FAQ

WHAT CAN I EXPECT FROM THIS COURSE?

This course is designed for adults with an existing art practice and a basic understanding of acrylic paints and mediums. The exploration and discovery does not depend on the type of art you create; all acrylic and mixed media artists— whether realistic or abstract— will benefit from the exercises and prompts. While my own work is inspired by the real world, the things I paint are from my imagination so it lands somewhere in the middle of representational and abstracted. Our focus on materials and foundational learning will benefit all types of artists at all skill levels.

• Every Thursday, you’ll get an email with what to expect for the upcoming Zoom Session, the supplies I’ll be using and demoing, a summary of a segment or concept, a journal prompt to help you become more connected to the authentic artist in you, weekly creative inspiration to keep you engaged with your art practice and any links that I think would be interesting to you!

• Each Zoom Session will include at least three guided Exercises that can be warm-ups for jumping into your own body of work in progress OR a springboard for something entirely new. My intention is to provide support for any kind of creative magic or discovery to happen!

• All course content will be posted on the Member Blog here at Dar’s World in an easy to follow format so that you can keep up with it on your own time or review something when you need to.

• The Facebook Group will be our “classroom” on a daily basis where we can share, ask questions and give support and I will be in it daily for the duration of Creative Summer Camp.

• All content will be accessible until January 31, 2025.

WHAT WILL WE BE DOING IN THESE SESSIONS?

This is an exercised based series of live sessions, as opposed to more elaborate project based courses. The Exercises will be step oriented and could be the beginning of your personal projects. You can think of it more like a guided, mixed-media, open studio session from the comfort of your own home, rather than a straight how-to class, designed so that you can truly tap into your own preferences and style. There will be lots of focus on experimentation with materials, technique and process that will give you foundational knowledge to inspire your own explorations and discoveries.

Participating might look like:

•Being on the live sessions with everything I suggest in the weekly email and following along with me.

•Being on the live session with whatever you want and seeing what happens— Does a color exercise give you a solution to a painting you’ve been working on? A mark making exercise inspire a whole new series of small works? A layering demo give you an aha moment for a new technique?

•Being on the live sessions but only watching them and asking questions.

•Skipping the live sessions and watching the recordings in your own time.

I’M A BEGINNER. IS THIS COURSE RIGHT FOR ME?

This course assumes you have some basic knowledge and experience with acrylics and mediums/gels, as well as a basic vocabulary for general mixed media work and supplies. It’s totally doable for all kinds of artists at all skill levels, however, if you are a true beginner, you may want to start with my recorded, foundational course, Circle Celebration and then join in for Winter Wonderland in Feb-March or Creative Summer Camp 2025.

WHAT SUPPLIES DO I NEED?

The short answer is: Any and all supplies you like. This series of workshops is best suited for those who already have an art practice and ample supplies that they have a basic familiarity with.

FUN FACT: CSC 2024 is going to feature a focus on SHINY THINGS and how they can be used in our art for luminosity and dynamic interaction with other materials.

Here is a general list of supplies I regularly use. You can wait to see if you are interested in the technique before you buy anything. NOTE: I am am an Artist Educator for GOLDEN Acrylics and nearly exclusively use and instruct with their products.

Amazon Supply Lists for you to peruse: Basic Supplies I Use and Brushes and Applicators.

• Fluid acrylics in any colors you like, but minimally a “primary” trio (one each of a red, yellow, blue), plus black, white and at least one shiny iridescent color like gold, silver, iridescent pearl, micaceous iron oxide, copper or bronze and an interference, as well as an alternate white (Titan Buff).

• Heavy Body acrylics in any colors you like, but minimally in a “primary” trio (red, yellow, blue), black and white. You may also wish to have an alternate white like Titan Buff, which I use often interchangeably with Titanium White.

• High Flow acrylics or acrylic ink in a “primary” trio, plus black and white.

• SoFlat matte acrylics in any colors. These exciting, high chroma matte acrylics are my new favorite paints to use, especially in combination with more glossy paints, mediums, gels and pastes. If you are looking for something new to try, these are really fun.

• Calligraphy pen and/or Fineline applicator for drawing with High Flow

• Substrates can be those that you enjoy working on. I enjoy using cradled wood panels by DaVinci, stretched canvases and good quality watercolor paper in 140 lb. hot press (because I prefer smooth, but cold press is also great). I highly recommend the student grade watercolor by Canson in their XL pad for “big paper” exercises that can be large or cut down to smaller pieces.

• Blank wooden ATCs (artist trading cards, which are 2.5 x 3.5”) which are absolutely fabulous for experimenting and creating a “Mixed Media Sketch Box,” and/or the wooden Fuyit “craft” panels which are great for playing with mixed media and for creating test boards. Both are on the Amazon list.

• Soft Gel Gloss/Matte

• Gloss/Matte Medium

• ANY mediums, gels or pastes you enjoy (I’m going to be leaning toward the SHINY STUFF like Tar Gel, Glass Bead Gel, Mica Flake, Clear Granular Gel, Self Leveling Gel, etc.)

• Gesso (either white or black, or both if you wish)

• Brushes: A variety including one large flat/round, several smaller and medium paintbrushes in flats and rounds, a smaller angled brush (1/8 and ¼) and at least one “liner” and “fan.” Use any other brushes that you have and like to use—perhaps treat yourself to a special effects brush that you’ve never tried. I am a Silverbrush Educator and have begun a designated Amazon List just for Brushes and Applicators.

• Copy/sketch paper or your art journal to use for notes, exercises and practicing.

• Heavier card stock weight paper for making stencils, Yupo paper OR DuraLar sheeting.

• Painter’s tape; I like the sturdy blue kind for boards as well as the “delicate surface” tape which works better on paper.

• Collage paper that you already have in sheets and/or scraps plus blank sheets of better paper to use for making collage paper along the way if you choose. My favorites are the Yasutomo Sketch Pad “kozo” paper, the cold filter brew bags by Toddy and Abaca “lens tissue” paper which is gossamer and unlike any other paper (you can find it and many other gorgeous papers at Hiromi Paper Co.). I also use “calligraphy" (often referred to as rice paper), deli paper, and will try just about anything. These are all on the Amazon list and inexpensive.

• Gel Plate and brayer for creating collage paper and other offbeat mixed media printing techniques.

• A selection of mark making tools: Pencils, Fineliners, crayons, markers, Sharpies, pastels, Poscas, Pintars calligraphy pens, etc. You can get ideas from my Amazon List.

• Palette knife (standard is fine, as well as “special effect” knives if you have them)

• Scissors

• Stencils, stamps

• Any other interesting painting applicators (chopsticks, round stones, twigs, sponges, color shapers, etc.)

• Dot tools

• Spray bottle

• IMPORTANT: You will want to have any and all work in progress that is in any stage, particularly those that you are stuck on or frustrated with at the ready so that we can take advantage of what I call “BOUNCE”. It does not matter what size or type of substrate it is— canvas, wood, paper, some could even be ATCs— and you may also have blank or “junk” substrates to begin pieces that arise from the exercises. It is possible that you might work on a new series or group of pieces all summer, start new ones or a combination of the two. There are many possible things you could “do” in these sessions, which also includes asking questions and sharing if you choose to.

WHERE WILL WE GET ALL OUR LINKS AND INFORMATION?

Once you register for the course, you will get immediate access to the private member page here on Darsworld. This is where all the Zoom links, pdfs, announcements and resources will be. They will be added to ongoing, as the summer continues.