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Sundaes and Sodas for Valentines

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Our Feb Sundaes and Sodas workshop is scheduled for Valentine’s Day, Feb 14th,  which I thought was appropriate. This is one on my designs inspired from a set of ornament blanks that I found and a memory from my childhood.

Some of you already know that ice cream is my favorite food, especially chocolate. Unfortunately those day of indulging in this long time favorite (ice cream gene inherited from my Father and chocolate gene from my Mother) are just memories now; however, there is no reason that I can’t paint those delicious memories.  I grew up in Salisbury NC, the birth place of Cheerwine!, a cherry flavored soft drink, and another of my childhood, and still, favorites.

So put together the ornament blanks (which were suppose to be coffees and I’m not a coffee drinker), the ice cream, and cherry soda and I had these fun Sundaes and Sodas, in acrylic of course.

I love them and hope you do too.  By the way, they won a ribbon at the 2013 NC State Fair as you can see.

Register at least 1 week prior to class and come by the studio to pick up your ornament blanks. I have just a few sets left.

Sodas and Sundaes

Sodas and Sundaes

Jan Update

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Doorway 1

Doorway 1

Just a few update notes for you. I need to get back to some painting.

  • As you know we missed a Tue class for the weather so be sure to check the changed dates for classes.
  • We’re enjoying our Wed day, Doorway class so much that we’ve decided to add another week for a second door, The Blue Doorway. So be sure to check these dates also. Those of you who missed this week’s class can come next Wed for the first week of your doorway class.
  • We’ve added a class to our Wed evening schedule, Side-loading 202.  A good opportunity for a refresher. Plan to join us on Feb 5th.
  • I’m adding more workshop and “Play Day” classes. Be sure to check for these. What’s a play day? Check the workshop schedule.
  • Be sure to check the seminar info for our July seminar with Ros!  Mark your calendar and register now.
  • Paints are restocked and the rack is full. I also received a shipment of canvases and art boards.
  • I’ve received a shipment from DecoArt of their new Chalky Finish Paints and new stencils.  These new 2014 products are not available for purchase yet, so we are favored to have them to play with this quick.  And they are wonderful.  Classes are planned to explore them. Ros will be using some of them in her seminar projects too.
  • Gail Schmidt was asked by DecoArt to design some mixed media projects for them and for us. The first of these using DecoArt products is on their web site now!
    Check it out!
  • And lastly, please remember to pay/register for your class at least a week prior to the class. You’ll receive your prep when I receive your class fee.  If people don’t pay they don’t have a tendency to show up for the class.  Thanks much.

Liz

Here Kitty, Kitty

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Jan is flying by at the studio with lots to paint, the shop to stock, and best of all, students returning from the holidays.  We’re well into our Jan class schedule with enthusiasm and plenty of ideas for upcoming projects. I have the best-est students ever.

Morning ride has and is turning out awesome, each students adding their own flavor to the painting.  We’re still working on the painting in Cary and I’m looking forward to their finished painting, some of them quite excitingly large.

Our Raleigh group is starting the first in our Doorway series. Some of the student are painting my design but some of them will be designing their own doorway painting.  I hope more will join them in the next of our doorways.

Our Nesting mixed media turned out awesome. Lots of personal touches there.  Thought you might like to see some of the student’s paintings.  This design was lots of creative fun.

Nesting, students painting

Nesting, students painting

CADANC, Capital Area Decorative Artists NC, meet at the studio for their first meeting of 2014. It was so nice to see everyone and share a painting experience. Susan T was our teacher and she did a wonderful job of instructing us in painting a pet. Well you all know that this is one of my favorite painting subjects and I was enthused.  It took me most of the month to decide on which cat photo from which to paint.  After making a couple of choices and printing them, at the last minute I changed my mind and chose another, just like choosing from the menu at a restaurant if the server gives you too much time to make up your mind.  I did love my final decision, George again.  He was so photogenic, a green eyed handsome fellow.  Here he is. I was very pleased and am ready to paint another of my earlier choices, but class project need to come first.

What Up George?

What Up George?

OK I need to move over to my painting table where I have projects waiting to be started. I’m off to paint.

Liz

 

 

 

Welcome to Painting in 2014

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I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season with lots of time for family, friends, and fun. I’ve enjoyed myself this year on our holiday break.  I’ve had some time with my family, attended some awesome holiday parties, and had some quiet, soothing, creative time. 

Here are some of the paintings that I completed for my family for Christmas. I can show you now since I’ve given them.  My family member were very pleased.

Ruth on her wedding day, 1945.

Ruth on her wedding day, 1945.

Porter

Porter

Morning Ride

Morning Ride

Now I’m ready to see all my terrific students and get back to sharing our art. 

Yesterday was our Back to Painting Party and it was exciting to see everyone, our usual crew, some who I had not see in awhile, and some who are new to our area or just haven’t paint with us before. And there are some new enthusiasts who want to get involved with art and painting.  I’m always excited about introducing other to our creative ventures.

I’m now preparing myself for our 2014 painting.  My Jan to-do list looks something like this:

  • ·        Clean up the studio! I’ve left all my projects out on the tables, nice to be able to do that, and have lots of organizing to do.  Done once and I’m sure it will need doing again numerous times.
  • ·        Catch up with class samples
  • ·        Enjoy our returning painters and challenge each one to stretch and grow in skill and enthusiasm
  • ·        Get details completed with Ros and post our upcoming July seminar
  • ·        Tape more on-line classes for Creative Workshops
  • ·        Take classes myself. I have some interesting on-line classes I’m considering
  • ·        Eat more healthy again
  • ·        Continue exercising
  • ·        Keep adding to my list and checking things off, although some items above are ongoing.

 Upcoming in Jan 2014:

We have lots of new classes planned with new techniques popping up as well as some of our usual favorites. Over the past several months we’ve acquired a list of projects that we want to paint. Here they come.

Our Wed day class and Cary evening class want to paint the Morning Ride that I painted for my brother for Christmas. Photo is above.

For Wed evening, we have a mixed media painting planned called Nesting.  Our version of a Linda Lock design. Lots of fun techniques and all in one 3 hr evening!

Nesting

Nesting

We have a workshop coming up on Jan 25th, Watercolor Poppies in the Rain, a Mark Polomchak design. I need to get that sample painted so you can see it.

 For more class info including hrs and dates, please check the classes pages.

Let me know if you enjoyed the new web design.  I’m off to be creative!  Liz

 

Old Year News

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Winter on the Farm a Ginger Edwards design

Winter on the Farm
a Ginger Edwards design

All of us are wrapping up 2013 along with our gifts and will soon look forward to 2014. We have a few paintings left to complete and lots of holiday celebrating to enjoy.

 At Artful Endeavors I’m looking forward to some time for family and friends, and then some catching up time.

Our last Tue am open class is tomorrow morning if you need to finish something before the holidays.

On Wed we’ll finish our last paintings for this year in our day and evening classes.

We’ll have a 3 week break for holiday enjoyments.  Classes will resume Jan 7 & 8, 2014.

Remember our Jan 5th New Year’s Back to Painting Party. I post details separately.       

The students and I have worked on our Jan/Feb 2014 schedule and I’m in the process of posting it on our web site. Be sure to check out the outstanding new projects that we’ve chosen. Some from our favorite journals, some that are my own design, and some we’ll design ourselves.  I’ll post photos as soon as I have the samples painted. And keep checking back because you know we always tweak the schedules a bit.  Our workshops are projects that we’ve wanted to schedule for some time. Mark your calendar and plan to join us.

I’ll add more of our 3 hr workshops. Right now I’m collecting ideas and saving my favorites.

 And speaking of our web site, have you see it in the last week?  Our web designer, me, has been hard at work over the Thanksgiving break giving it a new look that will work on most browsers, and allow you to find everything easily.  Let me know if it works easily for you.

 I wish everyone of you a wonderful holiday season.  Merry Christmas and I’ll look forward to seeing you in Jan.

Liz

 

 

Special on On Line Classes For Dec

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During the month of Dec I’m gifting you with 15% off on all my on line classes. 

You can check out my classes on our on-line class page right here on my web site, or you can go directly to Creative Workshops to register and take advantage of my gift to you.

Drawing Faces

Drawing Faces

Sign up for Creative Workshops’ newsletter to get the details and latest on-line class news.

Watch for my new on-line classes coming up after the first of the year. Now I’ve told you about my new classes so I had better get busy taping them.

Have a wonderful holiday season and I’ll see you back for our New Year of Painting Party on Jan 5th.

Check out the special offers at Creative Workshops going on right now!

Finishing Up Our 2013 Classes

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I hope you have enjoyed your Thanksgiving days and feasting. I did.  My creative juices are renewed and now I’m ready for more painting.

Santa on the Moon

Santa on the Moon

We have 2 more weeks left of painting in 2013.  Here’s what we have for our

2 wk classes for Dec 4 and 11.

Wed, 10a – 2p. Santa on the Moon. Here’s the delightfully popular Helan

Barrick Santa the I’ve taught many times over the years. Now is the chance for any of you who haven’t painted him yet to do so.  $84

Winter Path

Winter Path

Wed, 5:00p – 7:30p.  Winter Path.  A new design for us by Angela Anderson from Paint Works. 

Loose and fun.  $56.

 

 Tue am open class is still happening Dec 3 & 10, 10a – 12:30, for you to finish up those last minute projects.  Let me know if you plan to join us.

 Tue evening class in Cary is finishing up our Dorothy Dent, Mill design on Tue Dec 3, 10, & 17.  We plan to be back at the salon next week.

 Mark your calendar for Jan 5, our New Year’s Welcome Back to Painting Party, 2p – 5p.  We’ll have class samples, a fun quick project to paint, food, one of my paintings raffled, and lots of fellowship.  Always a good way to start the new year. 

 We’re working on the class schedule now and I’ll have that for you soon with lots of fun new painting ideas and some of our favorites.  We have a couple of workshops already planned.

Jan 25, 10-4p.  Poppies Watercolor. This is the painting that you have been waiting for.

Feb 14, 10-2p.  Sodas and Sundaes. Here are my ornaments that took a ribbon at the state fair this past Oct. Just in right for Valentine’s Day.

 I’ll have more of our 3 hr workshops too for those of you who appreciated finishing your painting in one class. Always fun and lively.

 Join us in Dec and help pull our Jan/Feb schedule together. I’ll see you soon.

 Liz

Lots of Owls

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I’ve really been into painting owls this year. Fortunately so have many of our painters, so we’ve had some fun painting owls together. First there were the ornaments, then the snow owl. Here is our latest in our owl collection. This time a more realistic painting. My wonderful students created a whole flock of fluffy owls.

Barred owls by my talented students.

Barred owls by my talented students.

 

This beautiful design was by Sue Beckerton in Paint Works, Feb 2013.

 

 

A Halloween Treat!!

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Happy Halloweeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!

It’s a beautiful fall day with colorful trees and very pleasant weather here today.  It’s a perfect Halloween eve.

I have a Halloween treat for you. It’s directions for my spooky owl pen.

Spooky Owl Pin    A Liz Miller CDA design

You can use your favorite colors but here are some of the ones that I’ve used:

DecoArt Americana: Lamp Black, Raw Umber, Butterscotch, Warm White, Marigold, Irish Moss, Tangerine, and Burnt Sienna.

The blank is available at my studio or you can order from Viking Woodcrafts if you can’t drop by my studio.

Spooky Owl Pin

Spooky Owl Pin

Let’s Paint a Spooky Owl in a Tree:

I used a flat Bringle Blender to scuff in the tree using the chisel edge of the brush and RU.  Then use Butterscotch and a very little Butterscotch + WW to lighten the left side of the trunk and branches. I then added a little scuffed in Tangerine to accent the light side and middle of trunk.  Use a side loaded flat to darken the right side of trunk with Black. Of course the hole in the base of the tree is painted black.  The spider webs are also painted black.  Dry and then pattern your owl.

Using a #0 liner dab in the owl with RU to create fluffy feathers.  Begin to fluff in the lighter feathers by adding WW to your dirty brush. Notice the light feather on the face and details on the head and body. Don’t forget the tail feathers.  Lighten the face by adding more WW to your dirty brush.  Eyes are Marigold and shaded at the top with BS when dry. Outline them with RU.  Pupils are black with a WW glint.  Beak is RU with a WW glint.  I added a little dabbed in BS under the chin and at the base of the tail.  Add a few WW claws to hold onto the branch that you add with your tree colors.  Add any other owl like detail that you would like.

To finish up dry brush a little WW on the spider webs and touch in some Tangerine eyes inside the hollow of the tree with black pupils and WW glints.  I then flick up some grass at the base of the tree with Irish Moss, a nice spooky bright green color, using my flat blender.

Dry and spray with DecoArt Triple Thick spray several times allowing plenty of dry time between sprays. Remember not to touch the varnish to check dryness unless you would like to leave a nice finger print for later ID purposes.  When dry glue a pin back to your painted treasure and enjoy wearing.

pattern

pattern

Have a spooky time painting this project.  We still have some fall season to enjoy this little pen.

You are welcome to teach this design but be sure to give me credit for the design.

Watch for a winter version of this design coming up soon!

Liz