Category Archives: Uncategorized

How to Draw St. Patrick

St. Patrick’s feast day is celebrated on March 17th. In this tutorial, I walk you through how to draw him using simple lines and simple shapes.

Supplies needed:

Crayola Washable Super Tips Markers https://amzn.to/3R5lsRI
Crayola Colors of the World Markers Broad Tip https://amzn.to/3MRMBY0
Crayola Colors of the World Markers Fine Tip https://amzn.to/3CJR0rf
Micron Pens https://amzn.to/3EUvjrf
Paper
Pencil

(Note: Some of the links provided are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you. This allows me to continue creating free content for Catholic artists of all ages! I only recommend products that I use and love. Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates and Blick Art Materials Affiliate programs.)

Origami 3 Leaf Clover Catholic Craft

Did you know that St. Patrick is said to have used the 3 leaf clover to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish? In today’s tutorial, I walk you through step-by-step how to create an origami 3 leaf clover for St. Patrick’s Day.

Supplies Needed:

Origami paper OR 9×9” square piece of green construction paper cut into 4 pieces https://amzn.to/3kgJajx
Glue stick https://amzn.to/3ErZCnY
Scissors
Tape https://amzn.to/3Kp1mCp

(Note: Some of the links provided are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you. This allows me to continue creating free content for Catholic artists of all ages! I only recommend products that I use and love. Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates and Blick Art Materials Affiliate programs.)

Simple Ash Wednesday + Lent Craft

In today’s tutorial, I walk you through how you can make a simple cross using masking tape and your favorite art supply. This is a great Catholic craft for Lent. It’s adaptable for all ages and materials.

Supplies needed:

Scotch Blue Painter’s Tape https://amzn.to/3RLaHF3
Paper (something thick is preferable, but computer paper will work too) Strathmore Watercolor Paper https://amzn.to/3x12ODo
General’s Graphite Powder
Charcoal (compressed drawing sticks)
Pentel Oil Pastels https://www.dickblick.com/products/pentel-oil-pastels/?clickTracking=true&wmcp=pla&wmcid=items&wmckw=20020-1209
Crayola Washable Super Tips Markers https://amzn.to/3R5lsRI
Crayola Washable Watercolors https://amzn.to/3x1X0JU
Master’s Touch Watercolors https://www.hobbylobby.com/Art-Supplies/Painting-Supplies/Watercolor-Painting/Watercolor-Paint—48-Piece-Set/p/80881200

(Note: Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. She is also a member of the Blick Art Materials Affiliate Program.)

Intro to Icons with Elizabeth Zelasko

My friend, Catholic artist and iconographer Elizabeth Zelasko, was generous enough to share her knowledge of iconography for my YouTube channel. I initially envisioned a short 10-15 minute interview geared towards K-12 students, but it ended up being so in-depth it was hard to edit!

I decided to compromise and release TWO videos. Today’s video is a “short and sweet” version of our interview and next week will premiere the full-length interview.

Elizabeth is very knowledgeable and incredibly talented. She learned Russian Orthodox Iconography from the Prosopon School of Iconology and has created original works of art for Catholic publications and institutions. You can see more of her work at elizabethzelasko.com and follow her on Instagram.

How I paint in my Catholic Journaling Bible

In today’s tutorial, I will walk you through how you can use watercolor ground to paint and draw with any kind of pen in your journaling Bible without it bleeding through the pages.

Supplies needed:

Winsor and Newton Watercolors https://amzn.to/3qi5MzK

Master’s Touch Watercolors https://www.hobbylobby.com/Art-Supplies/Painting-Supplies/Watercolor-Painting/Watercolor-Paint—48-Piece-Set/p/80881200

QoR Watercolor Iridescent Gold https://amzn.to/3x1jw5r

Trekell Synthetic Watercolor Paintbrush Set https://amzn.to/3TKBYsV

Daniel Smith Transparent Watercolor Ground https://amzn.to/3VsSTzK

Blessed Is She Catholic Journaling Bible https://amzn.to/3jA9vbP

The Great Adventure Catholic Bible https://amzn.to/3FYMhU9

Water

Gluestick

Bible in a Year Podcast: https://ascensionpress.com/pages/biy-registration

Blessed Is She http://blessedisshe.net

How to Draw St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

In today’s tutorial, I walk you through how to draw Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton step-by-step. We use simple lines and shapes and you can color her with your favorite art supplies.

Supplies needed:

Crayola Washable Super Tips Markers https://amzn.to/3R5lsRI
Crayola Colors of the World Markers Broad Tip https://amzn.to/3MRMBY0
Crayola Colors of the World Markers Fine Tip https://amzn.to/3CJR0rf
Micron Pens https://amzn.to/3EUvjrf
Paper
Pencil

(Note: Amy Heyse Art is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)

Word of the Year and Saint Name bracelets

For the last few years, instead of picking a New Year’s resolution, I have liked picking a “word of the year” instead. The idea is to pick a word for a year and see how God is speaking to you through that word.

In the past, some words I have picked have included “be” and “discover.” For 2022 my word of the year was “teach,” which ended up playing out with me teaching Catholic inspired art tutorials on YouTube.

There are different ways to discern your word of the year, but my go to method has been picking a word at random using Jen Fulwiler’s Word of the Year generator. To me, it takes the guess work out of deciding my word or at least gives me a place to start and further discern my word in prayer.

I thought with 2023 right around the corner, it would be fun to do a Word of the Year inspired craft tutorial. I used Jen Fulwiler’s Word of the Year and Saint’s Name generator to randomly select a word and a Saint and I used a bead kit I found at TJ Maxx to create a matching word beaded bracelet.

Supplies needed:

Holiday DIY Bead Kit (I found mine at TJ Maxx) https://jewelrymadebyme.com/ (Here’s a similar type of option on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3hMu3Nz)

Elastic Stretch Cord (mine was part of my kit)

Scissors

Masking Tape

Super Glue https://amzn.to/3HXxXxY OR https://amzn.to/3WhLDrD

Toothpick

How to Draw Mary for May Crowning

Happy May! The month of May is often the time families honor Mary with flowers, so I thought it would be fun to offer a video tutorial of how to draw Mary with a flower wreath crown. All you need are a pencil, paper, and something to color with. I used colored pencils, but you can use any media you desire! The nice thing about this project is you can change up the colors however you would like. Perfect for budding artists and the young at heart.

I did this project with my 4 year old and 7 year old. My oldest, Holly, gave Mary a flowing veil and depicted her surrounded by angels. My youngest drew her twice.

If you have children who are too young to draw along but like to color, I have a copy of the line art listed below that you’re free to print and use for personal use.

Feel free to tag me on Facebook or Instagram and use #artwithamyheyse so I can see your finished Marian masterpieces! You can find a few more drawing tutorials on my YouTube channel. I also have a St. Lucy painting tutorial available in my Etsy shop.

We Shepherd Together

Sometimes a project is just meant to be. My dear friend, Elizabeth Zelasko, got me in touch with a lovely lady named Anne who felt called to commission an artist to create an original piece of artwork. The idea for this image was of a priest holding a lamb and Jesus guiding the priest. She knew the title would be “We Shepherd Together.” The image had been on her heart for years, but not being an artist herself she wasn’t sure where to begin. Elizabeth was one of the artists she got in touch with, but when she was unavailable to create the image, she got Anne in contact with me.

On the phone, I had a pretty clear idea of the direction I wanted to take for Anne’s piece and the sketch came together very quickly. In my personal experience, I have always found that there is a certain rhythm and flow to a project when it’s meant to be. It’s like my hand is drawing or painting faster or with a skill level I shouldn’t have. Though it’s hard to know for sure, these moments definitely feel guided by the Holy Spirit.

After I sent Anne the final image for her to approve, I can remember the feeling of elation I had when she said, “You nailed it!” It felt good to be part of the process of collaborating together to create a piece of art meant to inspire our clergy. If there’s a will, then there’s a way, and God always will find a way to make it happen.

Prints of “We Shepherd Together” are now available in my Etsy shop.

Pianos About Town 2019

For the Pianos About Town 2019 season, I had the opportunity to paint my third piano for the city, “How to fold a paper crane.” I had always loved origami growing up and wanted to make a nod to my Japanese heritage. I love that the pianos encourage spontaneous music making, so I thought combining two art forms together would be a fun take.

This is one of my favorite pianos to date and I hope that people enjoy trying to follow along with the directions.