Hello!
Thank you for being a part of Sketchbook Revival 2024!
Below is the PDF for 20 Fast & Fun Drawing Exercises. I hope you enjoy them!
PDF LINK TK
Thank you so much again. Please sign up for our newsletter if you want to receive notices of our monthly Free Zoom Work Sessions with Guest Artists and for all of our sales and promos on our catalog of online classes.
And here are some links to some free videos right here!
Have a wonderful, creative month!
Carla
Hello!
This is a really fun exercise (I think!) to do when you are stumped as to what to draw in your sketchbooks.
Gather about 10 drawing utensils (markers, colored pencils, etc.) and limit yourself to just those colors. Then, CLOSE YOUR EYES and draw four circles on your page, leaving enough room to later add bodies, etc. Now, open your eyes and began adding hair, eyes, noses, cheeks, and shading to your circles to create your character.
Now that you have a sense of who your character is, you’re ready to add the body. CLOSE YOUR EYES AGAIN, do your best, then have fun solving the puzzle of how to finish off your characters!
I have found over the years that I often prefer drawing done partially with my eyes closed, as the line quality and shapes can be imperfect and wonky, almost childlike… a style that really inspires me. I hope you like it, too!
Carla Sonheim
Hello! Let’s make a collaborative ‘Zine!
Chasing Rabbits
Non-fiction: Illustrated Memoir & Creativity
96 pages • full color
+ bonus 24-page “Girl, Grandma” ‘zine
Purchase here on this website! $28.00 + $5.00 shipping (U.S. only at this time)
Hi Everyone!
“Chasing Rabbits” is an assignment I give while teaching (and to myself) that is about being free to discover what happens, rather than be intentional about the end product . . . a time to chase ideas, maybe not ever quite catch them but have a wonderful time in the process. And so for a long time now I have wanted to create a publication that had the FEELING of chasing rabbits.
In the beginning I thought it was going to be a really big book filled with every single piece of artwork I’ve made and every single thing I’ve ever written in my journals and blog posts and newsletters over the years!
Ha! That was never going to happen . . . . So instead I began to think of it as more of a serial book/magazine hybrid that includes drawings, paintings, sketches and scribbles as well as notes, musings and stories divided into three sections: Life, Creativity and the Pursuit of Happiness (with an emphasis on the word “pursuit” because, you know, life is hard). This is the first issue.
I really hope you like it!
Carla
_________________
Inside Peek:
The first section includes writing and images that tell the story of my childhood and adulthood (Incomplete! More to come!). It includes an annotated map of my childhood home, Greeting Cards to People from My Past, a selection of illustrated journal pages, and more.
I am tremendously lucky to be able to teach my passion: art and creativity. This section includes three mixed-media how-to projects and some other fun ways to think about our art.
I am a chronic documenter of my feelings, with hundreds of completed journals that I’ve kept on and off since high school. In this section I’ve paired artworks with various journal excerpts, blog posts and other writings.
And don’t forget that this issue includes a “Girl, Grandma” Board-Book ‘Zine!
Scroll down for our July Recording with Cat Bennett!
Scroll down for our June Recording with Kara Kramer!
Scroll down further for our May Recording with Julie-Liger Belair!
Scroll down even further for our April Recording with Lendon Noe!
July 16, 2024
Hi everyone! Thank you to those of you who made it to our time with Cat Bennett! And double thanks for hanging with us during all of the technical difficulties. Here is the recording… if for some reason you can’t play the video screen below, HERE is a link to play it and HERE is a link to download it. See you next month! (Details soon.)
July 1, 2024
Hi everyone! Please join us for our next
Topic: FREE Zoom Session: Talk & Draw with Cat Bennett!
Time: Tuesday, July 16th at 11am-12:30pm PT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81054485974
Meeting ID: 810 5448 5974
Our Guest Artist for July is Cat Bennett!
Cat worked as an illustrator/designer for about thirty years. Her illustrations have appeared in The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, The Wall Street Journal, The Baltimore Sun and Time Magazine, Houghton Mifflin, Scholastic, Harcourt Brace and many other publications. She has also made short animations for CBC-Sesame Street, Nickelodeon TV, WHDH-TV, WGBH-TV and various non-profits. She has exhibited her art in group shows in Boston, New York, and Tokyo. Learn more about Cat and her work at www.catbennett.net/
The Zoom Session will last 1.5 hours. Cat and I will talk for a bit, and then Cat will share a creative exercise. Then, we will work together in community where can continue your “Cat” explorations or work on your own creative projects. At the end of the session, there will be time for sharing and questions!
A Mini “Bloom” Accordian Book
with Cat Bennett
I’m really looking forward to talking and creating with Cat and hope you can join us!
Carla
P.S. Here is the Zoom Info Again!
Topic: FREE Zoom Session: Talk & Draw with Cat Bennett!
Time: Tuesday, July 16th at 11am – 12:30pm PT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81054485974
Meeting ID: 810 5448 5974
P.S.S. The session will be recorded and we will be available right here within about a day after the event. Thank you!
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June 12, 2024
Hi everyone! Thank you to those of you who made it to our time with Kara Kramer! Here is the recording… if for some reason you can’t play the video screen below, HERE is a link to play it and HERE is a link to download it. See you next month! (Details soon.)
May 29, 2024
Hi everyone! Please join us for our next
Topic: FREE Zoom Session: Talk & Draw with Kara Kramer!
Time: Tuesday, June 11th at 11am-12:30pm PT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81054485974
Meeting ID: 810 5448 5974
Our Guest Artist for June is Kara Kramer!
Kara is one of my favorite people and artists! She has taught two awesome classes with us and has recently been exploding on the children’s book scene with four picture books to her name, including new picture book, Erno Rubik and His Magic Cube (authored by Kerry Aradhya and illustrated by Kara) that will be released tomorrow! (We get to celebrate with her on the book-release day!)
The Zoom Session will last 1.5 hours. Kara and I will talk for a bit, and then Kara will show us two creative exercises. Then, we will work together in community where can continue your “Kara” explorations or work on your own creative projects. At the end of the session, there will be time for sharing and questions! You will be making…
Here are the supplies to bring to our Work Session:
• Gather a piece of string, a bent paper clip, cut rubber band or some other small objects, including collage paper bits cut into various small shapes.
• some paper (can be your sketchbook, loose paper or watercolor paper)
• glue stick
• your favorite pen
• your smartphone camera or similar
(Note: Please don’t worry if you don’t have the exact supplies… just come as you are and with what you have!)
I’m really looking forward to talking and creating with Kara and hope you can join us!
Carla
P.S. Here is the Zoom Info Again!
Topic: FREE Zoom Session: Talk & Draw with Kara Kramer!
Time: Tuesday, June 11th at 11am – 12:30pm PT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81054485974
Meeting ID: 810 5448 5974
P.S.S. The session will be recorded and we will be available right here within about a day after the event. Thank you!
___________________________________________________________
May 8, 2024
Hi everyone! Thank you to those of you who made it to our time with Julie Liger-Belair! Here is the recording… if for some reason you can’t play the video screen below, HERE is a link to play it and HERE is a link to download it. See you next month!
May 2, 2024
Hi everyone! Please join us for our next
on Tuesday, May 7th at 11am-12:30pm PT!
Topic: FREE Zoom Session: Talk & Collage with Julie Liger-Belair
Time: Tuesday, May 7th at 11am-12:30pm PT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81054485974
Meeting ID: 810 5448 5974
Julie Liger-Belair is an artist living and practicing in Toronto, Canada. For the past 25 years she has been making collage and assemblage work using vintage photos, Japanese paper, found objects and ephemera as well as acrylic and gouache paint, colour pencils and ink. She works in her garage studio where she sometimes allows her husband, three children and little black dog Frida, to visit. Her website is: https://www.julieligerbelair.net
The Zoom Session will last 1.5 hours. Julie and I will talk for a bit, and Julie will show us her project and then we will create together in community. At the end of the session, there will be time for sharing and questions! You will be making…
Here are the supplies to bring to our Work Session:
Carla
____________________________
April 18, 2024 – Thank you to everyone who came! Here is the recording of Lendon’s Interview and our Zoom session together. See you next month! (Details soon.) -Carla
____________________________
April 4, 2024
Hi everyone!
I hope you will join us for a
on Tuesday, April 16th at 11am-12:30pm PT!
Topic: FREE Zoom Session: Talk & Draw with Lendon Noe
Time: Tuesday, April 16th at 11am-12:30pm PT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81054485974
Meeting ID: 810 5448 5974
Our Guest Artist for April is Lendon Noe! Lendon is a native of Jackson, Tennessee, where she has been a Professor of Art at Lambuth University, Head of the School of Arts and Communications, and Chair of the Visual Art Department. She taught primarily, drawing, painting and design, and has taught three wonderful classes with us!
Lendon and I will talk for a bit, and then we will draw and create together in community. At the end of the session, there will be time for sharing and questions! Lendon will lead us in a pattern making exercise—circles in rows of varying sizes and playing with the positive/negative space:
Supplies to Have Ready:
• a piece of paper that is any color but white or black (if you don’t have any on hand, you can tone a piece of white paper with watercolor or acrylics)
• a black marker, medium or fine point
• a white gel pen or white colored pencil
(And if you don’t have these exactly supplies, don’t worry! Bring what you have and just play along!)
Here is the Zoom info again:
Topic: FREE Zoom Session: Talk & Draw with Lendon Noe
Time: Tuesday, April 16th at 11am-12:30pm PT
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81054485974
Meeting ID: 810 5448 5974
I’ll send a reminder out to the newsletter list on Monday, April 15th as well!
Thank you and we look forward to working with you on Tuesday, April 16th!
Carla
Note: The session will be recorded and we will have more information on how to access future recordings soon. Thank you!
Hi everyone!
Here is a little clip from Lesson 3 of Anita Lehmann’s new class, Creative Printmaking 2! We wanted to give you a little preview in case you’ve never seen Anita’s teaching style!
Class begins October 17th… join us! CLICK HERE for more info. Thank you!
Steve & Carla
Hi, and thank you for being here!
The Online Class Intro Videos are listed here in alphabetical order. Just scroll down, click on the link and a screen should open up, then click play to start.
Thank you so much again for your interest in our classes!
Carla
_______
NEW Class Begins March 5th
Urban Sketchbooking with Lewis Rossignol
If for some reason the video doesn’t play, CLICK HERE and it should open up right away!
Also
Sign up Anytime!! 2024 Yearlong Class: Creativity Lab
If the above video won’t play, click the link below and a screen should pop up!
2024: Creativity Lab (Yearlong Class with Carla
7 Essentials
Abstraction: Diving Deeper
Art Journaling
The Beauty of Composition
Big Bold Bloom 2
Big Bold Bloom Wild Painting!
Big Juicy Watercolor
Bleed-Through Picture Making
Blobimal Artist Books
Bright Color Scribble Painting
Buttonhole Stitch Journal
Cats!
Collage with Carla
The Collage Techniques of Anne Marie Grgich
Creating Simple Characters
Creative Illustration Workout
Creative Printmaking with Anita Lehmann
Creative Printmaking 2
Doing More with your Gelli Plate
Drawing Workshop
DRAW!
Dream Bubbles, Scrappy Blablahs & More
The Essence of Still Life
Fairy Tale Illustration
Fine Art Collage
Gelli Plate Plus
Gelli Plate Printmaking
How to make Abstract Art That
How to Paint a Mouse
Imaginary Creatures
Improv Collage
Intro to Abstract Painting
Intro to Encaustic Painting
Joy Stuff
The Magic of Colored Pencils
Making Art a Practice
Making Faces
Meaning Making
Mixed-Media Girls with Cori Dantini
Mixed-Media Paintings with Lewis
Painting with Junko Yamamoto
Paper Mache Sculpture
Portraits with Lewis Rossignol
Procreate with Lewis Rossignol
Seeded Notebook
Spark!
Sketchbooking
Symbolic Portraits
Three Flower Paintings
Translating Landscape
Urban Sketchbooking
Watercolor Workshop
Weaving!
Wordplay Painting
Words and Pictures
Y is for Yellow
Year of the Collage
Year of the Rabbit
Facebook & Padlet Forums. The Forums are open! Participation is completely optional but can be the best way to stay connected with the lessons and each other. We’ve gotten feedback over the years that ours are one of the nicest forums around, so please join in if you can!
Our main group is at Facebook, but there is a small group for those not on Facebook who can interact via Padlet. (Please just choose one forum to post in to avoid double postings.) Here are the links!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/781761990070610
Padlet: https://padlet.com/Carla_Sonheim/mixed-media-painting-with-lewis-rossignol-76ac8sgq3llblwx2
Facebook & Padlet Forums. The Forums are open! Participation is completely optional but can be the best way to stay connected with the lessons and each other! We’ve gotten feedback over the years that ours are the nicest forums around, so please join in if you can!
Our main group is at Facebook, but there is a small group for those not on Facebook who can interact via Padlet. (Please just choose one forum to post in to avoid double postings.) Here are the links!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/2057183177815685
Padlet: www.padlet.com/Carla_Sonheim/trxa2ioo00eeu6ab
Facebook & Padlet Forums. The Forums are open! Participation is completely optional but can be the best way to stay connected with the lessons and each other! We’ve gotten feedback over the years that ours are the nicest forums around, so please join in if you can!
Our main group is at Facebook, but there is a small group for those not on Facebook who can interact via Padlet. (Please just choose one forum to post in to avoid double postings.) Here are the links!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1094921028047032
Padlet: https://padlet.com/Carla_Sonheim/xwxaj50916sfv5zx
Facebook & Padlet Forums. The Forums are open! Participation is completely optional but can be the best way to stay connected with the lessons and each other! We’ve gotten feedback over the years that ours are the nicest forums around, so please join in if you can!
Our main group is at Facebook, but there is a small group for those not on Facebook who can interact via Padlet. (Please just choose one forum to post in to avoid double postings.) Here are the links!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/592237328449023
Padlet: https://padlet.com/Carla_Sonheim/wyxfaylei2or5f0h
Facebook & Padlet Forums. The Forums are open! Participation is completely optional but can be the best way to stay connected with the lessons and each other! We’ve gotten feedback over the years that ours are the nicest forums around, so please join in if you can!
Our main group is at Facebook, but there is a small group for those not on Facebook who can interact via Padlet. (Please just choose one forum to post in to avoid double postings.) Here are the links!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/644374410149744
Padlet: www.padlet.com/Carla_Sonheim/jwtgg92cyjn1qtyg
• Facebook & Padlet Forums. The Forums are open! Participation is completely optional but can be the best way to stay connected with the lessons and each other! We’ve gotten feedback over the years that ours are the nicest forums around, so please join in if you can!
Our main group is at Facebook, but there is a small group for those not on Facebook who can interact via Padlet. (Please just choose one forum to post in to avoid double postings.) Here are the links!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/386874526454411
Padlet: https://padlet.com/Carla_Sonheim/bzv9tvx2ezlg6w7u
Facebook & Padlet Forums.
The Forums are open! Participation is completely optional but can be the best way to stay connected with the lessons and each other! We’ve gotten feedback over the years that ours are the nicest forums around, so please join in if you can!
Our main group is at Facebook, but there is a small group for those not on Facebook who can interact via Padlet.(Please just choose one forum to post in to avoid double postings.) Here are the links!
Hi!
Thank you so much for submitting your patterns!
Here is what the pages will look like… I am going for squares but will work with what you send me, so don’t worry! Upload your images and fill out the form below.
Thank you again and email us if you have any questions: [email protected].
Carla
Hi! Thank you for your submission! • Please upload four images here for our collaborative book (Lesson 9). • Take a photo of your four favorite patterned papers. You can use a smartphone… be sure you take it in good light and watch out for shadows! • Please be sure to let us know how you made the pattern or texture. • Deadline for uploading is Monday, May 24th at 11:59pm PT. • Please USE THIS FORM to upload your patterns (if you upload on the FB page only, it will not make it into the book). Thank you!
Hi Sketchbookers!
I hope you enjoyed the one-liner drawing session at Sketchbook Revival 2021! A huge thank you to Karen Abend for having me as part of it.
Below is a link to sign up for the free video… “More things to do with One-Liners!” Just “add to cart” and go through the checkout process… it’s free, so there will be no credit card information required and you will not be charged!
It is about 20 minutes long and includes three more ideas for One-Liners:
The link is HERE.
Thank you for being part of Sketchbook Revival and please consider joining my newsletter list by clicking below! Thanks again,
Carla
Facebook Class Forum
https://www.facebook.com/groups/436100544201130
Padlet Class Forum
https://padlet.com/Carla_Sonheim/b3c0r3x8m81tssfs
You can (optionally) share your work with via the class Facebook or Padlet forum pages. Our groups are lively and supportive, and you will find friends there!)
Lewis will be present regularly during the two-week class and will comment on uploaded work! Due to the large number of students enrolled, it’s possible that he might miss a post here and there… if you have posted and would like feedback from Lewis but it’s been a day or more, please email him with a head’s up that you have posted and he will look for your post!
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Instagram Hashtags
#sketchbookingwithlewis
#carlasonheimpresents
Facebook Class Forum
https://www.facebook.com/groups/426871115130815
Padlet Class Forum
Current:
https://padlet.com/Carla_Sonheim/h5bnsff0b1qmncul
Past:
https://padlet.com/Carla_Sonheim/2021yearlongclass
https://padlet.com/carla_sonheim/6y4j4cb04ows3939
You can (optionally) share your work with via the class Padlet or Facebook forum pages. Carla will be there to see what you are doing, but due to the large number of students enrolled we can’t guarantee commenting on each one. (However, our group is lively and supportive, and you will find friends there!) If you have any questions, you will be able to email the Carla anytime.
Please note: We have healthy and enthusiastic forums… hurray! If you are new to our year-long classes, you might find it a bit chaotic or overwhelming at first…. but please don’t worry! Pop in here and there, and in time things do calm down. 😀
____
Instagram Hashtags
#2021carlasyearlong
#carlasonheimpresents
Hi Everyone!
Over the past 6 years we have hosted our forums Facebook for two main reasons: it has provided a space for a community of artists to learn, collaborate, grow and enjoy each other, and it has been accessible to everyone around the world and is easy to use.
However, we also recognize that Facebook is more than just an objective platform and is controlled by people who have abused their power through breaches of privacy and even ethical standards.
This puts us in a difficult position because, while we do not support the leaders of Facebook, we would never want to exclude the users that rely on this platform as a method to connect and communicate. For that reason, are working on creating our own custom community app that provides security and is easy to use for everyone.
We hope to have this ready to go early in 2021. Please be patient with us as we make this change.
Carla and Steve
Here’s How it Works
• Join us for the 2-week class with access to all lessons on May 12th. Class runs May 12-22, 2020. (If you have already taken Make it Move, you are invited to join the Film Festival at no cost and will receive details at your class page on May 12th.)
• Make a bunch of animations and submit your favorite by Tuesday, May 26, 2020, to be presented in the Film Festival. Details will be in your class folder.
• One Submission per student.
• Films should be less than 25 seconds long.
• Everyone who contributes a film to the Film Festival will receive a $10 credit towards any of our classes.
• Join us for the live-stream presentation of ALL submissions on Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 12 noon PST hosted by Carla.
• Kara and our friend Will Sonheim (from indy film distributor Music Box films) will pick their favorites from two categories and three different age groups. There will also be Honorable Mentions in each category.
• Categories: ….(a) Collage/3D Objects…. (b) Drawing/Painting
• The age groups are…. (a)10 and under… (b) 11-17 and (c) 18 and up
• One winner from each category will receive smart phone holder designed specifically for making animations.
Only class participants are eligible for the film festival but we have scholarships available. Email [email protected] for scholarship info.
Hi!
We understand hard and unusual times!
Let us know if we can help you get access to this class by emailing us at [email protected]. A limited number of scholarships are offered on a sliding scale, so please let us know how much you are able to pay in your email.
Thank you!
Steve & Carla
https://www.carlasonheim.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CSP_ArtPrompts-2.pdf
Hi everyone!
Steve and I recently sent an email out to our teachers asking for ideas to get through these next strange months. We loved Kara Kramer’s idea of a downloadable PDF of teacher’s art prompts, so we did it!
Here is a 40-page “Creative Care Package” from 12 of us! Each teacher created 2-5 pages.
You can print it out (many pages are meant to be drawn on), or just keep it online and do the prompts in your sketchbooks.
Please feel free to share widely… use in your classrooms… and share your pages on the Carla Sonheim Presents Facebook Group!
Thank you!
Please take good care,!
xoxo
Carla Sonheim
and
Kara Kramer
Cori Dantini
Karine Swenson
Alison O’Donoghue
Cat Bennett
Dar James
Lynn Whipple
Anne Marie Grgich
Nelleke Verhoeff
Anita Lehmann
Diane Culhane
😉
Click the links below to print out each worksheet.
JANUARY 2020 Sidewalk Crack:
_______________________________
What to Do? Here’s a Step-by-Step:
1. Click the link above for the JANUARY 2020 Crack of the Month.
2. The photo PDF will begin uploading in your browser window. It might take 20-30 seconds to load.
3. Print the photograph on heavier paper, such as card stock or watercolor paper.
4. Now, look at the image while you slowly turn the photo around and around.
5. Did you see something? An animal? A face? A monster?
6. “Finish” the drawing using markers, colored pencils or anything else you have on hand.
7. Post your completed image at the Carla Sonheim Presents – Share Your Work Facebook Group Page!
*************
JANUARY 2020 Sidewalk Crack:
Previous cracks:
April2018crack
From San Cristobal, Mexico
IMG_5264 (November, courtesy of Saskia E.)
grandcentralcrack (Feb 2015)
jan15crack
DECEMBER 2020 Sidewalk Crack:
_______________________________
What to Do? Here’s a Step-by-Step:
1. Click the link above for the DECEMBER 2020 Crack of the Month.
2. The photo PDF will begin uploading in your browser window. It might take 20-30 seconds to load.
3. Print the photograph on heavier paper, such as card stock or watercolor paper.
4. Now, look at the image while you slowly turn the photo around and around.
5. Did you see something? An animal? A face? A monster?
6. “Finish” the drawing using markers, colored pencils or anything else you have on hand.
7. Post your completed image at the Carla Sonheim Presents – Share Your Work Facebook Group Page!
*************
DECEMBER 2020 Sidewalk Crack:
Previous cracks:
April2018crack
From San Cristobal, Mexico
IMG_5264 (November, courtesy of Saskia E.)
grandcentralcrack (Feb 2015)
jan15crack
