Jane Davenport

Have you ever considered an ecourse?  Or done one?  I can’t recommend them highly enough! I have been involved in some excellent classes . These are my favorites including the why’s, where’s and who’s!

I’d love to hear your favourites and suggestions!

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1. World of Whimsy 2
Summary: Mixed media art classes with an emphasis on whimsical character drawing.
Course Leader: ‘Willowing ‘ aka Tam Lapote
Why I liked it: Tam is incredibly generous with her time. Lessons consist of  videos each week, PDFs, live upstream chat and critiques. This is where Tam really shines as he takes each persons uploaded drawings and gives very specific visual suggestions by manipulating the images in Photoshop. Can you imagine the time this must take?

I am currently doing this class, am super engaged and really enjoying the whole Group experience. There are some wonderful artists involved, lots of beginners and people rediscovering their artistic talents. It is a nurturing experience. The forum around the lessons is very active and Tam is completely involved. Having the course leader putting energy into the discussions makes such a huge difference. I have so much admiration for her. She really has created a happy place for making art.

What I got out of it: I am really having fun just being free and drawing whimsical characters! I have at least one that wants his own book…I have started experimenting with techniques…incorporating my photography – I am having so much FUN!

Where to find it:

Tam has announced that she will be offering a free art ecourse later in the year, and there are other free groups you can join on the Ning site for Mixed Media and Art Journalling. LOVELY STUFF!  If you are QUICK, you can probably join WOW 2 now – highly recommended!

Where to find:willowing.org

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2.Drawing tutorials online
Summary: hard core drawing! Chicken scratching begone!
Course Leader: Matt Archambault
Why I like it:  Matt teaches at the School Of Visual Arts in New York. His site has dozens of fantastic videos. He is a proper Illustrator with a capital I. The drawing tutorials are challenging – he makes it look easy, but drawing a skull is hard work the first time! But the anatomical lessons are JUST SO GOOD FOR YOU.

You can watch some for free before you decide if it suits you – search itunes for his free podcast.  He regularly does iphone videos of his student’s sketchbooks too, which is soooooo interesting. Every time I complete one of the videos I can feel my drawing improve. I believe that confidence and skill in drawing has a huge impact on all creative processes.
This is a subscription based site – aprox $12 per month.

What I got out of it: madly improving drawing skills.
Where to find:drawingtutorialsonline.com

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3 and 4 ‘Petite Dolls‘ And ‘Poet and Goddess‘
Summary: Mixed Media art classes.
Course Leader: Suzi Blu
Why I liked it:  SuziBlu is a bit crazy – but in a very, very good way! She is authentic, swears and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her. And for a drawing class there was a lot of situational comedy.  Do a search on Youtube for suziblu and you will get a feel for her.

The classes are feature packed with video, PDF’s, and weekly critiques. Suzi calls them’Homework Appreciation Days’ now – isn’t that cool? The open semester format allows for students to join anytime. And it is run on Ning which I LOVE.  ( yep, I am a Ning-a-ling!). The way she teaches is encouraging and fun. She takes it from the absolute basics and builds from there.

What I got out of it: the simple joy of drawing and using color pencils again. Suzi included 6 bonus videos from a previous class for woodburning, which i fell in love with and i have the burns on my fingers to prove it! These classes also introduced me to a bunch of art supplies that I didn’t even know existed and I will be forever grateful!

The format of the school is under review with not as many classes being offered, but more variety within the class. So if you are reading this before the end of August 2010, and like drawing whimsical characters, get your caboose over to Suzi’s site before some of the classes are gone forever!
Next up is Mermaids… I am registered already… Splishy splashy!

Where to find: The Petite Academy.

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5   .’Mixed Media and the Girls‘
Summary: mixed media techniques
Course Leader: Wyanne

Why I liked it: I think Wyanne’s youtube videos are the best of their kind. The mixed media techniques were interesting and I love watching Wyanne create her beautiful work. Plus, her voice is very cute!

Look on Youtube for her regular videos to see if you like her style.

Her next class will be the Resin workshop – I am signed up for August – can- wait.

Where to find:www.wyanne.com

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Aside from just loving learning, I do keep telling myself that I will eventually have my own ecourses right here one day! Creative Photography with moi. No traveling, study as and when you please….meeting kindred spirits from a round the world…no projector for me to wrangle with to show some washed out examples on a wall. What do you think? Subscribe and I will let you know when it’s live!

P.S. I have no affiliation with any of these courses – just a genuine sharing of the LOVE!

Yep, I get another year wiser this week!

Angus gave me the most DIVINE woolen rug from Las Ninas. It is Bolivian – back loomed, muted colourful yumminess. It is in my new art area and is lovely, lovely lovely. I will go and take a photo now to show you!

I have 5 studios within my studio…they seem to be breeding! So this is my ‘pondering’ studio. It is my favourite space in the world. It contains my lovely old Art Journal desk. My beloved books. A place to think with pencils, paint and paper – and no computer. ( Man alive,  the computer is a time succubus for me. )

My Bolivian wool rug!

I have been up very early, reveling in my survival of another year. I don’t feel ANY different. I still feel about 8 years old. I don’t think I have changed much since then (a bit taller!).

Have a wonderful day!

Jane Davenport art journal ©

x, Jane

Who are you now? Art Journal pages

This is coming up for me so much lately. As my focus is so much on drawing and painting, I struggle with how to mesh my other art forms into my photographic art reputation. I worry that my existing collectors will get confused!

It’s not that I am moving away from photography  it’s just that it’s winter, and the days are shorter, the light is different and well, it’s just not as pleasant out in the cold! Yes, I have a studio, but I actually start most photo sessions in the ‘wild’ outside, and fall back to the studio if the wind picks up, or if I have a finicky notion or idea to flesh out that needs a controlled environment…my cameras are in winter hibernation!

Usually I go travelling in winter, but I just love my home so much, there is no destination grabbing my attention hard enough to pull me towards it. And in this settled-in-one-place state, I am being so paint productive!

But it leaves me wondering! Am I painting Jane? Drawing Jane? Illustrating Jane? Photographic arts Jane? Making videos Jane (one imovie and I think I’m a director – hah!)? Fashion design Jane? Blogging Jane? Author Jane? Blah blah blah Jane?!

Of course I know the answer to this – I am all these things! It’s just all part of the whole. My angst sets in when I read any type of ‘art business’ blog or book. Consistency is key. People like to know what to expect. And so far I have been just so reliable. I have a consistent style with my photographic art, its just the way I see the world/want to see the world. It’s the reason I can’t be a commercial photographer – I am beyond bending my focus to outside direction! I make my work for myself and luckily lots of other people find their own stories and meanings in my images.  And I have a consistent style for each medium I use…but that’s a bunch of different consistencies!

I am not going to be able to answer my own questions right here, right now of course, just letting you into my brain space. I’d love to know your thoughts on this!

Choose happiness

x Jane

What doesn't kill you, makes you stranger. Pages from Art Journal.

Just some doodlings from me today!

choose happiness,

xJane

(click here if the video isn’t showing - )

Yesterday afternoon this was my studio. Overlooking the famous surf break called ‘The Pass’ at Byron Bay. How I LOVE my home! Love, love LOVE it. Angus was out surfing, and I sat and painted at a picnic table with the birds twittering all around me and a few curious onlookers. I intended to do some writing, but painting is all that happened!

The Magician is on the new journal I made myself (hello!) with a canvas cover and lovely water colour papers interleaved with glassine and tracing paper. I drew her that morning  as a preliminary sketch for a series of paintings I am working on.  I plan on doing the front cover tomorrow…!I might draw the little bird in the nest I photographed…or maybe transfer the photo onto the canvas and paint parts of it…or not….hmmm…some more experimentation on the way. Lovely!

The little girl with bugs-on-a-string is a sketch i drew ages ago. I transferred her into my Moleskine journal  to test making a gesso transfer (fun!) and painted her all pretty. I have no idea what will go in next to her, but she will wait until she is just the perfect background for some written thoughts.

I am just ENJOYING drawing and painting so, so, so much. My Art Journal is full of sketches and painting experiments, and that is why I started making my own journals as well- so I could include different papers to play around with. I love combining it with my photography. While the paint is drying  I flit over to my camera and set up  a scenario to shoot…flit back to the canvas…draw, mix paint, make marks…delicious stuff.

Choose happiness
x Jane

P.s. Also! I found an echidna in my driveway at the studio! After a bit of gentle persuasion, we coaxed the little guy into a box and returned him to the bush! Pics coming….

art journal page by Jane Davenport - "Why Bugs?"

I really enjoyed posting some of my journal pages a few days ago! I carry mine with me everywhere I go. I catch ideas and pin them down before they flit away again….sort of like a flower pressing book. Anyway, I liberated some insect pages from an old World Book Encyclopedia (remember those?!!) and made a collage a while back. Played with some bright colour and shapes (messy and scrumptious).  And that was it for the time being.

Someone asked me “Why bugs” the other day…and when I was manically flipping through my journal in the attempt to distract myself  on the ROUGH flight home last night from Sydney (we didn’t hit any stray tornadoes though! Wild and weird weather…hope the Lennox Head tornado was a one off – NOT a sign of things to come!), the answers to why I just love wrangling insects for my art practice flowed on to the uncannily prepared surface.

i love these moment when ‘things’ just flow…

Choose happiness,

x Jane

Well, I nearly parked my bike on it last night, so faded in my estimation was The Collage Painting.…but I thought I would have another go at making SOMETHING of this canvas. So I added a drawing I did before bed the other night over the top of it…and ..well… surprise, surprise…I quite adore it!

All the texture that I built up on the surface really does enhance the overall effect.

The Bubbles Painting by Jane Davenport

…modern photography is just so neat and clean…well it can be! I certainly like my studio nice and organised so I can find the right lenses …but painting…oooh the delightful mess! these images show the fun I had painting a  tree a few weeks ago…I painted my hands and leaves and then pressed them onto my canvas in different shapes on my canvas to create texture – yes like a child! Such mess and fun.

When I walked past my photography studio covered in colour,  i saw my cameras shudder and shrink to the back of their shelves….I had to calm them down…”  it’s alright my little pets, Mama would never touch you with the nasty paint…”…

I love taking a workshop that leads me in a new direction. I acquire new skills, explore and experiment. I have never painted using acrylic paint before and I am really enjoying using it. Last week in class, we started  by creating a collage to use as inspiration for the underpainting. I didn’t finish it and don’t like it really. It isn’t resonating with me..yet…maybe it never will! Bit rather than turn my back on it and get on with something else, I am going to perservere!

My Acrylic painting class is with Bernadette Curtin (Bernie!),

It is still a work in progress….And I worked a little more on the ‘Collage’ painting today, and don’t really want to post it …but as this is in the spirit of expanding my boundaries…Courage my Love! Here goes…

The plan for this painting is to add text across it, so that the colours, bubbles and textures form an underpainting. So that will be the next step. eeeeeeeek!

………………UPDATE – I finished this painting! Look for Courage my Love part 2!