Childrens book illustrating and Writing Workshop at Rotorua Arts Village Monday 29th April 2013

Me ( Janet Keen) with thirteen school holiday programme pupils at the Rotorua Arts Village in New Zealand. 

They are all making their own children's books with stories they are creating and illustrating.

(I haven't put the children's names in for privacy  reasons, so if any of the pupils are reading this,  Just remember I  never forget a face)

Thank you for doing such a great job.

 I enjoyed teaching you all. 

Well done.  

 

I had such fun helping these lovely young people, everyone was well behaved and focused. 

 

 First of all we made an eight page book with good quality cartridge paper.
Sarah who comes from England and is a professional artist,  was one of my helpers. (She is standing down the end). 
She folded up the books all ready to go while I  demonstrated  how to make a story board with eight squares on a piece of paper, which they filled in with rough outlines. 

My other helper was a pupil from Girls High, she was on a Gateway Scheme. 
She helped the children with getting the supplies ready and colouring some of their pages with background colours. 

 She looked like she was having fun as well and had done some visual diary making at school in an accelerated class. 

As you can see people were motivated and focused. 
I had a separate table all piled up with examples of the books I  have illustrated,  visual diaries I  have made and a lot of illustrated children's books that I  have collected over the years.

I included as an example my after school  pupil,  Kyle Burling's work with his story board and folder full of illustrations.
The children were impressed. 

After they completed each stage of the process they were all given a sticker as a reward which they could put on their book if they wanted.
 I find that pupils of all ages can be motivated by stickers.
I use them often. 
They are inexpensive and they help to encourage people to extend themselves. 
 

Here is a lovely example of well illustrated work.
 Each persons book had a special charm of its own
 Everyone did something different which allowed them to express their individuality and creativity. 

Sarah helping by making some special 3 D writing, the children loved her input and her gentle caring style. 

Sarah also helped with their spelling

This was a great example of using a published illustrated book as inspiration.

 

This was an example of a bigger format for a book.

I believe if a person has an idea that is different from what others are doing they should be encouraged to explore it. 

 One of the the worst things in the world I believe for a teacher to do is to crush a childs ideas and be too rigid. 

 Children and infact everyone  needs  the opportunity to  problem solve and fly with their own voices. 

This empowers people and encourages them to have a go.

Often I can learn from children's ideas, it's a two way process.

This was an example of a book that came together beautifully

The illustrations were well made and large and filled up the space. 

  

This person was a pleasure to teach, she got into it all very enthusiastically.

This book was charming. 

The drawings were sweet and the painting of backgrounds really nicely done.

She was only 6,  so was doing well to  achieve a finished result.

This book was fun as well.

                                      Lovely, happy attitude. 

 This guy had his story worked out right from the start.  

Very  exciting and full of danger. 

Three D writing, helped by Sarah 

This person had a great lot of well made drawings prior to coming to class. 

My advice to him is to keep going to art programmes  and make more books.

At the end they all showed off their books. 
These were the titles: 

Everyone got their lettering done in pencil and most of their illustrations and they were rewarded with stickers and a home made card from me. 

They accomplished a massive task in three and a half hours. 

Absolutley fantastic.

 I was very proud of them all and really pleased with the results. 

Creative Quote of the day

Students don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. 

Anonymous

I am enrolling for after School classes now.

 There are places for people on  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday After School  in mosaics, craft and painting. 

$25.00 per pupil per hour. 

374 Clayton Road, Rotorua, New Zealand. 

Phone 3463435

 email: jkeen@clear.net.nz. 

text 025313887

Middle Eastern Cooking Class at Rotorua Arts Village.

I've discovered  a means of  travelling out of Rotorua New Zealand without hopping on a plane or a ship. 
 Who needs a magic carpet when you can go to cooking classes with  other people from all over the world ? 

I've always loved cooking; mostly because I love eating and seeing the smiling face of my husband when I cook his favourite dishes. I'm a  believer that the key to people's hearts is through their stomachs and that sharing food is a great way to break down barriers. 
 
I really like and appreciate the look, taste and fragrance of exotic   food. I try to vary my dishes every week  because I  don't like being a rut dweller. 
 My repetoire includes Italian, Greek, Japanese, German, Indian, Thai,  Chinese, French Provincial, Mexican, Vegetarian, Seafood and good old New Zealand lamb, beef and chicken roasts.

I find it easy peasy  to follow most recipes so I 've never bothered with  cooking classes, unless you count the  bland and boring school ones, I had to attend as a teenager. That is the only time, dishes I made, like  Toad in the Hole or pinwheel scones tasted like vomit material. It's quite surprising how school seemed bent in those days on squeezing the life out of anything that could have been creative and fun. 
 

When I received  Susanna So's  email newsletter  from the Rotorua Newcomers Association, advertising a Middle Eastern cooking class with Palestinian, Nabih Mansour I signed up immediately. 
I knew it would be fun. 

I love the  falafels, hummous, pita bread, pickled cabbage and beetroot that Nabihs sells at the RotoruaThursday night market. Last time I had them I was sitting with an American tourist and she said she'd travelled all over the world and had never tasted falafals that tasted better. 

 Nabih had also attended one of  my six week, beginners acrylic painting classes. 
 He was  a lovely person and I thought it would be great to spend some more time with him. 

 We were to learn how to make flatbread and Middle Eastern vegetarian soup and also to make pizzas out of the flat bread. 
The cost was only $15.00 plus bringing along your favourite pizza toppings. The plan was to share a meal at the end of it together with up to twelve people at the Rotorua Arts Village.


Susanna So,  Co-ordinator of the Rotorua Newcomers Network always sends me her  email newsletters even though I've lived here for over twenty five years. 
 I like to meet new people who come to live here because it gives me a window into another country as I ply them with questions about their lives. 
A large number of people who I teach art and mosaics to come from other countries or other parts of New Zealand. I find them really fascinating

If more of us valued food, cheer and  song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.

JRR Tolkien quotes 

Prophetic Art Class Hamilton with Lynne Sinclair-Taylor

 I went  to a Prophetic Art Class on a Saturday with Lynne Sinclair Taylor. 
I found her to be a sincere, caring teacher who encouraged everyone equally. 
Her artwork is very well constructed in terms of technique and her concepts are intrguing. 
She has a wide variety of work, in pastels and acrylics like me. 
This is great because it's never boring.

We had to do a piece from our hearts after being still and asking for divine guidance. 

Prophetic art is not about producing technically skilled masterpieces. 

It is about letting go and seeing what comes out and looking to see what the drawings are telling you.

We used crayons on cartridge paper.

 

 Then we had to do something for a partner, containing a message for that person. 
My message was that the person needed to go walking in nature with a camera and take lots of shots and to buy a dog.
 The person I gave it to said she had been thinking of buying a dog and that her son had a camera which she could borrow.
  I thought  if she got a dog she could go to forests by herself and the dog would be a good protecter. 

She gave me this. 

Saying I had gone through a dark period but light was coming through. 

Then we had to do a picture for a mystery person. 

I got this one from a woman and I  loved it.

 The thought of  a nice light house with pillows made me feel happy. I think it means that I need to rest . 

Also a frying pan which is about cooking. 

I do a lot of cooking so it's telling me to make nourishing food. 

Which I  have been, ever since and I have lost weight. 

I did another one of a big flower for my mystery person, who happened to be the same person I  did the first one for  and it was full of kind hopeful words, but she put it away before I  could photograph it. 

 Then we had to do a card for someone and we were supposed to give it away to someone in the steet we didn't knw but I haven't done this because  I  don't like forcing things on people I don't know. 
 I have kept it but I  am going to make some more cards on the theme of peace and give them away. 

 Finally we had to do a picture for ourselves and this was mine. Bringing in hope for the future.

 These are some of the other people on the course who were very nice.

 Everyone enjoyed themeslves and were very friendly.

 Communication was open and relaxed.

Lynne also gave us some handouts to help with our ideas. 

 I will probably go back to another one in the future with Lynne as I like going to other people's art classes and this was enjoyable. 


Prophetic art classes by Janet Keen Creativity Queen. 
I have come up with my own accelerated prophetic art class. 
I can put a package together for up to 14 members of your church or Sunday school or bible study group. 

We will be using dyes, oil pastels, coloured pencils, stickers and stamps. 
Half day classes, 9.30am to 12noon. 
Minimum 8 Maximum 14 
 From  $62.50 per person including materials. 

Children's two hour prophetic art classes from  $50.00 per child including materials. 

Ring 07 3463435
txt 0252573887
email jkeen@clear.net.nz
 374 Clayton Road, Rotorua, New Zealand


Creative Quote of the day
Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. 
Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.
Denis Waitley

School Holiday Painting Classes For Fine Young Artists

 School Holiday Painting and mosaic Making Sessions


 
 Tuesday 23rd  Wednesday 24th and  Friday 25th  April.
10am to 12noon for 2 hours. 
 $50.00 per pupil and you can complete one painting. 

Hannah and Keira inside the studio

Hannah and Keira outside the studio,  infront of the fishpond with thier chamelion and bird mixed media paintings with buttons.

 School holiday painting sessions. 

Tuesday 30th April,  Wednesday May 1st May, Thursday 2nd May Friday 3rd May. 
2 hours,  $25.00 per hour per child. 
Top quality paint and materials. finish with a materpiece you can hang on your wall. 
Small classes
Plenty of attention, in a real live artists studio. 

Teachers welcome to join on for a session 
Three hours $75.00 per session including materials. 


Mosaic making three hour session $75.00 including materials per person.

Creative Quote of the day
Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent, and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play.  ~Henri Matisse

School holiday art craft and mosaic classes for all ages

School holiday art, mosaic and craft lessons for fine young artists
 From 9.30am to 12.30pm  

First week of the school holidays,  Monday  22nd, Tuesday  23rd, Wednesday 24th and Friday  26th April.
And the second week of the school holidays Tuesday, 30th April, Wednesday 1st ,  Thursday 2nd  and Friday 3rd May. 
People can make a mosaic fish or  bird.
They can make a  small mixed media painting of an animal or a self portrrait
All materials are top quality artist grade.
They will be producing great work that they can hang up in the garden or in their home or give away as a present.

Adults are welcome to come as well but theyare often slower and to complete a mosaic will cost them 4 hours and $95.00

Hanwei and Hanxi holding up their glass mosaic birds.

The lessons are $75.00 including materials per person  for the three hours.
Numbers are restricted to 6 people per session.
Payment is cash or cheque.
If the person is wanting to stay an extra hour for a bigger project they can and it will cost them an extra $25.00
People need to bring their own snacks and water and  wear casual clothes.

Finn drying his mosaic car.

People will need to arrive on time or even a quarter of an hour early as there is a lot of material to cover

 Everyone will all have fun being creative because I  am a very kind and patient  teacher who encourages people to express their individuality and creative flair. 
I have lots of examples of work  and art and mosaic books to inspire everyone. 
I love teaching young people because they are so free and spontaneous. 

Teachers are welcome to come along and have a go and make something. 
Just pick your shape, pay your money and off you go. 
 

 Phone 346-3435
Janet Keen
374 Clayton Road, Rotorua
Email jkeen@clear.net.nz

Sunsets and breaks away are good for your creativity

    Port Waikato New Zealand at dusk. 
We went and rented a small bach with a beautiful view for Easter. We mainly went for the sunsets because the West Coast of New Zealand has amazing light, quite different from the East.
More intense and moody.

I liked this series of a couple of people with a dog

I tried to tell a story.

The light was amazing.
We will be going to Napier some time and I  will be photographing the light there as well which is different again and we will be visiting the Ganet colony. 


Apparently it's more like the South of France.


Come along and make a visual diary  or miniature book with your photographs, paint and embellishments. 
Classes held Monday and Tuesdays. 

Contact me for prices and times. 
jkeen@clear.net.nz
07 3463435
374 Clayton Road, Rotorua New Zealand

Creative quote of the day
The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.
Jacques Yves Cousteau

How to make money with your art.

1. Be willing to improvise: make sufficient money to stay afloat.
Don't give up your day job, especially in this economic climate.
  or work part time. The people you work with may be interested in buying your art.








Keep your improvisation related to your art.
 For example, if you intend to be a painter and you get the chance to paint murals, go for it.
 If you’re desperate, take a job picking fruit, working at a checkout, or whatever you can cope with – view it as a study of the human condition.










2. Staying-power makes a huge difference. Remember the ‘ten thousand hours’ principle – most successful artists put in 10,000 hours of practice before they made real commercial progress.
 If you’re doing a part-time job and manage 20 hours a week arts practice, you’ll reach the 10,000 hours in about ten years.
Yes, it’s daunting. It can be hard to explain to friends, family and bank managers that this is unlikely to be a fast process.










3. Live cheaply.
Your art probably won’t benefit from alcohol, tobacco and expensive cups of coffee.
 Maybe a bicycle is better than a car.
Or walking (it’s important to keep fit – the lack of a car can be a blessing). Eat less meat (it’s expensive). It’s easier than it seems – once you set luxuries aside they seem irrelevant.










4. Spend time with people who are working on their own art and creativity.
 This is why cioming to me at Janet Keen Craft, Painting and Mosaic School  is  important .
 You  get the chance to interact with  a professional (me)  and fellow students.










5. Focus on the small successes.
 It’s a good sign if people get excited about your work even if they don’t buy it.
 If you can sell stuff at weekend markets then something is happening even if the money is pathetic.
 If no one is getting excited it’s time to review what you are doing.








6. Pay attention to the win/win dimension of creativity.
 The goal is to do something which is meaningful and important to you AND the market.
 It’s possible to have high creative integrity and to be commercially successful.
If your art doesn’t seem to connect with the market, keep experimenting until you find what works.









7. Be flexible.
 If your ten ton sculptures don’t work there may still be a future in jewellery.
The history of art includes many famous people who were willing to make radical changes to their original plans.





8. Forget about the fairness of the world and don’t take it personally.
 It’s not that people dislike your art – for the most part they don’t know you exist until you establish some relevance to them.






9. Respect your limitations.
 Everyone has limitations (technically, socially, economically and so on).
The challenge is either to go with your short-comings or to find a way around them.
 If you’ve got something to say through your art, find a way that suits who you are.
If you’re  shy, maybe you need to team up with someone else to ‘front’ for you.
 If you can’t stand the commerce of art, find a dealer who will help you develop your own potential and nurture you towards the market.









10. Trust your intuition.
 If you ‘know’ that what you’re doing is vital to your life, then find a way to do it.
 Get used to the doubters – they’re part of the territory.
 Chances are that other creative people will have the best insight into your ambitions and they’re often a great source of emotional support.
The list could grow much larger.
 If you’re in a hurry and want a one liner, be brave, believe in yourself and do the work needed to make dreams come true.
 Look at enrolling in an art course with me at Janet Keen Craft , Mosaic and Painting School.
It works.

Craft and Art Classes for Children and adults enrolling now

Hearts on a mini stretched canvas $35.00 each plus postage. 

Rotorua Daily Post  Article by Janet Keen

Hearts on a 10cm  by 10 cm canvas using acrylic paint, stamps and scrap booking or other recycled paper  and pva glue.
   

This easy, peasy lesson can be made by children or adults and they make cool presents and wonderful affirmations for reminding yourself to be grateful.
 In a couple of hours you can make a number of hearts that look amazing and so funky
Go quirky or go romantic, all styles catered for.

                                          

Just give them away as thank you gifts or keep them yourself as you own special gift of  self love.

 You'll be happy ether way.

If you don't want to make them  by yourself you can always come to my studio and make some where all the materials are provided.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday  morning craft, art and mosaic classes from 9.30am to 11.30 am.

Children's After School Craft, Art and Mosaic classes from 3.30pm  to 5.00pm for one hour Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Weekend group craft and art classes by arrangement.

Call 07 346-3435

Email jkeen@clear.net.nz

Lesson that appears in the Rotorua Daily Post Saturday 30th March.

If you wait long enough, your creations that seem so rare are bound to catch on and you will see them everywhere.

This is the case with hearts. I’ve been making them for over fifteen years, they are now as common as sparrows and most people seem to love them.

Today I’m going to describe how to make some cute little paper hearts on stretched canvas. You can use bits of wood as well.

If you know a builder or go to a joiners, they usually have lots of pieces of wood that they throw out to the dump that you can make into recycled craft.

Feel free  to use your own favourite colours. Anything goes.

I have put some quirky and weird little ones on there just to cater to all tastes.

They are easy, peasy and won’t be too time consuming and you don’t need too much gear. 

Ingredients.

10 cm by 10 cm ( 4 by 4 inches) stretched canvas or blocks of mdf  or pine bits of firewood, cut to size.

Resene or Dulux testpots of acrylic colors of your choice.

Pva glue

Paintbrush

Rags/paper towels for clean up.

Scrap booking paper, old book paper, wrapping paper or magazine paper.

Scissors

Stamps with lettering on it or write your own with a fine black pen.

Black or white stamp pad.

Fine felt tip.

Hairdryer.

Embellishments like old buttons, coins, butterflies, flowers, skulls etc

Directions

Brush a colour of your choice on you canvas or piece of wood.

Paint the sides as well.

Dry off with a hairdryer and repeat.

Stamp some words onto the background with a white or black ink stamp pad, or glue some words on from old magazines or newspapers or write your own.

Cut a heart out of scrapbooking or any other type of paper.  

Glue the paper heart on top of the panted surface.

Cover everything with pva glue to protect it.

Smudge some ink or diluted paint around the edges of the canvas and the heart with your finger so that it looks integrated.

Dry off

Attach some embellishments on top or leave it as it is.

Have a go and good luck, you will be smiling after you have finished and so will the people you give them to.

Next  time I will be showing you how to make sun catchers.

Creative Quite of the Day.

I have witnessed the softening of the hardest of hearts by a simple smile. Goldie Hawn

Morning art craft and mosaic classes for adults and children after school, enrolling now.

Weekends for groups by arrangement.

Please enquire  at jkeen@clear.net.nz,  phone 346-3435. text 0273513887 Blog janetkeen.blogspot.com

Janet Keen Mosaic and Painting School, 374 Clayton Road, Rotorua.

Mosaic weekend workshops In Rotorua for Teachers, teacher aides, and support staff.

Mosaic Weekend Workshop for

Teachers, Teacher Aides and Support staff

Come along and have fun making mosaics in an

organic cottage garden setting.

 Make a glass tile bird and  

 a ceramic tile native bird paver each.

9.30am  to 3.30 pm both days.

$250 per person for up to 6 people.

or $200 per person for 7 to 12 people. 

 
 Including materials, morning and afternoon tea.

Bring your own lunch.

No Eftpos, cash or cheque.

Janet Keen Mosaics and Painting School

374 Clayton Road, Rotorua

Phone 346-3435.

Email jkeen@clear.net.nz

www.janetkeen.net

 janetkeen.blogspot.com


Creative Quote of the day  
It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.
Albert Einstein

Art Journaling and visual diary making.

 Creative Quote of the day.
Whatever it is that you write, putting words on the page is a form of therapy .
It is a productive way to deal with the scars and dark places from our pasts.
Self-expression is one way to lay a problem or demon to rest.
 It’s also a way to bring forth suppressed feelings and fears. It’s a way to bring a sense of resolution and a sense of satisfaction to our lives.” Diana Raab

                                                                   ART JOURNALING
These two young pupils of mine are making at least one illustration in their visual diaries  or art journals every week. 
What they come up with is so cute feel like stealing their drawings for my own paintings. 
They are so honest and free.
When theyfinish  the diary  I  am going to see if  I can turn  the illustrations into a little book for the ipad.

 Art Journaling Workshop.

Discover the joy of capturing the moments and memories which make up a life in a journal of your own making.

You will learn some simple bookmaking methods to give your journals an individual style.

Explore and play with mixed media techniques to create exciting layered backgrounds and develop your own 'voice' through the use of easy lettering tricks.

We will paint, stamp, stencil, collage and more. Using everyday objects and materials you can recycle and re-purpose them to become useful art tools.

Six weeks of fun.

Call Janet Keen on 07 3463435  for dates and details.

Email jkeen@clear.net.nz