American Kestral Visits Art Farm

Perhaps the most colorful raptor in the world, the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the most common falcon in North America. It is found from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, and in towns as well as wild lands. The Kestrel pictured here during a recent visit to Art Farm was visiting from Sky Hunters Raptor Education & Rehabilitation in Alpine, CA. Sky Hunters is a non-profit that rehabilitates injured and orphaned raptors of all kinds.

The male Kestrel's wings are blue-gray with black spots. The tail is reddish-brown (or rufous-colored) on the back with a broad black subterminal band and a white or rufous tip. The tail is white underneath with a few incomplete black bars. The back and rump is an orange to rufous, with a variable amount of black barring. Underparts are pale buff to orange, with variable amount of black spotting, especially along the sides. The crown (top of the head) is blue-gray with some orange. Buffy spots with dark centers are on either side of nape (back of head), making "eyespots" visible from behind. The female Kestrel's wings are rufous barred with black. The tail is rufous with black bands and the underparts are creamy to buff, heavily streaked with brown. The back is rufous with heavy dark barring. The crown is gray and the legs yellow.

Based on these descriptions, can you identify the gender of this Kestrel?

Upcoming Composition for Artists Seminar: Nov. 21 & 22

Many artists - both amateur and professional - have difficulty with composition. In painting with any degree of sophistication, composition prioritizes everything from the most important to the least important elements in the work of art. In studio art, in animation, graphic novels or children's books, composition is content. The ability to compose a picture that really communicates an artist's feelings and intentions is the essential element separating the beginner from more advanced and professional artists.

This intensive, 2-Day, 18-hour Art Farm seminar on Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 21 & 22, with noted Art Center Professor Will Weston will help any visual artist with reasonable drawing skills. Using landscape as a starting point, this intensive and engaging seminar addresses issues faced when composing pictures by combining lively lectures, presentations, and demonstrations with drawing exercises that break down the three essential stages of composition.

Students will learn to create pictures with applications to studio art and illustration including landscape painting, composing for animation, children's books, and graphic novels. Examples of all are presented in detail. Students do short exercises to direct the eye, create depth, and establish mood and time of day. Students then draw a landscape composition under the direction of the instructor. Handouts provided will enable students to continue learning after the seminar.

Registration, Dates, location and Fees
When: Nov. 21 & 22, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily
Where: Carlsbad Art Farm in Coastal Carlsbad. Directions provided at time of registration
Who: Adults. Reasonable drawing skills are suggested.
Fee: $249/includes $100 non-refundable deposit at time of reservation. Class is limited to 20.
Discounts: A 10 % discount is available to currently enrolled students with valid student I.D.
To register: Contact director@carlsbadartfarm.com or call 760-688-6147.

About the Instructor:
Will Weston the worked for many studios including Disney Feature and Television Animation, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., and Sony Pictures. Will is a professor at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where he teaches life drawing, landscape composition, visual development for animation, and traditional and digital painting. Will is a gifted instructor known for his information-packed classes and workshops where he imparts information in a clear and user-friendly way. For more information visit WillWestonStudio.com.

About Carlsbad Art Farm: Art Farm is located on 10-acres of beautiful, creek-side property in Coastal Carlsbad, north San Diego County. It is open to children and adults for ongoing lessons, seminars, and workshops. For most current information, visit this blog frequently or sign-up for the email list. For general information and visuals of Art Farm, visit our website at CarlsbadArtFarm.com.

Composition for Artists Seminar at Art Farm

Composition for Artists is an intensive 2-Day, 18-hour seminar with feature animation designer & Art Center Professor Will Weston (click on image for larger view).

When: Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 21 & 22.
Hours: 9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. each day.
Who: This seminar will benefit landscape painters, film and animation artists, graphic novelists, children's book illustrators and others. Reasonable drawing skills are suggested.
Fee: $249/$100 non-refundable deposit holds reservation. Includes hand-outs and other materials.
Enroll Early: Class size is limited to 20!
Registration and Questions: Contact director@carlsbadartfarm.com

About the Seminar: Many artists have difficulty with composition. This intensive and engaging seminar addresses issues faced when composing pictures by combining lively lectures, presentations, and demonstrations with drawing exercises that breakdown the three essential stages of picture composition. Instructor Will Weston notes that: "Composition prioritizes everything in painting from the most important to the least important elements. In art, composition is content, and the essential element separating the beginner from more advanced or professional artists."

About the Instructor: Will Weston is a highly experienced professional artist and art instructor. He has worked in feature animation for Disney Feature and Television Animation, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., and Sony Pictures. Prior to his animation work, he worked nationally in advertising and editorial illustration.

While solidly grounded in traditional art and illustration technique, Will is equally at home with digital drawing and painting. He is a full-time professor at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, and is the Entertainment Arts Advisor to its Illustration Department. He teaches seminars to professionals and graduate students at various locations, including the USC Graduate School of Animation and the Animation Guild.

Will's extensive teaching experience allows him to understand a broad range of student needs and different learning styles, delivering effective instruction in an engaging manner. Balancing that is the real-world professional background that he brings to the classroom and studio, helping to prepare students for the challenges of today’s dynamic and rapidly changing work environment. For more information on this artist, visit: WillWestonStudio.com