Crafting With Style

Gearing Up for Encaustic

noreply@blogger.com (Carlyn Clark) — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 19:32:00 +0000

It's been too long since I've taken any studio art classes. All my focus has been on developing my print and pattern designs (see my progress at my new website.) But next week I'm taking a class on Encaustic with Caryl St. Ama at Glendale Community College sponsored by R & F Handmade Paints.

The word ‘encaustic’ comes from the Greek word enkaiein, meaning to burn in. Encaustic paint is wax-based using beeswax, resin and pigment. It's kept in a liquid state on a heated palette. After it's applied to an absorbent surface it's reheated so that the paint fuses (hence the use of the Greek word.) Not to be confused with the term ‘caustic,’ which refers to a corrosive chemical reaction - not at all what happens with encaustic.

Caryl St. Ama, "Home Turf", Encaustic and photo transfer on wood panel, 12" x 9", 2014

Caryl's work is inspiring me to gather bits of textiles and paper to embed in the wax. I'm really interested in the concept of using textiles to create art that I can then turn into textile prints.

TEXTILE>ART>TEXTILE

Maybe then I'll use the printed textile in a new encaustic. Sort of like looking at a mirror with a mirror, goes on forever.

My next challenge is to come up with new materials. Fortunately the paints are included in the cost of the workshop, so the most important thing I'll need are the supports. For this class I think I'll try a few different sizes and thicknesses to see what I like best (linking to the Amazon page so I can find them again...)

Ampersand Art Encausticbord - Cradled - 1.5" Profile - 12"x12"

Ampersand Encausticbord 11 in. x 14 in. 1 1/2 in. each

I'll also need natural bristle brushes, and don't want to ruin any good ones, so think I'll try Loew-Cornell 2-Inch Wood Handle Natural Bristle Gesso Brush or maybe this set of three Royal & Langnickel Large Area Artist Brush Set- Three Brown Camel Hair Brushes which would give me 1", 2" and 3".

That should get me started.....

Collaged Photo Display Box

noreply@blogger.com (Carlyn Clark) — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 00:04:00 +0000

As usual, I was stumped on the thought of a Christmas gift for my mom. Let's face it, when you get to a certain age you pretty much have every object you want, need or desire. I figured I could somehow use the photos I had from our summer travels. Having done endless photo albums, calendars, mouse pads etc. etc. etc., I wanted to find something new to do.

In the days before digital cameras, when you took a roll of film to the drive-thru photo processing shop, Mom always had a bowl on the coffee table where she'd toss all the photos. It was an un-edited, un-retouched, un-Photoshoped collection of life as it had happened. With that in mind, I decided to gather up all the ephemera I'd collected from our trip and collage it onto a box that I'd fill with photos. I did have to pick and choose the photos. By the time everyone added their pictures to the Flickr page there were over 3000. I cut back to 180, which fit nicely into the box I found.

Finished Photo Collage Box

I started out with an appropriately sized box that I found on Amazon:

I put a thin coat of gesso onto the outside of the box. (In retrospect, I would have painted the inside of the box black at this point. I think it would have been easier than doing it at the end.) I was really happy with the quality of the box. I didn't need to do any sanding either before or after the gesso coat. I used my standard go to cheap gesso - Windsor & Newton Acrylic White Gesso.

Box after priming with gesso

I decided to cover the whole box in maps to have a uniform background to glue all the little bits and pieces I'd collected on our travels. I used a map of Prague for the top, and Berlin for the bottom. This gave me a sort of "neutral" ground to work on and provided continuity. If I weren't such a pack rat, and hadn't collected such a large pile of ephemera I could have stopped here and been quite happy. I picked sections of the maps that had the location of where we stayed and the neighborhoods where we spent the most time. I used Mod Podge to glue it down. I didn't do a coat over the top of the maps - just used the Mod Podge like glue. (Acrylic gel would work fine as well, but it's more expensive, so I usually keep Mod Podge around for these crafty projects.)

Maps

Then I gathered my bits and pieces together and started to sort through them. I picked bits from our favorite restaurants, museums and gallery exhibits and added in train tickets and menu images. Obviously, I carry a big bag when I travel and constantly stuff it with the throwaways that cross my path. Anything that has any sort of interesting imagery I keep. (Like the sheet from the Czech Mucha postage stamps.)

travel ephemera

I cut everything up, glued it down and using a watered down acrylic painted little house symbols on the map to show where we stayed.

work in progress

back of the collaged box

one side of the box - Prague memorabilia on top, Berlin on the bottom

box with photos inside

side of the box

top of the box - memories of Prague

1952 Vintage Hankie

noreply@blogger.com (Carlyn Clark) — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 19:39:00 +0000

Looking through my bins of random fabric bits and pieces I came across this delightful little hankie that had belonged to my grandmother. I immediately posted it for sale on Ebay, not thinking much about it until I looked at it closely as I was folding it up for packaging.

1952 Calendar Hankie

At first I didn't think too much of it, but as I looked more closely it has some wonderful little designs.

1952 Hankie, detail of January through March

There are little graphics on holidays - like a champagne glass on New Year's. The Easter Bunny looks like he might be fleeing something.

1952 Hankie, detail of April through June

Around each month are illustrations that call back to the simpler times of 1952. The wedding illustrations for June shows a car with cans tied to the back heading to Niagara Falls. No pricey destination weddings involving families traveling en masse to St. Bart's back then! Flag day is noted as a holiday. Do we even celebrate that anymore? And Father's Day has a pipe. Definitely not how we think of Dad's today!

1952 Hankie, detail of July through September

The summer months feature the firecracker for the 4th of July, a mom and her child enjoying the beach and back to school at "State". Not quite certain what the symbol is for Labor Day.

1952 Hankie, detail of October through December

Holidays show Christopler Columbus' ship; a bat for Halloween; a turkey for Thanksgiving; what looks like maybe a plane for Veteran's Day (on a Tuesday - since this was before the days of 3 day weekend holidays); and a tree for Christmas. A pilgrim proudly displays the turkey he's shot as his wife runs joyfully toward him. And Santa is pulling a tree on a sled in addition to a bag of gifts. When did Santa stop bringing trees?

I'm so delighted with this hankie I'm regretting putting it up on Ebay (click on the Ebay link if you want to see it). Oh well, I'm sure whoever buys it will enjoy it as much as I have. Maybe I'll try to reprint it at Spoonflower.

Freeform Crochet Tutorials & Books

noreply@blogger.com (Carlyn Clark) — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 20:32:00 +0000

Photo from Sylvia Cosh::James Walters Crochet

Sylvia Cosh & James Walters have what I think is the most comprehensive selection of downloadable worksheets on Freeform Crochet Techniques. They've got downloads with both "English" and "American" translations of crochet terminology for each worksheet. The last sheet was posted in 2007, so it looks like this is they'll be posting. Reading through the list , it sounds like the syllabus for a complete course in Freeform Crochet.

1: Choosing Yarn & Hook
2: Terms/Abbreviations/Symbols
3: Crochet Stitch Reference – the Basics
4: Colour and the Colour 'Wheel'
5: Grey, Stone, Brown, Beige, Ochre & 'Natural' Colours
6: Colour Schemes
7: 'Scrumbling'
8: 'Crochet Circles' Fabric
9: Organic Crochet Patchwork
10: Spiral Scrumble
11: Square Scrumbling
12: 'Bosnian' Scrumbling
13: Bosnian Crochet – Neckpurse (simple project)
14: 'Tunisian/Afghan' Scrumbling
15: Openwork Scrumbling
16: Raised Square & Roundels (stitch patterns)
17: Raised Flower Hexagon & 'Lazy Wheel' (stitch patterns)
18: Intermeshing – Double Filet Basics
19: Intermeshing – Double Filet Neckpurse (simple project)
20: Spinnerama (Solomon's Knot Hanging Fabric)
21: Tote Bag Project
22: Simple Rounds and Spirals
23: Keeping Edges Straight
24: 'Flying' Stitches I'm a huge fan of James Walters & Sylvia Cosh through which I've collected over the years. I'd say "The Crochet Workbook" is the book I turn to the most when starting a freeform project. I wasn't able to find it at any local bookstores, but of course Amazon's got it.

The Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap

noreply@blogger.com (Carlyn Clark) — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 22:05:00 +0000

I joined! I've stitched my card and it's in the press getting nice and flat. The theme is "Celebrate" and my card celebrates the postcards I've received from all over the world, and the circuitous paths they've traveled.

Stitched Postage Postcard

And the postcard I received, from Stephanie Campbell of Leeds, UK.

"Celebrate" Postcard from Stephanie Campbell

My Favorite Free Patterns to Knit or Crochet Scarves, Shawls and Cowls

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 17:16:00 +0000

I'm always looking for something lightweight that's easy to toss on and not think too much about. This cowl uses 3 balls (each a different color) of Classic Elite Yarn's Silky Alpaca Lace in an easy to follow pattern knit up on US8 needles. The pattern is designed by Cheryl Olson of Unwind. The yarn comes in both solids and Handpaints. Think I'll try mixing them both.

Classic Elite's Classic Silk Yarn is used in this skinny scarf designed by Talitha Kuomi. It knits up quickly, with just 13 stitches per row and only requires 1 ball of yarn, knit on US9 needles. Download the pattern here.

Liberate Your Art 2013 Postcard Swap

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Sat, 04 May 2013 18:32:00 +0000

Kat Sloma again hosted the Liberate Your Art Swap this year. "The swap encourages you to create, share and liberate your art into the world where it can do it's greatest good". Kat reports that 1290 pieces of art were liberated this year.

I've been using postcards as a format for making art but hadn't taken a photo of a piece of my work and then turned it into a postcard. I used Zazzle and was really happy with the quality and turnaround time.

magnetisedbylife posted this photo after receiving my card

I love this photo taken by one of the recipients of my card.

Here are the cards I received:

from Jane

from Lynne, Pennsylvania/USA

"Spirit Navigator" by Terry Garrett

"Adorned and Alone" by Kat Sloma

from Mary Underwood

a page from the Sketchbook Project Journal by Tracy Delisle

State Map Postcards

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 23:28:00 +0000

State Map Postcards Received as of April 9, 2014

US Map made out of State Map Postcards

Missing States: AR,CT,DE,ID,KS,ME,MD,MS,ND,NE,NV,NH,NJ,RI,SC,WA,WV, WY

State Map Postcards Received as of July 7, 2013

State Map Postcards Received as of June 5, 2013

State Map Postcards Received as of May 8, 2013

State Map Postcards Received as of May 6, 2013

State Map Postcards Received as of May 4, 2013

State Map Postcards Received as of April 9, 2013

State Map Postcards Received as of April 8, 2013

State Map Postcards Received as of April 5, 2013

State Map Postcards Received as of April 1, 2013

Individual State Map Postcards I've received:

Alaska State Map Postcard received May 4, 2013

Alabama State Map Postcard received July 2, 2013

Arizona State Map Postcard received May 4, 2013

California State Map Postcard received April 5, 2013

Colorado State Map Postcard received May 4, 2013

Florida State Map Postcard received April 1, 2013

Georgia State Map Postcard received May 4, 2013

Hawaii State Map Postcard received April 8, 2013

Iowa State Map Postcard received April 9, 2013

Illinois State Map Postcard received May 4, 2013

Indiana State Map Postcard received May 4, 2013

Kentucky State Map Postcard received May 4, 2013

Lousiana State Map Postcard received May 4, 2013

Massachusetts State Map Postcard received May 4, 2013

Michigan State Map Postcard received April 8, 2013

Minnesota State Map Postcard received April 8, 2013

Montana State Map Postcard received April 1, 2013

New York State Map Postcard received April 8, 2013

North Carolina State Map Postcard received April 8, 2013

Ohio State Map Postcard received April 5, 2013

Oklahoma State Map Postcard received May 6, 2013

Pennsylvania State Map Postcard received April 8, 2013

South Dakota State Map Postcard received May 4, 2013

Texas State Map Postcard received June, 2013

Vermont State Map Postcard received April 1, 2013

Virginia State Map Postcard received April 8, 2013

Virginia State Map Postcard received April 5, 2013

Wisconsin State Map Postcard received June 15, 2013

US Postcards I've Received

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:59:00 +0000

A list of postcards I've received from the U.S:

International Postcards I've received

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:41:00 +0000

Swap-bot exchange from Dada in Kowagoenishi Japan

A chart of postcards I've received from around the world.

My Favorite Free Knit and Crochet Patterns for Blankets

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:59:00 +0000

Blackberry Stripe Baby Blanket is worked using 7 colors of Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (1449 total yards). It's based on an easy to learn Bobble Stitch, and links to a how-to video if the stitch is new to you. For the blanket pictured she used 7 different colors of yarn and randomly grabbed a different skein for each row.

Great blanket made up of 24 squares using self-striping sock yarn. Calls for 750 grams of yarn & US 4 needle for a gauge of 23 sts x 46 rows in garter st = 10 x 10 cm / 4'' x 4''. Click on the picture to go to the pattern.

Happy Colors Blanket is crocheted following a free tutorial on the Just-do blog.

A cheerful crocheted blanket, Orange Blossom mixes stripes and flowers in warm summer colors using an H hook and a gauge of 14 dc x 8 rows = 10 x 10 cm / 4'' x 4''.

One of my all time favorite designers, Kaffe Fassett, has posted free instructions to make this patchwork knit

blanket, the Jubilee Throw, using Rowan Felted Tweed DK. It's a very extensive free pattern, written in several languages. But when you scroll to the end it has charts for each of the squares, any one of which could make an interesting cushion or bag.

"An African Adventure", created by Horst Schulz. It'a on Ravelry so there are lots of different versions for inspiration.

Postcard Art

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:20:00 +0000

ATC's are feeling a bit small, and I can't carry around 3' masonite boards so I'm making postcard sized pieces that I can send out.

The first postcard I'm sending out:

2013-1. Gesso'd found postcard with acrylic paint, soft pastels, tissue paper and varnish. 7" x 5"

It's going to be part of a collaborative Zine project, The Missive Survival Zine. From her blog: "At least a portion of absolutely EVERYTHING sent to the address below between Jan 15, 2013 and April 15, 2013 will be compiled into a zine titled Missive Survival. All who have contributed anything (a letter, a poem, a drawing, a postcard, anything) will receive a copy of the collaboration in the mail by May 2013." Check her blog for the address.

The second card in this series was done using the same basic process. I built up several coats of different colors of acrylic paint, then shaded in with chalk pastel, then created a grid with gel (so it's raised a bit from the layers below.) I covered a piece of tissue with gel and laid it on top to keep the pastel from smearing. Finally I drew on top with pen & ink.

2013-2: Gesso'd found postcard with acrylic paint, soft pastels, tissue paper and varnish. 7" x 5"

The third card in the series uses the same basic techniques as above but I cut holes in the tissue before laying it down to reveal diffferent colors from beneath. There's a total of 3 layers of tissue, which reads as one layer in the end.

2013-3: Gesso'd found postcard with acrylic paint, soft pastels, tissue paper and varnish. 7" x 5"

These two cards were done for the Swap-Bot Profile Based Postcard Swap - Canada/USA. My swapping partner indicated a delight in vintage photos and glittery things. I used photos I found somewhere and a book page from CG Jung's "Man and His Symbols". It happens to be a page talking about the use and influence of collage specifically that of Kurt Schwitters. Seemed appropriate....

2013-4: Acrylic paint, gel, gesso and paint pen with found images on paper

2013-5: Acrylic paint, gesso, gel and paint pen on a book page.

2013-6: Ink and marker on card stock

2013-7: Ink and marker on card stock

2013-8: Acrylic, ink and liquid embossing on card stock

2013-9: Fabric, postage stamps, envelopes, thread on card stock

Postcard Swapping Opportunities

noreply@blogger.com (Carlyn Clark) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Having amassed a good sized box of postcards I've picked-up while traveling and collected on Swap-bot I thought I'd see what else was out there.

Send a postcard & help save a post office!This post office in Rupert, VT is owned by artist Jane Davies. It's hours have been cut & with the uncertain state of the USPS it's future could be in jeopardy. Jane writes on her blog: " The postal service will review the activity at our post office annually, and decide what to do with it: restore the "normal" hours, close it, cut back the hours even more, etc. The two things that make a difference to The Postal Powers That Be are (A) revenue, the amount of money the PO brings in via stamp sales and package shipping, and (B) - and this is where you come in - the VOLUME of mail that it handles."

If you send her a card she'll send you one back. Check out her blog posting for more info.

SWAP-BOT always has a few going, and they've generally pretty specific. Example - just signed up for one that's called "Museum Postcard Swap", with the description "For this swap you'll send your partner a postcard from a museum. It can be any kind of museum, but the postcard must be store-bought."

Sometimes they can be a bit too specific, and when you add in your individual swappers sometimes (at least to me) obsessive wishes, likes & dislikes it can be sort of a hassle to figure out. There seems to be a consistent disinterest in handmade cards, which are my favorite, so I've gone searching for other/additional options.

POSTCROSSING is probably the best known with the largest number of participants. It's pretty straightforward. Send some. Get some back. The interface is easy. So far I've sent 15 and received 12 back. No problems as yet.

I've received some I'm especially partial to:

from Kel Hardy in Montgomery, Alabama (handmade)

and

from Minna in Outokumpu, Finland (from her mother-in-law's photo stash)

Kate Edith Gough (English, 1856-1948)

Matt sent me this interesting card from Art Institute Chicago. He explains that it's from a Victorian Photocollage show he saw a few years ago. "In those days, it was thought unseemly for women to attend art school or dirty themselves with oil paint, so for many women their only artistic expression came from making collages of their family photos at home."

It's a great card with a really nice message, which shouldn't be surprising as I see that Matt is "18^th on most postcards sent from United States of America" on Postcrossing.

He's inspired me to emulate his messaging style. It was both personal & informative. I feel really lucky to have it in my collection.

Kat Sloma has set up a "LIBERATE YOUR ART 2013" swap. Send 5 postcards printed with your art by April 6 and receive 6 postcards back. There's also a facebook page for the event. I'm having fun figuring out what image to use.

When I googled postcard swap this cheerful fellow popped up with the appropriately titled website CANYOUSENDMEAPOSTCARD.COM. So far he's received 756 postcards. I'll definitely be sending one just as soon as they come back from the printer.

Searching Tumblr for postcard swap turns up a few options as well. Need more time to sort through what they all involve.

There are a few Facebook pages for swapping: Postcard Exchange is the only one I've had time to look at. Need to spend a bit more time on it. The other pages need more review before I can put them up here. Time, time, time.....

I just found a set of 100 Pantone postcards on Amazon for about $13. Not sure if I'm more interested in having a cheap way to have 100 pantone colors to play with, or the option of using the postcards as a base for my own art.
Either way, it's cheap enough to give it a try.

Finally, if anyone's interested in swapping directly with me I've got this postcard I designed & had printed available to send out

Email me your address and I'll send a card out to you.

Where to Have Postcards Printed

noreply@blogger.com (Carlyn Clark) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 02:30:00 +0000

I've started sending cards through Postcrossings but can't find any for my own little town so decided to create my own. This led me to the dilemma of how to have them printed.

My first try was to go to my local drugstore & print 4 x 6 photos & then glue a back to them.

This was very cheap and relatively painless for the 6 I wanted to send out right away. But the gluing is sort of a hassle so I thought I'd try out online printing services. That's when the confusion began. There are lots of options. It's hard to compare prices as each has slightly different options, and none show the shipping charges until the end (which I find extremely annoying.)

I ended up doing a test with OverNightPrints.com. Total charge was $44.50. I got 100 cards, 4 x 6" and chose the Premium option (done on an offset press, as opposed to the Value cards done on a digital press). I found a coupon code (PCDISC) and got a $6 discount. They're printed on 15 pt stock, color front, black & white back with a glossy front that's uv coated. I also ordered a pack of sample cards which came very quickly and give a really good idea of what the options are. I heartily recommend requesting them. The printed card arrived as promised, though it did take quite a bit longer than Zazzle. I'm happy with the weight of the stock & I like the glossy finish on the front. The cutting is clean and consistent, though some of the cards have a worn appearance on some of the edges. The color is not as vivid and the contrast not as strong as on the photos I printed using the same files. All in all I'm happy with the product and would order postcards, and other printed items from them in the future.

I wanted to get just a few cards for the Liberate Your Art 2013 swap. Since I just needed a few I decided to try Zazzle. The cards arrived today & I'm very pleased. The process was easy. They shipped very quickly. The quality is great. I ended up paying $7.04 for 8 cards (with a 15% discount for President's Day sale and free freight for trying the Zazzle Black program free for 30 days.) I used a close-up of a painting for the card. Excellent result. I definitely recommend them for small runs.

Postcard: Mixed Media Painting, 2012

Postcard: Lijiang, China, 2010

This all started with an assignment in my Photoshop class to create a postcard. I chose to use photos I'd taken on a trip to Lijiang, China which seemed to best fulfill the many requirements of the assignment.

Back to the topic at hand. Here are other sites I researched:

Moo. More expensive, but looks like the quality might be a bit better as they use 16 pt stock. They do runs as small as 20 cards ($19.95), but 120 cards w/shipping is $109.73.

VistaPrint. They're priced similarly to OverNightPrints, but I didn't like their size (5.47 x 4.21) and I'd already done 4 x 6 artwork.

GotPrint. Smallest quantity is 100. 14 pt gloss stock with uv coating printed color on the front & black & white on the back is $27 plus freight of $9.76. The price was so close I thought I'd go with better paper & offset printing)

lets you print just one card at a time. ($1.39 per card, with discounts starting at 9 cards. Plus shipping is fairly priced at $1 for up to 3 cards, and $2.50 for 4-10 cards.) It's by far the easiest to use design-wise. They've got lots of templates and you can use up to 4 photos on a single card.

If you want to create your own postcards individually these are a good option from Amazon.
Cover It Blank Postcards - 4 x 6 inches - Pack of 50

You get 50 blank postcards for a little over $12. They're blank on the front and have all the pertinent info on the back, which makes them a good option if you want to do original artwork. Which you could then scan or photograph and then have multiples printed at one of the sites above.

I've created a couple of generic templates for postcard backs that you can upload & paste onto the back of photos for a quick solution.

Please feel free to add info to the comments section if you have experiences or other sites to recommend.

List of Paper Sizes (in inches and millimeters)

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 19:19:00 +0000

Size	Height x Width (mm)	Height x Width (in)
4A0	2378 x 1682 mm	93.6 x 66.2 in
2A0	1682 x 1189 mm	66.2 x 46.8 in
A0	1189 x 841 mm	46.8 x 33.1 in
A1	841 x 594 mm	33.1 x 23.4 in
A2	594 x 420 mm	23.4 x 16.5 in
A3	420 x 297 mm	16.5 x 11.7 in
A4	297 x 210 mm	11.7 x 8.3 in
A5	210 x 148 mm	8.3 x 5.8 in
A6	148 x 105 mm	5.8 x 4.1 in
A7	105 x 74 mm	4.1 x. 2.9 in
A8	74 x 52 mm	2.9 x 2.0 in
A9	52 x 37 mm	2.0 x 1.5 in
A10	37 x 26 mm	1.5 x 1.0 in

My Favorite Free Hat Patterns to Knit or Crochet

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 21:13:00 +0000

A list, with photos, of my favorite free patterns to knit or crochet hats.There are so many lists of free knit and crochet patterns out there, but they usually don't have photos. So here's a quick list of what I think are the best free patterns out there. Leave me a message below with a link to your favorite if you'd like to add it here.

Easy Slouchy Hat

This is the hat I've knit the most. It can be finished in an afternoon and using variegated yarns make it look much more complicated than it actually is. The pattern is available as a free Ravelry download. It's shown here in Twisted Sister Jazz yarn. I used two colors (60 & 69) and alternated with two rows of each color throughout the hat. I've also seen it knit up in Blue Sky Alpaca Organic Cotton (if you're on Ravelry you can see a photo here), Malabrigo Rios (Ravelry photo here), Debbie Bliss Andes Alpaca Silk (Ravelry photo here).

La Parisenne

I love the zigazaggy stripes of this one. the pattern calls for a yarn called SockPixie Sock yarn. The free knitting pattern for this beret can be downloaded here.It appears to be knit with an artisan dyed yarn that isn't available currently. I of course will go to one of my favorite yarns for striping, Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn or Noro Silk Garden Sock Green/Aqua/Brown.

Undergrowth Hat on Knitty

I love Knitty. But I even find it frustrating. Entering a search for "hat" brings up a list with no pictures. And of all the hats on the site, Undergrowth is the one I want to remember. (Download for Undergrowth Free Knit Hat Pattern is here.) It calls for 1 skein in each of two colors of Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport (colors pictured are #103 Deep Sea & #N003 Grey Heather.)

Tortora Hat on Knitty

Bobbles are one of my favorite stitches. Another Knitty option (free download for the knitting pattern is here), this knit hat mixes bobbles and stripes in an interesting way. It calls for 1 skein of Lana Grossa Alta Moda Alpaca Yarn and has versions for both a typical beanie and a slouchy toque.

Hatticus by Susanna Celso

A great cable pattern knit out of a bulky yarn, the Hatticus knit hat by Susanna Celso is available as a free download on Ravelry with notes on her blog. It's shown here in Cascade Magnum, requiring about 80 yards according to her notes.

Lollipop Hat by Brittany Tyler

This is a fun hat that looks like it will be fun to knit. The instructions, available to download from the Tangled webzine, say it can be knit in up to 8 different colored stripes, making it a good project for using up leftover bits.

Free Pattern: Sugar Cone Skully Hat. Uses worsted weight yarn. Looks as though it will be quick and easy to make.

Norwich is a slouchy stockinette cap worked in the round, with a simple rolled brim using 2 balls of Berroco Floret.

Favorite Free Knit and Crochet Patterns for Bags

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 19:11:00 +0000

There are so many free patterns to available that I find it a bit overwhelming to choose, or to keep track of the ones I might want to make someday. There are sites that list free patterns, but they only list the name, not a photo of the piece. Even Ravelry can get overwhelming. So I'm going to start linking to favorites of mine, with pictures. Hopefully someday I'll be able to include my own photo of each of the items....

"Sunburst Granny Bag" by Rajeswari on her blog diapermum is a fresh colorful take on a summer bag. It's got a very thorough tutorial and a link to instructions on making the sunburst square.

Hexagon Beach Bag in Sugar'n Cream

Made out of Lily Sugar'n Cream this brightly colored crocheted beach bag (the body measures 15" x 17") requires just 15 motifs.And at just under $2.50 a ball, the whole bag is only $20. Seems like a perfect summer project! Get the free pattern in .pdf format here from the Lily website.

Materials needed:
Lily® Sugar’n Cream® (70.9 g/2.5 oz; 109 m/120 yds)
Contrast A
Red (00095) 60 m/66 yds or 1 ball
Contrast B
Hot Orange (01628) 65 m/71 yds or 1 ball
Contrast C
Yellow (00010) 90 m/100 yds or 1 ball
Contrast D
Hot Green (01712) 95 m/105 yds or 1 ball
Contrast E
Light Blue(00026) 200 m/220 yds or 2 balls
Contrast F
Mod Blue (01111) 215 m/236 yds or 2 balls

Size 4 mm (U.S. G or 6) crochet hook or size needed to obtain gauge. Optional: Fabric for lining approx 18” x 36” [45.5 x 91.5 cm].

"Staghorn" Cabled Purse in Sugar'n Cream

This knit bag with a large cable stitch repeat reminds me of the Margaret Nicole Bags that I've seen in Vogue & Elle and that are $150 to $200! This one is 18" x 10". You could easily substitute either the straight or round handles that Margaret Nicole uses and add a big satin ribbon. And with only 4 balls of yarn needed, it will only be about $10 for the yarn plus a few dollars for the handles. Download a .pdf of the pattern here from the Lily website.

Materials needed:
Lily® Sugar’n Cream® (70.9 g/2.5 oz; 109 m/120 yds)
Ecru (00004) 345 m/375 yds or 4 balls
Size 4.5 mm (U.S. 7) knitting needles or size
needed to obtain gauge. Cable needle.
2 leather purse handles 24” [61 cm] longas shown in the picture. Or substitute Round Bamboo Handles

Inga's Bag

Another great crocheted bag. It's the same square that's used in the Babette Blanket. Which gives you something to do with the squares you've already made but have come to realize you'll never get enough done for the whole blanket.....
Download the pdf for the bag here.

The bag is shown here in a cotton yarn from the UK called Anchor Magicline. It's essentially the same as Lily® Sugar’n Cream, which also comes in a variegated blue that would look very much like the Magicline.

Stripey Noro Messenger Bag

I can't think of anything I've seen in Noro that I don't love, but this striped knit bag is pretty terrific. Striped knitting is so much fun with Noro yarns. I always work through it very quickly because I'm so excited to see what happens next with the yarn. And the shape and size of this bag are just what I like, big, but not huge. Designer Deborah Cooke talks about it in a blog post, and the pattern is available to download on Ravelry.

It calls for 3 skeins of Noro Kureyon and 3 skeins of Patons Classic Wool Yarn.

The Simply Lovely Clutch

Seattle Yarn features another Noro Yarn, Tidiori, in this quick to make knit entrelac clutch. The relatively small size, 8" x 5" make this bag a great way to ease into learnign to knit entrelac. Tidiori was discontinued in Spring 2007, but Noro Silk Garden would make an excellent substitute. the pattern is available as a free pdf download on their website.

I'm intrigued by both the unusual shapes of this

crocheted bag. A free download on the Interweave

site, the bag is crocheted with 4 different colors of Rowan Cotton Glace: Heather #828 , Shoot # 814 , Sky #749 and Persimmon #832 . (The pattern calls for Pier Blue which has been discontinued, but Sky is a very close shade.) You'll need 1 ball of each.

A cheerful summery bag to crochet is available on the Drops Design site. The Sicily bag calls for size 3.5 mm/E/4 (or size needed) to get 17 dc = width 10 cm / 4''. 1 square = approx. 10 x 10 cm / 4'' x 4''.

How to Make Your Own Gesso

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:13:00 +0000

I've become quite enamored with Gesso lately. I started using it on my Art Journal pages and discovered that it gives a much better surface for mixed media and keeps the paint from bleeding through the back side of the page. I like the Liquitex brand best, but it gets a bit expensive since I like to slather it on with a credit card pretty thickly.The best price I've found is on Amazon:

Meanwhile, I'm going to research and experiment with making my own gesso to try to save some money.

Historically, gesso was made by mixing calcium carbonate, gypsum, and/or chalk with glue. When applied to wood, it hardens to a bright white and can be used as both a primer and a material for sculpting (like the raising, decorative work on frames). In Renaissance times gesso was used as a ground for tempera paint. On furniture and decorative moldings it can be built up and carved into. Historically, gold leaf was applied to wood that had been coated with a layer of gesso.

Modern gesso follows the same principles, but adds acrylic polymer and chemicals to maintain flexibility.

Calcium Carbonate is a chemical compound (formula CaCO3) that is commonly found in rocks all over the world. It is the main component of seashells, snail shells, pearls and eggshells. It's the active ingredient in agricultural lime & is the primary cause of hard water (it's the hard white stuff that builds up on your bath fixtures). It's also what used in calcium supplements & as an antacid, but taking too much can be hazardous. Easier than grinding up rocks and shells, Plaster of Paris (the result of calcination of gypsum) can be used. Chalk can also be used, but the "real" kind, not the synthetic stuff you buy at a school supply store.

I've found that whatever gesso I use, it's really hard on brushes. I use a really cheap brush that I only use for gesso application, and don't expect it to last very long.

MAKING YOUR OWN GESSO:

There is lots of research on historical methods of making gesso. The product we buy today is a modern version of the original.

METHOD #1: (Plaster of Paris and Glue)

1. Slake your plaster of Paris by mixing together 1 part plaster of Paris and 4 parts water. Let the mixture sit until the plaster settles to the bottom. Then pour off the water and mix again. Repeat this process three times. The plaster reacts with the water. If the mixture gets warmer than when you started, repeat the process. If it appears to be the same temperature as when you started, then your plaster is slaked.

2. Scoop out the plaster of Paris and let it dry completely. Break up any clumps that appear (they may have pockets of moisture). Use a standard kitchen cheese grater and grind it into a fine powder.

3. Mix three parts of the slaked plaster of Paris to 1 part white glue. Add several drops of honey to every tablespoon or so of this mixture. Mix thoroughly and pound out any lumps. Your mixture should have the consistency of pancake batter. The gesso is now ready to use.

4. If you want to color your gesso, mix in a coloring agent. Watercolors, gouache oR acrylics all work well, are fairly inexpensive and easily acquired.

Store your gesso in an airtight container. Add a little water if the gesso becomes too dry. When applying gesso never put your brush directly into the storage container. Always pour out what you need and discard what you don't use. Gesso is easily contaminated and the whole jar can easily become a stinky, rotten mess.

Plaster of Paris is available at most art/craft shops or by mail from Amazon.

METHOD #2 (Dextrin Powder, Plaster and Glue)

1. Mix together 1 cup of dextrin powder (you can order Dextrin / Fine Yellow Powder / 2 Ounces / 100% Pure / Food Grade / SHIPS FAST FROM USA online) and 1 tbsp. of hot (minimum 110 degrees F) water in a mixing bowl. (Yellow dextrin is a glue product, not to be confused with white dextrin which is a food additive that's used as a binder to hold things together. Then there's malto-dextrin which is yet another food additive. But it's yellow dextrin that you want for gesso.)

2. Add 1 tsp. of the dextrin solution and 1 tsp. of standard white craft glue in a separate mixing bowl and stir. Add 1 tbsp. of patching plaster and mix well. This makes a fairly thick paste, suitable for making raised decorative shapes on frames etc. The paste should be pretty stiff but still viscous enough to pass through a 1/4-inch pastry tip. Scoop the gesso paste in a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch diameter pastry tip. Apply the paste as needed and allow 2 hours for it to dry.

3. To use the gesso for priming canvas or paper for painting or mixed media work, add 1/4 cup of hot water and mix well.

Store your gesso in an airtight container. Add a little water if the gesso becomes too dry. When applying gesso never put your brush directly into the storage container. Always pour out what you need and discard what you don't use. Gesso is easily contaminated and the whole jar can easily become a stinky, rotten mess.

METHOD # 3 Chalk & Glue

Follow Method # 1 instructions substituting chalk for the grated plaster. I'm lucky to have a rock-climber in the family, so I can dig into his Black Diamond Loose Chalk 300g BD5504950000ALL1 bag. It's pretty cheap, and easier to use than making plaster, drying it & grating it. Calcium Carbonate - 1 lb. is technically what was used historically. It's a little more than $6 a pound.

METHOD #4 A Modern Adaptation of Cennino Cennini's Recipe
Tom Irizarry has written an interesting article on adapting ancient recipes to modern times can be found here. It also has a good bibliography for further study.

I'll continue to update with resources. Please add comments with your own research and relevant links.

Upcycled Vespa: Using Glass Tile Mosaics to Make a Garden Planter

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Sun, 27 May 2012 18:58:00 +0000

Mosaic Planter upcyled from a Vespa

Brilliant! An old vespa covered with mosaic tile & turned into a garden planter. According to the blog post by the crew at Enfrente Arte, a small hotel and production collective in Ronda, Spain they got the non-working Vespa from a neighbor and covered it with glass tiles left over from earlier construction projects. The hotel is decorated with upcycled furniture and decor made from all sorts of found objects that have been artfully repurposed. Looks like a very charming hotel that mixes old and new in a beautiful setting.

How to Create a Grid in Photoshop

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:05:00 +0000

I wanted to make a grid to lay up 32 cm (1.25") squares with a space of 1 cm between each square. The Photoshop Help was no help, so here's what I figured out to do in Photoshop (this assumes you know the basics about Photoshop as I haven't gone into complete detail):

After much trial and error, and being decidedly mathematically challenged, I created a new document 35 mm by 35 mm. (to get about 1 cm of space betweeen the squares)
I went to: Select » All
I chose Edit » Stroke. For Stroke, I entered a value of 1 px; in the Color box I chose black, because I wanted to be able to easily see the gridlines. For Location I chose Center, then clicked OK. I then created a second line using the rectangular marquee tool to create a marquee 1 cm inside the edge & again Edit » Stroke (using all the same selections in the dialog box.)
I chose Edit » Define Pattern and named it 35 cm grid, then clicked OK.
I created another file that's 8 1/2 x 11 and 300 dpi.
I created a New Layer.
I went to Edit » Fill, chose Pattern, then chose my pattern. (Under Blending the Mode is Normal and Opacity is 100%)
I then manually centered the image on the page.
Choose File » Print. I got a notice that the image is larger than the paper, but it doesn't matter how it crops since the image is centered on the page.

If you'd like to just use the grid I made, here's a .pdf file of the 8 1/2 x 11 sheet.

Loteria ATC's

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:56:00 +0000

I've just started making, trading and collecting Artist Trading Cards inspired by the Mexican Game Loteria.

I'm just playing around with different ideas now, heading toward creating a deck of my own one day. Until then, here are the cards I've made, and traded so far. I've used scans from the original deck I've had for years.

Loteria ATC: #6 La Sirena


Loteria ATC: #7 La Escalera

Loteria ATC: #41 La Rosa

And here are photos of cards I've received from artists:

47-La Corona. Received from Belinda Shields, 4-18-12

If anyone's interested in trading please leave me a message below

Free e-book on Copyright Issues for Artists

noreply@blogger.com (Carlyn Clark) — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:33:00 +0000

Interweave Press has recently posted a free e-book titled "Know Your Rights: Copyright 101 for Artists".

image is from the Interweave Press website

(According to my reading of the book I can use the photo above, from their website, since I credited them, plus I don't profit in any way from using it. Hopefully, I'm interpreting it correctly....)

The relatively short (11 pages) pdf file uses a q & a format and covers, an an understandable and not-too-legalese way, the issues around copyright as it applies to artists, knitters and designers. Seems like a good thing to have on your computer to refer to when questions arise.

The Sketchbook Project 2012

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Thu, 10 May 2012 15:30:00 +0000

My sketchbook arrived today from Art House Co-op. It's a 32 page, 5.25" x 7.25" book that I'll fill up and mail off to the Brooklyn Art Library as part of their project. For info on participating in the project, or going to visit one of the sites on the World Tour visit their website. You can also sign up to partipate in the 2013 Project and look into joining one of the other group projects they've got in work.

blank Sketchbook

I nicked the photo from their website since I've already got mine in the press trying to dry the first page flat.

I finished it by the deadline!

Here's a slideshow of the images:

And here are individual images:

Although I've been making sketchbooks and journals for personal viewing for a while now I found myself paralyzed when I considered the possibility that someone might actually look at what I've done.

maybe it's the book format I fear

the paper itself is a bit intimidating

it could be myself I fear. alone. isolated. and certainly morbidly afraid of being egotistical.

things should be in balance

sometimes you've got nothing. and then you've got too much paint on the paper to do anything about.

sometimes you're inspired by things you haven't seen yet

quickly filling space

sometimes when you repeat something you don't really like it gets better. sometimes not so much

decorative flowers always area good space filler

when a particular material or technique doesn't end up quite right do more of it

fear of criticism. something sparkly and shiny is distracting

yellow can be very disturbing

disorder can be quite disorienting

Although I've been making sketchbooks and journals for personal viewing for a while now I found myself paralyzed when I considered the possibility that someone might actually look at what I've done. Having decided to "face my fears" in the sketchbook, I ended up (as with just about everything in my life) with some pages I love, some I hate and some I'm indifferent towards. I did however, based on this process decide to take some classes at my local community college and further face my fears.

Quotations By and About Artists

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:22:00 +0000

Random quotes about art. They may or may not be exact.. When I can, I'll note the source.

“Sculpture is something you bump into when you back up to look at a painting.” Ad Reinhardt

“The world doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?” Pablo Picasso

"My art becomes a way of telling myself the questions I am dealing with in my life, a means of self-reflection... That is a big issue in art--the issue of content versus not necessarily the form, but something to do with the realization of a self-fulfilled form which conveys aesthetic feeling." Barbara T. Smith, in Nancy Buchanan, "Barbara Smith:Communication/Communion, the Portrait Review," Monogram 5 (June 1976)

"We are always innocent, unless, from laziness or for convenience, we decide to overlook the novelty of the moment, this particular now." Brian Eno, May 1987 (printed in "Opal Information #5)

“No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be a great artist.” Oscar Wilde

“In art as in love, instinct is enough. ” Anatole France

“Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.” René Magritte

“A painting in a museum hears more ridiculous opinions than anything else in the world.” Edmond De Goncourt

“All artists are willing to suffer for their work. But why are so few prepared to learn to draw?”  Banksy

"Inside you there's an artist you don't know about. He's not interested in how things look different in moonlight. " Auguste Rodin

“I have forced myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste.” Marcel Duchamp

“The business of art lies just in this, -- to make that understood and felt which, in the form of an argument, might be incomprehensible and inaccessible.” Leo Tolstoy in What is Art?

"Painting is stronger than I am. It makes me do what it wants." Pablo Picasso

“Art is, after all, only a trace – like a footprint which shows that one has walked bravely and in great happiness.” Robert Henri

“What you see is what you see.” Frank Stella

“Works of art, in my opinion, are the only objects in the material universe to possess internal order, and that is why, though I don't believe that only art matters, I do believe in Art for Art's sake.” E.M. Forster

“To be an artist means never to avert one's eyes.” Akira Kurosawa

"I love black, but the best blacks with the most meaning can only be done in full light of day--noontime blacks. Dark vision demands its own clarity. I am never agitated in executing forms, but travel rather as if the terrain of the paper was land-mined. When this journey is completed, a drawing is born." Rico Lebrun, "Notes on Drawing," in Rico Lebrun: Drawings (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1961), p. 23

“I don't paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality.” Frida Kahlo

“It is through art, and through art only, that we can realise our perfection.” Oscar Wilde

“The object isn't to make art, it's to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable.” Robert Henri

“Art is science made clear.” Jean Cocteau

"With Vishnu and Brahma, Shiva is part of the trinity of the Hindu universe and represents the male principle. While he is essentially a passive, self-contained figure, Shiva also embodies the processes of destruction and regeneration; his title as lord of the lingam is but one indication of his potency and capacity for creation and rebirth. Shakti, his consort is female and active. She represents desire, movement, and change and upholds the cosmos through "vibration". Julian Cox, "Intimate Visions," in Spirit into Matter: The Photographs of Edmund Teske (Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2004), p. 24.

“If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.”  Edward Hopper

“What was any art but a mold to imprison for a moment the shining elusive element which is life itself- life hurrying past us and running away, to strong to stop, too sweet to lose.” Willa Cather

“Art is a selective re-creation of reality according to an artists metaphysical value judgments.” Ayn Rand in The Fountainhead

“An artist is someone who produces things that people don't need to have but that he - for some reason - thinks it would be a good idea to give them.” Andy Warhol

“A work of art has no importance whatever to society. It is only important to the individual. ” Vladimir Nabokov

We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is, knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out. ” Ray Bradbury

" I feel I'm finished when I get the impression I'm working on somebody else's painting." Lucien Freud, Gayford, Martin (2007, Sept. 22). "Lucian Freud: marathon man". Telegraph.co.uk.

“One eye sees, the other feels.” Paul Klee

“True alchemy lies in this formula: ‘Your memory and your senses are but the nourishment of your creative impulse’.” Arthur Rimbaud in Illuminations

“The way to create art is to burn and destroy ordinary concepts and to substitute them with new truths that run down from the top of the head and out of the heart.”  Charles Bukowski

“Art is either revolution or plagiarism.” Paul Gauguin

"Ms. Gilot clearly was a competent painter, but whereas, with Picasso, it seems that every painting is an adventure, every mark or stroke the registration of a thought or impulse in real time, her works resemble dutifully completed assignments for a class in how to paint like Picasso." Johnson, Ken (2012, May 11) "A Portrait of the Artist As an Old Man in Love", The New York Times, p. C29

Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around.” Stephen King in On Writing

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Pablo Picasso

“Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen.” Leonardo da Vinci

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” Thomas Merton in  No Man Is an Island

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”  Edgar Degas

“I have an idea that the only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty which now and then men create out of the chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art.” W. Somerset Maugham in The Painted Veil

“Art is not a thing; it is a way. ” Elbert Hubbard

“Art is a kind of innate drive that seizes a human being and makes him its instrument. To perform this difficult office it is sometimes necessary for him to sacrifice happiness and everything that makes life worth living for the ordinary human being.” C.G. Jung

“We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion, and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art.” Henry James in The Middle Years

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” Henri Cartier-Bresson

“To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.” Edward Weston

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.”  Émile Zola

“If only we could pull out our brain and use only our eyes.” Pablo Picasso

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity

“You don’t make art out of good intentions.” Gustave Flaubert

“There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.” Pablo Picasso

"The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.” Kurt Vonnegut in A Man Without a Country

“Color is my daylong obsession, joy, and torment.” Claude Monet

“Paradoxically though it may seem, it is none the less true that life imitates art far more than art imitates life.” Oscar Wilde

“Creativity takes courage. ” Henri Matisse

“There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into sun.” Pablo Picasso

“It is art that makes life, makes interest, makes importance, and I know of no substitute for the force and beauty of it's process.” Henry James

“We have art in order not to die of the truth.” Friedrich Nietzsche

“The thing I hate the most about advertising is that it attracts all the bright, creative and ambitious young people, leaving us mainly with the slow and self-obsessed to become our artists. Modern art is a disaster area. Never in the field of human history has so much been used by so many to say so little.” Banksy

“Art is a marriage of the conscious and the unconscious.” Jean Cocteau

“The absence of limitations is the enemy of art.” Orson Welles

“Art is the proper task of life. ” Friedrich Nietzsche

“The chief enemy of creativity is good sense.” Pablo Picasso

“Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.” Oscar Wilde in The Picture of Dorian Gray

"To do a dangerous thing with style is what I call art." Charles Bukowski

“Imagination rules the world.” Napoleon Bonaparte

“I'm not an abstractionist. I'm not interested in the relationship of color or form or anything else. I'm interested only in expressing basic human emotions: tragedy, ecstasy, doom, and so on.” Mark Rothko

“Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.” Pope John Paul II

“God is really only another artist. He invented the giraffe, the elephant and the cat. He has no real style, He just goes on trying other things.” Pablo Picasso

“Like any artist without an art form, she became dangerous.” Toni Morrison

“Why shouldn’t art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world.” Pierre Auguste Renoir

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Aristotle

“When art critics get together they talk about Form and Structure and Meaning. When artists get together they talk about where you can buy cheap turpentine.” Pablo Picasso

“You can look at a picture for a week and never think of it again. You can also look at a picture for a second and think of it all your life.” Joan Miró

“Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction." Pablo Picasso

“A man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened.” Albert Camus

“A line is a dot that went for a walk.” Paul Klee

“Why do two colors, put one next to the other, sing? Can one really explain this? No. Just as one can never learn how to paint.” Pablo Picasso

“In the haunted house of life, art is the only stair that doesn’t squeak.” Tom Robbins in Skinny Legs and All

“I don't want my work to be an exposure of my feelings.” Jasper Johns

“All art is a kind of confession, more or less oblique. All artists, if they are to survive, are forced, at last, to tell the whole story; to vomit the anguish up.” James Baldwin

“Without atmosphere a painting is nothing.” Rembrandt Van Rijn

“The artist's job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.” Woody Allen

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Michelangelo Buonarroti

“I force myself to contradict myself in order to avoid conforming to my own taste.” Marcel Duchamp

“The role of the artist is to ask questions, not answer them.” Anton Chekhov

“Art is everywhere you look for it, hail the twinkling stars for they are God's careless splatters”  El Greco

“He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.” St. Francis of Assisi

Free Online Tools to Enlarge Photos

noreply@blogger.com (craftingwithstyle) — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:26:00 +0000

I'm working on an etching project and wanted to incorporate imagery that I found on the web. Unfortunately after I cropped it down to the small part of the image I actually wanted to use it was too small to be visible. Enlarging it required more time & Photoshop expertise than I have, so I searched around for online solutions and came up with the following:

Reshade is a quick and easy online resizer. You can choose to use files from your computer or from the web. Without an account you can upload up to 3 images a day, and you can't crop them. It's quick, easy & had not downsides that I could find.

I also found PhotoZoomPro 4, a program that seems to do the same thing, but at $219 is more than I want to spend for just an occasional need.

I also read about SmillaEnlarger. The author's website was down when I tried to look into it, but I read so many things about it online that I decided to try it and found a free download here http://smillaenlarger.en.softonic.com/. (Just be careful to read all the messages when you download it here, they try to get you to add a bunch of extra stuff that probably makes money for somebody but I didn't want cluttering up my desktop.) So far it's been amazing. You just drag an image from your computer & decide how big you want it to be based on a percentage zoom factor, specified height or width, or other options to stretch or fit within boundaries. I haven't used it much, but what I've done as been surprisingly easy and straightforward for a free program. I highly recommend it!

image before enlarging