Make it Your Own: 7

One of my favorite parts of teaching is watching how every participant creates artwork that is truly their own. At the end of every workshop, no two pieces are the same.

I also find it exciting when I come across artwork online that incorporates my product lines. Seeing how different people use these items in such creative ways is always inspiring. I love the wide variety of styles and unique choices. Click each link below for more details on each and click here to see other posts in this series.

Debi Adams

(StencilGirl Now is The Time Stencil, Inside Out Stencil; Impression Obsession Screen Print Stamp; Spellbinders Robo Ring Die Set)

Linda Lucas

(Spellbinders Spatter Stamp)

Deborah Wainwright

(PaperArtsy Limited Edition Paint Set, Eclectica 01 stamps, Eclectica 02 stamps; StencilGirl Urban Insiders Circle Stencil)

Amanda Southern

(Spellbinders Pathways Die, Word Circles 2 Stamp & Die Set)

Lisa Rasmussen

(Spellbinders Drip Drop Die Set)

Leandra Franich

(StencilGirl Urban Outsider Stencil, Techno Square Insider Stencil)

Jenny Marples

(Spellbinders Robo Ring Die Set, Turnarounds 2 Stamp Set; Impression Obsession Solar System Stamp Set)

When Blogging is Like a Class Reunion...

I have been maintaining an Art Blog Directory for...well, a very long time. It is one of the ways that I try to connect our stellar community. Any and every blog that is related to art, craft and creativity is welcome to be listed. 

Once or twice a year I do housekeeping and delete any blog that has been inactive for 6 months or longer. That time came again this past weekend. As I clicked through all 432 (!) links, I realized yet again that the heyday of the long form blog has passed us by. Replaced by social media sites that allow for easier posting, quicker viewing, and like-clicking, these original weblogs almost seem quaint at this point. Not quite as quaint as cassette tapes though. Maybe more like CDs.

I ended up deleting 70 inactive blogs. 15% of the total. Some were very familiar to me, being from the pioneers of art blogging. Many had moved on to posting only on Facebook or Instagram. Some people posted that they were ill and couldn't keep up. Some just disappeared without a trace. There were a few new ones and many old friends that are as consistent now as they have been for many years. It was almost like having a class reunion.

Blogging for me started it all. And I continue to be dedicated to posting and sharing info and images in a way that requires allows us the opportunity to stop for more than a few seconds, breathe and take in all that art and creativity offers. Glad there are at least 366 other people who still do that too.

Make it Artsy Premieres!

Oh yeah. There is a new TV show in town. It is called Make it Artsy and it premieres on PBS Thursday, September 29. 

Hosted by the one and only Julie Fei-Fan Blazer, the first season consists of 13 episodes that cover all-things art from collage to book making to sculpture to calligraphy to fabric art to painting to stenciling to journaling...well - you get the idea. 

I am happy to be one of many guest artists on the show. Look for an all star team including Dina Wakley, Laurie Mika, Roxanne Coble, Rebekah Meier, Joe Rotella, Jenn Mason and many more.

Head over to the Make it Artsy website to learn more about the show. Click here to be taken directly to the page that reveals the theme of each episode plus the guests and projects as well. And note the listing there of the 13 segments that you can already preview on their YouTube channel - including 2 of my segments. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

Because it is being presented on PBS, every local affiliate has the option to pick up the show. Or not. I live in NYC for example and the show will not be on air. BUT WAIT...we all can still watch as each episode will be uploaded to their website as well. You can also get the entire series on DVD.

My segments air on Episode 2 (assemblage), 12 (collage) and 13 (paint techniques). I will post again with a look behind the scenes and video segments during the run of the show.

See you every Thursday on Make it Artsy!

StencilGirl & Impression Obsession Giveaway

What is better than a blog hop? A blog hop hosted by TWO of the coolest companies out there.

StencilGirl Products & Impression Obsession 

What is even better than a blog hop with a giveaway? A blog hop with TWO giveaways.

Scroll to the bottom of the post for giveaway details

I was extremely excited to be a part of this bog hop as I am a designer for both companies and have an opportunity to share ways in which my StencilGirl stencils and my Impression Obsession stamps were designed to work together. In fact, all my product lines were designed to coordinate so I decided to include my dies from Spellbinders and my paint from PaperArtsy as well.

Fly By

This piece is all about layering. Starting with a 9x12" sheet of watercolor paper, I slathered on layers of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics. I knew I would eventually be making marks on the painted surface and these paints accept every pen I have ever thrown at them. I randomly stamped the surface with Impression Obsession stamps to add extra design and dimension.

I love text and decided to start this piece by pouncing several colors of paint and ink through my 6x6" You Got This stencil. There is also a newly released 4x4" mini version of this stencil as well. The main color used was Mahogany - one of the four colors in my own limited edition set of PaperArtsy paints.

After this, I got to layering. I started by pouncing Midnight, a second color in my PaperArtsy paint set, through the circle stencil that is part of my large, Urban Outsiders stencil. Forgot to take a picture of this, but here is the stencil used on another background. 

Within and around these stenciled circles, I layered both hand painted paper circles stamped with a number of my circular Impression Obsession stamps and hand painted loops and circles, die cut using an assortment of my circular dies from Spellbinders. I also added die cut stars as well. I used black and white gel pens to add outlines and marks to the layers.

As a finishing touch, I added more marks to the surface and edges of the watercolor paper using gel and paint pens.

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Products Used

StencilGirl Products

You Got This

Urban Outsiders

Impression Obsession

Impression Obsession Secret Code

Grid 

Solar Eclipse

Atmosphere

Spin Cycle

Stratosphere

Raindrop

Letter Spin

Number Spin

Word Spin

Word Salad

Spellbinders

Robo Ring

Splatter Proof

PaperArtsy

Limited Edition Paint Set

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Giveaway

The blog hop takes place from 9/26 to 9/28. StencilGirl Products and Impression Obsession are each giving away two $25 gift certificates. To be eligible to win one of these four prizes, leave a comment on any post in the blog hop. If you visit every participant and comment on each blog, you will have more chances to win! Giveaway closes on 9/30 at 11:59pm Central Time. Winners will be announced 10/2 on StencilGirl's Facebook page.

Visit all the blog hoppers and be sure to leave a comment. Make a note to visit StencilGirl Talk over the course of the next two days to see the links for the other participants. Good luck!

September 26

StencilGirl Talk

Seth Apter (you are here)

Mary Beth Shaw

Jeanne Streiff

Daniela Dobson

Kittie Caracciolo

The Week Links: 118

Join me every Sunday when I share some of my favorite links I discovered in the previous week. Earlier posts in the series can be found here.

And here is Week 118...

1. Always amazed by the photography of Susan Tuttle.

2. Instagram Love: Zhi Qi Ni

3. More Instagram love: John Borrero.

4. This is wallpaper. Yes...wallpaper.

5. Roben-Marie Smith shares a 30-minute video tutorial showing you how to make a pocket tri-fold book.

6. Alfie Date, a 109-year-old Australian, knits sweaters for injured penguins.

7. Flashback Link 2009: Waste Not - an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art from Beijing artist Song Dong in NYC that every "collector" should see.