UPDATES to class offerings!

Due to the ever-present Covid-19 virus I have (again!) updated the way I offer classes.  

Instead of individual participant pricing there is now a “class for two” and “class for three” option listed on the website. Round up a person or two that are in your “Covid Circle” (family or friends that you trust and see on a regular basis) and sign up as a group. Three participants will be the max until further notice, giving us adequate room for social distancing in the studio.

I’ve also left the time options flexible for each date so that you can select whatever start time works best for your group, you’ll be prompted to add that information when you sign up. Once the date & topic are set I will remove the option from the website so that date is reserved just for you and your circle! A listing of current classes can be found by clicking HERE. 

These revised class listings include discounted pricing for multiple participants – SAFETY & SAVINGS!! 

(Prefer to take one of these classes without your buddies? We can make that happen! Click below and sign up via the “One-on-One” Instruction option listed below the group class listings.)

I’ve been featuring different classes that are available in my newsletters, here are a few that I’ve shared so far:

Speaking of my newsletters….have you signed up for them yet? Subscribers always get a 20% website discount on classes, art and services! There is a link to sign up on the bottom of each page on my website, maybe you should go do that now!

I’ll post again soon and share some new art I’ve been creating. Until then, stay safe!

Your randomly creative artist friend,

Lynne

Adventures in Portraiture!

Late last year I purchased an online class titled “Adventures in Portraiture” by Dana Bloede. Although no one is exactly enjoying this pandemic, I did find that it freed my schedule up enough that I had the time to actually sit down and start the lessons. So, bonus points for that anyhow! It has been a lot of fun, and I still have a couple lessons left to look forward to! I thought it would be fun to share what I’ve done so far, here are final images for the first lesson:

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Lesson One

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Lesson Two

What fun! I was picking up some techniques along the way but still felt like I was very much trying to follow right in her footsteps with the composition and brush strokes, if not the colors. Something else I noticed now though, when I was watching television or looking at images online I was really paying attention to the shadows, darks & lights and how they played on different peoples faces! After these two lovely ladies our third lesson was to create a male portrait with a limited color palette. I like that the faces that were chosen to use as models were all so different in each lesson!

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Lesson 3

I will post more of these “adventures” as I continue the lessons. Most of you who know me won’t be surprised that after getting a taste for this process I have got “rogue” for a bit. 😉 But that’s for another day!

Stay creative my friends,

Lynne

Changes in the Fall wind

I wanted to share some changes I’ve implemented regarding class offerings. I’m not going to re-invent the wheel here so this is an excerpt from a newsletter that goes out to those interested in my classes and workshops: I’ve been, especially this year, less than successful with the class offerings I’ve promoted. I’ve spoken with other teaching artists and know that I am not the only one struggling in this area. Trying to discover the right combination of topic, date and location is frequently like pulling the handle on a slot machine….  …NOT a winner! Although I adore sharing my love of art and techniques with others, I have reached a point where my outlook has shifted. Instead of putting things out there and hoping for the best and I am going to rely more on you, and others like you, to determine the dates, topics & locations! As I make this shift you will see changes to my website making it easier for you to do the choosing. You can visit THIS PAGE to see how the new system looks and works. (You’ll notice one scheduled event listed too…that’s because someone has already taken advantage of both the new system and the discount offered below!)

Another change you will see is that for classes here at my home studio there will be NO minimum attendance required. If you are the only one that registers, congratulations – you’ll get one-on-one instruction! Want to have a special date night with a family member or friend? Here’s the perfect opportunity. If you’d like me to bring a project to you for a gathering, party or shower – can do! You’ll find all the offerings listed HERE.   If you’ve been thinking you’d like to take a class, now might just be the perfect time! As an incentive to try out this new approach, I’m including a coupon code for $10 off any(all) class(es) you register for during the months of October or November. You are welcome to share this code “NEWshift” (with no quote marks) with those you feel might be interested. I’d also love some feedback on the changes, I’d appreciate it if you’d share your thoughts!

Your randomly creative friend,

Lynne

Upcoming Batik Painting class

So, many people have expressed an interest in learning more about how I do Batik painting on paper. Well, your chance to learn that is coming SOON! Here are all the details, I hope you can join in the fun:

Registration deadline is Tuesday, August 20th at noon!

Lynne

Classes Resume in Carmel, IN

So it’s taken me half the year but I’ve got new classes set up at Art on Main Gallery & Gifts in Carmel, Indiana again! The first one with be on Wednesday, July 31st – the flyer below has all the details.

Future class topics are as follows:

August 7th, Mixed Media Painting

August 21st, Batik Painting on Paper

September 4th, Introduction to Journal Making

September 18th, Artistic Jewelry Class

October 16, 30, November 6, 20 – TBA

For your convenience here is a link to the registration page: REGISTER FOR CLASS All dates are Wednesdays and all classes run from 6-9 p.m. I hope you can join me for one (or more!) of these creative evenings!

Creatively,

Lynne

Spring Online Sale, Tuesday April 30th!

I recapped the online sale from December a few months ago and, now, it’s time for the Spring version! Think Mother’s Day, Graduation, Weddings, Birthday gifts….or just because you are looking for art and gifts at a great price.

I’m still creating the listings and trivia questions for the contests but the image above gives you a little peek at some items that will be available to claim throughout the hour-long event. I’m even going to include an exclusive class that can only be purchased during the sale:

The items that are listed begin with a 20% discount and the discount will increase as people make purchases, so be sure to share this event with your friends and family to boost the savings for everyone!

The event runs from 8-9 p.m. EST, “see” you then!

Lynne

May Classes

Been slacking around here…I think blogging will always be a struggle for me but I keep TRYING anyhow! Thought I should at least post the details for two upcoming classes that have been scheduled. Hope you can join one!

Register for this class by Monday, April 22nd to get $10 off using promo code: EARLYBIRD10!

Recap: My first “Live” sale online!

Shortly before Christmas I decided to try my very first “live” sale online at Facebook. I gathered up giftable items (including a large amount of the newly created jewelry), classes and other items I thought people would be interested in. Then I created individual posts for each and started promoting the event. Here’s a look at the flyer I made to generate interest:

I also created promo posts leading up to the event with the “Top 12” reasons to shop the online sale memes – some heartfelt, some funny and all true – and used them across Instagram, FB, Twitter, etc. I also added incentive for people to share the event – the more people, the more purchases and the bigger the discounts! Starting at 10% off all the listings I added an additional 1% for each sale, with a cap at 50% off. Below are the details of how an online “live” event can be set up on Facebook, if you’re wondering how it works.

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The prep was actually more time consuming than any other aspect, making sure I had good images and accurate descriptions for each thing. I also designed trivia posts with prizes to keep it fun and interesting. Overachiever that I am, I had 45 posts to get online in one hour. Next time I’d aim for around 30, it was so fast and crazy trying to get all of that on the event page in just an hour! I didn’t feel like I had time to go back and reply to those who had purchased items or answered the trivia questions and I ended up running past the 9 p.m. end time by about 10 minutes. Since it was a holiday sale, this is a sample of one of the trivia questions:

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Here are sample posts of items that were sold during the event:

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In all I sold 38 items, meaning each person who made a purchase earned a 48% discount! Happy holidays to all of us. 😉 The bonus part of all this work is that I was able to use the image/descriptions of the unsold items to list them on my website – something that was already on my to-do list.

I am planning on doing another one of these online sales, what do you think would be a good time? I’m leaning toward late April/early May thinking people will be on the lookout for Mother’s Day and Graduation Gifts. Once I get that figured out I’ll be sure and share the details here on the blog.

Blessings,

Lynne

Art Jewelry

While creating my series of Intuitive Abandon mixed media paints I often tend to crop and frame smaller sections of the work, leaving strips of painted, marked and colored paper unused. After collecting a small boxful of these pretty scraps it finally came to me how they could be re-purposed – wearable art! That is when the fun began. 🙂 I will say that my first attempt at these little beauties (shown below) was a big, big failure! Oh, sure, they LOOK pretty but I tried a new type of resin on them and none of them set up properly. I was the proud owner of 16 pieces of sticky art jewelry. Sigh! At some point I may be able to scoop all the goo out of them and try again but at the time my heart just wasn’t in it.

Not to be outdone by some stickiness I put that setback behind me and pulled out some other jewelry making supplies, these came with shiny cabochon to place over the artwork instead of using resin. Ta-da!! Success. My first creation was a bracelet – one of six that I ended up creating.

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Now I was off and running! Selecting and cutting the art pieces to fit the templates was a fun, but thoughtful, project. I’d get several sets ready and then spend time attaching & sealing the art and applying the cabochon over to seal them in. I was very prolific in a short amount of time, with all different types and sizes of jewelry!

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If you’d like a peek at the current inventory I have created a page on my website where you can view, select and purchase the pieces that I have available. I’ve stocked up on supplies, as well as creating more mixed media art to select from, so I am guessing it won’t be long until I feature some new pieces!

If you’d like to learn how to create your own jewelry similar to this I am available for instruction here at my studio or most any location nearby.

How much fun would that be? Creatively,

Lynne

April Workshops

On schedule for the month of April? Batik Art on Paper, presented at three locations so you can choose which one works best for you! To reserve your seat in one (or more) of these classes please go to THIS PAGE of my website. With locations in Carmel, Martinsville and Nashville Indiana you’ve got a nice selection to choose from.

Please note this workshop is limited to a maximum of 6 people so you’ll want to reserve your place early!