Book winner

The winner of The Trickster's Hat is

                                                                                           

Gabriele DiTota26 October, 2017 23:04

8 years is inspirational. I’m a reader, not a blogger myself. The tricksters hat sounds like a wonderful find!

Gabriele please contact me using the contact form below giving me your email address and postal address.

A book for Susan

While Susan was here, we made a few pieces of paste paper. I asked her to leave the one she liked the best and I would make her a book with her paste paper on the covers. She had never made a book so I took some process pictures for her to explain the process.

First I took a piece of heavy duty book board and measured out two covers. I trimmed each down to size 6.5" X 9.5"

Her finished piece of paste paper

I flipped it over and spaced out the covers on the bottom half of the sheet. There is more than enough paste paper left for one large book or two small ones.

I traced around each cover

Then trimmed the corners at a 45 degree angle with enough paper outside the angle to cover the pointy corner of the book

I laid each piece out and brushed on PVC glue.

After covering each cover with paste paper I cut a smaller sheet of watercolor paper to act as cover papers.

Time to pierce the cover and 10 signatures with holes for the coptic sewing process.

I wrapped each cover in waxed paper and placed under a heavy stack of books

OK So I cheated and stitched the pages in the book while watching a movie on my computer.

The finished book. Either side can be the front.

Look at that stitching. I love the color of waxed linen I chose.

A close-up

Today is my 8th blog anniversary

Seems like I should give away something nice. How about this. It is open to everyone.

The Trickster's Hat: A Mischievous Apprenticeship in Creativity 

The act of creating art, in all its forms, offers us a path to our souls. But the path can be confusing, and getting lost along the way is inevitable. However, maybe that’s the point.

In The Trickster’s Hat, bestselling author of the Griffin & Sabine cycle Nick Bantock invites you to lose yourself in order to become a better creator. Inspired by Nick's popular and mischievous workshops, the book's forty-nine perceptive exercises will encourage you to forget your destination while you meander through the wondrous world that awaits you in the periphery of your mind's eye.

If you’re willing to be lead hither and thither down unlikely paths by a fellow of dubious reputation, if you’re prepared to keep a sense of humor and not be phased when he plucks the unexpected out of a mischief-stuffed hat, if you’re ready to zigzag, detour, and wander in search of a better understanding of your artistic core, then, let the Trickster be your guide.

The winner will be announced on the blog Monday.

Never saw this coming

I had a piece of cloth and I wanted to do "something" to make it interesting for a book cover. I used discharge paste and ironed away. I have never seen fabric with discharge paste be both lighter and darker at the same time. Now I will make an interesting book cover out of this.

Making marks with "natural" tools

 Marcella and I are looking for unique tool to make marks on paper. Here are a few I have tried.

Making a "brush" with pine spills

Love these wheels.

A strip of "Warm and Natural" wrapped around a stick.

Escherichia dried head 

These are strokes from a brush pen which I think I may have shown before.

A sister act

 Yesterday Mt. Battie looking down at Camden, Maine harbor

and today Bar Harbor looking down from Cadillac Mountain at the cruise ships in the harbor.

Then on to making Paste Paper in the little Art Greenhouse

Does she NOT look just like me?

Me

Susan

Susan and below a "fake" smacker on dry paper

Excitement

Two things happened yesterday. I found my birth mother and a half sister and brother. My sister is here visiting me and we have met for the first time. VERY exciting.

I was also able to buy one of Laura Kemshall's portraits of her daughter Amelie. I have hung it next to the work "Bluebell Wood" by her mother Linda.

A Followers Work

This past week "Jody" won the Mickie Lawler DVD. In the course of emailing back and forth she sent along some photos of her work dyeing with red, yellow and blue. Remember my lemonade? 

Well these are her results and I have to say they were WAY better than mine.

The fabric itself has a lovely drape and soft appearance. Great job Jody!!

Another sketch book

This sketch book is for my granddaughter, Adrian, who attends Moore college of Art and Design in Philadelphia. She will be 20 and I have started what I hope will be a practice of making her a new sketch book each birthday.