Zentangle Workshop

Well I had over 40 people attend the workshop! The studio was packed. Everyone seemed to be having fun creating. I gave everyone a small sample of some patterns I thought they would enjoy. The bottom right is an original pattern I call "elephant knees!"

Illustration Friday submission, theme is "tail"

Here's my submission. Drawn in colored pencil. You can buy the Christmas card here if you're interested: https://www.etsy.com/listing/84361080/reindeer-spotted-deer-christmas-card-5-x?ref=shop_home_active

I will be offering new Colored Pencil classes in February, 2014 if you are interested!

A free Zentangle Workshop and 2 art classes

Free Zentangle Workshop, Dec. 7, 2013

Seacoast Artists Association

225 Water Street, Exeter, NH 03833

(603) 778-8856  •  www.seacoastartist.org

Zentangles are miniature pieces of unplanned, abstract, black and white art created through a very specific Method from an ensemble of simple patterns on a 3.5-inch square paper tile. The process helps you to focus on each stroke and provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being. The options and pattern combinations are boundless. Zentagles are fun to create for both kids and adults. I will go over the specific process with you and demonstrate some of the paterns you can use to fill in your individual tiles and show you how you can shade in or color your pieces.

2 hour workshop from 2-4pm on Dec. 7th, 2013, right before the start of the Santa Parade. 

January 2014 Zentangle Drawing Class

Seacoast Artists Association

225 Water Street, Exeter, NH 03833

(603) 778-8856  •  www.seacoastartist.org

This class is for those of you would like to learn to create Zentangles. Zentangles are miniature pieces of unplanned, abstract, black and white art created through a very specific Method from an ensemble of simple patterns on a 3.5-inch square paper tile. The process helps you to focus on each stroke and provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being. The options and pattern combinations are boundless. Zentagles are fun to create and provide a source of peace and meditation in your busy day, while create beautiful art. I will go over the specific processes with you and demonstrate the paterns you can use to fill in your individual tiles. You will also be shown how to color your tiles. 

What to bring: Sakura Pigma Micron Pens, size 01 (0.25 mm). White BFK Rives Printmaking Paper, 26 x 40 inches, or a similar high quality sheet. We will fold and tear them into 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch squares durng the first class. For coloring your tiles: colored pencils & pencil sharpener or watercolors with a very tiny brush (size 0 or 1 works well), or fine tipped felt pens. A #2B drawing pencil and a gummed eraser. Minimum class size is 3. Class size limited to 7.

Class starts: Tuseday, January 7th, 2014, and runs 8 weeks, 10:00 to 12:00 pm. Cost is $135.00. 

To hold your spot please mail a check directly to:

Revelle Taillon, 26 West Pine Street, Plaistow, NH 03865. 

For more information you may call 603-382-3397 or email Revelle at rtaillon@comcast.net. 10% of each tuition is donated to the SAA Art Scholarship Fund.

Class will be taught by Revelle Taillon, member of the Seacoast Artist Association. She holds a BFA in graphic design and illustration and has been teaching for over 3 years. She has worked in just about all mediums. Revelle’s Blog has samples of her work and technique: www.revelleimagemaker.blogspot.com

January 2014 Drawing Class

Seacoast Artists Association

225 Water Street, Exeter, NH 03833

(603) 778-8856  •  www.seacoastartist.org 

Have you been frustrated because you never learned the tricks of the “drawing” trade? Have you painted for years but never really learned to draw? Time to learn something new? Something that will improve your hand-eye coordination, slow aging and grow your brain connections?  

Anyone can learn to draw with the tools I will teach you & lots of practice. Break down objects into their basic elements and shapes, see their edges, notice positive & negative space & composition. Blind contour drawing can enhance your understanding of how to render what you are looking at in a realistic manner quickly. Practise shading & start to understand perspective. Learn the dimensions of the human face and work on a self portrait. Make drawing practice an enjoyable part of every day and you will become comfortable calling yourself an artist! 

What to bring: Small sketch book for daily practice, black fine tip markers such as Staedtler pigment liners, 1 medium black marker, 3 colored markers or colored pencils (any colors), a ruler, a small inexpensive paintbrush, a  9” x 12” Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Pad, kneaded eraser, white plastic eraser, blending stumps, drawing pencils. Minimum class size is 3. Class size limited to 6.

Class starts: Tuesday, January 7th, 2014, and runs 8 weeks, 12:30 to 2:30 pm. Cost is $135.00. 

To hold your spot please mail a check directly to:

Revelle Taillon, 26 West Pine Street, Plaistow, NH 03865. 

For more information you may call 603-382-3397 or email Revelle at rtaillon@comcast.net. 10% of each tuition is donated to the SAA Art Scholarship Fund.

Class will be taught by Revelle Taillon, member of the Seacoast Artist Association. She holds a BFA in graphic design and illustration and has been teaching for over 3 years. She has worked in just about all mediums. Revelle’s Blog has samples of her work and technique: www.revelleimagemaker.blogspot.com

About my Learn to Draw class in Exeter NH, Oct. 29, 2013

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About my new Colored Pencil class in Exeter NH, Oct. 29, 2013

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New classes

I'll be holding 2 new art classes at Seacoast Artist Association in Exeter, NH starting October 29th. One is Learn to Draw and the other is Colored Pencil. Each class runs for 2 hours and is 8 weeks long. If you are interested, shoot me an email and I will send you a flyer!

"Do Not Disturb"

My two elephants drawing is finally complete and is hanging in a show at Seacoast Artist Association. I'm including some more of the steps I did before I got to the final piece. I used both graphite and charcoal, smudging along with a stump to keep my fingers off the piece. I did a lot of research before I settled on the background. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. All told, I probably spent over 20 hours on this piece. I'm including some detail shots also. Final size is about 8.75 x 11.75 inches on Canson paper. My title is "Do Not disturb" because I believe all animals deserve dignity and to be left alone in areas where they can thrive. I want my great great great grandchildren to still be able to appreciate their beauty and dignity when they grow up.

When I start a drawing, I look closely at what to leave in and what to take out, what changes to make overall to the composition and how to make it more unique. I love working on the animals eyes and usually change them somewhat. With these guys, they were just big black dots so I added in detail after researching close-ups of elephant eyes. Google makes it so much easier to find reference material. Never just settle on the photo you have in front of you. Make it your own. You'll be happier with the results.

So I start my drawing laying out the large shapes and outlines of the animal in pencil, turning my paper around several time as I go to be sure I have the positive and negative shapes correct. Then I usually start on the eyes and then start adding light details, which I will later build up in layers. I have my trusty gummed eraser in case I get too dark or want to bring out some highlights. It's all very relaxing and meditative, no matter how many times I draw. I just love it. Time flies by and I loose all sense of time. Enjoy!

Illustration Friday theme: Hidden

I created this drawing in colored pencil and then added the snow in Photoshop.

Some new erasers

I got some Blu-tac after I read it's great to erase graphite, even better than a kneaded eraser. I also bought nice fresh white plastic erasers, getting ready to teach my upcoming art classes. I played around on a piece of scrap paper with pencil, charcoal and pastels and found the Blu-tac worked great except for on the pastels. But the nice bright white Stadler eraser cleaned them right off the paper!

I love new art materials! I'm also looking in a new type of paper that seems to be only made in UK called Mellotex. I may have to send for some!

I am offering 3 art classes at Seacoast Artist Association, Exeter, NH September 2013

Drawing With Colored Pencils

This class is for students who would like to learn to use colored pencils, or if you have used them before, come get a refresher class and learn some new techniques and supports for your work. Explore various techniques in colored pencil: shading and highlights to create volume, building layers of color, burnishing for deep rich color. You will work from photos and still lifes, to enhance your own personal technique and style. You will learn the five basic techniques that form the basis of any colored pencil work and explore new supports for your work. This great medium allows you to stop and start easily, without any set-up time, and to draw on location without worrying about solvents.

What to bring: A quality set of colored pencils such as Prismacolors, a battery operated pencil sharpener, kneaded eraser, hard white eraser, 2B pencil, colorless blender pencil or marker. Bring a selection of great drawing papers in colors of your choice, such as Canson Mi-Teintes, Stonehenge, Strathmore, Art Spectrum Colourfix Coated Pastel Paper. Paper should say “acid free, 100% cotton, lignin free” for the best results. Other great surfaces for colored pencil are hot press watercolor paper and Vellum Bristol Board. Minimum class size is 3. Class size limited to 7. Class starts: Thursday, September 5th, 2013, and runs 8 weeks, 10:30 to 12:30 pm. Cost is $135.00. To hold your spot please mail a check directly to: Revelle Taillon, 26 West Pine Street, Plaistow, NH 03865. For more information you may call 603-382-3397 or email Revelle at rtaillon@comcast.net. 10% of each tuition is donated to the Seacoast Artist Association Scholarship Fund.  

Drawing I

This class is for budding artists or those with only a small amount of practice who want to learn drawing skills; or perhaps you have painted but never really learned to draw. Learn to break down objects into their basic elements and shapes so you can truly see how an artist sees. Learn about edges, shape, positive & negative space, and working with spatial relationships within and between objects. Learn how blind contour drawing can enhance your understanding of how to render what you are looking at in a realistic manner quickly. Learn how to use shading to create volume and start to understand perspective. Learn proper dimensions of the human face and work on a self portrait. This is a great class for all beginners and those of you who want to go back and relearn the basics to enhance your drawing practice.

What to bring: A small sketchbook for daily practice (5”x 8” is fine). Moleskine makes a great sketchbook with blank pages, black fine tip markers such as Staedtler pigment liners, 3 colored markers or colored pencils (any colors), Strathmore 400 Series Drawing Pad, kneaded eraser, white plastic eraser, drawing pencils. A great quality paper for drawing is Arches Hot Pressed watercolor paper. Large sheets can be folded and torn into smaller sheets. Minimum class size is 3. Class size limited to 7. Class starts: Thursday, September 5th, 2013, and runs 8 weeks, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Cost is $135.00. To hold your spot please mail a check directly to: Revelle Taillon, 26 West Pine Street, Plaistow, NH 03865. For more information you may call 603-382-3397 or email Revelle at rtaillon@comcast.net. 10% of each tuition is donated to the Seacoast Artist Association Scholarship Fund.  

Intermediate Drawing II

If you have learned all the basics in a beginners drawing class, you are ready to move up to an intermediate drawing class. Here you will work more on adding finesse to your drawings and paying closer attention to detail, perspective, proportions, shading, blending, and composition. You will work in pencil, charcoal, and pen and ink and explore more fully, the different papers that are available for drawing, and what a difference they can make to your final drawings. You will work from still lifes and photos. What to bring: A small sketchbook for daily practice (5”x 8” is fine). Moleskine makes a great sketchbook with blank pages. Fine tip black markers, set of drawing pencils, kneaded eraser, hard white eraser, charcoal pencils and/or sticks, conte crayons, sharpener. Bring a selection of drawing papers in your choice of colors. Paper should say “acid free, 100% cotton, lignin free” for the best results and archival quality. Some great papers are: plate or vellum bristol board, Canson Mi-Teintes, Stonehenge, Strathmore, Arches Hot Pressed watercolor paper. Large sheets can be folded and torn into smaller sheets. Minimum class size is 3. Class size limited to 7.

Class starts: Tuesday, September 10th, 2013, and runs 8 weeks, 10:30 to 12:30 pm. Cost is $135.00. To hold your spot please mail a check directly to: Revelle Taillon, 26 West Pine Street, Plaistow, NH 03865. For more information you may call 603-382-3397 or email Revelle at rtaillon@comcast.net. 10% of each tuition is donated to the Seacoast Artist Association Scholarship Fund. 

My digital drawing/collage won first place!

The digital drawing and collage I created in Photoshop, was entered in the theme show at the Seacoast Artist Association Gallery in Exeter, NH and took first place! The theme was "Water, Water, Everywhere". My piece is titled "Creative Solutions to Global Warming". Happy dance!!

Illustration friday theme: Hybrid

Created in Photoshop for a kids clothing shop.

Lion in the jungle for Illustration Friday theme is Jungle

More on my elephants

I'm plodding along on my elephants, depending on the weather and how busy my graphic design studio is. I'd really like a good 5 or 6 hours to work just on this!!!

My Dad has been up for the month visiting us kids (six kids in all!) and the weather has been close to 100. It's finally cooling down this week. so I hope to get back to this for a bit!

My submission to Illustration Friday. theme this week is "Robot"

Didn't think I had any robot images, but then this one popped into my mind! I'm calling it "How to build a Robot".

Hope you like it!

IPad sketching

I've been doing a bit of sketching on my iPad lately and I'm having loads of fun. Here's a quick sketch I did while on vacation. Sketch Club ap

Elephants in graphite and charcoal

version 1

version 2

I've been fooling around in graphite and charcoal for a month or so and started this portrait of two elephants. It's going slow, slower than I thought. Their skin is so complex! I started with pencil and now I'm adding charcoal to get the tone right. Lots of blending with a stump as I go along, and removing highlights with a kneaded eraser. I'll keep posting as I go along.

version 3

iPad sketching. Illustration Friday theme: Surveillance

Each time I pick up my iPad to do some sketching, I have a different experience. This is a really good thing! So much to play around with i8n only one app so far. I can imagine the fun when I download more apps. This one was done all on one layer with one brush. Done in Sketch Clup with stylus

Drawing my Dad

Check out my "Colored Pencil Tips" blog to see my drawing of my dad on gessoed masonite. Too much fun! I've included some tips on there for this surface.

http://coloredpenciltips.blogspot.com/2013/05/drawing-my-dad.html

Illustration Friday theme: "tension"

Here's my entry into IllustrationFriday.com's weekly challenge. The theme is "tension". We've all been there, with that new puppy! Have a good laugh!

Created in colored pencil and pen and ink on Bristol board.

Illustration Friday post, theme "Liquid"

I don't know about you, but coffee is the most precious "liquid" in my life!!! I've created an entire line of these funny ladies all drinking coffee!

Drawn with pen and colored pencil. See all of my lady cards here on one of my other blogs: http://revelle-taillon.blogspot.com/

Creative Solutions to Global Warming

Here's my submission to the IllustrationFriday.com theme this week, "Future". We are really going to need some innovative solutions to the problems of global warming, no idea too small or insignificant. I believe ideas are built in layers, each person hitting off of others ideas, until we come up with solutions.

This was created in Photoshop, hand painted with my brush on my Wacom tablet and partially a collage or related images. Idea on top of ideas.

Happy Spring!

Hi all,

I wanted to update you with a little piece of colored pencil work that I'm almost finished with. It's a Lilac Breasted Roller, famous in Africa I'm sure, for it's gorgeous colors!  

This is the first time I've worked on  a colored pencil drawing with Caran d'Ache Luminance Colored Pencils. I must say, I like them. They are a bit difficult to sharpen, as they are very soft. I couldn't get a really sharp point with my battery operated sharpener, and my electric sharpener is a bit too small for the width of the pencil tip. I would suggest an x-acto knife.

I am working on a brownish Canson paper on the smooth side. I still am going to add background details, hopefully this week!

Illustration Friday theme: WILD

This is an oil painting I did for my granddaughter's bedroom. so much fun!

Illustration Friday theme "Urban"

Graphite drawing

My tip in colored Pencil Magazine

I was honored to be contacted by the creators of "Colored Pencil" magazine, to see if I would allow them to publish my new technique for using colored pencil. Of course I said yes!. Here is the cover and the article. You can purchase their magazine at coloredpencilmag.com. You can also see my original tips on my other blog http://coloredpenciltips.blogspot.com/. Happy dance!

Illustration Friday theme "Egg"

I created this illustration with pen and ink.

Illustration Friday theme is "water"

Here's my submission!

Illustration Friday entry. Theme is "glasses"

Drawing Classes Saturdays this Spring in Exeter NH

I will be offering this class in Exeter NH starting April 13, 2013. If you live in the area, think about taking it, or giving the class to a loved one for a gift! 

Illustration Friday theme: whisper

In the news, Seacoastonline.com

My graphite drawing of my son was chosen as "Best in Show" at the Seacoast Artist Association gallery in Exeter, NH. Stop in and see it if you are in the neighborhood! I'm always open for commissions if you'd like a portrait of yourself, you loved one, your pet, you name it, I can probably draw it!

Illustration Friday theme : wool

Here's my submission for Illustration Friday's theme : wool. It's an oil painting on gessoed board. Lots of fun detail in that wool!

Illustration friday's theme this week is "storm"

This is an illustration I did in colored pencil, then brought into Photoshop. We're in for about 2 to 3 feet of snow today so celebrate and build a snowman! Then go make art.

Illustration Friday's theme today is wings.

Here's my entry!

Illustration Friday's theme : ocean

My entry is a Ross's Gull. The Ross's Gull was first spotted in the United States in Newburyport, Massachusetts, in 1975 and was such a big deal to local bird watchers, that the camera crews from the Boston news stations were called out. Previously it was thought to only live in the Arctic.

I drew him in colored pencil. It was very challenging to create all the grays' in his feathers, but it was fun!

New art classes

I will be teaching "Learn to Draw" and "Colored Pencil" classes at Seacoast Artist Association, Exeter, NH, starting January 31st, 2013. contact me if you would like to sign up for either or both classes.