Mixed Media Artist

  Taz's Corner Radiant Rains and Existencils!   Beading Arts "Spring Fever" month on Beading Arts is off to a great start with some wonderful pieces shared by readers who were inspired by their own travels! Eileen - The Artful Crafter Don't throw those Easter egg shells away. Here's how to make an egg shell mosaic box using them.   Mixed Media: Faith Love Hope Joy Cherie uses a collection of papers with acrylics.   Mo(o)re Whimsies An Easter Rabbit made with Creative Paperclay®     Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Craft Buds Die-cut felt flowers and string of grosgrain ribbon are the ingredients for this simple toddler toy. Get the tutorial for a button snake, to keep your little one busy during a summer car trip or in the waiting room.   Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world This week at Craftside there are tutorial son how to make two paintings at once, applying and underpainting, a whole bunch of color variations of the Dutch Tulips quilt block and some springtime cross stitch patterns. Crafty Princess Diaries Tammy has been trying to take a decent photo of her latest finished object, a crochet ripple shawl.   Eileen - The Artful Crafter How to make a beaded pull chain for overheads lights or fans. Lindsay Sews Do you tackle one sewing project at a time, or work on multiple projects at once? Lindsay shares modern quilt blocks from a few recent works in progress.   About Family Crafts Read all about the Dr. Suess t...

This is the structure that makes Orvieto one of the true artistic gems of small towns. Orvieto was the temporary residence of the pope in the mid 13th century when conflict in Rome caused a need for flight. The Duomo is unusually fine for a town of this size, mostly because it houses an alter cloth that was stained by blood when the Host began bleeding in a nearby town. The Duomo sparkles in full sun like nothing you can imagine as you come around the corner. Many of the columns and other parts of the facade are overlaid with gold. My pictures couldn’t capture the glare! The relief sculptures on the facade are some of the best I’ve ever seen, with scenes depicting Creation, the life of Christ, the Prophets, and the last days. Here’s an example of one of the scenes, this one being the creation of Eve. That’s her, being pulled right from Adam’s side.  Wild, huh? The Duomo isn’t the only church in Orvieto. Old bell towers, churches, and cathedrals are around...

  Tutorial on making toner copy image transfers Hi, Just found your site and already you have answered some of my questions! I am getting into transfers on fabric and it is going well. I have a inkjet copier but some transfer methods call for a copying machine. I have a old one that is just black and white. I am ready to purchase a new one but have no idea what to buy. Can you recommend a copy machine for this kind of work? Do they come in color? I am guessing there is a different in the ink used. Can you explain? Thank you, Gloria Hi Gloria, thanks for your question.  I'm sure there are others who wonder this too, and maybe a reader will have a better answer than me.  In fact, I hope they do, because my only information for you is to make sure you get a toner-based copier.  Some of the newer ones use a different process, and that means that the transfer methods designed specifically for toner prints will not work!  Inkjets transfer one way, and toner...

The town of Orvieto is a fortress built on a hill, with walls all around it. Mike and I took a walk around part of it, and Mike agreed to be in the picture just to give you a sense of the scale. There were these crazy blackbirds all over the place who lived in chinks in the walls.   There’s my cutie pie again! As you can see, the countryside surrounding the town is just gorgeous. There are grape arbors, olive groves, and cypress trees everywhere. Not so many cypress in this shot, but all the land is very lush. Copyright 2012 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

I liked a lot of the techniques that Carmen Torbus and other mixed media artists shared in The Artist Unique , but one that caught my eye most strongly was Carmen's use of rubbing alcohol to partially lift acrylic paints, even after they had dried.  My steps that I outline below are somewhat different from what she outlines in the book, and I would definitely recommend that you examine her methods as well.  Plus, there are a whole lot more wonderful techniques shared by many different artists for you to try.  Materials and Tools Watercolor paper Acrylics of choice (I used heavy bodied Golden's paints) Rubbing alcohol Bubble wrap, sponges, other texture tools Cotton balls 1. Apply a thick line of a light color (I used hamsa yellow opaque) to the top of the sheet of watercolor paper, and use a sponge or your hands to smear it unevenly down the entire surface. 2. Use bubble wrap or another texture tool to rough up the surface.  Let it dry ...

  6 Fun Easter Craft Ideas For Kids Looking for a last minute Easter Craft to do with the kids, check out some of these ideas.  Beading Arts Cyndi is celebrating her travel fever by inviting readers to submit their travel-inspired work!   Eileen - The Artful Crafter How to make a beaded pull chain for overheads lights or fans.   Felt Peep Bunnies Cherie adds some ornaments to her Easter tree.   Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

  Carmi's Art/Life World Carmi explains how her puppy became the Easter Bunny for a set of greeting cards.   Craftside-A behind-the-scenes peek at our crafty world This week at Craftside there are tutorials on portrait poses, how to make frosting bunnies, chicks and eggs, along with info on house rabbis and a recipe for white bean dip with rosemary oil. Crafty Princess Diaries The Crafty Princess explains how to make a simple art book. Eileen - The Artful Crafter Don't throw those Easter egg shells away. Here's how to make an egg shell mosaic box using them.   Stefanie Girard's Sweater Surgery A bunch of unusual Easter egg decorations. Aileen's Musings Aileen shows you the bowties she made with her DIL and gives you a few links to easy tutorials for making your own for the young man in your life.     Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

Quaint and picturesque don’t even begin to describe Orvieto! Every corner you turn, there’s another picture postcard just waiting to be snapped :-) As narrow as these streets are (and as steep!), the cars do go both directions…and at break-neck speeds. Interestingly, you rarely hear horns being used. The chocolate shop! The corner near Dani’s favorite cafe, where she bought her cappuccinos every morning. And where she watched Italy kick butt in the Euro-Cup matches :-) The best pottery shop in Orvieto (I’ll show you the goods later!) The artisan’s street near the Duomo. This is the only “touristy” area in Orvieto. Copyright 2012 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 , photog...

Supportive Art Deadline: 05/01/12       New Fibers 2012 Deadline: 05/01/12     Miniature Book Competition and Exhibition Deadline: 05/01/12           Fiber Options: Material Explorations Deadline: 05/09/12      Art Journaling Deadline: 05/15/12           Haute Handbags Deadline: 05/15/12       500 Traditional Quilts Deadline: 05/15/12       Technorati Tags: mixed media , collage , assemblage , digital art , photography , altered books , art journals

It is said that there are two types of people in the world: those who are Italian and those who wish they were!  After our visit to Italy four years ago, I fell into the second category.  I have to be honest...going to Italy was never on my list of things to do, but when our daughter ended up going there for a semester of college, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet up with her at semester's end and do the tourist thing. Back in 2008, Dani went to study in Orvieto, learning oil painting and rock carving, poor baby!  I wrote about our whole trip for a blog network that had hired me, but when they unceremoniously dumped all their writers a few years later, I thought I had lost everything.  I was heartbroken.  But just recently I came across some old files and found that I had actually saved it all!  Yay!!  Need I say anything more about backing up your important work and documents? Even though these pictures and stories are o...

I love to collect the paint-soaked paper towels that I use during my fabric painting sessions.  Since our motto around here is "Don't throw anything out", I've been using these clean-up towels to make cards and as backgrounds for other projects for quite some time.  I also like to layer them with fabrics to create some unique surfaces for use in my quilts.  Beryl Taylor teaches a method of layering fabric and paper that I read about in her book Mixed Media Explorations .  She uses glue instead of gesso and tissue paper instead of cheesecloth.  Because of the glue, her fabrics are more durable and stable that mine, but they can also be more difficult to stitch through.  If you use my method, handle your completed fabric pieces with care until you've had a chance to stitch them together for more stability.  Materials & Tools Plastic bag Spray bottle with water Foam brushes or sponges Mixing cups and brushes Scissors Muslin Cheeseclot...