In Stitches eMag blog tour

Gotta say - I LOVE technology! New things come along all the time that just make me giggle.

eMagazines along with tablets like the iPad are the wave of the future I think - although I'll always love a good paper book and magazine. But clickable links and video? Awesome!!!!!

Quilting Arts and Interweave have just come out with their second edition of

Read more about it the next few weeks from the authors!

There are a few giveaways along the way, including one here, so don't miss one!

Sunday (Feb 27): Pokey launches the tour!: http://www.quiltingdaily.com

Monday (Feb 28): Jane Davila: http://janedavila.blogspot.com

Tuesday: Lynn Krawczyk( March 1): http://www.fibraartysta.blogspot.com

Wednesday: Jackie Cardy(March 2): http://dogdaisychains.blogspot.com

Thursday: Deb Bates (March 3): http://stitchtress.wordpress.com

Friday: Deborah Boschert (March 4): http://deborahsjournal.blogspot.com

Saturday: Michelle Allen (March 5): http://allendesigns.typepad.com

Sunday: Liz Kettle (March 6): http://textileevolution.com/?option=com_wordpress&Itemid=203

Monday: Lyric Kinard (March 7): http://lyrickinard.blogspot.com  

Tuesday (March 8): A surprise guest on Lindsey’s blog will be the final stop of this tour http://www.quiltingdaily.com

Teaching in Montana

If you happen to be near Hamilton Montana

Join us!

The Artist's Eye

A Design and Creativity Workshop

with Lyric Montgomery Kinard

Monday, March 14

10 - 4, Location TBA

$60, includes lunch

 Come enjoy a day of constructive and creative play as we explore and expand our understanding of the visual language.

 You'll learn

· How to overcome creative blocks

· Games designed to increase your creativity

· How to analyze your art with a clear eye

· Structure for a group critique session

 Supplies

· Quart sized zip-loc bag with fabric/paper/ 

fiber/colored magazine scraps to share.

Include some solids and neutrals.

· 8x10 or larger sketchbook

· Drawing implements of any kind

· Fabric and paper scissor

· Glue stick

 · Digital camera (optional)

 · One artwork for group evaluation

Register by calling 363-4064 or e-mail igc4@aol.com 

Art to Go

People look at my hand work and tell me they don't have the patience to do it themselves. I do handwork precisely because I do NOT have the fine quality of patience. I need to be doing something with my hands in order so sit through a practice or TV show.... although it's hard for me to remember the last time I had time to sit through an hour of TV. So much work to be done.

In the current issue of Quilting Arts Magazine I've written an article titled Art to Go that helps you gather together what you need to be mobile with your textile art. Excerpts are published on Interweave's Sew Daily blog here:

http://www.sewdaily.com/blogs/sewdaily/archive/2011/03/01/sew-and-go.aspx

For Your Inspiration: Duke Gardens

This is one reason I love living in North Carolina. Blossoms at the end of February.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

I'm also having fun playing with my new Camera Bag app for the iphone.

 I took a few minutes after lunch to sketch this scene albeit from a slightly different angle.

I'm sending warm wishes and the smell of cherry blossoms your way.

Freeform Screen Printing Student Spotlight: Linda Robertus

Linda Robertus was a student of mine in Freeform Screenprinting on-line at QuiltUniversity.com. One of the things I love most about on-line teaching is interacting with the international students. The internet has made the world a much smaller place in many wonderful ways. Linda is from the Netherlands but is is living in Australia. She has taken what she learned in class and worked to truly master the techniques. It brings me joy to see the lovely work she produces.

Screen printing with stencils is a truly simple technique that yields such lovely results. With a little patience and precision she has made this technique her own and brought her own unique voice to the process. I love the balance of color and the echoed forms in this piece. The implied and impending motion as well as the perfect stillness of the gymnasts is beautiful. This quilt is featured in the student gallery at Quilt University.

In this piece Linda has created a freezer paper stencil to use with a silk screen. I'd say she's mastered the technique. I love the flow of this composition as your eye is drawn up and to the left, taking a detour here and there to follow the lines of the legs or of the gymnast's horse. She's blogged about this one here.

Linda also has a great time drawing the details of the world around her. She then emails a jpg of her drawing to me to be made into a thermofax screen for screen printing. 

You really do need to head over to her blog. She has posted lots of pictures of her projects that you will enjoy seeing. Leave a comment and tell her I said hello!

http://q-linda.blogspot.com/

This is a thermofax screen print made from a drawing of her screened porch door. The woman has talent and is not afraid to use it. Actually - what I should say - is that she is not afraid to spend the time it takes to hone her craft to the level of excellence she has achieved. We could all learn from her in that regard.

The next session of Freeform Screenprinting at QuiltUniversity.com begins March 18th. There are four lessons and I will be available for six weeks to answer questions in the class forum. The cost is $37. The best part?  When you take a class on-line nobody chastises you for being late, or for showing up in your pajamas. I'd love to meet you there!

Tutorial: how to transfer a photo to watercolor paper

Hi! It's Lyric. I'm doing it again.

I had exactly what I wanted to do in my head the first day of the month.

Waited until the last minute anyway.

Stressing out because I'm trying to make it "good."

 This is the man I love. I call him Mr. Almost Perfect.

Isn't he handsome!?
The photo is by Julia Wade (who is having a photo shoot giveaway!)

I printed out a photo (yes I'm cheating again - I think it's FINE!)

Maybe in December I'll draw a face freehand.

I scribbled with a soft lead pencil on the back of the paper.

It's just enough that when I turn it over I can trace it...

...and transfer the lines to the surface of this thick watercolor paper.

I've added various color washes to almost all the pages of this book.

Just for fun. I think this was a watered down acrylic that was then sponged off a bit.

I decided to be bold and use a super cool japanese brush pen filled with india ink.

OK.... lesson learned. Don't color in the lips on guys.

Doodled with some water soluble crayons and more ink.

Doodling even more with acrylic paint markers.

I have no idea if I'm done or not. Sometimes it's best to just move on.

What do you do when something isn't working like you envisioned?

Give up? Learn from it?

Try something else? Try to fix it?

Start over?

Faces on Friday

I see progress. I'm starting to be able to see where my mistakes are.