Panel Book

This is a panel book made by Elissa Campbell, who was so gracious as to let me put photos of it in my new book. I just LOVE this construction, and am making one myself to see how it is done. Elissa learned it in a workshop with Julie Chen. I will post a photo of mine when it is finished. Anyone else out there familiar with the panel book construction?

Pizza Book

I am on what I hope is the home stretch of my mixed media book. I have all the final photographs and am busily writing captions for many of them. I want to share ALL the photos on my blog, but I don't think that would go over so well with the publisher. Here is one, though, which may or may not make it into the book. It is my "Pizza Book" for pizza recipes. The cover is made from a fused fiber sheet, fused to a stiff interfacing. The tomatoes and basil leaves are cut from fabric I designed for Free Spirit Fabrics several years ago. I just love these tomato slices! They are fused to the background and then stitched by machine. I added a few beads to the tomato seeds. This is a one-signature book sewn in a few places to the cover at the spine. Now I have to compile all my pizza recipes. Anyone want to send me a recipe? If anyone wants a few tomato slices I'd be happy to send them.

Sneak Preview

I had a photo shoot last week in my studio for the how-to sequences in my new book. I thought I'd share the visual how-to on the paper bag posted on Feb. 26. This was a really fun project, and it's just paper, paint, and a bit of marabou! Stuff it with soaps and creams as a great girl gift, or chocolate, or a handmade something... More detailed instructions plus variations will be found in the book (due out in spring of 2011).

First, paint some paper (I use cheap drawing paper or the back of a paper grocery bag) make a pattern for your bag. Cut out an oval the shape you want the bag; measure its perimeter, and then cut out a piece of your painted paper the length of the oval's perimeter plus an inch for overlap, by the desired height of the bag plus a half inch for the fold-under. Fold under a half inch, and cut notches as shown (1).

Next, glue the notched folded over edge of the bag to the oval bottom as shown. Do this a few notches at a time, slowly and carefully (2).


You can also work from the outside (3).


When you have glued all the notches, glue up the seam in the side of the bag, and then glue another oval piece to the bottom to cover the notches (4).


Now, if you like, tack-stitch a length of marabou to the top rim of the bag and glue handles to the inside. Or you could embellish it with any kind of trim you like. Feathers, lace, beads, ribbons, etc. Put something luxurious in the bag and give it to someone you love.

Workshop Photo

OK, here are the photos for the workshop at Scrapbook Cupboard (see post from Feb, 25).

Paper Dolls

I'm almost on the home stretch of writing my collage and mixed media book - I had a photo shoot yesterday with George Bouret, who is doing the hands-on how-to sequence photographs, and I have what I hope is the final shoot on Monday with John Polak, who is photographing the finished pieces. Then I have about three weeks to finish the manuscript. YIKES!!!! Today I received two beautiful handmade books made by Elissa Campbell, whose work I just found on the web a few days ago. I am so excited to be able to have these two pieces in my book. So why am I posting pictures of paper dolls? Just for fun. I made these a few weeks ago; I don't know if these exact pieces will be in my book, but I do have a section on paper and mixed media dolls. With some fabulous contributions from real doll artists. After the book is done (end of March), I want to spend some time exploring paper dolls, collage figures, and a whole bunch of stuff I've not had time to do while working on this project. Those collage dresses a few posts back? Love to explore that format in more depth. Thanks to all of you who are stopping by my blog and commenting! It really helps me feel connected.

Paper Bag

I was working on a gift bag idea today, and started by painting a bunch of new papers. Always fun! So here is the gift bag I came up with. It has an oval bottom, so the sides are curved. The handles are paper with glitter glue on them. I got to use my marabou!! Love that stuff, though I haven't used it all that much. I think this project, or one similar, is going in my book, where I'll have templates and directions. Meanwhile, I'd love to do more more more, and explore the whole idea of the paper bag. Anyone else out there interested?
Here are a few of the papers I did this morning. This is the sort of thing we do in the first half of my scribble collage workshops, but I like making Stuff with these papers too.

WORKSHOP

I will be teaching a workshop on handmade boxes with collage cards at The Scrapbook Cupboard in East Bridgewater, MA next month. I've never taught there before, but I hear they have a great creative community. Two of the people that regularly give workshops there - Marissa O'Brien and Kim Parkinson - have been in my workshops at Ink About It, and highly recommended Scrapbook Cupboard. The workshop is on April 18, 10 - 4. (See workshops listed at right). The card pictured above is just the beginning. We'll focus on box construction, then make a set of collage note cards to go in the box. Sounds like a great gift idea to me! I'll have a more informative photo in a couple of weeks after photo shoots for my book.

bird ornaments

Here are just a couple of the bird ornaments I've been working on. They are made with foam core, which is collaged with my hand-painted papers. Then I attach the feathers, feet, head gear, and a hanging mechanism. I teach a workshop in foam core collage, and this is one the menu of projects.

More Foam Core Collage

Here are two pieces that I am going to put together as a hinged "diptych" for my parents. Bev or Jimmy: if you are looking at this, STOP IT! These are made on foam core, with a little cut-out niche for a picture. First I was going to make straightforward picture frames, but then one of the students in my Monday night class suggested putting the picture of Bev and Jimmy on the frame itself, and something else in the niche. I used a printout of this cat, painted by our friend Gloria in Nova Scotia, because it looks a bit like Fiona, Bev and Jimmy's cat. I'm working on a few more foam core pieces today. My Monday students are having fun with it and doing beautiful pieces!

Talk and Demo

Here is me giving a talk and demonstration to the Essex Art League in Essex Junction, Vermont. This is a group of skilled, enthusiastic, and dedicated artists that meets monthly to share ideas and inspiration from each other's accomplishments. They show their work as a group at Phoenix Books and Cafe in Essex, one of the endangered species of independent book stores we need to support and protect. As most of the members of the Essex Art League are painters, I was impressed with their enthusiastic response to my discussion of collage. I hope to be able to offer a workshop to the group sometime during the summer or fall. My workshop schedule is starting to fill up for the spring; I'll update my website as soon as specifics are nailed down.

Dream House

I can't believe it is already February! My book manuscript is due at the end of March, and I'm feeling behind, as usual. Right now I am working on foam core pieces, some for the book and some for teaching projects. I love this material as a collage support and building material, and first was inspired to use it by Carol Owen's book, Crafting Personal Shrines. I am so excited that she will be contributing a few pieces to my current book! Here are a few foam core "Dream Houses" that I've been working on. It seems like a fun format, offering lots of opportunity for content as well as embellishment. These may need a little work yet. From left to right: "Butterfly House", "Bird House", and "Home".

collage dresses

The week before last in my Monday night collage class I had the students make a series of collages depicting one object. The students seemed absorbed in their work, and pretty self sufficient, so I started my own series. Since I've been working with figures lately, I thought I'd try some collage dresses. Just this afternoon I took them out and did a little machine stitching. Here they are!