I'm so excited to finally be able to share this news – the first four in a series of New York stencils, exclusively for The Ink Pad. Shop online at their newly launched site….it's only a few minutes old. Congrats Anna and Barbara!!
Tag: stencils
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embossed hearts
Yes, we are ready for the big game. Graham has the menu planned and good smells are coming from the kitchen. My neighbor Emma came over to make Valentines. This year I taught her about dry embossing. We did it the real way, with brass stencils, a lightbox, and a stylus tool. After one I knew she'd be antsy because it takes alot of handpower and patience to complete. So then I introduced her to embossing folders and the short-cut for embossing. We will ran our die-cut hearts through the hand-cranked pasta machine (typically used for polymer clay – I've never made pasta). She finished a dozen in no time and then we moved on to addressing and decorating envelopes. Assignments are finished so we will open some of the Girl Scout cookies she delivered.
A reminder of using embossing folders with a pasta machine from 2011. Such a fun and fast way to get texture!
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coming soon!
New rubber stamps, stencils+masks coming soon! So excited! And my CJS video went up today!! I couldn't figure out how to add audio narrative so you don't hear me or see me, but you get to see me working. Chime in if you saw it!
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happy happy merry merry
I'm going to wait until Friday to post our annual Christmas picture card as they are still arriving in the mail and I don't want to foil the surprise. If you've come by hoping to see my photo review of the Bergdorf Goodman holiday windows it will be here eventually. We usually visit NYC over Thanksgiving weekend with my mom but this year my parents are coming for Christmas (today!) so we are saving the event for this weekend. The digital composition below is created with some of my new stencils that will be released in 2016. I like to mess around with them in photoshop to see how useful they might be in real life. I'm excited for these too!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas. I always expect the reader interprets what I'm saying, which is: I don't know the particular holiday you are celebrating this year so please take these words as wishes for a glorious season with loved ones.
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updates – new article and workshop schedule
The January/February issue of Somerset Studio has arrived. If you've taken the Compose Yourself workshop with me then you've tried the exercise I illustrate and describe in my column. I first learned of it back in grade school – didn't know the term for it until a few years ago. Notan – the Japanese word for dark/light harmony. (I could insert a HIM reference here, as they have an album called Dark Light, but I will refrain.) You can see I used my chess stencil again. The full set of stencils/masks will be released in January.
Compose Yourself is on my schedule in 2016. It will be offered through Pratt School of Continuing and Professional Studies on February 13. Registration is open. CALL 855.551.7727 or follow link to register: HERE (type in Michelle Ward, using caps as shown)
Here is a sampling of my Pratt workshops this Spring. Visit my WORKSHOPS page for full descriptions and schedule.
And don't forget – if you plan on joining Creative JumpStart the $45 fee is good through 12/31. It will be $50 after that. Visit Nathalie's site HERE for all the details. My first video will be included!! HCIT?
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’tis the season?
Who would ever expect that December would permit and extended season for spray paint in NJ? We've been lucky with the unseasonably mild weather, so I took advantage. If you follow me on facebook you've already seen the facelift to our coffee table. It was time for a sprucing up with a change of palette to coordinate with our revised colors in the living room. First painted in 2007, the composition included many of my favorite stencils from that time. Since then I've designed over 100 stencils for Green Pepper Press and Stencil Girl Products. My intention with the do-over was to use the new stuff, but it ended up taking a turn and I went with some hand-cut chess stencils+masks from 2008 as the focus, with multiple size checkerboards, alphabets, and my damask patterns as "noise". After revisiting the chess stencils I've decided I will be releasing them in a smaller size in January. Stay tuned!
I admit it was hard to say goodbye to the old table top, but I had a great time spray painting the new one, and I'm pleased with the results. You can see my post about the 2007 version HERE. Below are the before and after views:
And some close-ups, plus a view of my outdoor work space, near the rose garden. I finish the surface with acrylic spray varnish, and a glass top.
I cut these chess pieces stencil/mask sets in three sizes back in 2008. Loved using in my journals and for art-making. HERE is an archived blog post illustrating how the chess theme has been one of my favorites.
I'm going to be getting the chess stencils and masks into production soon – to be released in January. There will be coordinating checkerboards too! They won't be as large as the ones I used on my table, but they will be fun to work with on all kinds of surfaces. Can't wait!!
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cut it out!
This just in, November/December issue of Somerset Studio. My article "Creating Opportunities" is about making the commitment to dimensional elements on your page before you start adding your layers of paint and collage. One of my favorite mantras, as a teacher, is to tell you to "Commit". Just start with one thing, then each decision you make is informed by the previous commitment. That's easy to say when you are working on a painted or collaged foundation. But once you have invested time in making a background it may be a little stressful to cut into it. I've observed this in workshops – we start with paint, then I hope to encourage some slight-of-hand tricks with cutting and folding, but there is a reluctance. So I changed my method of teaching, and we begin with the deliberate cuts and folds, then add the paint, collage, and stencils. The commitment to adding cut-out shapes, and the placement of where they are positioned, is not influenced by anything since the canvas is blank. With dimensional features established, you've created opportunities for how to proceed. See the magazine for more details, and many other terrific articles.
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gorgeous autumn
I've been enjoying these glorious days here in Jersey. Cool nights and sunny days. Not alot of leaf color changes yet – although there is an ample quantity of orange, but that's because we have construction everywhere. My roses are mostly done showing off, a few buds are trying to break out. Since I've fallen behind in trimming many of the old blooms have filled out as hips. I admit that I kinda like when I see the color change from green to deep orange, plus I love their shape.
Here are some hips from 2009, and some masks I made from Tyvek.
And an old journal page from November 2009.
Hope you're enjoying the Autumn, wherever you are. It's a motivating time of year – I'm always brimming with energy in October.
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song books
May is nearly here so that means the rose buds are starting to form, and the new Somerset Studio is showing up on shelves and in mailboxes. My column is about making your own songbooks, celebrating favorite lyrics to beloved tunes. I will be teaching Bohemian Rhapsody at The Ink Pad in NYC on Saturday, June 20th. To learn more see HERE, and to reserve a spot, call 212·463·9876 I'll provide the music, the lyrics, and the accordion book. Hope to see you there!
Consider making a song book as a gift – this one was made for Graham.
Don't you love that reading the lyrics makes the tune pop in your head? What song will you illustrate?