Category Archives: Uncategorized

A Peek in the New Sketchbook

When I was in middle and high school, I used to draw in my sketchbook daily. My sketchbook went with me everywhere I went. It was a good icebreaker for meeting new friends, a good way to pass the time during class (don’t worry, I was a good student 98% of the time), and a good way to practice and create. I was constantly making up my own characters and stories. My sketchbook was almost like a diary or creative journal.

Sometime during college, I stopped keeping sketchbooks. Yes, we often had to have a designated sketchbook for each individual art course we took, but I didn’t really use them in the same way that I had before.

For my birthday, I asked my husband to get me a sketchbook for my birthday. He got me two different mixed media sketchbooks. The one I started to use is a Strathmore multimedia sketchbook that has a cover similar to a Moleskin sketchbook. I love it and have been trying to get back into the habit of working on art in the studio every night. Having a nice sketchbook definitely helps!

A couple months ago, and before I got my new sketchbook, I started trying to branch out and try new things with watercolor. For some reason, having a wash of color helps me figure out what I want to draw. Doing art this way kind of reminds me of doing a charcoal or conte drawing on toned paper.

I recently have been trying to get more portrait practice in. I do a lot of portraits in my personal work as well as commissions, so I wanted to make sure that I was staying in practice. I decided to get back into gouache and add it on top of watercolor washes to see what would happen. This was my first practice:

rachaelI remember finishing it and thinking, “This was a ‘practice’ piece? It’s better than some of the finished pieces I’ve done lately.” But maybe that’s the thing… When you work in a sketchbook, you take more chances and you allow yourself to experiment more. I think sometimes the pressure gets to you when you’re trying to do a finished “final” piece of art.

So right now, I’m going to continue sketching and practicing. Hopefully more of my sketches will turn out as nice as this piece. I’m hoping that over time, my new theme and style will start to show itself in my sketchbook pages.

hannah

New 5×7″ Greeting Cards

A common item I have been asked to start carrying in my Etsy shop has been greeting cards. I am happy to announce that I now carry blank 5×7″ greeting cards featuring my artwork!

Owl Opera Glasses

Currently, customers have the option of selecting 1-2 greeting cards or picking a set of 5. All of the artwork I create is made in my home studio and the new greeting cards are also printed from home. There are currently over 20 images to choose from.

Bird Cards Blue Cards Story Characters Fashionable Ladies

Pinot’s Palette First Friday Featured Artist – March

A little over 2 1/2 years ago, I started working as an art instructor at Pinot’s Palette in Old Town Fort Collins. Having just come from a job working as a middle school art teacher in Greeley, it was a nice change of pace. It provided me an opportunity to continue teaching, but to people who wanted to learn in a relaxed and fun environment.

Over the years, I have created some original paintings for both our Fort Collins location as well as for the franchise painting master library. These master library paintings can be taught at any of the Pinot’s Palette locations across the US.

Examples of some of the Pinot's Palette paintings I have created for the franchise over the years.

Examples of some of the Pinot’s Palette paintings I have created for the franchise over the years.

On Friday, March 6 from 6-8pm, I will be working our First Friday open studio/wine tasting. You can also stop by and meet the artist. I’ll be selling prints and jewelry of my personal artwork (these items are also currently available in my Etsy shop).

Here’s the nice blog post work wrote about me:

AMY HEYSE is our featured Artist for March. Amy has been with Pinot’s Palette since opening in 2012.  She has developed some beautiful paintings for us!

Amy will have her own personal art on display in Pinot’s Palette Monet’s Garden Room on First Friday March 6th from 6 until 8 pm. Amy has a BFA in Drawing and a BA in Art Education from CSU.  In August she and her husband Kevin were blessed with a new baby girl.

Amy loves to introduce people to painting and get an understanding of what it’s like to be an artist.  “Our customers get an opportunity to tap into a part of their brain that they don’t regularly use and they often surprise themselves throughout the process.”

The most challenging thing about working at Pinot’s Palette is convincing customers that they did a good job and also finding time for her own artwork – especially with a new baby!  Amy works in watercolor and gouache – they are so experimental yet challenging to manipulate.

Being an artist takes a lot of work – like all things. It takes a lot of practice to hone your skills.  Making art of personal significance to you, but that also connects with someone else is the greatest reward.  The challenge is overcoming doubt.

Amy has three websites that display her work.  Check them out – and come in to one of her classes at Pinot’s – she is a wonderfully talented teacher and artist.  (And a great Mom!)