November Prize Winners!

 The winners of the November 2012 give away prize packages, chosen by random draw are:

(click on the winners names to see their sketchbook page)

Winners must email Sue at sue@suebleiweiss.com with their full name, flickr name and mailing address by 12/9/12 in order to claim their prize.

Prize package giveaway from Gelli Arts:

The Winner is:

lisa tewelbox

One lucky winner will receive an 8"x10" Gelli Art plate!

Prize Package from Meinke Toy:

The Winner is:

Create_Miracles 

one lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to Meinke Toy!

Winners must email Sue at sue@suebleiweiss.com with their full name, flickr name and mailing address by 12/9/12 in order to claim their prize.  Prizes not claimed by 12/9/12 are forfeited.

Thank you to everyone who posted photos in the flickr group and congratulations to all the winners!  

 

Workshops, Classes and More for You!

Workshops & Online Classes with your favorite Sketchbook Challenge artists.

We keep our commercial presence to one monthly post so that we can share other opportunities to take workshops, purchase art or enjoy other offerings from all of us. Check out our workshops and  books. Thank you for being a part of the Sketchbook Challenge! It's an honor to share this journey with you.

Susan Brubaker Knapp

Dec. 9-13, 2012

Paint, Fuse, Stitch!

Hudson River Valley Art Workshops

Greenville, NY; at the historic 1889 inn, The Greenville Arms

Jan. 22 and 23, 2013

Start With a Photo

(same class is offered both days)
Venice, FL

Venice Area Quilter’s Guild

Pam Carriker

 Poetic Portraits

by Pam Carriker

Awaken your muse with our newest collection of cling mount stamps by Pam Carriker – reflections of her own hand drawings and carved images originally featured in Somerset Studio! Transform these distinctive portraits, reminiscent of a Shakespearean cast of characters, in your next paper crafting, art journaling, and mixed-media creations with a dab of paint, intricate lettering or personal musings, and the addition of any materials of your choosing. Lovers of handmade, make your mark with Pam Carriker's debut stamp line to infuse your own signature style.

Artists Stencils

StencilGirl Products

StencilGirl stencils are designed by artists who know and love stencils and use them regularly. I'm excited to offer three lines of designs that, Art Journaling, Portals, and Instructional Stencils all add to your mixed media work and can be used in a multitude of ways! 

Lesley Riley

52 PickUp: A Year of Inspiration & Motivation

Make 2013 YOUR year to:

Stay on track

Stay inspired

Stay focused

Stay accountable to your dreams 

Join Lesley Riley for a year of inspiration & motivation delivered weekly to your inbox starting in January. Registration starts December 1, 2012.

More info HERE.

Diana Trout

Longstitch, 2 Ways Class with Diana Trout

Learn the Longstitch with a twist! In this class, you'll create 2 books using the simple, flexible longstitch. One book (5 1/2" x 6") will have an exposed spine with papercloth woven into the warp that is created from the stitch. The other book will be a bit larger 8"x5" with a wrapped softcover. You can use my free papercloth tutorial for the covers for these books.

Clear instructions are great for beginners. Seasoned binders will find a nice twist. PDF's, videos, flickr site. All of my online classes are permanent access to a private blog. $40.00.

More info here.

Carol Sloan

April 24, 2013

"Birds of a Feather"

Art & Soul Retreat  Virginia Beach, Virginia

August 21-27, 2013

Build a Book of Italian Memories 
Sulmona, Italy @ Abruzzo Creative School of Art
 More info here

Lyric Kinard

Start your planning for next spring!

March 10-15, 2013 Quilting Adventures a five day retreat in Texas Hill Country : Surface Design Sampler Platter

Five fabulous days playing with fabric, paint, foil, photo transfer, beading, stamping, screen printing - and a lot of design! More info here.

June 26 - Jul 2, 2013 The Elements of Art for Quilters: a five day retreat at the Abruzzo School of Creative Art, Italy

The beauty of the Italian countryside is a glorious setting for awakening your creative abilities.  More info here.

Jane Davies
Unlocking the Secrets of Color  

This online workshop is six weeks, beginning January 9, 2013.
More info here

Exploring the Self-Portrait
This online workshop is six weeks, beginning January 9, 2013

January 10 - 12, 2013 Mono Print Fabric-Paper, Tucson, AZ  
More info here

Kari McKnight Holbrook
 

Artistic Artifacts in Alexandria VA
Information here

Vintage Vessels                                                                                                       Friday, January 25, 2013  9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Relic Rings
Friday, January 25, 2013   6:00 – 9:00 pm

No Sew Journal On The Go! 
Saturday, January 26, 2013    9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Delectable Doodles & Funky Fonts
Saturday, January 26, 2013    6:00 – 9:00 pm

Jane LaFazio

Santa Fe, New Mexico. Mixed media retreat April 21-28, 2013. Details here. 

Lake Como, Italy! October 7-13, 2013. More info here.

Deborah Boschert

Deborah Boschert's new DVD workshop from Quilting Arts was just released! "Contemporary Fabric Collage: Design, Stitch and Finish" includes segments on fabric selection, using sheer fabrics and hand embroidery. More info here.

Sign up for Deborah Boschert's e-newsletter for regular updates and free pdf downloads.

  

Mixing it Up

Traci Bunkers here! For me, the spice of life is trying new things, or doing things differently.

I make my own journals, and when it was time to make a new one, I decided I wanted a change. This time I used old record album covers for the outside covers. My back and front covers are from two different albums. I was going to use the one on the left for the front. But after I cut it down to size, I thought it would look better on the back. So I chose a colorful album cover for the front.





Then after tearing a variety of papers to size, and folding them into signatures, I sewed them into my journal. The Red Rosin Paper that I used is very curly because I'm near the end of the roll. So right now it's not laying flat in the book, but it will relax soon and behave. I LOVE red rosin paper. You can usually find it in the paint section of hardware stores. It's inexpensive and a roll will last you a long time.



I meant to decorate the spine before I sewed the pages in. But I was so excited to sew them in, I forgot! So I did a little stamping and drawing after I was finished.



I used a hand-carved stamp that was the perfect size to fit between the stitching. Then I did some drawing on it with Sakura Glaze Pens.





I'm excited to start filling it with journal pages, drawings and photos.

A new thing I've been trying lately to spice things up is drawing on my iPad using the Paper app. I'm still getting the hang of it, but I'm having fun. I think I need to get a better stylus though.



Here's a drawing of my hand.



 I also like to do mindless doodles with the app. Since you can "rewind" to undo things, it definitely has advantages over old school drawing. It makes it easy to try something out, then undo it and try something else.



I love being able to get different effects, like watercolor, markers, pen & pencils. At first I thought I might like some of the other drawing apps better, but they are more complicated. And, I realized the simplicity of the Paper app, made it closer to actually drawing and using watercolor. Since it's simple to use, it's instant gratification without having to learn how to use a complicated program.



P.S. While I was writing my blog post, I drank some chai tea, to spice things up just a little more.

Too much stuff? It’s my Spice of Life!

Susan Brubaker Knapp here. Sometimes, I think I have too much stuff in my house. Okay, to be perfectly frank, I know I have too much stuff in my house. Too much clutter, too many collections. But when it comes right down to it, I have to admit that this stuff makes me happy. Stuff comes with memories. Case in point: This is the old-fashioned flour sifter (below) I remember my Mom teaching me how to use when we made cookies together when I was a small child; it has a little crank handle on the side:

I  learned how to use this flour sifter very well. So well, in fact, that when my mother went upstairs to check on my little brother, leaving me alone with the sifter one December when I was about 5, I used it to sift the downstairs to create my own personal snowfall. On the furniture, the carpet, the stereo turntable…. Soon after this incident, my mother decided that I was going to kindergarten a year early. I wonder why?

I don’t need that sifter any more (flour comes pre-sifted these days), but I keep it out in my kitchen, because it reminds me of Mom. And as an artist, I believe that stuff – visual clutter to others – is actually visual stimulation to me. It is my Spice of Life! 

Here are some sketches of some of the stuff that adds spice to my life. I worked with my Lamy Safari fountain pen, which I absolutely love, and did not work in pencil first. I am trying to sketch more spontaneously by forcing my self to work in ink.

Farmer's Markets

Jane LaFazio here. Drawing in food and spice-filled farmers markets is one of my favorite things to do. Especially with friends! I blogged about this San Diego Sketchcrawl here.

from my sketchbook ~ by Jane LaFazio

I prepared my sketchbook page in advance, using these stencils that I designed and spray gesso. Then I paint a wash of watercolor over the gesso-sprayed stencils to create this wonderful background texture.

Tea Time in the Spice Room

Hi,  It is Frances again.  Join me for a cup of tea.

When I got back to Vermont Sunday night, there was a definite nip in the air. I had not been feeling while in Texas.  There, the leaves were barely turning colors, here the leaves are raked into mulch piles and there are no more beautiful red ones gracing the tree's branches.

So, this only means one thing:  Time for tea. 

Black tea, green tea, herbal tea, spiced tea, ginger tea.

Ginseng, Mint, Earl Gray, Lapsang Soushang, Ginger, Hibiscus, Chamomile, Orange Pekoe.

Constant Comment, Lipton, Tazo, Bigelow, Tetley, Red Rose.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@<<<<<<<<<<<<@>>>>>>>>>>>>@@@@@@@@@@@@@

  Here are a few of my Daily Collages with tea theme.
 

Art papers and paints.

MacKenzie-Childs teapot and pincushion, botanical Washi Tape.

Tissue paper, paint, Washi Tape.

 Sugar cube wrappings from Alsace.

Tazo tea bag packages, coasters, tea labels.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

......................TEA*TEA*TEA*TEA...............

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

And from a long time ago:  "D Cups and Tea Cups"

 This is one of my early quilts, made as the result of a Susan Shie Quilt Camp.

Happy Thanksgiving