Policies: Before registering for classes & workshops, please review our registration policies in full. For questions, contact us at the front desk.
Description: Come slow down, look closely, and make something beautiful. Over two days at the mill, you'll learn to see the natural world through an artist's eye — gathering and recording your observations in your very own handmade sketchbook.
Saturday: Make & Gather We begin by making our books. You'll make an easy zigzag-style accordion sketchbook from scratch. While your book dries over lunch, we'll gather inspiration: collecting natural materials, observing closely, and making preliminary sketches on practice paper. You might like some of these so much that they’ll make it into your book later! Feel free to bring materials to class, e.g. shells, leaves, feathers, flowers, whatever you’ve collected and are curious about. Ideally you know where you collected the materials.
In the afternoon, we'll dive into the art of layout — exploring different styles, dividing pages into sections, adding lettering and info boxes, and planning the overall composition of our sketchbooks. By the end of the day, you'll have a clear vision and a plan ready to bring to life.
Sunday: Fill the Pages This is where it all comes together. With your handmade book and the gathered inspiration, you'll spend the day filling your sketchbook — painting, sketching, and adding detail using watercolor, colored pencil, collage, and ink.
No experience necessary. If you love nature and have ever wanted to slow down and truly see it, this class is for you.
Level: Beginner, Ages 14+
Please note: Registration for this class will close on Saturday, August 29 at midnight.
Supply Fee Includes:
- All tools, paper and paints needed:
- Mixed media paper for bookbinding
- Bookbinding cardboard
- Bookbinding glue and glue sticks
- Keiko’s handmade watercolors (yours to keep!)
- Colored pencils, fineliners, pencils, markers
- Brushes and brush pens
- Bone folders
- Drawing paper
Students should bring:
- Decorative paper for the book cover
- Apron
- Collected natural materials you would like to draw
- Lunch, snack, and a refillable water bottle or beverage of your choice
About the Artist: Keiko Saile is a watercolor paint maker and mixed media artist based in Hōlualoa, Hawaiʻi. Growing up in a German-Japanese household in Southern Germany, she’s always been fascinated with traveling and experiencing other cultures, food and nature. After earning a BA in photography at the University of Arts in Zurich, Switzerland, she worked as a professional photographer for 12 years.
A happy life change brought her to Hawaiʻi in 2016, where she started her new small business, Aloha Watercolors, as a full-time paint maker and art instructor. When she’s not taking a class at the Donkey Mill, you can find her in her home studio mulling watercolors, editing videos or hiking one of the beautiful nature trails on the island.
About Our Programs: As a place of convergence, the Mill serves as both a community and a physical place–celebrating the power of the arts, bringing people, ideas and perspectives together. We are proud to offer adult and youth programs that focus on awareness of one’s individuality in the contexts of family, community and the natural world. Our exhibitions provide a space to reflect, share perspectives and grow as a community. Our classes & workshops are designed to inspire creativity, foster connections, and provide enriching experiences for all participants. We invite you to join us in the studio.
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