Art Play Date Giveaway

Come PLAY - Art Play Date is giving away 5 class spots!
This 25 week online e-course features 24 of the leading teachers in the decorative painting market and a lot of mixed media creativity and inspiration for just $99. You will receive 27 pre-recorded video lessons delivered right to your home. It fast, easy and you can watch them any time and as many times as you like until April 1, 2015. So, what are you waiting for? Visit www.artplaydate.com for more information and to see the list of incredible teachers.

Here's your chance to WIN a free spot. You have this week, March 17-21, to go visit the teachers facebook pages, their blogs even their twitter accounts to participate in this great giveaway. Leave one comment per site and increase your odds of winning! If you have already purchased the e-course, you will be fully refunded.

So, want to PLAY ? Answer my question in the comments section below.
When was the last time you had an Art Play Date?

Heartland Art Experience 23/30

I am very honored to be one of the 7 teachers presenting great classes at the Heartland Art Experience. This is a new "experience" and I do hope you will join me for 3 days of fun, laughter and some wonderful art! I have 3 colored pencil and 2 mixed media pieces that I will be teaching while there. This one "the nest" is my absolute favorite because of that sweet little cherub sitting in the hand made nest. To check out all the classes, go to http://www.heartlandartexperience.com/Class_Planner.htm

Love Bug?

Bee Mine, Valentine?

I used to love handing out and especially receiving valentine's in school. Those handwritten notes scribbled by children pledging their love, admiration and happiness just for knowing you. How I wish I would have saved them. Can you imagine a box of these little treasures to leaf through when you needed it? 

A couple years ago I bought a box of those childhood valentines and sent them to family and friends just to have a little fun. The joy it brought me with all their calls was just precious and so unexpected. So, this year when they are marked clearance, buy a bunch to send out whenever the mood strikes. Not everyone is in a relationship but we all like being told how special we are and that we were thought of today. Imagine your surprise if you received one! The little joys of everyday are what makes life special, don't you think? I sure hope so!

Stacked!

I wanted to share my latest Colored Pencil of the Month Club project with you entitled "Stacked!" I love white clematis and we only have one that took so it is really special to me. Not only are the blooms fantastic but they are as large as a small dinner plate. This one grows next to a tree and I actually have to stand on my tiptoes to view its bright treasures. I wish I could take credit for the composition but well, it actually was growing like that so I took advantage of Mother Nature's design skills and added a few of my little artistic touches to make it into an art piece. It was a lot of fun to render will all the white and off white values tinted with blue and green. But my favorite has to be that it is framed with deep, dark loveliness giving all the dimension needed to show off those wonderful blossoms. I hope you check them out, you won't be disappointed!

Happy Easter!

Wanted to wish you and your family a very Happy Easter! May it be filled with family and friends, traditions and laughter and let's not forget the always fun Easter egg hunt. I really miss seeing the nieces and nephews searching out all the fun then enjoying the prizes hidden inside. A new generation is here though, a few more years before roaring excitement once again. Enjoy the precious memories and treasure the times together!

Love Bug

Will you bee mine, valentine?
A simple question but one that can be filled with mixed emotions. Love, like, friends, lovers - what's in store for you today? Me, I will be working in the studio with my husband John followed by two little puppies Captain Jack and Princess Sophie. An evening planned with a romantic dinner for two eaten by candlelight and a bit of mood music sprinkled with a little chocolate. How could that be wrong, right? After 31 years together, I still think he's the bees knees and for that I will be forever grateful. Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!

For some more LOVE - I'm joining in a Lovely Blog Hop commemorating this serendipitous holiday but also our love of art. I have been an artist for as long as I can remember and the smell of crayons will still bring a huge smile to my face. Can you smell them? I knew you would be smiling! On a recent trip, my mom commented that I was always pointing out ordinary things and making her really look at what I was seeing. It may have been just clouds in the sky but from my point of view, they were the prettiest and most colorful I had ever seen. Isn't that what art is about, sharing a piece of you so others can discover the beauty in front of them? I sure hope so! So please join me and visit my fly tribe members blogs and see what my art community looks like - enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas

Here's my version of the 12 days of Christmas all wrapped up into a colored pencil packet that is sure to please anyone of any age. It has my spin on each little gift and even now, looking at it, it makes a smile appear on my face. I hope you enjoy it!

For more information visit http://www.kellyhoernig.com/, SHOP for patterns.

3rd Color Pencil Workshop

Here are the lovely ladies with their favorite projects from my 3rd Colored Pencil Workshop held at Threads of Time in Danville Illinois. Not only did they do the four projects from my workshop, they also did Jingle All the Way Wednesday night as an added project. Oh yeah, these are some crazy maniac colored pencil artists and I'm glad I got to spend some time with them :)

I'm already planning my May and September 2012 dates. If you would like to know more about this fun, project packed three days, please visit my website at http://www.kellyhoernig.com/. The all day project for May is going to be Seashells No. 2 just to get you excited about joining us!

Beeautiful

I've been needing an "art challenge" lately, something to stir my creativity yet give myself some boundaries or limitations. So, looked around my mess of a studio and found this scrapbook paper die cut. Well, now you're talking. I usually like my designs to match the paper and look as if they are printed on it as well. Challenge accepted. Knew from the paper that a muted color palette was a must but on these papers I also like to use 8 pencils or less. The paper was screaming for an insect and it has been a while since I did a bee, so what else can I put with that. Flowers of course, to the photo files I go. I was thinking balloon flowers and so glad I found a great one with a lot of extreme light and dark values, perfect. I armed myself with 6 pencils, oh yeah, just 6, and away I went. Hummm, can this be done - well of course it can, you are looking at the picture of the finished piece :) Don't be afraid to challenge yourself, you might just be surprised with the outcome!

Colored Pencil Workshop

My booklets, patterns and all inspiration are packed and ready to go. I'm working on our name buttons and let me tell you they are so cute, can't wait for the girls to see them :) I can't believe this is my third workshop at Threads of Time in Danville Illinois. Never thought that would happen and am so grateful for the students signing up. If you have never been, it is a great place to relax and learn a lot about technique. Plus, the studio is open 24 hours because you never know when inspiration will strike. We even had an impromptu beading class at the last workshop - thanks Theresa! Hope you can join me in 2012, sometime in May and September.

R U Nutz?

The title of my latest Colored Pencil of the Month Club project came from how I went about getting the reference shot. Picture me, camera around my neck, holding an armful of stuffed things (a bird, squirrel and a couple hearts) walking around the neighborhood. Oh yeah, the neighbors probably think I'm crazy because I was sticking these items in the branches, on tree limbs, our wooden swing, even a couple of rocks. But the kicker, to get the shot I really wanted, I actually had to lay on the ground for the interesting perspective you see in this photo. The squirrel was too heavy for the tiny sunlit branches so I was the thing that had to change position. To make it even funnier, I started laughing out loud, imagining the neighbors looking out and seeing this picture wondering what that crazy artist girl was up to now. So, you see why I titled this as I did, I was the nutty one, imagine that :)

If you are interested in more information about the Colored Pencil of the Month Club please visit http://www.kellyhoernig.com/.

6th Anniversary Sale

I'm celebrating 6 years of the Colored Pencil of the Month Club and having an Anniversary Sale you will not want to miss. Please visit http://www.kellyhoernig.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/2562541 to take advantage of this offer. Hope you can join me. Please note this is only available as a PDF subscription. You will receive 13 months plus Splendid Imitation free for $120, a savings of over $30.

Houston Artist Expo

I spent the last week traveling and teaching at the Houston Art Expo held in The Woodlands Texas. It was a lot of fun for me and the students enjoyed learning about and experimenting with a new technique while creating memories in this inspirational environment. I am planning on submitting again so I hope you can join me June 26-30, 2012. For more information and to see what the convention is about you can go to http://www.artistexpohouston.com/.

About the photo, it's the hotel carpet, I just couldn't help myself. I found it so wonderful to look at and was totally distracted by it anytime I stepped into the hallways. Oh yes, I have about 20 photos from every angle - am I weird or what? LOL :)

Introducing Art E.

Wanted to introduce you all to Art E. the Eggstraordinary. It's my latest colored pencil project and available at http://www.kellyhoernig.com/. In observation of the Easter holiday, he will be $10 through April then up to $15. So take advantage of the eggstra special rate and get yours today :)

Easter Reflections

I wanted to share my latest Colored Pencil of the Month Club project called "Easter Reflections" with you. I just love the way it turned out, dramatic and contemporary with a little sweet twist the jelly beans of course. It was a lot of fun to do and if you can believe it, it wasn't very hard. I show you a lot of step-by-step photos to make it successful for you too. If you want to give it a try, you can read more about my Colored Pencil Club at www.kellyhoernig.com. I can promise you'll never know what's coming up next, it's always a surprise. So, I hope you'll join me on this exciting journey of creativity and inspiration. Let's color...

Elongated Elegance

I just had to share this wonderful photo of the little tiny violets that pop up all over our yard in the springtime. I loved the color combination and the exquisite sunlight, couldn't ask for a better photo opportunity. Of course you know I was drawn in by the interesting shadows by the top violet. Not only do they catch my attention but it would be a center of interest for my rendering as well. It would be quite a challenge to pull off with such a vertical design but I have some tricks up my sleeves. First and most importantly, the brightest and darkest values need to be up there to bring your eye to that spot. It should also have more intense coloration than the bottom of the design. Notice how the lower section is still interesting but it doesn't make you want to stay there because all that bright goodness is calling your name. The only thing I would probably change is make the bottom violet a whole one. I don't like it being cut off so violently. It would also frame that beautifully heart shaped leaf and be more pleasing to the eye. I would position it a little askew but make it so your eye would travel right up that long stem to bring you back to the main subject. Will you see this later? Oh yeah! But as always which medium to use - colored pencil or acrylics?

Word - White

The word for this week is white.

Its adjective meaning: free from color; of the color of new snow or mild; light or pallid in color; free from spot or blemish; pure, innocent; blank, consisting of a wide range of frequencies.

Its noun meaning: the color of minimal lightness that characterizes objects which both reflect and transmit light; the opposite of black.

I don't know about you but I see so much color in these little white cups that I just can't wait to do them in a piece of artwork. Can you see the blues, violets, greens and yellows? Squint your eyes, they are all there just waiting for you to discover them. The shadows are the richest allowing the blue and violet color intermingle with each other showing off all the subtle shape differences and reflective shadows. Oh yeah, this has got to be a colored pencil piece for sure. I'm off to the drawing board...

Highly Prized (SC3)

It's the third week into the Sketchbook Challenge and I did one of my favorite things - leaves. I used a Prismacolor Colored Pencil in Chocolate to get these nice, rich values. Yes, it is only one color and I tried to focus on what was in the background and foreground. I am thrilled with the results and can't wait to see what everyone else has done this week. I hope you are taking the time to sketch for a little bit each day, you are worth it!

Tropical Elegance

Here's my latest Colored Pencil of the Month Club project called "Tropical Elegance." I put it into a wooden library drawer to give it importance. Added the butterfly because I love the shadow it gives all during the day creating another visual element of surprise. In planning, that's why the orchid is all the way to the right of the design to give the butterfly weight without drawing the attention. To find out more about the Club, go to www.kellyhoernig.com

Christmas Eve

I've decked the halls, walls and windows - fa la la la la, la la, la la.
The presents are made, wrapped and labeled - fa la la la la, la la, la la.
Off to share with all of our loved ones - fa la la la la, la la, la la.
Enjoy the moments, laughter and hugs - fa la la la la, la la, la la.

A time to treasure, a year to remember - have a great Christmas Eve!