Suggested materials: sketchbook, a few sheets of printer paper for doodling your ideas, heavier paper to use for collaging (mixed media, watercolor or cardstock), paint (gouache, watercolor or acrylics) or your preferred coloring materials, brushes, water, scissors, glue stick, pencil, printables that can be used in the session are available here

Click here and head on over to the Sketchbook Revival Facebook Group. Share your mantra!

Karen Abend

Karen Abend is an artist living in Florence, Italy, with a passion for illustration, design and daily creativity. She loves to draw, paint, collage and work digitally. Her greatest joy is immersing herself in the creative process and channelling that energy in service of a collaborative project. ​Currently that looks like designing greeting cards, illustrating a book, and organzing and hosting the online workshop, Sketchbook Revival, an exploration of daily creativity in community.

Art and adventure have always been a part of Karen’s life.​

As a child born and raised in Los Angeles, it began as a love for drawing with pastels, lettering with colored markers and going on vacations with her family near and far. ​

When it was time to decide on a career, Karen’s desire to be immersed in museums, art and art history lead her to the field of art conservation. As an art conservator her adventure continued and she worked in museums in New York City and on excavations in in Italy, Turkey and Greece.

Along the way she married an Italian archaeologist, had a son and got some furry (and not so furry!) additions: two dogs, a cat and a frog.

During her 9 years of living in Sicily, she rediscovered her creative roots. She now spends her days creating art for licensing, personal projects, and always, for her own well-being, learning and growth.

When she’s not creating, she’s usually adventuring with her family, keeping up with her yoga practice, reading or playing with her dogs.

www.karenabend.com