Guest Blogger: Kass Hall

Posted May 25, 2015: Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances Kass Hall needed to return home to Australia early, and will not be able to fulfill her commitment to teach for Artistic Artifacts.

Mixed media artist, author and instructor Kass Hall is our guest blogger today, sharing details on her artistic approach, teaching style and what to expect as a student in her June 6-7 classes. (Her Aussie spellings were left intact!)

What to Expect from My Classes

by Kass Hall

I’m so excited to be joining you at Artistic Artifacts in early June, and wanted to give you a sneak peak of what you can expect when you come along.

A few people have told me recently that they don’t know what to expect from my classes, so they haven’t signed up (or waited until the last minute).

This was really interesting to me because I think the answer is simple, but maybe I should spell it out a little...

You are going to have F.U.N.

Yes, first — and most importantly — you’ll have a lot of fun. We will laugh a lot and enjoy ourselves (because that is the point, right?)!

My classes are not ‘copy and paste’ classes. I am not going to show you step by step how to copy my work. Why? Because you get nothing out of that. You spend money on a class where you go home with a sample that doesn’t represent you? That’s not how I teach, and that’s not what you’ll get by joining my classes.

What you will get is a bucketload of techniques and tips, leaving with a bevy of ideas and inspiration for your art journals and wall art.

We talk about color.

We talk about adding details (and why they can make or break your work!).

I’ll show you ways of adding texture and drama to your page.

We’ll collage. Stencil. Color in. Draw. PLAY.

In It’s All About The Detail, I’ll show you techniques for hand lettering and also for drawing faces — all techniques that are in my third book (due for release early 2016). While there are no rules about what is or isn’t right on a journal page, I’ve found through years of experience that details matter. So often, though, I am asked how to add details so a page looks and feels really finished. This class gives up ALL the good info... and so much more!

I’ll teach you about creating backgrounds of interest, drawing faces, using collage and found imagery, colour and so much more. I’ll show you how to add shadowing, fine lines and small details that take your art journal pages from great to AMAZING. You’ll be able to create at least two unique journal pages (more if you're game!) which will change how you journal forever.

One thing I have learned in this class is that every single person leaves with a completely different journal page larger view>. You won’t believe what you can do when given the confidence and know-how to experiment and play!

And what if I told you that you — yes, YOU! — could create a piece of art for your own home, ready to hang at the end of the day?

Well, you can, and in Make It Big, a relaxing class where we really play, I’m going to show you how! The images I’m showing here are my students’ work — not mine! That’s how amazing they are.

In this class I encourage you to bring a large canvas (20" x 30" minimum) or if you want to, 2 or 3 to create a diptych (like those shown here) or triptych series.

We create multicoloured backgrounds using paint drips, stencils, our fingertips and more. Then we create a focal image in the centre — your choice — and we build up texture using handmade papers and color.

There’s no rushing... we journal on our canvas as we go, and add small details to finish these works of art off, creating unique, one of a kind wall art just for your home.

Colors and image choices are yours. What I give you are the tips, tricks and techniques — and the confidence — to make great wall art and display it!

I have never had anyone leave this class anything less than THRILLED, and I know you’ll feel the same way.

So, there you are, my feedback of what to expect from the classes I’ll be leading at Artistic Artifacts. There is a reason my books are best-sellers — I love to teach other artists everything I know, and my classes are no different!

The key is, I am going to enable you and empower you. You’ll go home feeling inspired. You will never hear me say “NO” when you want to try something. There are no rules about what you have to do or not do. (Actually there is one rule: be nice to each other!) You’ll want to try new things. You’ll look at the world around you and see pockets of inspiration.

This will be my second-to-last stop teaching in the United States before I will be heading home to Australia. There are a few things on the horizon that may keep me Down Under for a while, so I’m not sure if I’ll be back in the United States to teach in 2016. Don’t miss out on having a great time with us!

• Register for It’s All About The Detail
• Register for Make It Big

I love meeting new friends and reconnecting with old ones, and I really look forward to spending some time with you. Please come along — I promise you won’t regret it!

If you have any questions about either class beforehand, feel free to send me an email (you can do so through my website at www.kasshall.com) and I’ll gladly do what I can to answer!

Kass Hall www.kasshall.com Author: Zentangle Untangled, The Zentangle Untangled Workshop