Japan Journal

This is the last set of pictures for my Japan Journal. Next week's Journal Monday will continue with my Art Journal.

The Japanese love their neon and nighttime in Tokyo is absolutely stunning.

Paper Fridays

Today's entry features hand marbled papers by an artist in Canada. Rhonda Miller provides some of the most beautiful papers using classic techniques and patterns. As you already know, I am something of a paper hoarder. I collect papers of all types. I also believe in supporting independent artists in their endeavor through etsy and other venues. Rhonda's store always has something wonderful to covet and the price is very affordable.

I only know Rhonda through our interaction on etsy and she is a personable and giving artist who is always willing to listen to your requests and suggestions. He has custom made some papers for me when I asked her to combine several color combinations for a project that was in progress. Not only did she meet my request but she did so at her own expense--even though I bought the papers she supplied.

I highly recommend her shop to you and hope that you have a chance to visit it often. You can also follow her excellent blog here.

From My Library: Cover to Cover by Shereen LaPlantz

First of all, I must say that this book has one of the longest titles on my shelves--Cover to Cover: Creative Techniques for making Beautiful Books, Journals & Albums. The book was published in its first softback edition in 1998. For some reason, it has just now been brought to my attention. This book was one of those amazon.com suggested books when I purchased something else.

Unfortunately, these books are like boxes of corn flakes--the insides are all the same but the covering is different. Many of them begin with bookbinding basics: equipment, paper, grain, etc. They then go into types of books and are usually followed by a gallery of some sort.

This book falls within that realm. The subsequent chapters are: Pamphlet Stitch, Basic Codex, Stitches, Stab Bindings, Fold Books, and Combination Books. Where this book stands out is the discussion of Unusual Bindings and a chapter titled "Presentation Counts."

I find it difficult to follow directions in a book. I am much more comfortable seeing someone perform the machinations or being taught them. Once I see someone doing it, it is much easier for me to follow along in a book. The problem is that bookbinding is a three dimensional art form. Stitch patterns are very difficult in a two dimension format like print. For those people who can follow a book like this, there are numerous examples and illustrations. Many examples are made specifically for this book by the author to illustrate the different types of books. There are also numerous examples from other book artists throughout the book as well.

All in all, this is a very good reference book to have on your shelves.

Only in NYC

Yesterday, I visited a local high school to talk about my hobby--Paper Arts. I described myself as a paper artist and amateur bookbinder. Here was one of the verbal exchanges:

Eager Student: "Do you make a lot of money doing that?"

Me: "Not particularly, but I enjoy doing it."

Eager Student: "No problem. I wanna put $20 on the Jazz to beat the Lakers."

Teacher(rolling her eyes in embarrassment): "He's a bookbinder--not a bookie."

Later on during the break:

Teacher: "I wondered by he got so excited about you coming to visit. I told him that we had someone coming who makes books."

Valentine's Day Card/Spreading the Love

Here is the first manifestation of a Valentine's Day card. I am not totally pleased with it yet but I am still working on it. I am doing some cards in non-traditional colors this year not because I am being all artsy fartsy; I am doing it because I want to use up some of the cardstock that I have leftover. I am so over using red because of Christmas.

Also, I will have many Valentine's cards left over this year. Some are handmade, some are store bought, and some are like kid's valentines. Rather than have them waste away--here is what I propose. If you know someone that could use a little cheering up around this time of year (recently alone, permanently alone, etc), please send me their address via PM. I will send them one of these Valentine's Cards signed with the following--You are loved. Signed Cupid. It will be totally anonymous with a postmark from NYC. That's it. I pay the postage and handwrite the sentiment. No tricks, no gimmicks, no advertising. I do this in memory of those that I have loved in my life. So, let me help you spread some love. This will be on a first come, first served basis as long as the supplies last. I will mail out the cards as I receive the names. The last day that I will mail out will be Thursday.

Japan Journal

The is the next to last entry in my Japan Journal. This features a small shrine that is smack dab in the middle of a large industrial area outside of the Hotel Okura. I got lost leaving my hotel and ran into this small but serene setting. These pictures really represent many of the wonders that I love about visiting Japan.

Paper Fridays

Here is another of my Indian papers which features another color that I do not use much in my palette--mustard yellow (more of an ochre yellow in reality). The pattern is a large scale paisley-like pattern in navy blue. There is a definite retro feel to the entire pattern. The paper also comes in a lime green with navy blue pattern as well.

This paper is very thick, curls, and stretches in both directions.

Year of the Tiger Postcard

Here is the final postcard for the Chinese New Year celebration of Year of the Tiger. This is the cutout that was featured last week that is adhered to a crayon resist background. This card is then back onto a red cardstock in celebration of the new year. Red and gold are the traditional colors of the new year.

Technique: Crayon Resist

One of the latest techniques that I have been experimenting with is crayon resist. I have been using a variety of different papers to see what effects that I can achieve. I have also been using a variety of different crayon bases and washes to see their interaction. The first example that I will share with you is a crayola crayon resist.

The paper is Aqvarelle Arches, Cold Pressed, 100 % Cotton (140 lb).

The base is simply Crayola crayons (96 pack)

The wash (overlay) is black gesso.

I like using the Arches paper in watercolor block. I find that I have less leakage onto the other pages when using a block. Also, I believe that the paper stays flatter and dries more evenly.

The crayons are a little waxier than some of the bases that I have used. Therefore, your crayons will not spread as easily as some of the other bases. You will find that you have to press harder and almost crosshatch for good coverage.

I like the way that the black gesso evens out the finish and mutes all of the colors.

From My Library: Journal Spilling by Diana Trout

This book was mentioned on another blog (of which I can't remember at the moment). This book is a combination of mentoring and technique. If you are new to art journaling, it is a great resource on how to get over the hurdles that new, and experienced, journal writers face--the empty page.

The are a variety of different exercises that the author provides to jump start your pages. One benefit is that the author provides you with concrete and finished examples of her completed pages following the exercises she is recommending.

One of the interesting aspects of the book is her concept of journal spilling--not the esoteric explanation that she provides on page 15 but the practical exercise of putting thoughts to paper without a concern for spelling, grammar, content, or composition. The goal is a stream of consciousness writing that fills the page--big letters, cursive letters, fat looping letters--anything to fill out the page. This then becomes: a page in your journal, fodder for a collage, or confetti to be torn up and pasted down later.

The freeing aspect of this stream of consciousness writing is that it becomes liberating. More importantly, if it is too personal she provides you examples of how to cover it up so that only you know what is on the page--even as the writing becomes decorative on the page.

While the examples of journaling provided are not my personal style, the book is a valuable resource for the liberating, and often healing, aspects of art journals.

Japan Journal

As I was walking in Tokyo on a windswept day, I ducked around a corner to get away from the latest gust of wind. When I turned around, I saw this sculpture one-half block away. For a minute, I thought that I was back in NYC again.

Paper Fridays

Olive is a color that I don't particular use in any of my color palettes. While the scan on my computer shows it a little hotter (more lime-ish) than it really is, this paper is a thick paper from India that uses the colors olive, white and gold. The beauty of this paper is the fact that it does truly shimmer with the gold highlights. The downside of this paper (as with many of the Indian papers that I have) is that it curls like crazy. More importantly, it stretches in both directions. Primarily, I now us it for for paper covers for soft-covered pamphlet books.

Final Holiday Cutout card

This is a card that I am working on for Christmas 2010. As I have said before, I am not a big fan of square cards but this one works for me. I am still trying to work out the final dimensions of the branches in the top left corner. I will put it away so that I can work on other things and come back to it with fresher eyes.

So, that is all that I have for holiday cutouts. I will be sharing Valentine's cutouts soon.

Tommorrow, I hope to return to Paper Fridays.

Another Holiday Cutout

This card was developed from a sticker series as was yesterday's card. The white background is a paper liner that becomes the writing surface of the card. It is a piece of linen text weight paper that is folded in half and then glued to the inside of the back leaf of the card.

Another Christmas Cutout

Here is another Christmas card cutout that was for the 2009 season. It was developed from a series of stickers. This is an A7 sized card.

Another Cutout

Here is cutout that I designed for 2009 Christmas cards. I am not generally a fan of square cards because of the postage so I will adapt this to a reguarl sized A2 card. This was adapted from an old German cutout.

New Cutouts

Here is the first of a series of cutouts that I will be sharing online. Forgive me if I am a little gun shy about doing so, but you can't move forward until you forget about the past.


This is a cut out that was adapted from Dover's Chinese Cut-Paper Designs. I am using it for a series of Year of the Tiger (the year 2010) projects that I am doing. Here is the cutout and I will share the final projects with you later.

Enjoy.

Not Lost. . . unless you consider my mess

Hello dear readers,

First of all, I want to thank you for all of your support during my legal quagmire. I was having a difficult time trying to still focus on the projects that were due, the legal commitments, and working at my regular jobs.

I am in full swing trying to get ready for Valentine's Day. I got behind and will sell fewer items this year but I don't mind. I still have many ideas that I will carry over until next year so I am not worried.

The biggest complaint that I have right now is that my apartment and my studio (the extra room) are a total mess. I have piles of everything spread around just waiting to be put away. It is driving me crazy but I can't get to it until the weekend. I have some wedding commissions that I need to work on and I refuse to do so until I get the studio and apartment cleaned.

There is some good news to share though:

• I submitted a prospectus for a one-man show here in NYC. My submission is called "OCD Paper" and will feature paper products that are made from multiple, compulsive type manipulations. There were 75 submissions and it was narrowed down to five--of which, I am one of the five finalists. Two submissions will be chosen to be shown.
• My accountant called and has finished the preliminary review of my taxes. Last year, I will have derived approximately 32% of my annual income from my crafting/creating which is the most I have made so far. I am very happy about this.
• I had been commissioned to create a paper cutout wallpaper for a local florist to use in his window display here in NYC. I was then approached by a major craft design company to POSSIBLY design some paper products for them.

I promise that this weekend I will post some pictures of projects that are in progress. I simply need to get organized to be able to do so.

Once again, thank you for all of your support.

The Ordeal is finally over

Well, I am glad to say that the legal ordeal with Mr. steal-my-designs is finally over. I am very happy to say that I won the case and the settlement will probably put the "thief" out of business--I am not gloating, but merely stating a fact.

I was awarded the maximum amount of damages in such a case AND Mr. Thief also has to pay my legal fees (including my attorney's fees). Literally, this will put the person out of business since he doesn't have the money to pay the damages/fees.

Mr. I-didn't-think-you-would-take-me-to court erred on a variety of different levels:

1. He wouldn't stop selling the stolen designs
2. He wouldn't stop selling the designs once I nicely asked him to
3. He wouldn't stop selling the designs once we issued a "cease and desist"
4. He underestimated the lengths that I would go to in order to make this right
5. He didn't believe that I would spend money to take him to court
6. He didn't realize that one of the designs that he stole was based on a design that was adapted by a very large sticker company
7. He didn't realize that said sticker company was going to join in the lawsuit
8. He didn't realize that I had attorney friends that were willing to spend their time and efforts to make this right.

I really don't mean to sound like I am gloating about this. I believe that I was nice to the person and gave him every opportunity to correct the situation. The person really didn't believe that I would take this issue as far as I did. In other words, he simply underestimated me and my belief in doing what is right.

So, please continue to visit for some new designs of things I was doing while this was going on.

Thanks to all of you for your support during this crazy time.

I'm at a Loss

Hello Readers,

I am sorry that I haven't posted lately but I have been in a bit of a situation that really has me flummoxed. I have been posting many of my creations online for people to appreciate and learn from in the spirit of sharing. I realized that by posting my creations on the Internet, abuses might occur but I was never fully prepared for the situation that I am in.

Some of you have asked if you could use some of my designs for personal purposes and for the most part, I have granted permission. Never did I realize that people would steal my designs and use them for their personal gain.

Some of my silhouettes have appeared in another artist's store as their own work. Not modified work but my work in its original form. I have been careful to label my work so that pictures couldn't be stolen. This "artist" simply copied my work, scanned it, and then reproduced it without asking or without any modifications.

For those of you who don't know, silhouette/paper cutting work is very meticulous and time consuming. Getting correct proportions, placements, etc is very much a trial and error process and sometimes can take hours to get correct. This person has bypassed all of this work and effort by simply stealing my designs.

Right now, I have had to spend money on getting an attorney to write a cease and desist letter which we had hoped would solve the problem. So far, this artist has refuse to abide by this letter. We are now in the process of suing this person for damages.

So, dear readers--if there are any of you left out there--that is why I haven't posted recently. I don't want to provide this person with anything else to steal. As soon as we get this resolved, I will post more pics of projects that I have been working on. Right now, I am in the middle of the holiday season and I am making some goodies of which I will be able to show you pictures.