Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Jacksonville Workshop


Jami's Portrait ©Jami Childers
This past weekend we had tons of fun at the home of Francesca Tabor-Miolla in Jacksonville with the Society of Mixed Media Artists. Fourteen students came to learn the art of Paper Painting with me. What a great group. We even had two women from the Orlando area, Aurore and Clair, who I actually did not know previously!

Jami did a terrific job with the hair, flowing and patterned just the right amount. She took my advice and made the skin tones a more restful area, which really allows the hair to stand out. Her eyes look so real, she used multiple greens within them and the perfect highlight on each. Jami got these great skin tones by ripping up some watercolor portraits she had done, but was unhappy with. Repurposed art! I love her use of purple in the hair and in the shadows of the face, the salmon color ties in really nice in contrast with the purple, in the lips and hair and corners of the eyes.

Jami is a wonderful portrait artist and she was eager to finish her piece, she went home and worked on this so she could send me a photo to share. Now she says she is hooked.

Check out Jami's other portrait work on her website

10 comments:

  1. You are such a great teacher! That is a fantastic piece!

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  2. You are a wonderful teacher! I cannot wait to start another piece. I have a few projects to finish first & then I'll be at it again. Thank you for a great workshop!!!!

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  3. This is a fantastic piece! Jami did a great job, she's a very talented portrait artist to begin with, and that really helped! I enjoyed the workshop very much!

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  4. Talk to us about eyelashes and pupils, etc. Could these actually be torn paper too or did she use an ink pen for tiny details? I don't know if I can STAND waiting to take a workshop until next fall but am off to Wisconsin on the 16th and so will watch and rewatch the video and struggle along until then.

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  5. Eyelashes were a trick I taught her, a very very fibrous paper, tear it and all the fibers stick out just like lashes or fur. Also, the eyes look best when you put a variety of small pieces of multiple greens in there. Jami wanted to be a purist, so I'm sure they are all bits of paper, her eyes were a good size on this piece.

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  6. Yup, I have no fingernails left after picking all that paper. I tried a couple of things for the lashes first then remembered your peacock. She needed some stand out eyelashes & it worked great. It was so worth the effort. I would have never been able to get all that texture without using some great papers. I am proud & will have it on the barber shop wall soon!

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  7. I am loving seeing the workshop collages. Elizabeth, I am still having trouble with using a variety of papers as you suggested, can't wait to get a hands-on demo. this portrait is really lovely!

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  8. It is lovely isn't it? the key is lots of different papers and many colors within one color area. Jami did that in the eyes and the hair and even the shadows of the skin tones, and it really works!

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  9. Elizabeth, I think ALL the participants had a good time and were thoroughly inspired by you. I know I did and was. You have the perfect personality for workshops. So open and accessible and you presented the material very understandably and with passion
    THANKS!
    Leslie K

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  10. Leslie, I am so glad to hear that it was a hit! Awesome. I think what also helps is not only do I love collage, but I also do love teaching it and sharing what I know with others. Thanks for your compliments!

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thank you for taking the time to read and comment! :)