"I have picked up Audrey's brochure at Hobby Lobby several times over the years, wanting to learn to draw realistic portraits. I graduated with a BFA in graphic design in 1987 from SMSU, was employed as an artist and got married to my sweetheart, Tim, all within a three month period. I worked for five years until I had my first son, and then came … [Read more...]
B2 Cafe Spring Student Exhibit
What a wonderful place to have our Art Reception and Exhibit! The staff was very helpful and the food was fabulous, as always! Live music was provided by Brian Hickman on cello and Kirsten Weiss on Violin. It added so much to our reception! You can view the art anytime at the B2 Cafe now until the end of June. Students range in age from 11 - … [Read more...]
Student Spotlight – Abby
Thirteen-year-old Abigail, known to her friends as Abby, is a student with an obvious enthusiasm for art. When she is drawing in class, it's often with a huge smile on her face. Abby wanted to draw her baby cousin as a gift for her aunt and uncle and decided that last Christmas would be the perfect time. The reference photo that she chose did … [Read more...]
Student’s Perspective: Making Time for Art – Keri
photo art courtesy Anna Laero, Flickr As an adult student, one of the greatest difficulties to developing my art is making time. For that matter, making time seems to be the difficulty with most things-- finding that precious and elusive balance between work and recreation, obligations and creativity. When Audrey announced the three-day Color … [Read more...]
What is Your Finish Line for 2015?
Each year end I begin to reflect on the past year and look into the new year ahead. What do I want to accomplish in 2015? With a Finish Line on the radar I can begin to plan my strategy and mini goals to get there. I want to challenge you to consider what you want to accomplish with your art this next year. Having a coach help you along the … [Read more...]
Drawing an Emotional Portrait – Keri
I am experiencing the difficulty of drawing a portrait from a reference photograph that speaks emotional volumes to me. All the things that Audrey has warned about drawing people we know-- the personal references that distract from objectively viewing the subject-- are ringing true as my current work-in-progress creeps along at a … [Read more...]
Gallery of Talent
This week I viewed the gallery of students' artworks on display at the Library Station in Springfield. The drawings and paintings are all beautiful and impressive. There are a wide variety of subjects-- from still life paintings and drawings to portraits-- in many different mediums and styles ranging from classic to contemporary, some with an … [Read more...]
Signature Style Workshop!
An outstanding colored pencil drawing of Miley Cyrus by student Jenna Beaver, age 14 What aspiring artist doesn't dream of recognition? It has certainly been at least a flickering thought for those who intend to fine-tune their craft. With the knowledge that anyone can learn to draw comes the realization that the art marketplace can be crowded … [Read more...]
Art Class is a Community
Hello, I'm Keri Doolittle, an art student in Audrey's weekly drawing classes. I'm so happy to have been invited to share with you my experiences and thoughts about learning to draw. I first took drawing classes from Audrey over 7 years ago. That very first class forever changed the way I see faces, and it opened up an entirely new set of … [Read more...]
Portrait Process for Watersoluble Graphite
I have recently begun to explore with watersoluble graphite and I like what it can do! There are both watersoluble graphite pencils and graphite sticks. If you are accustomed to lots of little detail, you may be put off with the graphite sticks that look like a really large crayon. You can sharpen them to a point, but I didn't want to … [Read more...]
