by David Heyman
Everybody who is involved in the creative process of producing art is interested in refining their skills and learning new techniques. While many art instruction books and videos are available, covering all the artistic mediums, there is no substitute for direct observation and study of the great masters of your particular genre. A wonderful, and often underutilized resource Continue reading
http://www.elizabethvanduine.com/
At first glance, Elizabeth Vanduine’s art may look like an intricate painting, but upon closer inspection, you’ll discover layers of colorful, textured papers meticulously matched to the negative space created behind her black silhouette-style original drawings. She calls it “organized chaos.”
Starting with plain paper and a pencil, the basic design is carefully sketched and then made permanent with a thick black marker. Then all of the white space is carefully cut out, leaving a delicate black drawing, much like Japanese Kirie, or “cut picture.” Layers of papers are matched to the open spaces and applied quite precisely to the back of the drawing using archival book binding paste.
Elizabeth considers herself very organic in nature, and enjoys the meditative process of her cut paper creations. The first stage, the design and drawing is the most creative and integral to the finished piece. If the drawing is not clear, the cutting becomes quite confusing. Stage two involves the technical aspects of cutting out all the negative spaces to create the paper cut which resembles a stencil. In stage three, the image comes alive as Elizabeth pastes papers onto the back of the paper cut. This three-stage process allows her to layer a bit of herself into each piece.
“It’s fascinating to me that this whole process was not learned or seen anywhere else, yet has existed in Japan for years. It was ‘born’ from a single creative experience that just came to me.” This unique art form literally found Elizabeth quite by accident, when she was working on some sketches at her mother’s house, and found a table full of scrap papers, some glue, and an exacto knife that was meant for another purpose.
Obviously inspired by nature, the designs often include elements like the sun, moon, stars, swirls, trees, and flowers. There are dozens of projects waiting to be done, although Elizabeth admits that each project “pulls” her in to begin the process. Choosing from her sketches or from ideas generated from commissioned pieces, this art work is truly inspiring and full of the passion that the creator brings into form from chaos.
Original framed pieces, prints, and cards can be found at the Verksted Gallery in Poulsbo, Washington. Commissioned work is welcome.
To download, click on the image below. When the high resolution copy appears right click on it to copy or save it.
If you use our images, we would love to hear from you and see a sample of what you did with it. Who knows, we might just post your creation in a future blog…with your permission, of course! Contact us at admin@oakcreekprintworks.com.
Terms of Use: You can use this image for anything you wish (e.g. advertising, printed materials, product packaging, presentations, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, book covers, etc.) as long as you do not copyright it or resell it. Oak Creek Printworks and Oak Creek Marketplace, Inc. are not liable for any damages incurred by your use of the image. ©2010 Oak Creek Printworks
Preparing handmade greeting cards or note cards can be tricky, especially if you want them to fit in standard sized envelopes. Here is a chart that will help you as you prepare your card stock and artwork. Protective sleeves are also a nice packaging touch, and can be purchased to fit only one card and envelope, or up to 8 cards and envelopes. Note that the A6-8 sleeve only holds about four A6 greeting cards and envelopes.
Use the charts below indicated standard U.S. sizes to assist in sizing when creating your own greeting cards.
The sample below shows how to position your artwork on 8 1/2″ x 11″ cardstock. If you are using electronic files, and you want the image to print right to the edge of the card (called a “bleed”), the image needs to be larger than the size of the card. The red lines below indicate the bleed position on an A7 vertical card. The bleed must hang over on three sides by a minimum of .125″. Then, after you print your card you can trim it to the right size.
To download, click on the image below. When the high resolution copy appears right click on it to copy or save it.
If you use our images, we would love to hear from you and see a sample of what you did with it. Who knows, we might just post your creation in a future blog…with your permission, of course! Contact us at admin@oakcreekprintworks.com.
Terms of Use: You can use this image for anything you wish (e.g. advertising, printed materials, product packaging, presentations, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, book covers, etc.) as long as you do not copyright it or resell it. Oak Creek Printworks and Oak Creek Marketplace, Inc. are not liable for any damages incurred by your use of the image. ©2010 Oak Creek Printworks
To download, click on the image below. When the high resolution copy appears right click on it to copy or save it.
If you use our images, we would love to hear from you and see a sample of what you did with it. Who knows, we might just post your creation in a future blog…with your permission, of course! Contact us at admin@oakcreekprintworks.com.
Terms of Use: You can use this image for anything you wish (e.g. advertising, printed materials, product packaging, presentations, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, book covers, etc.) as long as you do not copyright it or resell it. Oak Creek Printworks and Oak Creek Marketplace, Inc. are not liable for any damages incurred by your use of the image. ©2010 Oak Creek Printworks
To download, click on the image below. When the high resolution copy appears right click on it to copy or save it.
If you use our images, we would love to hear from you and see a sample of what you did with it. Who knows, we might just post your creation in a future blog…with your permission, of course! Contact us at admin@oakcreekprintworks.com.
Terms of Use: You can use this image for anything you wish (e.g. advertising, printed materials, product packaging, presentations, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, book covers, etc.) as long as you do not copyright it or resell it. Oak Creek Printworks and Oak Creek Marketplace, Inc. are not liable for any damages incurred by your use of the image. ©2010 Oak Creek Printworks
Every once in awhile we run across offers that we like to pass along to you. Here are two:
Free Organizing Desktop Calendar Application
Efficiency is all about being organized. Whether you are trying to remember doctor appointments or need to schedule a client’s work, it’s easier to stay on top of things if you’re organized. The free Rainlendar desktop organizer widget can help you do that with multiple calendar views, to do lists, task lists, and event lists, not to mention alarms. It also supports other widgets such as weather, rss feeds, tv schedule, and more.
You can get the free version here or if you like to stay on the cutting edge, you may want to test the latest beta version. The latest beta version is a the bottom of the page.
Free ebook – ABCs of Success
Sick and tired of all the conflicting info about how to succeed? Feel like you’ve thrown too much money down the drain on things that didn’t help? Here is a free ebook to help you figure out what went wrong and how to get back on track.
Thomas Anderson shares his personal experience that millions can relate to. Grab his straight to the point ebook, A, B, C’s Of Success, to find how you can make your dreams and plans come true. Download it here, and feel free to share it with friends or on your own blog: A-B-Cs-of-Success.
To download, click on the image below. When the high resolution copy appears right click on it to copy or save it.
If you use our images, we would love to hear from you and see a sample of what you did with it. Who knows, we might just post your creation in a future blog…with your permission, of course! Contact us at admin@oakcreekprintworks.com.
Terms of Use: You can use this image for anything you wish (e.g. advertising, printed materials, product packaging, presentations, brochures, greeting cards, postcards, book covers, etc.) as long as you do not copyright it or resell it. Oak Creek Printworks and Oak Creek Marketplace, Inc. are not liable for any damages incurred by your use of the image. ©2010 Oak Creek Printworks
by Nancy Haberman
Recently I assisted a colleague who was learning the finer points of Adobe Illustrator’s pen tool. Our goal was to create images that would adorn products related to the sea. The resulting artwork of a seahorse was intricate and stunning, and a discussion followed about using it on a greeting card.
Commercial greeting card publishers have forever pushed the envelope when it comes to greeting card presentation techniques, relying heavily on high end print and print finishing processes. While holographic and lenticular printing are too pricey for the average working artist and crafter, other finishes like die cutting, embossing and engraving are now within reach of those willing to invest in new desktop equipment and take the time to learn how to use it.
The desktop publishing revolution turned artists and crafters into self-publishers. Fast forward 25 years later, and a trip to Border’s, Target or any greeting card store reveals that it takes more to excite the eye of a card buyer in 2010 than cheap two-dimensional Photoshop effects, long ago passé. Continue reading
