stuff on my desk

Tiny Tutorial: Reusing your own drawings in collage or quilts

Remember this page from my journal? It's a drawing from a trip to Borrego Springs in 2008.

A great way to reuse your drawings for collage, or mixed media is to trace the orignal image onto artist white tissue or gampi paper using a permanent, waterproof super fine point nib black ink. I added a little color to the daisies using color pencil. Let the ink dry completely. Then, using matte medium adhere it to your surface. The tissue should completely disappear, leaving only the ink and color. Here, I'm added the new flowers to the orginal page, but you can add your images to any collage or mixed media peice. (And you can scan the original drawing, resize it, then follow these steps to create larger or smaller images of your original.) If you're a sew-er, you can trace your image onto tracing paper, and free motion stitch it, then tear away the tissue.

marigold

 Hand carved stamp. You too, can learn to carve a stamp from me. Check out my upcoming classes and workshops. Long Beach Quilt Festival online enrollment starts April 6, and I'm teaching 2 workshops (Quiltlets and Stamp Carving.)

The address is 3

 Still building the neighborhood of monoprints.This one is on paper, with some color pencil work, and machine stitched. The red is my hand carved stamp.

another start

 Here's a detail shot of this. I've needlefelted all sorts of bits together and I'll begin hand-stitching. It's part of my Rainbow Series.

kimono memory

 So, I'm unhappy with this one. I was trying to be Janet Bolton when I started this piece. But I got too Jane-like, as you can see in the detail shots here, here and here. I wanted this to be minimalist and tell a story. Didn't happen. If I'm going to try Janet's style, I think I may have to plan ahead.
 

pomegranates for the journey

 Remember this quilt of mine, made from wool felt. Well look what Kelli NIna Perkins made about watching my The Small Art Quilt DVD!
 

DreamBoat

 Okay, here's my DreamBoat, made using Ann Wood's tutorial. I'm going to help my Mundo Lindo kids finish their boats this week--and I'll simplify the sail part. (Here's a detail of my sail--the kids will use paper.)

A couple of DreamBoats

 Buddy offered to pose for scale with my boat. It's made from a cereal box, so it's not real big. (And Buddy is pretty big ~15lbs.)
 

Athenaeum Class Feb & Mar 2010

 Just finished up teaching my 8 week Mixed Media class at the Athenaeum today. Such a great group of people and artists! Hope you'll join me at one of my upcoming workshops this summer.
 

stitched cloth paper

 a week or two ago, I made these stitched cloth paper sheets, inspired by Kelli Nina Perkins FABULOUS book Stitch Alchemy.

Graffiti Kimono

 Then I made this using those papers for the joggles class I'm teaching, Kimono Collage.
 

Graffiti Kimono ~ detail

 And lately, I've been following Alisa Burke's blog, and was influenced by her graffiti style. (oh my gosh, when I went to link her blog, she's just published a waay cool pinwheel tutorial. But I'm still working on my boat, so can't be distracted!)

Mundo Lindo

 One of the things that I enjoy most in my life--wait a minute, there are sooooo many things about my life that I enjoy! Being an artist is the BEST life! Anyway...one of the things I do during the week that I love is teaching Mundo Lindo, the free afterschool art program I created for 4th & 5th grade kids. This week and next we're doing this fabulous project from Ann Wood. Since, as usual, I'm one step ahead of the kids, I'll be completing my 'dream boat' and posting it this week. Waay cool project.

orvieto setup

Thought you'd be interested (well, okay, mildly interested) in seeing the setup for the pagelet I did, based on Kelli Nina Perkin's tutorial. You can tell I work in pristine conditions in my studio.......ha!
Oh, look and Kelli's having a Spoonflower fabric giveaway. She's really created some great prints on fabric with her artwork...
 

details, details.

 I'm so glad I'm found the macro setting on my camera. A closeup of the pagelet.
Workshops. I know I've mentioned that I'm teaching a number of workshops this summer. Did you see the static page on my blog with up-to-the-minute info on my teaching schedule? Check it out. sign up for one or heck, all of them. I'm fun in-person.

shadow house

 Here's the full piece. I think it's done.
 

shadow house detail

Here's a detail of Shadow House. I'm not quite sure it's finished. It may need some tiny buttons. I'll show you when I'm done.

Speaking of works in progress....aren't we all??? I'm still ruminating on what I heard and saw at the SAQA conference. I was introduced to Diane Savona's work (unfortunately, not in person) and was incredibly moved. Words like "reconsider, investigation, tangible history" were spoken about her work by Marci McDade, editor of  Fiber Arts magazine. Everyday items reinterpreted in an earth-shattering way. I was stirred by thoughts on art like: concept, intention, emotional logic, meaning, inspiration. what informs your art? Look back and look forward, and make a reference to the past in your art. The art has should be about something and that something will project to the viewer. Art is communication.
Art as a way to activism. Mung Lar Lam's work was delicate and her words were gentle and meaningful, yet powerful. I want to be Lea Redmond when I grow up, except she's only 29. I felt as though I understood Consuelo Jimenez Underwood amazing work, as I live on the Mexican border and have studied Mexican folk art on my trips to that country.
These topics spoke to me. I feel I began this type of work with my piece Ralph's Letters (and now of course, realize I should have given it a 'deeper' title!) And my slow cloth, especially the piece "Above the Bog" are works that have a deeper meaning and works that I'm proud of and know they are distinctly original to me. Of course, I do and will continue to do mindless, pretty stuff, but I also want to work deeper in selected pieces of my work.

Judith's broom collection

 I'm home from the Studio Art Quilts Associates SAQA conference in San Francisco and assimilating all I heard and saw. I was lucky enough, as SAQA co-rep for Southern California, to be included in a wonderful dinner party at Judith Content's house. This photo is just one of her many many beautiful and elegantly displayed collections.
 

pagelet

 As seen in a previous post, my plan was to  follow Kelli Nina Perkins tutorial and create a pagelet, just like her's! Well, of course, I didn't follow the directions properly from the get-go, and I used matte medium, so then I had to use acyrlics, which I rarely paint in, and I had to paint the little scene I'd set up sort of realistically...But I did stitch on it and add the words and even stitiched Orvieto Italy on the top, because the very thought of Italian food made me think of my upcoming workshop in Italy! Back to the point, do follow Kelli's directions and let me know if you post the results on your blog and I'll link to it next week. (And I had to finish this little page today, because the red pepper was wilting!)
I'm off to San Francisco tomorrow, for the Studio Art Quilt Associate (SAQA) conference (if you're an art quilter, you really should join this organization.) I'll return on Sunday!