Honored to be a Featured Artist

One year ago, if anyone had told me that I would finish 2024 as a featured artist in an Artist's Gift Guide, I would have told them they were crazy!! Yet, here I am! 

I started taking online art classes last December from Sandy Allnock at art-classes.com. Many of you may remember Sandy as the founder of the nonprofit Operation Write Home, which sent millions of handmade cards (yes, millions!) to our military troops over several years so that they could write home to their families and friends. Today, Sandy is a full-time professional artist and amazing art instructor! 

I started my art journey with a lot of high expectations for myself, and I am meeting those expectations by creating a little bit of something every day! I have already completed about 10 of Sandy's classes in various mediums, and my art skills have SOARED with Sandy's excellent, step-by-step instructions! 

Here is a small selection of my completed art class projects. (Please forgive my photography. The artwork is much better than the photos.) If I can do this, I think there's a lot of hope for anyone who has a desire to make art!  But you be the judge. Remember, it's my first year as an artist!

From Whimsical Sketching class (pen and ink): 

From 30 Days to More Confident Sketching (graphite pencil) class:

From Drawing 101: Form, Depth, and Volume (graphite and charcoal pencil) class: 

And, finally, a mash-up of classes, (including Bible journaling and Pencil Pups 1), plus my own creations from Inktober 2024 :

So, what's today's take-away? In these uncertain times, I am following my dreams of becoming an artist. I have a few supplies, some great instruction, a great art community where I can share my work and get feedback, and family and friends who are cheering me on! What more could one ask?

If the time seems right for you to get started in art, continue past efforts, or even gift someone else some art supplies for the holidays, I encourage you to follow the links I've offered in this post. 

Did I mention that art is a great stress-buster?!? It is! Come on. What are you waiting for?  Let's make this world an even more beautiful place!