Blast from the past part 2

Last year I took another awesome class with Michelle Ward at the Ink Pad in NYC.  If you ever get a chance to take a class with her, do it! She is funny, very regular, and just lives/loves the creative process. This class was the "cardboard" journal and just so cool to work on! Mine is still in progress but here are some photos of Michelle and her journal.

Find out more about classes at the Ink Pad here
You can find Michelle's stencils here and here
This is a link to Michelle's blog

Blast from the past

Back when the CREATE classes were still happening, I had the chance to take an amazing class with Andrew Borloz, who is just so great! Using Andrew's stencil designs, we created our own hand painted book cloth for two sketchbooks. I love the way mine turned out,  and bought almost all of Andrew's stencils to make more of these yummy books! Here are some samples from the class!  All books were created with Blick Matte Acrylics and cotton fat quarters.

You can find the acrylics here
You can find Andrew's stencil line here 
If you would like to see Andrew's work here's the link to his blog.

Here are the books from all the class participants!

Gold over purple

These are my finished books!

Donna Downey class

In December I was lucky enough to get a seat in a sold out class Mixed Media Academy with Donna Downey at the Ink Pad in NYC. Donna is so charming and funny. It was a great chance to see some of her work up close and in person. I love the project, and I signed up for one of  Donna's online classes- Metamorphosis . Stay tuned...

The No Glue Book

Early on in some of the bookmaking classes I attended, I learned how to make a book with out glue or binding of any kind.  When I teach this technique to students and other teachers, everyone is amazed that the book stays together just by the tension of the folded paper.  It's truly amazing!  Below is a supply, some photos and a video tutorial I made for the "No-Glue Book."  Enjoy!

Supply list
(the book can be made any size-these are my dimensions from the video)

two pieces of board (can be chipboard, mat board, even cardboard) 4"x6"
a few sheets of decorative paper large enough to wrap around the board (I'm using some gelli prints on copy paper)
heavy cardstock (mine is 110lb weight) 3"x6"
ruler
pencil
scissor

Oldies but Goodies

When I am teaching classes, I try to allow some time at the end to have a little "gallery" showing.  Everyone will usually set up their completed work and then tour around the room, giving themselves the opportunity to see their colleagues artwork. I also use this time to ask them to reflect about their own artwork, what their favorite part of the class was (as well as their least favorite!) and where they see themselves going from here.  This is a great way to bring closure to the class and give everyone some time to reflect and grow!  This video is from a class I taught in 2009 called Bookmaking for Artists and Educators. We made over 20 books in 5 days!