Jason and Faye, of Rag & Bone, posted about this gorgeous wall piece that they made from book pages.  Now that’s what I call creative recycling!  There’s always something wonderful being posted or discussed on the  Rag & Bone blog, and don’t miss their Bindery either!

Technique Tuesday!

We’ve explored lots and lots of fun collage techniques over the years. I figured it was past time to compile some of the methods. This post doesn’t include all the techniques like image transfers and making background papers…those posts have been compiled elsewhere!

Collage and Quilt Techniques

Technique Tuesday!

Here are some of my favorite methods for creating background papers to use in mixed media art, both physical and digital!  I like to update this list from time to time so that you will always have the information right at your fingertips

Links to Background Papers Tutorials

Technique Tuesday!

We’ve gone over a LOT of different methods for doing image transfers over the several years that I’ve been with you, and I like to recompile the list every so often.

From transfers using polymer medium to fail-proof kits, all the image transfer links are here. 

Frosty Frieze

Artist: Nancy Tobin
Websites:
www.nancytobin.com
www.nancytobin.etsy.com
www.nancytobin.wordpress.com

Frosty Frieze is a 6-x-6-inch painting on a hardboard panel.

I work by building up layer upon layer of acrylic medium, paint and painted paper that I have either cut with scissors or knife. I use many techniques along the way; stenciling, sponging, delicate brushwork, drawing, and even spray painting. For this painting I incorporated glitter as well.

The end effect I hope for is that of peeking into another world, a place that seems both familiar, and yet strange.

Don’t forget that there are lots of other methods for doing image transfers here on Layers Upon Layers.  You can always find an up-to-date list in the Pages section in the right-hand sidebar, but here’s the list again, with the new Tilano transfer kit added

Polymer medium transfer film

Paper image transfers - plain and photo paper

Fabric image transfers - t-shirt and transparencies

Contact paper transfers (aka Packing tape transfers)

Caulk image transfers

Polaroid image transfers

Digital Polaroid image transfer

Contact printing

New digital ground products from Golden’s

Waxed paper transfer

Tilano transfer kit

Autumn Equinox

Artist: Carol Wiebe
Business name: Silverspring Studio
Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Website:
SilverSpring Studio

The Summoning

Carol, how do you describe your work?
I’ve followed the creative path in many different ways in my life: drawing, papier mache, stained glass, crochet, painting, sewing, pottery, collage, computer art. At this time, I feel so fortunate, because I can now combine the skills and actual materials from this diverse skill set into what I call mixed media art quilts. Basically, I paint on fabric, or paint, draw and make prints on paper. These are then sewn together in a quilt sandwich. Afterwards, I paint the quilt surface, as well as add clay elements, crochet, papier mache, hand stitching, collage, etc. It’s exhilarating to integrate all those paths into one grand, mixed media highway. Many other artists I’ve communicated with have expressed a similar sense of freedom when they embraced mixed media. Anything goes!

What is your creative process like?
My creative process is one of unfolding and revealing, step by step. I actually tried to explain this one on my blog, after watching a Virginia Cobb DVD about 20 times. She was so articulate about her process, and it felt absolutely familiar to me. She talked about building a painting, one step at a time, and this is how I work. Each step builds on the one before it, which tells or suggests what might follow. Suddenly, you have a piece of work before you that is a marvelous surprise; something I would have had great difficulty planning.

Desire

I usually have quite a few pieces on the go (sometimes 10) and when one stops speaking to me, I let it rest and go to another. There is always a piece that is ready for a conversation! As long as we’re communicating (the piece speaks and I am able to hear it, and act upon it), I keep going! If there is total silence, I can always make monoprints, or doodle, or read an art book. Or go on the Internet and find a site like yours, Cyndi. There’s constant stimulation and inspiration in the digital universe!
[Editor's note - flattery will get you everywhere! ]

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I used to dread this question, because I didn’t finish a fine arts degree: I went on into more “practical” areas (teaching, and library school). I thought I wasn’t a “true” artist because of this “lack” of training. But I wised up to the fact that art is all about fun, and discovery of your world and yourself, and I’m quite content to leave art criticism to the miniscule part of the population that actually comprehends it. I look for workshops that are enjoyable, non-judgmental, and informative. Yes, I said informative, because having enjoyment includes honing my skills and knowledge. Workshops and DVDs are also invaluable to my growth as an artist.

And somewhere along the line I turned a corner and shifted my attention away from “lack” to “joyful engagement.” I simply decided to let myself revel in the exuberant play of making art, and found myself eager to share it with others. Am I a “fine” artist? I do not know, or care. What I do know is that there are those who appreciate my art, because it speaks to them, and there are those who don’t. Both are okay with me: both contribute to my practice of disengaging the critic and the ego from my work.

Messengers

This does not mean that avoid being analytical: every work has its stages where I am in the orgasmic throes of spontaneity and serendipity, after which I study what has “happened” and figure out if and how I can improve it. For example, I quite literally go down the list of the elements and principles of design. Sometimes sheer energy trumps conventional wisdom.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
Beyond the obvious materials that I need for my work (fabric, paper, paint, thread), I would have to say the computer! It is so integral to my process, now, that I would be hard pressed to create without it. Of course, I like to think that in its absence, if it came to that, I would then find another way or path.

Nest

What inspires you to create?
Everything! I keep seeing constant inspiration, no matter where I go. The way colors and shapes dance together in a carpet, someone’s shirt, the plants in the garden, the words on a page, a chance song, a friend’s words, a magazine in the mail. Once you open your arms to the world showing you what it wants you to make, there is no end to the number of images and emotions that answer your invitation, and embrace you in return.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
If a work has stopped speaking to me, I switch gears and begin a new work, or simply grab a pad and doodle, draw, or seek inspiration from one of the books that I am so fortunate to have inhabit my bookshelves in droves! I must say that almost every piece I make has an ugly stage. That was my ugly little secret until I heard a few other artists talk about it. Few pieces just roll off my hands with minimal effort. I have to listen really hard to some of my creations–for that next step I talked about. Sometimes it certainly looks like I have misheard or misinterpreted, because my results, so far, are not pretty! The bright side of these seemingly dark situations is that I’ve gained valuable tools and strategies by having to deal with them!

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
You have to free yourself of that inner judge that stymies your creative expression. Topple the judge and nurture the inner student, the one who studies, pays attention, tries, practices. Many educators use the term “lifelong learner.” As artists, this is a crucial attitude for raising our level of artistry. And let’s not forget celebration. Celebrate well, and often. I don’t subscribe to the notion that misery makes a good artist. Joy is my favorite juice. So tap into joy . . . . it’s delicious and nutritious…

Doppelganger

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
Reading, although much of it is about art! I am delighted when an author transports me into the world of her novel, or deeply affects me with powerful emotional and spiritual insights.

What’s your favorite comfort food and other favorite things?
I am totally addicted to soy chai lattes. Give me my favorite beverage and a good book, and all is right with the world. Currently, I am reading The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, Who Would You Be Without Your Story? by Byron Katie, and Confident Color by Nita Leland. All three books, by the way, are helping me become a better artist.

Get Out of My Own Way

Artist: Theda Sandiford
Business name: Theda Dotcom LLC
Location: Union City, NJ

Website & Blog:
Miss Theda
Bondgyrl flicker album

Inner Beauty

Theda, how do you describe your work?
My work is a collection of feelings and emotions that have made me suffer in the past. However, through the process of creating the work, it turns my pain into beauty to release its hold on me thereby creating a feeling of freedom in its wake.

What is your creative process like?
I start by reading my journal for the week and see if there was a recurring theme that repeated itself that week. Throughout the week, I take photographs and pick up scraps of paper, newspapers, magazines, advertisements that speak to me. I compare these items to my journal entries looking for the commonalities and select this theme to work on. I flip through my source materials looking for images that evoke the overarching emotion of my subject matter. This dictates the images color, texture, tone of each piece.

Once my images are selected I think about a narrative that tells the story of the emotion and start to cut, tear and arrange images on the board. It can take me from 1 to 5 hours to create one collage depending on its size and the complexity of the images. Usually while I am working I jot down a poem about each piece as I am creating it.

Unite In Art

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I started making the collages for myself and posted a few on my Myspace page. I got such a positive response that I started to take the work more seriously and enrolled in a collage class at Parsons. The instructor opened my eyes to a variety of archival materials to elevate my work. I haven’t looked back since.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
My glue spreader, matte medium and my digital camera.

Self Portrait 2

What inspires you to create?
I am inspired by the matrix of life all around me. Everything, especially things that most people discount as ugly are an inspiration to me. I see beauty in all things. This ability to see the possiblility in anything drives my world view.

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
Honestly this never happens to me. I have so many things I want to express through my creative self expression perhaps the most frustrating thing I face is not having enough hours in the day to create all the pieces I see in my head.

Corner Office

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
Start with a glue stick and some paper and just glue some images down. You can always cut up the page and re-glue. Also, it is helpful to make scans of all source materials so you can print out additional copies if you make a mistake or want to repeat an image.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
I run an internet marketing business, Theda Dotcom LLC and I am an avid blogger.

Financial Freedom

What’s your favorite comfort food?
I’m on a diet, but my favorite guilty pleasures are Star Wars, James Bond movies, wine tasting and street art.

Artist: Dave Alsobrooks
Business name: The PARAGRAPH Project
Location: Durham, NC

Websites:
The PARAGRAPH Project
Dave Alsobrooks

How do you describe your work, Dave?
I describe the current vein of my work as Materialism. Partly because I never had an -ism and thought maybe it was time, but mostly because the materials I use help me tell stories. In my work, particular materials help represent specific subject matter. So I don’t use cornmeal or telephone wires because of their texture or line quality. I use them because I’m talking about hushpuppies or wire-tapping. Typically, the imagery in my work is very much simplified, allowing our cultural associations with different materials to bring the stories alive.

What is your creative process like?
Somewhere along the line an idea will hit me — ideas can come from anywhere. I’m not necessarily trying to come up with a new idea — I’m just on my way to the grocery store. So then I make a bunch more trips to the grocery store, to the DMV, home for the holidays, etc. 6 months might pass. Or even a year. All the while this little idea is stewing in my head. I’ll write things down as time passes along. Some sketching. Some words.

By the time I’m ready to pull materials together and execute work, I usually have about
10 pieces firmly visualized in my head. It’s at this point that I’ll begin an intense production period. That part of the process is usually pretty efficient. But the creative process is always a bit messy for me, so some things change. Generally speaking, though, finished work isn’t ever too far off from the way I conceive of it beforehand.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
For years, I pursued art on the side. Then one day, my wife and I quit our jobs, sold our house and headed for the hills. Literally. We spent two years in the North Carolina mountains where I made fine art a primary pursuit. Without those years, there wouldn’t be the foundation of work that I’m building upon now. Also, being involved on a daily basis in marketing and advertising has helped me communicate more effectively through my art. A lot of designers, for example, fall into the trap of making exquisite work which
no one can read. To me, that’s unfortunate. For the designer and the community. I used to make these academic, abstract paintings that no one could really relate to. I still like those paintings, but these days I choose to make the messages in my art more apparent. I want there to be a takeaway that’s more than beauty.

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
My Mac. Power sander. In that order.

What inspires you to create?
A lot of what I’ve done recently has been a reflection of the world around me. Not always in a lofty national or global view. Sometimes, the view is my neighbor’s yard. And his decision to put something in his yard that I find to be of particular interest. So I find inspiration in the creativity of others. How they approach their lives maybe more than what they “create.”

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
The realization that those times typically lead to some sort of breakthrough, be it large or small. That, and I’ll change the music I’m listening to.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
It’ll sound cliché, but you really just have to keep making art. And progress won’t fall in your lap today. Or tomorrow. If it does, consider yourself lucky. The other advice I’d pass along is to soak up the work of other artists — pay attention to how they solve (or don’t
solve) design issues, color issues, execution issues. Allow their work to make yours better.

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
I’m a partner at a marketing firm called The PARAGRAPH Project in Durham, NC.

What’s your favorite comfort food?
I love making risotto. It’s important that I chop everything up myself and take my time. That is, if I have the time.

Block Party

Artist: Adjoa J. Burrowes
Location: Herndon, Virginia

Website & Blog:
Adjoa Burrowes
Making Art Touching Lives

Caterpillar

How do you describe your work, Adjoa?
My children’s book illustration is created with mixed media cut paper collage that incorporates brilliant painted papers that evoke the joy and wonder of childhood.

What is your creative process like?
My studio has to be organized and clean before I start working. It’s hard for me to work with a lot of clutter. I need to be able to concentrate fully, so I work alone. In the early stages of working on something, I have no music. In later stages I will play something soothing or if I need to speed things up a bit, I’ll play some lively jazz or R&B. It all depends on my mood.

Crown

My process requires a lot of advance planning. I start off initially with pencil and paper and create quick gesture drawings and thumbnail sketches. I often draw from models or use photos I take for reference. Using the words of a story as my guide, I develop my compositions. From the gesture drawings I start to build more detail. I construct a book dummy to get a better idea of how the pictures fit together with the words of a story and make sure the sequence makes sense. After my final compositions are finalized, I reduce my detailed drawings down to simple line drawings. From these line drawings I trace all the shapes in the picture that will eventually need to be cut out. I will often label pieces to keep them organized. Depending on how detailed a composition is, there may many many shapes to cut out. The best part for me is the paint work. I use different mediums, sometimes watercolor, acrylic or concentrated dyes to get rich color and pay a lot of attention to texture.

What kind of training did you have which helped you achieve your current level of artistry?
I received formal art training in college. My major was printmaking where process was very important. I had a small business right out of college making soft sculpted dolls from fabric. I sewed each strand of hair on by hand and appliqued the dresses from felt. I think this tedious work prepared me for my later collage work. I worked for many years as a graphic designer in several different industries, from Campbell Soup Company to Mattel Toys. One of my favorite jobs was working as a consumer product designer for Disney and Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus. I was thrilled to hold in my hand one day, after numerous revisions and adjustments at the factory, a plush clown doll I designed from head to toe. I’ve always had a dual career as a designer and fine artist and illustrator.

Fall Leaves

Is there a tool or material that you can’t imagine living without?
Though I am a very flexible person, I think I would have a hard time without a computer.

What inspires you to create?
I’m inspired by the beauty of the natural world. Each season holds endless intrigue for me — from the carnival of colors in fall to the detailed line work found on the wings of a butterfly.

I’m also inspired by language and how people express feelings and emotions and the duality and contradictions of language. Creating in collage fascinates me because of the constructing and deconstructing elements. The process of taking pieces and reforming and redefining their position in relations to others motivates me. In life, we re-make ourselves all the time.

Kisses to the Sun

What inspires you to keep going when the work gets frustrating or tough?
I have a very strong spirit. I try to concentrate on my vision and stay true to it.

What is your best piece of advice for those who would like to rise in their level of artistry?
I think it’s important to stay focused and to establish clear goals for yourself. I also think one must respect and honor their gift. One way is by equipping oneself fully to perform. This may mean getting the tools needed to work - both physical tools and mental tools such as acquiring the training needed.

Adjoa at work

What takes up the majority of your time besides your art?
Raising my children and my work as a teaching artist.

What’s your favorite non-art activity?
My hobby is swimming. Water soothes and relaxes me. My dream is to go snorkeling or scuba diving in the waters of the Caribbean and swim among the coral reefs and tropical fish.