Creative Wisdom: Begin Again

"Every artist was first an amateur."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Spring is a time for new beginnings.

I am always enthralled with the opening of a blossom - watching a tight little bud swell and burst into a fully opened flower, full of life and color and light. I get just as big a thrill from seeing students find their creative confidence. Often they come in with just the hint of a wish - a deep and secret desire to be an artist and to create something beautiful. They are afraid to let the bud swell on the branch for fear of ridicule or failure.

A blossom needs warmth and light, time and nourishment in order to swell and open into it's full glory. I try to give my students those same things: a safe environment in which to explore, information that will enlighten them, and permission to expand into whichever form most suits their creative spirit.

"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." ~Anonymous

Give yourself time and permission to become what you were meant to be.

Are you holding your opportunities for growth tightly within or are you giving yourself room to grow and permission to learn? Blossoming can be a messy business with pollen and bugs and dropped flowers but that is how the plant prepares itself to expand for the next year. Give yourself time to experiment - let your wildest artistic ideas out into the light and see what happens. 

Come PLAY and GROW with Lyric this summer!

Four Fabulous days at ProChemical and Dye August 16-19th, 2012

Fall River MA

playing with paint at the VCQ

Are you are intrigued by the art of surface design but can’t choose which technique you most want to learn? Surface Design Sampler Platter is the perfect place to try a taste each! Play with paint, foil, photos and embellishments to create your own gorgeous fabrics. You will delve deeply into printing with screens, stencils, and with stamps you have carved yourself. Come be delighted by different applications of foil and  you will learn several methods of photo-transfer. Time will also be spent learning how to embellish your work with beads and as an added bonus, Lyric will teach the basic elements and principles of good design. With  good humored and gentle guidance you will work on your own textile art composition using the beautiful fabrics you have created

You can get more info and sign up here!

Teaching: Fun With the West Michigan Quilter's Guild

Step on in and take a peek at the wonderful day of playtime fun we had with the West Michigan Quilter's Guild in Grand Rapids. Surface Design Sampler Platter is a crazy class - six surface design techniques in six hours. It's a mix of kindergarten playtime with a little touch of insanity thrown in.

Printing with Thermofax Screens

The first "oooohs" and "aaaaahs" as students print with their own hand carved stamps for the first time.

Citra-Solv Photocopy Transfer
A tutorial can be found here

Getting creative - adding a decorative boarderstamping paint with the end of her knife around a photocopy transfer

Working out a design for a small art quilt - she's colored in her photocopy transfer with colored pencils.

Choosing a favorite design from which to make a sketchbook slipcover
A tutorial can be found here

And much fun was had by all!!! Paint, foil, photo transfer, stamp carving, stenciling - and finally - BEADS! 

All in one crazy class!

If you're thinking to yourself - I wish, I wish, I wish I could take this class....

All these methods are taught on my two DVD workshops.

Surface Design Sampler Platter

and

Bead It Like You Mean It

I Love ... Teaching!

Last week I had the great good fortune to meet a fabulous group called Fiber Frenzy in Athens, GA. The Lyndon House Arts Center is a beautiful venue with galleries and classrooms. We had two days of serious fun - a stretched out Surface Design Sampler Platter. 

Usually I teach it in one day and it can feel like drinking from a fire hose because we do SO MANY THINGS all in one day.

In a two day class we had time to play a little longer. Here we're trying out some instantly gratifying citrasolv photo transfer - (tutorial here)

We played with foil - letting the magpie shiny sparkly things lovers come out in us all!

We were having fun - honest. Ignore all the wrinkled brows of serious concentration. 

 We carved stamps and screen printed - and LOVED every minute of it!

 Did I mention how great the facility was? Room for everyone to PLAY!

I had a teacher in high school that I loved because she would let me perch on my desk or the counter by the window. I found out years later that she was always telling me to get down. I never heard her. Not once. I must have been seriously off in La La Land. 

I still love to perch.

Larry Forte came in and put together a mini-video of the day at the Lindon House Art Center.

You can find all of these techniques - and a few more on my Quilting Arts DVD Workshop called Surface Design Sampler Platter. You can purchase it from the link up there on the right side of this blog. ;-)

Artspark Giveaway Day 9!

HOORAY!!!

I've been waiting and waiting, so excited for my turn in the 

ARTSPARK Hot! Hot! Hot! summer giveaway.

This has been wonderful fun for all of us and we hope you're having fun too.

With much gratitude to Interweave Press two fabulous goodies will go to one lucky winner!

A downloadable copy of my DVD workshop

Surface Design Sampler Platter

It's full of fun techniques such as screen printing, foiling, stamp carving, and photo transfer.

 And a copy of

Art + Quilt: Design Principles and Creativity Exercises

If you want to learn a bit about how artists use the elements of basic design (texture, shape, line, color, value, etc.) this is a fantastic book. Design exercises, critique and evaluation techniques - it's all in there.

Here's how to win.

 Leave a comment on this post answering two questions about the past and the future of this blog.

1-Which is your favorite post from this blog.

2-What kind of post would you like to see more of.

I want this blog to be an inspiring and useful place for my readers and would love your input.

You have three days (Aug 20th). 

Please remember to leave an email so I can get in touch with you when you win.

For Your Inspiration: Sketchbook Slipcovers

Today Carla Sonheim kicks off ARTSPARK's  Hot! Hot! Hot! Summer Giveaway with

a copy of “Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists” 
and a small original drawing

Hop on over to Carla's blog and leave a comment for a chance to win!

And now for a little fun with sketchbook slipcovers

Sketchbook Slipcovers by Lyric Montgomery Kinard

watch my short video tutorial and learn how to make your own 

Slipcover adapted as a postcard holder

Sketchbook Slipcovers by Lyric Montgomery Kinard

These are class projects (paint, foil, stamp, screen print!) from

Surface Design Sampler Platter DVD Workshop

DVD Giveaway!

My publisher is doing something very fun - and practically giving away downloads of my DVD

Surface Design Sampler Platter

An Hour of Instruction for 10 Cents I'm not a technophobe by any means. But unlike my colleague Jenn Mason, I am not an early adopter. You won't see me camping out in front of the Apple store the night before a new iPad release or being the first on my block with a 3-D TV. I like other people to test the waters first, let the price come down a bit, and then I consider jumping in. So when I first heard that you coul download a video directly to your computer, I didn't understand why everyone was so excited. I was perfectly happy with something tangible: a DVD you can hold in your hand. It was a form I was used to. Then, at work, I was given access to a video download, so I tried it out. In just a few minutes it was on my computer. No complicated steps. No high-tech knowledge needed. The content is exactly the same as the DVD, except it's always there on my desktop, ready to view whenever want. I don't have to find it, insert it into the drive, and wait. In fact, I'm more likely to use it because it's ready to go when I am. For me, now, downloading is the way to go. If you've never downloaded a video—or if you have and loved the experience—here's a perfect opportunity to try it out with almost no investment. For a limited time we're offering one of our most popular Workshop™ videos from one of our most popular artists, “Surface Design Sampler Platter” with Lyric Kinard, for just 10 cents. You read that right: 10 cents. A dime. The little shiny disk with Franklin Roosevelt on it. Think of it: Lyric was just named 2011 Teacher of the Year by the International Association of Professional Quilters, and you can download a workshop with her for just 10 cents. In “Surface Design Sampler Platter,” Lyric, with her engaging personality, shows you how to carve a stamp from a vinyl eraser, cut a stencil from freezer paper, and print with found objects. Plus, you'll get her best tips on foiling and photo transfer techniques. She shares her knowledge of the properties of the various textile paints available, too. So, < href="http://e1.interweave.com/t?r=1893&c=2452577&l=63310&ctl=34B7083:A15BB4A720ACB5DD49127644A44F653DC684E54182BC9968&" target="_blank" title="Surface Design Sampler Platter">take my advice and try a video download. That, and a dime, will get you more than an hour of surface design instruction from one of the nation's top teachers.

Cate Prato, Online Editor Cloth Paper Scissors Today More Cloth Paper Scissors • Blogs • Forums • Galleries • Free Stuff • Join Cloth Paper Scissors • Share Your Comments

What does a dime get you? An hour with artist and instructor Lyric Kinard! It's quick. It's easy. It's inspiration at your fingertips. Are you familiar with our popular workshop downloads? Take advantage of this 10¢ video download and enjoy Surface Design Sampler Platter (Download) today! Can't choose which surface design technique you want most to learn? Try a little taste of each! Play along with Lyric Kinard as you learn to carve a stamp from a vinyl eraser, cut a stencil from freezer paper, and print with found objects. Learn some of the properties of the various textile paints available. For only 10¢ you'll also explore: Improvisational screen printing Adding some glitz and glamour with foil Quick and easy photocopy transfer Use these fun tips and techniques in your next art project and create something amazing! Download this workshop now through Tuesday for only 10¢.    This workshop is also available at regular price on DVD. This offer is good through Tuesday, April 12th at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time. Don't wait!

Student Spotlight: Stephanie from Paducah

I always get so excited to see students happy with what they have learned in class! One of my Paducah students, Stephanie from Maryland, finished her painted/printed/beaded journal and blogged it. Pop on over and tell her how wonderful it looks!

Stephanies Journal cover from the class

Surface Design Sampler Platter
stamp carving, stenciling, screen printing, foiling, photo-transfer, beading
all in one crazy fun class!

Student Spotlight: Paducah

I truly am THE luckiest person in the world to be able to do what I do. I shlep and huff for a week, fly for a day, then play and play and play! And I get to play with the funnest people. These lovely ladies came in singing out loud and I joined right in.

Just Foiling Around

foil, glitter, painted Wonder-Under

Surface Design Sampler Platter

Imagine my surprise and joy - that's Quilter Beth in the cupcake apron.

She's been spotlighted here as she works her way through Art + Quilt!

Here we are getting up and around, doing photo transfer, painting and stamping, 

and yes, cutting out snowflakes. It's more fun than kindergarden!

Apli-Punto to Go

What troopers! It was a night class and they stayed awake and made such beautiful things!

Couldn't quite get them all in the picture so here we have the other half.

They are laughing at me perched up high on a chair with the camera in the air.

I LOVE THIS JOB!!!

Studio Classes

I have it good. I have a loving family who is supportive and patient and I get to work time with some of the most wonderful people in the world. I have a passion for creating artwork and a place in which to pursue that passion. 

The family - never complains about take-out dinners and is used to a pretty messy house. We're slowly working on getting the kids to pick up their own stuff. I have an id that particular quest will not end until their stuff moves out along with them. And I just won't talk about complaints about dinners I actually cook.

Those people I get to work with? Students! And the ideal students at that. They are there because they really want to be there. They are inquisitive, talented, and open to what they are taught.  Even if they don't admit to being any of those three things - they are. I always learn so much from them as well.

The space I have to create art in is a blessing. I'm next to the main living area so that I can hear and see what is going on with the kids. I can look out the window and see them when they are playing outside. The space perfect for me to freely create whatever my brain can put together.

In a few weeks I get to combine the last two - students - studio! (The family will be gently kept elsewhere.) Students will have the opportunity to come to my home and my studio  in Cary, North Carolina, and lean, play, and create for two days. 

Thursday April 8th: Surface Design Sampler Platter

It's truly a little taste of everything and one of the funnest classes I teach. We dip into techniques such as printing, stamp carving, stenciling, photo transfer, thermofax screen printing, and foiling! Oops! I almost forgot beadwork. Elizabeth and Ellen both took this class at the Virginia Quilt Celebration in 2008 - the fabric says it all!

Friday April 9th: The Forgotten Fabrics and Screen Printing

There are some wonderfully fun things you can do with synthetic fabrics (gasp!) Disperse dyes are completely different than Procion dyes, and totally fun to work with.

The screen printing we'll do this day is very free, fast, and fun. We'll use regular full sized screens in some very interesting and  improvisational ways.

There are still a few spots available. If you are interested in joining us please contact me at Lyric (at) pobox.com.