girl meets art

Image transfer techniques have become wildly popular recently, for everything from mixed-media and collage art to customizing dinnerware or wearables. The trend is facilitated by the introduction of a wide array of polymers, gels, and craft supplies that make image transfers easy for everyone.

More than a dozen people made their way to the image transfer workshop hosted by Utrecht Friday evening at the 2012 Artomatic festival. They were shown two easy peasy ways to transfer toner-based images (think photocopies or laser prints).

The first method entailed flipping over a photocopy onto a clean sheet of paper and rubbing a blender marker over the image, then using the other end of the marker to burnish, transferring the toner onto the blank paper.

The second method involved brushing acrylic medium onto the front of the image to be transferred, then placing the image face down onto canvas and allowing it to completely dry on the canvas. A wet sponge is then used to remove the paper and leave the toner behind on the canvas.

The first method has an added benefit: A cheap high from the blender marker. (Just kidding).

Beatles song Hello Goodbye rendered as a typographic T-shirt, by Johnathan Lax, a.k.a., Yonil.

The Tree Book by Cecilia Levy. If you are in love with line, this is simply a delightful sketchbook that illustrates “tree-ness.”

Via fuckyeahbookarts.

(via fuckyeahbookarts)

DIY Roundup

From the Secondhand with Style blog, a Friday round-up of DIY craft projects from around the web.

Inspired by Ez of Creature Comforts (and creator of this button), here’s what I’m afraid to tell you:

1. I am far far better at collecting crafts books than actually creating crafts.
2. I am much better at making excuses not to work on crafts on the weekend than I am of actually working on crafts on the weekend.
3. I opted not to sell my one single product for sale on Etsy because I feel like I cannot possibly compete with the work of the thousands of other sellers of postcards already there.
4. I dabble in things so that I don’t have to commit to a single media and find out that I suck at it.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

This illustration is from a revealing blog post by the author of Creature Comforts, titled “Things I’m Afraid to Tell You.” The piece, in which Ez comes clean about the realities of her life, has sparked many other bloggers to also tell the truth about life as a blogger. 

This illustration sums up what I have noted for myself, too: How depressing it can be to see lovely stuff and beautiful work online and rather than be inspired, feel somehow lacking and diminished. I call it the curse of comparison, but TR’s term, thief of joy, is even better. 

Please do read the entire post.

Lisa Martin, surface design

This young woman’s work is fabulous. The color choices and the whimsy are pure eye candy.

Recovering Lazyholic

This is a fun site created by an Austin woman who wanted to recover from a tendency to be lazy by committing to doing art. I am aware of the irony that my spending my Saturday morning posting stuff to Tumblr and Twitter is my own personal way of not admitting to my lazyholism!

Bridgette Guerzon Mills is a fantastic encaustic artist, whose work I have been following on Flickr for quite a while. I recently explored her blog, which is full of interesting thoughts on her artistic process and is well worth a read.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Art Journaling

Corey Marie, who is a really talented young woman by looking at her work, offers some great advice for art journaling. One rule: Don’t get hung up on rules!

There are many, many wonderful art journal pages on Corey Marie’s Tumblr. As she explains:

Yesterday, I put together my second art journal for this 366 Project — I’ve got 4 more pages to fill in the first one and then I’ll move onto the next one for April, May and June. 

I absolutely love how packed full the first one has gotten, especially knowing that those are all pages of positive meditations, inspirational quotes, art work and memories.

While I’ve kept scrapbook/sketchbook hybrids since I was 19 or so (I should share some photos of my first one sometime… maybe.) this year is the first time I’ve ever done it with this frequency and as part of a self-care “exercise” regimen. I feel better than ever. I’m happier and more positive. My focus is improved. I feel less stressed. 

All from taking a few minutes each day to cut and paste, write and sketch. Art Journals = awesome.

PS: I also added a new tag here on tumblr for my 366 Art Journal Project so you can browse them easily! #366-art-journal-pages 

(via coreymarie)

Jeannine Stein created this cool journal, covered with a vintage sewing pattern envelope, in homage to her mother, who made many of her own clothes.

Thanks to craftdiscoveries

Faux literature on bricks, by Daryl Fitzgerald.

These might look like antique books, but they’re actually salvaged bricks that have been painted to look like they belong in an old library. The faux literature is the brilliant work of Daryl Fitzgerald, who transforms the bricks by stenciling them on both sides with titles of literary classics.

Via flumpf

Maria Aparicio of Santiago, Chile collaborates with photographers – adding unexpected visual elements with needle and thread.

Via tacticalshoyu.

Cool idea: Thumbprint Portrait by Cheryl Sorg

Sorg uses your own thumbprint and imagery and colors you like to create colorful and of course unique, works of art.

Via tacticalshoyu.