Table of contents for September - October 2017 in Cloth Paper Scissors

A little over a year ago we conducted an online reader survey to find out more about your interests in mixed-media art, as well as your thoughts on the magazine. This issue came about because of that survey. Among the questions we asked was: If you could master one new mixed-media skill, what would it be? The majority of you said you were interested in learning encaustic art. We heard you loud and clear! No surprise that this technique has captured your attention. Not only is encaustic artwork absolutely stunning, it’s perfect for mixedmedia artists, since it can be combined with everything you love: collage, painting, mark making, abstracts and realism, stenciling, and more. Since encaustic may be completely new to some of you, we kick off the featured projects…

Have you ever wondered what could happen if you made the time to learn something you’ve always wanted to learn? My new book, Happy Hand Lettering is the result of a challenge I made with myself to do just that. I decided three years ago that instead of wishing I had the time to learn a new art form, I would make the time to do it. And so, after several months of waking up at five o’clock each morning to practice hand lettering before work, I began to see myself getting better and better! HAPPY HAND LETTERING is designed to help you learn the basics of hand lettering so you can practice efficiently, create beautiful projects, and incorporate hand lettering into many parts of your daily life. This book…

Around this time every year I celebrate my “art anniversary.” That may sound slightly crazy, but finding my way back to my creative side was a pivotal point in my life. It’s going on 11 years since I first picked up some art materials and pieced them together in my journal. Peeling off the crusty paste from my fingers was a metaphor for how I felt after creating each and every journal page or painting. Through the creative process, I was shedding the old me to allow the new me to be born. This early artwork wasn’t necessarily my best, but it felt wonderful to tell my story even in a cryptic way. Back then, I was feeling very alone and going through some things I didn’t think anyone else…

From the moment I was first introduced to encaustic painting I was in love. The smell, the creamy texture, the luminous colors—I love it all. The industrial nature of encaustic work can seem a little intimidating, with hot plates, heat guns, and sharp implements. However, there are so many ways to use encaustic that it lends itself to all levels of ability. Carving into wax is one of my favorite things to do. In this article, I’ll show how to create a marbled background and add a simple and elegant carved image. This project is perfect for beginners, but those who have done encaustic before will learn some new techniques as well. materials • Encaustic medium (I make my own with natural beeswax and damar resin.) • Encaustic paint (I…

I love the look of encaustic art-the mysterious veiling, the satiny sheen, and the depth you can achieve using layers. But I don't care for the heat, the oil paints, or the fumes. That's why I've come up with a number of techniques for creating the look of encaustic using acrylic mediums. In this article, I bring together a few techniques from my book, AcRYLIC PAINTING FOR ENCAUSTIC EFFECTS. What makes acrylic paint and mediums look like wax? Layering. You can achieve tremendous depth using acrylics and various techniques, such as embedding paper, a transfer, or even a stencil image in each layer. Veiling is another method, which is done by partially obscuring some areas of the painting, using either paste or an opaque paint. When a veiled area is…

More online See more Mixed-Media Weaving finalist art at bit.ly/OnlineExtras…

The best advice I was given while learning to paint was to paint a lot. I firmly believe you learn more from thoughtfully producing many paintings than from struggling to create one perfect painting. This approach, however, results in piles of experiments and failed attempts that get stashed in closets and under beds. Recently, I reviewed my unsuccessful paintings and realized that while they weren’t great paintings, they did contain lots of beautiful color that could be upcycled into new artwork. I love incorporating original collage pieces in my work, and that pile of unwanted paintings became an incredible source of unique materials. You probably have a stack of sketches or paintings that just aren’t working, or were done for practice, that you could easily use as raw material for…

What do you love most about your home studio? Ellen: I love the fact that there are a lot of windows and natural light and that it is spacious with plenty of storage and workstations (though it’s funny how even “plenty” doesn’t always seem like enough). When you’re in need of inspiration, where do you go? Ellen: Nature has always been my primary muse, so a walk in the woods or on the beach is often where I turn. I also find inspiration in seeing the work of others, so I go to museums and exhibitions when I have time. If time is in short supply, I look through my art magazines and books. Images on Pinterest have provided me with a lot of inspiration also. ellenschiffmanfiber.com pinterest.com/ellenschiffman Cloth Paper…

What I really wanted to be was a magician—a real magician, one who could transform realities and not just deceive people into believing so. I discovered that the closest I could ever come to reaching that goal was not in a magic store, but in my art studio. What does a creative person do if not a bit of wizardry? From some place deep inside the mind a spark is ignited, and the artist manifests that into a reality. If you think about it, that is pretty flippin’ amazing—to think that something as nebulous as a thought could be brought forth into existence. It’s like waving a wand or reciting, “Abracadabra.” From nothing, something. If only it were that easy, though. Think of how much I could accomplish if all…

You decided to go big with a painting, only to end up with a muddy mess, or a half-finished eyesore. What to do? Recycle it! Artist Cathy Nichols has a great idea for turning that unwanted creation into a functional and beautiful piece for your workspace. Her “eureka” moment happened when she turned a not-sowonderful painting to face the wall, and discovered that, with its handy crossbar, “It suddenly looked like shelf space and a mood board for my favorite bits of inspiration.” To make one for your space, start with a wood painting panel that has a horizontal bar in the middle of the frame. Choose a limited palette of acrylic paint (Cathy used hot pink, turquoise, indigo, and gold) and paint the edges of the frame with bold…

Amazing Alterables™ from PaperWhimsy are laser-cut decorative shapes made from eco-friendly wood fiberboard. Available in a wide range of styles and designs, these substrates can be used with paint and stain, making them a mixed-media artist’s dream. Pair them with the printed and downloadable collage sheets also available on the site. $2.50–$12.75 | paperwhimsy.com Topflight Stamps carries hard-to-find art stamps from companies around the world, including Darkroom Door, Rubber Dance, Visible Image, and Katzelkraft. The range of images includes vintage, whimsical, abstract, and realistic, so there’s something for every project. Grunge Marks: $24.99, Artist Plate: $21.99 topflightstamps.com Eversewn cork fabric from Brewer® Quilting & Sewing Supplies is a pliable yet sturdy polyurethane-backed material that’s great for journal covers, textile collage, assemblage, and much more. This cork fabric is waterproof, stain…

The Exquisite Book of Paper Flower Transformations Playing with Size, Shape, and Color to Create Spectacular Paper Arrangements By Livia Cetti | Review by Jeannine Stein Abrams, 2017 | 176 pp. | Paperback | $24.95 The allure of creating gorgeous flowers from paper never wanes, and The Exquisite Book of Paper Flower Transformations feeds into this fascination in a big way. Big as in large, showy blooms—hydrangeas, bearded irises, rhododendrons, parrot tulips, and more, made out of crepe paper. This follow-up to Cetti’s The Exquisite Book of Paper Flowers includes basics on preparing the components by dyeing, bleaching, and painting paper, plus ways to build realistic, bold florals step by step. Suggestions for arrangements and the inclusion of lots of templates make this book a keeper for flower fanatics. The…

One of the highlights of my studio workday is when my son, Declan Konesky, also an artist, comes to visit, and we bounce ideas around. It was during one of these visits that these paint-skin flowers were born. I had cleaned a palette of some dried acrylic paint, and the dried paint pieces were lying on a table. Declan decided they looked like flowers. After laying the irregular shapes onto another painting I had in process, it was clear that the flowers needed stems. But not just any stems; the stems needed to be as irregular and organic as the flowers. That’s when we tried painting with some pine needles (pine straw) from the garden. The pine needles created just the right line thickness and the perfect amount of quirkiness.…