Showing posts with label Artisanry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Artisanry. Show all posts
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Watercolor
I've been doing a million different things lately. I haven't done much paper crafting but will be returning to that soon.
My KNK Force was delivered, but I haven't even opened the box. I am so hacked off at this company. They force you to take a piece of equipment that you purchased in good faith even though it is not completed as promised...all the while working on newer machines. OH, they said I didn't have to take the machine but they would not refund my money. Maybe that is why they called it the Force.
On to happier subjects. I have painted a casual portrait of one of my Granddaughters and am working on one of the other Granddaughter.
My KNK Force was delivered, but I haven't even opened the box. I am so hacked off at this company. They force you to take a piece of equipment that you purchased in good faith even though it is not completed as promised...all the while working on newer machines. OH, they said I didn't have to take the machine but they would not refund my money. Maybe that is why they called it the Force.
On to happier subjects. I have painted a casual portrait of one of my Granddaughters and am working on one of the other Granddaughter.
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Day 11_Sign
A little incongruous don't 'ya think.
This was not taken in my immediate hood. Couldn't find a sign. Not one that interested me, anyway. It was taken at a public park.
Here is one that I created digitally from a rooster image that I drew then painted with alcohol inks. No such place exists that I am aware of.
This was not taken in my immediate hood. Couldn't find a sign. Not one that interested me, anyway. It was taken at a public park.
Here is one that I created digitally from a rooster image that I drew then painted with alcohol inks. No such place exists that I am aware of.
Tuesday, May 06, 2014
Ancient History
I have been organizing my photos recently and ran across the photo of this vase. This is not a new piece. I actually made it in 2006.
My husband has always said that one of these days I am going to blow up my studio because of my experiments. This is a classic example of why he says that.
The bisque vase is glazed with a perfectly clear lead-free commercial glaze. When the color companies first started to remove/reduce the amount of lead in glazes, they hadn't perfected their formulas and they were very difficult to use. Lead in a glaze makes the glaze move, flow and smooth out in the firing. Lead-free glazes did not do any of those things so they had to be applied perfectly.
Without thinking, or with proper instruction, I gave the bisque vase to one of my employees to glaze. When I saw it, I knew I was going to have a mess on my hands unless I washed all the glaze off and started over. I decided to experiment instead.
I sprayed the entire vase with Gold Spray Paint that I had purchased at Hobby Lobby for another project on which I was working. I then applied another type of glaze on the top portion of the vase. This glaze wasn't lead-free at the time and was deliberately formulated to flow and run excessively. It was also white as opposed to clear.
I then sprayed the top portion only with Copper Spray Paint that I purchased at Hobby Lobby and put it in the kiln to fire.
I was very surprised and pleased with the results. I wasn't expecting the pewter looking, flowing lines...seaweed, maybe? You can clearly see where the spray paint caught more on the ridges of the unevenly applied lead-free glaze creating ocean-floor-like texture. It looked, to me, like an underwater scene with waves crashing on top. I had just finished painting an oil canvas with dolphins underwater for my son so this might have influenced my thinking.
I wanted to add some "things" underwater to this vase but it was already fired with a hard, non-porous coating of glaze.
At this point, the best, if not the only, option was to use a non-fired product for my design. I had applied DecoArt glass paint directly to fired glaze many times in the past with great success, but I wanted a little more tooth under my shapes, primarily for blending the paint.
I had an idea!! I drew outlines of what I wanted on the vase with a sharpie marker and filled them with etching cream to rough up the surface. Today, I would create the shapes in Make-the-Cut, cut out a stencil with my digital cutter and use my air eraser to etch the shapes. I think it would make getting the outside edges shaped properly much easier.
I then painted the shapes with DecoArt glass paint.
A word of CAUTION here though. A glaze coating is a thin, vitreous substance that has been fused to the ceramic during firing. Its purpose, beyond being decorative, is to seal the item to make it water and bacteria proof as well as easy to clean. If you etch too deeply, you run the risk of weakening or breaking that seal. The chance of absorption and/or leaking of liquid or the trapping of bacteria can become a real issue with functional pieces. It is greater with earthenware or improperly fired stoneware and porcelain as they remain porous under the glaze.
My husband has always said that one of these days I am going to blow up my studio because of my experiments. This is a classic example of why he says that.
The bisque vase is glazed with a perfectly clear lead-free commercial glaze. When the color companies first started to remove/reduce the amount of lead in glazes, they hadn't perfected their formulas and they were very difficult to use. Lead in a glaze makes the glaze move, flow and smooth out in the firing. Lead-free glazes did not do any of those things so they had to be applied perfectly.
Without thinking, or with proper instruction, I gave the bisque vase to one of my employees to glaze. When I saw it, I knew I was going to have a mess on my hands unless I washed all the glaze off and started over. I decided to experiment instead.
I sprayed the entire vase with Gold Spray Paint that I had purchased at Hobby Lobby for another project on which I was working. I then applied another type of glaze on the top portion of the vase. This glaze wasn't lead-free at the time and was deliberately formulated to flow and run excessively. It was also white as opposed to clear.
I then sprayed the top portion only with Copper Spray Paint that I purchased at Hobby Lobby and put it in the kiln to fire.
I was very surprised and pleased with the results. I wasn't expecting the pewter looking, flowing lines...seaweed, maybe? You can clearly see where the spray paint caught more on the ridges of the unevenly applied lead-free glaze creating ocean-floor-like texture. It looked, to me, like an underwater scene with waves crashing on top. I had just finished painting an oil canvas with dolphins underwater for my son so this might have influenced my thinking.
I wanted to add some "things" underwater to this vase but it was already fired with a hard, non-porous coating of glaze.
At this point, the best, if not the only, option was to use a non-fired product for my design. I had applied DecoArt glass paint directly to fired glaze many times in the past with great success, but I wanted a little more tooth under my shapes, primarily for blending the paint.
I had an idea!! I drew outlines of what I wanted on the vase with a sharpie marker and filled them with etching cream to rough up the surface. Today, I would create the shapes in Make-the-Cut, cut out a stencil with my digital cutter and use my air eraser to etch the shapes. I think it would make getting the outside edges shaped properly much easier.
I then painted the shapes with DecoArt glass paint.
A word of CAUTION here though. A glaze coating is a thin, vitreous substance that has been fused to the ceramic during firing. Its purpose, beyond being decorative, is to seal the item to make it water and bacteria proof as well as easy to clean. If you etch too deeply, you run the risk of weakening or breaking that seal. The chance of absorption and/or leaking of liquid or the trapping of bacteria can become a real issue with functional pieces. It is greater with earthenware or improperly fired stoneware and porcelain as they remain porous under the glaze.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
My Momma Done Tol' Me
Never say never. Never say someone will or will not do something or that they like or don't like something because they will always make a liar out of you. Used to be my kids. Now it's my husband.
Don't laugh. Sometimes when I am chopping stuff up for a dish I am fixin', I see some really interesting things. Once, it was part of my finger. Lately, though, it has happened more with bell peppers. I cut the top off a red one the other day and liked the red and green colors and the different shapes. I took a picture.
Other than some warmth from the incandescent lighting, this is exactly what it looked like. I could take the warm out but I like it.
In anticipation of my photo class, I decided to see what I could do with it.
I showed my husband what I did. He likes some of the photos I take; some not so much. Same as me. He has never liked the ones I mess with. I expected a lot of comments. Why did you take a picture of the top of a bell pepper? Isn't that a waste of good film. Shhh...don't tell him I don't use film anymore. If you like it the way it was, why did you mess with it? You know..those comments.
He made a liar out of me. He actually chose the manipulated one as his favorite.
Don't laugh. Sometimes when I am chopping stuff up for a dish I am fixin', I see some really interesting things. Once, it was part of my finger. Lately, though, it has happened more with bell peppers. I cut the top off a red one the other day and liked the red and green colors and the different shapes. I took a picture.
Other than some warmth from the incandescent lighting, this is exactly what it looked like. I could take the warm out but I like it.
In anticipation of my photo class, I decided to see what I could do with it.
I showed my husband what I did. He likes some of the photos I take; some not so much. Same as me. He has never liked the ones I mess with. I expected a lot of comments. Why did you take a picture of the top of a bell pepper? Isn't that a waste of good film. Shhh...don't tell him I don't use film anymore. If you like it the way it was, why did you mess with it? You know..those comments.
He made a liar out of me. He actually chose the manipulated one as his favorite.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Van Granny
This is absolutely the last post I am going to make regarding a decision that was made or an action that was taken predicated on events out of our control. Things are Great now and looking up more and more every day. I thought this one turned out funny, though.
Because of circumstances, my husband and I were discussing the possibility that we might have to sell our house. We started analyzing what changes might need to be made in order for it to sell quickly. A major problem that we could see, at least in a Realtor's eyes, is that I LOVE color...lots and lots of color. There is not a single color I do not like and firmly believe that every one of them has its right place. My kitchen and breakfast area was the canvas for my palette. We knew we were going to have to get the walls back to a neutral color, which we did.
I started looking for things that I could hang on the, now, to me, boring walls. I found a place that sells crops of Van Gogh's paintings that have been sublimated onto ceramic tiles. I ordered the most colorful ones I could. I also ordered some frames designed specifically for ceramic tiles. The day my goodies arrived, the Grands were here. We all had a hand in deciding how and where they would be hung. Mission accomplished, but it wasn't enough. They filled one area, but I had more wall to cover.
In one of the painting classes I teach, the students each take a turn choosing what they would like to paint and we all paint the same thing. One was of some grapes with very colorful leaves and background. I have grapes and some of those colors already in my kitchen. I could hang that. Check!
I went through some of my own photos and cropped out some colorful sections, reduced the detail to make them look more painterly, over saturated the colors and put them in the same color frames as the ceramic tiles. Would it work? We thought so. Check!
My Granddaughters call these my Van Grannys. Bless their hearts. I think it takes a colossal ego to put my stuff next to Van Gogh's. One thing can be said, though. It is colorful.
Because of circumstances, my husband and I were discussing the possibility that we might have to sell our house. We started analyzing what changes might need to be made in order for it to sell quickly. A major problem that we could see, at least in a Realtor's eyes, is that I LOVE color...lots and lots of color. There is not a single color I do not like and firmly believe that every one of them has its right place. My kitchen and breakfast area was the canvas for my palette. We knew we were going to have to get the walls back to a neutral color, which we did.
I started looking for things that I could hang on the, now, to me, boring walls. I found a place that sells crops of Van Gogh's paintings that have been sublimated onto ceramic tiles. I ordered the most colorful ones I could. I also ordered some frames designed specifically for ceramic tiles. The day my goodies arrived, the Grands were here. We all had a hand in deciding how and where they would be hung. Mission accomplished, but it wasn't enough. They filled one area, but I had more wall to cover.
In one of the painting classes I teach, the students each take a turn choosing what they would like to paint and we all paint the same thing. One was of some grapes with very colorful leaves and background. I have grapes and some of those colors already in my kitchen. I could hang that. Check!
I went through some of my own photos and cropped out some colorful sections, reduced the detail to make them look more painterly, over saturated the colors and put them in the same color frames as the ceramic tiles. Would it work? We thought so. Check!
My Granddaughters call these my Van Grannys. Bless their hearts. I think it takes a colossal ego to put my stuff next to Van Gogh's. One thing can be said, though. It is colorful.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
What Camera is the best?
Oh, no! Not going there. I've been told, and whole heartedly agree, that the best camera to have is the one that you have with you when you need one.
I've also been told that many professional photographers are using the latest generations of Apple's Iphone as their always on hand point and shoot camera. With that in mind, I decided to take a short class on using one.
What I've learned is, that while it does have its drawbacks, it does do an absolutely amazing job. Couple that with the multitude of apps that are available to make shooting easier and in-camera post processing, if you are so inclined, a breeze. I will never again hesitate to use it.
I was never fond of Apple's camera app. The first thing I did was find a new one. I have been using Camera+ and have been quite happy with it. Having said that, SmugMug just released one called Camera Awesome and it is free. I think I am really going to like it as well.
This image was taken with Camera+ and some artsy fartsy filter within the app was applied.
I've also been told that many professional photographers are using the latest generations of Apple's Iphone as their always on hand point and shoot camera. With that in mind, I decided to take a short class on using one.
What I've learned is, that while it does have its drawbacks, it does do an absolutely amazing job. Couple that with the multitude of apps that are available to make shooting easier and in-camera post processing, if you are so inclined, a breeze. I will never again hesitate to use it.
I was never fond of Apple's camera app. The first thing I did was find a new one. I have been using Camera+ and have been quite happy with it. Having said that, SmugMug just released one called Camera Awesome and it is free. I think I am really going to like it as well.
This image was taken with Camera+ and some artsy fartsy filter within the app was applied.
The close up focus range on the camera is quite good. These are seeds from an orange bell pepper.
I was cooking dinner one night and they caught my attention.
Quick... grab the phone and take a picture!!
Like most point and shoot cameras, the depth of field can be a problem. Throwing the background out of focus while keeping the point of interest in focus is fairly simple with a larger format camera. Not so with a camera with a small sensor. Naturally, there is an app to fix the problem. The one I used here was iQuikDof. Simply put: You can "paint in" the areas you want to be in focus and it will blur the rest giving that larger format look...or more.
I was cooking dinner one night and they caught my attention.
Quick... grab the phone and take a picture!!
Like most point and shoot cameras, the depth of field can be a problem. Throwing the background out of focus while keeping the point of interest in focus is fairly simple with a larger format camera. Not so with a camera with a small sensor. Naturally, there is an app to fix the problem. The one I used here was iQuikDof. Simply put: You can "paint in" the areas you want to be in focus and it will blur the rest giving that larger format look...or more.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Fabric Painting
My beginner's fabric painting class painted this piece right before
Christmas. I painted the sample on a T-shirt because my daughter wanted the shirt to wear after my class was over. Some of the students painted theirs on light colored shirts. One student painted a grouping of these all over a table runner for her Grandmother for her birthday. I painted the demo in class on a square of bleached muslim which I later made into a pillow to be displayed at Christmas. We all had a great time.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Tools of the Trade
I taught hobby ceramic techniques for a particular ceramic color manufacturer. The owner of the company requested a project depicting a "garden" theme. This was painted on ceramic tile bisque with fired ceramic products then glazed with a clear gloss glaze. I had all the props necessary to set up a still-life but I had to make the sunbonnet so that I had something to use as a model.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Bluebonnet Vase
The Texas state flower. Tube-lined (outlined and detailed with a dimensional paste) on a matte glaze surface then painted with matte glazes.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Saturday, September 23, 2006
The Whole Family
Airbrushed ceramic ornaments personalized for a family. They were airbrushed with fired ceramic color.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Old German Homestead
Oil on canvas. This is a 100 year old German homestead in the Texas Hill Country.
My original photo was taken in early spring just as the trees were leafing out and a few varities of wildflowers were starting to bloom.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Porcelain Rose Vase
This design was painted from a photograph I took of a friend's rose. It is painted with acrylics utilizing watercolor techniques.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Monday, April 25, 2005
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
The Guys
This is a watercolor of my son-in-law and grandson. The first one I have ever done.
My daughter took the photo. She thought their identical stances were cute.
So do I.
Sunday, February 27, 2005
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