Sketchbook Update 8.10.12

Again, sorry for the spotty blogging, friends.  We have been swamped at One Strange Bird this summer.  Lucky me!  I have had time to work in my sketchbook, paint a little, and I started taking pottery classes.  I'm not ready to show any of those yet.  Ha!

 Here is the cover on the handmade sketchbook I have been working on.  Note the image transfer!

My new obsession with washi tape

There is this guy again.  This is layers of paint, handmade stamps, and image transfers

This one is my favorite so far.  It is shaving cream painting, washi tapes, ink drawings, and a handmade bird stencil from our street art class.  wooohooo!

Inspired by Jess Egan, a masking tape mountain

Here is the third eye guy's whole world

Here is a little teaser of my studio.  My new paintings are getting strange. More on this next week. 

30/30

Dear friends, 

Sorry I haven't written in a while.  Below is what I was up to during the month of April.  We (One Strange Bird) hosted our spring gala on May 4th.  It was an amazing success and I can't wait for next year!  I sold all but two of my 30 and I'm feeling pretty amazing about that.   

Lately, I've just been working on prep for our awesome art classes in Chicago.  I've been working on a moss graffiti recipe, playing with stencils (next post), and doing loads of image transfers.  I think this project really opened my work up a lot and I am excited to see what enters into my new larger works this summer (if I get time!) Teaching classes at OSB has been really inspiring to my paintings and I'm excited about the craft/art dialogue that is happening.  This project also allowed a little representation to creep back in...

30 Paintings in 30 Days

30 Paintings in 30 Days for One Strange Bird benefit

I asked 30 women to make 30 works each for an exhibit at the art center to raise funds for the gallery and a Humboldt Park women's shelter.  Of course, I decided I should also do it myself.  It is quite a challenge. Our deadline is the 30th and I still only have about 15 started.  I better get it in gear!  I also have to hang the 900 paintings in the gallery. 

Below are a couple of days in the studio.  The works are on 5 inch by 5 inch wooden masonite panels.  I am realizing my normal approach doesn't work and I have been wanted to experiment more, so I am using it as a way to open my work up a bit.    

Here is a link to ALL of the ladies work in progress: 

http://30studio.tumblr.com/

Department of Beautification Report #5

From our Civil Disobedience class at OSB here are some of the latest wheat pastes.  I am taking some with me to New York tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I also can't wait to be on art overload-street/museums/galleries!

Lady Bird//// 

From my strange bird series

Perfect wheat paste recipe- 1 cup water, 3 tablespoons flour, a pinch of sugar.  Heat up water, whisk in flour slowly and heat stirring continuously until the mixture thickens.  Transfer into air tight container and store in the refrigerator.  *Add mint essential oil to prolong shelf life

I also really enjoy using a rubber glove to spread the paste with my hand.  Then, you can just throw the glove straight into the garbage and you have an easy clean up.  Mod Podge from the craft store is my other secret weapon, it adds a layer of protection, a slight glossy finish, and some of my work has lasted months with it. The only downside is that it can get expensive,  especially if you are working very large.

Lastly, I also just discovered the joys of Staple's whole sheet sticker labels...ah the endless possibilities.  I have been printing out my drawings, coloring them with Coptics/AD markers, coating the stickers with acrylic medium to weather proof, and cutting them out.  They look just like wheat pastes but are faster, cleaner, and easy to stick up quick.

My neighbor's sleeping bunny :)

Natural Habitat 

Handmade Coptic Sketchbook

Yay! I'm a little late posting, but I made my new sketchbook.  Just in time for New York!  I used what I remembered from our bookmaking class at One Strange Bird and a youtube tutorial.  Once I get better at it, I'll share the steps with you!

Here is the book un-bound.  I used cheap chip board covered with handmade brown paper and pretty rice paper that I got at the art store for the end papers.  The inside pages are watercolor paper, sketch paper, kraft paper, and fun surprises of left over rice papers. I already started using it and I am really excited! The watercolor paper is great for paints. 

I used hemp that I coated with beeswax for the thread.  It was a little bit too thick and made it difficult to get through the signatures.  There is blood here and there in the book and I broke two needles...sheesh.   Good thing it is just mine.  When I was finished, I printed my hand cut lino-stamp on the front, in hot pink of course! 

Here's one of the surprise pages! 

My favorite part of handmade books are their deckled edges!  

Before and After!  

Thanks for reading, we are off to New York for much needed vacation and inspiration on Tuesday!

Handmade Lino cut stamps

This week has been strangely productive, as I tend to always be more energized in the spring.  It is so pretty here and everything is blooming!  It is no wonder that I've been drawing plants and birds in my sketchbooks.  I have been teaching lino cut stamp and print classes at my store One Strange Bird, so I've been practicing a lot as an excuse to make my own.  

If you are interested, it is pretty easy and really addictive!  All you need is soft lino, a cutting tool handle and a couple of different tips, and imagination.  I like to cut them kind of small so they can be stamped into my sketchbooks or on little boxes and such.  I think of these more as stamps.  I also make larger versions that are more "art prints".  

Here is my little sprout that I inked with a duel color ink pad from the art store in stamped in my March sketchbook.  

I also made this little birdie.  This was my attempt at making something really normal looking, but it still turned out a little strange.  Maybe because of his giant eye?

That's it for now, Happy Spring!  

I hope you are smiling,

Nicole