Sketching Italian Hilltowns: A Three-Part Drawing Journey

Join artist Jennifer Ewing on Saturday: February 22, March 1, and March 8 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM for a fun and relaxed dive into the charm of Italian hilltowns. These little gems, with their winding streets and layered textures, are a dream to sketch!

The classes will focus on ink pen and ink wash using a brush. We will explore an expressive technique that emphasizes basic lines and tones. Starting with a simple pencil framework, you’ll learn to bring your sketches to life with depth and character in just a few steps.

Bio: Jennifer Ewing considers drawing her super power since she started sketching at age 6 and has loved it ever since. She began her love affair with Italy in college and first traveled there in 1983 with sketch book in hand. Observation and drawing directly from classic Italian architecture became a passion.
In 1988, she married Leo Germano and they spent their five month honeymoon mostly in Italy traveling by train. They stopped in Lombardia, Piedmonte, Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Campania, Marche, and the Veneto. On later visits they traveled by car that gave them access to many smaller towns in both northern and southern regions. The focus of these trips was on the fresco paintings, the mosaic floors and the architecture of churches, civic buildings and visiting museums along the way.
The art of Italy, especially the great fresco cycles of the masters inspired Jennifer and Leo to begin a business painting murals in 1989. They became Ewing & Germano specializing in Italian subjects mainly for clients in the Italian food industry and private residences. This also gave Jennifer the chance to dive deeper into Italy with a brush in hand. Her fine art paintings also blosemed as she made Italian Hilltowns her main body of work.
After the death of her father in 2004, Jennifer shifted the focus of her art to Spirit Boats. The boat is a symbol of movement and a Spirit Boat connects one to the realm of spirit. Recently, she has been working on an art project, “Revealing Venice”  that brings in a new form of boat, a gondola of lace. In combining two iconic Venetian icons she elevates her perspective on the delicate nature of the city and its unique environment.

For the class you will need the following material:

• Images of what you want to use as your source. I will also provide images and scrap for the class.
• Drawing Paper pad or individual sheets that are preferably 110 lb in weight.

In each class we will use at least 4-5 sheets of paper.  Size can vary – average size would. be 8.5 x 11″ or 9 x 12″

• 2 watercolor brushes – round style (soft) with a good point – sable or synthetic – suggested sizes can be from 4-6. Medium size – not too tiny.
• 1-2 Pencils – regular drawing – 2B – 4B
• Eraser – I like nylon
• Pencil sharpener
• Small spray bottle
• 3-4 Small capped bottles for different solutions of inks
• A plastic painting palette (with depressions) for holding small amounts of the ink washes
• Paper towels or napkins for blotting
• If you want to include color on top of your ink work after it is dry,  you can use soft colored pencils – I like prismacolor or soft chalks of your choice of color. Best to keep the color to a minimum so a palette can be made with 4-7 colors.
• A carrying container to hold your materials and paper
• Rubber bands