Students will paint plants in watercolor with layers of colored pencil added. This is a technique Bente has developed and become fascinated with, as it makes it possible to create both subtle and glowing colors. The emphasis is still on botanical accuracy. A list of supplies, or special items to bring will be supplied

A.M. Introduction—brief discussion of bird anatomy, internal and external. Discussion of museum specimens— proper handling. Hand outs distributed.
Students develop sketch of bird and their choice from specimens, photographs, and literature sources; tracing paper overlay method explained—then transfer drawing to watercolor paper.
P.M. Slide lecture on color: local color vs. the effects of light, value, composition, and purpose of illustration.
Instructor will demonstrate painting; students will paint birds. Students should choose in advance the bird(s) they will paint, supplying a second choice. To maximize time, students may prepare a sketch in advance, especially if background drawing material is to be included (students to bring references for background material). Preliminary drawings can be corrected and adjusted from museum specimens on the morning of the workshop.

Colored pencils have a huge variety of applications. In this class students will explore some of the endless possibilities, with experimentation being the focus. Students will combine techniques such as pen and ink, colorless blending markers, gouache and watercolors on a variety of different papers such as double frosted mylar, colored papers, pastel paper and coquille board. Discussion will include creating high, medium and low key illustrations. Students will then take what they have learned and apply it to a final project to be discussed individually with the instructor. A critique period will provide students an open forum for sharing ideas.
All papers will be supplied by the instructor for a lab fee of approximately $20 and is payable in class. A supply list for these papers will be given out in class with a list of suppliers.

Teaching a multidisciplinary art and science unit is one thing...designing one that is age appropriate, fits into one hour, and is fun and creative...these are different. Now, try to get non-artist educators to convert some of their current units and you have a panicked crowd on your hands!
In this workshop we’ll work on K-12 curriculum and assume what we create can be easily used for teaching young and elders, urban or field. Kris will assign subjects and criteria for Round 1. A strong part of the workshop should include exchanging with each other design ideas, problems, and units that are working well. We’ll work in small groups, present the ideas to the whole group, critique and adapt them, and then create, produce, or perform the actual artwork! Very economical and alas—limiting—art supplies will be provided to encourage creativity and offer that reality check of school budgets. Participants are encouraged to bring scrapes of unique art materials that a teacher might be able to incorporate or recycle into artwork. Field sketching experiences, and field trip lesson plans will be included with a discussion of techniques of crowd control while drawing outside!

Prerequisites: None, but students are strongly encouraged to attend the core lecture Color Management & Digital Prepress Demystified
A survey of basic-to-advanced techniques for manipulating illustrations and graphics in Photoshop—particularly preparing them for printing.
By following directed exercises the class will explore tools and techniques for basic prepress as applied to images in Photoshop. Topics include: image resolution and bit depth, color spaces (modes), sharpening, color correction, and targeting. We will take a hands-on tour of managing color in Photoshop and lay down some no-nonsense strategies, techniques and tips for color managing your work. Some basic concepts like resolution and file types will be covered by lecture. Notes, syllabus and articles will be provided.

Prerequisites: None, but some knowledge of 3D software is helpful.
3D computer graphics are increasingly prevalent; seen from newspapers and magazines to large budget Hollywood movies. Low end programs start around $300 to $400 and the price goes up into the thousands for professional programs. Until recently the high end programs were relegated to industrial computer labs or Hollywood studios but recent price drops make them a viable option for independent scientific illustrators.
This seminar will examine two of these programs: Strata 3D and Lightwave. Strata 3D is a mid/low-end 3D program with an easy to use interface, excellent rendering, and a large user base in the illustration community. Lightwave 3D is a good all around package with excellent modeling and rendering capabilities. It is used in computer graphics and video worldwide.
We will begin by reviewing basic and advanced rendering and modeling toolsets and the process of creating and modifying textures will be outlined. We will continue by exploring the animation module of the program. Finally, examples of professional 3D rendering and animation from both packages will be shown and their techniques dissected. Participants who are unfamiliar with basics of 3D are encouraged to attend Wednesday’s Principles of 3D lecture.

Corel Painter is an extremely powerful tool based on a foundation of beautifully responsive brushes. Painter emulates media such as watercolor, gouache, oils, pastel, and colored pencil, as well as a collection of brushes that could only be possible in the digital realm. The purpose of this class is to give illustrators an idea of the diversity of styles that are possible to achieve using Painter and to familiarize them with the program so that they feel comfortable using it as a medium for their illustrations. Topics covered will include: brushes, art materials, selections, layers, text, shapes, cloning, scripting, animation and creating customized sets of art materials and brushes.

Color mixing is a necessity for all artists. This class will teach you to mix the colors you need to create accurate renderings. You’ll practice an easy system for combing colors consistently to achieve the broadest possible spectrum for any ‘wet’ medium including watercolor, gouache, acrylics, oils, inks, alkyds, or egg tempera. Exercises and discussion of the various pigment properties will help you move to a much higher level of achievement. You will use watercolors in this workshop.

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentations software package used by speakers to add visuals to their talks. In this hands-on class you will learn how to use this program effectively. This is a hands-on class for beginners with no or minimal PowerPoint experience.
This class starts at the very beginning. We will learn the basic features of this program, how to set up a page and then enter text and graphics. We will also do a little bit of rudimentary drawing, and cover slide transitions, animation of objects on the slides and how to professionally run the final PowerPoint slide show. By the end of this class you will have created and run a presentation. Handouts will be provided.

The World Wide Web can be used as a convenient medium to present your artwork to a large international audience. This workshop will use the process of creating an on-line portfolio to introduce participants to the basics of web site design, project workflow, and the tools and skills needed to build future web sites on their own. Participants will explore the fundamentals of web development including design concepts, usability techniques, successful navigation, and how to identify common page layout problems. The class will also cover drafting a site flowchart and planning for a site project. Participants will put their new skills to work by creating their own on-line portfolio using Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Fireworks and Dreamweaver. Interested registrants should have a working familiarity with the Internet as well as basic computer skills.

The constant addition of features to all major software packages now comes at considerable cost in efficiency of use and ease of learning. Because Photoshop is primarily a photo editing and print production package, its current user interface is so bloated and inefficient that it is a constant distraction from the visual concentration most artists require for controlled realistic drawing and rendering. This workshop will offer an artist’s approach to using Photoshop that relies on a minimal selection of features and settings and strives to get the software out of the way of visual/tactile involvement with the artwork. Participants will set up a working space, fine-tune their tablets and create a simple sketch and color rendering (...or at least get started).
Students should bring: Reference material (photos, sketches or small specimens) for the subject of a very small drawing/painting. Zip disk, if participants wish to take their work home with them.

This workshop is designed to help participants improve as watercolorists. Learn the methods and techniques John uses to render his abstract backgrounds. John will demonstrate masking, glazing, saran-wrap, and salt applications, as well as his “detail first” approach. Participants will then work on their own painting.

The workshop will begin with slides and discussion covering materials and tools; planning a composition; transferring a sketch; creating pen & ink textures with ink lines on white, and white lines scratched from ink; creating dramatic effects; balancing lights and darks; corrections; and the use of color. There will be demonstrations of pencil and pen & ink working techniques. Each student will bring simple subjects (such as shells, feathers, fruit, pinecones), from which they will sketch a composition using two or more subjects, transfer their sketches to scratchboard, and start a pencil or pen and ink illustration.