darkness of a color
* Light
* Medium
* Dark


THE EIGHT PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

These are the building blocks OF ALL ART!
This is what we should strive to do with the SEVEN ELEMENTS, listed above.
For better understanding; read each principle and then apply it to each element, one at a time.

* UNITY - The painting must be consistent throughout. Each part must look like it belongs to the rest.

* CONFLICT - or Contrast - Must be present in all of the elements.

* DOMINANCE - The most important principle because without it, there will be too much variation and no unity of the elements. In each of the listed SEVEN ELEMENTS, one should dominate in a painting.

* REPETITION - Elements should repeat.

* ALTERNATION - Repetition with variation.

* GRADATION - Gradual change from one element to another.

* HARMONY - Similar elements.

* BALANCE - Most noticeable with shapes and should generally be informal (asymmetrical) vs. formal (symmetrical)

Come Create Online With Me in January 2017!

More of Edgar A. Whitney's Teaching and Philosophy Woven into 

the FUNdamentals of Alcohol Ink ECourse coming soon!

Click the link to see a short video of student work from the September 2016 ECourse.

Registration Closes Tonight!

“Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today.” ~ Tim Fargo      

If you don't enroll, how many of your questions will go unanswered?
How many times will you be frustrated or do something the hard way?

  Take the stress out of creating and have FUN in The FUNdamentals of Alcohol Ink E-Course. Registration Closes SOON for this highly anticipated E-Course!

Learn.Love.Create

“Love is a feeling completely bound up with color,

like thousands of rainbows superimposed

one on top of the other.”

~ Paulo Coelho

"There's a calm surrender to the rush of day
When the heat of a rolling world can be turned away
An enchanted moment, and it sees me through
It's enough for this restless warrior just to be with you

And can you feel the love tonight
It is where we are
It's enough for this wide eyed wanderer
That we got this far
And can you feel the love tonight
How it's laid to rest
It's enough to make kings and vagabonds
Believe the very best

There's a time for everyone if they only learn
That the twisting kaleidoscope moves us all in turn
There's a rhyme and reason to the wild outdoors
When the heart of this star crossed voyager beats in time with yours"

~Elton John

Come feel the love and join me on this maiden voyage here.

Finding Excuses


"The person who really wants to do something finds a way;

the other person finds an excuse."

4 x 10" Alcohol Ink Painting on Ceramic Tile

 In case you might be wondering if my new Learn • Love • Create E-Course
is a good fit for you …
IT IS IF …
• You want to find more inspiration and joy in the creation process.

• You want to loosen up and experience more spontaneity in your art.

• You want to learn new ideas and techniques, without feeling pressured
   to perform in front of others or produce a "keeper".

• You love to create, but need more structure, inspiration
and motivation to get started and to keep you going.

• You like the idea of learning at your own pace, in your own place.

This is just a sampling of what this course is all about!!
See for yourself. Click here to learn more!

The FUNdamentals of Alcohol Ink E-Course is open for enrollment!


The private part of the  Learn • Love • Create website is available to Members NOW!
Videos, tips, supply lists, starter kits, links and downloads are already online.
Hugs And Happy Creating From Your FUN Bringer,

FUNdamentals of Alcohol Ink Registration Open!

"Anyone who stops learning is old,
whether at twenty or eighty."
~ Henry Ford

Early Bird Registration is finally OPEN for my "First Born" Online Workshop -

'The FUNdamentals of Alcohol Ink'

 

See price, details and save 20% off registration now!

Learn • Love • Create

"The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies,

can continue growing as we continue to live."

~ Mortimer Adler

The Portals Of Heaven

“To live continually in thoughts of ill will, cynicism, suspicion, and envy, is to be confined in a self-made prison. But to think well of all, to be cheerful with all, to patiently learn to find the good in all;
 such unselfish thoughts are the very portals of heaven. 

  

To dwell day by day, in thoughts of peace toward every creature,

will bring abounding peace to their possessor.”

~ James Allen

I'm designing my new online course with beginners and accomplished inkers in mind. I'll be teaching classic design principles and demonstrating professional techniques for more advanced aficionados.

But I'll also be breaking lessons down into simple, easy to follow, baby steps for those just getting started with alcohol inks.

I'm developing simplified versions of more complicated lessons in the K.I.S.S. (KEEP IT SILLY SIMPLE) Section of ‪#‎LearnLoveCreate‬ . I will also have a basic K.I.S.S. Starter Kit and Material List available for those of you just testing out the inky waters.

So check out my very first online workshop "The FUNdamentals of Alcohol Ink!!
I'd love to answer your questions! See a sample lesson here!

X ♥  O

Have a great weekend and EnJOY!

Ten Rules For Students and Teachers

 "Be happy whenever you can manage it.

 Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think."

~ John Cage 

John Cage's Rules For Students and Teachers:

• 1. Find a place you trust, and then try trusting it for awhile.
• 2. General duties of a student--pull everything out of your teacher;
  pull everything out of your fellow students.
• 3. General duties of a teacher--pull everything out of your students.
• 4. Consider everything an experiment.
• 5. Be self-disciplined--this means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them. To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.
• 6. Nothing is a mistake. There's no win and no fail, there's only make.
• 7. The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something. It's the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things.
• 8. Don't try to create and analyze at the same time. They're different processes.
• 9. Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It's lighter than you think.
• 10. Break rules. Even your own rules. Leave plenty of room for X quantities.
  

To Celebrate 1,000 Likes on Facebook, I'm Having a
Christmas In July Giveaway!

Six Original Alcohol Ink Paintings Are Up For Grabs!

Get Updates About the Online Alcohol Ink Workshop with Me this September!
Learn • Love • Create

X ♥  O

A Dream Is A Seed

“A dream is a seed. Vision plants it.
Imagination nurtures growth.
Opportunities create blooms.
Thoughts become things!”
~  Donna McGoff

“Of all the words of mice and men,

the saddest are, "It might have been.”

~ Kurt Vonnegut 

Ever wanted to try watercolor?

Want to try something exciting and new?

Well here's your chance ... 

Join us for the July 23rd, Summer Symphony Watercolor Workshop on Yupo Paper 

Only 2 spots left! NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!! Starter Kits Available.

Get Updates for the Online Alcohol Ink Workshop with Sandy this September!

Learn • Love • Create 

X ♥  O

 

Online Workshop, Discovery and Joy

“Do anything, but let it produce joy.” ~ Walt Whitman

Learn • Love • Create 
Online A.I. Workshop Starts September 2016

Sign up to join the E-Course Special Wait List
And Be The First To Know When the Doors Open For Enrollment

 (You will also get my FREE CMY / RGB Color Wheel  PDFs - 

delivered to your inbox within 24 hours when you sign up!) 

 "People who thrive on their creative energy are 

tapping into something that is innate in the human race;

 the ability to discover something new. 

What makes them different is the

desire and motivation to create."

~ Faith Puleston)

Happy Summer AND Cool Creating Everyone!
X ♥  O

The Way You See It

“No one else has access to the world you carry around within yourself;
you are its custodian and entrance. No one else can see the world the way you see it.
No one else can feel your life the way you feel it. Thus it is impossible to ever 

compare two people because each stands on such different ground. 

When you compare yourself to others, you are inviting envy

into your consciousness; it can be a dangerous and destructive guest.”

~ John O'Donohue
 

"Buttercup" ~ 4 x 10" alcohol ink on ceramic tile ~ Sold

Framed to 6 x 12" - 10 x 16" outside dimensions

The cat's out of the bag -

The Wait List For The September 2016 Launch Of The Very First
Online Learn.Love.Create Workshop is Now Available Here.

Develop your own voice without the fear of judgement or
preconceived expectations (from yourself or others).
You are spirit, pure and eternal, one of a kind, special and unique.
Lets uncover ways to make your art more powerful and distinctively you.

"The FUNdamentals of Alcohol Ink"
 GET UPDATES and STAY IN THE LOOP

Thanks for your friendship and feedback everyone!!
I am grateful for you all.
Happy creating!

X ♥  O

With Spirit Full, I Live

"With arms outstretched I thank.

With heart beating gratefully I love.

With body in health I jump for joy.

With spirit full I live.
"
~Terri Guillemets

I have been under the weather with a summer cold, turned upper respiratory ailment for the past week or so and haven't had the energy to do much of anything. This morning, I received this wonderful note from one of my June 11th, first time workshop participants, Lynn Pechinski, who owns 1st Straw Marketing and Promotions. I rarely get much feedback from participants. Her card really made me feel great! Lynn clearly knows the power of gratitude and of making people feel special.

You can see amazing art from the last workshop here, where 5 of the 7 inkers were first timers!

The next scheduled "play"shop here is July 23rd. You can see details about the watercolor on Yupo paper "art experience" here. The early bird registration discount ends tomorrow, June 25th. 

It's not just a workshop, it's a full bodied "art experience"!

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that

the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Thanks for your friendship and feedback everyone!!
I am grateful for you all.

X ♥  O

Jerry's Yard Art at Sandarosa Studio

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely 

upon my imagination.

 Imagination is more important than knowledge. 

 Knowledge is limited. 

 Imagination encircles the world.” 

~ Albert Einstein

Haven't posted here in a few weeks,

so thought I'd post a few snaps from around the yard this morning.

Hubby, Jerry, has been busy beautifying the place.

Thought you might enjoy a peek!

Witchy-Poo is still enjoying the ride!

One of many.

Remember these?

Almost everything traded or found in trash.

New Studio Window - more about that later.

Nice touch Jer!

My new favorite! Jerry's King Crab. :-)

“Logic will get you from A to Z;
imagination will get you everywhere.”
~  Albert Einstein

Happy Summer everyone!!
X ♥  O

Fill Your Life With Love

"If you don't fill your days with love,

you are wasting your life."

~ James Broughton

 

Learn • Love • Create
FUNdamentals of Alcohol Ink
Online Workshop Starts September 2016
(Registration Opens in August)

We all come from different places and have unique experiences in life.
That's what makes you - you and me - me, and I think that our art should reflect that.

It's not just about techniques . . .
By sharing my journey, my way and my inspiration, I encourage you to
explore your passions more fully and find your own "love driven" way of creating.

 

Make a written list of everything you love, then let your art express that list.

Sign up for my email list 

and receive FUNdamentals of Alcohol Ink ECourse Updates.

Thanks for your friendship.
Happy Spring and Happy Creating!!

X ♥  O

 

Drawing is FUN!

“Drawing is a frame of mind,

a loving embrace, if you will."

~ Susan Avishai

Do 8 Drawings in 15 minutes!
Discover how you can drastically increase your drawing skills,
when you sketch for just 15 minutes a day!
 

Models at Sandarosa Studio

Everything has a gesture!

Although often used as warm up for a life drawing session,

gesture drawing is an important exercise in developing skill in drawing.

Drawing from life uses different "muscles" than drawing from a photo does.

The brain processes 3D objects differently than when viewing flat, 2D reference. 

See more about gesture drawing  here:

Models. Timer and 2 Minute Sketches

I downloaded a Simple Interval Timer for my iPad and

set up 16) sets of 2 min. each with 10 sec. in-between.

8 Drawings in 15 Minutes

Start the session and sketch for 2 minutes,

then turn (the model) 1/4 turn every 2 minutes.

For 16 sessions, I can draw 4 views each

of four different models in just 33 minutes.

If you only have 15 minutes to spare, just do 8!

A Quick Watercolor Wash is Added

"Draw, as much and as often as you can.

When drawing lies fallow,

the skill diminishes."

~ Gene Black

Gesture drawing is not just for figure drawing anymore!!

See more about 6 step sketching here.

Thanks for your friendship.
Happy Spring and Happy Creating!!

X ♥  O

 

What is in a Name?

"Manipulative people do not understand
the concept of boundaries.
They are relentless in their pursuit of what they want
and they have no regard for who gets hurt along the way."
~ Lifehack

A couple of days ago, I got a message from Facebook that I had to confirm my name.

They required that I upload various documents to confirm my ID. Although they say; "The name you use on Facebook doesn't have to be the name on your government-issued IDs.", they seem to have an issue (after eight years) with my name, Sandy Sandy. They also state; "We understand that the name you use in everyday life might be different from your legal name. We want you to be able to use the name you most identify with on your Facebook profile." So far I have sent them a copy of my driver's license with my legal name, Sandra Sandy, and 6 other scans of documents with my "everyday" name SANDY SANDY. They are supposedly reviewing my documents and all my facebook accounts are still locked - my art page, my studio page and groups I administer. I am unable to get onto facebook at all and I really feel like I am being harassed. 

The information I found on the web states that "As it stands, the authentic name policy too often is used as a tool of harassment, and Facebook continues allowing that to happen.
The fake name reporting process is opaque and imperfect. Facebook has said it does not use algorithms to crawl through usernames and instead relies on snitches. When an account is flagged, the company says a real person with two thumbs looks into the report and decides whether to lock the account and request documents. Unfortunately, this means a lot of legitimate, legal names often end up flagged. What Facebook has done is create a system that forces compliance or isolation. And worst of all, it places the power with harassers—as if the Internet needed more of that." ~ Nadia Drake

I can only hope the issue will be resolved soon. It is a shock to be the victim of such a malicious act where over eight years of building online friendships and relationships can be destroyed overnight. I don't know if this was just a random act of cruelty or some kind of "throw a major roadblock up to my art career" kind of jealousy. I'm hoping it was random.

So beware, because just about anybody is at risk! Any enemies known or otherwise could change your Facebook presence overnight. Although Facebook is "free" I may now be paying for using it, big time.

A Rainbow of Love • Sold

Thanks so much for your friendship and please wish me luck.

X ♥  O