Back to Work on Workshops! ~ August 25, 2008

The biggest problem with workshops, I have found, is promoting them. Shouldn't it be possible to have an online matching service for people who like to promote and people who have something to promote, sort of like a dating service?

There could be a side bar with sample agreement forms, from simple to complex, maybe with open boxes where you could fill in your particular item or terms. And profiles, of course, so one could see what the potential "partner" was like and whether they could do what you need.

Hmmmm.....I see a big opportunity for SOMEbody here-- maybe even a moneymaker if you were smart. If you happen to be that somebody who starts the business, would you please send me a notification when you get it all sorted out so I can join?

I've returned from Idaho (500 or so miles across the Oregon High Desert) with lots accomplished with regard to both workshops and my book The Southern Swamp Explorer. On my way over, I passed through the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and had the brainstorm while I was there that the curators might like to have a field sketching workshop for their people. So I'm in contact with them now about that and who knows how it will shape up.

Sarah, the director at The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center where I will give a workshop in October, is easy to work with, and I think we're both on the same track about the workshop. She took me into the archives to photograph old items we might like to sketch, and answered my questions about the emigrants (for instance, do you know what "saleratus" is? A lot of the diaries written by emigrants mention saleratus).

Sarah also gave me directions to one of the few places you can still see the actual tracks of the Oregon Trail on my way to my brother's. It was sort a holy grail place to me, and I walked along it a ways, thinking covered-wagon-linsey-woolsey-oxen sorts of thoughts. Here's a picture of it. Would you believe the distance between the tracks -- hence, the width of a covered wagon -- is only about four feet, roughly the distance between the wheels of a 4-wheeler (I know, because we use these in the native plant nursery where I work)?

When I arrived at my brother David's place in Idaho, the press proof for The Southern Swamp Explorer was waiting for me to check. David helped me for one whole evening (what a trooper!) and I spent the next 2 days working on it, making the changes, and (with David's help, since some of the fonts were giving me fits on this different computer) burning a new DVD. With all the illustrations, it had to be burned to a capacious DVD since it wouldn't fit on a CD. And on Saturday we sent it off FedEx, overnight, which meant it would arrive during business hours on Monday. Cost me some $56 for about 2lbs. Yikes! The big hurry was so that my print job wouldn't lose its place in the queue and get further delayed. Still, $56........!

THEN I could relax for a few days and just have fun. I started back on Wednesday at 8am, and hit both the Four Rivers Cultural Center and High Desert Museum, leaving my card and a workshop workbook so that they would have something to look at when I contact them later with a proposal for a workshop. I'll be putting together the rough draft of the proposal today, I hope.

Coming back across the Oregon High Desert, (a quick aside here: I'd say about 80% of my route from my home in southern Oregon to western Idaho is through rough country where there is no cellphone reception. I carry the cellphone, but it's mostly for looks.) about twenty miles out of Bend, my cellphone rang -- gasp -- what's that sound! It was the print company doing my swamp book telling me that they'd sent the corrected pages back to me email (at home) and that they'd need them at 8am sharp (Central Daylight Time -- I'm on Pacific Daylight Time) the next morning to continue to keep my spot in the queue. Well, I was delighted that 1) they actually were able to reach me and 2) that they warned me, because I might not have checked my email when I got home.

But that also meant that after twelve hours and 500+ miles on the road, tired and a bit groggy, I had to sit at the computer with an actively engaged brain (yeah, sure) and recheck the pages they sent to make sure all was copacetic, and then email them back that night so they'd have them the next morning. But NOW, I'm DONE with the book, there's nothing else I CAN DO with the book. Sure feels funny! By the way, I upgraded The Southern Swamp Explorer page with a peek inside the book if you'd like to look. Let me know if you think it helps!

And as for promoting the workshops, I now need to telephone or email the places I left workbooks during my trip and make my pitch. I'm awful on the phone. I hate telephoning (talk about being out of step with today's world!) and I have to force myself to follow through with a phone call.

By the way, I spent yesterday spiffing up my Upcoming Workshops webpage because if I'm about to start promoting my workshops seriously I want the webpage to look upscale so that people will know what happens in the workshops and feel comfortable contacting me about scheduling one.

I hope you'll go take a look (I added lots of graphics) because I need some feedback about whether I was successful in improving it, and also I need to know if anything is off the mark or if something else (or more of something) is needed. Also, I need to know how long it now takes it to come up on your screen, because of all the images. Please go see it and get back to me about what you see. I need you!

Where the heck is that person that wants to promote my workshops?

In the next few days, I'll be inventing my pitch for the workshop. I need something I can send along with my business card and a sample workbook to convince people that they need me to come give my workshop either to their people or to people they promote it to. When I get something together, I'll post it.

In the meantime, I hope you will check out my Upcoming Workshop page. It would be greatly helpful to get your reaction/opinion, and I'd really appreciate it!

p.s. Saleratus is a natural soda formed in drying alkali lakes, and the emigrants picked up chunks to use in their baking on the trail (and afterward, too, I expect).

Catching Up ~ comments from the kids

I'm WAY behind! I know the last post was all about the cover to the swamp book (which has progressed somewhat, into, at least, the "getting the outline onto the canvas" stage (actually onto paper ~ I'm using a heavy, hot-press {smooth} bristol paper).

But so much has other stuff happened that I need to catch up with that stuff before I write more about the cover and the swamp book.

First, I wanted to share some of the students' comments about the Journal Sketching workshop I did for the 10-13-year-olds at John Muir School in Ashland, Oregon (just down the road), in April. I picked one comment from each of the evaluations returned to me ~ not all students filled them out. I have used conventional spelling throughout so as not to distract from the sentiments expressed.

Frank (12) (at right) wrote: "This class was extraordinary!!!! Thank you, Irene, it was wonderful."

Michaela (11) (left)wrote: "Irene Brady was very nice and understanding at times. I love journal entries because of her and can't wait to use these skills!
~To Irene Brady~
We had so much fun, ~ And learned a ton, ~ But sad to see you go, I'll miss you so. ~I learned how to use my right brain, ~ but now my right hand has a pain! ~Hope to see you again! ~By Michaela, and She Rocks".

Emma (13) (right) wrote: "I loved this workshop because not only did I learn new ways to improve my art, I did it in a fun way that I could remember...Before, I wasn't confident in my artwork. I didn't want anyone to look at it. Now I feel confident and I can show people."

Kasey (12)(left) wrote: "I especially liked working with watercolor pencils. I also liked sketching. I think my drawing skills have increased. I am glad I got to go to this workshop."

Madison (11) (right)wrote: "I learned a lot of new stuff. Now I know my journal is going to look better!!"

Tristan (11) (left)wrote: "What I enjoyed was all the different things I learned, and I enjoyed all this art and writing, and I was amazed how much we learned in so little time. I think there is nothing bad I can say."

Marlee (10) (right) wrote: "I think that now I am very good at making and organizing journal pages and books. I learned shading and a lot of other things...I really love how she made sure everyone had equal turns on [paint]brushes and she let us all read poems and haikus. She has inspired me!"

I asked Tim, their teacher, "what was the most useful part of thie workshop for your students?" and his answer was "Clear, specific skills presentation, demonstration and application."

Some complaints I received, in response to the question Was there anything about the workshop you wish had been different?:
(from the kids) ~"10 instead of 5 minute breaks" ~"to have one more day with Irene, and to get at least one person that we could pick to sit by." ~" I think it would be nice if the classes were a little bit spaced over days" ~"less people" (there were 20 in the class).

(and from Tim)"Perhaps they could have made a journal page with a found object in class."

So I think that went okay (with needed improvements noted). And those are all valid complaints, I'd say.

Jocelyn's Journal from the Costa Rica Workshop

Jocelyn Curry, who attended my recent Costa Rica Workshop at El Remanso Wildlife Lodge on the Osa Peninsula, has graciously given me permission to show you her journal (which she says is still not quite finished).

This is a beautiful book, and while Jocelyn did indeed take the class and gain new skills and ideas from it, she already was an accomplished artist with many years of art, commercial calligraphy, and journaling experience before attending the course.

The workshop did offer ideas, assignments and instruction which influenced the journal's direction and final appearance. But I am fully aware that I can take only a small amount of credit for the pleasing results. A note about the cover (the first image below), this is the front of the journal. A matching flap, a continuation of the back cover, folded around about two inches over the front (along the right edge) as a closure.

Be sure to click on the thumbnails to see Jocelyn's beautiful journal pages close-up!

This workshop will be held again in July, same place, same general format, except that instead of calligraphy I will be teaching a fun "Vacation Font" with which to title pages and sketches. I'll be creating a new page with the new workshop information as the date approaches, which you can access from here. Also, be sure to check out my other workshops here. I'm adding more dates as I book workshops, with an especially fun one coming up in October at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baker City, Oregon.

Any one for a workshop in Costa Rica or Hawaii?

I'm toying with two ideas for my next journal/sketching workshop (similar to the one I just did), and I may go for one or both. Let's hear it for a workshop in Hawaii, on the Big Island, in Kona, Hilo, Volcano Village area, or at Kalana Retreat Center. Not sure where or when, but within the year.

OR

July at El Remanso, on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica.

Do I hear anyone really interested in either/both? Let me know. It's not binding, of course ~ I'm just trolling for interest. If either of these appeals to you, either comment here or drop me a line. If you comment here, you'll encourage others to comment. If you write to me, it's private.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Irene

Oops ~ Lights out!

WHOOOOOSHHHH! Right when I was hitting my Hawaii stride, a big storm came along (you may have been hearing about it on the national news) with 60mph winds here in my southwestern Oregon valley. Around 4am on Friday morning, the power went off over a three county area. At one point, the recorded message was claiming 19,000 households without power. With my woodstove and kerosene lamps, I wasn't in any trouble, but turning on my computer wasn't an option until yesterday at about 4pm. Thirty-six hours without electricity really catches your attention! I wanna go solar!

I spent today catching up on book orders and workbook prep for my Journaling/Sketching Workshop which starts next weekend -- if I get enough participants. I hadn't realized that the workshop was accidentally listed under "nature crafts," online, which evokes basket-weaving sessions and doing things with leaves and pinecones rather than writing and journaling.

As a result, so far I don't have enough participants to make the workshop go, so if you were thinking of taking a Journaling/Sketching Workshop in the Rogue Valley area of Oregon in the near future, here's your big chance! If you wish you'd known about it sooner, sign up for my newsletter in the column at right to get occasional missives from me telling about upcoming workshops.

Tomorrow I'll get back to uploading my hand-written and -drawn journal pages, photos and comments about my recent Hawaii workshop-site-search trip.

'Til then, aloha, and keep warm!

Prep For My Nature/Journaling Trip to Hawaii

Hello! I've been nose-to-the-grindstoning the last two months to get my new book The Southern Swamp Explorer ready for press. Every day, all day, no weekends off. Finally, yesterday, I sent off the last three proof copies to my proofreaders and turned off the computer for the day. Boy, does THAT feel weird!


While it was off, I started, finally, collecting together what I want to take to Hawai'i -- wait. . . .I don't think I've mentioned the trip I am taking for nine days over Christmas to scout out Hawai'i as a possible nature sketching/journaling workshop site! That's a NASA photo of of The Big Island at right. It's about 50 miles across.


One of my recent students has a house on The Big Island in Hawai'i, and I'll be staying there for part of the time. My idea is to take this trip using all of the tips and techniques I use in my Nature Sketching/Journaling class, taking in the wonders of each lovely spot and recording them in my sketchbook. Normally I travel with someone else, and that kind of dictates what you end up doing. I'll miss my traveling buddy Daniel, but by myself. . . well, I'll try new ideas out.

I am traveling l.i.g.h.t. I want to be able to carry everything in my backpack and fannypack -- on the plane, while I travel in my rental car, etc. So I've been paring down everything I can, and the process is amazing.

In this blog I am going to outline my travel kit, and when I get back I'll tell you how it worked. Here's the plan for right now.

All of my drawing supplies need to fit in my fanny pack, so I got a sketchpad that is 6x9, the Robert Bateman Cover Series with 100% recycled paper (which is marvelously heavyweight and smooth) -- I used one like this in Costa Rica last spring (see blog #1). To prepare the sketchbook, I scanned in a roadmap of The Big Island from Hawaii, The Big Island Revealed, by Andrew Doughty (looks excellent, comes highly recommended) which I will also take. With the map on the cover, I'll always have a convenient map handy. I also decorated it a bit with the Hawai'i banner across the end just to pretty it up. I haven't yet covered it with clear package tape, but that's the next step. I'm expecting it to get rained on, and the tape will repell rain for quite some time. It weighs 13 ounces.


Inside the cover I've fastened a light, clear ruler and two business cards in case I lose it.


Next comes my drawing kit. Here's a scan of it. The stuff all fits in my clear plastic "cosmetics" container, which I use as a bug jail for sketching bugs. Actually,all the sharp goodies are put first into a little snack baggie to keep them from scratching the "jail" -- I need it scratch-free so I can draw insects I put inside (only briefly, to draw; this ain't death row!).


Here's what I put inside: magnifying glass on a colorful string so I don't lose it, business cards to give away, mechanical pencil, extra leads, kneaded eraser (that blobby gray thing at top), paintbrush with water in the barrel (it's blue, LOVE it!) , blue wipe cloth. eraser in pink barrel, a pencil sharpener for colored pencils (at bottom), a couple of pencil smudgers (tortillons, at left), safety pin, paper clips and a rubber band. That weighs 5 ounces.

I was going to just take my watercolor pencils in their flat metal box, but then I realized that, weightwise, the box could be replaced with a whole slew of other pencils, so I added a lot of in-between colors from my workshop kit. I've tried several different brands, and they mostly work fine. These are Staedtler (which I haven't used before) and Van Gogh and Faber-Castell, both of which are great. All together, they still don't weigh as much as half the original pencils IN the metal box


I'm taking my gold calligraphy pen (in center) with which I can make lovely initial caps. They really dress up a page.

All these things go in the fanny pack. Also in there is my smallish flashlight (4 ounces). Hawaii is in the tropics, and the sun will be going down around 6pm, so I might get caught out. I'd like to see the lava eruptions at night (if there are any) and it could come in handy. A flashlight is also super for looking into crevices for insects. Next, I have a very thin 9"-12" foam pad which weighs less than an ounce, a 3"x5"x ½" little packet with an emergency poncho in it, and a couple of energy bars. There is a pouch to carry a water bottle which slips on the belt, and I'll get a bottle for it when I'm there.


The whole fannypack, without the water, weighs 3 pounds exactly, and I'll probably stuff some other things in it, too (chapstick, sunscreen, deet, etc.). And maybe my little binoculars, which still will probably total less than four pounds.


Then, in a separate camera bag slung over my shoulder, I'll carry my camera bag, which weighs in at just under a pound. The camera is an iffy thing. I've noticed that when I have the camera sometimes I'll take a picture and skip drawing. So I may have to ration camera use. I probably should clip my cell phone onto my belt, too, in case I fall off a cliff. Well, I may look like a burro with all that gear, but I'll have everything I need to have fun with.


Sometimes I wear a fishing vest instead of using the fanny pack. It distributes weight evenly over the shoulders and is more comfortable than the fanny pack. I'll have to think about it. I don't wear it when I'm with Daniel because he thinks it looks goofy, but hey, I don't care.

So there's the sketching end.

For the workshop end, I'm taking along my workbooks from both the nature sketching workshop and the nature journaling workshop. I can show these to anyone who is interested, because they really do outline what I teach in the workshops. As well, I can give away my business cards (see inside the sketchbook cover) which have this blog address and my workshop website address on them. (By the way, I got those business cards at vistaprint.com for free -- you just fill in what you want them to say, choose a design, and click. All you do is pay shipping and handling, $3-$4. Don't they look nice? And no, I didn't get paid to say that -- I just think they're a terrific deal!)


Now, as for the clothing, Hawai'i has ALL the climate zones except one, I understand, from sea level to the top of Moana Loa. I'm told that in addition to shorts and T-shirts I will need my fleece jacket and jogging pants. So, since it's December in Oregon, on the plane I will wear the jogging pants with my summer-weight safari pants over them. The safari pants have zip-off legs to make shorts, and lots of pockets, perfect to travel in. And I'll wear several layers of tops including my jacket. . . hey, maybe my change of clothes can consist of a swimsuit, a pair of sandals, a sun hat and some extra underwear! I'll have access to a washing machine if I need it. Cool!


So there it is. I think everything else (paperback, comb, first-aid kit, teeny travel towel, toothbrush, maps, addresses, sunglasses, bird book, cellphone charger, etc.) will fit in my pack which I can skooch under the seat in front of me on the plane.

Now I must clean the house for the house-sitter and make her a list of what to do in emergencies. (and hope Jesse doesn't pounce on her like he did the last house-sitter). Jesse says he will get along just fine without me, and he has already hung his stocking (in progress, at left). Well!


Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays, dear friend! I will blog again when I return, with results of my trip.

Irish Musicians and a Big-Time Computer Crash

WELL! I have had quite a month! My computer crashed with a resounding thump the third week of August as I was preparing the workbooks for my newest workshop, the one I've been chronicling here. It has taken me quite awhile and quite a jouncy ride to get a new computer up and running, the workbooks finished and off to the printer so they could arrive here in time for the class, and to finish gathering teaching materials and getting ready to teach that class. WHEW!

Below is the entry I managed to prepare the week after the crash (but never got a chance to post), and now I'm already in the middle of the Journaling workshop so it is slightly out of date -- but there's some really interesting news in it so I'm going to post this tonight and then post the info about the workshop (how it went, what I'll have to change, and other cool stuff, plus pictures) tomorrow or the next day. So start reading, and keep tooned.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
drafted about August 25 but never posted:

My Journaling Workshop is Official!

Hoo boy, it's for real now! My classified ad just appeared in the September issue of The Artist's Magazine (page 84, top left corner!), and I have two students signed up already plus the magazine has sent me "leads" from people who registered interest in it. Looks like it's a go! I need to send out info to those leads soon!

I spent some time putting my Journaling Workshop web page together, too, and I think it looks pretty exciting. El Remanso, the wildlife lodge in Costa Rica which is hosting the workshops, has also put up a web page about it.

I have my first go at the class in just a couple of weeks here in The Rogue Valley (that's what they call this area, since the mighty Rogue River, of Rooster Cogburn fame runs through it). The class is listed on page 33 of the Ashland Parks and Recreation Guide along with the new venture that fellow artist Cathy Egelston and I are going to try, which is leading sketching rambles in Lithia park on the 2nd and 4th Mondays in October and November.

I've heard of other artists going out and sketching with whoever shows up for the "crawl" and thought it sounded like fun -- so we'll give it a try. Since Cathy and I both teach in the area, we figured it might be a nice way to get acquainted with potential students -- they can come and get a free look at us before committing time and their hard-earned money to a class or workshop.

My workbooks aren't finished yet, though. I had finished the sketching workbook and was putting the finishing touches on the writing workbook when my barely-2-year-old computer crashed. Gone. Have you noticed how time seems to pass by so quickly as we get older? Well, I thought I'd backed up just a few days before, and it turned out it was three WEEKS before. I lost a lot of work I'd put beau coup time into, and I also lost all my email for the last many years, all my contacts, etc. And I lost EVERYTHING in the workbooks.

Actually, I'd printed out a fairly recent draft (with only (!) a couple of days of improvement lost), but I'm in Oregon and my InDesign program disk was accidentally left in Idaho last time I went, so there was no time to start over and no time to get it here with the Labor Day Weekend in the way. So I've been scanning all the printed draft pages into Photoshop, making the needed changes graphically, and I'll put those into pdfs to send to the printer. They'll work fine -- it's just not how I planned to spend my week!

And oh, if you've ever had your computer croak on you, you'll know the agony of sitting down to do something and discovering that something needs installing, or you're missing a beloved program that you only had on your computer and have no way to replace.

So it's been a tough week, but at least my new computer is up and running and my old scanner works again, so, soon I will scan in some of the things I've been sketching. It was SO much fun drawing the Irish musicians again last week! Thirteen of them at one point, with harp, bodhran (drum), mandolin, guitar, fiddle, pipes, bones, box, button accordian, and banjo (hope I didn't forget anything!).