http://kellykilmer.blogspot.com/2010/06/announcing-new-online-class-memories.html
This class looks like great fun. I may take it, if I have some time in between summer school classes, vacation, and trying to get ready for Create Art Retreat. It is something for ME!
Showing posts with label workshops. Show all posts
Showing posts with label workshops. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Soy Wax Eye Candy
This one is one of my absolute faves. It looks scrumptious on both sides. I cannot have asked for it it turn out any better if I planned it that way.
This one not very successful - one of very few (above).
I absolutely love this one (both sides).
Loved this one - one of my faves (above)
This one did not turn out as well as I would have liked (above).
One of my favorites (above)!
This one is not as faint in color in real life.These wonderful pieces of fabric are from Melly Testa's workshop soy wax batik at Art Unraveled in Phoenix, AZ. I just got home a few days ago. I had to come home to iron them to heat set the Lumiere paint, scrub the paint off where the wax was, and wash the wax off the fabric. These are the results. I am very happy with my results. There were only a couple that did not turn out well. You can click on the picts to get a larger view of the pict. You may not be able to see the metallics in the pict but they look FAB! in real life.
Melly's sox wax technique is also in her rather new book, Inspired to Quilt: Experiments in Art Quilt Imagery by Melanie Testa
If you ever get a chance to take a class with Melly, grab it. I had the most fun in her class. I am rather picky when it comes to taking workshops. I had a lot of fun.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Make-It-University Schedule for Quilt Festival
Hi all! The schedule it out!
http://quiltingarts.com/cpsmag/MIU2009.html
If you are anywhere near the Chicagoland area the weekend of April 17th, then you need to be at the Quilt Festival. It is not for Quilters only! It is for Art Quilters and for Mixed Media Artists. Quilting Arts/Cloth Paper Scissors magazine has a big booth area there with an Open Studios area where artists will be doing demos. I will be one of those artists. I will also be doing workshops for them. I will be doing the Puffy hearts on wood (2x) and Bristle ATCs. It is a raffle system. You put your name into a jar. You have to be there at the time of the drawing. You pay a nominal fee, if you are chosen. You can to play for an hour! I have been to a couple of them and they are a lot of fun! Hope to see you there. I will have ATCs there to swap.
http://quiltingarts.com/cpsmag/MIU2009.html
If you are anywhere near the Chicagoland area the weekend of April 17th, then you need to be at the Quilt Festival. It is not for Quilters only! It is for Art Quilters and for Mixed Media Artists. Quilting Arts/Cloth Paper Scissors magazine has a big booth area there with an Open Studios area where artists will be doing demos. I will be one of those artists. I will also be doing workshops for them. I will be doing the Puffy hearts on wood (2x) and Bristle ATCs. It is a raffle system. You put your name into a jar. You have to be there at the time of the drawing. You pay a nominal fee, if you are chosen. You can to play for an hour! I have been to a couple of them and they are a lot of fun! Hope to see you there. I will have ATCs there to swap.
Friday, July 25, 2008
How I organize my workshops
Someone asked, so I am replying to this question about workshops.
BTW, Sandy did a very, very nice review of two of my mini-workshops. People told her what they liked about my workshops and about other workshops.
http://www.auntiesandy.blogspot.com/
The main thing I heard was that my workshop was very organized and easy to follow. I only had an hour and a half to help them create the copper book necklaces. I had almost all the components in kit form. I just had the tools and chain separate. I put in extra jump rings because some always get destroyed. I even cut up sand paper and put them in the kits. I demo'd each thing they had to do. I gave a mini lesson on tools. I gave tips and hints as we worked so they would avoid making mistakes. I always gave them two things they could do. I did not have enough tools for 24 people. I had at least 12 sets of tools so that only two people had to share. The option of doing something else kept everyone busy instead of waiting for the next thing. I had detailed instructions for each person at the beginning of the workshop so super fast people (like me) could just work and not have to wait for others. I gave several options for the inside images. I brought extra kits and materials in case some things did not work or broke. I set up eyelet stations so they could hammer in their eyelets. I gave a mini lesson on the crop-a-dile. I tried to anticipate everything they would want or need to know. I wrote down a list of everything I had to bring with me so I would not forget. I thought the hardest thing would be wire wrapping but it was eyelet setting. The beauty of this class was that your pendant was your own. It not being perfect was what made it so great. People who took my class last night said others were raving about their necklace. I also brought a spool of copper chain so they could cut to their desired length. I made up extra kits in case people wanted to buy them. They all were snapped up in 5 minutes. Good thing I had the forethought to give one to Sandy at the beginning of the workshop or nothing would be left. I did pass out my card at the end. I went into the class with the intentions of teaching the class and not selling anything. The extra kits were something I did for them and not for me since it was a lot of extra work for me. I figured that if they did not sell, then I would use them for give-aways and stuff like that. People know when you go into a workshop with the intentions of selling and not actually focusing on what needs to be done.
If you are going to show a sample of something, then you better do something like one of the samples. If you are not, then that needs to be specified. I hate going to workshops where I see beautiful samples and I come out with nothing like it.
I try to think about what I am going to do beforehand in my workshop. I think about what we are going to do and in what order. What materials will go where. I like the station set-up. I have materials in one spot and tools in another. It all depends on how much space I am given and how many people are in the workshop. If you are going to have them go home with wet backgrounds, then provide something for them to go home with them. I had a roll of garbage bags so that people could roll up their technique pages to go home with them and then unroll to let them dry. I supplied little ziplock bags for people who did not want to wear their necklaces out and for little embellishments, if they wanted to put them on later.
It also helps to have an assistant or someone helping you with the workshop, especially if it is a large one. If your class is going to be messy, then bring plastic gloves. I don't know why the ones I seeped through. Sorry, ladies. I like to do little give-aways. It makes it more fun. Does not have to be big. I gave away small masks and some of the mica and Color Wash already out for the workshop. It was extra anyway. Sandy was nice enough to pour it into little mister bottles. I got a bunch of them from skybluepink.com. So functionaland cheap. They are the generic version of what Ranger sells. That is all that I can think of now off the top of my head. I am off to have a movie day with my kids.
BTW, Sandy did a very, very nice review of two of my mini-workshops. People told her what they liked about my workshops and about other workshops.
http://www.auntiesandy.blogspot.com/
The main thing I heard was that my workshop was very organized and easy to follow. I only had an hour and a half to help them create the copper book necklaces. I had almost all the components in kit form. I just had the tools and chain separate. I put in extra jump rings because some always get destroyed. I even cut up sand paper and put them in the kits. I demo'd each thing they had to do. I gave a mini lesson on tools. I gave tips and hints as we worked so they would avoid making mistakes. I always gave them two things they could do. I did not have enough tools for 24 people. I had at least 12 sets of tools so that only two people had to share. The option of doing something else kept everyone busy instead of waiting for the next thing. I had detailed instructions for each person at the beginning of the workshop so super fast people (like me) could just work and not have to wait for others. I gave several options for the inside images. I brought extra kits and materials in case some things did not work or broke. I set up eyelet stations so they could hammer in their eyelets. I gave a mini lesson on the crop-a-dile. I tried to anticipate everything they would want or need to know. I wrote down a list of everything I had to bring with me so I would not forget. I thought the hardest thing would be wire wrapping but it was eyelet setting. The beauty of this class was that your pendant was your own. It not being perfect was what made it so great. People who took my class last night said others were raving about their necklace. I also brought a spool of copper chain so they could cut to their desired length. I made up extra kits in case people wanted to buy them. They all were snapped up in 5 minutes. Good thing I had the forethought to give one to Sandy at the beginning of the workshop or nothing would be left. I did pass out my card at the end. I went into the class with the intentions of teaching the class and not selling anything. The extra kits were something I did for them and not for me since it was a lot of extra work for me. I figured that if they did not sell, then I would use them for give-aways and stuff like that. People know when you go into a workshop with the intentions of selling and not actually focusing on what needs to be done.
If you are going to show a sample of something, then you better do something like one of the samples. If you are not, then that needs to be specified. I hate going to workshops where I see beautiful samples and I come out with nothing like it.
I try to think about what I am going to do beforehand in my workshop. I think about what we are going to do and in what order. What materials will go where. I like the station set-up. I have materials in one spot and tools in another. It all depends on how much space I am given and how many people are in the workshop. If you are going to have them go home with wet backgrounds, then provide something for them to go home with them. I had a roll of garbage bags so that people could roll up their technique pages to go home with them and then unroll to let them dry. I supplied little ziplock bags for people who did not want to wear their necklaces out and for little embellishments, if they wanted to put them on later.
It also helps to have an assistant or someone helping you with the workshop, especially if it is a large one. If your class is going to be messy, then bring plastic gloves. I don't know why the ones I seeped through. Sorry, ladies. I like to do little give-aways. It makes it more fun. Does not have to be big. I gave away small masks and some of the mica and Color Wash already out for the workshop. It was extra anyway. Sandy was nice enough to pour it into little mister bottles. I got a bunch of them from skybluepink.com. So functionaland cheap. They are the generic version of what Ranger sells. That is all that I can think of now off the top of my head. I am off to have a movie day with my kids.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
TOD - workshop observations
This is a personal opinion. I am sure that some people will be insulted by this, will object to this, and will send me negative comments. It's okay to tell me what you think. I will just reject your comment for the blog if it totally pisses me off. No one will see it but me. If it is not that bad, then I will approve the comment. You are just as entitled to your opinion as I am. Let me tell you though that I am not thinking of any ONE workshop. I am speaking in general. If you think that I am talking about you, then you might want to think about why you are thinking that.
Have you ever been to a workshop where you were given samples or were given small pieces of whatever material to just try out whatever the workshop was about? I am not talking about process classes where you turn out beautiful sheets of paper or beautifully dyed fabric. I am not talking about workshops where you turn out a finished product from the technique(s) the instructor does in that workshop. I am talking about someone giving you instructions and showing you the technique on a 2x3 piece of mat board or give you the 1x3 piece of card stock so you can try the technique or material yourself. How about being given 3x5 index cards?
How wildly unsatisfying is that? ! It might be different if I did the technique as a full sheet or tried it on something that I could finish at home and it could become part of an actual art piece. If someone is going to teach a process or technique class, then do something that will lead to a finished product. Don't show me a beautiful piece from that technique or process unless I am going to do something like it! Well, I have taken a few of those workshops and will try never to do so again. I don't feel like I have gotten my money's worth. I wonder why the instructor is not doing more. Is it cost? Do I just look like I wouldn't notice the difference? Don't give me a bunch of little samples to take home. I end up throwing them away because they are too small to really show me how the technique or process looks. I want to see it on a larger scale. I want to be able to do it myself so I can see what it can really do. That means bigger than an inchie or an index card.
That was what I was thinking about while I was getting samples ready for my workshop tomorrow night.
Have you ever been to a workshop where you were given samples or were given small pieces of whatever material to just try out whatever the workshop was about? I am not talking about process classes where you turn out beautiful sheets of paper or beautifully dyed fabric. I am not talking about workshops where you turn out a finished product from the technique(s) the instructor does in that workshop. I am talking about someone giving you instructions and showing you the technique on a 2x3 piece of mat board or give you the 1x3 piece of card stock so you can try the technique or material yourself. How about being given 3x5 index cards?
How wildly unsatisfying is that? ! It might be different if I did the technique as a full sheet or tried it on something that I could finish at home and it could become part of an actual art piece. If someone is going to teach a process or technique class, then do something that will lead to a finished product. Don't show me a beautiful piece from that technique or process unless I am going to do something like it! Well, I have taken a few of those workshops and will try never to do so again. I don't feel like I have gotten my money's worth. I wonder why the instructor is not doing more. Is it cost? Do I just look like I wouldn't notice the difference? Don't give me a bunch of little samples to take home. I end up throwing them away because they are too small to really show me how the technique or process looks. I want to see it on a larger scale. I want to be able to do it myself so I can see what it can really do. That means bigger than an inchie or an index card.
That was what I was thinking about while I was getting samples ready for my workshop tomorrow night.
My two mini-worshops last nite
I am so tired and sore from teaching and hauling yesterday. They were both went over very well. Before I tell you about it, I have to give a huge, huge "thank you!" to my friend, Sandy. She helped me with both classes. She was a tremendous help. I could not have done it without her.
I first helped out in someone else's class. Deb taught metal etching. It was only an hour and a half class, so the etching was not very deep. I have the stuff, so I will have to take the time and try it for myself. I could create some great looking copper pieces.
My first class was the copper book necklace class. I had oxidized the copper sheet, cut it up, and did a class kit with all the materials in it except for the chain. The class went really smoothly. One of my crop-a-diles broke, so I will have to work on getting a new one. The crop-a-dile went over so well that people were swapping Joann's coupons to get one. Some women could not punch through the copper sheet with the regular punch but had no problems with the crop-a-dile. Everyone got to finish theirs, even the ones who showed up late. I did not have time to take pictures - wish I had. They all came out fantastic. It was very satisfying to see how great they turned out. People came up to me and told me what a great class it was. They turned out a great piece of jewelry in just an hour and a half. I thought that the wire wrapping would be the hardest part. The punching and setting of the eyelets was the hardest. It was very nice to see all those women leaving with smiles on their faces - happy that they did something like that themselves. A lot of them commented on how organized I was and how well the class went. They loved the kit. I sold off all my extra ones. Yeah, I am feeling pretty good right now. Sandy was a huge help. She gave a private lesson to people who showed up late. There was a bus tour and they ended up coming back really late. It sucks to be late and flustered to a workshop.
The second workshop was mainly using Color Wash and Radiant Rain with some masks. We did the polymer gloss and mica technique. We dyed VIVA paper towels. We did the Color Wash and Radiant Rain on wrapping paper. We finished off with the masks. This class also went really well. Sandy had the chance to play in this class. There were less people in this class. It was a bit slower and more mellow. Some of the plastic gloves seeped through. I was surprised about that. Mine were fine. Sorry, ladies.
Today is a Dremel lunch and birthday stuff.
I first helped out in someone else's class. Deb taught metal etching. It was only an hour and a half class, so the etching was not very deep. I have the stuff, so I will have to take the time and try it for myself. I could create some great looking copper pieces.
My first class was the copper book necklace class. I had oxidized the copper sheet, cut it up, and did a class kit with all the materials in it except for the chain. The class went really smoothly. One of my crop-a-diles broke, so I will have to work on getting a new one. The crop-a-dile went over so well that people were swapping Joann's coupons to get one. Some women could not punch through the copper sheet with the regular punch but had no problems with the crop-a-dile. Everyone got to finish theirs, even the ones who showed up late. I did not have time to take pictures - wish I had. They all came out fantastic. It was very satisfying to see how great they turned out. People came up to me and told me what a great class it was. They turned out a great piece of jewelry in just an hour and a half. I thought that the wire wrapping would be the hardest part. The punching and setting of the eyelets was the hardest. It was very nice to see all those women leaving with smiles on their faces - happy that they did something like that themselves. A lot of them commented on how organized I was and how well the class went. They loved the kit. I sold off all my extra ones. Yeah, I am feeling pretty good right now. Sandy was a huge help. She gave a private lesson to people who showed up late. There was a bus tour and they ended up coming back really late. It sucks to be late and flustered to a workshop.
The second workshop was mainly using Color Wash and Radiant Rain with some masks. We did the polymer gloss and mica technique. We dyed VIVA paper towels. We did the Color Wash and Radiant Rain on wrapping paper. We finished off with the masks. This class also went really well. Sandy had the chance to play in this class. There were less people in this class. It was a bit slower and more mellow. Some of the plastic gloves seeped through. I was surprised about that. Mine were fine. Sorry, ladies.
Today is a Dremel lunch and birthday stuff.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Beryl Taylor Workshop-other people's work
Here are some picts. Middle is Jean's. Bottom is Kathy's from Valley Ridge. More picts in post underneath this one. Don't you just love the frog?
Beryl Taylor Workshop-other people's work
thought you might like to see it. I told people in advance that I probably would not remember their names. If you want me to put your name underneath your piece, just comment and tell me which one is yours.
Beryl Taylor's Workshop this weekend
Well, I was up in Muscoda, WI at Valley Ridge Art Studios for a workshop. It is the only workshop I am taking this year. If you ever get up to Valley Ridge, it is really worth the trip. Let me do my plug for them (which I don't get anything for). The venue is very, very nice. It is in a farmhouse setting. You can stay at the main house, if you want. The actual workshop building is self-standing. It is a large room with coffee, fridge, snackies, things to shop for, bathroom, and individual tables. Everyone gets their own folding art table. There is usually a limit of 14 people per workshop. There is a lot of space so you can do your thing. The view is very breathtaking. Lots of rolling hills in the area. Make sure you get the lunch that they offer with the workshops. The salads and desserts are YUMMY! They are very generous with food and drink there. Kathy and Bill are very friendly. Kathy takes the workshops and works on things when she can.
http://www.valleyridgeartstudio.com//default.asp Link to the Valley Ridge website.
Kathy always gets quality instructors there. The bookbinding and metal classes are awesome.
Okay, back to my workshop. If you know me, then you know that I don't take a lot of workshops any more because I don't like to pay money and not learn much. It is too expensive nowadays to pay money just for some time to play. I am very selective in workshops this year. I only took this one. I have Beryl's book and was curious about how she did things. The class was very informative with lots of fun little tips and stories. It went slower than I would have liked, but that is a problem in all the workshops I take. I work really quickly and don't think about it too much. I actually played with Polished Pigments and worked on something else in between what we were doing. I understand since instructors need to pace themselves with the rest of the class. Now, Jean, who was also there, she actually make a lot more stuff than I did!
I learned how Beryl makes her stuff pop. I sewed on seed beads and played with a glue gun. I actually don't use sequins but can see their uses now.
Beryl was a very good instructor. She was very patient and went around answering questions. She showed us little things that we could do. She did not push how she did something on us - which I hate. Making the fabric paper the way she does was fun. I have been doing it a slightly different way. Her art pieces are fab. She shared all her supplies. She had a couple of really good stamps - like I need any more.
I have attached my finished piece to this post. What do you think? I am very happy with it. It took awhile to sew all the beads on. I did like that I took some time and sewed each one on. I did a lot more detail work during this workshop than I normally do. She also showed us how to do the puffy little hearts that you see in her book. It is quite easy. If you click on the pict, you will see a more detailed view. This was a fun workshop for me.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Mini-workshops in the Chicagoland Area
I am teaching 3 mini-workshops at the Chicago International Calligraphy Conference. NO, I am not teaching anything calligraphy related. Many of the mini-workshops are mixed media. Some of them are filled but many are not. They are just $25 plus any supply fees for each workshop.
http://www.chicagocalligraphy2008.org/classes_glance%20mini.html
There are links in the left column so you can see the descriptions and register. I hope to see some of you there. It is right by my house, so I will be hanging out there a lot.
http://www.chicagocalligraphy2008.org/classes_glance%20mini.html
There are links in the left column so you can see the descriptions and register. I hope to see some of you there. It is right by my house, so I will be hanging out there a lot.
