Seth Apter's Blog, page 99

An Altered Existence: Giveaway

Like so many of us, I collect old photographs, vintage tintypes and cabinet cards. I have often wondered about the stories behind the people pictured and have at times let my mind wander, creating imagined lives for them. Artist Melody M. Nunez has done this too...and more.


An Altered Existence: Fictitious Stories About Faces from the Past is a newly released book from Melody that consists of 14 short stories, each inspired by a cabinet card altered by Melody and included in the book. Melody provided me with a copy to read and review and I am so please that she did. Each short story is an imaginative gem, touching on personal issues that I believe resonate with us all: family, birth, death, love, loss, and the like. The stories quickly captured my attention, so much so that at times I forgot that I was reading fiction. I fully enjoyed the sense of mystery that was part of many of the stories, a feeling that seemed so fitting given their inspiration. The stories range from about 8 to 18 pages each, and are the perfect length to read several in a single sitting. 
Melody also happily offered me a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader of my blog. To be eligible, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post. Please make sure that I have your email address to notify you if you have won. Comments will be closed on Thursday evening 4/4 and the winner will be announced on Friday 4/5 on my Facebook page. Good luck!

Family Portrait

For this project I was inspired by one of my many, many collections: vintage tintypes. Not only do I like the look of these early photographs, they always pique my curiosity about the lives of the people shown. 

In keeping with the age of the tintypes, I decided to use vintage book cloth torn off of vintage book covers as one of the ingredients. I love the natural fade to the bluish-green book cover and the textured brown of the leather-like cover.


I wanted to echo the Victorian-feel of the tintype in the piece, so I decided to use dies from Spellbinders to create both a frame and a background. For the background, I nested two dies from the Elegant Labels Four set...

...and cut from the brown book cloth that was pulled off of the cover.

For the tintype frame, I used the third die from the same set and used it to cut the bluish-green book cloth, also pulled off from the book cover. I cut the same shape from a piece of card stock to glue behind the book cloth to make it sturdier.

To create the frame for the tintype, I cut out the central portion of this die cut and added some dimension by rubbing it with some dye ink from an ink pad.

I threaded two small strips of hand painted paper through the slots at either end of the frame and then glued it to the tintype, which was cut to match the shape of the frame.

To stay true to the source of the book cloth, I decided to use a piece of book board, cut to approximately 7" x 5.5", as the substrate for this piece. I covered it with light weight paper and painted the surface an amber shade with acrylic paint. It was distressed a bit with dye ink as well.

With all the ingredients now ready, I assembled the pieces to create "Family Portrait" and feel like I have honored the couple in the tintype and given them new life!





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Supply List
Spellbinders Paper Art Supplies:
GC-001 SpellbindersTM Grand Calibur® MachineS6-005 SpellbindersTM Nestabilities® Elegant Labels Four
Other: tintype, book board, vintage book cloth, paper, card stock, acrylic paint, dye ink, adhesive, dauber applicator, paint brush, scissors, guillotine paper cutter

Calling All Northwesterners

I am excitedly planning for my upcoming trip to the Northwest. Something about that area of the country is magical for me. Quite a number of years ago, a chain of events led me to Vancouver, British Columbia, where another chain of events started me on the path to becoming an artist. Last year, I spent several weeks in Vancouver and Washington State promoting the release of my book and spending time with old friends and meeting a huge crew of blogging friends for the first time in person.
In May, I head out there once again for what is sure to be a memorable and inspiring time. I start out in Ashland, Oregon where I am meeting Roxanne Evans Stout for the opening of our exhibit "The Story Within" on May 3rd at Illahe Studios and Gallery. Roxanne and I are working on a collaborative series of artwork in which we both work on every piece. Think wood panels, encaustic, plaster, acrylic, and mixed media. We will both be posting pics of the artwork and the show but for now, here are some glimpses...





Following the exhibition, I will be heading to Portland, Oregon and will be teaching 3 workshops at Collage.
On May 9th, I will be teaching 'Folded Foto Folio'. There are 2 spots left in that workshop.

On May 10th, it will be 'A Box of Dreams' and there are 4 seats left there.

On May 11th, I will be teaching '52 Card Pickup', where there is only 1 seat left. 

On May 11th, I will also be at Collage from 6:00 - 7:30pm for an informal "Meet the Artist" event, where I will have the opportunity to spend some time with those who attend. I will also have some of my art set up for purchase as well.

After Portland, I will be heading for the first time to Coupeville, Washington on beautiful Whidbey Island. You know a place is amazing if the only way to get there is via ferry! I will be teaching two 2-day workshops at the Pacific Northwest School of Art.


On May 13th and 14th, I will be teaching 'Mixed Media Memoire'.

I will be teaching 'Mixed Media Dossier' on May 15th and 16th.



I hope to be able to run into all my peeps in the Northwest either at the exhibition, at one of the workshops, or at sometime in between!

Tell All - Chapter 12

 
Welcome to the 5th edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. The Pulse is a collaborative project that aims to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts which will run every Sunday.
Style File, Techniques & Tools, Master Class, It's Still Life, and Playing Favorites were the first five projects posted and links to all these posts can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The final project from The Pulse #5, Tell All, continues now with the last post in the series...

Participants were asked: what is the one thing that you know now that you would have liked to have known when you first started to create art? ------------------------------------------
I wish I'd had a mentor who encouraged me and my creative impulse, all while being VERY raw honest about the struggle. Mostly how normal it is, and how we humans face "struggle" in every walk of life. Maybe I wouldn't have had so many anxious, neurotic moments. Jacqueline Auvigne
You just have to do it to get a good result sooner or later. Marion Bockelmann
How to better connect with my readers and the technicalities of the cyber world. It's a pretty steep learning curve for those of us who weren't raised immersed in the world of computers. But it's been a fun ride! Deryn Mentock
How much I need a patron. Sarah Fishburn
There are no rules. I have no formal art training or education, so for many years I was intimidated because I didn't know the "right way". annie!
That being an artist does not mean that you can draw realistically. Dawn DeVries Sokol
I would like to have known a patient Gallery owner. Seriously, it would have spurred my art career on at a much younger age to feel comfortable knowing I would not become a "starving artist". Cathy Minerva
That I don't have to have a goal when I start a piece, even though it comes in handy when I get "canvas block". ange
Yes you can! How to shut out that self-doubting voice. Wish someone had taught me that as a child. Why does that lesson take so long to learn? Kim Palmer
I would like to have known then (when I started to create art) what I know now and would like to know now what I will know in 5 years from now. Antonia Griva
------------------------------------------This is the last Tell All post in the series and the last post from the entire 5th online edition of The Pulse. Thanks to all the participants for sharing their work and words and thanks to all of you who have spent your Sundays with me and with The Pulse.

Stay tuned for an all new 6th edition to begin soon.

Double Triple

I am happy to be part of two Value Packs of three items each now available at the North Light Shop. 
Art Journal Freedom Along with a copy of Dina Wakley's new book Art Journal Freedom and Margaret Peot's DVD Alternative Art Cards, this Value Pack includes my DVD Easy Mixed Media Surface Techniques.



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Journal Fodder 365 Along with a copy of Journal Fodder 365 by Eric M. Scott and David R. Modler and a Handbook Travelogue Square Journal, this Value Pack includes my DVD Easy Mixed Media Techniques for the Art Journal.

Count on Me

I started by selecting a sheet of hand painted watercolor paper from my stash. The surface had been created with pan pastels and spray ink. I glued it onto a piece of book board for support. I ran a gold leafing pen around the edges of the book board and dye ink around the edge of the watercolor paper to better frame out the piece.

I am a sucker for anything printed with numbers or letters and Spellbinders has both in a new embossing folder. This was the inspiration for the project and I used the number side to deeply emboss several pieces of black card stock.

Using a gold Delicata pigment ink pad (which is just about one of the best pads I have found) and a craft sponge, I swiped across the raised letters and highlighted them in rich gold.

I then went ahead and die cut multiple-sized circles out of the sheets of embossed letters, kraft-color card stock, and red decorative paper.

I matched these up with rubber and metal washers that I had gotten from the hardware store.

Stacking and gluing all the pieces together, I came up with the following configurations.

I raided my stash of letter stickers and came across black, capital letters that I thought were perfect for this project.

Finally, I played around with the composition of all the components and when I was happy, I adhered them all to my background piece. As a final touch, I scribbled around the letters with the wax pastels to add more dimension to the piece.




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Supply List
Spellbinders Paper Art Supplies:
GC-001 SpellbindersTM Grand Calibur® MachineEL-027 SpellbindersTM M-Bossibilities®  Numbers and Letters Embossing FolderS4-114 SpellbindersTM Nestabilities® Standard Circles LargeS4-116 SpellbindersTM Nestabilities® Standard Circles Small
Preferred Promotional Partners: Tsukineko Delicata pigment ink pad, Imagine Crafts Inkblushers sponge
Cross Promotional Partners: 7 Gypsies Postale alphabet stickers
Other: book board, watercolor paper, card stock, decorative paper, pan pastels, spray ink, dye ink, leafing pen, wax pastels, hardware, adhesive, paper towel

The Mixed-Media Artist

The Mixed-Media Artist: Art Tips, Tricks, Secrets and Dreams from Over 40 Amazing Artists
I am so pleased to be able to share with you the cover of my second book. I saw it for the first time on Friday and couldn't be more thrilled. Happily, North Light Books has moved the release date up and The Mixed-Media Artist will now be available in October 2013. If you cannot wait, you can pre-order the book now on Amazon. 

Tell All - Chapter 11

 
Welcome to the 5th edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. The Pulse is a collaborative project that aims to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts which will run every Sunday.
Style File, Techniques & Tools, Master Class, It's Still Life, and Playing Favorites were the first five projects posted and links to all these posts can be found on the sidebar of my blog. The final project from The Pulse #5, Tell All, continues now...

Participants were asked: what is the one thing that you know now that you would have liked to have known when you first started to create art? ------------------------------------------To create my own art style and not to worry what everyone else thinks about it. That it's okay to be inspired by other artists and take that inspiration and apply it, in some way, to your own art. Judy Shea
That there are no rules. You make them as you go. Don't try to please anyone. Don't lie to yourself. Stephanie Brouwers
That painting gets easy. Well, maybe not easy peasy, but easier, the more you do it. So don't stop. Keep painting! Katherine Labbe AKA Miz Katie
That my best work comes when I don't care what other people think about it. It's more fun to work this way - no pressure, no problem. Cathie Parreco
I am an artist. donna louise rodgers
That it is important to be true to myself and not make art with the idea of having to please other people. Sharon Read
Nothing. I am still growing and always playing. Building upon what I discover. Stephanie Hilvitz
That people will actually pay money for my work! I might have started being serious much earlier if I knew that! Cyn Richardson
That the fundamental basics are so important. Cory Celaya
I wish I would have been more fearless when I first started to make art. Dayna J. Collins
You ARE allowed to question everything. Marsha Jorgensen
------------------------------------------Next Tell All will be the last post on the series and will be posted on Sunday, March 24th

Need to Tell

This past weekend I had the pleasure to co-teach a workshop with Roxanne Evans Stout and Elizabeth Wix at Little Bird Creations Studio in NYC. 

The class was called "The Need to Tell Stories" and focused on the intersection of book making, art, and story telling. It was a two-day workshop with ten students and it was a very special experience.
We started off the weekend with clean tables and organized supplies...
But quickly created creative chaos as people began to make their own handmade books...
Here is Karen, ready to start work on putting her book together ...
Cecelia was deep in thought and bathed in sunlight as she pondered the theme of her written story...
Roxanne had everybody work on art exercises that became part of the art on the book pages...

Each person in the workshop took their plain white pages and made them come alive with backgrounds in their own personal palette...


And even the actual palettes were a vision to behold...


Rivers of color filled the workshop...

An assortment of mixed media supplies filled the tables and made artful vignettes...


Magic began to happen when beautiful artwork was then layered onto the pages...



Some pages were were light and breezy, like the wings of a butterfly...


And some pages were dark and earthy...

The book covers were layered with each artists' creations...


When silence filled the air, I knew that people were focused on their creative process...

And in the end, every person left with their bound stories...
To Roxanne and Elizabeth: thanks for holding this workshop with me and doing it so creatively. To Michele, who runs Little Bird: thanks for being such a stellar host. And to all the artists who took this workshop and put your faith in the three of us: thank you for being the perfect students! Your books are all creative treasures!

For more thoughts and images, you can read Roxanne's post about the workshop here and Elizabeth's post here...

Dragonfly

As artists I think we all have our preferred techniques and projects that we go to when we feel the need to be creative but also want a dose of zen. For me, it is making simple little books. With some hand painted papers from my stash, a few sheets of watercolor paper, scissors, thread and a needle, I have a mini-book.

I can make dozens of these at a sitting, all of which I leave in a pile so I can come back another day to decorate the cover. Today's cover inspiration was a new set of dies from Spellbinders called Distressed Edges. With a name like that you know I had to give them a go.
I grabbed two different colors of hand painted paper and one of the dies out of the set of seven. I ended up with two rectangular die cuts and used the scissors to form two frames with the left over paper. I chose one frame and one centerpiece from each color family for contrast to use for my book cover. I will save the other two pieces for a future project.

I chose a different color of hand painted paper and made one more die cut using a different die from the Distressed Edges set. I cut that piece in half.

I used a stamp pad to add a bit of shadow and contrast to the edges of all the die cuts.

Given that spring is doing its best to come to NYC, I decided to incorporate a bit of a nature theme. I selected a branch die from Spellbinders Mix'd Media Elements set and matched that with some hand painted paper in a rich brown with green tones.

Using one of my favorite rubber stamps and ink, I stamped an image of a dragonfly on parchment colored paper.

I highlighted different sections of the image using bright colors that remind me of spring. When I add it to the book cover, I will draw in the dragonfly's antenna.

My next step: putting it all together.





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Supply List
Spellbinders Paper Art Supplies:
GC-001 SpellbindersTM Grand Calibur® MachineS5-174 SpellbindersTM Nestabilities® A2 Distressed Edges S5-085 SpellbindersTM Shapeabilities® Mix'd Media Elements
Preferred Promotional Partners: Tsukineko StazOn Ink Pad, Imagine Crafts Inkblushers sponge
Other: watercolor paper, gesso, watercolor paint, acrylic paint, paint brush, water brush, rubber stamp, pen, thread, needle, scissors, adhesive