Quinn McDonald's Blog, page 55

Monoprint Mug Mat (Tutorial)

Gelli Art plates are my latest obsession, and I’m discovering how much fun they can be. Today I’m demonstrating for Arizona Art Supply at the Phoenix Women’s Expo. I thought it would be smart to demonstrate something practical, so I made a mug mat, using a Gelli Arts printing plate, Studio Cloth, paints, and masks that I cut myself.

Mug mats protect your desk from spills and smears and provide a nice surface for a mug of coffee, tea, soup and perhaps a snack. They come in many sizes; this one is larger than most.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s what you will need:

A Gelli Arts plate, any size. Mine is 8 inches x 10 inches..
One piece Studio Cloth, the size of your mug mat. Mine is about 10 inches x 12 inches.
A fat quarter of batik fabric, in colors that coordinate with the colors on the mug mat.
Sewing machine and thread (optional).
Acrylic paints, several different colors
Brayer, 2-inch or 3-inch.
Paper mask, one in the shape of a tea bag, one in the shape of the tag.
Sturdy cardstock, to cut masks
Pen, pencil and tea bag (to create mask)
Baby wipes (to clean plate)
Decorative comb

Drip several dark colors of acrylic paint onto the Gelli plate. About a teaspoon will do. I used Quinadricone Dark Orange, Payne’s Gray, and a bit of Iridescent gold.

Brayer the colors over the plate to reach the corners. Take a print on either side of the Studio Cloth. Allow cloth to dry completely. Take another print off the plate to create a ghost print to use for another project.

While the cloth is drying, place he tea bag and the tag on cardstock, trace around the outline, and cut out.

Re-ink the plate with lighter colors. I used Titan Buff, Periwinkle blue. Brayer over the plate, which will pick up color from the last application.

Place the tea-bag mask and tag at differing angles on the plate. Using the non-bristle side of a brush, create a “string” connecting the tea bag and the tag with a curved line. This design will remove paint.

Using decorative combs or other household objects, create patterns around the tea bag. Take a print on the same side of the Studio Cloth as before. The mask and the scraping of the paint will allow the darker first coat to come though. Allow to dry.

Cut a piece of batik cloth a bit larger that the Studio Cloth. Fuse to the back of the cloth using Pellon fusible webbing. (Make sure it sticks on both sides). Create a fabric sandwich: Studio Cloth, painted side down; fusible webbing; batik fabric, right side facing you. Iron to fuse.

Trim away any extra fabric, then use a zig-zag stitch to edge the Studio Cloth. You can also use a decorative scissors to trim the edge. Studio Cloth will not fray.

Your mug mat is ready to use! You can seal it with acrylic paint sealer. I leave mine the way it is and surface clean it if it needs it.

You can also use canvas, but you will have to gesso it first.

–Quinn McDonald is enjoying playing with Gelli plates.

 

 

 

Filed under: Tutorials Tagged: Gelli Arts printing plate, monoprinting, mug mat

The Joy of Autumn

When I lived in New England, autumn meant leaf changes, cold nights, wearing scarves and coats after a few weeks of lighter clothing. The leaves were so beautiful. All the trees didn’t turn at the same time, so you’d look from one tree to the next, hoping for one more day of good color. Because after the leaves, it was windy, rainy and dark.

Autumn in Phoenix is so completely different. You come out of your summer protective shell. You see people on the street again. But here are my favorite surprises of autumn in Phoenix:

1. The sky turns into a giant dark blue bowl over your head. It’s the angle of the sun and the wind that pushes the pollution away for a while.

2. The migrating birds arrive, and suddenly, there is bird song all day long, from dawn to dusk. Sometimes birds mark their territory by singing, and the hedges and orange trees are filled with birds. Given that half the bird species in the world don’t sing, so this is special.

3. The owl is back. I don’t know where the Great Horned Owl goes in the

Great Horned Owl at Sonoran Desert Museum © Walt Thomas

summer, but every fall, it’s back, with it’s huge silent wingspan and deep hoots in the evening.

4. The oranges, lemons and grapefruit start to grow again. They stop growing in the summer. Now they are heading toward ripening. We won’t have any lemons this year, the three-day frost last year killed them all (we usually get about 300 a year). But we do have 16 grapefruits, nice big ones.

5. I can leave CDs and teaching supplies in the car again. In the summer, CDs warp, plastic melts, paper deteriorates in the car. It’s nice not to have to empty the car into the office every night.

Fall is here and life is good. And the birds are coming in, including the hummingbirds.

–-Quinn McDonald is a writer and naturalist who loves autumn in Phoenix.

Filed under: Nature, Inside and Out Tagged: fall in Phoenix, great horned owl, migrating birds

Reducing Stuff in the Garage

Note: In the book giveaway, I read every comment. I wished I had more books. And then I realized I did! So in addition to Sue in Georgia winning Finding What You Didn’t Lose, Ray in Canada won Saved by a Poem and Annie who Laughs won Voices from the Heart, which is more of a visual poetry book. Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all of you who read the blog. There are more giveaways coming.

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Five years ago, when we downsized to a much smaller house, we left so much behind. Yet when we arrived, we  still had too much stuff for the house. But it was August in Phoenix and I could not unpack one more box. We stacked them in the garage and I promised I’d unpack them when it got cooler. I did not.

My studio is the guestroom, so when we have guests I have to quit making art. And the poor guests never get to use the closet because it is stuffed with papers and paints, brayers and fabric, hole punches, scissors and rivets. No room for more.

“You haven’t looked at it in five years,” most people told me. “Just throw it out.” Or, “You haven’t missed it, so get rid of it.” But I couldn’t do that. I’d gotten rid of everything I could stand getting rid of when we packed, I must have had a reason to pack those boxes.

Today, because it is cooler and I can’t take the gimlet eye of my spouse, I began the task of opening the boxes and preparing for a garage sale. The first box was easy. Coats, hats, gloves. No problem. I saved three scarves, two umbrellas, and a big fat coat (I have a client in Michigan) and the rest will go to the homeless to keep them warm in the winter.

And the box of  drawing paper I found is perfect. I always need drawing paper and paper for the printer. The ream of Strathmore has history–it’s from the main company in West Springfield MA,  before they were bought by Hammermill and then Mohawk, when the thistle was still the logo. I’d guess it is about 30 years old. Still heavy white sheets, still wonderful.

I found my mother’s button box. Buttons so old that one of them crumbled when I touched it. Bakelite and metal, wood, horn and shell buttons. And two napkin rings from my parents’ grandparents. One of them is engraved “November 7, 1849.” Pre-Civil War. The year Abraham Lincoln said,  “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” The year Fyodor Dostoevsky was sentenced to death and Edgar Allan Poe was found delirious in an alley in Baltimore, but could not be saved. The year Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery. That napkin ring wasn’t in America then, and wouldn’t be for another 100 years.

I cannot just throw out those boxes. It doesn’t matter if I don’t remember the napkin ring, it remembers 164 years of use. What’s five years in a box to it?

There were letters, in a style of handwriting I can no longer decipher. But the paper is thick and the ink is black, and it will work its way into my art.

Difficult as it is, the boxes need to be sorted one more time. There are things that others can use, and items that will come into the house with me because I will invite them in and find some space. We might have a small house, but I want the items in it to be part of the thread of time. The pieces that will be kept by another generation and wondered over. Because if it is worth wonder, it is worth the space to hold the wonder.

—Quinn McDonald is cleaning up and cleaning out.

Filed under: Creativity, In My Life, The Writing Life Tagged: family history, letting go, saving what counts

Doomed and Blooming

Note: The poetry book winner will have to wait just a bit, probably till Friday. I’m loving reading all the responses but got distracted by work. How silly of me.

On this morning’s walk, I noticed that it’s time to tear up the streets again. In Phoenix, we do this in fall and winter rather than summer, because it’s kinder on the workers to not make them bake their brains out in summer.

I love seeing all the markings on the street, giving instructions how to route the pipes. I’ve done a post that talks about alien alphabets–and I mean outer space aliens. In Phoenix, you need to explain that phrase.

My eyes followed the red parallel lines that define some yet-undone path, and right in the middle was a small, brave weed, directly in the path of destruction. And what does the weed do? It doesn’t make up stories about how soon it will be ripped apart. Nope, it does what a plant is supposed to do–it blooms its heart out on its way to setting seeds for the future.

It doesn’t stop and say, “What’s the use?” or “I might as well just quit now.” Nope, it completes its purpose in life, not caring if it gets pulled up in 10 minutes or not. There is a chance that the work won’t start until the seeds have scattered and started new gold-blooming weeds.

And that is why I like to walk in the morning. Plants teach me about life. I now have another inner hero–Plant Wisdom. She needs to speak up when I stop looking at my life purpose and start to define myself by other people’s definition of worth.

–Quinn McDonald is a naturalist and a gatherer of metaphors. Her book, The Inner Hero Art Journal will be out in December.

Filed under: Creativity

Finding What You Didn’t Lose (and a Giveaway)

Finding What You Didn’t Lose by John Fox is a book on writing poetry. The whole title continues with Expressing Your Truth and Creativity Through Poem-Making. It’s one of my favorite books on poetry. It has chapters on

The need for poetry making in our lives
Revealing yourself in your poem
Reconnecting with your natural creativity
Experimenting with the Delight of Language
Metaphor and Other Tools
Making Poems from Your Journal Entries
Creating a Community of Poem Makers
Breaking Through Your Pain With Words
Expressing the Sacred Through Poetry

So why am I giving it away? Because at one point I thought I’d lost it in Tucson and ordered another. Yes, yes, I understand the irony in thinking I’d lost a book called Finding What You Didn’t Lose. And once the second one arrived, I found the first one. Of course. That’s the only way you find something you’ve lost, by purchasing a replacement.

This book is the replacement book. It may have a few underlines in it, but not many.There are many examples of poetry, by Fox’s students as well as by well-known poets. There are also great quotes about poetry in the margins, so if you are a marginalia lover, this is absolutely for you.

It comes with a painted leaf bookmark–the leaf is from an Arizona eucalyptus tree–the leaves aren’t the round ones you are used to seeing with koalas, this leave is about six inches long and looks like a blade. One side is painted gold. There is no further explanation needed. Wait till you see The Gardener Chapter in the Inner Hero Art Journal book and you will understand.

Leave a comment telling me why you want a book on how to write poetry. On Wednesday, October 16, I’ll chose a winner at random, from the best answers. How’s that for an out? I can’t help it, some answers will make me laugh or feel the book is going to the right home. I’ll gather those and draw a random name.

Good luck!

--Quinn McDonald writes poetry and dreams of being in a poetry slam some day.

 

 

Filed under: Book Reviews, Book Reviews, Poetry, The Writing Life Tagged: book giveaway, John Fox, poetry, poetry book

Gelli Plate Love

Monoprints are so much fun, done on a Gelli plate. I’ve been having fun with masks and layers:

The first print was a flower on a fall-colored background. Co-Mo Sketch paper was the substrate, and it’s not really designed for the heavier work.

I stayed with the same color family do start this branch of leaves print. The batik-y look is appealing to me.

This layer of color for the branches covered with a lighter layer on top is the reverse of what is expected. The contrast is fun, a combination of fall and the winter to come.

This group of houses on a windy hill with woods was fun to make. I”m working on adding some recognizable elements into abstract designs. It’s a wonderful challenge that allows for a lot of experimentation. And experimentation is what creativity is about.

Have a creative week!

–Quinn McDonald should have been making samples for upcoming classes, but the Gelli plate sang to her and she digressed.

Filed under: Creativity Tagged: gelli arts, monoprints, printed layers

Selling Dreams

The weather is cooler now, so the housing market is moving into full bloom.What happens in Spring in other areas of America happens in Fall in Phoenix. As snow birds begin to drift in (along with the real migrating birds), houses pop up for sale. Three weeks ago, my morning walk sported no “For Sale” signs; this morning there were six.

These are the houses that will become rentals for snow birds. Some of them become the second home for those who hate the cold of winter but don’t want to endure the heat of our summers, either.

Most of the houses that now have “For Sale” signs have undergone changes in the past weeks. I’ve seen paint cans, tiles left over from new floor installations, new windows, painted fences, new plants.

With each new sign I see, I begin to wonder why the inhabitants lived in less than they wanted or thought was pleasing until they decided to put the house up for sale. Then they spent money to please someone they don’t know to show them how nice the house is.

I wonder how many of them wanted those improvements, upgrades or changes but didn’t do it just for themselves, to make their home more of what they wanted.

Yes, I’ve done similar things in homes I’ve sold. But mostly, I put things back to neutrals, hiding my own eccentric taste–the summer melon hallway with Moroccan tile, the three-toned living room with contrasting trim that became beige before it went on the market. But I never made major improvements for others.

In my last house, we sunk an indecent amount of money into improving the kitchen so it would work for Cooking Man, only to have a real estate agent tell us, when we were ready to sell, that we could not expect to recoup costs of countertops that weren’t black granite or a single-space sink (good for soaking big pans) when the “only thing that would sell” was a big/little sink combination–the popular model of the day.

It’s interesting to see how eager we are to please others when there may be a financial advantage. And more interesting to see what we will live without.

And I wonder if we don’t do the same thing with our behavior–we upgrade ourselves to impress people but we don’t make that move for ourselves. We’ll live with those bad habits because it’s hard to change.

Maybe that’s what Brené Brown meant when she spoke of being vulnerable–being worth it to ourselves to be the person we’d like others to think we are.

–Quinn McDonald needs to have her rugs cleaned. For herself.

 

Filed under: In My Life, Opinion Tagged: changing who we are, selling a house metaphor for personal change, staging a house

Painting With Paper

Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson made my heart race–well, her work did. I saw her work in Featuring magazine, and knew that I wanted to find out how she did her work. I took her workshop in Sedona and was so pleased with my results, I framed my work and hung it in my house. It’s the first time I’ve done that, and that’s saying a lot.

Elizabeth and I kept in touch after class, and I discovered she’s coming to Sedona again in November. You’ll want to take her class, she’s an amazing teacher–and mentor. She let me ask her a bunch of nosy questions, and I thought I’d share her answers:

1. Did you start out as a collage artist?

No I did not, I am a classically trained artist. I have a BFA from Syracuse University and my training was focused in realism and honing drawing skills

2. What were your first collages like?

My first collages included painting over the top of papers that were already glued down (now I paint all my papers first and never paint on top of them once they are glued on to the board) I also used to use purchased papers that were already colored and used them “out of the box” Nowadays I hand-paint all my own collage papers with acrylic.

3. When you change your technique, how does that happen?

My technique changed from purchased papers to hand painted papers due to an issue of fading, so out of necessity came a change that elevated my work to a much higher level.

My own painted papers are far more beautiful than anything I ever purchased in an art supply store. [Note: This is true. I've swapped papers with Elizabeth and her painted ones are richly colored and visual textures.] I used to frame my work under glass, but I found that this decreased the evidence of texture in my finished work, so I looked into varnishing instead. I used to paint over glued down papers, but in an attempt to loosen my grip on realism, I decided to challenge myself with the task of creating images ONLY from torn bits of paper and no brushwork.

My work has really “evolved” out of necessity and my constant desire to improve up on my process. I am always open to new ways to create papers and new solutions for collage. I often incorporate mixed media in the underpainting process that I leave to show through in the final collage. Mixing media is always a way to keep things fresh.

4. Who do you take classes from?

My influences for color work are Kimberly Kelly Santini and exceptionally loose colorful brushwork is Lisa Daria Kennedy.

My influence for whimsical collage work is Peter Clark.  My influence for whimsical mixed media is Maria Pace Wynters

My favorite art history movement is Art Nouveau for the organic form and swirling lines, my favorite artist of all time is Gustav Klimt.

5. How do you know a piece is done (how to you keep from overworking?)

I know when a piece is done when it speaks to me, I cannot explain. When I am happy with the composition and balance, the color and the image, then I stop. It’s instinctual and something I’ve learned with practice. I overworked many a collage in the beginning. It’s terrible when you look at your work on the easel and say “Oh, I liked that a lot better yesterday.”

6. Do you paint papers for each piece, or  do you spend a day painting papers in colors you like or know you will use?

I paint papers for inventory primarily, I spend a day playing with color and technique (If I am low on yellow, I paint yellows and all other colors that interest or appeal to me.) I tend to gravitate toward blues and purples and I have to remind myself to paint warm colors as well.

There are some exceptions to this. Upon preparing to collage flamingos, i realized that their salmon pink color was not something I did not have in my repertoire, and so I had to paint papers for them specifically. They are not really very pink.

7. How do you find the right paper to use?

I organize my papers in the studio in clear plastic bins, by color, I have a bin for each of nine colors, with some cross over. This helps me to work fast, not searching through a multi-colored pile, some papers are torn in half and put into more than one drawer. When I travel, I take gallon sized plastic bags of paper divided by color and put them into a tote bag with small containers of glue and a short handled brush.

8. How did you get into teaching?

I have taught collage workshops for the past five years all over the country. I started in Florida with a group who asked me to be their very FIRST instructor and it was my very FIRST time teaching. I was nervous, but my husband reminded me that I had been volunteering to teach kids art for years in the elementary school level.

My first collage workshop was a huge success, we hand painted papers with a variety of techniques, we did a basic apple to get the hang of creating volume with shading and following form.  [Note: We did apples, too. They are harder than you would imagine]

Then the students moved on to a project of their choosing, and I was there to help them individually through the challenges of that project. We did a critique at the end where everyone can learn from each other. In my classes I tell a lot of personal stories and make people laugh. I realize that that an art retreat weekend is one part art and one part fun for most of the folks who come out to learn from me. I try to make collage accessible and less intimidating by creating a fun atmosphere for learning. I’ve been lucky enough to be referred to teach and have had so many good reviews on my class that I now have no shortage of teaching opportunities. I am fully booked for 2014 and that’s a good place to be.

My next class is in my FAVORITE place on the planet, Sedona, AZ at the wonderfully equipped Sedona Art Center. A visit to the Lark Art Gallery is a must on Friday night as they represent my more whimsical animal pieces and will have an opening reception, an opportunity to discuss my work and techniques up close and in person.

* * *

Sedona is lovely in November, and the class is a treat to dig into your own creativity without distraction. For me, that’s the big plus of leaving home to take a class. No distractions. Ask Elizabeth about her hobby: she participates in triathlons.

—Quinn McDonald wishes she could be in Sedona in November. But, alas, she is teaching on that weekend.

Filed under: Reviews Tagged: collage, Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson, painting with paper, Sedona Art Center

Ink Art Forest (Tutorial)

Accidental art is a type of Raw Art–you deliberately give up control to create art. For perfectionists (or us recovering perfectionists), it’s hard to give up control voluntarily. The resulting joy is seeing accidental art develop in front of your eyes.

For years, I’ve been working with an ink technique based on a mix of control and complete lack of control. Here’s a short video of that technique:

A few days ago, I created a journal page for the Niji Design Team that was both simple and stark.  It does not require you to be an illustrator. Here’s how to do it.

Materials

Yasutomo Sumi ink, in black.
Distilled water in spray bottle
Small container to hold ink.
Container of water for rinsing brushes.
A #8 watercolor brush (medium fat)
A #4 watercolor brush (skinny, but not a rigger brush)
Cold press watercolor paper. I used Strathmore Ready-Cut, 5″ x 7“
Yasutomo sparkling watercolor paint
Yasutomo oil pastels, in neon colors
Paper towels
Tortillon

Here’s how you make the journal page

1. Spray a very fine mist of water on the front of the watercolor paper. It will curl slightly, with the middle higher than the edges (convex).

2. Wet the larger watercolor brush, blot, and load with ink. Very carefully, touch the tip of the brush to the drops of water. The ink will jump across the water droplets, forming interesting spidery shapes. These are pine branches.

4. Work slowly and carefully up and down the page, creating these patterns. It takes a little practice–use less spray water than you think. The droplets should be separate to avoid a black wash of ink.

5. Repeat the process on the same side of the page, on the other edge. Allow to dry. Add an ink line down the vertical edge of the page. Rinse your brush.

6.  When the paper is dry,  use the thin brush to draw a horizon line at the bottom third  of the page, between the trees. Use the waste water, it will still produce a light gray line.

7. Fill in some of the white areas with a very pale gray wash to indicate clouds and the ground. You have a journal page of contrast and visual interest. You can add hand-lettering if you’d like.

You can create different pages with creative use of different details.

For complete direction for this page, visit the Niji Design Team page.

–Quinn McDonald is a Niji Design Team member. She was not paid to belong to the team, but did receive free products to experiment with from Yasutomo /Niji.

Filed under: Art in Progress, Creativity, Tutorials Tagged: ink art, niji design team, sumi ink

What I Learned at Design Your Life Camp

This past week, at Lake Lanier (north of Atlanta) about 150 people gathered for Patti Digh’s Design Your Life Camp. The theme was Creativity, Courage and Community. There were many presenters and speakers, musicians and a talent show. I led one of the workshops for the Creativity section. But best  of all, I got to attend as well. Here are some things I learned:

1. Some women can be strong and brave, even if they are wearing a tutu over stretch pants and a fuchsia boa.

2. It is amazing to see women get in touch with their inner hero, name them, and do colorful work to call forth their magic. Often while crying as they struggle to admit they are creative, resourceful and whole.

3. I may have to revise my idea that women don’t support each other and will judge each other at the drop of a feather. I can point to about 150 women that will applaud when they hear a story of bravery and strength.

4. If you are an introvert, it is very lovely to sit on your private balcony at dawn and under the stars and meditate and journal.

5. Life is about content and how that content makes meaning.  We don’t find meaning in life, we make meaning.  Andrea Gibson is a spoken word artist, who changes the world one story at a time. She reads her life for the world to feel.

6. Being silent in your misery is as foolish as being silent in your triumph. Spoken word poet Glenis Redmond knows why poetry heals. And she told us why life wounds, as well.

7. No one over the age of 16 is undamaged. It’s how you hold yourself together that makes a life. The glue you use is creativity and courage and community. Which is what this camp was about.

Patti Digh and Dave Harkins and all the women and men who were there created an amazing experience. At the end of each day I was exhausted but couldn’t sleep from the power of the stories I heard.

For some years, I owned my own event management business, so I know what goes into running an event this size and complexity. And I also know that when people say something, they complain but they rarely thank the people behind the curtain. So I”m saying it for everyone who might have forgotten: Thank you Patti, David, and all the people behind the scenes, for your hard, long, and consistent work. Well done!

The best part is that Design Your Life Camp will happen again in 2014. In San Francisco, starting on October 3.  I’d love to see you there. (Hint, hint, Patti–Ask me!)

–Quinn McDonald presided at two workshops at the Design Your Life Camp. Half your postcards went out today. The rest will go out tomorrow.

Filed under: Creativity, Inner Critic, Quinn's Classes Tagged: change your life, Dave Harkins, Design Your Life Camp, Patti Digh