30 Day Drawing Challenge Day 14- Pen and Wash with Elegant Writer Calligraphy Marker

Cool Tool for Pen and Wash- Elegant Writer Calligraphy Marker

Drawing is not what one sees but what one can make others see.


Edgar Degas

The day has arrived to officially try the Elegant Writer brand marker!  If you haven't already experimented with this little gem, then you're in for a pleasant surprise.  I love sketching with this marker...it lays down values and gradations of value very quickly, and is archival and permanent once it's set with water.

My sketches using black Elegant writer calligraphy pen animated with water and brush.
Additional Black water soluble Stabilo Woody crayon was washed into the background of the wine glass.
To get the highlight on the rim and along the stem, I painted around that area of paper to leave it white.
This is a classic watercolor technique called negative painting...

Materials for today's Challenge:

If you haven't purchased your black Elegant Writer pen yet, then run out and get one.  
Here's a link to Amazon.com:    Elegant writer- Black extra fine point

• Elegant writer calligraphy marker in Black (Extra Fine Nib) or other water soluble writing tool (Staedtler Mars Graphic 3000 marker in black is also good for this exercise)
• Paper that can withstand water application- watercolor paper or multimedia paper
• brush (small/medium with a pointed tip will do)
• paper  towel or kleenex
• water container
• something you'd like to draw from around your house...something from your shelf or an item which you think looks interesting (you can try something you did before using this pen, or draw something new)   

Step 1- Do a contour drawing of your item with elegant writer pen.  If you are very nervous about this, you have permission to use a pencil and then trace the lines with elegant writer. 
You don't need much ink for this challenge, so be sparing with the amount you put on the paper
Step 2- Look for shadows.  If you have light edges around the outside of your subject, then think about making up a shadow outside the edge to make the edge appear lighter.  
Step 3- Gather a brush and container of clean water and a kleenex or paper towel.  Bring the wet brush to the ink and watch it move!  Use your kleenex to control the flow.  Wherever there is water, the ink will be able to spread, so if you don't want it to be darker, keep it dry!
Step 4- Once finished, take a photo and send it to me before the end of this challenge and I will try to include it in a future Drawing Challenge blog.  

It's so fun to get these photos from all of you!  Just so you know you're not alone...Here are a few of your fellow challenger's sketches: 

Day 11

Day 12

Keep up the good work...we are almost half way through our 30 days of Drawing!  I'll be back tomorrow with another challenge. If you're enjoying this challenge, please share it with your friends =)

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/

Join me on Google+ Rebecca Zdybel Google+ 

30 Day drawing challenge Day 3- Blind Contour Onion

The drawings that interest me most are made with closed eyes. With eyes closed, I feel my hand slide down on the paper. I have an image in mind, but the results always surprise me. 
Willem de Kooning

Day 3 of our journey will challenge us to draw without watching our paper.  What?!  I can hear you already..."you want me to draw without looking at my paper?!"  As it turns out, in order to truly see and improve our drawing, this technique has proven results.   For now, just trust me when I say that it is worth your time to try it.

What is Blind contour?  It's a way to sensitize the coordination of our brain, our eyes and our hand.  It's amazing how quickly we gloss over visual information. We short-circuit what we see in order to process and respond quickly.  Our brains are masterful at this, but as artists we need to reverse this tendency and take in the details.  We are essentially training our Brain to take in data that it would normally skip.  Training our eyes to work in coordination with our hand by way of our brain is the ticket to drawing.  No wonder modern science is showing that adults who engage in regular art groups have better cognitive functioning than non-artists.  Yay for us!

What will we be drawing?  The lowly onion will be our subject for today.  Blind Contour will be our approach.  Relax...you won't need a blindfold.

Materials:
An Onion, Sketch paper, a pencil,  and eraser (yes you can use one today!).  I'm drawing my images in my Aquabee Super Deluxe sketchbook and I'd suggest you do your series of drawings in a sketchbook.  It will provide a great record of this 30 day adventure once we are finished. =)

Step 1:
Take a look at your onion.  I'd like you to draw from life if possible, so try to find an onion and place it in front of you.

Turn your paper to landscape orientation.  We will begin along the left side of the paper.  Very important:  Turn your body away from your paper.  Look at the onion, but try not to see the paper you are drawing on.

Step 2:  Beginning on the left side of the paper: Find an edge on the left of the onion, and begin moving your eyes and hand together to draw the edge of the shapes you see.  Be sure to turn away so you can't see the paper.  Peeking is allowed, but only to replace your pencil if it goes astray.

Follow those edges slowly with your eyes.  Your pencil should move with your eyes.  This is a slow process, so don't move your eyes ahead of your pencil.  Feel your pencil move.  Do not erase.  If your line is crazy, simply pick up your pencil, replace it along the edge where it "went wrong"  and draw it correctly.  The secret is to look at your subject 90% of the time and at your paper less than 10% if at all possibly.  The onion may have lots of edges...the skin may be torn, the top may be gnarled, and the bottom may have root tendrils.  All these edges are meant to be explored and followed with your eyes and your pencil.

What does this accomplish?  It makes a confident line.  It will reveal nuances of detail which you would not see otherwise.  Your drawing may end up looking something like this:

Though far from perfect, this drawing has captured the torn quality of the edges on the papery outer shell of the onion.

If that's all the time you have for today, then Congratulations!  You've completed another drawing.
If you're a glutton for punishment or hungry to learn as much as possible, then follow along to Step 3. It's time to do it again!
______________________________________________________

Step 3- Reposition your onion and draw it again. Use the same Blind contour technique and beginning in the central portion of your paper, draw the onion again.  Remember, SLOW is key.  Fight the urge to speed up and make something up.  When my eyes get ahead of my hand, that's what happens. More often than not, when I make things up, they often are wrong!

Since we are drawing more than one onion, shapes may overlap. Your pencil may go off the paper.  Don't worry! Enjoy the process and if you're like me, you will find more and more detail becoming apparent to you as you slow down to take it in.

When the second drawing is done, you again have permission to stop.  However, if you want to complete the entire lesson, then one more onion drawing is required.

Step 4:  Reposition your onion again.  Beginning on the right side of the paper, find a good edge and draw your object slowly with your eyes and hand moving in concert.  When you're done you may have a drawing that looks like this:

Confusing lines make it unclear who is in front and who is behind. 

Step 5:  Now it's time to get our your eraser. I hear you cheering...it's about time right?!    

When multiple shapes are next to one another, often one is in front of the other.  It's time to make a decision.  With 3 shapes, you need to decide who is in front and who is behind.  Erase the lines that are confusing.  

I decided to let the central onion be in front, and erased the overlapping lines from the right sided onion.  Now it looks as if the right sided onion is behind the central onion.

Step 6- After erasing, you can think about adding some finishing touches to your drawing.  Details you might have missed can be added now.  In the end, you may end up with something like this.  I added the little tag on the onion, and a few of the lines that flow vertically around the onion.  I tried to continue to not look at the paper, looking long enough only to place my pencil, then turning my gaze back to the onion.  

Voila! You are done for the day...your drawing is complete.  

If you're enjoying this drawing challenge, be sure to subscribe to my blog.  The place to do so is along the right edge of my website's home page.  You can also share it with your Facebook friends if you want to encourage others to join us.  I'll see you here tomorrow with another drawing idea for you! 

Let me hear from you! I read every comment and it means a lot to know you are out there reading.  Post your photos on my Facebook or instagram page with the #30daydrawingchallenge, #learntodraw and we can follow one another's progress...

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+ 

30 Day Drawing Challenge- Day 2

30 Day Drawing Challenge Day 2- 

Continuous Contour Line Drawing

Finding Edges: How to determine what to draw first?  My initial step for almost every drawing is to look for edges.  One way to sensitize our eyes and see the edges is to really look for them.  Minding the edge of our shapes is what we will be taking care to do as we take our first few steps of this plunge into drawing...perhaps this guy should have had a few lessons of this sort before he stepped out!

Let's jump right in!

Day 2 Assignment: Continuous Contour Line Drawing

Part A:  Draw a Continuous line Contour drawing of an object you love.

How to Make a Continuous Line Contour Drawing:
A Continuous Line Contour drawing is simply an outline of the edges of your item done with a line that is continuous.  It makes sense right?  Avoid sketchy line work.  Make a confident line...even if it's wrong it the appearance of confidence will make it look artistic.

What to draw?  Maybe it's your cup of coffee in the morning.  Maybe it's a small item you have on the shelf.  Just make it something you have feelings about...preferably something with a little story. Choose your object, whether its your paint brush or your favorite pair of glasses, and draw the edges of it's contours using a continuous line. 

Be sure to draw it on a new sheet of paper (not on the back of your last drawing!!!)

This is my best hint for success:  Draw VERY SLOWLY.  Try to make your pen move at the same speed as your eyes. (yes I want you to use a pen again!) Don't get ahead of your pen with your eyes...keep looking at the place you are currently drawing.  When you stop looking at your object to look at your paper, be sure to STOP your pen.  All too often we quit looking, move ahead with our pens, and start making things up.  When I do this, invariably I make an inaccurate mark.  Only draw when you are looking at your object. Move around the edges and note where other edges intersect.   

Once you have chosen your object- Carefully and SLOWLY draw it in the top ½ of your piece of paper. (we will save the bottom half for part B)

Draw it with your eyes concentrated on the thing you are drawing and NOT looking as much at the drawing on your paper.  Make yourself look at the thing you draw 90% of the time and at your paper as little as possible.  Try not to pick up your pen.  If you make a wrong turn, then make another line that is more correct.  Those wrong turns will probably not be as obvious when the right lines come along.

I used a continuous line contour drawing in permanent pen as the foundation for this piece. If you look closely you'll see a line underneath the top of the right lens.  This is a line that was drawn at an incorrect angle as I was looking at my glasses.  When I realized the error, I just picked up my pen and drew a new line.  Do you see how unimportant the incorrect line is once the finished drawing is complete?  So don't be scared!  Mistakes are not fatal. 

Your drawing will not look perfect, but it will have character and be what I'd call Arty-farty.  A perfect drawing might be accurate, but can be dull.  Contour Drawings are never dull, often I find that Arty Farty renderings are more fun to look at.  The inaccuracies lend a sense of the artist's hand to the final product.

Part B:
Create an intersecting frame for your object.  Have the frame descend below the drawing and either write an explanation of what makes that object so important, or use a few words to help your object tell a story.  I decided to let my glasses illustrate the idea of the subject for this lesson.

If you want to add color, you can do so with watercolor or colored pencils.  (I did mine with watercolor). 

If you're enjoying this drawing challenge, be sure to subscribe to this blog!  You can share it to your Facebook friends if you want to encourage others to join us.  I'll see here tomorrow with another idea for you!

Let me hear from you! I read every comment and it means a lot to know you are out there reading.  Post your photos on my Facebook or instagram page with the #30daydrawingchallenge, #learntodraw and we can follow one another's progress...

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+ 

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

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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