Posted by Snufkin on 2004-04-28 17:42:15
Post Subject: What to do with a huge batik?
Or rather, I think I have a generaly idea. About 9 years ago, I bought this huge (8X9 foot) batik tapestry on one of my visits to Grenada. For years it's either been tacked up to walls or served as a tablecloth. I just bought a used computer worktable and repainted it a dark blue color which matches the batik. So I keep thinking that I'd like to somehow stretch it like canvas over bars and hang it over the table to look at while I'm using my computer.
Has anybody tried this? Will I just end up ripping the fabric (it's a pretty thin cotton) trying to get the tension right? And what supply list? I'm thinking of just going to a art supply store and asking the framing staff what materials (besides a staple gun and large enough stretcher frames) I'll need to do this. Suggestions?
Posted by tinkertoy on 2005-10-08 12:51:48
Post Subject: waterproofing paper mache
I think several coats of clear acrylic paint medium (you can get this from an art supply store) would work well. It essentially dries into a layer of clear, flexible plastic, so it won't flake or chip like shellac might. It would be more expensive than a finish from a hardware store-and might take a while- you'd have to apply it with a brush- no spray cans.
Posted by elixirbeth on 2007-02-20 09:07:33
Post Subject:
1. What types of crafts to you enjoy?
I guess it depends on your definition of "craft". I cook, paint, draw, and blow glass. As far as the painting and drawing goes, I do it for its own sake, but also to make something useful like stationary (for instance). I would get into wood working (with my partner) if we had the space and tools.
2. Where do you usually find the materials for these crafts?
Art supply stores and online.
3. What materials do you have the most difficulty finding?
None at this time.
4. Are you a member of any craft groups - if so, where does it usually meet?
No.
5. If you aren't a member of a group, would you like to join one in the future?
Interestingly enough, I would want to join a sewing group. I feel intimidated, though, as my skills are so limited.
6. Have you taken any crafting classes in the city, if so, where?
No.
7. What borough do you live in? Would you travel out of borough to buy materials, or participate in a class or crafting group?
I live in Brooklyn. I would like to think I would leave the borough, but I probably wouldn't. I guess it depends on what the class/group was all about.
8. Do you have children? Is crafting something you do together?
Not yet. But if/when I do have kids, I would like art and crafting to be a part of their lives.
9. Do you find it difficult to do the projects you'd like to because your apartment is too small?
YES YES and YES. The size of our apartment has really stifled my artistic aspirations.
Posted by Katrin on 2004-06-04 18:31:52
Post Subject:
You can buy screenprinting kits at art supply stores - the screen I have is about 9x12", which is decent t-shirt size. I hadn't done any screenprinting in years, but I recently hauled it back out and printed some logos on ribbon (for tags). They turned out pretty well, using a laser-printed transparency and plain light bulb to burn the image.
Posted by snowflake on 2004-07-08 11:22:35
Post Subject: screen printing - thermal imager anyone?
hello,
i discovered a great way to make photo silkscreens is with old 3m thermal imager machines, sometimes called thermal faxes. i bought one from ebay and it isn't working. i was wondering if anyone in the new york area has a machine i could pay to use to make 3 or 4 screens. i have all the supplies, just need access to the machine. i am trying to conserve money so would rather do this via a fellow screener than go to an art supply store where they charge quite a bit to make screens. thanks if you can help!
lisa
Posted by Katrin on 2006-03-15 01:26:16
Post Subject:
You can buy a screenprinting kit at any art-supply store. I have one that...eek...I'm ashamed to say I've hardly used. I did use the previous one I had, though. It has all the supplies you need - screen, emulsion, screen filler, squeegee, ink, etc.
Screenprinting is not difficult at all. However, it is messy, and preparation for it can be time-consuming.
Posted by Sewlittletime on 2005-12-08 14:34:20
Post Subject:
I bought a gazillion foot long roll several years ago from a local art supply shop. I think it cost me around $30. I don't use it often, but it's great to have when i need to make my own patterns.
Posted by breewell on 2004-10-03 17:56:05
Post Subject:
Hi,
Since I just got married, and now can't work because my immigration is still processing I have started my first scrapbook (it's about my life with my husband for the past 4 years, I figure the INS will like to see it as well!). I was really nervous that it would look bad because I'm not an artist, and also really turned off by how lame most scrapbooking web sites are.
Here's how I overcame it:
1) I found a whole bunch of pictures that meant something to me or told a story somehow, and things like receipts, a scaled down copy of my wedding certificate, movie passes, anything that reminded me of something we did together.
For example, I found a bunch of unflattering pictures of us separate and drunk or sick, and put them together on a page that says "Our lives were spinning out of control, but then..." The next page was all our wedding pictures from city hall and the receipt for the 3 coffees and 3 donuts that made up the "banquet" for us and our witness. Even though some of the pictures were out of focus, or seemed like odd images, it worked in context.
2) I walked around an art supply store (Lee's on 57th in Manhattan) which is pretty expensinve but has lots of stuff. I initially avoided the scrapbook section, because it seems too literal, I instead wandered around and looked at everything just to get inspiration. Then I knew I would have pages about our roadtrip, garden, cats, vacation, campin, and our families, so I started picking out any sticker or cool piece of paper that clicked with one of those themes.
Here are some sticker I found that I love. (the top one is kind of military ish)
http://www.stuff4scrapbooking.com/Rebecca_Sower_Stickers.htm
3) Then, I cut out the pictures, it is best if you can scan them in and print out copies or have doubles in case you screw up. Cut some in circles, some in ovals, hexagons, rectangle, squares, and leave some normal.
Finally, (and this can take days), I lay the pictures, any stickers I think I want, and different coloured paper out on the scrapbook page, and then I keep moving them around, adding and subtracting until it finally looks right.
I am by no means and artist, or a good scrapbooker, but the pages I made make me and my hubby smile, so they worked!
I'll see if I can post pictures of my pages, but for me looking at suggested layouts can make me stop thinking creatively.
Good luck! and have fun, it doesn't have to be cutesy and cheesy unless you want it to be!
bree
Posted by Petula on 2004-06-02 11:19:52
Post Subject:
I have an old house with plaster walls and can relate to your dilemma. First of all, you should never hang pictures from nails/screws sticking straight out of the wall - you need to use actual picture hangers with angled bracket-y things to hold the nail in place and keep things secure. You can use the cheap kind they have at hardware and art supply stores (and most frame shops will probably just give you a couple), but the very best ones I've found are called Ooks : http://www.ooks.com/cart/category.cfm?cat=17&sub=80. They have an almost needle-thin nail which further reduces the chance of the wall crumbling, plus the wall won't look bad if you decide to move the picture later.
If you own the house, another option is a picture rail (Martha Stewart is big on these). It's like a strip of molding on your wall just under the ceiling that is made to have hooks hang on it with pictures hanging from them. You can hang the pix with fishing line so it shows less, or you can play it up and hang the pictures with ribbon, etc... The picture rail option is a little pricey, as not only do you need to buy and install the molding, but all the hooks I've seen have been kind of expensive too.
Posted by lumberjack lolita on 2004-08-18 00:59:51
Post Subject:
i worked as a picture framer for a long time, and i am sorry to say that $10 is probably as cheap as you can get for a poster sized frame.
you could get a can of spray mount adhesive and some foam core sheets and mount the posters to the foam core. first lay the poster on the foam core and trace around it with a pencil. then spray the back of the poster all over, making sure to get the adhesive all the way to the edges (really try to cover the whole back). it's best to do this outside, on a piece of junk cardboard. then carefully place the adhesive side down on the foam core, inside the pencil lines. start on one end and smooth down the poster as you slowly lower it down. make sure and cut the foam core so the edges are nice and straight (use a fresh blade in an exacto or utility knife, and cut along a metal yardstick). also, there are special foam core hooks that stick into the back for hanging the mounted piece up.
foam core is around 4-5 bucks for a 32x40" sheet at art supply stores, so this would definitely be a cheaper way to display your posters vertically. they would be nice and flat for now, and you could still put them into a frame later if you wanted to.
Posted by Mista on 2006-05-12 22:48:15
Post Subject: What's this sewing tool?
I'm looking for the tool that turns a thin sewn tube right-side out (or vice versa). Like if I was making long, thin drawstrings out of a fabric, I would sew them right sides together, but would need to turn it out so that the seam was on the inside. Apparently there is a tool that does this lickidy split. Any ideas on what it's called, and where I can buy it online? I'm in NYC, so maybe a Lee's art supply store has it...but am not sure?
Posted by coco-girl on 2004-08-08 21:12:17
Post Subject:
I buy pre-stretched screens at an art supply store and use Speedball fabric inks, they work pretty well for me. I have Kinko's run transparencies for me to burn the screens. Be sure and tell them that you are burning screens and they will get them as black as possible. If there are still lighter parts, take a Sharpie and fill in the artwork.
I have also stumbled upon this great resource offered by Peach Berzerk...a how-to DVD for silkscreening. She has an interview on fred flare
http://www.fredflare.com/diary/peach.php
Posted by erinina on 2006-06-26 17:31:49
Post Subject:
does anyone know if these are available for purchase in japan? i am having a hard time finding the information, and feel like i've run out of resources in the usa (i have called every art supply store in the whole country, i swear). but i am going to japan in august and think it would be the perfect souvenir.
Posted by creativecat on 2006-04-08 08:24:39
Post Subject:
I've found smaller pieces of velvet paper at art supply stores. It comes in more colors than just black. I've even seen velvet printer paper. I've never painted on velvet, but I love using pastels on velvet.
Posted by melissabee on 2006-06-30 17:57:20
Post Subject:
does anyone know if these are available for purchase in japan? i am having a hard time finding the information, and feel like i've run out of resources in the usa (i have called every art supply store in the whole country, i swear). but i am going to japan in august and think it would be the perfect souvenir.
i think they might be - my husband just bought me one off ebay for my birthday and it was brand new from japan ($50 shipping!).
Posted by Sewlittletime on 2005-04-12 09:34:45
Post Subject:
I hear ya Selah! It's so hard to get away for some quality mom and dad time! We've been rather lacking in this dept. too. Some things we've done in the past:
~Picnicked by Lake Ontario after a stroll on the pier (We're in Roch., NY)
~dinner and a movie (yeah..this gets old!)
~art supply shopping-DH gets his drawing materials, I get whatever my little heart fancies. It's great to go w/o the kids so we don't have to watch what they're doing, nor have them begging us for what they want! Bookstore too.
~local zoo and museum events, or the planetarium. Cheap (esp. if you have a membership), fun, interesting.
I'm out of ideas!! Not all of those are cheap, obviously, but maybe it'll give you some ideas! LOL!
Oh! I just thought of something else...DH and I have volunteered to usher for several Orchestra concerts and broadway plays. His mom does this on a regular basis, and we've filled in for sick ushers. We got to see Les Miserables for free this way several years ago. Also, his mom get a free pair of tickets to the philharmonic evey year for being a regular usher, so she gives the tickets to us so we can have a date nite.
Posted by slaster138 on 2004-08-30 18:25:14
Post Subject: painting furniture
i just bought a plain old unfinished wood shelf from ikea. my idea was to just go to an art supply store and get some paint and some stensils and have at it but my girlfriend suggested that i check out the 'reject paint bin' at home depot (where people have brought back their custom mixed paint for whatever reason) and i picked up a really pretty can of pale yellow paint for like $5. i also got some metalic aluminum-y collored paint and coated the entire shelf in yellow and did random silver highlights all over (with some cool looking swirls etc on three of the five shelves and on the front of the drawer that came with it then i hit the entire thing with sandpaper to make it look distressed. it turned out beautifully.
Posted by lumberjack lolita on 2004-08-05 01:36:47
Post Subject:
i don't know if this is really all that strange or unusual, but i have an 8 lb. solid aluminum rolling pin for pressing block prints. the thing that makes it kind of unusual is that my husband made it (he's a machinist). they actually sell them at art supply stores like daniel smith but this one was made for me with love...
Posted by amelia on 2004-09-08 23:53:07
Post Subject:
You can usually find sea sponges at natural food stores or even art supply stores. You want to boil them first, naturally, and you'll probably have to cut them.
Posted by boheme-anne on 2006-01-03 20:57:50
Post Subject:
My husband got me Bizarre Bazaar,
.
I was looking at that at Barnes and Noble...is it good?
No matter, I went totally ape while I was there and spent $98 on books so I didn't need to get one more right away. Opps. Oh well, that was my present to myself for all my overtime at work. Geez.
Anyway, I got a lot of really nice stuff. In fact I was shocked! I got 2 art/craft storage pieces of furniture for my office/artist room. A rolling kitchen island, (oh thank god, I have space again!), a Krigami calender, a Lefthander's organizer, an art supply case with oil, acrilic, and watercolor paints, colored pencils, markers, and brushes in it, a Beatles figurine, a book, a cd, a business suit, 2 buddhas, a photo album made up with pictures of my sisters and my father in it, a bunch of framed pictures with my sisters in them, and a gift certificate to my local craft store. I am happy! I never thought I would get so much!
Posted by mrs_stroozi on 2005-12-01 14:22:53
Post Subject:
My kids always get a pocky-stick package and a box of those little Japanese chewy candies with the edible rice-paper wrappers. AND one of those M&M figures filled with M&Ms. My 8YO daughter will be getting her very own box of .07 lead for her mechanical pencil so she'll stop snitching mine(!) and both the little one and the big 16YO boy-o will get some cool pens from our local art supply store. He will also get chapstick. Lots and lots of chapstick. I have no idea how he goes through it so fast.
I will also be hitting Cost Plus soon. My favorite shopping trip of the holiday!!
Posted by Katrin on 2006-03-10 01:18:30
Post Subject:
I preheat the cardboard too.
You can get shrinkydink plastic at any art-supply store. In addition to the frosted kind, it comes in clear (doesn't turn cloudy when shrunk; both sides are smooth), white and black. Black! Awesome! Some of my shrinkydink discoveries:
A white-out pen works well for drawing on black shrinkydink. When it shrinks it will leave little spatters around the lines, but you might like that look. It also gives off extremely noxious fumes when heated - use very good ventilation, and don't try this too often.
Superglue will turn clear shrinkydink plastic cloudy.
Permanent markers (art markers, Sharpies) are the best medium for coloring shrinkydinks. Trying to make a mark on them with colored pencils is not worth it. Draw the lines on one side (front), then color on the other side (back).
