Here's a sneak peak of the backgrounds you'll be making in my Intro To Art Journaling Class! You will experiment with a dozen different fun and easy backgrounds and complete one small journal to use as a design guide. $25 includes all materials. Please stop by my free make 'n take table outside Art Made Easely during Old Home Day!
My village has a lovely event every August called Uncommon Arts on the Common. We happen to have a disproportionate number of artists and crafters so the Goffstown Main Street Program hosts this event as a way to engage the public and bring people down to the main street area. I have been promising myself for years that I would purchase a table for my paper crafts, but I've discovered it's much more difficult than I thought.
I set a goal for myself to create 10 cards a week, and thought nothing would be simpler than to mass produce 10 identical cards, how hard could that be?
First of all, it's boring. You already knew that from your own card making endeavors, but I needed to say it out loud to get the elephant out of the room early. The whole thrill of making cards is how quickly you can move from one great idea to the next. But creating 10 identical cards like a conveyor belt, cutting this square 10 times, gluing that ribbon 10 times, coloring that candle 10 times, and then that one and another and another. Oh, my gosh!
I've only been at it 4 weeks and already I've fallen behind, causing me to deisign cards that are heavy on the simple and not very creative at all. I like to use my copics (big duh) and I'm not making the kinds of cards that I intended, with lovely colored designs surrounded by lush layers of Bazzill and bling. These cards are so basic they nearly make me cry with grief at what they are missing.
Since these cards are not what I had dreamed about when I started this project, I'm not coming anywhere near finding my own style. I like to decorate the inside of my cards, but from Week One to Week Four that's fallen by the wayside completely.
The goal of my 10-Cards A Week schedule was to use up the piles and piles of product that I've been obsessively buying since I started scrapbooking 20 years ago. I was going to use only what I have, famous last words! Do you have any idea how hard it is to design 10 identical cards when you only have one sheet of Navajo Blue?
Or only enough pink ribbon for 9 cards, which mean you almost start from scratch with that tenth card. Well, you have to design the same card, but different, in different colors and different sizes, and of course that demands more paper and the whole design plan goes down like dominoes. Gads.
I am determined to conquer this project, because it is very important that I participate in that art event in August. One way or the other, I need to learn how to create nicer cards faster, and put the fun back into the process.
Here's another story about Copic Markers, even though I know you are probably sick of reading about them. I can't help it, I just enjoy the heck out of them.
Earlier this month I had the very good fortune to be accepted into the Copic Markers Intermediate Designers Program in Boston. This 10-hour class was taught by Cindy Lawrence, who really knocks my socks off. You can find her work on her blog, The Creative Closet, and she's also got several interesting you tube videos. But taking a real, live class with her is the best.
The Intermediate Class was much different than the Basic Class. This was much more of an art program, explaining light source and shading, color choice, and a lot of discussion about skin tone. We worked on several techniques that I had shied away from, like drop shades and reflected light. The class offered several videos produced by Marianne Walker, who you probably know if you are using Copics. If not, then visit her blog, I Like Markers, and be amazed.
One thing that I found very satisfying about the class was how careful Cindy was to check every single bit of work from every person throughout the day, giving each student an opportunity to ask questions and look for a little personal help. Each of us had our strengths and weaknesses, and I thought the class did a good job of helping me identify what I could be doing better.
One thing I realized pretty quickly is that I do not color boldly enough. I don't want my work to look like Animé, but it shouldn't be washed out either. Here's an example of two faces we did, using X-press It Blending Paper. I did the one on the right first, and then with some guidance I did her again on the left.
I didn't have a lot of choice with colors so she's a bit pink, but you can see how much better her throat, neck and hair are on the left. I didn't get a chance to do her cheeks, but if you look closely you'll see how the center was barely colored at all, leaving some white paper. That's a technique I didn't know before the class.
We all had to share markers, and that caused me some problems. You can see from this Santa that sharing the markers made it very difficult to get a good blend. I could not saturate my paper because I had to keep passing the markers back and forth. If you take a look at Santa's arm over his head you can see where my partner killed the marker tip and I couldn't do anything but just color it all in. Couldn't even stay inside the lines.
I am signed up for the Color & Ink Workshops in May and I'm debating whether I should invest in several new pens so I won't have to use the class set. Thoughts?
The class included a very comprehensive Intermediate text, some white ink for mistakes, a bunch of other goodies, and of course my Intermediate pin and really cool blog badge. I am making 2013 my year to take classes, learn how to better use the supplies I have, and meet new people along the way from other states and other disciplines. I signed up for a book making class with the League of NH Craftsmen, I'm taking Donna Downey's Pan Pastel classes this spring, and maybe a couple on line classes with Julie Fei Fan Balzer. Lots to talk about as the year progresses!
Those tags sat on my craft counter for at least two weeks as I waited for inspiration to strike, which is always does eventually! The original project started with basic manila tags from Staples, but then I got some new ideas and started over. These tags are closer to my original vision to use only found materials.
I traced the Staples tags onto a cereal box and then I used regular masking tape to exactly mimic the reinforced holes. Looking at the finished tags, I think I would do that differently the next time. I'm not sure I love the way the tape shows under the paper. I was wondering how the hole would look if I stitched around it with embroiderly floss? I could poke holes all the way around and then use a hem stitch, can you envision that?
Decoupage medium has to be the crafter's best friend. I used Mod Podge as my adhesive and it worked beautifully. The tags did not curl and the tissue paper had a nice, crinkly look when it was dry.
I had more of the lovely magazine advertisement, so I used that on one side and on the other side I used green tissue paper that came wrapped around a shirt I bought last spring. I was pretty pleased at how well the tissue matched the magazine paper. I sprayed a little watered down red food coloring onto white tissue paper and cut out circles that I crumbled up and used for flower embellishments. Some dollar store white acrylic paint was smudged on with a kitchen sponge to tie the front to the back, and then I used a Q-tip to dot a bit of white paint into the middle of my "flowers".
You can see some glitter on the pink tag because I was trying to make my own glimmer mist. Splitcoast Stampers had a discussion board and someone found instructions here (Elizabeth's Paper Art). It worked pretty well, and there's that versatile decoupage medium again!
The little "for you" tags were Stampin' Up, but I deliberately chose a style that could be simply written by hand, and I did cut them out by hand. I smudged the little tags with more watered down red food coloring.
I'm pleased with the way they turned out. All things considered, the final tags were nearly all found materials and along the way I learned some new techniques for making my own supplies.
Taking a sanity break from making tags, today I wanted to just play around with a new set of Hero Arts "Artist Flowers" (#LL859) that I received for Valentines Day.
Recently I've been working back and forth with markers and water colors, and I have had some ink troubles, especially with dye based ink pads. They are not water resistant and get muddy pretty quickly. My plan was to practice with the water based paints, but since the ink kept running I was never actually getting a chance to do much of anything.
You can see in the picture that the stamp set has it's own shading. Using the StazOn allowed me to go back over the paint several times, wetting and blotting until I figured out exactly what you can and can not do with the lighter color paints over the dark black ink. Luminarte paints are very deep and have a nice bold quality that held up well to the blending. I used Koh-I-Noor for the green leaves because I had a better range of colors. One thing about the tiny Luminarte pots is they don't mix well with each other. If you are just starting out you can buy a full set pretty cheaply, or get a set of tubes so you can blend your own colors. My Koh-I-Noor Watercolor Wheel set has 24 colors and it's $6.95 on the Dick Blick site.
I took the photo too quickly. I took another look when the paint was dry and it needed just one more detail so I went over the outlines with a .05 Copic liner pen. That really popped the paint.
Anyway, so here's my finished flower bouquet, which I believe is what my husband was thinking when he bought this set of stamps instead of the real thing. Which was a very good decision on his part.
I think the artisitic issue I find the most frustrating is when I only have half an idea. I'll have this great burst of creativity, everything will go exactly the way I imagine, but I can't seem to bring it home. I'm working on that right now with a group of tags I started over the weekend.
I found this lovely paper I'd pulled out of a magazine. It's flimsy like tissue paper and the colors and design really grabbed me. I like to work with found materials and have several boxes of items pulled from magazines, old books, advertisements. This paper was particularly special so I was pretty pleased when I finally hatched an idea.
I had the manilla tags purchased from Staples, and all I did was paint them with gesso and glue the paper down. Easy peasy. When I cut them out they were every bit as attractive as I had anticipated. So far, so good.
I left them on the work bench under some heavy jars of paste, flattening them out nicely. I had every expectation of working on them this morning and having a dozen perfect little tags by the end of the day. I laid them all out, studied them front and back, and was dead in the water.
What to do next? Should I cover the back with paper too? Paint the backs? Should I stamp them? Maybe add embellishments? How about doodle on them? One wrong move and I'm a goner, so I stood there forever. No second sheet of paper, no room for mistakes.
I'm totally frozen. In my head these tags are beautiful, cheerful, I would say, "They came out great!" if and when they actually do come out as something other than what they are right now, which is merely a sheet of magazine advertising glued to some manila tags from the office supply store.
Stay tuned.
I found a new magazine at the Barnes & Noble a couple weeks ago and I haven't been able to put it down. This is the first international issue of a Dutch magazine published by Creative Directors Astrid van der Hulst and Irene Smit. You can visit their web site at Flowmagazine.com
You know how, when you find something new and exciting, how great that feels to be the one who makes the discovery? And then later you find more and more reasons why that discovery is The Best Thing Ever? That's this new magazine.
The very first article is all about the incredible women who created an artist colony on the Left Bank of Paris in the 1920's. The salons and the book stores, the painting and the discussions. I was hooked on this magazine by the end of that first story. But there's so much more. An article about the benefits of making Lists, one on the value of handwriting, and another on how to be mindful. There's a book review of The Artists Way, interviews with unusually interesting women from around the world, the modern crafting movement in Berlin, taking creative photos, and interactive pages on how to simplify your life.
There are adult coloring pages and pages to rip out and use in your collage, including a very nice set of wrapping paper. Tucked into the middle of the book is a full "Japanese Crafting Idea Book" that's similar to a Smash Book, designed by Japanese paper artist Papakaori. I can't believe they include all these amazing articles and then threw in these freebies for only $22.50
I hope you will look for this magazine at your local craft or bookstore. You can buy them at Barnes & Noble all over the country, or you can order one from the web site. I know that sounds costly for a magazine, but you've never seen anything like this!
I am really excited about taking the Copic Intermediate Papercrafting Certification Class in Boston next month, so I've been practicing. I don't want to sit down in the class and be the one who can't blend a simple shadow, right?
These stamps came from Eat Cake Graphics, my favorite company. You can see my pencil notes listing the colors I used. Sometimes I can't believe I have so many pens, and then I need a color I don't have and I'm shocked! I stamped with Memento and used a Signo Uni-Ball for the white "snow" dots.
The little girl is Isabella and the lady walking her dog is Mrs. McTwitter and Tootsie. I should mention that I was careless with the stamp and Mrs. McTwitter does not have an ink smudge inside her hair. The City Houses in Winter was difficult and I think next time I'll use a couple fine-line pens for the detail work. And if you read my notes you can take a closer look at the stairs and see all my mistakes. Note to self- color doors FIRST!
This notebook is one of the new Copic sketchbooks. The paper is really nice and smooth, but I have to put a sheet of wax paper between the leaves so it doesn't bleed through.
Somewhere along the way I happened upon a butterfly tag originally made by Joy Taylor. She designs for Simon Says Stamp so maybe that's where I noticed it. Since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I replicated her tag with my own colors and lace. I used a unique paper that came inside one of my Somerset magazines and the Papillon collection from, who else, Tim Holtz. You can tell it's Tim Holtz right away, can't you?
The stamps in this set were particularly detailed and I used a Copic to color in the slight blue tint on the wings. I stamped them on the tag first, makes it much easier to get that nice antennae. I used Mod Podge to glue down the paper, which I find is the best adhesive for this type of project. I had a big old magnifying glass from my Dad's shop that I used as a weight to prevent the paper from curling while it dried, and I almost set the house on fire. My desk is by the window and I didn't realize the sun was shining right through the glass. I came up from the laundry and there's smoke and a burn spot on a bit of scrap paper. True story.
I find it very relaxing to copy someone else's design now and then. I just want to play with my toys, I don't want to experiment or create anything unintentional. I don't want to think. Deciding to make my tag blue while Joy's was pink was as far as I wanted to go in the creativity department.
There are a lot of opinions out there on whether it's okay to scraplift a design and then publish it on your own blog. I personally don't see the problem with it as long as you give credit where credit is due. I have said from the beginning that 25 years raising a family has drained my creativity down to the bottom inch in the bathtub. I'm grateful for the ideas being shared all over the internet and one day I hope people will visit my blog and find something for themselves. Till then, Thanks, Joy, for the pleasant afternoon crafting this pretty tag. I owe you one.
In the midst of this Christmas chaos I've been greedily taking advantage of all the wonderful year end sales hosted by my favorite stamp designers and online retailers. Mostly I've stuck to My List, that never-ending page in my notebook where I jot down the name and manufacturer of a stamp I see used in a particularly brilliant way. I always try to stick to My List and not impulse shop, except those rare occassions when my favorite stores host their annual Yard Sale. Then I go to town, scooping up 25¢ wood block stamps like a fiend.
Then, this week my very favorite incredible craft shop, Absolutely Everything in Topsfield Massachusetts, started sending out emails about their 12 Days of Christmas Sale. Day One was Copic Markers, which I adore. Buy 5 and get 3 free. OMG, right? Then Day Two was 50% off Spellbinder Dies. Day Three was 12"x12" paper sheets for 39¢, and Day Four was 40% off all Memory Box Dies. Day Five was a killer, 60% off on paints, Perfect Pearls, Glitter, all that good messy stuff.
And then came Day Six. The Day Six email came last night- 70% off every single wood mount stamp in the store. I literally stopped breathing. All night I lay in bed doing the math. If I drive the 50 miles each way, that's about $14 in gas. I would have to buy $20 in product to balance that, then everything else I bought would be practically free. Right?
I say "practically" because the fact is, it would cost me something. It would be far less than it would have cost me yesterday, and far less than it will cost me tomorrow. But it'll cost something no matter what. Something I was not planning to spend, for something that's probably not on The List.
Which is why I was laying awake all night, trying to find a way to justify random shopping for no good reason except the enormity of the sale. We've all been here, right? You've got that big coupon and it doesn't matter that there's not one thing left in the store you don't already have, you've gotta find something because you have A Coupon!!
When I finally put myself to rights this morning, it was clear I was not going. And all day I will feel a little off, a little left out, a little put out. I almost wish they weren't having the sale because not going to the sale almost makes me feel like the kid who didn't get invited to the party. Like I'm missing something really important, really awesome. Do you know that feeling? Like I should be doing this, and why am I not doing this, and what crazy adjustments to my schedule- and my budget- can I pull off to do this, because I just gotta do this.
Sometimes, a sale is really a sale, and that's what this sale at Absolutely Everything will be today. It'll be a terrific sale, and I'm sending out my best regards to the lucky shoppers who have the time and budget to get over there today. Mazel Tov!
But even when it really is a sale to beat all sales, it doesn't mean you need to be out there shopping. Every time something you don't need is marked down 70%, you are still spending 30% that you didn't plan to spend. Every time you buy something random, you will then need more supplies to actually use it. I just bought a set of stamps "on sale" that now require me to purchase an additional set of stamps so I will actually be able to use the first set. Stampers out there will know exactly what I mean- you have the picture but not the saying, or the saying but not the picture. Around and around.
That's what I was afraid of today, and that's why I'm not going to the fabulous 70% off sale at Absolutely Everything. Because THEY have "absolutely everything" but I don't, and one way or another they'll find a way to sell me something else and then something else again, and on and on. So today, I'm not going shopping. Hurrah for me.
