linocut
festive tags + trinkets
Saturday, December 12, 2009 | by Carolyn Price
Christmas Birds (AUD $14.95ea) by Paper Boat Press
Christmas is almost upon us and as people and places dress up for the occasion, we bring you a selection of handmade pretties to adorn your own living room and the gifts beginning to appear under the tree (or in our case, the resident peace lily)!
5 Pack of Small Stars (AUD $20) and Petite Round with Heart (AUD $12.95ea) - ceramic decorations by paper boat press
I'm really in love with ceramics at the moment, and these sweet pieces are handmade in Brisbane by Kylie Johnson. Her label, paper boat press, began as a boutique greeting card range featuring Kylie's one or two line poems. paper boat press has now grown to include ceramic ornaments, ceramic jewellery, original illustrations and functional ceramic vessels. Many of Kylie's designs incorporate her poetry. Her poetry collection "count me the stars" was published by Murdoch Books in 2008, and she has a second book, "a once courageous heart" due for release in March, 2010. You can see more at www.paperboatpress.com
Handmade Kid Leather Christmas Bauble Decorations (AUD $10ea) by Emerge Shoppe
Look at these leather decorations! They have been handmade by Emma Greenwood, who also exhibited her work in the "Shoe Show" at Craft Victoria last month. Each decoration measures approx. 9cm high, and will certainly catch Santa's attention. The kid leather Trees and Baubles have been top stitched and sparkled-up with Swarovski crystals, while the Owl cuties have been overlaid with additional leather pieces and given good sled-spotting night vision with big round eyelets for eyes!
Handmade Kid Leather Christmas Tree and Owl Decorations (AUD $10ea) by Emerge Shoppe
You'll find Emma's creations in her online store, Emerge Shoppe and you can also follow her blog, aprons & hammers, at www.apronsandhammers.blogspot.com. Emma also makes leather accessories which would make great gifts - especially for people who are hard to buy for... like boys! Choose from keyrings, belts, brooches, pins & cuffs...
Set of 3 Double-Sided Recycled Silkscreen Ornaments in Blue (AUD $22ea) by etsa sketch
etsa sketch divides her time between art & study, and creates really lovely drawings & prints. The printmaking process can be hazardous and unpredictable at times, and she likes to "take any mistakes, imperfections or bad decisions and repurpose them into something beautiful".
These sweet wooden discs feature small glimpses of hand-pulled silkscreen prints. They are double-sided and would make great ornaments for Christmas or any other time of year! You'll find them in etsa sketch's MadeIt store, and you can follow her blog at estasketch.blogspot.com.
Pack of 5 Flora Tags, Letterpress and Lino Cut (AUD $9.50) by RubyVictoria
This post has been a real mix-up of materials - ceramics, leather, silkscreen prints and lastly... letterpress! I love these Christmas tags by Tasmanian printmaker & artist RubyVictoria - in fact I just purchased a dozen of the Naughty/Nice Coaster Tags pictured below! 'Nice' tags will be going to grandparents; siblings will definitely receive 'Naughty' tags, (despite all the help I received at Finders Keepers)... I wonder which of our parents & friends will make the 'Nice' cut?
Pack of 5 Letterpress Christmas Gift Tags (left, AUD $7) and Pack of 6 Letterpress Coaster Tags (right, AUD $12) by RubyVictoria
You'll find lots of loveliness in RubyVictoria's MadeIt store and you can follow her blog at www.rubyvictoria.blogspot.com.
If you're looking for even more Christmas decoration inspiration, we recently featured the Polli Decoration Kit of 30 (AUD $19.95) and edward & lilly's gorgeous lavender birdies (AUD $15).
Wishing a Merry Christmas to all our indie readers!
With love from Carolyn & Martin xx
spooky!
Friday, October 31, 2008 | by Carolyn Price
Here are a few treats to haunt your Hallow's Eve! Above is the "Skeleton Gentleman" pendant by Northey Designs (from Moose: Art for Living, AUD $80). He cuts quite a figure! Below is "Halloween in the Hood", an original print by Katie Muth (8" x 10", US $40).
Lastly, the Kooky Spooks creation "Orpin" below might just sneak up behind you... "BOO!"
Orpin is available from Australian online store YTBA (Yet To Be Announced) for AUD $35 (+ free shipping within Australia!), or direct from Kooky Spooks. Measuring 50 x 275 x 145 mm, Orpin is one of a limited edition of 200 and comes with personalized swing tag hand numbered by the artist.
"Chivalry is far from dead, and Orpin is always well dressed for the occassion. Orpin is gentle and wise and will astound you with his in depth knowledge of the creation of inter connecting burrows and ideas for his latest vision... the above ground burrow."
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
lino lacework
Monday, October 27, 2008 | by Carolyn Price
Set of 3 hand carved original linocut prints as 4.4" x 5.5" greeting cards (blank inside) with complementary coloured envelopes. (US $14.99 from www.katiemuth.com)
Katie Muth is a Canadian artist, illustrator & printmaker currently living in Sydney. She has a beautiful collection of hand printed linocut designs made into cards, accessories and prints, including a range inspired by the intricate wrought iron lacework on Sydney terraces (like mine!)...
Left: A repurposed can gets new life when covered with an intricate, hand carved linocut print and lined with complementary liner paper. (US $16.99)
Right: Hand printed sturdy canvas card journal cover with colored spine and elastic cord. Comes with a large (12.7cm x 20.9cm) Moleskine cahier journal. (US $29.99)
Since graduating from Ontario College of Art and Design in 2002, Katie has used a variety of printmaking techniques such as etching, screen and litho printing to produce work ranging from large hand printed kites to intricate limited edition artist books. However, she always returns to linocut relief printing as she loves the clean, binary nature of the lines (there is no grey - it's either printed or not printed), and the way the hand is slowed by the process of carving, making the images strong and deliberate.
Step 1 & 2: Carving the transferred design into the lino square, leaving the raised areas to be printed, and rolling ink onto the raised areas with a brayer.
Linocut printing is one of my favourite techniques for creating very person work. I love the process of carving out the design (despite the occasional tears and requirement for a band-aid) and the anticipation you feel as you begin peeling away the finished print. Applying even pressure with a handheld barren can be hard work though! In the images above & below, you can see the process by which Katie creates her designs.
Step 3 & 4: After careful placement of the paper onto the lino block, pressure is applied with a baren, or in this case, the back of a wooden spoon. The print is then carefully removed & placed to dry.
Also on offer are a range of detailed, 2 & 3 colour figurative prints with their own stories to tell - one of which I'm saving up for a feature post in 4 days time... The sweet birthday & thank you card designs (pictured below) would surely bring a smile to the face of any crafty friends & relatives.
8 greeting cards in turquoise envelopes in a clear plastic box (2 of each card in the picture). (On special for US $16.00)
Katie Muth Original Prints are stocked all over Canada & the US, and in Australia at:
NSW: Publisher Textiles (Leichhardt)
WA: William Topp (Perth)
ONLINE: Made It, www.katiemuth.com
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