Ester's Open Studio
On March 22nd Ester hosted her third open studio which was attended by four wonderful artists. They all had a great time playing with the Icarus board, experimenting with various surfaces and mediums, and talking about different subjects, from priming canvas to editing photos.
Time always flies during these casual gatherings. A workshop would definitely be an opportunity to dwell deeply into the Icarus technique. Unfortunately Ester's spring workshop had to be postponed but a fall one is in the works and it will be here before we know it.
Featured Artist:
Barbara Dahlstedt
"Fatima" by Barbara Dahlstedt
This is my 22nd year teaching art at the high school level in Glendale, Arizona. Call me crazy, but I love inspiring teenagers to appreciate art through hands-on experiences. Although my degree is in Graphic Design, I have always loved drawing and painting. My particular interest is in drawing portraits. Each human face is so unique and interesting, that I have a hard time talking to people face to face without picturing them in a work of art. When the light hits the human form, it ignites a passion in me that can only be satisfied through artistic expression.
"Joan" by Barbara Dahlstedt
From the first time I tried the Icarus board, I was hooked. My very first portrait using this amazing tool, was, “Fatima”. I have always admired artists that could get a rich, saturated color in their colored pencil pieces, so the Icarus board has helped me achieve the effect I was looking for, and was a lot quicker than traditional methods of burnishing. The heat factor is the key to eliminating those annoying specks of paper that tend to show through a drawing. I like to combine Neocolors with Prismacolors on the Icarus board to speed up color application on large areas, like backgrounds, but can also be used in blending skin tones. Even my advanced high school art students have tried it out and love the Icarus board too!
Virginia Carroll's Workshop
Virginia Carroll recently held an Icarus Drawing Board Workshop in Arizona and she reports the following: "The workshop (and I) got high evaluation ratings from the students, so I assume that everyone enjoyed the class. ... The first picture is a shot of the workshop attendees working on their project. The second is the class project they all worked on."
"River Pebbles, No. 12"
Step-by-step
For a complete tutorial visit Ester's blog.
