P10K: Day Six

I had another busy day today with work and apartment hunting. Unfortunately, I had limited time to play but I was able to get in a few hours towards the P10K.

Nina art journal pages (1 hr)

Cut paper for journal pages (1 hr)

Blogging (1 hr)

Iron Craft 35

This week we were assigned to do something with a book. This was such a difficult challenge for me because this is what I do all of the time. I make books. I remake books. I tear ugly books apart and make them look better. I cut books. I fold books. Oh--all of the options.

When I attend craft fairs to sell my books and art work, I always have a hard time giving out business cards. People always ask for them and I wanted to do something other than just keep them in a pile on the display table. I have one of those acrylic business card holders but it just doesn't look artistic. So I decided to make a business card holder out of an old book that I had.

I cut the spine and only used half of the book. I divided the book into four equal sections and I divided the page into four equal parts. For the first section, I would make a cut one quarter from the bottom of the page (cutting from the spine to the fore edge). I then folded the one quarter strip once from fore edge to the spine. In the first section, I folded the three quarter pages from the fore edge to the spine and then again so that it was half the size of the one quarter strip.

For the second section of the book, I made cuts at one quarter and one half which left me with three strips of paper per page. The lower quarter and the top half strips were double folded from fore edge to the spine. The second section from the bottom was folded only once.

For the third section of the book, I made cuts from the bottom half, and one quarter from the top. The bottom half and the top quarter were double folded while the remaining quarter (second quarter from the top) was folded only once.

Finally, for the last section of the book, I made a cut from the bottom three quarters of the page and leaving the top quarter. I double folded the bottom section and single folded the top quarter. All in all, this left me with a rotating section from bottom to top of one section of the page that stuck out further than the rest of the pages. These were the pages that would hold my business cards. The double folded sections would hold postcards that announced my exhibitions or postcards for sale. Overall, the project took about 8 hours to complete over two days and 12 Exacto blades.


Here is the finished tower (which I conveniently call "Hedgehog). You can see the single folded and double folded sections and how the single folded sections rotate around the tower.


Here, I have highlighted two sections that have business cards already inserted. My business cards are the grey cards extended past the pages.

Here are the business cards and postcards in the finished hedgehog. The postcards are NYC postcards that I sell but you can tell the finished look of the project.

P10K: Day Five

Today, I had a pretty busy day so I didn't get to play as much as I would have liked. I started the preliminary sketches for a cutout Thank You card (1 hr) and I blogged for a little bit (1 hr). I consider it a success because I want to do something every day towards my P10K. So, two hours are better than no hours.

P10K: Day Four

An acquaintance of mine died during Hurricane Irene. She didn't die directly from the hurricane--she only didn't wake up from the aftermath of the storm. I am on a neighborhood watch in my neighborhood and I look after 10 elderly women. They range in age from 52 to 92, all of them live alone with the exception of Nina and Daisy Espirito who are sisters (ages 86 and 92). Nina, aged 92, did not wake from her sleep after the hurricane passed through NYC.

I share this situation with you because I wanted to create a two page spread in my personal art journal dedicated to Nina. I wanted to highlight two of her many anecdotes regarding her long and storied live. Normally, I would have fussed and fretted over the layout and many times, it would simply remain in my head. Working on P10K made me realize--art pieces, many times, are works in progress. In other words, Michelangelo performed many drawings and sketches before painting the Sistine chapel. DaVinci painted over previous painting before finalizing a finished portrait. Why would I think that I could produce, instantly, a work of art?


I trace this mentality to my lack of artistic play when I was a child. I never really experimented artistically when I was growing up. Everything had to be a finished, perfect outcome. Coloring outside the lines wasn't permitted, grass was always green, trees had to look like trees or the drawing paper was thrown away. Before P10K, I never would have shared a work in progress--especially, one that I wasn't initially pleased with.





Here is the first rendering of the spread. I like the background colors and textures and I like the quotes that I have chosen to use. I don't like the daisies or the printing on the right side of the page. The beauty of the project is that it isn't completed. I can change it, rearrange it, color over it, add to it. I know that this sounds simple but to me it really is a revelation. I am producing this spread for MY pleasure. I'm not going to sell it, I'm not on a deadline and this isn't a commission. This is for ME. As long as I am pleased with the process of making something that pleases me--then that is the transformative nature of art.

10 minute journal project--2 hours
Nina Espirito layout--2 hours
Blogging--1 hour

P10K: Day Three

Today, I got a lot done while waiting for Hurricane Irene to hit NYC. Thankfully, we were spared the wrath of the hurricane although there was plenty of water damage and flooding in the lower parts of Manhattan. I survived unscathed in the Bronx. Because I had the entire day to myself, I was able to log in a whole bunch of hours in my project--now to be referred to as P10K.

I finished reading the book, Outliers, and was glad that I read it. Being a sociologist, it was a pleasant read and dispels some of our myths regarding success and how it is perceived and evaluated. The chapter regarding the 10,000 hour rule is what intrigued me the most. More importantly, the book also stresses that when there is an immediate intrinsic reward associated with hard work, we are much more likely to want to spend the required 10,000 hours to become proficient. While I found fault with some of the logic of the book, I was glad that I completed the it (2 hours).

I also dedicated time to catching up my blog entries regarding my Iron Craft projects. I count these hours as part of my P10K because the more information that I post about my art, my techniques, and my projects, the more likely people are going to want to see, and possibly purchase, my work. Part of the development of my art must include developing the business side of my art. If I don't develop the business side then I will never be able to become a full time artist (1 hour).

I also cleaned and organized my studio. I have a difficult time being creative if the studio is a mess. I would walk by the studio and move on rather than create which is opposite to what I am trying to do in the P10K. When I clean the studio, I am always amazed at rediscovering lost items or finding materials that I had forgotten(4 hours).

I finished my project for this week's Iron Craft Challenge. I will share pictures on Wednesday. I am really pleased with the way the project turned out (2 hours--finishing and taking pictures).

Finally, I have started reading a new book called Art at the Speed of Life. I will write a review upon completing the book (1 hour).

Total hours this week: 16
Total cumulative hours: 16

BTW, when I reference books that I am reading or reviewing, I do not get paid by the author or by amazon.com. I simply shop amazon and therefore provide their link to the the book I am reading. I am in no way getting compensated for discussing the book. If in the event I receive some compensation (either a free preview copy, etc.), I will disclose this information during that post.

Iron Craft Fifteen

This week's challenge was to use Peeps Bunnies or Chicks in some way. While I must go on record to say that I have never eaten, or desired to eat, Peeps, I was a little puzzled by this challenge. As I was shopping for the Peeps and was trying to get candy for Easter (I have eaten my weight in Starburst Jelly beans and Skittles), I noticed some colorful candies.

Buying bags of candy in a variety of colors, I was hoping for some inspiration. One of the actor's from the theater was throwing away this tall vase. My inspiration came to me instantly. I layered jelly beans (which I had to sacrifice from my PERSONAL stash), malted eggs, and bunny Peeps. I have always wondered if they were still classified as Peeps if they were bunnies. Chicks peep but what sound does a bunny made. In truth, what do bunnies do besides mate, eat and make poop. Maybe the chicks should be Peeps and the bunnies should be Poops.

Iron Craft Fourteen

This week's challenge was to create postcards that would then be sent to a recipient. I wanted to make something specific to the person(s) who were going to receive the postcard. By the luck of the draw, I was assigned to send cards to Thing1 and Thing2 the only other male contestants in the Iron Craft challenge (they are the sons of one of the organizers of the challenge).

Since they like Harry Potter, I decided to do some cutouts relating to the books. The top card is one of the posters for the movie series and the second is the crest of Harry's dorm at school. The cutouts are mounted on hand colored cold pressed watercolor paper.

Day Two

Today, I continued to read the book Outliers . I still consider this as applicable to my hour count because I am still using the time to develop my craft. I have spent most of the day dealing with the impending hurricane so I have plenty of time on my hands.

I have also started my Iron Craft project for this week (week 35) in which we are supposed to do something with a book. I know exactly the project that I am going to work on and have started to work on it. The project is called "The Hedgehog" and I am looking forward to its completion.

August 26-- 2 hours working on The Hedgehog
August 27--4 hours reading Outliers

10,000 hour challenge

I have been reading the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It is a great book that discusses success: how we measure it, how it is obtained, and the conditions in which it thrives. The second chapter is titled: The 10,000 hour rule and states that people who have become proficient in a skill or activity have dedicated over 10,000 hours to its development. He provides several examples to illustrate his point.

This rule has made me wonder--if I had 10,000 hours to dedicate to something, what would I develop? In the book, Gladwell estimates that it takes people approximately 10 years to become truly proficient at something (equitable to 10,000 hours). I wanted to know exactly how long 10,000 hours really was. If I work continuously, I would have to work non-stop for one year and 52 days.

Also, it made me wonder--what skill would I want to develop. So, in answer to this challenge and in celebration of my birthday, I have decided to log in 10,000 hours to become the best paper artist that I can be. I struggled with this decision because I didn't know if I wanted to dedicate myself solely to make books, or boxes, or paper art. I decided to develop all of the skills associated with paper arts.

I hope to share with you the results of my quest by posting projects that I have completed or are in the making but also explaining and logging my hours until I reach my 10,000 hours.

Iron Craft Week Thirteen

This week's challenge was titled "Best in Show" and featured crafts based on animals (roundup1 and roundup2). I love animals and wish that I wasn't so busy so I could have a pet at home. I'm allergic to cats (but love them) and I am very partial to dogs--of all sizes. In terms of favorite animals--one would have to be elephants. I was very lucky to have a friend that worked at an elephant pen at a local zoo. I actually got to pet, feed and oil the elephants. When elephant's skin starts to dry out, you have to spray oil on them to keep them moisturized. You get this big tank and a spray nozzle (like those spray wax machines for your cars) and stray them with oil. My favorite time was when I got to play with twin baby elephants. A baby elephant reminds me of a balloon with ears. My second favorite animal is the panda. I have been infatuated with pandas since I was little. I decided to do this cutout because I think it's cool to see a parent with their child (rather it is in the animal or human world). I was really please with the way that this turned out and will be more pleased when I do it in a larger format. This is a hand painted watercolor background and measures 5.5" by 6.25" and appears in my art journal.

Iron Craft Week Twelve

This week's challenge was devoted to "Luck." I was truly inspired by some of the terrariums that were built for last week's "Green" challenge. As I was walking to the local bodega to get a Coke Zero, I rounded the corner and saw this vendor that was selling bamboo stalks. In NYC, we call it Lucky Bamboo and you must buy three stalks for it to be lucky--actually, I think the vendors make that up in order to sell more bamboo. I bought the bamboo for $2. I already had the river rocks from another project and I retrieved the vase from the trash as it was being thrown away by one of the actors at the theater. Even though I spent money, I think that it is a good project (roundup1 and roundup2).

Iron Craft Week Eleven

This week's challenged was based on the color "green" in honor of St. Patty's Day. I have to say that I had to revert to my old craft days and design some cards because I really don't "do" green. I hate green--I always have. I don't have very many green clothes. I really don't have green anything--especially in craft supplies.

We were instructed not to do any "Green" as in recycling, etc. We had to use the color "green." This placed me in a very difficult situation because--I didn't even have any green card stock to do a cutout. Other crafters didn't have as many problems as I did (roundup1 and roundup2).

I started searching my stash of supplies and found some old pressed leaves and flowers that I had used in a previous project. I decided to mount them in my oval designed tri-fold cards. One was in a pale green/yellow card stock and the other was a desert colored brown card stock. The papers used were petal infused handmade paper from Kate's Paperie that I had on hand. Overall, I was pleased with how they turned out.

Iron Craft Week Ten

This week's challenge was called "Fat Tuesday in the Quarter." I had no idea what the challenge was going to be. We were required to make something out of a "fat quarter" of fabric. First of all, I had no idea what a fat quarter was. More importantly, I had no idea if I had any fabric hanging around the apartment or studio.

It was explained to me that a quarter yard of fabric is usually 9" by 44" when cut off the bolt. A fat quarter is cut differently and measures 18" by 22" which gives you more options on how to use the material. A general guideline is the shape and size of a bandanna. I was amazed at the projects that were created with such a small piece of fabric (roundup1 and roundup2).

I was really stumped on this challenge because I had vowed not to spend any money on these projects. I was looking for old T-shirts or old shirts that I could use. I had a couple of options in clothing. I was also looking at old bedding that could be used and had a couple of options there as well. I decided to look in my sewing storage container and found this beautiful piece of fabric that I had used several years ago. The fabric was left over from a bulletin board project that I had made for a friend of mine. It featured large poppy flowers in oranges, yellows and browns.

I decided to make a large storage box with brown book cloth and used a piece of the fabric as the inset in the top of the box. I had to back the fabric with paper so that the glue wouldn't seep through the fabric. I used a heat bond adhesive and backed the fabric with Japanese tissue.

Iron Craft Week Nine

This week's challenge was called "And the Oscar Goes to . . ." and we were supposed to a project inspired by the movies (roundup1 and roundup2). This was an easy challenge for me as I already had a project planned but I never got around to actually completing it.

I had found a book called "100 Faces of Hollywood" at an old bookstore. Many of the pages were damaged and waterlogged but there were many good pages that could be used for something. I had already separated the pages for using in a project but just hadn't pull the trigger to make it happen. I decided to make envelopes out of the pictures.

The envelopes are A6 sized which fits a 4" by 6" card. Each of the envelopes featured an Oscar award winning actor/actress/director. The envelopes are lined on the inside for added strength. The liners are made from Abercrombie and Fitch catalog pages.

Iron Craft Week Eight

For this week of Iron Craft, we were challenged to craft something dedicated to our hometown (roundup1 and roundup2). I was on the fence about what I wanted to do. I could have done my hometown of Houston, Texas which would have been easy. I could have done West Lafayette, Indiana which was were I went to school. Or, I could do my current hometown of New York City. While I have only lived in NYC since 2002, I believe that NYC really is my hometown because I truly believe that it the place that I was meant to live.

I was walking down Broadway on my way to the theater, and I was overwhelemed by the street vendors handing out brochures for theater ticket discounts. At that moment, I realized that I wanted to do an homage to Broadway theater. I designed a two page spread in my art journal. The paper is Arches cold pressed watercolor paper. On one page, I used my handmade alcohol inks to lay down a background and did the paper cutout of the Statue of Liberty. The other pages uses a NYC subway map printed paper on which I cutout images from some of my favorite Broadway shows--Mary Poppins, West Side Story and the Lion King.

Iron Craft Week Seven

This week's challenge was called "Midas Touch." I thought about doing something with gold leaf as was suggested. I also considered doing something with gold spray paint or embossing powders, etc. I woke up one morning with this idea--a paper cut of a silhouette fingerprint that was then backed with gold paper.

I tried to fingerprint myself and after thirty minutes and a dried out ink pad, I finally came up with several prints to choose from. For some reason, I was attracted to this thumb print. After spending way too many hours cut, I decided to mount it on a piece of gold textured card stock.

I am rather happy to say that I am very pleased with the outcome.

Valentine's Day Mystery Cards

Sorry for the lack of posts recently but Valentine's Day crept up on me and I was unprepared. I made several one of a kind cards that I will be sharing with you soon (of course, I can't post them here until after the big day as not to ruin the surprise for the lucky recipients).

I do want to share with you a project that I have been working on which has really been taking up my time. After reading the blog of one of my favorite art bloggers (Dude Craft), I came across this entry and wanted to do an anonymous, feel good project for Valentine's Day. I came up with mini-valentine's cards that people could leave for those they love. They are small mini-envelope sized cards that are empty on the inside so that an inscription can be left for any occasion. I used to leave them for other people and I called them "just because" cards.

For this project, I bundled up five different cards with envelopes in white tissue paper with the explanation sticker showing and left them throughout NYC. I left them at my theater, at grocery stores, at the library, and at several bookstores--all anonymously. There are over 120 Love Note packages (that's 600 individual cards) floating around for people to find and use.

I just want people to share the love--whenever--not just for Valentine's Day.

Iron Craft Week 5

This week on Iron Craft, we were tasked with designing and making a Valentine's card. I was happy to say that this was an easy challenge for me especially since I make cards every day. I decided to return to my roots and paint some new backgrounds and make some quote cards.

To make the backgrounds, I take a single sheet of watercolor paper and paint, stipple, scrape, paste, cover, manipulate and layer it. Then, I cut the paper into individual pieces that I use to make the card. Each card is an original card since it can't be re-created because the single sheet of watercolor paper can never be duplicated. The background for the top card above was made with a watercolor wash, mulberry paper and gel medium. The bottom card was made with a watercolor wash, alcohol ink splashes, mulberry paper, and gel medium.

The top card above was made with a watercolor wash, re-inker splashes, and salt placed on the wet watercolor. Gel Medium was not used so that a matte finish could result.

The image on the bottom card was made with permanent ink and a rubber stamp. I then used colored pencils and Gamsol to tint the image. The image just makes me smile. I will be making these cards to give away for the Meals on Wheels card program.

Broadway Boxes #3

As mentioned yesterday, this past weekend was full of making Broadway boxes. For the week of February 1 through February 6, Melissa Etheridge will be performing in the musical American Idiot. She will be making her Broadway debut with this show. To commemorate her performance, there will be a special Playbill/program that will feature her picture--for this week only. To congratulate her on this accomplishment, I was asked to make a presentation box to hold her commemorative Playbill.

The case of the box is covered in a red Japanese iridescent book cloth. When tilted, there is a purple sheen to the fabric. On the cover of the box, I have debossed the same heart grenade and the title of the show--American (running vertically) and Idiot (running horizontally). The tray is covered in a French Marbled paper in colors of red, black and gold.

The interior of the box is covered in black Prestige paper. The tray on the right is filled with a platform so that there is height to the Playbill. The platform is covered in black Prestige paper as well. The structure of the box is a classic drop-spine box.

Broadway Boxes #2

The weekend was full of making more boxes to give away as members of the cast left the Broadway musical American Idiot. The actor that left on Sunday was a featured actor who did not have any program inserts. Therefore, a new style of box was necessary. The above sample uses reversible Unryu paper from Thailand. The lid of the box is debossed with a symbol from the show--a heart grenade. The interior of the box is capable of holding 4 x 6 photos or postcards. The interior is lined with black Prestige paper.