Online Explore Mediums & Styles: Creating 100 Animals in 10 Weeks

Online using Zoom.

(For more information about how to use Zoom, click here.)

Mondays 11am - 1pm (Pacific Time)
September 22 - November 24

Classes are recorded so if you can’t attend during class sessions, you won’t miss a thing! The recordings will be available for one month after the workshop ends.

Here is a short video of my 100 Animals sketchbook, to give you an idea of what we will explore during our time together: https://youtu.be/NIFPp32dTbY

As far as supplies, bring your favorites, bring what you have discovered recently, or supplies you had forgotten you had. Anything and everything!

Come join me in a goal to create 100 animals in 10 weeks. You will be free to move at your own pace as this isn’t about me setting a pace of unrealistic expectations. There is no such thing as falling short and getting behind. Ultimately, the goal of this workshop, is to inspire each other for 10 weeks, share different ways of creating animal art and learning about styles and mediums.

Not only is this is a great way to practice creating animals but it will also push us to explore techniques, mediums, and styles. It will guide us towards finding our preferences and originality. It will help everyone develop a habit of pursuing a creative goal for 10 weeks while we share our ideas and inspiration with each other.

Each week, I will share information about creating animal art, we will share our work, and watch videos on various styles, techniques, or mediums. You will be encouraged to share your animals with the class as we learn and laugh our way through the challenge of creating 100 animals in 10 weeks.

Your work doesn’t need to be based on the information shared during our time together. You can use whatever mediums you prefer (and hopefully you’ll be inspired to use a wide variety - graphite, charcoal, ink, watercolor, gouache, pastel, acrylic, collage, alcohol washes, digital art, colored pencils, fiber, oil, mixed mediums, and whatever you want to explore). You can experiment with different surfaces: mixed media paper, canvas, watercolor projects, sanded paper, mat board, fabric, colored papers, wood, sand, anything goes!

You can create the work from reference photos I provide each week, or from your own photos, from your imagination, or you can draw inspiration from work by the masters,

Some of the animal artwork may come together in 5 minutes, some might take hours, or days to complete. It’s completely up to you. The idea is to keep creating and having fun while learning!

As we progress from week to week, you will find that you are making marks more confidently, having more fun, and learning from each other. You might find that your proportions are getting more accurate and your animals more believable. Or you might find that your approach gets looser, more abstract. You will find which mediums and styles work for you.

We will have time in class to work on our creations and the only homework will be to draw as many animals as you can each week. Come join me!

Please keep in mind that you don’t have to create animal art from the styles and techniques I will share each week. You can explore what interests you. And although it will be helpful for you to know the supplies I use each week in advance, you are really encouraged to use the supplies you already have on hand. Bring what you have discovered recently, or supplies you had forgotten you had. Anything and everything!

You can use loose paper for your drawings or use a sketchbook. It's totally up to you.

I have dedicated a sketchbook to this workshop and plan on filling it with my 100 Animals. I will draw or paint animals on loose paper from time to time, when I want to experiment with different surfaces. In those cases, I will glue those sheets into my sketchbook whenever it makes sense. You don’t have to work like this, it’s just how I’ve chosen to approach my 100 Animals.

My mixed media sketchbook is a Dylusions Creative Journal, 48 Sheets, 8" x 5." The pages are heavy matte white cardstock. The journal cover is made from sturdy chipboard. The sketchbook has an elastic cord for closure and a string-tie envelope is attached to the inside front cover. This is the link to purchase it on Amazon if you are interested: https://amzn.to/45m3gus.

Week 1
Lessons: One Line Animals Drawing & Gesture Drawings
Supplies: Drawing paper (mixed media or even copier paper), pencil, Sharpie or other thin tipped marker

Week 2
Lessons: Loose watercolor animals
Supplies: Mixed media paper or watercolor paper, watercolors, brushes & black Sharpie or Micron pen, Poska, Uniball, or other thin tipped marker, (maybe gold, silver or white marker)

Week 3
Lessons: Basic shapes for drawing animals
Supplies: Mixed media paper or drawing paper, pencil and eraser

Week 4
Lessons: Scribble Animals & Pen & Ink Animals
Supplies: Mixed media paper or drawing paper, Sharpie, pencil or charcoal pencil and eraser. Hot press watercolor paper, 4H pencil, eraser, ink pens such as Micron Pens various sizes (https://amzn.to/48dlBMm).

Week 5
Lessons: Polarized Animals
Supplies: Acrylic paints, or gouache or oil pastels, canvas or (or canvas panel or sheet from a canvas pad) or mixed media paper, brushes pencil, eraser

Week 6
Lessons: Detail studies: fur & eyes
Supplies: Mixed media paper or drawing paper, drawing pencils (various grades), charcoal pencil (or graphite 7B, 8B or 9B pencil), eraser, graphite blender or q-tips, watercolor paper, watercolor paints, watercolor brushes, water, paper towels

Week 7
Lessons: Collage
Supplies: Collage can use a ton of supplies and materials. You don’t need all of these. These are just some suggestions.

Mixed media paper, paper to cut up / rip up and glue (could be origami paper, gift wrap paper, music paper, paper you’ve painted, magazines, etc.), pencil, eraser, Sharpies or other black markers, glue or Mod Podge (which is a waterbase sealer glue & finish - I prefer the matte finish https://amzn.to/3tx3iCO) or Golden Matte Gel Medium (https://amzn.to/3txme4b), cheap brush to apply glue/Mod Podge/Golden Gel Medium. Acrylic paints, acrylic brushes, watercolor paints, Brusho watercolor crystals (https://amzn.to/3vg4T0b), inks, stencils, old artwork of yours that you don’t like and are willing to cut, glue and repurpose.

Week 8
Lessons: Gouache
Supplies: Mixed media paper, gouache paints (you can use acrylic or watercolor if you prefer but the lessons are about gouache paints), brushes, water, paper towels. I like this set: https://amzn.to/3IBmVgS

Week 9
Lessons: Articulated paper animals (also referred to as jointed paper puppets)
Supplies: To build the animal you will need:cCopier paper or loose drawing paper, cardboard (such as cereal boxes), brads (https://amzn.to/48tF6jx), scissors, pencil, a thumbtack.

To decorate the animal you can use gouache, acrylic, oil pastels, colored pencil, markers, or collage paper.

Week 10
Lessons: Charcoal
Supplies: You don’t need all of these supplies to work in charcoal but if you want to experiment and learn about charcoal, this is a good set up. If not, bring whatever charcoal pencils, erasers, and blenders you have.

Lyra Rembrandt Charcoal Set (https://amzn.to/4axZDoX), Strathmore Bristol Vellum Paper (https://amzn.to/47hMRIh) or Hot Press Watercolor Paper (https://amzn.to/48ySgvo), blending stumps https://amzn.to/3S1dRaM, tissue, soft paint brushes (such as watercolor brushes), Tombow Mono Eraser (https://amzn.to/3tn0B6Q), a black eraser (https://amzn.to/3TyyYlQ) and a kneaded eraser (https://amzn.to/4aywKsJ), and lastly you’ll want a fixative to spray finished pieces (https://amzn.to/3RZNoKF)

There is a $35 cancellation fee. No refunds for cancellations received less than two weeks before the day of the workshop.