1.28.2015

artist trading cards -kes




artist trading cards are:
  • a great use of all your studio and journal scraps
  • a business card with no useful contact information. add your contact info and your likely to get a commission or at least be guaranteed that it won't be tossed in the trash.
  • bookmarks for those of you who still read the paper kind
  • a way to look very serious in your studio. its really the equivalent of playing in a sandbox but you will appear 'much too busy' to be cleaning the house, folding laundry, or acting responsible.
artist trading cards are so popular they have their own wikipedia entry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist_trading_cards
google images and pinterest are a way to lose a whole day soaking up the creativity vitamins bursting from this planet's inhabitants. time well spent. there are workshops, guidelines, and swap meets to get involved in. find whatever sandbox your likeminded artists are playing in and get in there too.

i took a workshop last year on this topic because winter is long. i've yet to follow the workshop protocol at home. no need to spend money or follow rules. below is how i made the card in this post:

chop a piece of mat-board too small for framing use.
add papers, plain & stamped fabric, a rhinestone. make these things yourself as much as possible. you can do it. run with the scissors.
cover both sides. it doesn't need to match.
i used glues & medium to stick it all together on the mat-board.
the front of this card is coated in cera colla, a raw beeswax and ammonium hydroxide cold wax medium.
the recipe was courtesy of Don Jusko. a huge pile of thanks to Don. while Don is an artist, his analytical mind and ability to record usable 'how to details' rivals PhD scientists and the minions working for them-I work with these people daily in the biotech industry. check out the decades of work and experience Don posted online at http://www.realcolorwheel.com
more on my cera colla experimentation in the next post.









1.02.2015

make your own universe -kes

in the beginning there is nothing, until there is...

one foamie
http://www.darice.com/store/details/catalog/wholesale-foamies-sheets-rolls-sticky-back/1019-95

add one screwdriver















then add one artist





















then press the foamie on an ink pad
http://www.staples.com/Ranger-5-x-6-3-4-inch-x-3-4-inch-Archival/product_301539




now press the inked surface on anything you like














on paper













                                                                                                                 




or fabric












or directly onto a painting



















this work is from a 3' x 4' mixed media collage canvas.
the painting said it wanted to be a web, and so now it is (detail images)