Portrait from a vintage photo
When I saw this photo of my friend's grandfather, John Miller, in the 1940's in front of this fishing boat wearing his sailor hat, jeans rolled up, I thought "Noah and the ark"!  He later became a preacher.

 

Painting in Acrylic

 Underpainting 
  Acrylic 

Step 1: Paint the surface flat black. Allow to dry.

Step 2: Set up a simple palette of white, primary and secondary colors.  Using these colors, paint simple geometric shapes,  overlapping.  Allow to dry.

Step 3: Mix palette by making a swirling motion in small circles all around the palette until a variety of muted earth tones, skin tones, and neutrals are achieved.  Identify hues from nature: i.e., plant hues, soil hues, sky hues, water hues, skin hues. Choose carefully and purposefully which part of the palette to pull from and use on top of the bright underpainting, thinking about how the layers of colors will contrast or blend.  Paint patterns over the geometric shapes.

The beauty of this lesson is that it makes students practice acrylic brush technique and color mixing, using easy, non-intimidating processes. Sophisticated color variations and textures, difficult for beginning painters to achieve on purpose, are achieved spontaneously.  After the lesson is completed, the teacher and students can discuss all the formal elements and principles of art demonstrated here.



Finished pieces.

Underpainting - Lesson 2


Paint a realistic scene from a photo or from real life in bright, Fauvist colors.  This is the underpainting. Using the above method of mixing the palette (Step 3), paint over the top of the bright, Fauvist underpainting, pulling tones from areas of the palette where the natural colors have occurred in the mixing process.  Important: Allow specks of the bright underpainting to show through the top layer of natural colors for extra POP!
 

Amazon man rowing

Examples of finished work, using this process

Amazon girls fishing

Amazon family

Amazon meal

Painting in Watercolor

Outer Space, watercolor technique lesson

 This lesson explores many watercolor surface techniques at once, and is guaranteed to be successful for students of all levels.  The planet and moon shapes are traced from circular objects with crayon, then colored in with a thick layer of crayon wax. Afterward, the entire paper surface is brushed with clear water, and liquid watercolor is applied. Salt is sprinkled on for effect

Janie, 14 years old

Janie, 14 years old

Megan, Adult student

John, Adult student

Art Education Advocacy for Elementary Schools
filmed and edited by Amy Hall

Summer Art Camp 2013

Art Camp 2013

MIXED MEDIA FOR YOUNG ARTISTS
Experience art in its many forms!
Painting, printmaking, collage, sculpture, and more!
Have fun and be creative!

Classes led by experienced art teachers:
Joan Nagel and Amy Hall

Session 1: July 14 - 19 (ages 7 - 11)

Session 2: July 22 - 26 (ages 7 - 11)

NEW! : Art Camp for Jr. High, ages 11 - 14
Session 3: July 29 - August 2

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Classes held at the First Presbyterian Church
410 W. Hutchison St., San Marcos, TX

Enrollment is limited.  Register early!
$125 per session:
$50 deposit will hold your child's place.

Contact Joan Nagel at 512-392-6636, 512-665-6636,
or email joannagel@yahoo.com

Amy Hall

 

        Amy Hall: Artist, Musician, Teacher

I'm Amy Hall, an artist, musician, and teacher.  I am a practicing artist, making and selling my artwork online and locally (such as my latest show at the Blue Dahlia Bistro on E 11th St., Austin).  I have been been singing and writing songs for 20 years and have recorded 5 albums, the most recent being "Keep Out the Cold", a solo album of original songs, released in 2009. I currently advertise online to paint portraits, and I play music regularly at Mochas & Javas, San Marcos. My passion, however, is teaching, and I am certified to teach all-level Art and Music.

I love teaching! I am enthusiastic and personally interested in inspiring my students and colleagues to love school.  I'm a people-person.  I am fascinated by people and love to draw them out. I love get some original thought or expression out of them.  I am a champion of the individual!  I value uniqueness. I believe that all learning is connected.  Art and music are vehicles for learning the other subjects. The arts expand cognition by pushing the limits of critical thinking, open-ended problem solving, and creativity.

Please browse through my blogs to see my personal artwork as well as some examples of art lessons I've created. 



 

Personal Artwork

Blue Dahlia show, 2011
 

acrylic - from Bird and Nest series, Blue Dahlia show 2011

acrylic "Bird and Bug"

acrylic "Tiny Nest"

Watercolors
 

Watercolor "Janie Backlit"

Watercolor "Crash Site"

Watercolor/Crayon Resist "Hank"

Acrylics
 

acrylic "Hank with Arm Floaties"

acrylic "Mother and Son"

Travis Thinking, 2'X4'

Edith 8"X10"