PBS SEASON 4 IS ALMOST HERESeason 4 of Pocket Sketching is fully filmed, awaiting payment, editing and release to you. It contains a bit of review and stuff I have never been willing to make public! Normally this would be paid for by my soliciting sponsors. I totally hate soliciting sponsors. Would you like to do that? You're like me: NO!!! However, I have a favorite exercise I love, you'll love, AND it will pay for Season Four. You've heard me say that I love taking out 5 bad sketches from my 'Fix Em' file to figure out what's wrong, and attempt to fix it. It's almost always contrast, color or focal point. Out of 5, two usually get worse, one stays just as bad, and two really improve and go to the 'Really Good' file.
Here's the deal: You donate $100.00 (or more) to WGVU/pocketsketching. The Station is a 501(c)(3) and they will send you a receipt for your taxes & send me your address and email. I mail you five (5) of my own sketches from my 'Fix Em' file and email you the link to my brand new 'How To Fix Em' video. You identify the problem with each sketch and have a blast fixing it. The lesson is terrific! If the sketches get better, you have a good sketch that we did together. If they get worse, at least it wasn't your own sketch. (They're pretty good or I wouldn't have kept them in the first place.) If you choose to donate $200 or more, you will receive ten (10) sketches to play with (more than that is overkill!). The amount we need is $30,000. That seems like a lot, but divide by $100 and it will take donations from 300 people: totally doable. Meanwhile, I need potentially 1500 not-perfect sketches that I can't find time to get around to. Basically, it's $100.00 for an invaluable lesson and you may end up with originals for your wall done by you and me! WGVU gets paid for Season Four, which you will be able to see on PBS, and eventually buy as downloads. You get the tax write-off donation. Come play! Click the button below to donate or phone: 520.318.9291 to send a check. I'll let you know how we're doing toward our goal with short blogs. The blogs will also contain recent sketches, news and tips. NEWSThere's still room in the Teachers' Workshop, October 20-25. Read about it on the website: pocketsketching.com/teachers. Register or get more information by contacting me: [email protected]. Because of your comments, I will teach a few more live workshops. Don't know where or when now. Watch for the coming Blogs. Happy Sketching!  I am so very honored by comments many of you have sent since I mentioned in my last blog that we may be moving into retirement. We are somehow getting older, which sort of leads to ‘The Shipping Department.’ Sorry about delivery problems while we were on our big trip. Dale, (Vice President of Shipping) shipped daily from wherever. (Did you notice the post office on the package?) He received supplies at each place we knew we’d be for two days or more. There were mistakes. If you are still missing something, let us know. If you received more than you paid for, happily keep it. [email protected] From the trip here are three sketches and a journal page, all from Victoria, BC. Journal pages have writing, usually telling more about the location of the sketch. I love food and often guess at contents so I can copy the dish at home. The fountain in ink is typical. The color sketch of the same fountain is pretty poor. However, both trigger the memory, and I can make a good sketch or even a painting from them. Once you take the time to sketch, you become immersed and you lock the memory in the computer of your mind. Your camera pictures don’t make this connection. There are more trip sketches coming: I got some good sketches and some great lessons.
At last we are showing on PBS, KAET in Phoenix and Prescott, Arizona! Could you believe it has taken over five years to get Pocket Sketching PBS shows into my hometown and state, though we show in 730 stations nationwide?! Thanks for asking them: It finally worked. In Phoenix we are showing on PBS Life which is: Cox channel 80, Century Link channel 9, Northern Arizona channel 142, Maricopa channel 211. The near times are Monday, Aug. 19, 12:00 PM, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 3:00 PM, Monday, Aug 26, 12:00 PM, Tuesday Aug. 27, 3:00 PM. Go to their schedule to find more times: obviously this is an experiment. If you like it and want to see more, please contact Lisa Sepulveda, 855-818-6613 or [email protected], and ask for more showings. We have a foot in the door! If you are in Tucson, AZPM Plus will show Pocket Sketching® at 9:30 AM each Monday on Channel 82 (Cox) and Channel 396 (Comcast). View AZPM schedule here: https://tv.azpm.org/schedules/episode/266772 Happy Sketching! 
But There Was MoreWhile we were sketching at the Empress Hotel Bar, a family was sitting next to us. They were celebrating their twelve-year-old daughter's birthday (she picked the venue). Julie began sketching the girl. The family started asking questions. Julie did a great sketch, which she gave to them. They were delighted! Then Julie, Eva and Joy did a marvelous sales pitch for Pocket Sketching.® I was the 'elder-sketcher-sitting-at-the-side-saying-nothing.' Totally amazing!!!! I couldn't have pitched Pocket Sketching batter!!! It felt strange...like it's time to bow out and find a new, younger person to take over Pocket Sketching. I am left complimented and contemplating. Below are two of my sketches from Victoria.
If you are in Tucson, AZPM Plus will show Pocketsketching® at 9:30 AM on Mondays, Channel 82 (Cox) and Channel 396 (Comcast). View AZPM schedule here: https://tv.azpm.org/schedules/episode/266772/ Happy Sketching! 
As you know, we are on our first vacation in 12 years. Dale is doing the shipping, packaging and finding Post Offices every day wherever we are. If you get a mistake in your order, let us know by emailing [email protected] OR call/message Dale @ 520.270.1452. People are still human and we do make mistakes, plus we're slower than Amazon. Dale will fix it!
Happy Sketching!  Pocket Sketching Becomes DependableIn trying to graduate to bigger paper and not use the pen (to go to large traditional watercolors), I have been forced to accept again how valuable the pen is. Here’s a dreadful attempt of a beautiful resort. The right stuff was there: I certainly wasn’t! You are not alone: I get bad sketches too, and lots of also-rans. (There’s a super use for them. See the next blog!)
Next was Chama for the Chama/Antonito Railroad. If you go, sit on the right (starboard) side of the train: it gets all the views. Beautiful ride and will be spectacular with aspens in September. I drove back up the highway and did several sketches.
Next was Ouray, then Telluride, CO, where we 86 year-olds didn’t adapt to the elevation, but the scenery was phenomenal. The car did well. I got a great sketch of Red Mountain during a roadblock. Next we stayed with friends Rex and Denice in Montrose at 5000’, an elevation where we could walk again. A local man grows peonies for people to pick at no charge. The sketch was done in the car while Dale drove to Orem, Utah, where we are now. It’s the best peony sketch I’ve ever done.  The mountains here are one of my major destinations for sketching. It’s just light...time to explore!!! Happy Sketching!  Who scheduled April? They were nuts!The 9th and 10th were supposed to be a fun oil pointing workshop I enrolled in. The hours were 6:30 AM to dark. Those are great hours to 'cath the light' ... when you are 30 years old. I cancelled. The 11th began my first Pocket Sketching® Retreat. There's a ton of planning and organizing involved. Held at the historic Arizona Inn here in Tucson, it was a marvelous success and ended April 15th. We spent a day at the Arizona Inn sketching, then a day at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum sketching and a day in Downtown Tucson...with oh-so-much-to-do! Dale and I drove to Las Vegas on the 16th for Dale's Super Sabre Convention which ended on the 19th. The highlight for me was attending a performance of KA by Cirque du Soliel. In the dark, I tried to sketch the performers. (Didn't work well!) but I did get a fun sketch of a gambler. And then we began a Teacher’s Workshop April 25th for 5 ½ days. It includes everything I know about Pocket Sketching and the business of running workshops in many different ways. It is intense. The April combination was overkill! We are now doing 2 online workshops. These are relaxing for me and work marvelously for participants. Each session is recorded and available for two weeks so you can review and even miss a session and stay caught up. You see every brush stroke. The potential is excellent for both instructor and for students. What’s next? Our first vacation in the 12 years we have known each other. I get to paint and sketch while Dale gets to do whatever he wants (plus shipping supplies from wherever we are!) We will visit places where we’ve taught, but not teach. There’s one exception. I’ll do a lecture July 6 and a one-day workshop July 7th in Coupeville, Washington at the Pacific Northwest Art School, where I’ve taught workshops for years. The lecture is hilarious. Hopefully the workshop won’t be. www.pacificnorthwestartschool.com, Phone: 360-678-3396 Watch the CALENDAR on www.pocketsketching.com for any live workshops. After the vacation we may plan some and even have new ideas for teaching. The next blog should have a very fun project I think you’ll enjoy. It involves Season Four on PBS, which is recorded. Happy Sketching!
Tucson Botanical Gardens
For 12 years Dale and I have traveled and taught Pocket Sketching workshops all over the country and even in Canada. It has been unbelievably rewarding for us. Can we move on? Is this only a sabbatical? We’ll find out. For the first time we are not scheduling, but we may not be able to stay away. We plan to continue the Teacher’s workshop and probably online workshops. We don’t have to haul everything with us by car for those, and I do want as many people as possible to have the chance to have all the excitement of finding they can sketch without rules, for pleasure, anywhere, in minutes. WHAT'S NEXTWe’re taking a non-teaching vacation for the first time in 12 years. I plan to sketch and will send some results in your newsletters. If we are in your area, maybe we can sketch together with you. I’ll send the route when we have it. We’ll continue to send tips in our newsletters. Some will be just what YOU NEED at that moment. UPCOMING EVENTSWe still have three openings in the Retreat, April 11 through 15 at the delightful Arizona Inn here in Tucson. Dale and I were there on the patio for dinner with our grandkids. All the flowers are in bloom. By April the nights will be warm for sitting out and the days will be perfect. This is my first retreat. I expect we’ll learn and play! Register by phone or email: 520-318-9291 or [email protected] The Teachers Workshop has two spaces left and the dates are April 25 through 30. This is loaded with everything I know. You leave having done all the exercises, learned how to teach them and how to run the business, plus you get one item of everything I use. You can use the Logo and be protected by the Trademark, be included on our website and continue to get support. Teaching Pocket sketching is a very fun way to get a gig income, meet new friends, have purpose, earn a full income: so many advantages. Register by phone or email: 520-318-9291 or [email protected] On May 4th we begin two online workshops. I have been amazed how well people learn online. I give exercises, demonstrate each, review your work personally, give you homework and review it the next session. Here’s what Jan of Grand Rapids said of the online: “In a nutshell, you made Zoom the best of all worlds! No travel. No hotels. Still, great lessons. Full-size sketchpad on my computer screen. I can totally see what you are doing, and we could ask questions as you went along. Excellent individual critique of sketches while sharing with great people. More time to spend on “homework” to try different things. Good time frame of five almost-two-hour lessons, plus 15 minutes for socializing before class. Having the lessons available for two weeks by recording made it easy to review and catch up when I had a conflict.” MONTHLY TIPWe have many orders for just the pens and a pad of paper. I insisted you receive the paper because if you pick a paper that absorbs, the pen won’t run. The pen allows you to have a full range of grey washes like Ansell Adams’ photography. The line is a perfect way to learn watercolor. If you go over the line quickly, it will yield a little bit of wash and remain a line. If you wiggle the brush as you go over it, it will go totally into wash. If you put what I call |
 'Arizona Inn Library' by Kath Macaulay | Retreat April 11-15 Based at the Arizona Inn-Tucson Teacher's Workshop April 25-30 Kath's home studio Online Basic Workshop May 4, 7, 10, 13, 16 Choose Morning or Afternoon |
After that we do not have plans to teach at this time. If we miss it too much (you won't believe how rewarding this has been!!!) we'll book a few workshops in the Fall. We are looking at many possibilities.
THE POCKET SKETCHING RETREAT
| The Arizona Inn is a woman-built garden inn built out in the sticks of Tucson just before the great Depression. Isabella kept it open by having her staff make furniture to be used in the rooms. It is now in the middle of town and is gorgeous and totally relaxing. I have often sketched there. We'll hang out in the piano lounge and on my patio. I'll be with you to sketch, critique, yak and relax. Our Trips The Barrio (old very typical Latino neighborhood) featured in Conde Nast as a 'must see' in 2024. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (features every plant, bird, rock, animal that is here, mostly in natural settings with excellent trails) are must-do in Tucson El Charro for authentic Mexican food in a perfect setting Elizabeth's Home for Philipino dinner in her garden There's nothing to miss! |  'Arizona Inn' by Kath Macaulay  'Supplies' by Kath Macaulay |
Go to 'You Tube' to see many of my videos and CLICK SUBSCRIBE. You'll enjoy it and it will be helpful to me.
Look also at PBS Pocket Sketching. We will eventually have the episodes of every season available as downloads, but not until each has been shown by PBS for three years.
WHAT'S NEXT
I have to find funding for PBS Season Four, which is totally filmed, waiting for editing and
release. I’m no fundraiser. If you are so talented and want to make some money, please contact me.
This is a short-term project and I need help!!!
ONLINE BASIC WORKSHOP
Student Review
"Now I have attended all 3 types of your workshops: traditional live workshop, Covid-19 mask and
distancing workshop, and Zoom workshop. (Toss in your great PBS program showing here, and I
guess that makes 4 types!)
In a nutshell, you made Zoom the best of all worlds! No travel. No hotels. Still, great lessons. Full-
size sketchpad on my computer screen. I can totally see what you are doing, and we could ask
questions as you went along. Excellent individual critique of sketches while sharing with great
people. More time to spend on “homework” to try different things., Good time frame of 5 almost-
two-hour lessons, plus 15 minutes for socializing before class. Having the lessons available for two
weeks made it easy to review and catch up when I had a conflict.
Thanks for bringing your workshop to Zoom and my computer."
Jan Palm
release. I’m no fundraiser. If you are so talented and want to make some money, please contact me.
This is a short-term project and I need help!!!
ONLINE BASIC WORKSHOP
Student Review
"Now I have attended all 3 types of your workshops: traditional live workshop, Covid-19 mask and
distancing workshop, and Zoom workshop. (Toss in your great PBS program showing here, and I
guess that makes 4 types!)
In a nutshell, you made Zoom the best of all worlds! No travel. No hotels. Still, great lessons. Full-
size sketchpad on my computer screen. I can totally see what you are doing, and we could ask
questions as you went along. Excellent individual critique of sketches while sharing with great
people. More time to spend on “homework” to try different things., Good time frame of 5 almost-
two-hour lessons, plus 15 minutes for socializing before class. Having the lessons available for two
weeks made it easy to review and catch up when I had a conflict.
Thanks for bringing your workshop to Zoom and my computer."
Jan Palm
| TEACHER'S WORKSHOP Have you thought to get a ‘gig’ income? If you love sketching, why not teach it? It’s fun, easy to teach, you meet wonderful people, establish a group that is fun, loyal and more than willing to meet weekly to enjoy each other’s company, learn and pay you for the privilege. Look into my Teacher’s Workshop April 25 through 30. It’s a big commitment, but check out the potential income (and the itinerary) to you at https://www.pocketsketching.com/teachers.html. May I suggest you do this now, as there are very few credentialed Pocket Sketching Teachers in the U.S. and the market is enormous. People love to immerse in vacations, learn, be totally portable, have minimal equipment, meet great people, come back with sketch-memories…just like you!!! I teach everything you need! [email protected], 520-318-9291 |  'Immersed' by Kath Macaulay |
HAPPY SKETCHING!
 Red Dragon |  Green-Eyed Dragon |
The Chinese Lunar New Year begins today and the symbol is the dragon, a wonderful mythological beast. I have always loved them and included are two of my old watercolors which were inspired by my Master, Bong Wei Chen. Totally frustrated with his class, he announced “Paint dragon: nobody knows what they look like!” He could not believe we did not know where birds carry their feet in every pose. His comment: “Chinese children know where bird feet are by time 6 to 7 year old! American know nothing!!!” Total incredulity. (And it really is fun to paint dragons!)
Talk about incredulity, I spent five days preparing to give a talk to the Santa Rita Art League in Green Valley, then woke up at 5:00 AM realizing they didn’t want a business lecture, but to be entertained. After re-writing and adding a new group of sketches, eighty people were entertained. Some of us take life too seriously sometimes!
Talk about incredulity, I spent five days preparing to give a talk to the Santa Rita Art League in Green Valley, then woke up at 5:00 AM realizing they didn’t want a business lecture, but to be entertained. After re-writing and adding a new group of sketches, eighty people were entertained. Some of us take life too seriously sometimes!
Pocket Sketching Retreat
April 11 - 15
Tucson's Gorgeous Arizona Inn
Coming up is the exciting Pocket Sketching Retreat April 11 -15 at Tucson’s gorgeous Arizona Inn. It will be sunny and perfect to sketch, flowers everywhere and so much to enjoy! Did you see the article on the Barrio in Conde Nast? That’s one of our destinations. We expect to pick up the birds-of-prey flight at the Desert Museum. They fly immediately overhead. You are told to not hold your I-pad or your kids above your head because of potential collisions! The Desert Museum is a total must-see! Call or email me for a reservation and join us for laughter, sunshine and sketches!
Pocket Sketching Workshops |
 | For Basic live workshops, I still have room February 21, 22, 23 here in my home studio. Seven is the maximum so everyone gets plenty of attention. If the weather’s cruddy, don’t worry. Day One and Day Two are indoors learning all about the technique, landscape, still life and people. If we can’t go out Day Three, I have tons of very fun, advanced material from my Refresher course. You’ll be ready for it! Email or Phone reservations: [email protected], 520-318-9291. |
Dale, who’s more computer savvy than I, wants you to go to You Tube (youtube.com) and put in the search field ‘pocket sketching’. There are many educational videos we’ve done. Then click on (Subcribe). Something happens when we have 1000 followers. (See? Not savvy!)
Happy Sketching!
Happy Sketching!
Should we call it a vacation? How about a necessary break and reset? Dale and I have taken December and January to catch up on business and life without the interruptions of setting up teaching, hauling stuff to teach, teaching. In fact, I've just finished the third of three workshops where I got to be a student.
 |  |
First one I'll do again: Bob Burridge. Very splashy and loose: much fun! Subject was a moving nude (Pocket Sketching nude, red nude). He asked the model to have an "anguished face."
 |  |
The third workshop was with Stan Kurth. I wanted to learn how to use gouache (watercolor mixed with white which results in opaque and pastel paint colors). I got what I wanted (abstract and wine above). All really good experiences!
You often ask where to go to get more watercolor training. Tom Lynch does both online and live workshops. He's traditional and teaches well. www.tomlynch.com
Pocket Sketching Workshops
We plan to limit the number of workshops and they will be in Tucson, or nearby. New workshops are now here on the website. As I age-out, I hope many of you will become Pocket Sketching Teachers to have fun, purpose and enjoy the delight of bringing this easy technique to others. Click on Workshops/Teachers on the header bar above.
Pocket Sketching Retreat
Three Full Days of Sketching with Kath!
The dates are April 11 through 15, when Tucson weather is perfect. We are staying at the Arizona Inn, a gorgeous historic inn with beautiful gardens, a lovely pool and good food.
Day 1 Arrive April 11
Day 2 Sketch inside and outside of the Arizona Inn. The neighborhood is typical old Tucson and charming for sketching. Wine, cheese and crackers with a critique on Kath's patio in the evening.
Day 3 Excursion to the world-famous Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Critique in the evening. Gourmet Indonesian dinner in an amazing woman-designed home.
Day 4 Tucson street car to the downtown Barrio Viejo: a charming historic neighborhood with colorful homes built in the late 1800's. Tucson Art Museum, Cafe' a La C'Art for brunch and dinner at El Charro, Tucson's legendary Mexican restaurant.
Day 5 Departure
Space is limited. Only 12 spaces available. Cost $2075 per sketcher in single room. Two beds available: ask for quote.
Day 1 Arrive April 11
Day 2 Sketch inside and outside of the Arizona Inn. The neighborhood is typical old Tucson and charming for sketching. Wine, cheese and crackers with a critique on Kath's patio in the evening.
Day 3 Excursion to the world-famous Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Critique in the evening. Gourmet Indonesian dinner in an amazing woman-designed home.
Day 4 Tucson street car to the downtown Barrio Viejo: a charming historic neighborhood with colorful homes built in the late 1800's. Tucson Art Museum, Cafe' a La C'Art for brunch and dinner at El Charro, Tucson's legendary Mexican restaurant.
Day 5 Departure
Space is limited. Only 12 spaces available. Cost $2075 per sketcher in single room. Two beds available: ask for quote.
Tip of the Day
To have the Pilot Razor Point Pen 'run' into washes, you must have a paper that works. We get gobs or orders for 5 pens (a really good deal) but if your paper absorbs you won't see the line 'run,' which is the reason for buying that pen. That is why we now stress getting a pad of our paper when you order pens to see how it works. I have a little test I use in art supply stores to see if a new paper works. I have to buy the paper I wreck, but if it doesn't work, I don't buy a bunch or recommend it.
Changes
Our biggest change is...we plan to sell the business. Someone with a business background can take this much farther than we can at our somewhat advanced ages. According to Wikipedia, Bob Ross made $11.4 million in his short life. Far more than that is possible with international focus and the internet. I simply don’t want to step into the bigger picture with employees, regulations, brick and mortar, etc. We will teach teachers as this is how the technique can become available to many more people than we can reach. If you are curious, click on WORKSHOPS/TEACHERS on the header bar above. That description is totally real, including what you can expect to make as an extra income. Best of all, it’s tremendously fun, you meet wonderful people and you add purpose to your life! It has been incredibly rewarding.
KATH MACAULAY
Artist/Creator/Owner
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