Toscana Americana

Capturing the Charm of Tuscan Hill Towns

in Pen and Ink and Watercolor

Picture yourself sitting in an outdoor cafe in one of the piazzas, sketchbook in hand, immersed in capturing the life around you while enjoying a cappuccino.  Let me share the techniques I use in my work using a very portable means of sketching  -  pen and ink and watercolor – to record the beautiful, sensitive lines of an old building or the bold strokes of a street scene. Learn to zoom in on the important elements when working in the field to create interesting compositions and lasting memories with texture and rich washes of color!

This class covers pen and ink and watercolor wash techniques, composition and simple perspective.   Plenty of time for one on one assistance with the instructor and always an enjoyable critique at the end of the day!

Ann..."I have always loved to draw. Since 2^nd grade.  Really.

Trained as a Graphic artist and working in that field for several years, I changed gears to focus on my illustration skills.  Proficient in colored pencil, watercolor, pastels and most recently water-based oils, my first love is pen and ink.

Years ago a friend gave me his technical pen and I immediately fell in love with the crisp, dark lines against the creamy background of the paper. Since then I’ve done countless homes and buildings in and around where I live and currently give workshops sharing this wonderful media with others.

My other passion is drawing children and illustrating for children’s books and creating my yearly Christmas card.  I have an online class available through Craftsy.com devoted to this.

I’ve worked as a graphic designer, taught as an adjunct instructor at Mount Mary University for 6 years and am currently giving workshops in pen and ink and watercolor."

• Waterproof (felt tip) ink pens in several size tips, a good one is Faber-Castell 4PITT Artist Pens, Black. (Try to include 1 brush pen.) OR any portable sketch pen with waterproof ink, there are some very nice fountain pens used for sketching – example: Lamy ink pens, Rotring, Platinum Carbon ink pen,  etc.
• Portable sketch pad, approximately 11 x 14” or what you’re comfortable using, with paper heavy enough to accept watercolor. I use an acid free, 80 # sketch pad and have several smaller size sketch books. Straight watercolor paper can be hard on pen tips, so I prefer sketch pads.
• Tracing paper, several sheets.
• Soft pencils, sharpener and kneaded eraser
• Portable water container 
• Small set of watercolors or watercolor pencils. Watercolor brushes in several sizes if using watercolor, for instance #2 round, #4 round pointed, #6 round and #12 round brushes are all good choices. 1 or 2 brushes are sufficient. Again use what you have and are comfortable with.
• Rags or paper towel for cleanup
• Portable chair for onsite sketching
• I encourage students to bring the tools they already have and are comfortable working with. This is a very portable class, and the media we use should be quick drying and easy to carry.