Melanie Testa's Blog, page 14

Happy Solstice

Today was a great day to get out of the house. I didn't need to go further than a mile but decided to take the subway there and to walk back. I love the 9th Street station because it is the highest in the system and it has a view of the Statue of Liberty.

I went to visit my gal pal, Shanna, my bookbinding teacher and friend. This morning I woke all tight and yuckster and I totally messed up on sewing some signatures together, she took me in hand and whipped me into shape. I was just making sh!+ up!

Notes to self:

2 pages per signature when using 140lb watercolor paper

Use an even number of holes.

That fancy tie them together stitch? Always go the furthest away from the hole you just exited. (See that needle?)

I would be lying if I told you I didn't use the search function on this blog to remind me of things and I know I will be using it to reference this post.

Shanna was making cookies, while I sewed my new books. I got to lick the whisks of their cinnamon buttercream and oatmeal cookie dough. I would have stayed even longer and would have encouraged further feats of baking prowess had I the chance... There would have been ulterior motives in it, but.

I am just sayin'.

Then on my walk home, I definitely needed it at that point, I saw this graffiti. I think it would had had more impact had it said, Swells. Now that is a tag I could embrace.

You may remember this post. Seeing this sticker made me wonder about Street artists' and just how they decide to traverse the world. I mean, how do you pack your bag when you take a trip, stickers, stencils, buy the paint when you get there?

And this sad guy.

24 Hours

Last night we went to see some jazz at the Douglass Street Music Collective. It was great. I of course, brought my journal and made time to draw. As Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up were playing there was one point where the music hit me, I heard it, it entered me and tears came. Good stuff.

The trumpet player caught my attention early on because I liked his hair, so I drew him twice and like the second drawing much better than the first. But, as it goes, I think that is to be expected.

My Man started the day off with some very pretty pancakes.

Thus inspired, I began experimentations in using Kozo paper with soy wax and screen printing. I think I am falling in love.

On Thursday I found myself in Manhattan a bit early and walked over to New York Central Art Supply where they employ some very lovable naysayers. They think they know better, and often warn you against a thing...like say, purchasing a ruling pen, or using soy wax on Kozo paper, because it easily abrades, it should not be submerged in water and ought to be ironed free of wax instead. Whateva...

One would need to ask said salesman why he chose to apply glue to the weaker paper, if he had ever washed paper before and if so what precautions he might have taken and what exactly did he know about soy wax anyway? Huh?

And well? I think I loves me some Kozo paper. It is sheer, and although I have not begun my experimentations in collage with this paper, I have been placing it on top of printed matter, and love the transparency. I will use one of these papers this week and report back on their use in journaling, I may even try some out in some fiber art too.

What else could I do to this paper?

Today's recapitulation

The start of the day was very auspicious for both Arrow and I. We received a package in the mail From Mom of Bob, Nelson, and Prinny Prin Anney. There were froths of cloth bundles, a book and a certain amount of green stuff that persons of feline persuasion really dig.

Then my space was taken over by a surprise visit from Mark Lipinski and Jodie Davis of Quilt Out Loud.

Jodie was a cutie patutie, and I was able to get her to play art with me.

I like nothing more than to get people to make stuff with me.

Mark is a riot. My favorite part of the day was when he pushed me away from the camera and told me that he was going to eat a cupcake and that I wasn't invited. He is just that way and I love him for it. If you are not a member of QNNtv, check it out. It is a paid subscription and comes in two levels of intensity, awesome and awesome-er.

And hey! if you come to this blog through Google Reader, please read this and tell me if it works!

This is another test/UPDATED

A reader told me that she cannot view my photos in Google Reader... I do no know why. I am trying to figure this out.

If you are having trouble viewing my blog in Google Reader, try this:

Copy this address: feed://www.melanietesta.com/mtype/ato...

Go to Google Reader and access your subscriptions, it will look like this:

On the right hand side of the screen you will see

Subscriptions

and to the right of that word there will be a downward facing triangle, Click it.

Scroll down to Add a subscription.

Paste the above address into this pop up box.

This works for me, my feed changed when I updated the blog last year, so if you have been a reader for a while, your feed may need updating. I hope this is easy to follow. Good Luck.

This is another test

A reader told me that she cannot view my photos in Google Reader... I do no know why. I am trying to figure this out.

Cusspots, darn it!

About a month ago I went over to Deb Lacativa's blog and saw these.

Deb has been one of my longstanding blog buddies. I feel like we were both blogging in the dark ages when knitters knew where it was at but quilters hadn't cottoned on, as they say.

I could not resist these things, stuffed to the brim with shreds and shards. I started daydreaming. What could I do with those things (besides hold them close to my mouth and cuss at them?) I started thinking that perhaps I would stuff them with eucalyptus and give them a good boil, check out the cloth shreds and see if a piece comes about, hang them on the wall and continue to stuff them with my own scraps and shreds. I almost wish they were known far and wide and that a few of us would decide to do a cusspot exchange... Round and round they go, where they stop...

I am going to stuff them full and give 'em a good ol' boil. Stay tuned.

And there is a mystery at Casa Melly. The paint in the lower left half pan is of unknown origin... me thinks I resupplied that pan with the wrong color...

The Lecture

(I am sorry this is a blurry photo but) Meg Mooar went to this same lecture in Houston and took up journaling as a result! Look at her enthusiasm in showing me the pages. And she brought a non-quilting art friend to see my lecture too!

Meg is front and center in this photo too, less blur!

I have been a member of three quilt guilds, when I started attending NSQG, as we tend to call it, I was just hitting my artistic stride. I decided (without asking) that I would create a monthly surface design challenge and would go home each month to create a supply list and basic outline. I gathered a group of people and really took advantage of what everyone had to offer and enjoyed being a member of the guild.

I found the guild to be predominantly traditional but very supportive of artistic aspirations and developments, I mean last night their quilt art special interest group had a how-to about blogging!

I felt honored to be asked to speak with them and went home feeling enthused, it was great. AND, um... I sold two small works last night. (Yippee-I love selling work)

Going to Lecture soon

I am going to lecture at my most favorite guild tonight, wish me luck.

This is a test

Society of Illustrators

This week I met up with Gal Pal and fellow Journal Study Group member Shirley, at the Society of Illustrators Sketch Night. I am going to commit to going to this event once a month, with or without Shirley because I want my figure drawing skills to improve.

The night starts with ten two minute poses, progresses to four five minute poses and then two tens and three twenties. Or something like that. As you can see my skills are rusty.

There are glimmers of hope in there and for that I am grateful.

But I am going to commit to going once a month because I want to see and convey what I see better.

Drawing and being around people who draw better than I do, keeps me humble and striving for more.

A man arrived late and quietly set up an a rickety easel and began drawing to my right. With confidence and skill he began drawing. The drawing he did was well proportioned, beautifully rendered and appropriately shaded.

A little while later a woman sat to my right and close to my own chair. She had some lusty supplies, Copic markers and fine tipped pens. She began drawing in a style I admire, using crosshatching and color, it was very pretty, even if she kept hopping up and chatting.

I work well in a setting where folks have more skill than I do. I learn from observing and evaluating what I see. I commit to improving my skills with figure drawing today.