Happy New Year!

The Buttes - Phoenix, Arizona

​We got to spend a bit of Christmas with the grandkids in Phoenix at 'The Buttes', a wonderful resort known for swimming pools and hot tubs. Here's my sketch of the tall wall in one of the dining areas.

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Sabbatical

Where has the sabbatical gone?  Before I became 100% involved with Pocket Sketching, I painted in oil and watercolor, had several big shows and competed nationally. The inventory grew. In about 2010 I switched into Pocket Sketching and teaching. The inventory and supplies have been waiting. Some of you understand, as you also have a huge supply of art stuff. So, I have been relearning oil painting and hope to give painting in oil and watercolor another ‘go’ as the Brits say.  As my late brother would say, “We’ll see.”

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Announcement

My question became “Is it possible to achieve a steady income from selling original sketches and original paintings plus reproductions online?” Susan, our very dedicated assistant, has done a huge amount of work to set up a website/gallery at Art Storefronts.  Please go look, see if the site is interesting, navigable, worthy and let me know your reaction, good or bad. The new website is: art.pocketsketching.com where you can view both my Fine Art and my Pocket Sketches. Please share your experience with me - your input in the past was extremely helpful: ​[email protected].

Fine Art & Pocket Sketching

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Monthly Tip

Here’s a very important tip. When you have a sketch you absolutely love, consider keeping the original where it is not exposed to light. Scan it into your computer or take a photo for reproduction. The ink line is fugitive. That means if it is exposed to light on the wall it will fade…over time a lot! There is no black water-soluble pen yet that is archival. India ink is archival but very hard to work with. You’ll see my reaction in Season Four of Pocket Sketching

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Fundraising for Season 4

​And where are we on fundraising for Season Four? We are now at $14,700, all thanks to you!  That leaves $11,300 for me to figure out. If you still want to send a donation for 2024 (or 2025) click the button below OR phone 866-948-8727. And a giant thank you for all your support!

FUNDRAISER

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​As for future teaching, we have four online courses and two 3-day live workshops in our home studio coming up. For info and/or to enroll, go to: pocketsketching.com/workshops. 

Once these workshops are completed, Dale and I will decide if there will be more and in what manner. We are entering 2025 in a state of flux!

Sadly, because of increased shipping costs (almost as much as the supplies in some cases), we must raise the prices about 10% beginning January 2025. (Come attend a live workshop: there’s no shipping charge on supplies!)

Start the year with a happy sketch. This is an old one, but I love it.
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Happy Sketching and a Very Happy New Year!