Linda & Opie's Burnt Offerings

We Got our Kicks on Route 66

our trip to Sedona and Vegas was fantastic and we even got to drive along the iconic Route 66! we took tons of pics in Jerome, Sedona, along Rt 66, and in Vegas and will post about each place soon.

this pic was taken as we drove into the fabulous and funky town of Jerome - an artists delight to be sure! all of the images were enhanced by either opie or me on our iPads using a variety of apps, since the purpose of this trip was to sketch and take lots of photos. more on iPad photography apps later!

this was my first time in Sedona, which is a positive vortex. the rock formations were beyond majestic. although it was hot during the day, it was quite lovely in the morning and evenings. there was so much to see but i honestly think we covered it all. in any event, we had a blast!

we also took a 3 day pocket sketching class at the Sedona Art Center with the talented Kath Macaulay. it was a real treat to be on the other side of the table for a change! we'll post our sketches in the coming weeks.

we left Sedona and drove along Route 66 heading toward Vegas. it was a thrill to be on it since it was a major part of America. we knew we wanted to stop and eat - and settled on the Roadkill Cafe. it did not disappoint!

then we continued on to Vegas to visit opie's daughter sam who recently returned from climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for children with aids. isn't she beautiful! it was also my first time there and she took us around and showed us the sights. red rock was amazing ... she hikes there quite a lot.

we even got to go to the the pawn shop. sam works right across the street from it. opie and i so love that show. it's both entertaining and informative. sadly the old man, my favorite character, was nowhere to be seen!

our trip ended with a tour of the neon museum - aka "the boneyard" - which is home to a bizillion neon signs of everything vegas! since it was so involved, we'll do a dedicated post about it in the upcoming weeks. right now this was our trip in a nutshell! i've wanted to post since we returned, but sadly we came back to find opie's mom re-hospitalized, and as of this posting, she's back in rehab. her health has been a merry-go-round ride since july but we're hoping she'll be better by Thanksgiving and back at home. your good thoughts are much appreciated.

 

And Off We Go

we've talked the talk and now it's time to walk the walk - so we're spending some quality time sketching and photographing Sedona and its surrounding areas to try to capture the beauty there. theres something about travel that makes you want to watercolor sketch...

these were sketched in France in the village of Dufort where the copper pots are made.

we spent 24 days there - taught two mixed media workshops - and took in the sights.... we even went to Lourdes! the south of France is a gorgeous area with fantastic food and we had an unforgetable time.

can't wait to see what Sedona is like. we've never been there before and are very excited. then we're visiting opie's daughter in Vegas. she just returned from climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for children with aides - and then we'll fly home and sketch some more!
one of the great things about watercolor sketching is you get to travel light. we're taking a camera, our iPad 2, a compact watercolor set and water-brush and a sketchbook. Nirvana!

we'll have lots to share with you when we return - so stay tuned...

Sketch Club… there’s an APP for That!

Many of you know that Opie bought me an iPad 2 in May (i so LOVE it - i got him one - and now he'll  finally be more active on this blog) – so as promised – I’d like to share with you my latest obsession – the Sketch Club app... the best $2.00 you will EVER spend!!!

 
my very first sketch - roughly 5 weeks ago.

Sketch Club  (created by Blackpawn.com - who in my opinion is a creative genius) is much more than a sketching app – it’s a fun and nurturing artist community where you are encouraged to sketch in a fun, friendly, and completely unintimidating environment. With all of the mixed media that Opie and I do, I honestly haven’t seriously sketched since my young teen years, and yet I feel completely at home here, and so will you.

 
my homage to Project Runway!

There are daily challenges if you’re so inclined to participate, as well as compos (aka competitions)  which provide an interesting way to collect glops (which are like reward points) that you earn whenever you upload a sketch or comment on someone else’s. When you earn 150 glops you get a heart which you are free to bestow on a favorite sketch, or if you’re not into challenges and/or compos, you can simply upload a sketch at will. There’s never any pressure to go beyond your comfort zone.

 
this was done for a daily challenge on Fish.

while this was for a Caricature compo...

 
( i had such fun with this one )

Built into this app are several brush styles, layer transform tools, and (if you're using an iPad) even shapes, plus mirror/symmetry modes providing you with unlimited possibilities. You can even record your steps as you go along! When I first began in the app, I had a very limited understanding of brushes and hardly no understanding of layers, and yet with a bit of experimentation and feedback from other artists, I’m loving what I’m doing and the learning curve gets easier with every sketch. Then when you're finished, you can email your completed sketch, or upload it to Sketch Club or even to Facebook. How cool is that! This app is only about 10 months old, yet it is updated often, and to date there are over 144 five star reviews. So if you have an iPad (or an iPhone) and are into sketching – come and join this community of kindred spirits.

 
in this sketch i explored several brushes and layers.

Since there are so many different apps available for drawing, sketching, photo editing, music, and more, it’s very easy to either buy more than you need – or become overwhelmed by the selections.  Over time we’ll discuss several of our must have favorites since we’ll be taking this blog into new (digital) territories that includes sketching, photography, editing, and the joys of combining them all into a brand new category we’ll be calling: Digitography.

So as they say - fasten your seatbelts - it’s gonna be a bumpy ride down the digital highway!

 

when life gives you lemons...

take that time to learn something new!   i've had salmonella for a month and it completely kicked my butt - but the down time allowed me time to experiment with my iPad 2 and it's become my latest passion.

 

i love using the different photography, drawing, sketching and watercolor apps and go back and forth between them until i'm happy with the results. i'm still learning the many different brushes and tools so i'm taking baby steps - but i'm a quick study when i'm motivated! this began as an abstract sketch which i added subtle watercolor to.

 

this photo (which i did not retouch or alter in any way) was taken with the iPad 2 camera which almost everyone except me says is crap, because of its low resolution. i personally love it and wouldn't change a thing and even entered it in our village photography contest.

 

this was also taken with the iPad 2 camera and then i had a blast experimenting with different apps, filters, layers, effects, etc. i can't wait until i actually understand exactly what i'm doing - but i will say that my new favorite app is Sketch Club and i LOVE being part of that creative community.

happily, my salmonella is gone as of aug 8th (YAY), but my passion for iPad-ography is here to stay and i will be posting lots more about it and the progress i'm making.

btw: i recently started a new series called: flowers re-imagined -- and it's all done on my iPad -- which i'll share with you in future posts.

your comments -critiques and posts are most welcome...

Yummy New Products from Zentangle in our Etsy...

They're here!!!  ATC size 2.5" x 3.5" tiles and Original 3.5" x 3.5" tiles in Black and White. Here's a few examples of what we did with them:

 

Zentangle has joined the ATC Community with both black and white tiles. They are a dream to draw on with either Sakura's Black Micron or their White Gelly Roll pen - depending on your tiles color. complete descriptions are in our etsy shop - along with some other new Black tiles as well as traditional favorites. here's a pic of our new Zentangle Sampler Kit (we put a taste of everything in it for you):

 

we also have packs of either the Black or White ATCs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Packs of 3.5" x 3.5" Black tiles (here's where the white Gelly Roll pen and white charcoal pencil sing):

 

Packs of traditional tiles in a bulk pack of 55 (for use with your black Micro pen and a black pencil):

 

Packs of Pre-Strung tiles for those times when you're a bit blocked or unsure of your direction:

 

and last but certainly not least - the Official Zentangle Kit - with the book, dvd, legend & 20-sided die: this kit is only sold by Certified Zentangle Teachers (CZTs) or on the Zentangle website...

 

We hope you're as excited about these new offerings as we are. We're especially proud of the Zentangle Sampler Kit we've put together for you, so all you need to do is open the envelope and begin to tangle!

On the home front, we're busy, busy, busy with our on-going destash of our excessive studio supplies and once we're further along with it (we have LOTS of stuff) we'll be listing it all on etsy - so stay tuned for updates!

Catching Up … Finally!

Sorry for the delayed post but we’ve been between deadline hell - a major studio purge - and an upcoming garage sale, so that we can finally move on to new things (YAY).

The Collage a’ Trois workshop at the VAC was enjoyed by everyone and we’ve been asked to repeat it in the fall, so if you who missed it, there will be one final opportunity! Here's some pics:

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

And... The Travel Journal/Map and Sketchbook workshop at the Morgan Conservatory was fantastic. We’ve always been blessed with the greatest students ever - and this workshop was no exception (plus we really LOVE any reason for being at the Morgan -- great vibes). Here’s a few pics from the weekend:

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
we're missing a few books - but you get the idea.

Well that's it for this post as our garage sale is tomorrow and our studio purge will be ongoing for the next 2 weeks at least!!!

In over 17 years of mixed media, we’ve accumulated more stuff than even we can imagine – so clearing it all out is a herculean - but necessary task – but as the old saying goes: "life is change and change is growth" and we’re ready to move forward and astound ourselves with unexplored mediums that are calling out to us (and Opie is having a fit to get back into his recording studio). Plus we’d really like to add some Tutorials to our blog and share some of our knowledge and cool techniques with you, so bear with us for a few more weeks as we get it all together.

 BTW: we just signed up to participate in the 2012 Sketchbook Project. We’ve always wanted to, but never had the time. When the blog badges come out we’ll add one and hopefully we can link with those of you who are also participating. And we've picked a theme that's completely out of our comfort zone. More info will follow!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Winter Continues...

I wish i could say that it's warming up here in Northeast Ohio... but sadly it's not. It's bitterly cold outside and it just started snowing yet again.  So there's not a lot going on this month - but i really did enjoy both Valentines Day and my birthday. Next week is our anniversary, so this has been a trifecta month for sure!

I'll post more later, but for now, here's my piece for the Sketchbook Challenge. This months theme is "Opposites" and although i've posted this pic before... it really seemed to fit the theme on several levels!

 

 

It's a digital sketch I did using my adored wacom tablet of Opie when we were teaching in France. He was wearing mis-matched crocs. Our group was going out to dinner and being his Gemini self, he was distracted but still quite adorable... don't you agree?

A New Year -- A New Start

What a month! I’ve actually heard it referred to as Snowpocalypse – Snowmaggedon & Snowzilla – and here in N.E. Ohio -- each title is right on the money.

 
Here's a sketch i did of our house -- enough snow already -- where's the sun!

Although, on a positive note, the weather has given us lots of time to do some much neglected things – like finally post our 2011 teaching schedule on our blog (it’s in the side bar – and eventually we’ll post it on our website as well)

I’ve also uploaded lots of photos to our flickr account http://www.flickr.com/photos/burntofferings/

I can’t even remember the last time it was updated – I know… my bad – but it’s looking good now, and best of all we’ve finally made some time to embrace some of things we love but never really have time for, and who knows, this may be the year I actually learn how to make a “real” link in a blog post!

As you can see from our teaching schedule, after June, we’re winding down a lot to finally pursue and explore several of our own artistic interests which we’re very excited about. We’re also thrilled to be back at Art and Soul – Hampton, Va. in Apr/May and we’ll still continue with our own studio workshops, but for this year at least, they will be on a very limited basis - so to make up for that, we’re teaching 2 very exciting workshops here in our own Cleveland and Chagrin Falls area in late May. One at the Morgan Conservatory, the other at Valley Art Center (see the sidebar for more information) so if you've ever wanted to take a workshop with us -- the time is now!

It seems as if we’ve been talking about taking a break for years, but now that flying has become such a major stress issue for me, and because stress seems to trigger my ear problem, we’ve finally decided that this IS the year to wind down and explore new frontiers. No more procrastination, no more excuses. And since we’re not getting any younger (contrary to what we may think on that subject!) - we’d like to see just what we’re personally capable of creating ... so it’s time to blow our own minds!

Opie plans on doing a lot more with photography (god knows he has enough cameras) as well as devoting more time to his music studio.

 

And speaking of music – our original CD – Strange Tales – is finally back in our Etsy Shop.

 
This music has been described as both Timeless and Haunting. We know you'll love it.

As for me, I’ve been immersed in teaching myself how to work with a graphic tablet to digitally enhance our original photography in several new and exciting ways. And even though i’m in the trial and error stages, i’m actually doing some pretty cool things so i’m very excited by it all. I truly believe there's a major perk to being self-taught – i never have to worry about breaking any “rules” (since i never learned any) – and nothing is off limits - because i don't know any better! can you say: Win-Win!

 
i did this digital sketch of opie in France wearing mis-matched shoes. He was obviously distracted but quite adorable. I’ve also been sketching and drawing more and even doing some monoprinting -- all of which I’d really love to continue to do on a regular basis - and since i LOVE to cook,  i’d like to blog a lot more about it and maybe share and/or exchange some recipes with you.

 
i did this pen and ink sketch while we were teaching in France - the whole experience was "highly prized" which just happens to be this months theme for the sketchbook challenge - which i'm seriously thinking about participating in. If you haven't heard about it yet - here's their blog link: http://sketchbookchallenge.blogspot.com/  so go check it out. And - on the subject of cooking - this pot roast was Saturday's dinner and quite delicious.

  

So lookout 2011 – it's a new year - a new game plan - and here we come!

 

As Fall Fades into Winter...

i've been reflecting on some of my favorite Autumn memories. and while Thanksgiving has always been and will remain a very special time to gather with close friends and family (and this year was certainly no exception) ... throughout the week my thoughts would often stray to the South of France - where we taught 3 years ago and where we ate a very special dinner of Poulet de Bresse - aka - Blue Foot Chicken... a chicken that really has steel blue feet and shall always be one of my happiest (and most delicious) memories.

opie took this picture at dinner one evening -- yummo...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

it's been a really wild year for me but i'm a firm believer in that old adage "when one door closes...etc., etc., etc.".  some of you may even recall that several months ago 'my ear infection from hell' sort of left me unable to fly, so i've been spending more time in my studio and embracing and exploring art mediums that are normally outside of my comfort zone and LOVING them.

i've always liked to sketch (traditional sketching with pen and ink) but over these past few months i've been delving into digital directions, using a drawing tablet and a variety of software, and have been teaching myself how to combine the two - and although i have a very looong way to go, i must admit this is going to be a most interesting journey indeed -- because i've always said and truly believe, that one of the greatest advantages of being self-taught is that there are no rules to break and nothing is off limits!

anyway, here's my interpretation of opie's photo...

                                                                          

so on that note i'll say goodnight and count my many blessings, and as i continue to explore my new found obsession, i wish you all a winter season filled with curiosity and creativity and i'm looking forward to sharing my new discoveries with you.