Daily Art Muse » Tips

how to: make a facebook fan page

Susan Lomuto — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 23:01:58 +0000

This morning we explored Keke Cribbs’ magical world of glass mosaic sculptures. Keke doesn’t have a website, but she wants to create a Facebook fan page and asked if I could help. Here’s an audio slide show that I quickly put together this afternoon. Click on the image to view the short tutorial. And look for a fan page from Keke soon!

tools: finger brush and texture plate

Susan Lomuto — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:12:15 +0000

When Lorrene Davis sent along the link to this artist I popped over to her website to see what she was up to and look what I found!

Davis, a metal clay Master Instructor, handcrafts and sells the Finger Brush – a tool she invented when she got tired of “Putting down the file, picking up the dry brush to save the precious silver dust.Then putting down the brush and picking up the file.Then repeating the whole process over and over again…… and over and over again.”

Cool beans. You can get one too. Right here.

Then a visit to Marsha Neal’s blog revealed a post about how she makes porcelain shards. I like the way Neal uses two wood texture plates to make the spiral ridges. I’m sure the texture boards can be used with materials other than porcelain. Maybe Miss Marsha will share her source for the serious looking texture mats?

In the meantime, although you can’t buy the texture plates from her, you can purchase the porcelain shards. This way please – booth #806.

cormier & holmes introduce new work and the great white Sh.A.R.K.

Susan Lomuto — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:18:48 +0000

We are dedicated to evolving polymer clay through creativity without boundaries, quality without compromise, design with intent, and innovation with integrity. And we want to have fun doing it. Dan Cormier & Tracy Holmes

Dan Cormier and Tracy Holmes have been busy sprucing up their website - adding new work, making cool videos, sharing exciting news about the Sh.A.R.K. family of tools (see below) and refining a mission statement (that’s it above, but read more here).

Polar Pin, 2009, polymer clay

When Cormier has a new idea for a piece and discovers that it requires a tool he doesn’t have, he gets to work making the tool and the whole community benefits. He has been sharing his Cutting Edge line of precision tools with us since 2005 when he introduced the Peeler Collection, adding the Sh.A.R.K. in 2008 and now the Great White Sh.A.R.K. and more to come later this year.

The Sh.A.R.K. is “a magnetic ‘moveable wall,’ a sheet adjuster that turns your single-width pasta machine into a versatile ‘any width’ tool for sheeting, mixing, blending, and reducing polymer clay.” The original Sh.A.R.K. was made to fit the Atlas 150 pasta machine, but now everyone can enjoy the benefits of this little fin-that-could with the new Great White Sh.A.R.K., which fits the Amaco, Makins, and Atlas 180 machines.

The video below is a comprehensive look at what the Sh.A.R.K can help you accomplish in your studio. Beautifully executed, it takes the concept of a ‘brochure’ to a whole new level. Fun, informative and enticing. I have a Sh.A.R.K. and while I love the way it adjusts the size of the sheet of clay, I admit that it wasn’t until I saw the video that I truly understood that I had a powerhouse sitting on my pasta machine!

Want your own Sh.A.R.K. ? You can purchase a Sh.A.R.K. Kit here.

For me, my tools and what I do with them have always been intertwined. It’s not about the latest gimmick or trick. It’s more fundamental, evolving organically out of some need I find through my dialogue with the clay. A new idea requires a tool I don’t have. So I make that tool. Once I have it, I can usually do the thing I wanted to do, which is great. But even better, it continues the conversation. Suddenly I see something I couldn’t see before, something I hadn’t even imagined. Like cresting a hill, I get a new view, a new perspective, a new take on my medium. Dan Cormier

Congratulations to this dynamic duo – it certainly does look like they are having fun (see mission statement above) while elevating the medium with their innovative tools, work and techniques – a win/win combination for all.

michael sherrill: pottered plants

Susan Lomuto — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:44:22 +0000

Self-taught ceramic artist Michael Sherrill is nourished by the natural beauty of the North Carolina mountainside that he calls home. Sherrill’s finely honed skills jump to life with this series of realistic plant sculptures – pictured here are details of ‘Beauty in a Hard Place’ and ‘Leaves in the River’. You can see the full-sized work and others by the artist at accessCeramics, an online image resource of contemporary ceramics.

For those of us who long to see the color and texture of plant life again after a long, bleak Winter, Sherrill’s flowers offer hope. More images at the Ferrin Gallery.

In addition to being an artist, sought-after lecturer and teacher, Sherrill is also the creator of Mudtools, a line of innovative clay tools for the ceramic artist.

During my years of working in clay, making pots and art, I have often had ideas that required working outside “normal” processes. I found that the available “clay tools” did not serve my ideas well. So, out of necessity I would make a tool, or modify an existing one to suit my needs. These new tools quickly became indispensable and were always the first thing to come out of my toolbox. Naturally, I would show these off at a workshop, and as a result I found that people were interested in buying them!

art supply tote from recyled yoga mats!

Susan Lomuto — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 20:17:20 +0000

This is my new favorite way to carry a stash of art supplies for my creative play dates.

The bucket bag is made from repurposed yoga mats and discarded scraps from the companies that make yoga mats. I’m not sure that designer Merle O’Brien had art supplies in mind when she created this one, but the minute I saw it I knew it would be perfect for the job.

The mat’s PVC material makes it easy to wipe down, the bag is deep enough to hold a variety of materials, there are mesh pockets all around the outside of the bag for more supplies and seeing the mat material is really a daily reminder that I must practice my yoga more often. I love it! Check out her story here and see some of the collection of bags here. More designs are sold in stores across the country.

My bag is a marriage of three things that I love: organized art supplies, yoga and recycling. Can’t go wrong there – and besides, O’Brien is a Grateful Dead fan. ‘Nuff said.

text messages: new etsy supply shop

Susan Lomuto — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:19:45 +0000

Yes, I was silly yesterday. Teasing you with images and clues and giveaways. All done in the spirit of fun. All leading up to this announcement:

I opened an Etsy shop!

textmessages.etsy.com offers text-related materials for artists and crafters. I love words, text, quotes and use them often in my art so this was a natural progression for me.

I’m pushing polymer again! This time through vintage brass. Click the image!

At textmessages.etsy.com you will find vintage typewriter keys, brass letter stencils, vintage vocabulary cards, text collage sheet downloads, letterpress wood type and a variety of other text-related supplies to help you add another layer of meaning to your art. It is still evolving and I have lots more to list so visit often! You can access the site through the links in the sidebar on the right or the links in this post.

Vintage French vocabulary cards. Click the image!

Come back this afternoon for my regular post featuring smashing good art and tomorrow morning I’ll be announcing a BIG BOOK giveaway to celebrate textmessages.etsy.com. Stay tuned!

art: look, buy, sell online

Susan Lomuto — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:13:18 +0000

Last night my brain would not shut down – I didn’t get to sleep until 4:30 am. While I am trying to wake myself up this morning, here are a few links that will get your adrenalin pumping. Surf the sites, become members and show/sell your own work.

crafthaus is a social network where “professional artists, designers & craftsmen/women display their work and connect with each other across all fields of interest.”

Find more photos like this on crafthaus

Boundless Gallery’s goal is to “make original art, with all its visual and emotional appeal, more accessible so that it can become a bigger part of an increasing number of people’s everyday lives.”

Wendy Walsh, bestseller on Boundless Gallery

Brooklyn-based Supermarket is a “curated collection of awesome design products.”

Aroha Silhouettes, reclaimed vinyl record pendant

Good Monday morning to you!

jeffrey rudell’s papercuts don’t hurt a bit

Susan Lomuto — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:15:58 +0000

Last month accomplished paper artist and CraftStylish contributor Jeffrey Rudell posted a how-to for this cut paper thank you note. I don’t think I’ll be trying it any time soon, but the process is fascinating, isn’t it?

Rudell’s work is extraordinary. I was convinced that the portrait below was a drawing. The closeup shots reveal that this finely detailed work is another of Rudell’s cut paper masterpieces. The portrait, 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide, is carved from a single sheet of black paper. Wow. Ready to try it yourself?

inspiration sent and received

Susan Lomuto — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:01:27 +0000

There are days when I wonder if this blog is actually influencing anyone’s art-making. Then there are days when I get emails that make it clear to me that Daily Art Muse is making a difference. Oh yes, this blog is tickling muses, inspiring products – even providing research resources for art students. A recent email from Valerie Claff made my day:

Dear Susan,

I wanted to write and thank you ENORMOUSLY for your amazing blog/musing. I am an artist and art professor at Clark University in Mass. For some years now I have been teaching a class called Exploring the Natural World – a combination of field drawing, printmaking and mixed-media. The other day I stumbled across your site while searching for examples of work for inspiration. I have to say, your site is THE BEST resource I have found so far. I don’t have a ton of time to research as I’ve got the teaching to do, so your site is an amazing help for me. THANK YOU! I love the work you’re including as they are great examples of a broad range of materials and mediums. I probably won’t venture too much further than your daily blog and archives this semester and will require my students to do some research there to help with generating ideas. Again, thank you!

Valerie Claff

DAMuse as required reading for art students. I like it! I look forward to seeing Valerie’s students’ work before the end of the semester.

Then yesterday I was scrolling through Canadian based Shades of Clay’s online store looking at Helen Breil’s latest product line. I was delighted to see that Helen credits a post on Daily Art Muse as the inspiration for her new flexible textures stamps, Tango and Mambo. Which post sparked the idea? Zentangles, of course!

As always, Helen’s work is beautifully designed and executed.

Helen Breil’s Mambo Texture Stamp and Mambo Leaf Bracelet

Helen Breil’s Tango Lentil Pendant and Tango Texture Stamp

Come back this afternoon for more DAMuse-inspired work and words. And do tell – what has DAMuse done for you lately?

spin your own news

Susan Lomuto — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:20:31 +0000

Last October we looked at an artist who was recycling newspapers in an unusual way. Now greenUPGRADER shows you how to spin your own newspaper yarn with this tutorial. Cool.

Spinning the news

Newspaper yarn

schnitman paste papers

Susan Lomuto — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:15:36 +0000

Deena Schnitman sells and licenses her paste paper patterns for use on apparel, decorative fabrics, linens, packaging, paper products and textiles. Something to think about…

One of the earliest forms of decorating paper, paste paper dates back to the late sixteenth century when it was widely used by bookbinders in Europe for endpapers and bookcovers. The process has changed little and remains simple. A paste is cooked, colored with paint and brushed onto wet paper. While the paper is still wet designs are made using a variety of tools. The tools used to create designs are limited only by one’s imagination and range from paintbrushes and combs to handmade carved rollers to flea market finds and kitchen gadgets.

This technique can be modified to make similar patterns and designs on polymer clay using acrylic paint and texture tools. For a really interesting look do a paste-paper-like design on translucent clay. Yummmm….

asking nicely works!

Susan Lomuto — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:03:07 +0000

Last week I wrote about Tejae Floyde’s tip for an inspiration board and I asked if she might be kind enough to show us an example. Turns out she is kind enough and Tejae did more than just show us one of her boards – she prepared a little video to walk us through the process.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZdov0vj8ow&feature=user[/youtube]

Time to go make one…and thanks so much for your generosity Tejae!

tejae’s got a good idea

Susan Lomuto — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:00:12 +0000

In a recent interview for the Studio Snapshot segment of Libzoid, Libby Mills asked Tejae Floyde if she uses an idea wall or an inspiration board. Her answer gives us an interesting alternative – a new-media take on the old fashioned sketchbook.

When I begin working on a project I usually make an “inspiration board” for each project. I make it on the computer in Word, basically copying inspiring images, color combinations and texture into the document. Then I print a color copy and keep it on my desk while I’m working on the project.

Maybe if we ask nicely Tejae will show us an example?

customize your fabric with spoonflower

Susan Lomuto — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:26:03 +0000

Upload your original pattern or image to Spoonflower and they will print it on up to 5 yards of 100% cotton for you to use any way you like. While the potential for folks who sew is obvious, I also think this concept can be valuable to fiber and mixed media artists. Heck, I can even see polymer clay artists using it to make real fabric from a picture of a sheet of fabric-like polymer clay.

Each week Spoonflower’s Kim Fraser shows off the latest designs – watch Week Two’s video below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHXBFkmzv6M[/youtube]

Spoonflower gives individuals the power to print their own designs on fabric that they can then use to make quilts, clothes, pillows, blankets, framed textile art and many, many other things that might surprise you.

Seems to be by invitation only right now but you can get on their list.

This video explains the Spoonflower process.

See dozens of designs in the Flickr Spoonflower Fabric Designs Pool.

I’m loving this one.

via decor 8