For 2025 MAKING HANDMADE BOOKS - Instructor Karen Pokraka

Create an art sketchbook that magically unfolds in your hands!  The focus is learning how. You may never buy a sketchbook or journal again!

When your Handmade Drawing Book is finished, let the landscape bloom on your own pages. Time permitting, you can learn an age-old contour drawing technique with watercolor pencils, water soluble graphite pencils or water soluble ink pens or brushes.

Join Karen Pokraka in this afternoon workshop.

All materials will be provided

Karen Pokraka grew up on the open range of Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado, with the Rocky Mountains an inspirational presence.

Starting drawing classes at UCLA in 1972 with Joe Blaustein, a renowned teacher of that era, she was introduced to Blind Contour Drawing, and it was a mind-blowing experience.  She saw how following that line she was looking at as though her finger was touching it, made magic happen.  She continued studying oil and acrylic painting at Otis Art Institute Extension in the 70’s.

For the past ten years, she has been plein air painting in oil and watercolor, and drawing, and drawing the figure, and just drawing, drawing.

Georgia O’Keeffe and Alice Neel are special influences.

She lives in Los Angeles, California.