The Altered Book: Art Doll Chronicles


Hello All,
On March 15, 2009, I will be teaching an altered art book class called:
The Art Doll Chronicles at the Summit Visual Arts Center from 10am-4pm, if you are interested sign up at the summit visual arts center, limit space of 15 students!
Sum Visual Arts Center, Workshop Sign Up

We are going to create vintage books with faux gilded covers, reminiscent of the most elaborate of royal opera books, each page is going to tell a story of your adventure in a secret Doll Land or Story Book Land, the pages of your book will be 3-D with handmade dolls sewn/glued to each page, or layered with dimensional silhouettes, backed by sweet distressed writing papers or piano papers. There will be an exploration into your creative mind during the whole class, with a question: What inspires you and how can that inspiration bring you into your own artful World.

I will have books from vintage opera to eye candy filled chic, romantic, doll house and my own for the class to gain inspiration from, while working. We will also embark on a mixed media/1920's doll illustration, 1920's Dennison doll making, book binding, altered art techniques, distress techniques. You will receive a template of vintage doll and storybook illustration that you can leave with and study for future projects. This turn of the century illustration had simple lines, and such cutesy attributes, so easy to duplicate and turn into your own style.

I'll be supplying most of the supplies such as papers, fabrics, images, ribbons, trims, glitter and more, along with goodie bags and some other surprises, revealed in the class. However students are encouraged to bring their own images, fave paper or fabric, stickles, glitter, etc that they could use in addition to the supplies I will be bringing.

Main techniques that will be taught:-Bookbinding
-Paper Piercing
-Rosettes: the art of folding
-Paper millinery flowers, learn to make your own
-Doll and Paper Doll making
-Altered Art and Collage Techniques
-Making your own silhouettes
-Basic Storybook illustration and Mixed Media illustration
-Vintage Art Techniques

I'm working on some various examples: Silhouettes with glitter and creamy colors against lettered writing pages and German Crepe paper doll book example, the painted version book, and the Living Opera Theater Book, etc.

Hope to see you there for some artful fun and magic!
Lisa!
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the Summit Visual Arts Center site reads:
The Altered Book: Art Doll Chronicles
Sunday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Bring your childhood dolls and storybook classics to life. Create a book with vintage tones and classic elegance with the use of basic book binding, altered art, sewing, doll making and other artful techniques. Each page will resemble a vintage story book, a doll house, and a fairytale theatre with 3D elements and miniatures. Work with designer papers, rich fabrics, vintage trims, crepe paper, tinsel, rhinestones, doll parts, images and other fun supplies.

A Day of Artful Magic and Studio Play!
What can occur when two girls get together for some artful fun, why, Magic of course. On Tuesday Suze took the 90 minute drive to my house from South Jersey, passing quite alot of trees and enchanting pumpkin patches on her way to my house, which seemed hidden in the woods from the main road...

Upon arrival Suze and I immediately began sharing stories and posing for pictures, she took over 90 pictures, I slacked off with close to only 70 pictures, LOL! I'll make up for it, I promise. Here's a picture of Suze's wearing the tea cozy I made her, as a hat, doesn't she make it look like a real hat, perhaps from Asia or Vintage Coronation Hats, Now We know there is more to a tea cozy then meets the eye!LOL.

While Sue shows off a tea cozy hat, in the next picture I actually look like I am preparing for a masquerade, wearing my handmade mask and giving a smile, Wish I was on my way to a Masquerade, but wearing this mask gives you the feeling you are, it gives you some added inspiration and vintage flare.

After taking loads of fun pictures, Suze and I began playing with supplies and experimenting with several techniques, the first was showing Suze how to make homemade glass glitter, using a rock tumber, Ranger alcohol inks and some magic.
Here is a picture of the colored glass
Here I am with the tumbler (photo from Suze's Blog: http://suzeweinberg.typepad.com/suzeblogz/

After we did the glass glitter basics, it was off for some brunch: An Egg Fritata with grilled chicken, onions, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, red pepper and parmesean, Jersey Tomato salad w/Fresh Mozzerella, herbs and garlic, a Garden Salad, Chedder Crisps and Baked bread, followed by some apple pie I baked the night before and my famous double chocolate Cupcakes with creamy whipped buttercream, coffee for me, and tea for Suze and my special guest, Joan, my Mom! So this next picture would be fitting to post, my collection of confections: Sweet Licorice and Sour Cherry Hard Candies which I carry with me and leave in the studio in new glass jars, these treats get me through the day!

My love for glass can be seen through out the studio, which I am transforming into what I call: The Faerie Apothecary Shoppe! I love the look of vintage European confectionary Shoppes and want my studio to reflex that as well as my love for all thinsg magical and enchanting, keeping true to my artful muse, which will be in complete utopia when it is all done. Here's a glimpse into my jar collection filled with unique and vintage oddities

The following is a picture of Suze standing against one of my studio shelves.



Here we are playing with art once again, trying various things and using loads of Ranger products and fun supplies, We found another fab technique by using Ranger Colorwash sprays on finished beeswax. This is a fun fun shape I covered in piano papers with Claudine's Gel Medium (this stuff is amazing)http://claudinehellmuth.blogspot.com/, 2 coats, for a sturdy wood like weight. painted, sanded and covered in Suze's beeswax, I did this to two pieces, and hot glued an accordian atc sized cardstock to both covers to transform into a book. Once the beeswax cools, its ready for more fun. Suze and I sprayed Lettuce Color Wash on it, wiped it off and got a wonderful color which adhered perfectly to the beeswax. We also played with paints and mediums using Claudine's Sticky Back Canvas, I love this, my new fave art item.

When to artists get together its always going to be playtime, remember playing with your dolls and friends in the 1rst grade or making clay pots in the 3rd grade and you were so excited, or the thrill of an antique sale, its that same feeling when you can create things with friends, its a pure magic from within.
Here are some other snippets of my studio:


My fave photo of my Enchanted Glass or what I call Magic Glass!


Above the two of us having a Bewitching Time!wearing our Witches Hats (I have about 40 of them getting ready to be transformed for my next show).
Some carnival gift bags as painting or light storage, aren't they fun. Followed by my Carnival Queens rivaling for head Carnival Queen! After all they are dollies!

Here is the latest doll creation: Beeswax covered bisque doll with crepe paper and sweet trimmings!


I hope you enjoyed our artful adventure and some of the new technqiues we came up with! Have a Enchanting Night! Lisa!

Ranger U Oct.3-5, 2008 in Tinton Falls, NJ!
On Friday Oct.3, a new adventure began when I left my house at 7am to head on over to South Jersey to the Ranger Warehouse, where a weekend of artful magic was waiting to be unveiled.
As I trecked through the Northern Country side, flying past vast farms covered in pumpkins and tri-colored leaves, Tewksbury Victorians and Illuminating beams of sunlight, I kept thinking, wow, I'm going to be learning and creating for three straight days, pinch me, now that's Artful Heaven.
As soon as I arrived, the other students were one by one floating through the door, as was Suze and my first new friends: Leandra Franich and Linda Brown, both from the UK, My Fatherland. So after a bit of chatting, we walked through the Ranger Classroom and found an end seat, where we were joined by more eager to learn students, from Massachusettes.
After some Dunkin Donuts (my fave coffee)and donuts, we were led to the warehouse were a jumbo, I mean jumbo box filled with supplies, carefully bagged and label for each class segment, awaited us, these would be what we used all weekend and could leave with at the end of our class. Then we were spli into 2 groups and given a tour of the facility and shown how the products we would be using were made, Alan and Tim took us on our tour. Lets just say when I saw the glitter, I was in a world of pure imagination, like Willie Wonka, and we all know just how much I love glitter.
When we went back to the class room it was time to begin, Suze Weinberg started off the first half of the classes on Friday, showing us a multitude of Beeswax, Utee and Melting Pot techniques and projects, each more amazing then the next. Here is the first picture I took at Ranger U with The Fabulous Suze Weinberg http://suzeweinberg.typepad.com/suzeblogz/
and Linda Brown (The Owner of LB Crafts, located in the UK),
http://www.lbcrafts.com/
In this picture you can see us all hard at work, learning techniques!


In all these pictures you can see our first finished projects we did at Ranger, with Suze, all framed and matted. The one is a group shot of all of us outside with our projects and the other is a picture of Jayne and Me with our Frames! When Suze was done teaching, Claudine Hellmuth took center stage and show us her style and a variety of techniques with her new product line in a rich creamy color palette. After our first day of class everyone was invited to a dinner party, barbeque style at Ranger were we all mingled with each other, staff, owners and designers, it was an amazing time, to sit back, eat, drink and relax with one and other.
Here is a Picture of the Tim Holtz http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/ and Me at the first night party! Tim is what can I say, brilliant! Followed by a picture of Jackie Mclaughlin my new buddy and Me! Jackie is a super talented artist and designer who has been featured in many books and written one herself, such a talent and super nice person, so glad she lives in NJ! Jackie is a talent and part of the Ranger Family.

I can't forget my new pal from Ohio Aimee Fleck
http://www.aimeeinohio.blogspot.com/ Aimee is amazing and super cool, lots of talent! So glad we became friends!

After the party I drove back home and went straight to bed, woke up and left the house again at 7am for another fantastic day at Ranger U. On Saturday we opened the day with more dunkin donuts, love that stuff and Tim Holtz, who showed us a plethora of techniques over the next 2 days, loads of amazing distress, using alcohol inks and other Ranger products in a whole new way. Halfway through the day we broke for lunch with amazing pizza, so good and more chat time with new and old friends. Here is a picture of Claudine Hellmuth http://claudinehellmuth.blogspot.com/and Me, at lunch. She is super sweet and introduced so many great techniques in Friday's Class!

Here is a picture of Bonnie and Me, Okay, can I just wonderful and so amazing is the words I can use to describe: Bonnie from Ranger, such a sweet person, so glad we became friends, just amazing!
After Saturday's Class, Suze took Leandra, Linda and I over to shop just outside of Red Bank, where an Anthropology Shop was, now anyone who knows me, knows I have a love affair with A. Glitter, B. Anthropology, Oh and Glenny Too! LOL! I can never leave Anthropology without something, and of course I didn't, tried on a cutesy pink and grey frilly tank top over my Thick layered Turtle neck, looked quite lovely, LOL, I think I scared Linda when I did that! LOL!, Actually I scared myself, but it looks perfect when worn the normal way, as a tank top...Afterwards we headed to Jackson to an amazing Sushi Lounge where Suze's Hubby Lenny and My Glenny met us all. It was soooo good here are some highlights from there:


Suze is super amazing, so warm and generous, she goes out of her way to make you feel at home and after her dinner treat which was so wonderful she led us back to her gorgeous house, my fave place, where Leandra showed us first hand her utee bead project which Suze's has labeled: The Leandra Technique. This bead when done looks like dicroic glass, fused, its breathtaking. Leandra Franich is simply what can I say Ultra talented, she is the owner of Paper Artsy in the UK http://www.paperartsy.co.uk/ The most brilliant and un-believable Rubber Stamp Site, she even donated Stamp packs to all the Ranger U students, how wonderful is that.



After making us drool over these beads, Leandra and Linda went back to the hotel, My Glenny drove home Can I say I just love my Glenny, and Suze and I each retired to bed, to prepare for the longest day of all: Sunday 9am-9pm at Ranger, but before I went to bed, I was given a very special gift which is now close to me in my studio sending me loads of magic and inspiration, by Suze, it made me smile all night. Here I am holding it
The funny thing, I love this artist too, have a small book of hers and some other items, how cool is that.


Now its Sunday, our last day, here is a picture of our table, posing for the camera, followed by some silliness, a picture of Leandra wearing her plastic gloves and bling Bling, too funny, had to take a picture! I call it Leandra's Artful Bling!

During this Plastic glove time, I made this tag learning another great technique, how cool is this background and the stamp

Again we broke for lunch for one last time before class ended, here is a fab picture of Linda Hahola, Jeanne Wines-Reed and Me, and guess what, I took the picture myself, I'm a pro at the stretched arm picture. LOL. Linda and Jeanne are incredibly talented and wonderful people, their warm vibes and true self showed straight through, they were such a pleasure to meet and become friends with, Linda lives near me, so excited and Jeanne is out in Utah, I'm coming out to Utah Jeanne! Utah watch out, here I come, LOL! Jeanne is one of the authors behind: Digital scrapbooking for dummies, such an essential book to have in your library!
Let's not forget the amazing, Mario, and the amazing Patti who ran around all day, the whole weekend for us, they were wonderful, getting us supplies and things we needed.
Say Cheese Teresa, here is a cute pic I took of Miss Teresa Natividad from Ranger, she is super nice and sweet, such a pleasure to meet, did I forget Talented too! Last night some of the gals made all the students and teachers newspaper hats, which we secretly painted at lunch and hid til the end of the day to surprise: Suze, Tim and Claudine, at the Certificate Ceremonies, it was too cute. Here are some of us wearing our hats. One is my table group and the other with Janet Hopkins http://www.janetjopkins.typepad.com/ from Heidi Swapp, who also donated stamp masks for us to use in our techniques, did I mention I destroyed mine with a heat tool, which melted part of it, LOL! I'll be ordering some soon!




Here is Jackie modeling her Blinging paper hat with Patti looking on! LOL!

After out class group photo, we brooke for dinner for an hour, Leandra, Linda, Suze, Lenny and Me headed for Applebees, The Notorious L's as Suze's calls us, ordered these Peach Apple Sangrias, look at the size of them, LOL. Dinner was now even more of a blast, come on, we had Sangria, LOL, Thank You Leandra and Linda for Dinner, super nice!


By the way, we each got a piece of this chocolate from one of the international girls, I had to take a picture of it, before I ate the castle! LOL!.
The Forum was a success and answered many questions that everyone had, a litter after 9pm many of us left and said our goodbyes, gave our warm wishes and said our thank you, while some of us headed for the Lobby Party at The Marriott, yes I went! LOL!.
Here is a great pic of Mike aka Jack and Curio Cat, which I took, LOL, it should read, Pardon me, would you like some wine! LOL!, too funny! Here is a pic of our after party crew:
The After PartY:
Jackie Mclaughlin, Mike Putman, Aimee Fleck, Tanya Watts: http://www.pretty-things.net/ super nice and from the great land of Belgium, Diane Radischat from Seattle (she lives near Eddie Vetter, shall I say More)http://www.awindowseat.typepad.com/, Sue Clifford from Spain (artyfacts), Jeanne Wines-Reed, Lindy Andersen (super nice) from Norway, NYC Rules with Julie Fei-Fan Balzer sooo talented: http://www.balzerdesigns.typepad.com/
I took sooo many pictures, too many to post in a single blog post or in the whole blog, so I posted some different ones on my flickr site and the rest of the highlights all into a Picasa Album which you can click on and see the rest of the adventure!
Hope you enjoyed my highlights of this incredible event!
Magic and Joy!
Lisa!