It's all about the texture!

I'm always very vocal in my playshops, never expecting anyone to actually listen to me.  This past weekend's playshop was the exception to my expectations!

When I demoed the use of texture plates (and the students subsequently made their own), I made it clear that they were to use my texture plates (15 of them) to the max, and ensure they were beautifully painted at the end of the weekend.  Look at their response to my instructions:

Gears

Numbers

Trellis

Dotty

Dots and Grids

Grids

Crackle

Grids 2

Catalyst

Hoops

Roadmap

Lace

Cobblestone

Aren't they gorgeous?  Don't you think those colour schemes look planned?  While some of them need more layers, many are frame-ready right now.  Tell me your favourite in the comments below and we'll see if one or more of them meets your criteria for framing!

One of the most frequent queries this past Sunday was 'What do I do with my texture plate?  Parts of it aren't printing.'  Helpful Hint for texture plates:  When your plate is completely dry (about 24 hours), hold it at eye level to view any 'sticky-uppies'.  Lightly sand these to make the plate as level as possible, yet still retaining the gorgeous texture.

Oh, wait - I've not done a tutorial on these yet...stay tuned next week for that, so you have some idea of what I mean!

 

Did they land Gelli Side Up?

Yes, of course!  The Gelli It Up! playshop at the College of the Rockies, Creston, this past weekend was beyond fun.  With three different kinds of paint, nine enthusiastic participants (two of them working with fabric rather than paper) and WAY too many techniques, it was bedlam!

From striking abstracts

Doesn't  Linda's print make you think of searchlights over a city?!

to luscious realism,

Verona's tulip heaven.

the prints were one-after-the-other stunning.  Jackie's first print of the weekend was stellar...just look at these gorgeous colours!

Yummy texture, too.

They made and printed with fun foam plates, 

Fun foam by Linda

texture plates

I recognize Eileen's hand-cut stamp in the middle, but there was so much sharing going on, I'm not sure this is her print!

and blue jean templates.

Nor am I sure who created this.

They printed on magazine photos

Judy's lace print over an abstracted teapot photo from a magazine.

and even on funny money.

The new fashion in colourful Canadian bills?

They layered 

Love how the violet paper Jennifer used underneath peeks through for additional colour.

and textured

Those repeated circles really do it for me.

and had the occasional happy accident!

Eileen was so keen that she went home at the end of the Saturday's class with one of her prints and over-stitched it to incredibly beautiful result...isn't this a corker?

Busy as bees, they watched,

Photo thanks to Eileen

and then worked

Jennifer (back to us), Shelly and Verona

and worked

A contemplative Christine

and worked.

Linda adds colour

It's a wonder they hadn't collapsed by Sunday afternoon, yet they still looked ready for more!

Back row:  Verona, Eileen, Judy, Linda, Shelly, Jackie
Front Row:  Jennifer, Christine, Anne

Today's Helpful Hint: When 'choosing' participants for a playshop, make sure they're as playful as these!   It was so much fun to be with this Gelli-crazed group that I hope we can do an encore next year.  Thank you all for joining me at the college Summer Series!

It's Gelli, baby...

...all the way, and I'm packing my bags for it.

It's rather like mounting a campaign in a foreign country to pack for a workshop.  This one will require three different types of paint - fluid, heavy-bodied and open,

a bag of goodies for each participant (including their Gelli plate), drywall compound, foil candy wrappers and wax crayons,

masking tape, a binder full of stencils, sticky tac and a toilet roll holder (?),

extra mat boards for participants in case they really go crazy,

templates of all kinds (foam, blue jeans and texture plates),

cleaning rags, string, reams of paper, and more jean fabric so they can make their own templates,

 stamps, cotton swabs, masks, wax paper  and stretch wrap plastic,

and enough lace to start our own hoity-toity emporium.

Do you think the participants are going to have fun?  Hardly at all!  Bring it on...'cause Saturday is the start of something new in town.

Are you teaching? I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments section below.  And here's my Helpful Hint for the day...always pack much more than you think you'll need, because the one thing you're sure that nobody could possibly want to use will be the one thing that's an absolute necessity!

It's raining...

in the Creston Valley, and has been for a couple of days.  What a good thing I have the studio to play in!

I've been in finishing mode this past while, completing two paintings, one serious

'Things We Don't Discuss'  mixed media on mat board  9" x 6"
© Win Dinn

 and one less so.

'Gellistones'  16" x 6" mixed media
 (Gelli prints & house wrap ovals)
on canvas © Win Dinn 

I've also completed some more gratitude journal pages.  

 

As I look at this line-up it amuses me that so many are in the red/orange/yellow section of the colour wheel, and that I forgot to photograph the Y page before punching the binder holes!

I'm  nearly done this journal, with only four letters to go, the cover and table of contents.  I wonder what ridiculously large project will be my next?  I have a habit of biting off more than I can comfortably fit in my mouth, so it's sure to be a good one.

I'd be remiss if I didn't remind you that we have a couple of spots left in the Gelli It Up! playshop this weekend at the College of the Rockies here in Creston.  This is going to be a blast, so I encourage you to stop in and register TODAY!   Whether you work in fabric or paper, whether you're a painter or a card maker, whether you have experience with paint, or none at all, this print-making method is addictive!

There's always something colourful...

happening in the studio, and this week I've been playing with alcohol inks again.

To see how to use these inks on wallpaper for gorgeous texture and colour, you can check out the video here:

The possibilities are endless, depending on the wallpaper design

and your use of a wide range of colour combinations.

 I hear via the grapevine (aka Alice Saltiel-Marshall) that metallic alcohol inks are now available,

 and that has my mouth watering.  Can you imagine?

 I've GOT to get some!

Looking for a Helpful Hint?  Make sure you have all the supplies handy before starting - the alcohol inks dry quickly.  And here's a second one...wear gloves, or your fingernails will be as colourful (and not in a good way) as are mine.  

If you're reading this post how fast can you email me using 'Alcohol' in the subject line?  If you're the first responder, I'll send you one of the above demo sheets just to whet your appetite for alcohol!