IN-PERSON CLASSES
Classes at Wet Paint
All the in-person classes below are held at Wet Paint in St. Paul.
Wet Paint is located at 1684 Grand Ave. St. Paul, MN 55105
Registration is handled through the Wet Paint website and the links below will take you directly to the class page on their website to register. If you have any questions, you can message me or call the store at 651-698-6431.
Please note that some classes may have a waiting list, but please add your name to the list so that the staff can let you know as soon as a space opens up.
Playing with Dip Pens
Dip pens are a versatile tool used in journaling, illustration, comics and art journaling. Made up of two parts: an interchangeable metal nib and a handle or holder, these pens create a truly unique writing and drawing experience. First, we’ll spend some time learning about the history of dip pens and talk about how to use them. Then we’ll play with a variety of nibs, inks and reed pens. We will even make a dip pen of our own.
Supplies to bring:
- Journal, sketchbook or stack of loose plain papers
- If you have a dip pen or ink, please bring them along, otherwise some will be available for class use.
Friday, May 10, 2024
10:00am – 1:00pm
$50
The Traveling Art Journal
It’s fun to work in our art journals at home with all our supplies readily available, but what about when we go on vacation or want to take our journals along on a day trip? We’ll talk about ways to choose which supplies to bring and how to pack them for easy travel as well as tips for working on the go. We’ll also spend some time setting up our journals and getting them ready for the road!
Supplies to bring:
- A journal or sketchbook
- A pen for writing
- Something to add color (watercolors, markers, water-soluble crayons, etc.)
- Any specific collage materials or travel ephemera you’d like to use
- Scissors
- Glue stick
- Washi tape
Some shared-use supplies will be available in class.
Saturday, May 25, 2024
10:00am – 1:00 pm
$50
The Interactive Journal
Do you remember flipping through pop-up books as a kid and being mesmerized by the pages that pulled out, pieces that spun and edges that folded over? We’re going to bring that childhood magic back to our art journals by learning how to add elements to make our books truly interactive. We’ll play with collage, painted papers, washi tape, brads and more. You’ll go home with a book that you can’t stop flipping through.
Supplies to bring:
- A journal, sketchbook, or altered book
- Brads
- Washi tape
- Collage materials
- Scissors
- Glue stick
Some shared-used supplies will be available in class.
Sunday, June 9, 2024
10:00am – 1:00pm
$50
Making Patterns Inspired by Nature
Nature is a tremendous source of inspiration for art in so many ways, including all the patterns that occur naturally in flowers, pinecones, shells, and so many other places. We will begin by looking at some of these examples, but then we’re going to look for inspiration for patterns in a different part of nature – the missing pieces. We’re going to look at the channels dug into tree branches by bugs, skeletal remains of leaves after a long winter and the brittle remains of flowers long after their color has drained away. First, we’ll spend time examining our objects and logging our observations. Then we’ll talk about ways to incorporate these shapes and patterns into our artwork and art practice as mark-making, handmade stamps, pattern design, meditative drawing and even storytelling.
Supplies to bring:
- A journal or sketchbook
- A waterproof pen
- Watercolors
Some shared-use supplies will be available in class.
Saturday, June 22 2024
10:00am – 1:00pm
$50
Gelli Prints From Nature
Gelli plates are a fun, easy way to create monoprints using only a few tools. In this class, we’re going to focus on how to incorporate nature into your printing process to make bold and stunning prints. We’ll begin with the gelli plate basics, including care and how to use them. Then we’ll explore different ways to use the plants, flowers, trees and weeds in your house and yard as masks and stencils on the plate to make a variety of beautiful monoprints.
Supplies to Bring:
- A gelli plate
- A brayer
- Any leaves or plants you’d like to use for printing
Some shared-use supplies will be available in class.
Saturday, July 13 2024
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
$50
The Illustrated Journal
How many times have you told yourself “I’m not an artist, I can’t draw?” And how many times has that prevented you from doing the creative activities that you love and that bring you joy? In this class, I will share my journey to creating my own illustrated journals and show you the journals I never imagined I’d make (and that very few people have ever seen). Then we’ll talk about what makes a journal “illustrated” and different ways to add your own personal drawings and creations to your books. And once we’ve built up the courage, we’re going to give ourselves permission to break through the barriers of “I can’t” and put pen to paper in our own journals so that you can create a space for doing what you love. You will not need to share your work in this class (or to anyone at all if you choose not to), these books are a safe space for you to create whatever you would like and to take a chance to bring your imagination to life on the page.
Supplies to Bring:
- A journal or sketchbook
- A waterproof pen or your favorite drawing tool(s)
- Something to add color (watercolors, water-soluble crayons, markers, etc.)
- Any ephemera or collage material you’d like to use (optional)
Some shared-use supplies will be available in class.
Friday, July 26 2024
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
$50
Gelli Print Junk Journals
One of the incredible things about gel plate printing is that you can create a huge body of work in a short amount of time. Some prints you’ll love, others you won’t like as much. But what do you do with all of that paper? Make a book! Gelli plate prints are the perfect starting point for a junk journal because they already have colorful marks and texture on the paper to provide a starting point for artwork to be created later. We’ll begin by making some prints on the plates to use in our books. Then we’ll talk about ways to bind your pages and will create two books: one using a pamphlet stitch and the second by joining envelopes and our prints together to make an accordion book.
Supplies to bring:
A gelli plate (any shape or size up to 8×10), a brayer, any stencils you have.
Shared use supplies include:
Some craft acrylic paint (if you’d like to use a different acrylic paint you may bring your own), Copy paper and some other various papers, a few gel plates, brayers and stencils.
Saturday, August 3 2024
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
$50
Watercolor & Collage Mandalas
Mandalas are a powerful artistic form used in meditation and healing practices. The word itself loosely translates to “circle,” a word which we’ll use as a guide throughout this class to help focus on ideas, thoughts, and feelings that we continue to circle in our own lives. We’ll also work to embrace the “messy” part of our lives represented by loose, fluid watercolor circles for the base and layers of collaged bits of paper and fabric. The completed pieces will be packed with mesmerizing, tactile beauty as well as deep personal meaning. This practice is an opportunity to let go of perfection and spend time enjoying the process of creating, healing and letting go.
Friday, August 23 2024
10:00 am – 1:00 pm
$50
Classes at Starcell Studio
Starcell Studio is located at 10525 Florida Ave., Suite 123, Bloomington, MN 55438
Make Your Own Cloth Book
Art journals are a place to turn our creativity loose and explore both our ideas and our supplies, but they don’t need to be limited to paper pages. Sometimes we need the soft feel of fabric on our fingers and the slow process of stitching to express the emotions and visualizations in our hearts and minds. Together we’ll explore the world of fabric books, and we’ll look at several different structures to use as a framework for our own textile and thread journals. We won’t focus on perfectly constructing our books, but instead will allow space for wild creativity to have free reign on our messy and unique pages.
Please bring a selection of fabric to use for the inside pages of your book (you may want to bring a yard of fabric and then cut it down once you decide on a size for your book). You will also need something to use as a cover (a heavier fabric, such as canvas, or if you prefer a sturdier cover, you can use an old book cover with the pages removed), fabric scissors, needles and thread.
Some extra fabric, needles, embroidery floss, and fabric scissors will be available for use in class.
Saturday, May 11, 2024
10:00am – 1:00pm
$45
Art Exploration: A 3-part series
Are you feeling stuck in your artistic process and need some new ideas to jumpstart your creativity? Or have you recently tapped into your creative side, but you’re feeling overwhelmed and are not sure where to start? Join us as we spend three weeks exploring supplies, giving ourselves permission to make a mess and play, and express ourselves creatively with intuitive mark-making.
Week 1: Exploring watercolors and water-soluble media.
We’ll begin our journey by diving into the world of watercolors. Beginning with an overview of brands and options available, we’ll then play with mixing a variety of paints on different papers to see which combinations we like best. Next we’ll add water-soluble media, such as graphite, crayons and markers to create different marks and textures. In this session, we are really going to focus on the importance of play and experimentation in our work and embrace the imperfections we create along the way.
Week 2: Making messy papers and creating collages.
This week we are going to embrace our messy sides and have fun creating unique papers that we can use for collage. We’ll explore different ways to apply acrylic paint to paper, play with stencils, and add intuitive mark-making using new tools such as ink and dip pens. We’ll also bring out papers we created the week before to add new layers of marks to some of the designs already on the paper. Then we’ll tear up our pages and talk about ways to use these interesting bits to create collages.
Week 3: Binding it all together and adding final touches.
Now that we have a created a collection of papers, this week, we’re going to select a bunch to bind into our own handmade book. Using a simple pamphlet stitch, we’ll transform our messy pages into an art journal that’s prepped and ready for you to work in. Then we’ll begin playing in our books using the techniques we learned in previous classes plus some new ideas, such as stamps and mark-making with gel pens and paint pens. You’ll go home with a book you created from scratch and a plethora of ideas for ways to fill it!
Supplies: Please bring a sketchbook/blank book to the first class. Other materials will be provided.
Friday, June 7, 2024
Friday, June 14, 2024
Friday, June 21, 2024
6:00pm – 8:00pm
$135
RETREATS
Art for Self-Care at Big Raven Farm
About This Retreat:
The last few years have changed the landscape of the world we live in, leaving many of us feeling burned out, exhausted and depleted. With limited time and resources, it can be difficult to find the means to refill our own buckets, but it is also one of the most critical things we must do for ourselves. In this retreat, we will slow down and learn simple creative techniques to give ourselves a brain break, restore our sense of wonder in the world and give ourselves permission to simply play. Although we will be exploring these ideas using art, you do not need to be an artist or even consider yourself creative to benefit from these lessons. Topics will include messy mandalas made from watercolor and collage, expressive art journaling, breath-inspired drawing and more. We will learn how to work creativity into both your workday and homelife and will also discuss ways art can be helpful to your mental health (please note, this class is not art therapy and does not replace the care of a mental health professional).
About the farm:
Big Raven Farm is a 10-acre retreat center located in Spring Grove, MN – about 1 hour south of Rochester, MN in the heart of the Driftless Region where Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin meet. It features beautiful sleeping accommodations for up to 14, a commercial kitchen and in-house chef, farm-to-table meals from locally sourced ingredients, a stunning yoga center and 2-mile walking trail around the property. It is the perfect setting to relax, find calm and get lost in your art practice.
What’s Included:
- Three days of art instruction
- All art supplies for the projects we’ll complete in class
- Gourmet farm-to-table meals prepared by an in-house chef
- Nightly accommodations (several room options are available at registration)
- Optional Yoga classes
Supplies to Bring:
If you have any favorite materials, please bring them along for your personal use. These could include:
- Pens/markers/other drawing tools
- Watercolor or acrylic paints
- Brushes
- Cutting tools
Supplies We Share:
- Acrylic paint, watercolors & brushes
- Collage paper
- Water-soluble crayons
- Adhesives & glue guns
- Scissors & paper cutters
- Cutting mats & craft knives
- Baby wipes & paper towels
ONLINE CLASSES
Please check back soon for new online classes.
Sign up for The Found Art Walk newsletter and be the first to know when new classes are being offered in-person or online!
The Found Art Walk 