Roann Mathias

Color Theory Class, Memphis

Roann — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:55:06 +0000

The yearlong series that I have been team-teaching with Peggy Kunkel and Ann Rabinovitz met over the weekend for the second part of the color theory section. The first class covered working with primary colors. This class built upon that foundation. We were working with tertiary colors (the ones mixed from three colors) and all their possibilities. The following photos were from an exercise Ann taught to create the illusion of overlapping shapes. Very eye-opening! All of us really liked the deep browns that could be mixed in this way.

Sizzix Blog Hop Cake Die

Roann — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:42:15 +0000

This week’s Sizzix die, designed by Eileen Hull, forms a cute cake. It was easy to decorate and assemble. Here are the photos:

I used Stampin’ Up stamp pads to color both the top of the cake and the main body. Then I wrapped the cake with two ribbons. Under the ribbon I added white ribbon with beading already attached. The flowers were from an old scrapbooking kit. I put them together with a bead in the center and wire. The greeting is my own calligraphy printed onto colored paper.

You can see what all the other creative artists did with this die in the list below.

Ann Butler

Bonnie Bruns

Candice Windham

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world

Just a Thought or Two

Karen Burniston

Laura Bray

Life in the Craft Lane

Lisa Rojas, Stampin’ Queen Creations

Modern Surrealist Marisa Pawelko

Niki Meiners

The Illuminated Letter Workshop, Jonesboro

Roann — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:37:45 +0000

This weekend I taught illumination and gilding to a small group in Jonesboro. The unusual thing about this class was that it was not offered by a calligraphy guild, but instead, in a convent! Sister Deborah Coffey was the driving force behind the class and she did an outstanding job publicizing the event. The little classroom that we used at the back of the convent was packed!

There were both beginners and experienced artists in the class. Everyone worked so hard that they lost track of time! On the second day they didn’t even want to take a break. It was so rewarding to see the things that they completed and their enthusiasm for the process. Here is one student, Theresa, concentrating:

We worked on color mixing, painting in designs and gilding on real vellum. Here are some photos:

Gilding on vellum:

Sister Deborah is hoping to continue offering workshops like this one, so if you are interested you can check for updates on her website: http://benedictinesacredartstudio.intuitwebsites.com.

Next weekend is a Black Magic workshop in Little Rock. I am looking forward to being with another group of dedicated artists!

Sizzix Tea Cup Blog Hop

Roann — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 14:00:13 +0000

Over the next few weeks I’ll be participating in a blog hop. What’s a blog hop, you ask. Eileen Hull, a friend, artist and fellow CHA Designer, has released a product line with Sizzix. These new ScoreBoards Dies can cut and score mat board to create sturdy three-dimensional objects, ready for assembly and embellishment. It is so much fun to “hop” through the blogs of the participating designers to see the ingenious ways these die-cuts can be used. I promise you’ll be inspired by these amazing artists! Scroll down to the bottom of this post to find the links to begin the adventure as you find your way through participating blogs.

This time, all of the designers will be creating a project using the Sizzix ScoreBoard teacup die. As an added challenge thrown in, Brenda Pinnick has provided us with two color palettes to work with from her ongoing series at Color U.

So here’s my first entry…

These are the individual pieces of mat board before assembly. First I used Golden Light Molding Paste and brass stencils to create the raised designs. After that dried, I used Pearl-Ex pigments mixed with Liquitex Gloss Medium and Varnish to paint the pieces. I also put together a small handmade book to fit inside the teacup, with calligraphy and painted designs, on Arches text wove paper:

Here is the cup, assembled, seen from the front:

Tiny handmade book coming out of the top of the cup:

Please stop by and see what all the fabulous designers have come up with and vote for your favorite (pick me!) on Eileen’s Blog. (The contest officially begins on March 31, so be sure to check-in then!) Make sure to vote because there are two prizes: one for the designer creating the project that receives the most votes and one to a random person commenting on any of the participating blogs. What a fun way to get inspired!

To vote, visit Eileen Hull’s blog and leave a comment saying you like my project. I appreciate your support!

Blog Hop: Sparkle’s Tea Cup

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at a crafty world

Just a Thought or Two

Make your own pretty scented tea cup flower bouquet by JGoode Designs

Modern Surrealist 2 in 1 Bohemian Tea Cup Magnet for the Sizzix Blog
Hop!!!

ScoreBoard Teacup

Sizzix ScoreBoard Blog Hop Tea Cup

Tea Cup Party Favors

Tea Cup Pin Cushion

Tea Cup Vase

Tea for Two, Two for Tea…

The Perfect Blend

Sandy Laipply’s Sizzix Score Board Blog Hop Project

Bonnie Bruns

Life in the Craft Lane

Sizzix Blog Hop – Eileen Hull Tea Cup

Sizzix ScoreBoard Blog Hop Tea Cup

Sizzix blog hop

Tea Cup Party Favors

Material Disclosure: I have a material connection to Sizzix and Eileen Hull. I received samples of the product above to use for this blog post. All other products mentioned in the instructions were purchased by me.

Painting with Pearl-Ex Workshop – Tulsa

Roann — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 01:25:56 +0000

This weekend I taught a new workshop in Tulsa for their calligraphy guild. The class explored using Pearl-Ex pigments in various acrylic media. We worked on black papers, canvas and arches text wove. Here are samples of the students’ work:

In these photos — pearl-ex mixed with fluid matte medium, clear tar gel, gloss medium and varnish, regular gel gloss and soft gel gloss.

The next two are swirls of sumi ink highlighted with pearl-ex

Below: Light molding paste painted with PE

Lovely lettering by Carol Dillingham:

Traveling Journal Art

Roann — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:22:59 +0000

In 2009 I signed up for two journal projects. The first one is The Sketchbook Project, sponsored by the Art House. Each artist received a Moleskin notebook to fill and return by the end of the year. Themes were assigned randomly, and mine was “My Life In a Yellow Submarine.” What? That was so far from the usual concepts that I create art about. I ended up doing a literal interpretation, following the lyrics of the Beatles’ song with images and calligraphy.

The pages were coated with a thin layer of gesso, then a layer of acrylic paint over that. Then I added inkjet transfers, lettering and collage elements. Here are a few pages:

Front and back cover (above)

The second project is an ongoing traveling journal sponsored by 1001 Journals. Here are the pages that I did before sending my book on:

Thanks for looking. Next week I will upload the photos of a large painting that was just completed.

Recent work

Roann — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:31:02 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve posted. The fall has been busy — with the workshop I taught in Indianapolis, and lots of freelance jobs. Here is a sampling:

Every fall I love to take pictures of the leaves changing. The one above is from our front yard, with some lettering thrown in.

This painting was created for a show in LIttle Rock at Fellowship Bible Church. You can see all the art online at: Jesus the Light. Below is a detail.

During the last year I have spent most of my time creating commercial art for licensing. So this was a nice break — returning to pure lettering and painting. If you are near Little Rock you can stop in and see the show!

As always, thanks for looking and comments welcome.

Black Magic Workshop, Portland, OR

Roann — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:22:52 +0000

Over the weekend I taught my Black Magic calligraphy workshop in Portland, OR. Here are the highlights:

The class begins with painting in color charts and a color wheel with gouache. The first one is in progress.

Finished color wheel and chart:

Everyone in the workshop tests Pearl-ex pigments that I bring to demo:

Lettering done by a student (Sue) with souffle pens on glossy black card stock:

Experiments with Twinkling H20s:

Students’ lettering using Twinkling H20 watercolors:

Another example of lettering with the souffle pens on black:

At the end of class everyone puts their samples into an accordion book:

Here is what one of the students said about the class: “The common theme was to PLAY! we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as we experimented, oohing and aahing over the effects of color on dark paper.” The group was a pleasure to teach, and one of the highlights for me was that Barbara Getty was in the class! Saturday evening some of us had dinner with Gina Jonas, who came down from Seattle.

Latest Wedding Design

Roann — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:32:22 +0000

Just finished designing a wedding invitation for a couple from my hometown, New Orleans. Here’s how it turned out:

Newest designs

Roann — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:36:16 +0000

Here are some of the designs I have been creating:

Pass the cranberry sauce!