Have you always wanted to paint but don't know where to start?

Oh Deer, Look What's Become of Me!   detail

In August I am teaching one of my favorite classes Painting Imagery for Art Quilts at the Create Retreat in Lisle, Illinois, just outside Chicago.

I love to teach this class not only because I love to paint, but also because I love seeing peoples amazement when they are able to do things they never thought they could. People are hesitant to try painting, because they have this misguided notion that certain people have an "artistic gift" that they themselves do not possess, so they don't even try.

Learn to use freezer paper masks and painting backgrounds

Well I am here to tell you that is baloney, painting is a skill, consisting of various techniques that with practice you can perfect, the more you practice the more natural it will become. The reason some people are so good at painting is because they do it a lot and you need to keep in mind it's never too late to start.

Learn to paint smooth gradations

Painting on fabric is unlike painting on canvas though, with canvas the paint sits on the surface and you can push it around and manipulate it. On fabric the paint sinks in and stays, so there are different techniques you need to learn to cover large areas smoothly, avoiding blotchiness and keep the paint from bleeding.

Learn what tools and techniques to use to control the paint more effectively.

The consistency of the paint is one of the first things we talk about in class, it is such a simple thing that can make the act of painting so frustrating for people. Too thick and the paint is hard to spread on the surface evenly, too thin and it bleeds in places you don't want it to go.

Learn to paint smooth gradations, work with transparent glazes and paint fine details.

Besides learning different painting techniques for creating gradations, glazing paint to create more visual depth and painting smooth lines, you'll also learn about different types of paint, how each affects the hand of the fabric, increasing value contrast in your work to create more dynamic imagery, basting a painted surface for quilting and non traditional binding methods.

This is an information packed class geared to help you feel more confident working with paint on your next textile project.

I would love to see you at Create this August, last year was a blast.

Laura models my tree skirt

Today was the PAQA (Professional Art Quilters Association) meeting where art quilters from all over the midwest meet to share info on exhibition opportunities, classes, accomplishments and their latest work. During our show and tell portion of the meeting Laura Wasilowski, ever the comedienne, modeled the Christmas tree skirt I designed for this years Quilting Arts Gifts magazine, who knew it could double as a wearable garment.

Check out this mixing gradations of paint tutorial Cloth Paper Scissors editor Jenn Mason put together based on one of my paint mixing techniques from my new dvd Design Paint & Stitich.

My first DVD review!

Wow, I just got my first review of my new DVD and I haven't even seen it yet!

Relentless Toil said... 

 The DVD arrived last night. WELL DONE! You sounded and looked fabulous, confident, and well at ease.
And oh, how I wish I could see more of your quilts in person.   I have some questions, if you're willing to share:    

1. Where do you get your titanium needles? What a good idea.    

2. What's your favorite wool batting?    

3. I've only ever found my Jacquard and Setacolor paints in small jars, maybe 2-4 ounces. I have this inkling that getting the paint out of those small jars and into squeeze bottles would in and of itself be excessively wasteful - there's just not that much there to begin with. Am I barking up the wrong tree? Are you starting out with bigger jars of paint? 

First off, I want to say thanks for the great review!!!!!!! I think I am my own worst critic. These are  great questions, that I know others will want to know the answers to as well.

1. The titanium needles are made by a Japanese manufacturer named Organ. They can be found online with a google search or sometimes you can find a vendor at Quilt Festival or Superior Threads. Superior has made a deal with Organ to sell their titanium needles under their brand name.

2. My favorite batting is Hobbs heirloom. If you buy it in a bag, the batt can get pressed into flattened wrinkles, to get the fibers to relax, fluff up and regain their loft, you will need to lay it out flat and spritz it with water or if you have a hand held steamer you can run over the top of the batt a few inches above the surface and it will fluff right up. The other option is to buy it by the yard off the bolt from a quilt shop that carries it or directly from Harriet Hargraves shop it is wrinkle free if you do that.

3. I go through a lot of paint, so it doesn't always make sense for me to buy little jars. I like to buy the basic colors in larger sizes from either Blick or Dharma Trading and transfer them to boston round plastic bottles with screw tops.

When you have paint leftover paint in the jars after pouring all you can into plastic bottles, you can add a little water to the jars, shake them up and pour several complimentary colors on a peice of fabric, scrunch it up a little on top of plastic sheet and let it dry. For added effects throw some rock salt on a piece of wet painted fabric and let it dry. The next day iron it with a press cloth on top and enjoy!

Design, Paint & Stitch DVD Preview

Interweave has just posted a preview of my new DVD Design, Paint & Stitch. You have no idea how hard it is to watch yourself on these things, lol!





Here's the promo info:

Add paint to your quilt with an array of painting techniques!

After providing a brief overview of the materials she uses, award-winning fiber artist Judy Coates Perez covers:

The design stage including how she uses photo-editing software to manipulate and size her original designs

The painting stage with a look at the tools needed for painting; an in-depth review of the types and properties of paints is included

How to machine quilt your wholecloth quilt, from planning and marking to layering, basting, and free-motion quilting

Non-traditional binding options for art quilts

Learn the various steps that Judy takes to create an art quilt—from working on the initial design, to painting and quilting, through the finishing techniques.

Can't wait? Also available in download!

Coming Soon!

Really, I always feel a little shy when it comes to promoting stuff like this, it's so hard to toot your own horn, but I taped a new DVD with Interweave when I was in Cleveland last month. It is due to hit the store shelves in a couple weeks. Below is the outside cover of the dvd, if you click on the photo you should be able to see all the details.

This DVD is filled with as much information and demonstrations as I could squeeze into an hour. I cover a lot of the tips, tricks and products that I have found work best for me when I make art quilts. Later in the month I will do a few blog posts to supplement some of the info on the DVD. You can pre-order Design, Paint & Stitch here.