Artsy blogging round-up!

Beading Arts 
Cyndi has worked out an easy way to hang odd-shaped pieces from wire! 

Breaking Out the Good Stuff 
Why have fabulous yarn if you do not use it? Crafty Princess is treating herself for a change. 

Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world 
This week at Craftside there are tutorials on how to fold a Pegasus out of a dollar bill, crochet a magic wand, and recipes for cocoa and green tea rubs. 

Father's Day Craft Tutorials 
It's not too early to think about what you'll create for Dad or Grandpa. Father's Day is June 16th! 

Money Gifts 
With Graduation coming up, one or more of these creative money projects would make a perfect gift for a special graduate. 

Art and Poetry 
Cherie makes new pictures using her poetry. 



Technorati Tags:mixed media,collage,assemblage,digital art,photography,altered books,art journals

Mixed media sculpture: Jason Lyons

Perch by Jason Lyons

I am a complete sucker for home and garden sculptures made from reclaimed and upcycled junk.  Enter Jason Lyons, and I think I'm in love!

Crow

Technorati Tags:mixed media,collage,assemblage,digital art,photography,altered books,art journals

Book review: Inspired to Design

Are you afraid to get started designing your own art quilt?  Then this is the book you need.  Not everyone is going to love Elizabeth Barton's methods, especially those people who like to work "intuitively", but if you are a planner and don't know how to plan one of these masterpieces, you are going to LOVE this book!

Even if you think planning isn't for you, I challenge you to give this a try.  The full title of the book is Inspired to Design: Seven steps to successful art quilts.  Elizabeth Barton takes you through these steps, from gathering up your ideas and inspirations, to making the basic decisions about composition by chosing the structure, focal point(s), colors and values, evaluating those choices, and putting them all together.  Exercises feature prominently throughout the book.  More time spent on thinking through design choices will make the time spent on construction more worthwhile!

I have become convinced by Elizabeth about the importance of a design wall and an inspiration notebook.  Now if I only had a wall available...  But here's what she has to say about the notebook; doesn't this sound wonderful?

"As you enjoy a cup of tea or a glass of wine, with your feet up, look at your inspirational pictures one by one and write down what it is about this photo, sketch, or painting that really impresses and fascinates you....There are so many possibilities. Each one is personal, but it is also often fleeting, and that’s why it’s important to note it down.(p 8)

Elizabeth's output is prodigious, and as I looked through this new C&T Publishing book and also at her website, I decided that this is definitely a woman I can learn a thing or two (or three or four...) from.

Battersea

Red Morning

Technorati Tags:mixed media,collage,assemblage,digital art,photography,altered books,art journals

Here's your sign!

Does this mean I'm supposed to slow down or speed up?  :-D

Leftover batting pieces - part two

Today, it's waxed paper!  Yup, waxed paper makes a really interesting top layer on quilt batting, and when it's fused onto batting, you can easily add stitching or other quilting effects.  Without a layer of fused batting...not so much!

1. Follow the directions from last week to cut your batting and fusible web.  Tear off a piece of waxed paper that is bigger than the other layers.

2. Crumble the waxed paper and spread it back out with your hands.

3. Using parchment paper to protect your iron and the board, iron the waxed paper to the fusible web and cut to the same size.

4. Slowly add layers of thinned acrylics (I used quinacridone red) and allow it to seep through the waxed paper.  I hit the edges with some extra paint where they could soak it up better.  Iron to heat set the paint.

  

5. Dry brush or use your fingers to add some metallic color to the high points.  I used iridescent copper.  Iron again to set.

Copyright 2013 Cyndi Lavin. All rights reserved. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

Technorati Tags:mixed media,collage,assemblage,digital art,photography,altered books,art journals

Artsy blogging round-up!

Ice Cream Crafts: 10 Tasty Ideas 
Celebrate the summer season with ice cream crafts (both edible and just nice to look at). Here are some favorites!

ACreativeDream 
June wants to know... do you like your doodles in black and white, or with color? She's got a very unscientific poll running... and a couple of bribes for some of those who vote. 

Beading Arts 
Cyndi has kicked off "Wire Month" on Beading Arts by sharing a quick and easy earring project! 

Amigurumi Gang 
The amigurumi gang is all packed up and ready to go to their new homes.

Green Turkey Glass Sculpture 
Cherie makes a turkey using found glass materials. 

How to Make Pretty Ruffled Ribbon to Dress Up Packages and Cards 
Make shimmery ruffled bows using plain old rayon bias tape sprayed with glimmer mist. The bias tape crinkles up into pretty ruffles as it dries. 


Technorati Tags:mixed media,collage,assemblage,digital art,photography,altered books,art journals

Found object wall sculptures

One of Kerry Heath's Twisted Fish

Kerry Heath makes laugh-out-loud funny wall sculptures from the stuff that most of us have in our junk drawers!  You know...the mis-matched utensils, nails, bottle caps, etc...plus a whole lot of humor.  Kerry has an etsy site called Fig Jam Studio.  You'd be a fool not to visit her ;-)

One of Kerry's Wall Nuts

Technorati Tags:mixed media,collage,assemblage,digital art,photography,altered books,art journals