Free Class for Art Journals-Art and Healing

Lately, I have been lucky to be participating in the wonderful FREE class going on at Willowing and Friends "ning" group I belong to. I cannot describe how this class has already helped me. Being FREE, I didn't know what the quality and amount of actual "class" we would get, but Tam has outdone herself, as usual, and given us all a wonderful present of a FULL AND COMPLETE CLASS for no cost! The name of the class is "Art, Heart and Healing" and you can still take advantage of her wonderful free gift to us all. I am not sure how long this will be available, so scoot over there and grab your chance!

You still have plenty of time to enter the contest for the Extreme Glitter I am giving away in December.The ndrawing will be Dec. 15, 2010. It isn't just one bottle that is included, It is 4 Bottles! FOUR FULL BOTTLES OF EXTREME GLITTER, JUST FOR YOU! Just a nice little sparkly Christmas present...and we ladies do love our sparkles... :) Nothing like free art supplies, is there!
This picture is not what the bottle looks like. The bottles look like what the Folkart Liquid Acrylic Paint come in, with the flip-out spout. Just a little clarification there. Anyway, to sign up for the drawing, just become a follower to my little blog here, and email your name to "Lthykeson@yahoo.com", so I can add it to my growing list! On another subject, I am still collecting and trading all types of mail art, so send any mailart you wish:

Laura Thykeson 
2924 Oak Court
Granbury, Texas  76048

I LOVE getting mailart, friendship books, decos, just about anything you want to send me that will brighten up my mailbox! I really look forward to those little cards and letters-they brighten my day. Get your kids and the whole family in on it too! I have gotten several things that I can tell are from kids, and I always try to send them something back, because I remember how much I enjoyed getting mail when I was little! Usually, I send handmade watercolor postcards and things like that.

If you don't know about friendship books, do a GOOGLE search (I have a search box to the right of this post, just scroll up or down til you find it) for them or try putting in "fb" into the search box also. They are often referred to in that way. If that search box doesn't work right, just go to GOOGLE. You will find information about them scattered here and there on the internet. Basically they are little paper (books) that are handmade and then traded and mailed all over the world until they wind up coming back to the person who originally made them. They are just a little something to brighten us all.

One last thing. I and some other fine women have started an art journaling group as a part of the ning community , COACH CREATIVE SPACE, and it is called "The Creative Joy of Journaling". It is for those of us who love and enjoy art journals, sketchbooks, text and visual journals, any type of journaling you can enjoy. We are doing weekly prompts right now, and you can participate in the prompts or just do your own thing and then share with us if you want! We are also all about nurturing and not judging in our group, so it is also a safe and comfortable environment! There are a lot of things about Coach Creative Space that you will love, and our group is just one of them! Dan Goodwin, the Creativity Coach, will coax the creative soul right out of you where you can see and feel it so much better! And It's Free! Just another little goodies i have found for you on here, so you won't have to look...

This is it for now, would like to mention one last thing-I welcomed TWO new grandchildren to my family this week, one day apart and both boys! Jeremy Corbin Lane, and John Sutter Moody!! All healthy and happy, and I now have four grandchildren, 2 girls, two boys, and I am loving it! More on that later!

New FREE Art Journaling Class!!

There is a new art journaling class starting on the 18th of October called "Art, Heart and Healing"! It is being offered at this wonderful online community (and see me there, I am a member also!)-

Willowing.ning

Also, don't forget that Strathmore is offering 3 different art journaling classes, also FREE on their website! The link is not there anymore, but you can try contacting them through their email, and you might still get lucky. Such goodies just waiting for us to take advantage of! Even if you have been journaling for a while now, don't pass these up, as you just might learn something new!

Also, last but not least-Do you need a CREATIVITY COACH to help you bring out your best? Well, I have found the best FREE one on the internet, (in my humble opinion)! His name is Dan Goodwin, and you can find him here-

http://coachcreativespace.ning.com/

Dan is awesome! He will personally greet you when you sign up, and the community of people that are members are the most supportive, encouraging, talented group of people I have ever had the pleasure to be involved with! I have made several online friends since becoming a member a few months ago! Come join us, and tell Dan that "Laura sent you"!

Must go for now, just wanted to share these great deals with you!


Have a wonderful and creative day and weekend!

http://travellingartistsguild.wordpress.com/2010/09/11/hello-world/#respond Check out the link above, and read about the wonderful, magical art journey I am going to embark on during the next 12 months!Won't you join me???

A taste of things to come...click on link above to go to the home page and join me! 
Autumn in the Air
So now it’s September. The equinox approaches. All around me I see the last fruits of summer ripening in fields and gardens and by waysides. My nature-wise friends tell me, the signs predict we’re in for another long, hard winter, much like the last one we had here in northern Germany. Last winter, we had snow for almost three months solid. With that in mind, I think it might be a really good idea to set up a nice, long, involved art project…
A New Art Project
For the past few weeks I’ve been looking around for a long-term project to join, but either I started too early or I’ve been hunting in the wrong places. I originally wanted to join in on someone else’s project, but, that’s rarely the way things work out for me. I’m more of an initiator and teacher, so, I ran the basics of an idea past my arty friend Gena, and, based on her response, decided to offer a project of my own.
An Archetypal Journey
The project will work with an archetypal journey format based on the “Story...

Success in Watercolours! Step by Step...

Slowly but surely, I am learning the very fine art of watercolours! I have always worked in oils and acrylics in the past, and watercolours has posed a real challenge for me. The medium requires much more patience, and the building up of colors, plus it is a bit backwards, working with light colors first and then applying the darks, when I have always worked just the opposite, putting down the darks, and going back and working in the highlights!

Anyway, I am loving using my new water pen or aqua brush, whichever you want to call it-it is so handy and really works well on small areas like atc's and even front decoration panels for friendship books! I cut a piece of watercolour paper just a little smaller than the front of the friendship book, paint it with daisies, or some other design, add a bit of swirls with a marker or permanent ink pen, then glue the panel to the front of my friendship book! Turns out really great looking, and I don't have to worry about working directly on the friendship book and messing it up.

 Here is an example of what I have done with the atc's and the friendship books above! I like using a really vivid contrasting color, no "shrinking violets" for me!

I really hope that you have signed up for the Strathmore Journaling Class that will start soon. It is free, and we can always benefit from something free, no matter how long we have been art journaling! Here is the link, one more time: 

http://www.strathmoreartist.com/vjworkshop2011.html

Well, I suppose I have kept you from your artistic fun long enough, if you don't already know how to paint with watercolours, give them a try...to start out, just get a case of the watercolours for kids at your local discount store, and you can learn color control cheaply-that way you can see if you enjoy working with the medium before you sink a lot of money into a new set of artist quality watercolors! 16 WaterColour Paints Set With Brush Included for more control, try a set of watercolour pencils:Quick and Clever Watercolour PencilsDerwent Watercolour Collection Pencil Sets24 Watercolour Pencils Karat Aquarell from Staedtler and for easy backgrounds in your art journal, try watercolour crayons, just scribble on your page with the colors you want, rub softly with a damp paper towel and waalaa-you have a great background ready to work with!Caran DAche Neocolor II Watersoluble Crayon Set of 10Faber-Castell Watercolor Crayons with Brush 15-pk.Staedtler Karat Aquarelle Watercolor Crayons, 12-Color Set These give you a great selection to choose from, and none are very expensive, so get you a set and start playing. Remember-"There are no mistakes, only happy accidents"!  Later!