Boring Meetings at Work

And this is what happens at boring meetings at work.

First Proof of My First Dry Point

 

It needs more detail in the bottom plants to give them more shape.  I'll scratch some more and then print out 10 copies. That is about all  you can get out of a dry point before losing the burr.  But I am pretty excited --not bad for my first dry point attempt.

First Print Project

This is the model for my first print project--a dry point etching.

Day 27

I've stopped going in order.  I have used up all my self-discipline and now I am doing the new doodles that look fun.

Kidnapped!

Friday Favorites

Finally I am starting to feel better.  It has been a rough few weeks.  Thank you good friends who have sent me good wishes and positive energy! I have had to cancel our last two play dates but Beth and I are planning a play date this Saturday--hopefully the third time will be the charm!

Friday Favorites

I have been working on my doodles but never have I considered putting them on shoes like Jamie Fingal did on the Sketchbook Challenge.  I am wondering what else the doodles would look good on?

Terri Stegmiller has designed some new stencils and is promoting them through a stencil blog hop.  I start out with the  promotional part so that you won't be surprised or put off by it.  I am directing you to the blog hop because the eight participating artists are doing amazing things with her stencils.  This is not a one layer and done stencil job.  Oh no.  These artists have created layered stenciled fabrics with real interest.  If you hurry, you can not only read the instructions and see the results but you can enter to win one of the stencils.

Lisa Kerpoe has posted some of her experiments with a new screen printing technique on the Art Cloth Network. The technique originated from Jane Dunnewold but Lisa certainly makes it her own and shows several different ways of using it.

There are some other interesting posts that if I had the energy I would link to but I don't.  Today I finally made it not only all the way through the work day but attended my print class for the first time tonight.  Thank goodness for a wonderful husband who cooked me dinner when I got home! And now I am off to bed.

Day 19

Day 18

Day 17

Day 16

Day 15

Day 14

A Week of Bronchitis and Friday Favorites

It has been a rough week fighting bronchitis.  That is really too strong a term.  It has been a long week of laying in bed, laying on the couch, coughing till my sides hurt and I can't catch my breath, and being not only too sick to go to work but too sick to enjoy my time at home by creating art.  What a lousy week! But I think the steroids are kicking in and I may live.  Yeah!

Friday Favorites

Every once and a while I find an artist that I would like to be like when I am a grown up artist.  I find their work to be a primer for my creative pump.  Kate Stiassni is one such artist.  She does not seem to have a blog but darn does she do a good job at her art. She has an upcoming show in CT if you are in the vicinity.

Not that Kate is alone on the pedestal.  Connie Rose is right up there too.  Her stuff is different from Kate's but both of their styles fit into my passion wheelhouse.  Here are some examples of why: books and more books and prints and more prints. And that is just what she done so far this year.

That I am a fan of Elizabeth Barton goes without saying.  One of the reasons I love her blog is that if you read them, you gain a lot about design principles.  I love to know why something works so that I can try to recreate it.  This blog, while it tells you about a couple of upcoming classes she is teaching and that I am way too busy to take right now, also connects you to why studying art can make your art better.

With feeling better and all the inspiration from my sister artists, I am hoping to finish my art quilt for the Art Quilts Around the World blog due the end of the month, start my second week of homework for my class with Lisa Call, and attend the second session of the print class that I signed up for but was too sick to attend on day one. 

I wish you a similarly good week!

Day 13

Day 12

Day 11

Play date with Beth

We had so many fun plans for Saturday.  Instead I spent the morning wearing a mask at Prompt Care while getting the diagnosis of severe bronchitis, the early afternoon waiting at the wrong pharmacy for the prescription, and the rest of the day wheezing in a codeine induced slumber punctuated by coughing. That had not been my plan.

Day 10

Day Nine

White on Black

Friday Favorites

I filled up my second sketchbook of Zentangles and had to create a third.  Nothing fancy--cardboard from my Cheerios for a cover and  the paper is letterhead that my school threw away when they redesigned the school logo.  Waste not; want not.

Friday Favorites

Spoonflower is having weekly contests for designing fabric pattern.  How fun! http://www.spoonflower.com/contests/170

Beth annoucnes her intentions for 2013 and starts off with several links for information about Dorthy Caldwell. Since Dorthy is hard to find on the internet, I appreciate the links that Beth has provided.

Colleen Kole share some pictures of her workshop quilts started at Nancy Crow Barn.  I think the workshop is the same one I have taken but I don't think my pieces were as exciting as Colleen's.  I was interested to learn that Colleen has taken classes with Nancy.  I love my classes with Nancy and it is because of Colleen's great quilts that I am taking the online class with Lisa Call starting this week.  I wonder where Colleen lives? She would make a great play date partner for Beth and me.

I tried to talk my husband into a Galaxy Sumsung Note just exactly for the reason shown on Lins Arty Blobs.  I talked myself out of it at Christmas thinking that perhaps the graphic design wasn't as good as shown in the commercials or so hard to learn that I probably couldn't learn it or that I have so much stuff waiting to be played with that I didn't need another toy.  But I was wrong!  Saving my money now for my next absolutely necessary art supply.

It is a tutorial!  I love tutorials and this is a great one because it is by Terri Stegmiller. Terri shows a new way to make a stencil.  I am gonna try it!  You'll have to go and take a look if you want to find out more.  And you don't have to take my word for how fabulous it is.  Jill at the Quilt Rat thought so too and shows off her experiments with the technique.

And here is a perfect excuse to eat Ferrero Rocher Chocolates.  I know, like we need an excuse, but when you need the wrappers for your art (ART!) eating the chocolate is just a side benefit.  ***snicker***

My last Friday Favorite is from Constance Rose. She talks about cleaning your gelli plate with fabric/paper you will use later.  She also links you to the original blog tutorial on using the gelli plate.  AND, she shows you the book she has made from her wipe rags.

Sueded paper

Getting ready for a play date this Saturday with Beth.

Day Eight

Day Seven

Day Six

Day Five

Day Four

Friday Favorites

This week I am gearing up for my Spring Classes.  I have signed up for an online class with Lisa Call named "Working in a Series."  I have wanted to take the class for a couple of years after reading the posts of  quilters who have taken her course.  She announced there was an opening in her January class just in time for me to hint to my husband that I would love to receive it for Christmas.  Class starts this week and lasts for 10 weeks.

The second class I am taking is an advanced print class at UMA with Karen Adriene. It starts the week after next.  She is a demanding teacher.  Don't get me wrong. She is sweet and pleasant and gives great feedback but she expects you to work your butt off and I do.  I learn so much in her class!  I have already ordered lithography plates and pencils to use in class and my husband Christmas gifted me with copper plates for dry etching.  I have big plans!  Beth's gift of the One Zentangle a Day book I hope will be put to really good use as I etch and print some of my drawings.  Don't you love it when your art interests can all be rolled into one project?

Friday Favorites

A couple of weeks ago I went bloghopping for a week long give-away on 176 sites on the Quilting Gallery. They were celebrating their 5th birthday.  Didn't win anything but I did find a few blogs that were my kind of interesting.

The Textile Recycler caught my eye first because of the title.  I love to shop at Goodwill and have dreams of upscaling linen dresses with dyes and prints.  Then I came across this post on Flea Market Friday.  In the post she uses pages from old books to print, paste, dye, paint and otherwise turn into art.  How can you not love a woman like that?

I checked out Quilt Doodle Doodles. She does a lot of BOM stuff that I am not interested in but she showed how to make a really cute cupcake. The cupcake is a fabric cupcake cup with a pair of rolled up socks and a sucker on top like a cherry.  Really Really cute way of giving sock presents.  I might try it.


I learned about Inklingo.  Have you heard about it?  It seems to be a way of making pattern pices for a quilt so that your pieces are actually the size that you need.  I don't think my current quilting projects need this tool but it was nice to know about it.  On the blog Quilt Obsessions you can see how other quilters use Inklingo.

Art Show

I never did tell you the results of my participation at the Gardiner Art Walk.  I didn't sell anything but I didn't expect to.  I did set up a sewing table and worked on piecing some blocks. Some folks found that interesting.  I did get some traffic and some networking. On the whole, it was a good night.  I was going to take lots of pictures but forgot to charge my camera.  Only could take a couple before it died. 

This is a piece I have had up on my wall for maybe a year just needing a binding.  I was excited to finally have the prod to get it finished.  It is white cotton fabric I wrapped around copper pipe and let rot in my compost pile for a couple of months.  The not-so-white fabric is layed onto a black linen that has birch leaves stamped on it.  There is lots of hand embroidery on the trees and the black linen is hand quilted.  It is really special I think.

The studio in which I showed my art had a three panel screen which I used to post some lino prints on fabric and paper.  The outer four are printed in different colors on different papers. The top middle is printed on fabric and quilted. The bottom middle is the carved lino itself.  The carving was based on a photo my sister-in-law took.

Day Three

Day Two