Hope: Step-by-Step

Yesterday I posted an image of Hope, a new mixed media piece that I created in honor of the 12th anniversary of 9/11. Today I wanted to share the step-by-step process that went into making this artwork.

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This piece started with a section of corrugated  cardboard from a shipping box. I cut it to a size of approximately 4 1/2 x 7 inches and then tore away part of the smooth cardboard surface.

I changed the color by dry brushing both white and black gesso on to the surface and highlighting spots with a red dye ink pad.

Adding another textural element to the piece, I used a Spellbinders M-Bossabilities folder to create a deeply embossed grid of dots into a sheet of kraft-color card stock.

I shaded the raised dots by rubbing dye ink pads in multiple colors across the surface.

I used a Spellbinders Rounded Squares die to cut a curved square from the sheet of embossed card stock. I also cut the same shape from a sheet of black card stock using the next larger die from the same set. I shaded the edges of the embossed card stock with dye ink for a finishing touch.

I shaded the black card stock by dry brushing with white gesso and adhered the two pieces together.

Using the Spellbinders A2 Curved Matting Basics B die set, I cut another piece of black card stock and dry brushed it with gesso as well.

This piece was all about hope and I used Spellbinders Lowercase Font One dies and red card stock to  show that.

Sorted through my stash of found objects, metal bits, and embellishments and found some pieces to add that mixed media element. Gotta have that!

Time to put it all together. And adhere the piece to a vintage book cover, as yet another layer, an additional design element, and a way to make the piece sturdier.

Available for purchase in my Etsy Shop

Sold. Thank You.

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Supply List

Spellbinders Paper Art Supplies:

GC-001 Spellbinders® Grand Calibur® Machine

EG-001 Spellbinders®  M-Bossabilities^TM Graduated Dots

S4-408 Spellbinders®  Nestabilities® Rounded Squares

S5-172 Spellbinders®  Nestabilities® A2 Curved Matting Basics B

S5-199 Spellbinders® Shapeabilities® Font One - Lowercase

Preferred Promotional Partners: Tsukineko Memento Dye Ink

Cross Promotional Partners: 7 Gypsies Paper

Other: card stock, corrugated cardboard, vintage book cover, gesso, paint brush, found metal embellishments, adhesive, scissor, craft knife

Hope: For 9/11

This piece was inspired by 9/11. I have lived in NYC for over 30 years and September 11, 2001 is the only day that still unfolds in my mind second by second. It is an experience that I will always remember. Twelve years later, images of that day still bring me back to the confusion, anger, and despair that I felt as my country - and my city - was attacked. The healing began immediately though and this piece represents the hope that has existed in all of us following that day.

El Libro Abierto

El Libro Abierto

The Open Book

Join me for a two-day, book-making workshop in beautiful Pescadero, Baja California, Sur, Mexico on February 12-13, 2014. Pescadero is located approximately 45 minutes north of Cabo San Lucas. The focus of the class will be learning unique sew and no-sew bindings that will allow you to bind single sheets of paper and to create books that open flat. Part of day 2 will also be spent on the inside pages using multiple art techniques. The workshop is geared toward both absolute beginners and experienced book makers. 

All supplies will be provided, but you are welcome to contact me in advance for supply list details so that you have the option to personalize your books in your own individual style. 

Workshop limited to 10 students. 

Registration via email shap97@gmail.com. 

Cost of the workshop is $240, with $100 deposit due at registration. Payment via PayPal. 

Please email me with any questions and for additional details.

Pages of Autumn

The feeling of fall is in the air in NYC. The days are less humid and the nights are cooler. Autumn is by far my favorite season and I was inspired by the colors of the season to create my newest mini-book

For the book pages, I zeroed in on a stack of paper towels that I had saved from a workshop I taught earlier this year. They were the paper towels I used to wipe off paint and were shaded in a beautiful fall palette.

I learned a tip from Leslie Marsh regarding painted paper towels. If you add two layers of matte medium to the surface, letting the first layer dry before adding the second, the surface texture of the paper towel changes to an almost fabric-like feel and it protects it from tearing.

For the book cover, I found the perfect scrap of mossy green handmade paper with leaf inclusions.

Ready to make the book, I realized that I did not want to create a typical, linear-shaped book. Cut to (pun intended) Spellbinders Labels Thirty-Three die set. I chose that largest die and easily cut my first piece of paper towel.

Folding it in half to create a single folio, I realized that the shape resembled an upside-down bell.

I cut two more pages from the same die template, folded them in half, and stacked them together to form a single signature.

Now onto the cover. Using the same die, I cut the moss green paper into the same shape. At the same time, I cut more paper towel using a smaller die from the same set.

I folded both pieces and glued the smaller piece on to the larger for some compositional layering. I shaded the edges of the smaller paper with a rough line from a pencil.

I inserted the paper towel signature into the cover and sewed them all together with a simple three-hole pamphlet stitch using brown waxed linen thread and a needle. 

To complete the cover, I added a bead, an image that I cut from Spellbinders Ephemera Papers One from their Media Mixage line, and a small, found washer. It wouldn't be me without some rust!

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Supply List

Spellbinders Paper Art Supplies:

MMM-001 Spellbinders^TM Artisan X-plorer

S5-187 Spellbinders^TM Nestabilities® Labels Thirty-Three

MP1-001 Spellbinders^TM Media Mixage Ephemera Paper One

Other: handmade paper, hand painted paper towel (acrylic paint, matte medium, paint brush), pencil, adhesive, waxed linen thread, sewing needle, scissor, bead

Blog Hop: Pam Carriker's New Stamp Line

I am thrilled to be supporting my friend Pam Carriker by participating in this blog hop, the first ever hosted by Stampington & Company. Not only is Pam an outstanding artist, she is also the mastermind behind an ever-increasing line of art supplies. Today we are celebrating the release of her new cling mount stamp line, a collection that includes 23 stamps that range from grungy background to perfect portrait.

Pam herself kicked off this blog hop last week with her own step-by-step tutorial in this post on Somerset Place, Stampington & Company's blog. This week is my turn. But you are going to want to follow along in the coming weeks to see how Pam's stamps are used by Jen Cushman, Mary Beth Shaw, Dina Wakley, Traci Bautista, and Christen Olivarez, Stampington's Director of Publishing.

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Now onto the art...

I started with a piece of watercolor paper and created my background by adding layers of acrylic paint, acrylic glazes, and gesso. The layers were added in no particular order and continued until I felt that the painted background was complete. Today it took 9 layers and you can see the step-by-step process below.

Done. I was happy with how the piece looked so far and decided it was time for stamps. I started with Sketched Background and a black ink pad.

This is the perfect stamp for me as I knew I could use it to add both random marks on the surface as well as more deliberate marks around the edge of the piece. I always feel that "framing out" an artwork makes it look more complete. For that reason I also rubbed a black stamp pad around the edges of the paper as well. 

It is hard to see the stamping online with such a dark background but you can see it more clearly in this close-up detail.

I moved on to Pam's Columns of Dots stamp.

I love the grungy and random way the dots were created. This time I stamped using both a black ink pad and a metallic gold ink pad.

You can see in this close up detail that I also used a white gel pen to randomly add curved marks around some of the stamped circles. 

I went into my stash of alphabet stamps and found a set that had the perfect font and size for this piece. I used a black ink pad to stamp the words "take flight" and outlined the letters with a white gel pen to make them stand out from the dark background. I also drew a scratchy rectangle around the word "flight" using black, white and gold pens.

For my next step, I painted another piece of watercolor paper using the same process I described above. I used a bit of a different color palette and added metallic gold acrylic paint as my top layer.

I saved the best for last: Pam's I Will Soar wing stamps.

I stamped them onto the painted paper using a black ink pad. Once stamped, I cut out the wings using the edges of the stamped wings as a guide. I actually often think of wings as being one of those images that has been a bit overused in mixed media art. But I couldn't resist using Pam's wings. There is something very special about their design!

I added the wings to the piece, inserting small squares of book board between the substrate and the wings so that the wings were lifted off the piece, adding dimension and echoing the title of the artwork "Taking Flight."

Thanks Pam. These stamps are going to get a lot of use!

On the Pages of 'The Mixed-Media Artist'

The Mixed-Media Artist

My upcoming book, due to be released in October 2013, provides an intimate look into the hearts, souls, and creative processes of 44 inspiring artists.

Just some of what you will find on the pages of this book includes:

Q & A: Contributing artists share their creative perspective and intimate thoughts in response to a series of provocative questions relevant to being an artist today. 

Artwork: New artwork was created by every contributing artist in response to thought provoking prompts. Artists also provided a description of the meaning behind each of their pieces. Many contributors, including CW Slade whose work is presented here, created self portraits based on their choice of 1 of the following 3 prompts: My Shadow Side, The Face I Show the World, or The Woman/Man I'll never be.

Step-Outs: Many of the artists, such as Nathalie Nayer whose work is excerpted below, provided step-by-step instruction to show the process they undertook to complete the specific work that they contributed to the book.

Tips and Tricks: A number of the artists included their own special tips and tricks that are a big part of their creative process...and can be a part of yours as well.

Community Survey: The results of a survey posted on my blog and opened to the entire online, creative community are revealed in sidebars threaded throughout the entire book. No doubt many of you contributed responses.

Online Component: Given the limit of 144 pages and the generosity of the participating artists, I received much more content than could be published. As a result, links are provided within the book to  additional online content.

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The Mixed-Media Artist will be sold in stores and will ship from online shops in October. It is currently available by preorder at Amazon. Signed copies will also be sold through my blog as well.