PREVIEW: How to Paint a Carved Sweet Potato – s02e12

If you were like me, as a kid I was scared to pieces of the art teacher! She always entered our classroom pushing a huge cart filled with scary stuff. As a little girl I was easily intimidated by things that I didn’t understand and I surely didn’t understand anything lurking in that mysterious thing the art teacher always brought with her.

My art experience amounted to color books and crayons. My worst nightmare was the exercise at the beginning of every school year. “Okay children, I’m going to give you a piece of paper and I want you to draw what you did during your summer vacation.” Yikes!!! I had no idea how to translate my boring summer onto a piece of blank paper. I needed help - lots of help! I always managed to come up with some awful thing to scrawl on the paper with a great deal of embarrassment.

Creativity has been one of the dearest friends in my life. I learned to sew, knit, crochet and put monthly craft kits together. I learned to play the piano and flute and later majored in music in college. Drawing and painting, however, was not something I imagined enjoying - ever!

When my son was a toddler, I needed to do something other than just be his mom. I needed something creative in my life. That’s when I saw a family member’s results from a painting class. I couldn’t believe my eyes! She made something that was not only functional, but beautiful, too. I HAD to try it!

That’s when I took a chance and signed up for my first class. I was instantly hooked and loved it! We painted exclusively with oils which were both challenging and wonderful. I learned about mixing colors and how to make an apple look round and so much more. I painted everything I could get my hands on - everything!

Years later my husband began carving and needed someone to paint for him. I asked myself, “How hard can it be?” I dragged out my old tubes of oils and began learning. After three or four carvings, I realized that oils were not the answer. No matter how careful I was, I smeared the paint while trying to paint his 3-D pieces. It was time to try something new - acrylics.

As I practiced, I learned how to mimic the look I expected with oil paint. Slowly, I achieved a compromise - the look of oils with the convenience of acrylics.

In this class, you’ll learn how to easily paint the caricature created from a carved, dried sweet potato. It’s always fun and usually different than you thought it might be. I promise, it’s fun and easy!

So, download your class notes and let’s get started.