A lot of people seem to come up to a blank canvas and not know what to paint. They get stuck. It happened to me all of the time. And then I realized the characters I paint and the layers I create follow a pattern.
I'll share this pattern with you step by step, starting with the drawing template I use to create my own owl characters, breaking them down into simple lines and shapes, so you can easily create your own!
We’ll go through my painting process layer by layer-beginning with backgrounds, painting our owls, adding embellishments, and creating scene. And I’ll share with you all of the tricks I’ve learned along the way too-what supplies work best, how to make everything fit together, and ways to really make your character and background pop!
We’ll play with all sorts of art supplies (acrylics, pastels, ink and GLITTER!) along with vintage wallpaper, origami paper, sheet music, and journal pages. Feel free to add anything that’s meaningful to you too! I’ve used a copy of the lease to my first apartment, old photos, and pages from my favorite books!
By the time you’re finished you’ll have a gorgeous owl to take home with you and the painting template to get you started again and again! This workshop is intended for anyone and everyone! My intention is to give you a place to begin so that your imagination can wander! Come spend the day at play! I can’t wait to see the amazing owls you create!
Supply List:
- a surface to paint on: high quality paper, hot press watercolor paper, wood or canvas (make sure your surface is 8x8 inches or larger...keep in mind youíll be covering it up with acrylic paint, so be sure to bring enough paint to have fun with covering your entire surface. And feel free to bring more than one surface, depending on how quickly you usually work).
- collage materials you love (sheet music, beautiful papers, journal and book pages...anything thatís meaningful to you. Well be using this to embellish our owls and create scene)
- paintbrushes (sizes 1”, 1/2” and a detail brush)
- acrylic paints (all you need are 2 oz tubes of red, blue, yellow, white and black to cover an 8x8 inch surface, but feel free to bring any other colors too)
- golden soft gel matte medium or glue (to adhere collage materials)
- container for water
- scissors
- black PITT pen (brush tip for outlining and detail work)
Optional:
- stencils, lace or anything for creating textured backgrounds
- stamping inks
- additional brushes in various sizes
- gloves if you prefer not to have paint on your fingers
- white &/or black gel pen
- india ink
- apron
- any other supplies you love working with
Teacher will supply:
- pastels
- glitter
- vintage wallpaper
- sheet music
- other decorative papers
A Little About ME
Juliette Crane is a full time artist and loves nature, handmade things, and finding beauty everywhere in the world. Whenever possible, she paints outside, mostly in the grass surrounded by flower gardens and the tallest trees. She is an avid gardener and enthusiastic cook and would be delighted to have you over for dinner.
In the summer of 2009, her sister-in-law gifted her with a stack of vintage wallpaper books and from then on she didn’t want to live another day without creating her own art and having fun with it all! When she’s not teaching workshops, traveling, and painting in gardens around the world, she lives with her bluegrass singing husband Brian in Madison, Wisconsin.
