Assembly Line

Over the last two weeks, I've timed myself on how long it takes to do one part of making a card, but 6 times. I've added up all the minutes, and it ended up taking about 2 hours to create these 6 cards, for the most part identical:


Inspired by the card I made for my mom for her birthday, I thought these would be good things to sell on etsy.com and at craft fairs. I think they turned out so fun. I plan to make a series of these and then sell them individually or in bunches.

Please participate in my poll to the right about how much you'd pay for one of these cards.

Meanwhile, in an assembly line of a different sort, for the 6 Degrees of HLM International card swap, I've started working on the ten cards I plan to swap. Below is a teaser of the papers I'm using. Hmm... what will they become? I can't wait to share! Postmark deadline is coming up in just over 4 weeks, so hopefully you're off to a good start too.

Old Into New

The time is now to start teaching. So Wednesday I developed 4 classes that I could teach.

• Sewing cute aprons
• Cardmaking with collage
• Fabric-lined boxes
• Paper piecing: Not just for quilters

Through the City of Fort Collins, I can hopefully teach some or all of these this summer. I'm very excited by the idea! Meanwhile, I thought I'd best practice making the stuff I want to teach. It's been over a year since I covered an old box up to make it pretty, and I had one on my shelf that was super ugly, holding aprons. So I made this out of it!



I've been spending some of my art time actually moving in more to my studio (y'know, upacking boxes from our move in October, moving storage off the floor and paper away from the windows, etc). Here's how one of my shelves is looking so far. Oooh, I spot antoher box that could stand being covered!

Not this time

Just a short update: I didn't get accepted into the art show. Apparently, this is the biggest turnout they've had in their 5 years of the show. They had 150 works to jury, and in the end they chose 40 to be featured (less than a third). I'm not surprised that I didn't get in, since when I went to turn my piece in, I got to see some of the stuff I was up against. And it seems that the program is focused a little more on arty science than it is sciency art. I am really glad that I put myself out there, and proud of the piece I submitted. It felt like it represented me and my style really well. So, onto the next challenge!

Envelopes?

Today I had a new thought. I've always been one to cut up old calendars and turn them into envelopes. I have all these calendars saved up in my studio. Could I sell envelopes? So in an hour, I turned two wartime airplane calendars into envelopes. They're all huge, but I think someone out there could appreciate them.


What do you think? A dollar each? A set of 8 for $6? What would you pay for a set of envelopes of all different sizes but you could pick the theme? How many would you put in a set? Would you expect them to be lined, so the gridlines of the actual calendar wouldn't show?

Also today, I finished the piece I'll submit to the Art & Science Exhibition. The piece is entitled Anatomy of a Collage, using a scientific diagram to make it "science-y." The collage itself is called Fortune. Click on the photo for a closer-up look! I'll know by next Sunday whether I make it into the show. You'll be the first to hear. (And if I do get in, I'll share my "artist's statement" with you. Fancy!)


What I loved most about this was that I worked on it over a long period of time. A month full of Wednesdays? I like how the time allowed my brain to process it, and I came up with new ideas throughout. Also, I matted the collage myself, which was a great learning experience, and helped me to see how I can inexpensively frame my work! It produced a cleaner-looking collage, helpful for making it look less elementary, more sophisticated.

Please leave a comment with your take on the envelope questions!

Time For Cards

Here's the latest (unfinished) drawing from my art class, an exercise in contrasts. Absolutely no grays or shading.


I obviously have a ways to go (lots of black to color in), but at this stage I can tell you I think I've learned the lesson! The right side of the face was the most challenging, since the photograph is steeped in black. It was neat to see the face come together one shadow at a time.

In honor of this year's 6 Degrees of HLM International Card Swap, to which you are invited to participate, below is a photo of the card I made my mom for her birthday. I'm very excited about the design of this card, encompassing fabric, paper, pen & ink, and doodads!

Please email me at artbyhlm at gmail dot com by February 18 if you haven't received a personal invitation to my card swap already and you are interested in participating. This is the third year in a row and it is very fun!