Below is a guest post from Carla Sonheim.

Carla Sonheim will be our guest artist/instructor for the Mini-Deluxe  Art Camp for Women, this fall from October 9-12.

Also, watch for Carla’s new book, “Drawing and Painting Imaginary Animals: A Mixed Media Workshop with Carla Sonheim.”  Published by Quarry Books,  due out in bookstores this fall.

Book Art with Carla Sonheim

 Hello! This is Carla Sonheim guest blogging for Art Camp for Women.

I am super excited to be teaching for two days this October in beautiful Colorado. We will be creating two or more artist’s books using the following ingredients:

• 3+ T. watercolor
• 1 c. gesso
• 1 pencil
• colored pencils,
• markers,
• and ink pens galore
• a stack of junk mail
• watercolor paper
• a pinch of drawing
• a pile of inspiration
• a lot of creativity
• and a whole lot of fun!
• (all ingredients supplied at Camp)

We’ll start by splashing around paint on various surfaces (including junk mail):

This is the “No Worries” part of the workshop!

Book on Junk Mail by Carla Sonheim - her quirks are starting to show...

Then we’ll slow down and pull together the chaos with pencils, pens and more paint, if necessary.
(I tend to pull out animals, but you will be free to do your own thing, for sure!)

Relax and paint

This is the “Still No Worries” portion of the workshop!

Squint your eyes - and there it is!

In my teaching I always include a short drawing session (don’t worry-these are easy drawing exercises for all levels of skill)  so you can get more comfortable with pen and paper and begin to know this truth:

D r a w i n g  i s  F u n
(it is!)

…and if you don’t think so, please consider letting me show you how fun it can be!

Bonus: 3 step – 10 minute – Art Tutorial

Even if you can’t make the workshop, you can still try some of these things at home:

1. Get some watercolors and paper and paint a random “blob,” kind of like this:
   

   Sample Paint Blob

2.  Let dry completely.
3. Turn your paper around and around until you “see” something… an animal, a face, the beginning of a landscape… then, using a combination of pencil, markers, colored pencils, ink, “finish” what is already started!

I’ve found this to be a great way to work in my sketchbook or whenever I’m feeling a little stuck… it takes all the pressure off of “what to draw” and I end up with animals and drawings of things that I would never have tried on my own!

Editorial note: If you can’t wait for Carla’s new book check out her book currently available:  Drawing Lab For Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun! also published by Quarry Books.