Saturday, Feb. 7 10am-2pm
Weeks Bay Reserve – Tonsmeire Resource Center
ALL SUPPLIES PROVIDED $45

Artists around the world are discovering an unexpectedly beautiful drawing tool: a simple disposable ballpoint pen can create rich textures and soft, subtle shading with a look that resembles vintage illustration. In this workshop, learn ballpoint basics (including how to tint your work with colored pencil) and warm up with a short practice exercise. Then with step-by-step guidance, create your own ballpoint bird using a collection of reference images. No experience necessary and all art supplies are provided. (Feel free to bring a sack lunch or snack.)

Tonsmeire Resource Center stands at the mouth of Fish River, overlooking thousands of acres of tidal and forested wetlands. It is located at 11525 US Hwy 98, Fairhope, Alabama.

I have changed the way my drawing and painting courses are offered – they are now more affordable and if you sign up with me, you have access to ALL my courses. Here’s how it works:

My huge collection of previous courses, created over the past 13 years, will now be hosted on a private Substack page called 32 Art Courses. For $8/month you have access to hundreds of videos and illustrated printables to use whenever you like. You can cancel anytime. That site is https://32artcourses.substack.com

OR…

Drawing the Natural World, also hosted on Substack, is my “new courses” site where fresh videos and printables are added constantly, I conduct monthly art and book giveaways, and you also have access to all the videos (drawing owls, painting fall wildflowers, drawing small furry woodland creatures, and much more) for the past year. It costs $12/month or $120 for a year. You can visit and look around at https://valwebb.substack.com

Thanks for your interest! Hope to see you soon.

Warm wishes,

Val

This week, I have the pleasure of hosting a morning of nature journaling at a beautiful natural reserve. For everyone who ventures out to join me – and for those too far away to attend – here are some illustrated printable pages with tips on sketching birds and plants. Click the button beneath each image to download your own copy. Enjoy!

The bad news: All 30 of my online courses vanished yesterday, when my longtime web host Typepad crashed.

The good news: All 13 years of content, 400+ lesson videos and 1200 printable pdf pages, were already safely backed up on other sites, so the classes will be reappear with a new host platform. As soon as they have been reformatted and all the links checked, I will email fresh links.

Why did this happen? Early last week, Typepad announced that it would discontinue service on September 30. Immediately, thousands of users (including me) began the huge job of migrating content to new web hosts. The traffic overwhelmed the website, and it crashed. At first, Typepad reported that the outage was due to maintenance, but today it became clear that the problems ran deeper.

Typepad says it is working to restore the lost content. This means the courses may suddenly reappear today or tomorrow and continue to work until Sept. 30. Or they may not.

It was a shock to discover that everything was gone, but I’m so relieved that the interruption is temporary. Thank you for being patient.

Val

p.s. My Substack community, videos and printables, are completely unaffected by this – this is totally separate. In fact, I chose to post my new content at Substack because it is a much stronger platform.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everyone who has become a paid subscriber to my new nature drawing course+community, Drawing the Natural World. My work would not be possible without you.

We’re drawing owls all through December. For some reason (perhaps it’s the slightly humanoid flat face or their haunting night calls?) owls seem to exist in a different category from all other birds. It’s easy to understand why they have been associated with wisdom and mystery throughout human history.

Best of all, they are fun to draw. Here’s a sampling of our owl month, so far:

I have big news: I’m setting up a new nature drawing community hosted on Substack, a wonderfully easy-to-access platform. Drawing the Natural World will officially launch November 15, and you can draw through the seasons with me in graphite ink, colored pencil, mixed media and more. We’ll have a new theme each month, starting with fall botanicals in colored pencil. (This will be all new material, not projects from my other online courses.)

With a $12/month subscription, you will receive:

• Two full-length video drawing tutorials, arriving in your inbox on the 1st and 15th of every month
• Illustrated printable pages every Monday: drawing techniques, sketchbook inspiration, practice exercises and more
• A monthly roundup with reviews of books and art supplies, nature journaling demos, studio news and giveaways
• 50% off all my lifetime access online courses – choose from 30 topics
• Starting in January, a monthly live “draw and chat” session

If you are a free subscriber, you will receive just the monthly roundup.

CLICK TO FIND OUT MORE.

Do as much or as little as you like, unsubscribe anytime with a click. I hope you will join me.

Hugs,

Val

This morning I added these gouache-on-a-teabag mini paintings PLUS all my matted art prints are now marked 25% off. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported my work! You are the best. Check out the shop here: verytinystudio.com

Miniature Painting
7 Projects – start anytime
LIFETIME ACCESS $60

No previous art experience necessary! Explore the fascinating world of miniature painting, and create charming original art approximately the size of a postage stamp. I’ll share the tools and techniques for tiny art, and guide you step-by-step through six complete projects: three on watercolor paper and three on lovely golden-brown stained tea bags. There is also a bonus warm-up lesson to help you get used to working on a small scale – and ideas for ways to mat and frame your tiny art for display.

Each lesson has two (or more) videos, plus a set of illustrated printable pages. The course is hosted on a password protected website, and your access is permanent. Work at your own comfortable pace.

Our paintings will be created in gouache (opaque watercolor), colored pencil and ink. If you have taken a class with me before, you probably already have some of our supplies.

The supply list is at the bottom of this post.

SUPPLY LIST for MINIATURE PAINTING COURSE:

• 2B drawing pencil
• kneaded eraser AND hard rubber/vinyl/polymer art eraser
• 3 tea bags containing tea (any kind)
• scrap paper for sketching
• ruler
• small piece of hot press (smooth) watercolor paper – 6×9 is plenty
• a small set of gouache in tubes (make sure it contains white)
• 2 watercolor brushes: #4 round and a 20/0 micro detail brush (available on Amazon at two for $7.99)
• Pigma Micron or Copic Multiliner or other waterproof black ink pen, tip size 005 or 003
• a small set of colored pencils, any good-quality brand such as Prismacolor, Derwent, or Polychromos
• a pencil sharpener, either electric or handheld

Thanks to everyone who signed up for courses during this week’s Buy One Get One sale. Your support makes my work possible, and I appreciate it very much. 🙂

Enjoy your summer of drawing, painting, and hand lettering!

Hugs,

Val