A huge thank you to Betsy Lynch for her workshop on The World of Publishing

Last Friday, March 9th, FRC² members were treated to a great workshop that dove into the depths of the publishing world.

During the first half of the workshop, Betsy spoke to the group about the 12 myths of publishing (more on that soon!) Betsy also gave us the opportunity to get a taste of what it's like to to part of the publication process. And if you're looking to get your book published, Betsy suggests that you might want to get yourself an agent!

After separating into two groups, participants chose to be an editor, graphic designer or various other roles that are part of a newsletter's design process. In the time-limited exercise, both groups were given the same set of various articles and pictures with which they were to create a two page newsletter. The purpose of this exercise was to illustrate what it's like to work in the industry with deadlines and differing views as to what's more important: design or content?

Here's what the two groups came up with during the exercise:

Betsy also mentioned a few sites as great resources, so check them out!

Mr. Magazine
Matthew Curtis

And here are some sites where you can get your book self-published!

Lulu
Blurb

FRC² would like to say thank you to Betsy Lynch for all her hard work and effort. Thanks for making this workshop fun!

The World of Publishing!

Don't miss out on this exciting workshop by Betsy Lynch from Third Generation Communications. Betsy will be presenting information about the publishing world on March 9th from 6-8 pm at FRCC-Larimer, BP117!

Watercolor Workshop

Being a Green Artist

Ariana Friedlander of Rosabella Consulting

BEING A GREEN ARTIST with Ariana Friedlander
October 28, 2011

Ariana Friedlander of Rosabella Consulting gave a fantastic presentation on being a green artist.

Her knowledge of resources and ideas for re-purposing everyday items was inspirational. And her suggestions to challenge yourself as an artist to create original works of art with recycled items gave a new meaning to the word artist! Check out some of the pictures to see for yourself;

 

 Ariana's slide show presentation was packed with examples of original artwork created using recycled materials.

The above artwork was created using 10,600 cans of soda... talk about original!

Creating art from recycled items can save you money as well as help reduce the overabundance of garbage in our landfills.

 Paper beads.

Earrings made from a laminated piece of a map.

 Lane displaying a bowl made from an old record.

 Ariana's earrings were made from a re-purposed skateboard. They were light as a feather, too!

Rory holding a new pair of shoes that Ariana just purchased. These shoes are made out of 100% recycled materials.

RESOURCES & IDEAS

Here are some resources suggested by Ariana, if you'd like to get more involved in being green;

• Pick up a copy of the Re-Direct Guide - many companies listed use green practices
• Get to know the Resource Yard - a great place to find reclaimed building materials
• Visit the Larimer County Garbage Garage at the Larimer County Landfill - it's packed with information on going green
• For toner, check out Green Cartridge Colorado (near Recycled Cycles on College Avenue in Fort Collins)
• If you're a web designer, consider finding a web hosting company that uses solar or wind powered servers (although web design seems eco-friendly, the amount of energy it requires to run and cool a server is great)
• Use Waste-Not Recycling services
• Check out the ReSource Yard ReVisions Art Show held in late-April every year
• Pick up the book; Going Green by Laura Pritchett. It's filled with interesting stories about her adventures in dumpster diving here in Fort Collins

Thank you Ariana, it was so nice having you join us and share your contagious enthusiasm for making a difference in our world!

Drawing with Sisa

The drawing workshop given in Friday, June 10 by Sisa Sternback of the AANC (Artists Association of Northern Colorado) was awesome!

We weren't in the classroom but a few minutes before Sisa had us go outside and start working. Before starting though, she did have us do a quick sketch of a simple object - in order to get an idea of our skill levels. (The rock -shown above- was my subject, and you can imagine why the "sketch" of said rock was purposefully omitted from the photograph).

Anyway, here are a few pictures taken during the workshop...

Sisa and Jake Sparks working on the perspective of a curved building.

Jake Swain standing next to his masterpiece!

Jenn Blake with her fabulous peony flower sketch.

The weather was nice for drawing outside and with just 4 of us FRC2 members, it made for very personal attention from our instructor.

Sisa gave us some guidelines and allowed us to explore them with our own style, while working with each of us individually to understand certain drawing techniques while refining our skills.

Just before the end of our session, we went back inside for a critique of our work.

The 4 finished workshop sketches.

Here are a few quick resources and tips Sisa had offered to us:

Drawing Journal

Sisa's drawing journal with collected images, notes and sketches.

Keep a drawing journal! It can be used to collect inspiration, refine skills and develop a recorded history of your drawing progress.

Gesso it!

To get a little extra texture, paint gesso on your drawing paper.

A great book

This book, "How to draw what you see" by Rudy De Reyna, was highly recommended for anyone interested in furthering their drawing skills. After flipping through the book, we could see why....

Detail of book by Rudy De Reyna.

Open Studio Invitation

A sign-up sheet for those who are interested in participating in the figure drawing studio events.

We've been invited to attend AANC's Open Studio dates. Artists can bring their materials and create art together (with or without AANC membership). Suggested donation to the AANC Scholarship Fund: $3. Initially the studio subjects will be still life arrangements and eventually they will consider bringing in models.

Open Studios are held on Wednesdays between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, unless some other event is being held at the same time. Location: 148 W. Oak, Studio D (near the Taj Mahal restaurant in Old Town). If you have questions please contact the AANC here:

Artists Association of Northern Colorado
P.O. Box 1039
Fort Collins, Colorado 80522
970-226-9286
info@artistsassoc.org

Thank you Sisa! We had a great time and look forward to you coming back again.

Drawing workshop

Sharpen your skills with a drawing workshop!

Sisa Sternback with the AANC (Artists Association of Northern Colorado) will join us and guide an informal drawing workshop on Friday, June 10.

We will meet at our usual spot (BP117) on the FRCC Larimer Campus at 6pm. Weather permitting, we may work outside. So please bring a drawing board, if you have one.

The workshop will focus on basic drawing and/or sketching techniques geared to assist you in becoming more comfortable when approaching any and all of your projects. All skill levels are welcomed and encouraged to attend!

Sisa has many years experience in the graphic arts, fine arts and all operations of an art gallery. She serves on the board of directors for the AANC and recently took 2nd place in a National Show held at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins.

Sisa with her award winning painting titled "Rawah Lake"

Here is a basic supply list for this workshop, however, if you do not have these things, please don't let it hold you back from attending! Extra supplies will be on hand for anyone who needs them.

• Soft drawing pencils (2B, F or #4), or any pencil or set of pencils you may have
• Vine charcoal (just a couple of pieces) - if you haven't used this before, you'll love it!
• White plastic and Grey charcoal (aka: Kneaded) erasers
• Sketch book, pad or any drawing paper

Large newsprint sheets and pencil sharpeners will be provided.

Please be prepared to learn some great techniques, break in to your own creative resources and have fun!

If you'd like to learn more about Sisa or the AANC, please check out the links below;

Sisa Sternback
AANC

Hope to see you there!

Jerry Sullivan's Photo Workshop

Jerry Sullivan's photo workshop was awesome!
Jerry was very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful in his workshop, and we're all itching for him to come back and teach us more. The majority of the workshop covered the bare basics of film speed, shutter speed, and aperture.

As Jerry says, don't just shoot with luck, shoot with knowledge! He gave a homework assignment to help us fully understand shutter speed and aperture and how they work together.

If you missed the meeting and are interested in the topics covered or the homework assignment,
contact Caitlin Ming at cming88@gmail.com.

Jerry was very gracious to give us his phone number and email if anyone would like to learn more about photography basics, he would be more than happy to help.


Here is his information:
Phone number: 970-568-6910
Email: sully204@yahoo.com

If you email him, just make sure to put "Photo Workshop" or something similar in the subject line.


Simple exercise to demonstrate how our camera interprets 18% gray.

We look forward to having Jerry come back this summer for another workshop. It will be an outdoor photography workshop! Look for details soon!