This is a three session online workshop meeting on Tuesdays, March 3, 10 and 17.

A visual notebook of ideas and experiments can be an invaluable resource for all artists, visual and otherwise. Even writers can find inspiration and source material in visual images, collected in one spot for easy reference. This workshop will focus on using collage as a quick and fun way to generate ideas, make visual notes, and generally enhance creative practice.

Over the course of three class meetings, students will receive an introduction to the basics of collage, then develop and test compositions and colors, play with mixed media methods, and explore layering. The class will emphasize play and experimentation as well as more focused topics such as how to solve compositional problems. Ideally, it will instill a habit or practice that students can continue in the new year and beyond.

Sessions will include the opportunity for class discussion and work sharing, as well as group troubleshooting.

Open to all levels of experience; there will be exercises to challenge even lifelong artists.

Online workshops are recorded; video links will be emailed to registered students after each session, and recordings will be available for eight weeks after the final class meeting.

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to bring:

• a blank spiral bound notebook
• various papers (colored, magazine, old books, decorative, gift wrap, etc.)
• clear packing tape for tape transfers
• waxed paper
• glue stick
• x-acto knife and scissors
• drawing supplies: pens, pencils, etc.
• tracing paper
• burnishing tool: bone or teflon folder, or a spoon

About the Instructor:
Hope Amico (they/them) is a visual artist, writer and educator who believes we could all use a creative practice. Through classes, collage meetups and the Keep Writing postcard project, they are excited to share ways we can work together and support each other creatively. Co-founder of the New Orleans Collage Collective and previously known as gutwrench press, they relocated to Portland, OR in 2020. They teach online and in-person through the MCBA, SFCB and privately through their own studio.

Discover how to make a star book mobile using decorative papers and collage.

In this class students will learn how to combine the basic structure of a star book with the theatrical 3D effects of a tunnel book. Using decorative papers, collage, and other mixed media they will find out how construct three dimensional tableaus in each alcove of the star.

The resulting mobile will rotate when suspended and create a playful sense of narrative as each scene is revealed.

Prerequisite:
None

Tools/Materials to bring:
Optional: decorative papers or ephemera to use in/on your mobile

About the Instructor:
Stephanie Jucker (she/her) is an exhibiting artist who uses mixed media and printing techniques in her paintings, books, and art installations. Originally from London where she earned her BFA, Stephanie has an MFA from Syracuse in painting, printmaking, and ceramics. With 25 years of teaching experience, she currently runs art classes at College of Marin, Kala, and Art Works Downtown in San Rafael.

Curious about lino carving but not ready to commit to a long workshop? Learn the basics of carving and printing in this short introductory class.

Each student will design and carve their own block of soft rubber (easier than linoleum) and print a set of cards with pigments or dyes. Then we’ll use fabric inks and brayers to print a drawstring bag and cloth napkin. You will complete the session with knowledge and techniques to create more on your own!

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to Bring:
None

About the Instructor:
Elaine G. Chu (she/her) has taught students of all ages, in person and online. Her work has been featured in “Greencraft” and “Somerset Studio” magazines as well as “1000 Artists’ Books.” She co-authored “Wood Paper Scissors,” a how-to crafts book. Elaine received a B.A. in music at Yale University and a B.F.A. in graphic design at University of the Arts. View more at EGChuHandcrafted.etsy.com and on Instagram @egchu1.

You never know when you'll need to mend a lost button or a fallen hem when away on a trip. You need a traveling pincushion!

The upcycled container contains all the supplies needed to do the job, and it's downright adorable, too.

Everything is included in the workshop to make your own pretty and useful one.

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to bring:
None

About the Instructor:
Dorothy Yuki (she/her) studied to be something other than an artist. She began as a fashion designer immediately after college but soon she became a partner of a manufacturing company, In Good Company, from 1965-1976. She designed and manufactured kitchen soft goods and linens. Later, as a production and design consultant, she worked with many identity and music production companies, as well as new startups.

Now in her 80s and living in San Francisco, she is engaged in many volunteer activities, Ruth’s Table, Artseed, SCRAP-SF, San Francisco Center for the Book, and FabMo. She also mentored at Bay High School in their Senior Program. She was past President of Friends of Calligraphy and has been a Master Educator for the Macy’s Fashion Incubator San Francisco.

She still has the time to do ‘art’ and has worked on projects for MMOCA, Flax Art and Design, Kalligraphia, Ruth’s Table, FabMo and SCRAP-SF. She is a recipient of Honorable Mentions for her artwork at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art Altered Book Show 2014 and 2015. To find out more about Dorothy's work, visit her blog www.dotsrainbow.com

In this informal monthly session, we'll engage in unconventional exercises to spark fresh approaches to drawing.

If you're hungry for a challenge, or want to try new techniques, or if you simply want to draw in the company of others, join us on the third Thursday of the month. 

The exercises will change each month, so you may wish to sign up for multiple sessions. No drop-ins, please.

Prerequisite:
None

Materials to Bring:
Bring your preferred drawing materials and an open mind. Paper and basic tools will be provided.

About the Instructor:
Tim Svenonius (he/him) is a mixed-media artist whose work explores the intersections of history, memory and myth. A voracious reader and an avid researcher, his work is shaped by deep investigations into arcane knowledge and lore. He has worked for two decades in the museum field, as a designer, writer, and producer of digital media. In 2015 he self-published a monograph, A Book of Lost Latitudes, which explores the role of the whale in mythology and literature, through evocative drawings and found texts.

Gilding is the process of applying metal leaf to a surface. This contemporary approach to an ancient process allows for makers from every background to explore a painterly approach to using metal leaf.

Learn the technical aspects of this gilding technique in this one-day class. Gilding can be used on any material surface from paper to wood to stone and in any application from fine art drawings on Japanese paper to holiday cards!

This workshop will provide students with the step-by-by process of incorporating metal leaf and loose pigment into compositions on varied material surfaces. As a jumping-off point, students will complete projects designed to familiarize students with the nuances of applying and trouble-shooting working with metal leaf on paper and mixed media collages.

Prerequisite:
None

Tools/Materials to Bring:
All tools and materials are provided by the instructor. Please bring a pencil or preferred drawing tool, and small objects, papers or other materials to experiment on.

About the Instructor:
Solange Roberdeau is a visual artist and freelance art educator and she works primarily in paper, sumi ink and with contemporary gilding in her own studio practice. Solange received a BFA in Printmaking from RISD in 2005 and an MFA in Studio Art from MICA in 2012. She teaches private classes as well as has taught workshops in contemporary gilding at institutions including locally at Kala Art Institute, Berkeley; nationally at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore and internationally at Cairo American College, Egypt. More information about Solange can be found on her website: www.solange-roberdeau.com.

This half-day workshop explores ways you can modify the traditional color wheel to suit your own creative practice.

We'll begin with an overview of color models used by artists from the 17th century to the present. A sequence of exercises will demonstrate ways to leverage traditional color concepts to meet different aims. You'll come away with new frameworks for experimentation, and potentially new ways of working with your trusted colors.

You're encouraged to bring your preferred color medium. The concepts and principles covered in the class can be applied to any color medium, wet or dry.

Prerequisite:
Students are expected to have a basic familiarity with color theory.

Materials to Bring:
Bring a range of colors in whichever medium you're comfortable with: colored pencil, pastel, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, plus any brushes or accessories needed. No oils, please. Paper will be provided.

About the Instructor:
Tim Svenonius (he/him) is a mixed-media artist whose work explores the intersections of history, memory and myth. A voracious reader and an avid researcher, his work is shaped by deep investigations into arcane knowledge and lore. He has worked for two decades in the museum field, as a designer, writer, and producer of digital media. In 2015 he self-published a monograph, A Book of Lost Latitudes, which explores the role of the whale in mythology and literature, through evocative drawings and found texts.

This workshop is an introduction to the Japanese marbling technique of Suminagashi or “floating ink”.

Participants will learn paper and ink preparation, as well as brush application techniques used to create a series of uniquely marbled ink prints on masa and kozo papers.

Students will leave this one-day workshop with a collection of prints that they can use as bases for additional drawing or printing applications, or as stand along works of art

Experimentation is encouraged and all are welcome!

Prerequisite:
None

Tools/Materials to bring:
All necessary materials will be supplied, but please bring additional papers you would like to experiment with as well as alternative mark-making tools such as branches, a straw, toothpick, fork, etc.

About the Instructor:
Solange Roberdeau is a visual artist and freelance art educator and she works primarily in paper, sumi ink and with contemporary gilding in her own studio practice. Solange received a BFA in Printmaking from RISD in 2005 and an MFA in Studio Art from MICA in 2012. She teaches private classes as well as has taught workshops in contemporary gilding at institutions including locally at Kala Art Institute, Berkeley; nationally at the Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore and internationally at Cairo American College, Egypt. More information about Solange can be found on her website: www.solange-roberdeau.com.