Image Transfers on Everything

A fun little collection of image transfer projects from the book, and from classes. Its amazing how versatile image transfers are. I find that I use them on paper in quick correspondence, in gift wrap, on fabric, on wood, on metal on anything almost!  They can be immediate are spontaneous or the base of a mixed media piece as just one of many layers. They more I play, the more I love them. 

Artists Book Workshop

Excited for the upcoming Artists Book Workshop at SFCB. Just a few spots left... sign up here!!!

Color

 Andie's watercolor palette

I took a class all about color with Andie Thrams at SFCB this past weekend. Andie is an bookmaker, and observational sketcher, a nature lover and above all a master of color. When we introduced ourselves early Saturday morning, I said that it wasn't color itself that led to be to this class, but the organization of color. I love things in "rainbow order," for lack of a better phrase. I love to group color with its complimentary, with is neighboring color or just reorganize my colored pencils even though I might be in the middle of a very messy studio. The beauty of color arranged is so, so seductive...

  mixing colors

  pastels arranged by color 

  One of the first known color wheels, this one by Moses Harris. This image is one of many great images found in a treatise on color by Sarah Lowengard. 

Love this image of Crayola colors and their evolution since 1903. And since I'm OBSESSED with this, I have a whole pinboard of images you can oogle, all of things organized and having to do with color. Trust me, these pics bring happiness!

http://pinterest.com/ccerruti/rainbows/

Beeswax Collage at Teahouse Studios

Still a few spots left in the Beeswax Collage class at Teahouse! Come make something with me!!!

Collagraph Printing

Spent some time doing monoprint gelatin prints the other night... I'm addicted!!!

Upcoming Workshops

Come take a workshop with me! Image Transfers at SFCB is a great place to start for anyone who wants to play and still get really professional results. You'll learn a dozen ways to transfer found images and text to other surfaces. Sign up here for the August 29th class... spots limited and this class usually sells out!

I'm so excited to be teaching at the Teahouse studios in Berkeley again. This beautiful space is the perfect place to spend a weekday evening making an original little beeswax collage. Using photos, paper ephemera and other findings create a sweet little tableaux on wood. Sign up here for the September 27th class. 

If you've always wanted to make your own little books, cards or zines this is the perfect class for you.  In Intro to Bookbinding at SFCB we'll cover 5 basic structures that allow for great variations and modifications. From here you'll be able to make dozens of structures and be ready for your next step in adventures in bookmaking. Sign up here for the August 27th class.

Hope to see you in a workshop!

Painting for Tonight

Painting on the backside of vintage wallpaper recently... This particular one has an adhesive or sizing of some kind which cause the surface of the paper to have a slight texture when its wet with paint. It is a bit gummy but dries leaving a soft pebbled affect... its pretty interesting painting on this stuff. The colors are softer, more subdued as well. Not sure if I like this one or not, but its kept me occupied for the last few hours so its working :)

Image Transfer Class at Folio Studio

Come take a class this Saturday on Image Transfers. Learn the best techniques for applying found text and images to paper, canvas, fabric, wood and more. Great for beginners and seasoned artists alike! Add depth and dimension to your paintings, collages, book and paper art projects!

Minicourse at MA

Taught this week at Marin Academy for their annual Minicourse. The kids made paste paper, learned various image transfer techniques for paper and fabric and then compiled all their skills into a final book. They learned four different structures based on the accordion format. The miniature matchbox book proved very popular, as did alphabet accordions. 

Nico and his book of bizarre animal facts.

A friend was pulled into our Minicourse so that Isabelle could use him as a drying rack for her transfers.
Group shot. (Isabelle, Mia, Nico, Cara and Maya)

Sanjai and her giant folding cootie catcher style book.

A new year

The New Year is a time when change can be a welcomed thing. With 2009 comes the opportunity to create new traditions and maybe change my routines a bit.  I usually make a New Year's resolution or two, and stick to them fairly well. As always I am looking to this New Year as a chance to bring interesting things into my life.  My New Year's Resolutions are as follows:

1. Paint or draw one miniature a day (the first of which is above. A persimmon in                       prismacolor shades of orange and red).
2. Take a photo everyday. ( I'm hoping to make this a polaroid a day if budget allows)
3. And small but significant... Make my lunch to save money and eat something other than soup.

I have intentions of also posting the results of my efforts here, either in the photo or the miniature which makes me post everyday as well, maybe a hidden fourth resolution.

What are your resolutions?

Holiday Craftacular

PCM's Holiday Craftacular was this Saturday and I made all kinds of winter inspired miniatures to sell. I make paper shoes of all kinds, and love the few I made for the show. I also crafted my miniature scenes atop vintage teacups instead of inside domes.  This one of the woodland squirrel was loved by many and found a home.

I love these queen bee shoes. They stand quite a ways off their pedestal and seem to be teetering on these delicate dried blossoms.

My business cards presented on a bed of moss.

Woodland fairy slippers on a real dried mushroom.  I love these!

Is it the 1st yet?

Pics of our new house. We move in on the 1st of November and the wait is killing me...
My tiny little apartment, which has housed me, my boyfriend and those two little girls 3 days a week for the past year is a disaster! Some things are in boxes, some things aren't, things in general, are a mess. My small space is now claustrophobic. Knowing that there is a larger space waiting for me makes things even harder. I am so excited to move, and yet this move is stressing me out! Kids, work and the dirty dishes don't pause long enough to get anything done! And once the boxes are packed, where do you place them? Currently, they're blocking the back door, barricading us in! Aaahh... I just keep thinking of what I can do in this new house! I will have a workspace, the girls will have a room, there is even a clawfoot tub! sigh... is it the first yet?

Pumpkining

YEA!!!! Its October and I could hardly wait for the month to start so that I could go "pumpkining" (my favorite Fall time activity). We went to a Stanly Lane Marketplace in Napa which was beautiful! They have a pyramid and a maze built from hay, as well as pigs and cows.
Although the pumpkins are not grown there, the setting is picturesque and the variety is pretty good! I can't wait to carve some of these and make pumpkin soup!

Gocco Class at the^workshop

Just taught Gocco printing on the PG5 at the^workshop in Berkeley. It was a great class especially because two of my flickr friends attended and we met for the first time!

Marilyn aka Spiced Coffee gocco'd this Japanese wave image. It looked great on this coaster and on the tea towel she made!

Sheila used an abstract image of telephone wires, and she printed it on tee shirts and her orange nylon bag. It looked great on the bag because the transparency of the sack gave the image some depth and made it more ethereal!


Hillary aka lily lemon drew this owl image and printed it on her tee shirt (the one she wore to class)! It was pretty cute on the tea towel and fabric scraps, but I loved it on the striped background of her tee!!!!!!


Sonia printed her tank top. She used an image of a doorway with Chinese characters above. I love the distressed quality of the image! The printed turned out really beautiful.

A Halloween Tradition

Tonight was my annual trip to Alameda's Gaslight Emporium for their grand Halloween opening. My mom, my Aunt Liza and I had dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Acapulco, then ventured down Lincoln to the Halloween hot spot. The space is Victorian for sure, with dark carved wood, traditional wallpaper, and unusual antiques and oddities. This shop stocks vintage and vintage reproduction seasonal items, from paper goods to toys and even period costumes during Halloween. Don't be surprised to find a room full of Alice in Wonderland curiosities or vintage holiday items at certain times of the year.

One room was more ghoulish and ghastly, with grotesque animals, ghosts, severed body parts displayed in an old fridge, not to mention a buffet of hauntingly delightful treats!

The other room, more bright and warm, housed vintage inspired paper goods. From pumpkin figures to vintage trims and tinsels, there was a feast of Halloween and Harvest eye candy from floor to ceiling

I loved this little moon faced man, and bought him a month ago at their yard sale for my Mom's birthday. His twin was still there waiting to be taken home. Visiting the Gaslight Emporium is one of my favorite traditions, one I hope to continue for many years to come.

Made raspberry clafoutis tonight after browsing the inspiring photos and recipes of La Tartine Gourmande. After perusing a few recipes on the internet, I wound up creating my own with pretty good results. I made too much batter, and wound up with two raspberry clafoutis and an apple raspberry clafoutis. I also made my tried and true leek and goat cheese tarts. Maybe I'll make jam tomorrow!

Gocco Printing This Weekend at the^workshop

This Sat from 1-4 take Gocco Printing with me at the^workshop. Learn how to use this Japanese silk screening machine to make your own custom tea towels, patches and more!
Sign up today while there is still space, and go home Saturday with oodles of custom printed goodies!

New Fall Schedule at the^workshop

Fall Schedule now at the^workshop!