Another installation of Today on Craigslist...
You got problems? That's awesome! I want to write this book about the 33 problems that women face in their lives, but I could only think of 5. Choose your own problem and write 15 pages about. Oh, and don't act white. Also, don't be a bitter whore. Got it? Great!
Original text reads:
"I need your help.
It is a grave desire of mine,
to put out a book that speaks to the woman.
I would like the book to identify,discuss,
and offer solutions to 33 problems
that women face in life. 33 chapters,
and each chapter will be about a void...
- Incarceration
- AIDS
- Unemployment
- School drop-out rate
- Low self-esteem
You can choose any topic in the world,
but the focus of the book will be to show
women how & why...improvement is
needed.
I need 33 authors, to write 1 chapter each.
The 5 topics that I listed were just examples.
Please choose another topic....dig deeper,
what topic would you like to write 15 pages about?
ALSO: You will be credited as the author & receive royalty
checks for the rest of your life.
Traditional family structure is necessary.
Speaking proper English is NOT ?acting white.?
Kids reciting rap songs should not be tolerated.
ALL single mothers are not mean and bitter.
Women must stop picking men that are using their potential to land them in jail instead of the boardroom.
There is no shame in seeking professional help to mend broken relationships and work through mental issues.
Sexual promiscuity exists in the absence of self-control and respect."
(link)
11 February 2011
10 February 2011
Today on Craigslist: Bleeding Heart Liberal TV
I love Craigslist. I found my apartment and my boyfriend on Craigslist. At least half of the furniture in my house came from curb alert listings. I've bought plenty of jewelry and art supplies on Craigslist, and I've sold things, too. I've used Craigslist to advertise yard sales, to get rid of crap I don't need, and to find jobs.
I once kept a log of Missed Connections listings for an entire week, categorizing the listings by type (such as: long lost love, booty call, deadbeat dad huntin'), until I realized the quest was futile and I could never keep up.
I even made a series of Craigslist-themed buttons, just in case I wasn't alone in my obsession. Sadly, I think I am, since I haven't sold a single one. Boo!
I used to check Craigslist free listings several times a day, in the hopes of finding fabulous junk I never knew I needed, but after a while, I realized I just didn't have any room left in my house for any junk, no matter how fabulous.
So, yes, my obsession has, like all crushes, faded away, but I still check in from time to time, the same way I might look at an ex's Facebook page just to see if he's gotten fat or bald. I can't help myself.
And, sometimes, I see an ad that calls out to me. Like this one. Sure, I have no use for this "bleeding heart liberal" television, but a part of me sure wishes I did after reading this ad:
"Free 20 inch Pioneer TV. It is old, but it still works. As long as you don't want to watch any channel above 45. My own theory is that since The Fox News Channel is channel 46, it refused to tune past channel 45. I don't know why it won't go above 45. I am just assuming that since this tv is so old and still working, it's probably liberal.
Maybe you want to harvest it for parts. Or turn it into a fish tank. Or take a sledgehammer to it. Maybe you can take it to the State House on tax day for the Tea Party demonstration.
Save it from being buried in a landfill (although we all know that is where it will ultimately wind up). Prove me wrong and turn it into art that lives forever in a museum.
If this tv doesn't find a new home soon, I am afraid it might go and file for section 8.
You let me know when you want to pick it up, and I will lovingly place it out on the curb. If I am going your way, I'll even drop it off to you. Let's figure this out.
I live in Providence, on the Cranston line, off Reservoir Ave. " (link)
This is a Craigslist ad worth remembering, and so I'm starting a new blog feature called Today On Craigslist. When I find an ad that leaves me speechless, whether with laughter, terror, or whateva, I'll share it with you, my dear unknown reader. I hope you are suitably moved.
I once kept a log of Missed Connections listings for an entire week, categorizing the listings by type (such as: long lost love, booty call, deadbeat dad huntin'), until I realized the quest was futile and I could never keep up.
I even made a series of Craigslist-themed buttons, just in case I wasn't alone in my obsession. Sadly, I think I am, since I haven't sold a single one. Boo!
I used to check Craigslist free listings several times a day, in the hopes of finding fabulous junk I never knew I needed, but after a while, I realized I just didn't have any room left in my house for any junk, no matter how fabulous.
So, yes, my obsession has, like all crushes, faded away, but I still check in from time to time, the same way I might look at an ex's Facebook page just to see if he's gotten fat or bald. I can't help myself.
And, sometimes, I see an ad that calls out to me. Like this one. Sure, I have no use for this "bleeding heart liberal" television, but a part of me sure wishes I did after reading this ad:
"Free 20 inch Pioneer TV. It is old, but it still works. As long as you don't want to watch any channel above 45. My own theory is that since The Fox News Channel is channel 46, it refused to tune past channel 45. I don't know why it won't go above 45. I am just assuming that since this tv is so old and still working, it's probably liberal.
Maybe you want to harvest it for parts. Or turn it into a fish tank. Or take a sledgehammer to it. Maybe you can take it to the State House on tax day for the Tea Party demonstration.
Save it from being buried in a landfill (although we all know that is where it will ultimately wind up). Prove me wrong and turn it into art that lives forever in a museum.
If this tv doesn't find a new home soon, I am afraid it might go and file for section 8.
You let me know when you want to pick it up, and I will lovingly place it out on the curb. If I am going your way, I'll even drop it off to you. Let's figure this out.
I live in Providence, on the Cranston line, off Reservoir Ave. " (link)
This is a Craigslist ad worth remembering, and so I'm starting a new blog feature called Today On Craigslist. When I find an ad that leaves me speechless, whether with laughter, terror, or whateva, I'll share it with you, my dear unknown reader. I hope you are suitably moved.
05 February 2011
Winter Sneak Peek
Originally uploaded by literarytease
Here's a sneak peek of my completed project for the "Winter" challenge of Iron Craft (http://theironcraft.blogspot.com). Check back on Wednesday to see the full painting!
04 February 2011
Recipes: Vegetarian Enchiladas and Perfect Spanish Rice
My boyfriend loves cheese enchiladas, but I hate the pure fat content of a dinner that is basically corn and cheese, plus a little red enchilada sauce. I wanted to beef up the veggie content and decrease the fat without having enchiladas that tasted bland or boring. I also wanted to create a meal that was as filling as it was delicious so that one day's dinner could feed two tonight and four tomorrow night, when we'll have company. So I whipped up a batch of Spanish rice to accompany the enchiladas. Yum! The dinner was delicious and disappeared quickly from our plates. Try it, and let me know what you think!
You'll need:
For the enchiladas --
1 bottle Trader Joe's enchilada sauce (you could substitute your own choice, but I loved TJ's brand)
1 bag shredded cheese (about 2 cups) - use cheddar or a Mexican blend
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black olives, drained and cut in half
1 large white onion, diced - reserve 1/4 cup for the rice recipe (follows)
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1 8 oz. package tempeh, crumbled
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic, or 1 t. Trader Joe's crushed garlic
2 T. olive oil
1 egg
corn tortillas, about 2 dozen
1 bag shredded cheese (about 2 cups) - use cheddar or a Mexican blend
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black olives, drained and cut in half
1 large white onion, diced - reserve 1/4 cup for the rice recipe (follows)
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup fat-free ricotta cheese
1 8 oz. package tempeh, crumbled
1 t. ground cumin
1/4 cup salsa
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic, or 1 t. Trader Joe's crushed garlic
2 T. olive oil
1 egg
corn tortillas, about 2 dozen
For the rice --
1 cup white rice
1 cup salsa
1 pinch saffron, about 6 strands (optional, but gives a great color!)
2 cups vegetable broth
1. T olive oil
1/4 cup diced white onion (reserved from above)
3 cloves garlic, or 1 t. Trader Joe's crushed garlic
1 cup white rice
1 cup salsa
1 pinch saffron, about 6 strands (optional, but gives a great color!)
2 cups vegetable broth
1. T olive oil
1/4 cup diced white onion (reserved from above)
3 cloves garlic, or 1 t. Trader Joe's crushed garlic
You'll also need:
wooden spoon, for stirring veggies as they cook
large frying pan
small saucepan, with cover
large bowl
11 x 13 glass baking dish
aluminum foil to cover
large frying pan
small saucepan, with cover
large bowl
11 x 13 glass baking dish
aluminum foil to cover
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In frying pan, heat 2 T. oil and saute onions until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and diced peppers. Cook for a few more minutes until soft. Add the crumbled tempeh and cumin, stir well and cook until warmed through. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
In large bowl, mix beans, olives, tempeh mixture, 1 large handful of shredded cheese, egg, and ricotta cheese.
To assemble enchiladas:
Set up an assembly line like this:
1st - wipe out frying pan and heat over medium high flame.
2nd - large clean plate, stack of tortillas
3rd - bowl of enchilada filling
4th - small bowl with rest of cheese, less 1/2 cup reserved for topping
5th - glass baking dish
2nd - large clean plate, stack of tortillas
3rd - bowl of enchilada filling
4th - small bowl with rest of cheese, less 1/2 cup reserved for topping
5th - glass baking dish
In the baking dish, add salsa, 1/2 cup of water, and about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce. Mix this around a little, but it doesn't have to be perfectly stirred up. You just wanted a little liquid all around the bottom.
Heat corn tortillas, one at a time, for 5 seconds on each side. Add to plate (you can use tongs, but i just used my hands to grab 'em quickly from pan.). Add small amount of filling, about 1/4 cup, and a small sprinkle of cheese, about 1 T. Roll gently and place seam side down in the dish.
Repeat until the dish is full. You might have extra filling (I did). Save this for a future batch of enchiladas, just make sure to cook it within a few days because of the egg. Once cooked, the enchiladas will keep well in your fridge for another week. Freeze them for quick dinners later!
Pour about half a bottle of sauce over the enchiladas, doing your best to cover them well. Use the back of a spoon to spread the sauce around a bit. Add about 3/4 cup of water to the bottle of sauce, shake well, and pour the liquid all over the enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.
For the rice, heat saucepan over medium high heat and cook onion in oil until soft. Add garlic and rice, stir and cook for about 2 minutes, until the rice is lightly browned. Add the broth, salsa, and saffron to the pot. Cover and bring to a bowl. When the rice is boiling, turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and keep covered until ready to eat.
This recipe will easily feed six to eight hungry adults. If you have leftovers, pack small servings for office lunches during the week and make your co-workers jealous. Enjoy!
03 February 2011
Artist Interview: Leslie Herger
If you haven't heard of Leslie Herger of Comfortable Shoes Studio, you've been missing out on some seriously good art journal pictures, tutorials, and loads of inspiration. I first stumbled across Leslie's work when searching for art journal tutorials on YouTube. I found a fascinating video of Leslie working on an art journal page from start to finish, and I was hooked. I soon found her blog and joined her Art Journaling group on ning. Recently, Leslie's been involved in the zine Art Journaling: It's All Good, which currently has 4 issues available for download, and 21 Secrets, an online art journaling course. and When I wrote to Leslie requesting an interview, I was psyched when she agreed.
How did you discover art journaling?
Art journaling is a mix of everything I’ve done artistically in my life. I’ve always kept a written journal and a sketchbook. I moved to Massachusetts and was hit by a car when I was commuting home from work on my bike. While I wasn’t hurt it’s sort of the genesis point for when I started to glue “shit” into my journal and started to write in my sketchbook. I had mixed some notes in my sketchbook but never to the extent I do now.
How would you define art journaling to someone who is brand new to it?
I like to show people the Dan Eldon website, Sketchbob’s site and a couple of books like Journal Junkies or Gwen Dhien. Art journaling is a combination of visual and written, it’s journal and sketchbook combined. It activates the right side of the brain for out of the box thinking.
Why did you decide to start artjournaling.ning.com?
I have been a member of Julie Pritchard’s lostluggage network, Williowing’s and another person’s. I love all those sites but I wanted to create something that was solely focused on art journaling. I wanted to create a group that was free to join and had the feeling that Willowing’s group but with less focus on drawing faces, pretty girls and the like. I work grungy and I knew that there had to be more people like myself who are interested in exploring the darker side of art journaling and with it our own dark side. I wanted a place where all people felt welcome. I avoid pink in my site purposefully.
Essentially I wanted to create a site like lostluggage, but open to anyone and with the sort of camadre that willowing had on her site.
What's been the best part about the art journal group?
The open discussion, if you delve into the forums for more than a glancing look there is a ton of information. If you search for a term you’ll find a lot of discussion on it.
What's the worst part?
Administration and having to tell people no. I decided early on that the focus of the forum had to be narrow- art journaling ONLY. That means if you journal on ATC and load it up you better explain that in the description of your images. There are plenty of places to discuss ATC/ACEO and scrapping. We’re the only open forum for art journaling.
What are your "essential" art journal supplies/tools/materials?
A fountain pen with waterproof/resistant ink like noodlers- a good ink in a good pen feels really good. Even good ink in a cheap fountain pen. You can get a Platinum Preppy FP for $3 on Jetpens.com and noodler’s for $13 and it’s worth every penny. Even though it’s a cheap pen the preppy performs well and you’ll find yourself wanting to draw and write with it. It’s the power of a good ink. I have a few pricier pens but I reach for the cheap pens first.
Watercolors- pans, tubes, crayons or pencils, I like color. I use a cotman pan travel set of watercolors and some water brushes to apply large washes and small areas of color. If I want a toned page I’ll reach for something else. Most of my travel journals are watercolor and ink.
A good journal with 140lb watercolor paper, I like strathmore and fabriano. When I’m feeling snobbish I go for Fabriano then cheap strathmore. All my travel journals are made with strathmore 400 series cold pressed. It’s 140lb, very inexpensive and easy to work with when binding. I’ve made an assortment of other books with Fabriano, but I’m cheap and balk at prices. Jerry’s artarama and Cheap Joe’s have good prices.
Pencils- I use an assortment of pencils in my journals ranging from H up to 6B.
gesso- Don’t leave home with out it. Seriously, I even put gesso, both clear and white in my travel kits.
Acrylic Paint- As a painter I use liquitex brand paints and I use the same heavy body paints in my art journals with a variety of mediums. I can glaze my pages, tone the pages, put a painting in the journal or whatever on them. Versatile and fun, acrylic keeps my pages from being boring.
What artists inspire you & why?
Hannah Hoch and other Dadaists- Hoch was one of the first peopel to cut photos and images from magazines and turn them into amazing images. After the weimar era she didn’t do much artistically but when she was making art, wow, was she AMAZING! the rest of the Dadaists can be blamed for modern art.
Picasso- While he was a misogynist his variety of work and ambition are amazing to me. His prints are delightful. There is a movie of picasso working on frosted mylar. It shows his drawing process andit’s backed with silence or jazz. Great movie.
Matisse- I’m a HUGE fan of matisse, who did amazing things with cut pieces of paper. He and Hoch approched collage in 2 very different manners.
Van Gogh- He’s proof that hard work pays off. take a look at he online gallery of his work. The early drawings were rough and he had issues with perspective and the body. After delibirate work his work emerges as some of the best drawings I’ve ever seen. The fact that he drew them with a reed pen is even more amazing. Everytime I look at his work I want to pick up a bottle of sepia ink and a reed pen and draw.
Hockney- Constantly changes and tries new things. A modern picasso for sure. I love his work on multiple canvases and his photo collages.
All the artists on Art Journaling Ning. every day as I approve photos I’m amazed at the talent and diversity of experience reflected in the journals posted.
What is the most rewarding part of finishing a journal?
Starting a new one.
How long do you take to finish a journal?
It varies a lot. I tend to work in 4 or 5 at a time. If I’m working in one I can make it through in 3 months or less. Currently I’m developing a class, so I’m writing a lot in a separate journal and my art journal is mostly for large washes of color and gluing stuff in.
How do you know when you are finished with a journal page? Is it a gut feeling or something else? Artist Teesha Moore says that you should push past the feeling of thinking a page is finished at least twice. Do you agree or disagree?
Disagree. When its done its done I don’t work on it any more. I work on a thought or a feeling on a page and once it’s worked out I move on. Sometimes a page isn’t “done” but I move on anyway. I have pages I’ll never finish in some of my art journals, and I think it’s part of the process.I don’t look at my art journals as finished pieces of art, more of process. I don’t strive to create finished art in my journal at all. I use it as a place to work out thoughts, feeling and ideas about other art. It’s part sketchbook and part written journal. I happen to combine the two. When I start to feel like I’m creating finished pieces of art, I shift gears and force myself to work with just pen, ink and watercolor, or just gluing stuff to a page.
How does art journaling reflect your personality?
Most of all it reflects my thought process. I tend to think about stuff in depth only when I’m ready, ignore it until I can deal. In my art journal I’m much more direct. It also reflects my daily life. I’m a big fan of gluing in the detritus of daily life. I’ll collect wrappers, business cards, receipts and other junk and tape or glue it to the pages of my art journal. Sometimes I’ll layer acrylic paint over it, sometimes just leave it.
What's your art background?
I started making art in elementary school. My family is very crafty. My mom does cross stitch, knitting, crochet, stamping and now quilts almost exclusively. Growing up where I did you had to have a hobby or go crazy in the long cold winter nights. I think my parents were happy that a pencil and a sketchbook kept me busy for hours.
In HS I proceeded to take all the art classes I could and much to my school and parent’s disappointment started to apply to art schools. I went to the University of Maine, Orono campus on a presidential scholarship that paid for 1/3 of my tuition. The rest came from private endowments. I was very lucky to go to school for nearly free and even more lucky to have found a contact in finacial aid that took an interest in my staying in school and helped me to apply for scholarships throughout my years at UMaine. It enabled me to explore a lot of art methods and materials. My degree is in art with a concentration in education. I also have an unfinished minor in Psychology.
How does your day job tie in with your art making, if at all?
It doesn’t. I’m in HR for a fortune 500 company. I took the job because it was 40 hours a week and when the work day ended so did my job. I did this so I could focus on art outside of work.
What resources would you recommend for art journalers just starting out?
I think ArtJournaling.ning.com is a fantastic resource. I also think that looking at YouTube videos by art journalers like Millande, Willowing, EvelineTimeless and others is really helpful. Also there is a network of UStreamers where you can watch hour to 2 hour long shows on art journaling almost every night of the week. It’s amazing, inspirational and a treasure trove of information. I’d also suggest ofr the less techie people Journal Junkies, Any Gwen Diehn book and a few others.
Do you have a favorite journal / paper that you use for your work?
My go to for inexpensive paper is Strathmore 400 series watercolor and drawing papers. My lust after paper is Fabriano Artistico. I bind my own journals from larger sheets of paper rather than relying on prebound sketchbooks.
What do you do with your journals when you finish them? How many would you estimate that you have finished?
I’ve probably got 30 finished journals, another 15 or so partially finished with no intent to finish them ever and 3 or 4 in process. I’ve got the most recent dozen stored on a shelf over my desk for quick reference. The rest are stored in a shelf in my studio. I’ve lost 2 or 3 over the years. And I’ve got another 2 in storage at my parent’s place.
Do you work in your art journal daily? Do you have any other daily creative practices?
I go through phases, right now I’m in a non-art journal phase and in a written word phase. I’m working on class development and spending a lot of time researching my ideas and writing up what I want my class to entail. I’m big on planning and once I have things planned I can wing it on camera. As long as I have an outline of what SHOULD happen it does. My classes have been referred to as very Zen.
So probably until I’m done with my class development I’ll remain writing and then I’ll start to art in my journals again. I’ve got 3 art journalis in progress right now all waiting for me to work in them.
What do you do if you are fresh out of ideas?
I head to my book shelf or flickr and look. Sometimes I’ll just read something not related to art at all, sometimes I’ll crack open a book binding book, it all varies depending on my mood. Sometimes just stepping away from the issue solves it. I’m a fan of taking a break and walking to the Atomic for a cappuccino.
Do you have any favorite teachers / instructors?
Tamara Laporte of Willowing.org is amazing
Julie Pritchard and Chris Cozen of lostluggage.com put on some high quality classes geared toward fine art but put forth a lot of info that related to mixed media.
Klair Scattergood of Rhomany’s Realm
_______________
See all of my Artist Interviews here.
 |
| copyright Leslie Herger |
Art journaling is a mix of everything I’ve done artistically in my life. I’ve always kept a written journal and a sketchbook. I moved to Massachusetts and was hit by a car when I was commuting home from work on my bike. While I wasn’t hurt it’s sort of the genesis point for when I started to glue “shit” into my journal and started to write in my sketchbook. I had mixed some notes in my sketchbook but never to the extent I do now.
How would you define art journaling to someone who is brand new to it?
I like to show people the Dan Eldon website, Sketchbob’s site and a couple of books like Journal Junkies or Gwen Dhien. Art journaling is a combination of visual and written, it’s journal and sketchbook combined. It activates the right side of the brain for out of the box thinking.
Why did you decide to start artjournaling.ning.com?
I have been a member of Julie Pritchard’s lostluggage network, Williowing’s and another person’s. I love all those sites but I wanted to create something that was solely focused on art journaling. I wanted to create a group that was free to join and had the feeling that Willowing’s group but with less focus on drawing faces, pretty girls and the like. I work grungy and I knew that there had to be more people like myself who are interested in exploring the darker side of art journaling and with it our own dark side. I wanted a place where all people felt welcome. I avoid pink in my site purposefully.
Essentially I wanted to create a site like lostluggage, but open to anyone and with the sort of camadre that willowing had on her site.
What's been the best part about the art journal group?
The open discussion, if you delve into the forums for more than a glancing look there is a ton of information. If you search for a term you’ll find a lot of discussion on it.
What's the worst part?
Administration and having to tell people no. I decided early on that the focus of the forum had to be narrow- art journaling ONLY. That means if you journal on ATC and load it up you better explain that in the description of your images. There are plenty of places to discuss ATC/ACEO and scrapping. We’re the only open forum for art journaling.
 |
| copyright Leslie Herger |
A fountain pen with waterproof/resistant ink like noodlers- a good ink in a good pen feels really good. Even good ink in a cheap fountain pen. You can get a Platinum Preppy FP for $3 on Jetpens.com and noodler’s for $13 and it’s worth every penny. Even though it’s a cheap pen the preppy performs well and you’ll find yourself wanting to draw and write with it. It’s the power of a good ink. I have a few pricier pens but I reach for the cheap pens first.
Watercolors- pans, tubes, crayons or pencils, I like color. I use a cotman pan travel set of watercolors and some water brushes to apply large washes and small areas of color. If I want a toned page I’ll reach for something else. Most of my travel journals are watercolor and ink.
A good journal with 140lb watercolor paper, I like strathmore and fabriano. When I’m feeling snobbish I go for Fabriano then cheap strathmore. All my travel journals are made with strathmore 400 series cold pressed. It’s 140lb, very inexpensive and easy to work with when binding. I’ve made an assortment of other books with Fabriano, but I’m cheap and balk at prices. Jerry’s artarama and Cheap Joe’s have good prices.
Pencils- I use an assortment of pencils in my journals ranging from H up to 6B.
gesso- Don’t leave home with out it. Seriously, I even put gesso, both clear and white in my travel kits.
Acrylic Paint- As a painter I use liquitex brand paints and I use the same heavy body paints in my art journals with a variety of mediums. I can glaze my pages, tone the pages, put a painting in the journal or whatever on them. Versatile and fun, acrylic keeps my pages from being boring.
What artists inspire you & why?
Hannah Hoch and other Dadaists- Hoch was one of the first peopel to cut photos and images from magazines and turn them into amazing images. After the weimar era she didn’t do much artistically but when she was making art, wow, was she AMAZING! the rest of the Dadaists can be blamed for modern art.
Picasso- While he was a misogynist his variety of work and ambition are amazing to me. His prints are delightful. There is a movie of picasso working on frosted mylar. It shows his drawing process andit’s backed with silence or jazz. Great movie.
Matisse- I’m a HUGE fan of matisse, who did amazing things with cut pieces of paper. He and Hoch approched collage in 2 very different manners.
Van Gogh- He’s proof that hard work pays off. take a look at he online gallery of his work. The early drawings were rough and he had issues with perspective and the body. After delibirate work his work emerges as some of the best drawings I’ve ever seen. The fact that he drew them with a reed pen is even more amazing. Everytime I look at his work I want to pick up a bottle of sepia ink and a reed pen and draw.
Hockney- Constantly changes and tries new things. A modern picasso for sure. I love his work on multiple canvases and his photo collages.
All the artists on Art Journaling Ning. every day as I approve photos I’m amazed at the talent and diversity of experience reflected in the journals posted.
What is the most rewarding part of finishing a journal?
Starting a new one.
 |
| copyright Leslie Herger |
How long do you take to finish a journal?
It varies a lot. I tend to work in 4 or 5 at a time. If I’m working in one I can make it through in 3 months or less. Currently I’m developing a class, so I’m writing a lot in a separate journal and my art journal is mostly for large washes of color and gluing stuff in.
How do you know when you are finished with a journal page? Is it a gut feeling or something else? Artist Teesha Moore says that you should push past the feeling of thinking a page is finished at least twice. Do you agree or disagree?
Disagree. When its done its done I don’t work on it any more. I work on a thought or a feeling on a page and once it’s worked out I move on. Sometimes a page isn’t “done” but I move on anyway. I have pages I’ll never finish in some of my art journals, and I think it’s part of the process.I don’t look at my art journals as finished pieces of art, more of process. I don’t strive to create finished art in my journal at all. I use it as a place to work out thoughts, feeling and ideas about other art. It’s part sketchbook and part written journal. I happen to combine the two. When I start to feel like I’m creating finished pieces of art, I shift gears and force myself to work with just pen, ink and watercolor, or just gluing stuff to a page.
How does art journaling reflect your personality?
Most of all it reflects my thought process. I tend to think about stuff in depth only when I’m ready, ignore it until I can deal. In my art journal I’m much more direct. It also reflects my daily life. I’m a big fan of gluing in the detritus of daily life. I’ll collect wrappers, business cards, receipts and other junk and tape or glue it to the pages of my art journal. Sometimes I’ll layer acrylic paint over it, sometimes just leave it.
 |
| copyright Leslie Herger |
What's your art background?
I started making art in elementary school. My family is very crafty. My mom does cross stitch, knitting, crochet, stamping and now quilts almost exclusively. Growing up where I did you had to have a hobby or go crazy in the long cold winter nights. I think my parents were happy that a pencil and a sketchbook kept me busy for hours.
In HS I proceeded to take all the art classes I could and much to my school and parent’s disappointment started to apply to art schools. I went to the University of Maine, Orono campus on a presidential scholarship that paid for 1/3 of my tuition. The rest came from private endowments. I was very lucky to go to school for nearly free and even more lucky to have found a contact in finacial aid that took an interest in my staying in school and helped me to apply for scholarships throughout my years at UMaine. It enabled me to explore a lot of art methods and materials. My degree is in art with a concentration in education. I also have an unfinished minor in Psychology.
How does your day job tie in with your art making, if at all?
It doesn’t. I’m in HR for a fortune 500 company. I took the job because it was 40 hours a week and when the work day ended so did my job. I did this so I could focus on art outside of work.
What resources would you recommend for art journalers just starting out?
I think ArtJournaling.ning.com is a fantastic resource. I also think that looking at YouTube videos by art journalers like Millande, Willowing, EvelineTimeless and others is really helpful. Also there is a network of UStreamers where you can watch hour to 2 hour long shows on art journaling almost every night of the week. It’s amazing, inspirational and a treasure trove of information. I’d also suggest ofr the less techie people Journal Junkies, Any Gwen Diehn book and a few others.
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| copyright Leslie Herger |
Do you have a favorite journal / paper that you use for your work?
My go to for inexpensive paper is Strathmore 400 series watercolor and drawing papers. My lust after paper is Fabriano Artistico. I bind my own journals from larger sheets of paper rather than relying on prebound sketchbooks.
What do you do with your journals when you finish them? How many would you estimate that you have finished?
I’ve probably got 30 finished journals, another 15 or so partially finished with no intent to finish them ever and 3 or 4 in process. I’ve got the most recent dozen stored on a shelf over my desk for quick reference. The rest are stored in a shelf in my studio. I’ve lost 2 or 3 over the years. And I’ve got another 2 in storage at my parent’s place.
Do you work in your art journal daily? Do you have any other daily creative practices?
I go through phases, right now I’m in a non-art journal phase and in a written word phase. I’m working on class development and spending a lot of time researching my ideas and writing up what I want my class to entail. I’m big on planning and once I have things planned I can wing it on camera. As long as I have an outline of what SHOULD happen it does. My classes have been referred to as very Zen.
So probably until I’m done with my class development I’ll remain writing and then I’ll start to art in my journals again. I’ve got 3 art journalis in progress right now all waiting for me to work in them.
What do you do if you are fresh out of ideas?
I head to my book shelf or flickr and look. Sometimes I’ll just read something not related to art at all, sometimes I’ll crack open a book binding book, it all varies depending on my mood. Sometimes just stepping away from the issue solves it. I’m a fan of taking a break and walking to the Atomic for a cappuccino.
Do you have any favorite teachers / instructors?
Tamara Laporte of Willowing.org is amazing
Julie Pritchard and Chris Cozen of lostluggage.com put on some high quality classes geared toward fine art but put forth a lot of info that related to mixed media.
Klair Scattergood of Rhomany’s Realm
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See all of my Artist Interviews here.
02 February 2011
Iron Craft #5: Simple, Cute Valentine Card Tutorial
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| Originally uploaded by literarytease |
I followed this wonderful tutorial by Kelli Nina Perkins to create dyed non-fusible interfacing, even though I didn't know what I was going to do with the interfacing once it was done. So far, I've used it to make super cute fabric beads (tutorial coming soon!) and this fun Valentine's Day heart.
It's simple, but sweet, and, best of all, only took about 10 minutes to finish. (Don't worry, I put a lot more time into the accompanying gift!)
It's very simple to make your own.
You'll need:
dyed interfacing, or, if you don't want to try that, any scrapbooking paper or fabric
needle and thread
scissors
blank card
buttons
Simply cut the shape of your choice out of the fabric/paper. I did a heart, but you could do a star, a bell, a ship, or something else entirely.
Sew the shape to the card. You could, if you wanted, use your needle and a cutting mat to punch holes around the perimeter before you start to sew, which would probably make things much easier, but I just held the card up to a sunny window in order to see where to bring the needle up from the back.
I didn't knot the end of the string either. I left a long tail, did the first couple stitches carefully so as to not pull it through. When I finished, I tied the ends together in a double knot.
Sew on buttons or other decorations. (Ideas: sequins, charms, shrinky dink pieces)
You can make this card look finished on the inside by cutting a piece of paper to fit and using gel medium to coat the back of the stitching and covering them with the paper. Another thing that would be cute would be to cut a piece of vellum the same size as the card and sewing it in with a pamphlet stitch.
Getting Started on Meylah
So, I signed up for Meylah a few months ago and never did anything with it. I like the idea, in theory, of expanding my online offerings, especially since Etsy is packed full of sellers, but in actual practice, I have no idea what to do with Meylah. The whole thing is a little confusing. So my storefront has languished, empty and unloved, with me thinking about it every once in a while without any action.
Enter the Meylah e-Course. In a newsletter last week, Meylah offered a free e-course to a limited number of people who responded. They were, apparently, flooded with responses from people probably equally as lost as I am. A few days later they said that the course was full and sent apologies to anyone who hadn't gotten a confirmation email. Well, I didn't get any email, so I figured I didn't get into the course... until I got an email about it this morning. Well alright!
This week's lesson of the Meylah e-course is all about setting up your storefront. I'm halfway through the initial steps, and I'm looking forward to continuing. I've wanted to make tutorials for some of my projects, ones I've designed for my students and for myself, so I'm hoping this will give me the incentive to actually complete them! Hurray! (Um... I just logged back into Meylah to figure out my storefront link... and the site's down for maintenance. This does not bode well.)
I'll keep you posted and write about my experiences with the site.
Enter the Meylah e-Course. In a newsletter last week, Meylah offered a free e-course to a limited number of people who responded. They were, apparently, flooded with responses from people probably equally as lost as I am. A few days later they said that the course was full and sent apologies to anyone who hadn't gotten a confirmation email. Well, I didn't get any email, so I figured I didn't get into the course... until I got an email about it this morning. Well alright!
This week's lesson of the Meylah e-course is all about setting up your storefront. I'm halfway through the initial steps, and I'm looking forward to continuing. I've wanted to make tutorials for some of my projects, ones I've designed for my students and for myself, so I'm hoping this will give me the incentive to actually complete them! Hurray! (Um... I just logged back into Meylah to figure out my storefront link... and the site's down for maintenance. This does not bode well.)
I'll keep you posted and write about my experiences with the site.
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