Sunday, August 26, 2012

Back to school... chickens and 7th Graders



It's been a good summer - lots of time in my studio for painting and designing knitting patterns. I just published a new Fingerless Mitten  knitting pattern. This pattern comes with Fancy Appliques to add on the mittens. The appliques took a while to test knit - I am happy with the results. These include leaves, flowers, butterflies and a lady bug.



Back to school this week! I've rearranged my art room, and I can't wait to try it out. I swapped my desktop computer for a laptop - just think of all the room I will now have on my desk! I also created a 'focus' area with some new tables. Everywhere I turn I find little reminders of my students. Why, even my chickens - who have grown so much this summer! -  remind me of my 7th Graders. They like to do everything together - no wandering from the pack for long. They like you nearby - but they will pretend to ignore you, and they'll eat just about anything!
It feels like it's going to be a great school year... let the classes begin!


Friday, August 3, 2012

Burnt Island Scientific Illustration




Five days of drawing, examining, painting, and EATING! My week on Burnt Island was an intensive one. We worked in several mediums, both indoors and out. Carolyn Nichols was our talented illustration/art teacher. Elaine Jones was our science teacher. I highly recommend these courses for Maine teachers.
our 'classroom'












Here are some of my sketches and experiments. There was a wonderful book on Beatrix Potter that I also used for inspiration - I love her work.