AirMail Journaling

It's nearly impossible to schedule any sort of workshop in the summertime that works with everyone's calendar. There's vacations and sunshine and working parents and travel sports teams and watermelon, and frankly, I can't blame anyone for choosing those sorts of things over taking a class (even though my physical class IS in a toy store).

I still wanted to tailor my offering to somehow flex around everyone's schedule. I spent some time on the back porch, just listening to the birdsong and wondering when life got so darned busy. I got all melancholy recalling the long summer days of my childhood - melty popsicles, the smell of hot pavement, the sting of sprinkler water on sunburned skin, the excitement of the mail's arrival (was there anything for ME?) - and BING - AirMail Journaling was born!

I've had the most fabulous time designing five entirely new lesson plans for this summer's journaling adventure. These are brand spanking new projects with many facets, designed to appeal to multiple ages (5 and upwards), created to inspire a curious eye and adventurous spirit. It is my hope that they result in multiple journal pages - maybe even a trip to the library or additional internet research and learning, too.

The projects will arrive over the course of the summer in 5 separately mailed envelopes with fun and funky design. The packets will contain detailed instructions, prompts, and a handful of ephemera or supplies to get you or your child started. It is my hope that the materials in the packet will provide multiple days of exploration for each journaller, but attention spans and interest levels will vary, so your mileage may differ. I will include plenty of different sparklers, though, to provide a broad appeal. Students are also welcome to take the initiative and run in their own direction.

There will be a short and inexpensive supplies list along with some other items journallers can find around their home (like an old house painting brush and a bucket of water). I will include a link on the list so that supplies may be ordered online - this will further simplify participation for those in remote areas. As always, students are also welcome to supplement with their own materials and ideas as they surface.

Another element of the project which I am excited about is an online classroom, totally private, where parents and students can share photos of their journal pages. This will be facilitated via a private Facebook group**. Additionally, I will use this group to field questions or provide feedback on aspects of the lessons. Those of you who know me can also look forward to additional information via newly discovered books or websites or tangental ideas. Instructions on how to access this private Facebook space, along with the supplies list, will be emailed after enrollment is completed.

The entire cost for all 5 lessons is $30 per student. Families are welcome to enroll as one student - just keep in mind that each envelope will include one student's amount of materials, so in instances where I am including collage papers, each envelope will carry the same amount of paper. I am sorry that right now I am not able to make allowances or accommodations for multiple enrollments per address, but I promise you I will consider this for my next AirMail Journalling session.

If you are interested in enrolling, you may send payment via Paypal to journal@turtledovedesigns.com or you can send a check to the studio (346 N Anderson, Lake Orion, MI 48362). Receipt of payment will be acknowledged with an email requesting additional information (so that I can build the workshop's mailing list).

I look forward to AirMail Journaling with you this summer!

Kim

ksantini@turtledovedesigns.com

Picture Book "A Dog Named Blue" - now available!!

The cover of "A Dog Named Blue," now available from Blurb publishers. When I first painted Amelia I never imagined that she would be re-christened "Blue" and inspire a book. In her defense, Amelia had a number of other partners in crime - animals who's portraits seemed to fall into a specific color category and prompt color-centric names. In typical ADD fashion, my brain started spinning 100mph. What if I turned those muses' paintings into a picture book for animal loving kids? I shared my idea with three friends in the industry, and they eagerly offered their expertise. I am truly indebted to them. Illustrator and author Matt Faulkner and children's book author and literacy expert Kristen Remenar edited an early version of the draft. They suggested key plot/conceptual changes that made it oodles better. Designer Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson worked her magic, pairing the images with perfectly color...

Tabby Kit

"Tabby Kit," 5" x 7", acrylics on a museum quality panel, depicting a tiny little orange striped guy from Morgue File . This painting can be yours for $289, which includes s&h inside the US. And in case you didn't see it, a little doodle of him is also available for sale here . Inquires may come directly to me . Although it certainly doesn't FEEL like spring here (snow and ice and wind chills, brr!), I can tell that spring is coming. The mercury is rising a wee bit each day and the days are getting longer and brighter. Over the weekend we drove with the moonroof open just to feel the sun's meager and oh-so-very-welcome warmth (although the heat in the car was cranked, too, in the interest of full disclosure!). I wanted to work with spring-like colors today, and this little guy was still on my mind , so I grabbed a small panel and got to work. Of course, I also have Poppy to finish and some changes to make to another po...

Dear Copyright Thieves

Dear Copyright Thieves, Just because it's on the internet doesn't mean it's free for the taking. So let's just stop pretending the internet is a free-for-all. Don't play the card that you didn't know - that's insulting. And don't also tell me that you meant to follow up and get permission but never got a chance to. That's insulting too. And by the way, don't you have a copyright protection notice on your own site? And don't even try and point the finger at a third party who commissioned you to make a copy of my painting - again, an insult - you and I both know the difference between a reference photo and a painting. And don't tell me that I asked for it because I share my artwork on the internet. I share my paintings and ideas and the stories behind them so as to encourage others to pursue their own passions . I do not share so that those lacking integrity and morals can copy and market the images as their own...

Paintings With Soul

Search This Blog