Last year, I began making sock dolls. I was inspired by the book Stray Sock Sewing. Here’s how I made my sock dolls for the Wild Art Dolls swap in July 2010. Sock Doll Supplies You will need one sock, some batting or stuffing, Fray-Check, and your basic sewing supplies. (Needle, thread, scissors, and a…
Year: 2011
Art Journals – Beauty is in the eye of…
Today, I was browsing some sites where people have posted their art journals (or artist’s journals… same thing… it’s a term always in transition). I quickly found a wonderful series of pages, and the artist (Zom) muses if they’re part of an ugly art journal. I want to say, “No! Those pages are lovely!” but…
Art and the Economics of Giving
Are your usual fans in a temporary financial jam? In recent years, that’s been sadly commonplace. The fact is, as of 2011, Half of Americans don’t have $2000 for a rainy day. In an emergency, even with 30 days to come up with $2000, only 25% of Americans are sure they could beg, borrow or…
The Return of the RR – RR #2 images
Round Robin #2 (from the Yahoo Group, ArtistsJournals) has returned to me, and Stephen duToit has added many wonderful pages. Here are a few of them:
Free Images, Copyright, Google Images, Etc.
Well, my recents posts on the topic of copyright — especially related to Flickr and Google Images — seem to have opened a can of worms. (Hence the gummy worms image, at left.) I did a little more research so I could refer people to the best resources & opinions I could find. Here they…
While I’m Talking About Public Domain…
Never underestimate the value of the U.S. government when it comes to surreal and absurd images, many of which are in the public domain. I mean it. And, if you’re easily offended, or if the subject of VD bothers you, avert your eyes. Seriously, this poster (at right) appears to be in the public domain. …
Copyright and Free, Royalty-Free Resources… again!
Many people — perhaps most people online today — don’t know how copyright laws work. I know no one who deliberately breaks copyright laws. But yes… some people believe that anything online is okay to borrow, at least for personal or one-time use. After all, everyone else is doing that, so it must be legal……
Before Spring – A Photo Essay about New Hampshire
Yesterday morning, I went out to take some photos of the sunrise. They’re intended as reference photos for future artwork, but some of these may become art prints. Once I get started on an adventure like this, it can turn into a mini road trip… and that’s exactly what happened. About three hours later, I…
Art Journals v. Artist’s Journals
I wrote the first draft of this article in 2006, when the arts community was still deciding if we were “art journaling” or creating “artists’ journals.” Then, I expanded the article in 2011, weighing in on the continuing debate. (Today, the phrase “art journaling” seems preferred, so I’ve updated the article… but only a little.)…
How to Organize Images for Your Mixed Media Collages
Are you art journaling with mixed media and ephemera? Do you struggle to collect and organize collage photos, papers and ephemera? Here’s the system that works well for me. It might help you, too. Art journaling – and mixed-media collages – can require lots of images. And, to remain “in flow” as you’re creating a…