Newsletter January 2021

 

Happy New Year! Welcome to my first Newsletter of 2021. It has been a cold start to the year but there was a flurry of garden birds out this morning including this little blue tit foraging on the rhododendron.

I have a number of classes, courses, workshops and tuition opportunities for you to enjoy this coming term. So if you are looking for a little escape, why not enjoy two hours of relaxing, creative, fun.  All abilities, all ages welcome. Come along, online, and enjoy drawing and painting along with me from the comfort of your own home.

Tuesday Afternoon Art Class (Online) Tuesday Afternoons, 2pm – 4.00pm Classes Are Held on Zoom   Spring Term: Part 1 19th January – 23rd February (6 Weeks) £50 For A Total Of 6 Class Sessions.   Spring Term: Part 2 2nd March – 30th March (5 Weeks) £42 For A Total Of 5 Class Sessions.   A fun weekly class exploring drawing and painting techniques with demonstrations and tuition from artist and tutor Bethany Milam. At the end of each session there will be an optional extra 15mins for one-to-one feedback to be given. Suitable for beginners and intermediates. These Live lessons will be held on zoom. You will receive emails each week with reference photos and materials lists, you will also have access to an online file containing lesson notes, reference images, materials lists and extra topic information. You will have access to a closed Facebook group to interact with other students. Contact Bethany Y Milam to Book this class. Payment is through PayPal invoice, from which you can pay by card, you do not need a PayPal account if you don't have one. Instructions on joining this online class will be given when you book and if you require any help just let me know.

Email me to Book the Tuesday Afternoon Art Class.

One to One Tuition on Zoom/Skype   You can book one to one lessons with me that can be held on either Zoom or Skype. These sessions are tailored to suit the level, pace and interests of each individual. I can cover a range of subjects and media to suit you. If you would like weekly, occasional or one-off tuition via Skype or Zoom then do get in contact.     Contact Bethany Y Milam to Book a Lesson.

One to One Tuition by Email   I am offering limited spaces for bespoke one to one tuition via email Here is how it works: Each week, (between Wednesday – Friday) you can email photos of up to three artworks that you want some feedback on (please send them all in one email), you can also ask questions or describe problems you have encountered or let me know what you would like to improve. I will give you feedback on your artworks, giving suggestions for improvements and advice. I will also send you individualised drawing/painting exercises and activity suggestions as well as occasional extra resources and relevant links. You will receive this between Friday and Monday via email. I will be charging £52.00 for five weeks of tuition which can be paid via PayPal. To book your place contact me ASAP as spaces for this opportunity are limited.  Contact Bethany Y Milam to Book.

Evening Courses Online – Organised by the Hurst Leisure Centre:

Painting with Watercolours Monday Evenings, 7pm – 9pm Classes Are Held on Zoom   Spring Term: Part 1 11th January – 8th February  5 Week Course Spring Term: Part 2 22nd February – 22nd March 5 Week Course Contact aded@hurst.hants.sch.uk or TEL: 01189811611 to book.

Drawing and Painting Animals Wednesday Evenings, 7pm – 9pm Classes Are Held on Zoom 13th January - 10th February 5 Week Course Contact aded@hurst.hants.sch.uk or TEL: 01189811611 to book.

Painting with Acrylics Wednesday Evenings, 7pm – 9pm Classes Are Held on Zoom 24th February – 24th March 5 Week Course Contact aded@hurst.hants.sch.uk or TEL: 01189811611 to book.

Workshops and Demonstrations I haven't managed to get the workshops set up on ticketsource yet, but watch this space as I have plenty of fantastic subjects coming up! Polar Bear Family in Acrylic Paint 23rd January, 3pm - 5pm Chinese Style Painting 12th February 7pm - 9pm  Cute Harvest Mice in Coloured Pencil 14th February , 3pm - 5pm Ballerina in Pastels 20th February, 3pm - 5pm And More! (Dates/times to be confirmed. These will be available to book on Ticketsource soon.)

I continue to take commissions and am pleased to share with you one of the very special commissioned artworks I created last year, from Japanese train tickets.

And lastly a big thank you to you all, for all your support this last year. Keep painting! Bethany x

Newsletter - Christmas 2020

 

Christmas Greetings,    I hope you are well and doing okay, I thought I would let you know how I have been getting on this rather different year, and wish you a Merry Christmas.   It has certainly been a busy year, full of ups downs and many new challenges.  The year started with regular classes planned at Oakley, Kingsclere, Viables and Baughurst and plans for one off workshops. I enjoyed an overnight stay at London zoo in February with Mum which was an amazing experience and great opportunity to sketch animals from life. This trip has provided a lot of inspiration throughout this year. In March everything changed and with my art classes cancelled it was a mad rush of research and learning new tech skills to get online classes set up, which I offered for free to start with. My first camera set up was mostly held together with blue tack until I was able to purchase an overhead camera stand, lighting remained a problem for a long while but I now also have an overhead light!

Moving my classes online has meant changing my normal teaching methods to a demonstration format and means that I am painting far more than before, which I have to say I do enjoy. Another result of teaching online means that I have had students from all over the UK and beyond join: Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Malta, St. Lucia and even from a yacht once! The world has become a smaller place during these times and we have all benefited from coming together in this way. I have fortunately been able to continue teaching for the Hurst online as well as offering my own classes which I am happy about although moving all the required paperwork online has given me a few headaches. It is all worth it when I hear how much people are appreciating the classes and this year has really proved how beneficial art can be for mental well-being. I have had such wonderful feedback it really brightens my day! A further sense of community has come about through the class Facebook group, which has seen an increase in participation, which is wonderful.   During the Summer I started doing some one off Workshops in addition to my regular classes and have been offering some festive themed ones this Christmas. I was asked to do an online nature journaling workshop for a local Brownies group who missed their camp due to lockdown. I have also started offering one to one tuition by both email and zoom. Figuring out how to do all this, plan the lessons and then teach them has kept me extremely busy.    Further online learning opportunities will be available in the New Year, so keep an eye out for the next newsletter. Here are some provisional 2021 dates for your diary: Tuesday Art Class begins on 19th January Painting with Watercolours begins on 11th and again on 22nd February Drawing and Painting Animals 13th January Painting with Acrylics 24th February   Birdwatching (and all Nature watching) is one of my hobbies and this year I have been stuck at home with my garden birds (and wildlife) who I have become more familiar with and appreciate more than before. I have especially got to know a couple of wood pigeons who found the window feeder that I made in March. The female who I call ‘Pig’ is especially bold and will come to be hand fed she has also interrupted the occasional lesson by sitting on the window sill and staring at me or pecking the window. Watching them court, bicker, collect nest material and more has kept me entertained and I was pleasantly surprised one day when they showed up with their squab. My health has not been good this year and so I find nature a good distraction and therapy as well as a source of inspiration. In June Basingstoke art club asked me to do a painting demonstration for them and has held a number of online exhibitions and themed projects which I have taken part in when time allowed. I also came up with my own drawing challenge ‘Naturetober’ where my students and I worked from a nature themed prompt list with the aim to make a drawing each day of October.  I will certainly be doing more challenges and drawing prompts like this in the future and have a Christmas Challenge on the 12 days of Christmas for students to join in with.  Take a look at Facebook for details.   During the Summer I held an exhibition of my students’ artworks online.  I have also taken part in a few online figure drawing and wildlife drawing sessions myself and enjoyed life drawing live on the BBC and Greyson’s art club. I have undertaken a number of Commissions this year and already have another booked in to start on next year. I have also sold some paintings and packs of greetings cards online and hope to get an online shop set up next year to make this easier.  I am hoping for a few restful days over Christmas, before I start planning for next year. Here is a selection of a few of my paintings from this year.   Best wishes for the festive season and thanks for all of your support over the last challenging and stressful year.   Keep painting, have a safe and happy Christmas and best wishes for the New Year, Bethany x

Newsletter - 12 September 2020 - courses and Nature-tober

 

Classes will be continuing online…   While technically possible, it is now much harder to teach 'in person' Classes & Workshops, with the extra safety requirements needing to be put in place, social distancing; making demonstrations near impossible, not being able to use the kitchen facilities and additional cleaning requirements, wearing masks or ventilating rooms and more! I will therefore be continuing to teach online for the Autumn term and hope that you will be able to join in with one of the options available below. If you have any questions or suggestions I am open to discussing them with you.   I will be teaching a Monday and Tuesday Afternoon class and will also be doing some evening courses with the Hurst Leisure Centre. I also plan to do a number of one off workshops/demonstrations and can offer some one-to-one tuition. Look out for another project ‘Nature-tober’ to keep you drawing throughout October.

Afternoon Art Classes   A fun weekly class exploring drawing and painting techniques with demonstrations and tuition from artist and tutor Bethany Milam. At the end of each session there will be an optional extra 15mins for one-to-one feedback to be given. Suitable for beginners and intermediates. Explore different media and techniques, working at your own pace. Work from reference photos provided by the tutor or use your own references. Live lessons will be held on zoom. You will receive emails each week with reference photos and materials lists, you will also have access to an online file containing lesson notes, reference images, materials lists and extra topic information. Feedback can be given during lesson time or by email. You will have access to a closed Facebook group. Contact Bethany Y Milam to Book.   Monday Art Class (Online) Monday Afternoons, 2pm – 4.15pm 21st September – 26th October (6 weeks) £50 for a total of 6 Class Sessions. Classes Are Held on Zoom    Tuesday Art Class (Online) Tuesday Afternoons, 2pm – 4.15pm 22nd September – 27th October (6 weeks) £50 for a total of 6 Class Sessions. Classes Are Held on Zoom   I will provide a materials list, class notes and resources prior to each class. If you do not have any of the materials on these lists please do ask and I will be happy to adapt activities for you. You can join with your smart phone, tablet, computer or other compatible device. Even if you don't have a device camera, you can still watch lessons. There is no obligation to stay for the whole session! Draw/paint along or just watch, it is up to you. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and I will make some time for individual feedback on your artwork at the end of each session (allow another 15 mins on class time if you would like feedback). HOW TO JOIN THE ONLINE CLASS: Use the contact form to email me and book your place. Specify your full name and which day(s) you are booking for. Payment is through PayPal invoice, from which you can pay by card, you do not need a PayPal account if you don't have one. Once your payment is confirmed I will send you another email subject title: "Order Confirmation for...". At the end of this email, under the header "Class Information", you'll see; a) The link to the meeting b) The meeting password which is required to join the meeting. c) The class onedrive file link

Email to Book

Online Workshops And Demonstrations Click here to view my Ticketsource page of workshops and Demonstrations I will be putting up more workshops very soon! Paint an Owl in Watercolour Saturday 10th October 3pm – 5pm Book Here: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/bethany-milam/t-vooxlv   Oil Pastel Monoprinting (and Watercolour Resist) Sunday 25th October 3pm – 5pm To correspond with #internationalartistsday Booking details soon…   Paint an Autumn Leaf in Watercolour Saturday 14th November 3pm – 5pm Booking details soon…   ‘Stag in the Mist’ in Watercolour Saturday 28th November Booking details soon

You can book online and view the full details here.

One to one tuition via Email   I am offering limited spaces for one to one tuition via email as an alternative to my live classes.   Here is how it works: Each week, (between Wednesday – Friday) you can email photos of up to three artworks that you want some feedback on (please send them all in one email), you can also ask questions or describe problems you have encountered or let me know what you would like to improve. I will give you feedback on your artworks, giving suggestions for improvements and advice. I will also send you individualised drawing/painting exercises and activity suggestions as well as occasional extra resources and relevant links. You will receive this between Friday and Monday via email. I will be charging £52.00 for five weeks of tuition which can be paid via PayPal.   To book your place contact me ASAP as spaces for this opportunity are limited.   One to one tuition via Skype/Zoom   If you would like one off or occasional one to one tuition via Skype or Zoom then do get in contact.

Email to Book

Evening Art Courses Online – Organised by the Hurst leisure Centre   Painting with Watercolours Portrait Drawing and Painting Drawing and Painting Animals   Details coming soon… Contact aded@hurst.hants.sch.uk for more info and to book your place.

Nature-tober Art Challenge   This is my alternative to the well-known Ink drawing October event.  The idea is that you make a quick drawing/painting or other artwork every day of October responding to a list of prompt words. The fun is in seeing all the different interpretations of the words. It also encourages you to get in the practice of daily sketching and keeping a sketchbook. Just 5 - 10 mins a day is all you need, unless you can and want to spend more time.   My words all have a nature theme and my personal challenge is to draw as many endangered or vulnerable species as possible. Although how you respond to the prompts is entirely up to you! Think outside the box, be creative and put your own spin on the list. If a drawing every day is too much for you try doing just one a week; using one or a combination of prompts from that week. There is no shame in missing days or weeks out, it is all just a bit of fun! I hope that you will enjoy participating and share your results. Share your sketches on social media with #naturetober and @BYMilamArtist   Here is the list!

How to join Zoom Log onto zoom.us You will be prompted to download & install the Zoom app. You can do this at any point before the first lesson by going here: https://zoom.us/download Click 'join meeting' and enter the meeting ID. This is emailed to you as an Eticket. You will be prompted to key in the password. This code is sent to you in the confirmation email. Please log in promptly to avoid disruption. I recommend logging in 5 -10 mins before the lesson and waiting in the waiting room. You will be placed in a 'waiting room' before being admitted, your camera is not visible until admitted. You may be prompted to click 'join with audio', also check that your speakers are turned on. Once entered into the meeting, your microphone may be automatically muted. I will normally unmute everyone to say hello at the start of the session and to individually to give feedback at certain points and at the end of the session. During demonstration times, I will mute everyone's microphones to cut out background noise.  You can unmute your microphone to ask questions at any point. You can also talk to me or other participants at any time using the group chat (or the 1:1 chat) function.   FAQ & how to work Zoom controls Please take a few minutes to watch the Zoom video on joining meetings. https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting Then read the Zoom instructions for using meeting controls https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/200941109-Attendee-Controls-in-a-Meeting Let me know if you have any problems or questions and I will do my best to help!   If you are yet to join in with an online class I encourage you to try it! If you have any concerns, on if and how you can use zoom, please do contact me and I can phone you and we can go through it together. For example, I'd be more than happy to set up a Zoom meeting with just you, personally, and via your landline, to take you through the steps of joining so you know just what to do when you're ready to join a class with more people on. Hope to see you online soon, stay safe.   Bethany x

Newsletter 21 Aug 2020 - Hampshire Open Studios

 

It has been a busy summer so far, with online classes on Tuesdays, one off workshops and email tuition. In between teaching I have been working on a portrait commission. I am also happy to have an online listing with HOS this year. Girl in a Summer Hat, Watercolour, 2020

Hampshire Open Studios 22nd – 31st August Hampshire Open Studios is an annual art trail where the visiting public can meet artists in their homes, studios and galleries free of charge - this year however we are all having to do things a bit differently. There are no paper booklets this year, some artists are appointment only, garden studios or other arrangements and others like myself are having a 'virtual' opening.  Over 100 studios are listed on our website, check out the artists details and view their work online.   http://hampshireopenstudios.org.uk/artists/basingstoke/item/bethany-milam   My Hampshire Open Studios Online Artwork Sale   Although unable to open my studio this year, please have a look through my gallery pages and if you are interested in making a purchase get in contact. I am happy to arrange for Artwork to be viewed in the garden (socially distanced) prior to purchase. I am also happy to mount and/or frame artworks to your specifications. Artwork, cards and prints can be either posted or collected.   Take a look into my studio on social media throughout open studios week:   Facebook Instagram   Contact Bethany for commissions, Artwork sales, (including prints and cards), online workshops, demonstrations and courses.   Mr Kingfisher, Watercolour, 2020 Greetings cards for sale Cards are photographically printed from original artworks, they are blank inside for your own message.    £10 for a Pack of 5 A6 cards with envelopes (Price includes first class P&P within the UK)   Themed packs are available: Birds x 5 Nature x 5 Cars and boats x 5 Landscapes and flowers x 5 Mixed selection x 5 (a lucky dip option!) Christmas animals x 5   To order please use the Contact Form stating your: Name Email address Contact number Shipping address Your order   Payment is made securely through PayPal Invoice. Which I will email to you so please check that your details are correct. The cards will be sent once payment is made.   Remember to let me know which themed pack you wish to order. If you want to specify further which pictures you require, please do ask and I will do my best to accommodate your requests. Not all of my paintings are available as cards as yet.   Prints Photographic prints taken from the originals are available on request. Commissions I am happy to take commissions for a range of subjects; portraits, pet portraits, a ticket cut out from a unique journey or a painting of a special place or favourite car.  A wide range of media and sizes are available to suit your preferences.   If you would like to commission an Artwork the information on my website will give you an idea of what is involved. If you have any further questions, please contact me. Below is my latest portrait commission, framed and ready to be collected. Get Creative! If you fancy getting creative yourself, try out a workshop, talk or class. More details can be found on my website or at www.ticketsource.co.uk/bethany-milam