Ink on my fingers, not my face
And a surprise! (Let me ruin it: it’s a new project.)
My darling dodos, I have a new project for you. Well, it is more of a collection of projects. I am plopping all my work for three months into a little online magazine: Flying Dodo Magazine. I will pick a theme for three months to give me instant focus. Infinite possibilities can be overwhelming, so picking one thing to focus on makes it easier to know what to do with all the art I like to do.
My favorite thing about inking with a nib is the feel of the nib scratching on the paper. Second favorite? All that ink that gets on my fingers! This summer, I’m teaching a class at The Jansen about inking with a nib so you can have fun with inky fingers, too.
Rubber is so much easier to use than linoleum blocks. I am excited to do more with them. The totes I printed earlier this year were an absolute blast. So I am teaching a class this summer on how to make these modular prints on paper (rather than fabric totes). We’ll use stamp pads for the class because it is so much easier than rolling out paint.
Soon at the Jansen:
May 24: feathers and fur curios, and Abe’s class on taking better cellphone pics
May 31: eyes curios
June 27: plant curios
June 24 to 26, I am teaching at the kids’ summer art camp! I’ll be doing a daily class on drawing animals, with different kids each day.
New classes at the Jansen:
July 9: embroidered watercolor poppies and Abe’s still photography
(Can you tell we are commuting together?)July 23: pieced block stamps (like my bloberry totes and the guys pictured above!) and Abe’s photography of moving subjects
August 6, inking with a nib and Abe’s how to take pictures of people.
August 20, embroidered photos and Abe’s macro photography.
I’m not really into the spiritual thing, but I do enjoy the fun of some of the more mystical/symbolic parts. Which is exactly what I got from Christi Johnson’s two books, The Art of Embroidery Design and Mystical Stitches. They are fine on their own, but even better together. MS is the earlier book and discusses design basics, focusing more on the symbolism of items, colors, numbers, etc. The pre-designed patterns show the use of the symbols with a description of why she chose various elements. But then TAoED goes into how to use color, stitches, and texture together. The patterns are more of a base to put your own symbolism on. There are four frameworks, based on the four elements: earth for abundance, air for clarity, fire for personal transformation, and water for love.
I hope your day gets better from here!
-Angela
P.S. Wally is really enjoying the sprinkle weather we have been having.
🌱💙