About the Instructor — Liza Compass
Liza Compass is an award winning self taught artist, musician and content creator native to the Tampa Bay Area. While she enjoys expressing herself in a multitude of art forms and mediums, Liza’s first love has always been colored pencils. Inspired by lucid dreams and the majesties of the natural world, her work straddles the boundary between Realism and Surrealism, falling into a realm the artist lovingly terms "Dreamscape Realism" to describe the art created from her mind's eye. Liza's artwork is constantly evolving as the creative strives to combine unexpected materials with more classic methods of art making to capture what inspires her most in likeness, emotion and higher meaning. Emotional potency is the driving force between everything Liza does, which she hopes to communicate to the viewer through her choices in color, motion, texture and juxtapositional elements. In addition to creating visual art, Liza enjoys making videos on YouTube which introduce artists and art lovers alike into the life of a living artist, musician and all around creative soul. But above all else, Liza hopes to encourage creative expression in others and spark meaningful dialogue amongst her viewers; whether that be through words, music or in silent observation
About the Workshop:
Get ready to color outside the lines and explore the versatility, depth and range of expression possible with colored pencils! While I’ve always loved to draw, I must admit I am truly a painter at heart. Over the years, my personal approach to colored pencils has been heavily influenced by classical oil painting techniques, and I’m excited to introduce these techniques to you in this one-of-a-kind workshop.
Whether you’re picking out your first set of pencils or are a seasoned pro looking to sharpen your skills in another medium, this workshop is for you! We will begin our exploration with realism drawing, where I will teach you how to “see” your subject in an entirely new way. You will learn about color selection, color “mixing”, layering and some of my favorite blending techniques with wax-based Prismacolor Premiere colored pencils. From there, you will be invited to infuse what you’ve learned into your own techniques and artistic style. We will discuss various forms of mark making, blending, and “color languages” that will start you on your way toward not only understanding your own personal approach to colored pencils, but will have you excited to master this incredible medium.
If you’re excited to see what’s possible, be sure not to miss this hands-on experience and get ready to open your mind to a new world of creative possibilities!
Cost
$70 for TRA Members, $85 for Non-Members, if paid by cash or check. If paid online, a convenience change has been added to the price. If you are paying by cash or check, please mail your check to TRA and email Judy Milsaps.
Supply List:
PROJECT ONE:
Most supplies for project one will be provided by your instructor, including a small selection of colored pencils, pre-cut drawing paper and the reference photo we’ll be using for the first half of the workshop.
In addition to these supplies, you will need to bring:
• Drawing board (clip board style or any smooth, hard surface)
• Manual pencil sharpener
• Sanded eraser
• Additional set of Prismacolor Premiere Colored Pencils (optional)
PROJECT TWO (Optional):
For the second half of the workshop, you may choose to continue with project one or begin applying your new skills and techniques learned toward a second drawing. This drawing could be anything you’d like to begin working on. You are welcomed and encouraged to draw something YOU like using your favorite drawing materials and personal style. The size is up to you, but keep in mind that something small (8x10 or less) will be more manageable in our given timeframe.
Again, project two is OPTIONAL and you are welcome to bring any drawing supplies you already use or new supplies you’d like to learn more about. Here are some suggestions for additional supplies you might bring:
• Additional colored pencils
• Any brand! You can use wax-based Prismacolor pencils as we will
be using for project one or try something completely different. You will only be provided with a small selection of colors at the beginning of class to complete project one, so please consider bringing your own set of artist quality colored pencils.
Other artist quality brands include Drewant, Faber-Castell, Caran d’Ache, Holbein, etc.
While wax-based colored pencils will be used for project one, you are welcome to try other kinds of pencil as well (such as watercolor pencils, oil based, etc.) Bring something you’re familiar with or try something new. It’s up to you!
Additional drawing paper
• Whatever you choose to bring, please make sure its at least 90lb.Some of my favorites are toned drawing papers, illustration board,
Bristol, and hot press watercolor paper (especially with watercolor
pencils or any “wet” applications).
Please avoid sanded papers, cold press watercolor paper or
anything else with excessive texture (you’ll thank me later).
Watercolor brushes, water cup, blotting towels (only for water-activated media such as watercolor pencils, Inktense pencils, etc.)
Blending solvents such as turpentine or gamsol, q-tips, brushes, paper towels (for oil-based and wax-based colored pencils)
HB Graphite pencil
Additional erasers
Scratch paper
Reference photos and/or rough sketches of what you’d like to draw
(High resolution images with lots of visible detail are encouraged)
If you’re not sure what to bring or have any questions about the supply list above, feel free to email me at lizacompass@icloud.com and I’ll be happy to assist you!
About the Artist
Liza Compass is an award winning self taught artist, musician and content creator native to the Tampa Bay Area. While she enjoys expressing herself in a multitude of art forms and mediums, Liza’s first love has always been colored pencils.
Inspired by lucid dreams and the majesties of the natural world, her work straddles the boundary between Realism and Surrealism, falling into a realm the artist lovingly terms "Dreamscape Realism" to describe the art created from her mind's eye. Liza's artwork is constantly evolving as the creative strives to combine unexpected materials with more classic methods of art making to capture what inspires her most in likeness, emotion and higher meaning. Emotional potency is the driving force between everything Liza does, which she hopes to communicate to the viewer through her choices in color, motion, texture and juxtapositional elements.
In addition to creating visual art, Liza enjoys making videos on YouTube which introduce artists and art lovers alike into the life of a living artist, musician and all around creative soul. But above all else, Liza hopes to encourage creative expression in others and spark meaningful dialogue amongst her viewers; whether that be through words, music or in silent observation.
If you are registering for the workshop with the pay at the center option, please make sure that you click the cart that appears at the upper right hand corner of your screen and complete the registration process. The registration process will include a zero dollar payment. You must complete the registration process or your registration will not be complete, and we will not know that you are planning on being in the workshop. If you do not receive a confirmation, you have not completed the process. If you have questions, please contact Kathy Durdin at kathydurdin@gmail.com.