Diana Trout's blog

What You Can Learn from Art Quilts

Recently I attended a beautiful art quilt show. Kaffe Fassett* quilts side by side with his historic inspiration quilts. 

Lines don't need to be straight. I love that organic line that guides but doesn't trap. 

Chevron never goes out of style and great historic work always looks fresh.

Even a minimalist will agree that even though less is sometimes more, when pattern is well combined more is more (better). 

Kaffe Fassett is a fabric arts, fabric designer and extraordinary artist. For more inspiration, go look at Kaffe 's site here. His fabrics are widely available at quilt shops everywhere.

Happy Monday friends! I'm hoping that this week I start feeling more like more old self.

First Friday Artist Lisa Chin

Lisa Chin is a textile and quilting artist and I'm thrilled to host her work with hand-carved stamps here today. Here's Liss:

One summer at the state fair I discovered a cart selling pre-made stamps.  After carefully looking over every inch of the merchandise, I finally purchased my first stamp: a set of lips. Fast forward many years, and the purchase of a lot of manufactured stamps, and I finally discovered stamp carving

The first successful stamps I created were made using copyright free silhouettes found online.  Next I experimented with carving simple flowers and leaves I drew.  With time I have been able to feel more confident with my carving and use my stamps in my surface design work.  The inspiration for each stamp comes from many places, but most often from a need for an image I want to recreate over and over on fabric.

When I begin a stamp I trace the size of the stamp into my sketchbook, and if I don’t already have an image in mind I draw several ideas inside each shape until something strikes me.  I purchased a large number of these oops erasers on clearance and found they carve nicely, but can be a little crumbly.* They are great for practicing on.

Another day I was determined to carve a dove with an olive branch in it’s mouth.  I drew the image, transferred it to the rubber and started carving.  I find it helpful to stamp the image as I carve if I am having a difficult time deciding what to leave in or out.

I created two stamps so that I could stamp the details over the silhouette.  I wasn’t satisfied with either image at the time but looking at it now, I’m not sure what I was hating so much.  Sometimes it’s best to step away for a few days and then when you come back you can say, “Wow!  I made that?  That is pretty cool!”

A week or so later I drew a new image, a little larger this time and added some words.  I love this stamp and have been using it on the packages and letters I have been mailing.**

Thanks so much for sharing your process here, Lisa. One of the challenges I'd like to take on in February during my "Stamp Month" is the repeating pattern. Here is an example from Lisa:

I hadn't thought of using copyright images! So smart, Lisa. I can't wait to get carving. 

*I'm not a fan of any of the pink carving material. It is very crumbly. There are white erasers that you can use or Speedball white carving material.

** Remember to reverse your image when transferring. There is info on it in this post. 

Have a fabulous weekend everyone. 

Fun with Coloring Books

Coloring books are all the rage at the moment. A trend rolling down hill spurring on illustrators and publishers across the country and the world to make high quality products for
color-happy customers. 

You'll see in the video that I've tried out colored pencils, markers, colored pens and alcohol markers. I like the colored pencils best for all-round coloring especially on detailed images. 

Try whatever you have on hand. I look forward to using gel pens and making patterns with colored pens too. No reason why you can't paint and use collage on these pages. You may want to remove them from the book first. 

My friend, Susan, used colored pencils, pens and gel pens for the images (above and following). She found  postcard sized illustrations at a big box craft store. These books are everywhere: art and craft stores, books stores and online. You can find links to print out images too. 

Google "images for coloring for adults" and you'll find plenty to keep you busy. I hope you take up this craze and pass it on to friends and family. Coloring is fun and it's so happy-making to get folks making art in any way at all. Enjoy the video. 

Prismacolor Colored Pencils	Prang Colored Pencils	Coloring Books	Chronicle Books ENCHANTED FOREST An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book 674889	Chronicle Books SECRET GARDEN An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book 671062
Zig CLEAN COLOR 12 set Real Brush RB-6000AT	Tim Holtz Distress Markers CLUTTERED CELLAR Set Ranger TDMK34919	Stabilo Colored Pens

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Don't Miss these Autumn Bloomers

In Sept/October issue of Cloth Paper Scissors is my article on creating flowers from paper cloth. I thought it would be fun to share a few more images with you folks.

So much fun to make. I think with winter coming, white and silver would be beautiful!

This pod shape is my fav, I think. I mounted these with dimensional glue dots on wood pieces that were grunged up with some brown and sepia toned paint.

Cheerful trio!

It would be fun to make a bunch of these into a wreath or spilling out of a pot. Flowers for all! I added some of these to some cards recently too. Really fun. 

Good Vibes

I had a truly lovely and moving experience today. In Trader Joe's freezer aisle. With a total stranger. There we were, choosing between talapia and salmon and

StrangerLady: I wish I'd eat like this all the time
Me: Ya know what? I decided that in my 60th year I'll just Love Myself Unconditionally
SL: Yes! I'm 60 too! We've got to be healthy. That's it.

We part ways at the dairy aisle and I grab some eggs. Next thing I know ... 

SL: Will you pray with me?
Me: (thinking: whoa, then: why not) I don't really pray but, yes. I'd like that.

She takes my hand and begins to talk quietly, thanking her God for putting us on the same path today. She said that even though our spiritual practices were different, we loved the same. It was ... quiet and lovely. It was a truly beautiful human moment. We hugged each other and let it go. I'm still feeling the magic. 

I had a reminder today. There are opportunities for joy around each corner for joyful connections. Sometimes I'm "so busy" that I miss stuff.  What started (and continued as a harried, busy day) had a peaceful puddle of love splashed right in the middle.

*I LOVE Flow Magazine. I've been drooling over it online and gifted myself the Papers Lovers edition over the winter. Packed (Packed!) with the most beautiful papers, very fresh and modern. I recently found an issue at Barnes & Noble. It's loaded with inspiration and lovely illustration. 

Public Art; Chicago's Big Bean

There is something very special about public art it's truly for everyone.

Chicago's Cloud Gate, better known as The Bean made me want to dance. It was such a joy to see everyone crowded around looking at it, themselves, their friends. Strangers smile and point to each other.

It's a magical moment. 

I get a sort of spiritual feeling when this magic occurs. It makes me aware of just how powerful human creativity can be. It took a vision and engineering to create The Bean. 

Public art that is so big and engaging crosses us over from viewers to participants. We are a part of the drama or comedy that is playing out across a mirrored surface, beneath a giant shadow.

(I love The Clothespin in Philly. It always makes me smile.)

I'm feeling pretty lucky to have visited The Bean. Don't you just love our little world?

Have a fabulous weekend everyone. Take a moment to laugh. Or dance.

Photo of The Clothespin, Claes Oldenburgh, Link

In My Art Journal

Week of January 4, 2015. Loads of inspiration from Creative Jump Start with stencils from StencilGirl

Pouncing on spaces of time between planning for fiscal responsibility in 2015. 

Round square and circles, those shapes of endless possibility.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone.

Art Journal * The Moon

Happy New Year everyone. I hope the holiday season has been treating you well. While doing the studio purge, I came upon some sketches from a couple of years back from a project I worked on at the Japanese Gardens here in Philadelphia. You can read about that visit here. *Video below*

The place enchants me but this visit in the cold and snow when it's usually closed was especially magical.

Materials I used were

Stillman & Birn large white watercolor sketchbook
Pam Carriker's new inks: Barely Black and White
Watercolors in earthy brown and indigo
White oil pastel, paint marker
Silver Sharpee
Lately, I have been using artist tape to cover the spine area of the book. If the spread is one page only,     I can then remove the tape easily.

Here's the video ... 

The Moorish Chief

If I was going to a desert island and could only take one piece of artwork with me, this is the one.

I fell in love with this guy when I was a teenager at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The whites in his dress: cool and warm, crisp and soft. The hand resting on his bent knee. His weight so convincingly resting on his foreshortened foot. 

Every millimeter of his face and figure seems to ooze a dangerous power.  My one and only bad boy.

The details in this painting are so rich and seemingly endless. I could look forever.

Austrian painter Eduard Charlemont painted this in 1878. It first hung in Paris. There is a rich history behind this painting and if you google it, you can find out more. 

Notice the power in The Chief's dark skin and whites of his robe. The placement of his belt and the ornamentation around that area (ahem) that lead our eye down to that perfectly placed foot. He's loosely holding a knife in his right hand.

So, yes, I have a crush on him. With good reason. I have a print hanging in full view of my desk. A wonderful sight when I look up. A high standard of creativity and artistic mastery to spur me on and inspire me. 

Lettering

Playing with lettering is fun and easier than you think! It's like drawing and doodling with forms you are very familiar with. Jenny Doh's book Creative Lettering (link below) was my source of inspiration.

Use words and thoughts that are meaningful to you. I worked on Strathmore Bristol. Use a pencil to sketch out the words then go over them with pen. You can erase any mess ups, just draw lightly!  I used Pitt Pen markers and Tombow's for color - any markers would do. 

Here's the link for Jenny's book which is great for beginners. Like Zentangle, Lettering is something you can easily begin with a minimum of fuss. Brainstorm some words and phrases and keep that list handy while you lay out your page. It's really easy to make a spelling error (*ahem).