How to Save a Failed Painting- "Take YOUR Painting From the Boneyard to Best in Show"

There is hope for the hopeless!  

Maybe you have a stack of dead soldiers in your army of past paintings. "Never throw away an old painting".  I've heard it often, maybe you have too.  It's good advice.  Today I share the technique used to breathe new life into a once-dead painting.

Take YOUR painting from the Boneyard to Best in Show =)

Whether you would call it reincarnation, evolution, or resurrection, this Easter weekend I celebrated more than one miracle.  Two of my paintings won awards in the Spring Seacoast Artist Guild Show on Saturday night.  It felt like a miracle, because I knew the secret history of the winning painting.  I knew that it had once been pronounced DOA (Dead on Arrival), and yet here it was sporting a big ribbon and "SOLD" on the tag.  Talk about transformation!  I thought it would make a lesson worth teaching and a story worth telling to both my students and you...

"Out of the Shadows"- mixed media watercolor on Paper
"Best In Show 2015" Spring Seacoast Artist Guild Show
 Collection of Glen and Martha Sledge

If you're like me, you have stacks of paintings.  There's the stack of paintings which are complete.  If I love the painting, it gets put in the pile headed for the frame shop.  Since this is an expensive pile, it tends to be my smallest pile.  

If I'm not sure whether a painting is complete or not, it goes in the "To Do" stack of paintings (often my biggest stack).  

If a painting is lost and I'm pretty sure it's beyond redemption, then it goes into the pile I don't show anyone.  It's squirreled away in a box in the closet. 
I call it "the Boneyard".  

How to Save a Failed Painting- Turn Your Failed Painting into a Prize Winner!

Step 1:
Go to your boneyard or your "I don't know what to do with it" pile and find a painting that you'd like to reinvent.  I would suggest something with good color harmony.

• You could also look for the following:  exciting line quality, nice value patterns, interesting shapes, patterns you enjoy, or maybe a cool texture.  Any of these might be used as the foundation for a new painting.  

Here is a painting very similar to the failed painting used as the foundation for "Out of the Shadows" shown above.

As you can see, it was a dominantly warm painting, with some horizontal movement. It failed to pass muster, so there it sat.  DOA.  The mood created  by the harmonious color was promising, so it became the basis of this exercise.



Step 2:  Ask Yourself, "What If...?"

I liked the color harmony and asked "What If...?"  When I ask this question, magic can happen.

This time the question was, "What if I make a collage paper that organizes my painting into a good design?"  Good design is fundamental to successful paintings, and so I chose a design form I tend to like:  Strong Verticals.  Here are some other examples of images with strong verticals:

Strong Verticals add a sense of organization to even a minimalist arrangement. 

What Lies Beyond- Rebecca Zdybel Acrylic on Canvas

Painting with vertical composition by Bob Burridge- Love his work!

Since my painting was a horizontal, I turned it on it's side to create a vertical orientation.  (yes, that's allowed!)  If you'd like to take your old painting and do something similar, decide on the best orientation for your piece.

Step 3:
Take some collage paper pieces, and lay them down to create a vertical organization.  Or collage over your painting with collage pieces that contain vertical elements.

Adhere the collage to your failed painting in various vertical shapes using either thinned Yes! paste or acrylic matte medium.  Let the underpainting show through in various ways.  Or, in as in my case, you could adhere translucent collage paper over the entire painting.  If you wish, you can then reveal the underpainting in various ways.

4. Always Strive for "Harmony, with Variety"

 I use Harmony an overriding principle.  Be ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of Harmony.  If you have harmony and unity, I guarantee your painting will hold together.  Set a goal of repetition with exaggeration and variety...in this case, we are going to exaggerate color temperature and organize shapes to create vertical movement.  This is how exaggeration helps a painting.  By emphasizing a design plan, we will likely create a sense of dominance, and that dominance will bring harmony to the painting.

5.  After adhering your collage- Paint on top of the collage, or paint negatively around the collage to accentuate or embellish the painting.  Create movement and trails for the eye to follow.  Do this using color, value, shapes or lines.  Our eyes look for stepping stones to follow and as artists we can make this happen for our viewers.  Remember, as the artist, YOU are in charge of where the eye will go.

Remember this design fundamental:  Repetition with Variety

Be careful not to do the same thing over and over in the same way.  Every time to you repeat yourself, do it a bit differently.  Think of it this way.  If you listened to a note on the piano and the same note was played in the same octave at the same volume with the same rhythm, it wouldn't take too many of those notes before they made you crazy.  Vary your notes.

Not a musician?  As an artist your notes are your shapes, colors, lines...whatever you create.  Vary their size, their direction, their color, their edge quality, their texture, their pattern, their value.  This variation, will keep your painting from being boring.  Be anything but dull!  Push your paintings, exaggerate, risk going too far.  Especially in watercolor, I think the tendency is to be safe, and sometimes that results in dull work.

6. Create a Focal Area or center of interest: To establish an area of interest or a focal area and entertain the viewer with a little "surprise".  For example: in a predominantly warm painting with light colors, it might be nice to have a cool dark in an area of interest.  Juxtapose a strong light with a strong dark in this area. Maybe have a pop of color that is fresh and not seen elsewhere. Small shapes and hard edges can help make an area more visually important.  Manipulate the paths of movement you create in order to bring the eye to this area.  Use shapes to point in the direction of that area.

This process is one of many that can be used to rescue a painting.  If you're open to possibility, and enjoy discovering your paintings as you go along, then this technique might be for you!  Since the foundational painting is already "Dead", then you are free to risk trying something new.  BE FEARLESS!  

I love to banish fearful thinking with this thought from Picasso: 

"I work on a painting until I completely destroy it.  It is then I begin to create." Pablo Picasso

Can anybody relate? I've destroyed a few paintings in my day, and I can imagine I'm not alone.  Now you can use that painting as a beginning point instead of a failure!

Good luck with trying this technique.  I'd love to see what you come up with...hopefully it will help you transform your failed painting into a WINNER!  


Subscribe to this blog and I'll include you in the release of my UPCOMING FREE VIDEO  here I will demonstrate this process and how I made the collage paper used in my winning painting.  To subscribe, just leave your email address in the box on the right side of the home page where it says "subscribe to this blog".  Then you will be the first to get an update in your inbox on any new posts.  The box may not be visible on mobile screens, but will be visible on the web version of this blog.  

Feel free to share before and after photos of your work with me. I'd love to do a follow up blog post so we can inspire one another... Share this blog with friends you think might enjoy it, or take this challenge on with your group of painting friends.  
Happy painting! =)

Rebecca Zdybel
Artist/Art Instructor
Myrtle Beach, SC
Share Love, Spread Light, DO ART! 

In Pursuit of Ecstasy- How About You?

Anyone want to join me to go helipainting?!  Talk about being in pursuit of excitement!  You all know that I love to paint and travel.  It's become my favorite way to energize myself as an artist.  It brings me joy. 

Water soluble Pen and gouache

The idea that we are in pursuit of ecstasy as artists is so compelling.  I often maintain that once I'm "in the zone" and painting free, there's a surge of excitement and something akin to joy that overtakes me.  I attribute it to endorphins, but it is definitely euphoric, whatever the source.  

Watercolor, Ink, and Water-soluble crayon on gesso prepared paper

The Oscar Wilde is so descriptive of this phenomenon:

Ink and Water-soluble crayon

"We can have in life but one great experience at best, and the secret of life is to reproduce that experience as often as possible." 

Oscar Wilde- The Picture of Dorian Gray.

I hope today finds you in pursuit of ecstasy.  For those of you who are inclined, perhaps you'll be painting, drawing or creating your way to that kind of experience.  I hope so...

Plein Air painting using transparent and opaque watercolor and ink

"Try it!  You might like it!"

If you're looking for experiences which can light a fire in you, you may want to consider traveling.  Traveling with drawing and painting as an option can help you experience your surroundings more intensely.  It doesn't mean you need to paint or draw on location...although can be a great experience.  It doesn't mean you have to be an artist either.  Simply attempting to capture something about what you visit, or what you see can be a wonderful way of connecting with the places you visit.  

Pen and wash- Watercolor and Ink

Sometimes I take photos and draw or paint them later.  Other times I will search for images of the places I go and paint them.  Somehow, I like to create a visual record which has meaning for me in the places I go.  You might enjoy it as I do.  

I love journaling- this entry in my journal was done with Water-soluble pen and watercolor wash

For me, the record which I create helps me remember the places better...in fact, if I paint or draw it, I will never forget it.  

Pen and Watercolor wash

The photos in this blog are from my travel journal.  It is the best way I have found to prevent my trips from becoming a blur of jumbled memories and places.  If you are like me, you forget the names of the towns you visit and what you did when you got there.  My solution has been these journals.   I would encourage you to try this sort of pictorial journal for yourself and see if it doesn't help you cement the experience in your mind more clearly.  

Transparent watercolor

I would love to give you some suggestions and techniques for journaling your travels.  My class schedule is here on the website calendar.  Your next euphoric moment might just be awaiting you in class...or on my next EAT PAINT COOK tour of Tuscany this fall. I'd love to show you beautiful Tuscany Oct 3-10, 2015.  

Pen and gouache

Painting and journaling will be an OPTION on this trip, as will cooking lessons, but painting or cooking are not requirements.  They are simply additional activities which will be offered to participants.  During relaxation time for non-painters,  we will have a STUDIO for our use, which makes it convenient.  Hauling our art materials with us everywhere we go is unnecessary thanks to the studio.  We can simply do art together when we have some down time..or if we feel the urge.  After all, we don't need pressure on vacation!  Here's a link for the details about my EAT PAINT COOK TOUR OF TUSCANY ...

https://www.ilchiostro.com/index.php?action=workshop-details&item=283

Transparent watercolor

Let me hear from you! I read every comment and it means a lot to know you are out there reading.


Rebecca Zdybel
Artist, Instructor, Art-Travel Instructor
Art Lessons in all media
Myrtle Beach, SC
rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

Spread Light, Share Love, DO Art!

Feel free to share any of this blog post on your own blog or website, but I ask that you you include:

Rebecca Zdybel is an artist and instructor in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Follow her and see her work at http://www.artmyrtlebeach.com/

"Like" my facebook page: Rebecca Zdybel- Artist

Join me on Google+ Rebecca Zdybel Google+ Profile

PS-  I love this newsletter and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in thoughtful art oriented musings.  This latest example is why I love reading what Sara writes.  

rgenn@saraphina.com

Robert & Sara Genn Twice-Weekly Letter Click to read this letter online and share your valuable insights. Ecstasy July 11, 2014 In his 1964 book, Religions, Values and Peak Experiences, psychologist Abraham Maslow broadened the definition and understanding of ecstasy. Instead of crediting solely the supernatural for our human moments of inspiration and interconnectedness, Maslow believed that the essential experience attributed to religion could be seen as a private revelation. A sacred consciousness is brought on by awareness, personal action and participation and is illuminated from within. I once saw Swan Lake at the American Ballet Theatre at Lincoln Centre in New York City. Settling in as the lights dimmed and the chandeliers ascended, organza tutus appeared on the stage like soft, floating objects of meditation, gradating from pale pink to apricot, then an effervescent custard and dove -- a rainbow in slow motion of tertiary greys. A universal, intoxicating, multi-sensory eye massage hushed the audience into a state of breathlessness. After the ballet, I stepped out into the Lincoln Center Plaza. Her central fountain skipped and splashed under a rosy moon and reflected the golden interior lights of the adjoining houses of worship: the Philharmonic, the Juilliard, the City Opera. I floated down Columbus Avenue in a state of euphoric appreciation -- a tumbling illumination and recalibrated artistic vision harmonized with the universe -- in innocence and wonder, in possibilities and understanding. The meaning of life and beauty appeared to me while bearing witness to the sweat and conviction of generations of fellow travellers in art. "We can have in life but one great experience at best, and the secret of life is to reproduce that experience as often as possible," wrote Oscar Wilde in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Despite Wilde's sarcasm, as artists, we might build and multiply our highs to harness the awe, the growth, and the feelings of empowerment. Here are a few ideas: Identify moments of ecstasy and when they occur. Seek out and create experiences that can be identified as "peak aesthetic moments." Recognize when you "switch on." Go for a variety of triggers: simple, extravagant, strange, alone, comforting, challenging, shared. Work the lingering creative edge gained from your revelations. Make it count. Do it regularly. Sincerely, Sara PS: "The person in peak-experiences feels himself, more than other times, to be the responsible, active, creating center of his activities and of his perceptions. He feels more like a prime-mover, more self-determined (rather than caused, determined, helpless, dependent, passive, weak, bossed). He feels himself to be his own boss, fully responsible, fully volitional, with more 'free-will' than at other times, master of his fate, an agent." (Abraham Maslow) "I must create a system or be enslaved by another man's; I will not reason and compare: my business is to create." (William Blake) Esoterica: Ecstasy is worth chasing when the results are your own personal boom of productivity. Possibilities may be close by or they wait in other worlds. Last August Dad and I joined plein-air painter and hiking guide Liz Wiltzen in the Canadian Rockies for an encounter with ecstasy called "heli-painting." This September 4 - 7, Liz carries the torch with American watercolourist and colour master Stephen Quiller. A few spots are still available for this plein-air experience of a lifetime. If you'd like to find out more, we've posted some heli-footage and information at the top of this letter online.

Colosseum- Colossal Surprises!

Rome is magnificent and the buildings and architecture are incredible.  Both the scale and number of gorgeously intact buildings and ancient ruins boggles the mind.  They are everywhere!  Go around any corner, and you stumble on yet another architectural beauty. Of course, the most notable of these architectural wonders is the Colosseum.  We went on a tour today and found out a few fun facts...

Fact:  The Colosseum was not always called the Colosseum.  It's original name was the 'Flavian Amphitheater'.  The Colosseum derived it's current name from being adjacent to the "Colossus"- a huge bronze statue of Nero that has since been melted down and destroyed.  This is what it may have looked like:  

Did you know that the Colosseum had assigned seating and gates like a modern stadium? There was also fabric sheltering the spectators from above, supported by beams which protected all but the center of the Arena.  Sailors used drums to work together and haul the sailcloth into place. 

Fact:  "Arena" means "sand" and that very substance covered the floor of the Colosseum.  Sand acted as an absorbent surface for all the blood and gore which took place upon the arena floor and gave better footing to the combatants.  

Sand also disguised about 60 trap doors which served as "stage entrances" for actors in the various dramatic battles and events.  Animals and people would make their entrance onto the floor of the arena using elevators raised by slave-powered winches.  A diagram is pictured below. 

Did you know that Jewish Slaves built the Colosseum?  Rome destroyed the Jewish Temple and defeated the Jews in 70AD and then brought back 50,000 Jewish slaves and plunder from the Temple in order to construct the Colosseum?  It was begun in 72 AD finished in 8 years.  This Triumphal Arch of Titus commemorates the Roman victory and shows the plunder of Jerusalem being brought back to Rome by the slaves and soldiers. 

Triumphal Arch of Titus in the Forum which depicts the victory over the Jews in 70 AD. 

Did you know that most gladiatorial battles were man to man?  They did not always end in death, and there was quite a bit of incentive not to kill them, since their training and skill was very expensive to cultivate.  They trained just across the street in a private arena which was connected to the Colosseum by underground tunnel.  During games at the Colosseum, the gladiators generally fought in the afternoons, animals fought in the mornings, and executions took place around the noon hour.  A couple of tour guides maintain that it is unlikely that Christians were ever tortured there...but I haven't checked that fact out for historical truth. I know the Pope makes a pilgrimage there as a holy site every Lent, and I doubt he would do that because animals were killed there. 

Fact:  The exterior of the Colosseum is made of white Travertine?  It's a local stone which was very durable and easily available. Though it's original color was white, and it has only become the terra-cotta color we associate with it due to weather and age.  Can you imagine?  It's currently undergoing a 60 million Euro restoration, thanks to donations by a wealthy Italian businessman who owns Tods shoe company.  Its already partially restored to its original color.  

The Colosseum was decorated with painted statues and may have looked something like this in it's heyday (except it would have been white, right?).  Other amphitheaters were in operation throughout the empire, but in Rome, the Colosseum continued to function as a major center for these Roman games for around 500 years. 

Fact:  The Grand Opening Games of the Colosseum involved 100 days of games and overall they were responsible for the slaughter of over 10,000 animals?   Any small animals which were left, were often given to the people.  Every kind of animal was included in the games, because the goal was to thrill and entertain.  The Roman people did not have zoos or the ability to travel with ease, so bringing exotic animals out for display provided that shock and awe experience which the Emperors wished to provide.  Animals included everything from Tigers, lions, Elephants and Bulls, to Crocodiles, snakes, and small animals.    So many lions were killed during the games of the Roman Empire, that some believe these types of spectacles contributed to the eventual extinction of the European Lion.  

Were you surprised by any of these facts? We were fascinated.  If you're wondering which tour of Rome to take:  Our City Wonders tour was great, but 4 hours of climbing and walking on the rough stone surfaces of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Palatine Hill were quite demanding in the heat.  If you go, be sure to drink water, dress for the weather and wear good walking shoes! 

Let me hear from you! I read every comment and it means a lot to know you are out there traveling along with me.


Rebecca Zdybel
Artist, Instructor, Art-Travel Instructor
Art Lessons in all media
Myrtle Beach, SC
rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

Spread Light, Share Love, DO Art!

Feel free to share any of this blog post on your own blog or website, but I ask that you you include:

Rebecca Zdybel is an artist and instructor in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Follow her and see her work at http://www.artmyrtlebeach.com/

"Like" my facebook page: Rebecca Zdybel- Artist
Join me on Google+ Rebecca Zdybel Google+ Profile

Arriving in Rome- How to Travel From Airport to City Center

I arrived today for a few days in Rome prior to hosting my Artfully Tasteful Tour of Tuscany.  I was reminded again that getting off the plane in Europe can be disorienting. Interpreting foreign signs and languages while sleep deprived and groggy can be a challenge. If you're not with a group, here are a few things I have learned which might help you navigate your way to town from the Rome Airport.   

Passport Control and Customs: 

Wherever your first point of entry into the EU happens to be, it is there you must go through passport control.  If you fly direct and enter the EU by landing in Rome, then you must to through passport control there.  From there you follow the "Bagliali" Signs to claim your luggage.  There is essentially no luggage inspection after that, so you merely need to follow signs to the "Uscita" or exit.  

Car Service:
It can be a real convenience to be met by a car, rather than look for a Train.  If you want to plan ahead, you can think about calling a car service to take you one way from the airport into town.  Just check the price ahead of time in order to avoid surprises.  You may want to try this Car service which is well rated by Trip Advisor: 
http://www.romeairporttransportation.com


Taking the Train into Rome: 

Once you claim your luggage, you can hop on the train into Rome's Termini Station (for central Rome).  Finding your way to the train gets a little confusing at the airport.  Once you exit the baggage claim, you will need to go UP to the train departure area.  The elevators are not clear on this point.  Today we witnessed many a tourist walking around in a jet-lagged daze, riding the elevators up and down, trying to figure out where to go to get to the trains. 

Once you get to the train station, you need to purchase a ticket.  After purchasing a ticket, you run it through the ticket stamper at the edge of the entrance to the train platforms.  You slide it in order to stamp it, and then get on your train.  This is important, as we found out later that you can be fined if you don't stamp your ticket prior to getting on the train. 

If you have a lot of luggage, riding the trains can be a challenge, but not impossible.  You may need to leave your large bags near the entrance to the car, and then take your seat.  As much as possible, you will want to make it difficult to run off easily with your baggage.  I might suggest placing a locked bike safety cord through the handles of your luggage.  That way they are secured as a group and not easily moved.  

Once you arrive at Rome's Termini station, make sure you are prepared to be on your toes for opportunistic crime.  

Here are a few hints:

• Don't leave your phone or wallet on the tabletop while you have a cappuccino.  
• Put your purse or your pack over your head and across the front of your body.  
• Have your money and passport in your money belt.  
• Don't hang your purse on the back of your chair.

Catching a Cab at Termini Station:  Official Taxi Stands at the Termini are clearly marked with a sign and details of fare stipulations.  If you don't see a line and a sign with detailed fare information, then look for another official taxi location.  

We learned this the hard way. After wandering up to an official looking Taxi sign, we spoke to a man who represented himself as the taxi director, and he sent us to a small white SUV.  Once he began loading our luggage, we noted that he did not have a "TAXI" sign on the top of his car.  We asked him "Quanta costo?" or "How Much?" and his quote was an outrageous 35 Euros for a 5 minute cab ride.  We declined the ride and found the real taxi line across the Termini Train Platform and outside another exit door.  In the end, we paid 13 Euros, plus 3 Euros for extra bags.  This story is reminiscent of NYC, and so just be aware that unofficial taxis are a potential rip-off. 

Even real taxis, may try to pull a fast one...possibly starting the meter or not starting the meter.  Be cautious, and your radar should probably go off if the cabbie doesn't want to bring you to the door of your hotel, or flips the seat forward to cover the meter.  Watch out for funny business, and make sure they are official taxi's with a lit white sign on the top of the car.  

If you come to Rome, I hope these suggestions make it a bit easier for you to get into town and avoid getting into trouble along the way.  If you have any other ideas that might be helpful to travelers coming into Rome, feel free to leave your comments here.  

 Tomorrow we visit the Colosseum with a private guide! Stay tuned!



Rebecca Zdybel
Artist, Instructor, Art-Travel Instructor
Art Lessons in all media
Myrtle Beach, SC
rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

Spread Light, Share Love, DO Art!

Feel free to share any of this blog post on your own blog or website, but I ask that you you include:

Rebecca Zdybel is an artist and instructor in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Follow her and see her work at http://www.artmyrtlebeach.com/

"Like" my facebook page: Rebecca Zdybel- Artist
Join me on Google+ Rebecca Zdybel Google+ Profile

On Location Lesson 3: International Travel Tips and Karlyn Holman Workshop Announcement

Tuscany Here We Come!!!!!!

 Sunlit Tuscan Hillside

Dreams really do come true!  Thanks to help and encouragement from my friend and mentor Karlyn Holman, my home away from home will very soon be a beautiful and modernized medieval monastery in the heart of the Chianti wine region in Tuscany.  The name of this Tuscan retreat is Borgo San Fedele.  It's location is a short day trip away from some of the most charming towns I've ever visited in the region of Tuscany.  We will have chef/sommellier Andrea Anichini, giving us cooking lessons and preparing our meals all week.  In addition, I will be giving pointers and art lessons to those who are interested.  We will have the opportunity to paint and sketch on location and in the studio at San Fedele.  Under the Tuscan Sun, we will tour, photograph, and taste our way around the area's towns and vineyards during the harvest season.  In the evenings, I'm hoping that our resident minstrels will serenade us on guitar after dinner on the terrace "Under the Tuscan Stars".  Sounds dreamy,  right?

Our chef and cooking instructor
Andrea Anichini

Want to Join Me Next Year?  

If you're interested in joining me for my next visit to Tuscany, it's time to get on board!  I have another trip in the works tentatively set for October 2015.  I hope to combine this lovely location with an added excursion to Venice!  I am going on a scouting mission to Venice in a few weeks. I will check out locations and begin to make the plans for next year.  If you'd like to come along, then please contact me and send me your information!  As details come available, I will be sure to keep you posted.

ON LOCATION LESSON 3- 

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL TIPS:

Borgo San Fedele
Our "Home away from Home" 

In case you're traveling to Europe anytime soon, here's a few travel hints you may enjoy reading...


Cell phones:  I have an iPhone with Verizon on a business account.

• The rate for calling or receiving calls in France and Spain is currently $.99 cents/minute for a business account.  Non-business accounts have rates available of about $1.25/minute.  Call 611 from your phone to set up an international plan for yourself or check if there are better rates available to you on your account.
• I plan to disable my Data services while abroad.  This will prevent charges from texts or unwanted push notifications while I'm there.  You disable this by going following this path-  "Settings"-"Cellular"-"Roaming"-"Data Roaming"- "Off".
• Verizon doesn't charge for WiFi usage overseas...it simply charges if you receive texts or calls using their Verizon data plan.  If you have apps like Viber, Whatsapp, Skype, or Tango, you can use the apps to communicate free of data charges whenever you access WiFi on your trip.  These apps allow calling and texting, so long as whoever you are calling or texting also has that app.  It's a reason to get your frequent callers, family and friends to download the app before you leave.   
• Charging: Don't forget your charger!  My iPhone is capable of converting the voltage from European outlets to charge the phone. All that is needed is a plug adaptor- something that changes the shape of the plug on your charger so that it can mate with the wall outlet wherever you are traveling.  A converter is not needed for the iPhone.

Camera/ iPad

Watercolor Painting- Borgo San Fedele
11 X 15 Rebecca Zdybel 

• Taking photos from my new iPad mini gives me great shots and allows me to paint or sketch from the screen with ease.  This way I avoid dealing with my photo card and the need to download the photos to my computer in order to edit or view them.  The iPad mini does not work well in bright light...the screen is hard to visualize outdoors with glare being the problem.  It also is cumbersome to carry and shoot with
• Getting photos from my camera to my iPad is a different matter.  It requires a lightning adaptor for an SD card.  In researching the options, it seems to me that the Apple brand is only a few dollars more than some of the off-brands, so I purchased the Apple brand SDadaptor.  

Credit cards/Insurance card /passport/precautions:

Bubble Boys- Tuscany
11 X 15 Rebecca Zdybel

• I make a photocopy of my cards, passport  and ID and put them in my carry-on.  When I arrive at the hotel, I put them in the safe.  Just in case
• Contact your credit card company to tell them you'll be traveling abroad.  It avoids fraud protection issues that can impact your ability to access the card while traveling.  
• Check to see if your card charges foreign transaction fees.  Ask your credit card representative.  If you will be charged fees,  think about getting a card that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.  I have one from Barclay and also Bank of America. 
• I always bring my medical insurance card and my healthcare savings credit card.  
• Always keep your passport in your hand...do not set it down or let it go out of your sight with employees of any restaurant or rental companies.  Hotels sometimes keep your passport on tours, and though this really bothers me, I will cooperate if they insist. 
• There is a new scam around being run at security checkpoints in airports.  It involves theft of unsupervised bags...While you go through the X-ray scanners separated from your bag, someone grabs your bag and goes.   Wait to put your bags into the scanner until just as you go through your body scan.  It will help to minimize your time of separation from your bags.  
• Another new way to steal is on trains.  Baggage is often stored at the entrance to the train car that you occupy.  I've been told that stealing bags is becoming common when they are out of sight.  The suggestion is to buy a lightweight bike lock and secure your bags together and to the luggage rack.  
• Consider money belts or bra-wallets to increase the safety of your cash, cards and identification. 
• I generally make a manila envelope my travel file.  I keep my boarding pass there, and I put copies of my itinerary there and any travel emails sent to me by my carriers or travel companions.  That way I have one place to look when I want to refer to travel arrangements.  I keep this with me while I travel in my carry-on.  I also make a copy for my husband to keep at home if he's not traveling with me. 

New Painting- New Lesson for Tuscany!
Watercolor and Ink on Paper Rebecca Zdybel 11X15 $177

Clothing: 

I wear primarily athletic attire and pack for 1 week.  Then I wash clothes in the sink.  I bring flip flops because floors are cold and sometimes its comfortable to just flip flop around.  Stone buildings tend to retain their sense of cold, so be ready to layer.  For dressier moments, I bring some jewelry that can  take my black top and black pants into evening.  I also bring scarves for pops of color or a dressier look.  Remember that women need to cover their shoulders inside church buildings.  Scarves are good for doubling as a shawl in this instance.  

For a list of Art Materials I plan to bring- see the Travel supply list on my home page.

I wish I could take all my friends and students with me, but if you can't make it, then I hope you'll join me vicariously by subscribing to this blog.  


I'd love to read your travel suggestions.  Post them here and we can all learn from one another =)

Links to my previous On Location Lessons- 
On Location Lesson 2: "I'm So Dizzy!" Solving Perspective Problems
On Location Lesson 1- Choosing Your Subject

Special Karlyn Holman Workshop

Karlyn and Rebecca in the studio together in France

Watercolor by Karlyn Holman

 Karlyn Holman Watercolor Fun and Free Workshop
Dates: Feb 23-27, 2015 
Beach Cove Resort,  4800 S Ocean Blvd. , North Myrtle Beach, SC 29582
Cost: $500, $100 Deposit reserves your seat


This exciting watercolor workshop will be coming soon with Karlyn Holman!  I wanted to let my friends and students have first crack at registration, and and it's already almost ½ full!  Her workshop at Cheap Joe's has a waiting list of 8 people.  If you might be interested, I encourage you to sign up early before the course fills up.  Karlyn is amazing and we are so fortunate to have her!  Email me and I will gladly send you a brochure.  

Watercolor by Karlyn Holman

Watercolor by Karlyn Holman

Rebecca Zdybel
Artist, Instructor, Art-Travel Instructor
Art Lessons in all media
Myrtle Beach, SC
rebecca@artmyrtlebeach.com

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Rebecca Zdybel is an artist and instructor in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Follow her and see her work at http://www.artmyrtlebeach.com/

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