New Issue of Coloured Pencil Newsletter

Coloured Pencil Bird Collage

Image Copyright of Artist Heather Gaff Mewis

A new issue of my Coloured Pencil Newsletter is now ready to read. Don't miss the artistic creations of featured artist Heather Gaff Mewis. Her bird collage is above and her jewelry is below. I am sure you will be inspired by all of her creative endeavours!

Jewelry by Heather Gaff Mewis

Also, if you are interested in taking my Beyond the Basics course, please note that you have just two days left to register. Hustle, hustle...

If you are new to my blog, do check out my newsletters by clicking here. Why not consider becoming a Newsletter Group Member? Membership is free! You will receive an email as soon as a new issue has been posted and is ready to read. I hope you will participate by asking questions, submitting art work to share, or making suggestions. If you would like to be featured or you have a business you would like me to mention, that would be wonderful too. If you would like some help with a piece just send me a photo or a scanned image and we can go from there. There is an on-line show coming up this fall that you would be welcome to participate in. So, if you are interested in becoming a member just email me.

Enjoy the issue!

March CP Newsletter and Another Anniversary

"Leah", Coloured Pencil on Colourfix Paper, 9"x 12"

Image used with permission, Copyright Joyce Geleynse

The March issue of my Coloured Pencil Newsletter has been posted. With this issue, the Newsletter turns one year old! Woo- hoo!! I guess I was on some sort of creative, productive streak in February 2008 in order to have a blog and a newsletter ready to launch in the first week of March. My goodness...

Here are some interesting items appearing in the March issue:

- don't miss the wonderful art of featured artist Joyce Geleynse
- announcing an on-line art exhibition
- an update on a new product from Icarus Art

To head on over to the newsletter, click here.

Interested in becoming a Newsletter Group Member? The perks of membership include being notified by email as soon as a new issue is released, as well as opportunities to participate in the newsletter through asking questions, sharing art, volunteering to be featured, sharing info on your business ventures, and getting feedback with your work. The best part is that membership is free! So why not contact me? You membership can become effective immediately!

Coloured Pencil Newsletter and Announcements

'Bart, Jessie and Cooper', 11" x 14" Coloured Pencil

Artist Heather Page

image copyright of Heather Page, used with permission

The February issue of my Coloured Pencil Newsletter is now ready to read. Don't you love Heather's cp piece? The newsletter has a new 'introducing' feature and I am delighted that Heather Page is the artist being introduced this month. So be sure to check out the newsletter to see more of Heather's fabulous art and to learn more about her.

Announcements:

an Open Studio has just been scheduled

convenient on line payment for class registration and kit purchases now available

new blog feature 'Motivation Mondays'

Introduction to Coloured Pencil Course has been renamed Coloured Pencil Basics

The newsletter has all the details on these announcements. It has all the usual stuff too, a great question from a Newsletter Group Member, websites and blogs to visit etc. So grab a cup of your favourite beverage, sit back and enjoy. Click here for the February issue.

If you would like to become a Newsletter Group Member, just email me. The subscription is free!

new issue of coloured pencil newsletter is ready...

Yes, the January issue of my coloured pencil newsletter is ready to read. Do check it out - I wouldn't want you to miss the amazing portrait that Carol Edwards shared with us.

If you are new to my blog, I put together a newsletter (usually every month) and in it you will find helpful cp tips, answered questions, artwork shared, great websites and blogs to check out, etc. And the newsletters are free!

My newsletters are posted on my website. To have a look at the newsletter, click here. Why not grab a coffee and browse through previous issues? There is lots of good stuff to look at and to read.

If you would like to subscribe and become a Newsletter Group Member, contact me by clicking here.

Enjoy! Comments and feedback on the newsletter are welcome.

I have finally uploaded the 'follower' widget. If you haven't noticed it, look for it in the side bar on the right. A big thank you goes out to those who are already followers. I appreciate your readership!

Wondering where the Swiss chard is these days? Me too! :-) Well, I have been working on it. I am messing about with various compositions and croppings. I get to spend the day in the studio today so there will be progress. The wind is blowing and the snow is flying, beautifully elemental. A great day to be cocooned in the studio.

Coloured Pencil Newsletter ready to read...

The December issue of my Coloured Pencil Newsletter is now ready to read. If you are new to my blog, please know that each month I publish a newsletter for coloured pencil enthusiasts. To check it out, click here.

If you would like to become a Newsletter Group Member just contact me. Membership is free!

Comments and feedback on the newsletters are welcome.

New issue of coloured pencil newsletter!

Well yippee, the November issue of my newsletter for coloured pencil artists is ready to read.

You can find it by clicking on Newsletter. If you like what you see, why not consider becoming a Newsletter Group Member? Membership is free! Membership gives you the opportunity to submit your art for posting, to ask questions, to get helpful feedback, to submit cp tips and to promote your business.

Interested? Just go to the newsletter link and contact me. You will be on the membership mailing list immediately. If you know someone who would enjoy a coloured pencil newsletter, why not pass along this info? You don't have to be a member to read it.

October issue of Coloured Pencil Newsletter is ready!

I can't believe it is October already but as least the October issue of my newsletter is ready to read.

To read my newsletter for coloured pencil artists, click on Newsletter.

Why not become a Newsletter Group Member? Membership entitles you to ask questions, to promote your business, get free critiques, get help with a work in progress and as well it is a forum for you to submit tips, suggestions and work for viewing.

And hey, did I mention that membership is free? Just go to the newsletter link above and contact me. You will be on the mailing list immediately.

Your feedback on the newsletter is most welcome.

September issue of Coloured Pencil Newsletter is ready!

Yes, the September issue of my Newsletter is ready to read. Just click here: Newsletter, to be taken to the link on my website.

Are you interested in becoming a Newsletter Group Member? Newsletter Group Members receive an email notification as soon as a new issue is posted onto my website. Membership entitles you to participate. My goal with the newsletter is to inform, encourage and inspire fellow c.p. artists. Members can get assistance with a work in progress, can have a free critique of their work, can ask questions and are also welcome to submit tips and suggestions of their own.

Membership is free! So if you would like to subscribe to future issues of the newsletters by becoming a Member, just contact me at: teresa@teresamallenstudio.com.

July issue of Coloured Pencil Newsletter is ready!

Yes, as the title says, the July issue of my Newsletter is ready to read. Just click here: newsletter, to be taken to the link on my website.

Would you like to become a Newsletter Group Member? Do you have a question or perhaps a piece you would like help with? Just email me at: teresa@teresamallenstudio.com.

Feedback and comments on the newsletter are welcome. Thanks for participating!

the process of painting

photos and pictures from my ideas file

As you probably know, I write a coloured pencil newsletter each month (which you can read from my website). I recently received an email from someone who is a Newsletter Group Member. She was putting forth a question for the July newsletter. After thinking about my response, I decided that it might be best to answer her question in a series of blog posts.

What Karen L. is asking is this: "Could you please describe the process you go through when doing a painting? I seem to flounder about. I thought if I could understand your approach, it might help me."

What an interesting request! So here we go. I have just started a new piece. I shall write about the steps I take to get my painting from start to finish - my 'process'. Karen, I hope this helps. Please keep in mind though that there are no rules in art. This is just how I work. :-)

First of all, I think the act of creating a painting is simply a process of making decisions.

To get started, I need an idea. Where do I get my ideas? For me it is from something I have seen. I am not the sort of person that gets my ideas from a song, or a line of poetry, etc. I am a visual sort of gal when it comes to this.

I am often inspired by what I see in nature. It can be flowers in the garden or items picked up on a forest walk. My inspiration often leads me to capture the object, the moment or the setting with my camera. When I am ready to start thinking about a new piece, I always review the large collection of photos that I have taken over the years.

I also am inspired by my 'idea files'. These idea files are simply file folders that contain images that I have gathered over the years. The sources for these pictures are often various magazines, catalouges, as well as art magazines. I cut out and collect images that I find interesting - it could be because of a colour combination, a uniquely shot photo, or an interesting composition of objects. Anything goes. The picture at the top of this post contains a small sample of the types of pictures found in my idea files as well as a few of my photos. Please note that I only work from my own photos. The images from the idea files are just for ideas.

Once I have some ideas for the next piece, I need to make a decision as to what exactly I am going to focus on. Remember I said that creating a painting was about making a series of decisions? At some point I have to move from having ideas to actually commiting to a subject.

In the next post I will show you how I came to be working on my current piece.

June Newsletter is ready!

Yippee, the June issue of my coloured pencil newsletter is finished and ready to read. I am delighted to feature the art of a talented former student, Zainab Hussain. You can click on over to my website to check it out. The newsletters are free!

If you wish to become a Newsletter Group Member, just contact me. Newsletter Group members receive an email notifying them when the newsletter has been published onto my website.

Newsletter Group Members can participate in the newsletter by asking questions. I encourage members to send in any images of their art that they would like to share or that they would like help with. I also am happy to report on a business they may have. Anything goes, this newsletter is for the members and exists due to their participation. Why not get involved too?