WORKSHOPS ~ 2008 Click on images for larger view February 7-10, 2008 ~ Nature Sketching and Journaling in Costa Rica held at El Remanso Wildlife Lodge, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. This exciting workshop adventure takes place at a comfortable, environmentally sensitive lodge in the tropical rainforest next to a remote beach in Central America. This was the workshop outlined here, and I blogged the entire Costa Rica trip and workshop here, ===================================== March 8, 9 and 15, 2008 ~ Nature Drawing With Irene Brady, a Mini-series to be held at The Grove, on East Main in Ashland, Oregon. This class was held on two consecutive weekends: first sketching instruction, then landscaping techniques, then adding color with watercolor pencils. This gives you time to work on your drawings during the week and continue improving. You'll learn how to add color with intensive instruction on painting with watercolor pencils during the last session. ~ This class is now closed, but I've posted a blog of the happenings here. ===================================== May 18, 2008 ~ Nature Sketching on Upper Table Rock (near Medford, OR) Sunday at 10:00am ~ Join me on an easy nature sketching hike to the top of Upper Table Rock. I will be happy to coach as you sketch if you want. Bring a camera if you wish. If it rains, we'll skip the sketching to explore and enjoy Table Rocks natural history. Bring your sunhat, sketchpad, drawing tools, waterproof sitter, sack lunch and water bottle (and maybe an umbrella if rain is predicted). This class is offered in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy and the Bureau of Land Management. Registration is limited to 12 and may fill up quickly. Please contact the Medford BLM at 618-2200 to register. ===================================== May 24, 25 and 31, 2008 ~ Creative Journal Writing and Sketching Workshop held at The Grove on East Main in Ashland, Oregon. This is a 3-day version of the 4-day Costa Rica Workshop described here, and blogged here, This class features lots of useful tips and techniques for newby journal-keepers, as well as inspiration and ideas for experienced long-time journalers. Journaling can be fun and light-hearted, personal and deep, or a way to share your world with others (and yourself, when you revisit its pages in the future). As a life-long journal-keeper, I have lots of tips and inspirational techniques to guide you through the mysteries of recording the wonders of nature, your garden, or your nature-oriented vacation with observations, reflections, and sketches ~ light-hearted or realistic (it's up to you). Tap into your artistic potential with stimulating sessions on right-brain drawing, guided exercises in creative writing, and instruction on creating an easy "fun font" for titling and captions that will give your pages a face-lift. You'll try your hand at haiku and short 4-liner poems, plus other techniques to brighten and intensify your journal pages. You'll emerge from the workshop with the strong beginnings of an illustrated journal, and continue on your own using techniques, tips, guidelines, and creative prompts from the workbooks you’ll receive every day of the workshop. (Click the image at right for a larger version.) ===================================== June 21, 22 and 28, 2008 ~ Nature and Landscape Drawing With Irene Brady, a Mini-series held at The Grove, on East Main in Ashland, Oregon. This class was held on two consecutive weekends: first sketching instruction, then landscaping techniques, then adding color with watercolor pencils. This gives you time to work on your drawings during the week and continue improving. You'll learn how to add color with intensive instruction on painting with watercolor pencils during the last session. ~To register for the class, go to Ashland Parks and Recreation. Click on "View Activities" in the left panel. On the page that comes up, type in the keywords "nature drawing" and click to the various pages until you find the class listing. It will be posted as soon as it opens for registration. ===================================== September 26, 27, & 28, 2008 ~ Nature Sketching and Journaling with Irene Brady sponsored by the Siskiyou Field Institute, Selma, Oregon, as part of their Art & Nature Weekend. Tap into your artistic potential with right-brain drawing, guided exercises in creative writing and drawing, and using haiku, poetry, and other techniques to intensify your journal pages. Experiment with watercolor pencils to add vibrant color to your sketches. Emerge from the workshop with the strong beginnings of an illustrated journal, and continue on your own using techniques, tips and creative prompts from the workbook you’ll receive during the workshop.This course is appropriate for artists and journal-keepers of all levels, from beginning to advanced. Each class day starts at 9:30 and ends at 2:30 with half an hour for lunch, which leaves 5 hours of classroom time. Outside of class time, you will be expected to explore a natural area and record your experiences in your journal to bring to the next class. Day One: Try your hand at right-brain drawing techniques, apply them to sketching projects, and discover how drawings add life and value to a nature journal. You will be asked to journal at least one page on your own, and bring to the next class to share. Day Two: We explore creative writing techniques, practicing on creatively enlarging on a subject for more inviting later reading. You will create haiku, short rhyming and free-form poems, and explore the possibilities of creative scripts. You will be expected to journal two pages before the next class, complete with sketches and creative writing. [NOTE: The Siskiyou registration site says we will explore calligraphy as part of the workshop, but recent experience indicates a more informal font is more appropriate to such a short class, so we will work with ornamental calligraphy initial capitals only .] Day Three: You will learn to shade your pencil or pen drawings and to add color to your journals with watercolor pencils. If you wish to color your drawings outside the classroom, you should bring your own watercolor pencils (not watercolors, not colored pencils, but water-soluble watercolor pencils, which can be purchased at most art stores or online at an art supply company). This is a classroom course designed to help a maximum of twelve students achieve more pleasure in the field. We will not specifically be out in the field as a class. Bring your own unlined blank journals or unlined journal in progress. Bring a sweater in case the classroom temperature is not to your liking. We will take breaks to stretch, critique and chat. Bring a sack lunch, water bottle or thermos with hot drink, pen and journal. Also bring a watercolor pencil set (a set of 10 will work) if desired. While not required, two really excellent books, available new or secondhand on Amazon.com, are: How To Make a Journal of Your Life by Daniel Price and The Creative License by Danny Gregory. ~To register for the class, go to the Siskiyou Field Institute ~ Art & Nature Weekend page and scroll down to find this class. Click on "Click Here to learn more about this course!" ===================================== October 4 and 5, 2008 ~ Nature & Landscape Drawing for Beginners held at The Grove on East Main in Ashland, Oregon. This is a 2-day workshop for beginning artists or for those who have been away from their art for a awhile. Overcome your inner voice that says you can't draw, in only two days. In this right-brain-oriented drawing class, I will help you find your buried drawing capabilties and begin to create realistic drawings in the first hour. You'll learn how to see your subject in ways that let you draw it true-to-life, and you'll learn how to use tools, tips and techniques to let you relax and enjoy the creative process as you increase your drawing skills. You'll sketch small natural items then learn how to show their 3-dimensional shape with some basic shading. Then you'll learn how to design and draw landscapes with lakes, rivers, and mountains. You'll practice creating grasses, textured rocks, trees and shrubs for your landscape foregrounds. You'll be amazed at what you can do! This class will prepare you for Irene’s intermediate drawing and watercolor pencil class. Encouraging critiques and sharing with other students will help improve your art. Take home a lavishly illustrated workbook full of exercises and techniques. Bring a bag lunch ~ all other supplies are provided. ===================================== October 10, 11, 12, 13, 2008 ~ Creative Journal Writing and Sketching Workshop, with an Oregon Trail Focus (presented under the auspices of The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, Baker City, Oregon.) This is a 4-day workshop similar to the Costa Rica Workshop described here, and blogged here, but using the Oregon Trail Interpretive center as a resource and focusing on sketching and journaling as those early travelers might have done. This class will have lots of useful tips and techniques for newby journal-keepers, as well as inspiration and ideas for experienced long-time journalers. As a life-long journal-keeper (born and raised in close proximity to and steeped in the traditions of the old Oregon Trail), I have lots of tips and inspirational techniques to guide you through the mysteries of recording the wonders of the wild Oregon country and its wildlife inhabitants, with observations, reflections, and sketches. For this workshop I am working closely with the Interpretive Center to provide stimulating historically-oriented sessions on right-brain drawing, guided exercises in creative writing, and instruction on creating a "Pioneer Font" for titling and captions that will give your pages an old-fashioned look. You'll try your hand at short 4-liner poems, plus other techniques to brighten and intensify your journal pages. (I might deviate from the historical focus slightly to introduce some experiences with haiku poetry to add color and vibrancy to this and other journaling you do in the future. We don't have to call it haiku!) Emerge from the workshop with the strong beginnings of an illustrated journal, and continue on your own using techniques, tips, guidelines, and creative prompts from the workbooks you’ll receive every day of the workshop. ===================================== October 25 and 26, 2008 ~ Nature Drawing and Watercolor Pencil Painting for Intermediate and Advanced Artists (students from Irene's Nature & Landscape Drawing for Beginners class are ready for this class) held at The Grove on East Main in Ashland, Oregon. This is a 2-day workshop for advanced artists or for those who have taken a previous course with Irene. Program Description: Brush up on your right-brain techniques, then settle in for a classroom sketching session with guidance on shading for 3-dimensional effect, techniques to show fur, draw realistic eyes, convoluted seashells, leaves, and other natural textured objects. You'll also learn techniques for drawing outdoors, tools to take and use, how to draw moving subjects, etc. By the end of the first session, you'll be able to create the realistic drawings you've always wanted to achieve. On the second day we break out the watercolor pencils and paintbrushes (including waterbrushes with water supply in the barrel) and you'll explore how to use this versatile technique to get glowing results ~ first watercolor pencil painting a sample orchid, then your own drawing of a colorful fruit or vegetable (provided by the instructor). Encouraging critiques and sharing with other students will help improve your art. Take home a lavishly illustrated take-home workbook full of exercises and techniques. All you need to bring is your lunch. ===================================== November 8 and 9, 2008 ~ Nature & Landscape Drawing for Beginners held at The Grove on East Main in Ashland, Oregon. For a description of this 2-day workshop, see the writeup for the October 4 and 5, 2008 class. ===================================== November 22 and 23, 2008 ~ Nature Drawing and Watercolor Pencil Painting for Intermediate and Advanced Artists held at The Grove on East Main in Ashland, Oregon. For a description of this 2-day workshop, see the writeup for the October 25 and 26, 2008 class. ===================================== More dates will be added as workshops are confirmed. Return often to check for new listings. Return To Top All images, graphics, and text on this website COPYRIGHTED © 2008, by Nature Works. All rights reserved worldwide.