Screenshotting

Screen shot 2010-12-07 at 6.37.16 PM
Originally uploaded by nicciwashere

certain other things have taken a bit of my attention this holiday season. Namely a tropical island and some stylish goblins with attitude. Cataclysm is pretty fun times. the gobbie lands are ridiculous, but it's the most fun i've had on the game since i first started playing.

the new computer's graphics capability doesn't hurt. some of the zones are incredibly vibrant, which is important to us artistic types. i could hang out on the beach all day.

sadly, some of the goblins can't spell. =(

hello, hello

i do believe my love affair with Tumblr has cooled off. at first, i thought the clean format was sort of lovely, the templates fairly easy to use. but let's face it, the comment feature leaves something to be desired. that or i simply couldn't figure it out. one of these days, i'll have a proper integrated blog and website design, and i won't have to fiddle so much.

what is the internet, if not a hotbed of broken links, fads in websites, software, and apps. twitter still scares me a little, but that could just be the cute little cartoon logo.

i've abandoned the shift key again, as i've been using it quite a bit on a novel manuscript i'm working on. another one, ohnoes! why, you ask?

graduate school. i've gone and enrolled in a Masters of English program. the program is flexible, and allows for a variety of focus for various students. you essentially build your own curriculum based on your interest, and are given several options for a capstone project (rather than simply 1 option: giant thesis). i'm going the creative route, novel, project. something!

my first semester is drawing to a close (whew, lots of work!) and the winter break is just about upon me. my final portfolios go in this week, so maybe i'll have some for some ATCs while i'm hiding from all the snow outside.

i find myself thinking about a new look. perhaps i'll re-design my website. oh, internets. how you tempt me to things...

new digs.

http://redshoedgirl.tumblr.com/

heart carved potato - crashdown print

heart carved potato - crashdown print
Originally uploaded by nicciwashere

When the time comes to start printing these days, the first thing I reach for is a potato. That may seem a little odd until you've actually used one to stamp. Nothing cuts more easily. The problem, however, is that they dehydrate quickly, so your stamp is constantly changing as you use it. Add to that the potato is soft and pretty fragile, and you're looking at a pretty tiny print run. I made it to about 27 before the heart started to deform too much to use for my purposes. (18 prints and about 9 envelopes.)

If you decide to use potatoes to stamp, be sure to rinse and wipe them before you use them, so the surface is dry and free of extra starch. I used straight acrylic paint to stamp with. It works pretty well with vellum.

altered photo atcs

altered photo atcs
Originally uploaded by nicciwashere

took a stack of unused photos from London and made cut them down to atc size, then altered them with some sanding and scraping and painting and such. turns out stuff sands and etches a lot better when it's been misted with water.

of course, sanded digital prints smell like nasty burnt ink.

it's definitely an interesting look. i'll have to consider this technique for my next travel journal. sharpie outlined in gel pen works nicely for lettering, but it all starts to look the same after a while.

maybe some stencil letters next time. more messy, less scrapbooky.

detail of FLY in Pat's altered book

detail of FLY in Pat's altered book
Originally uploaded by nicciwashere

pencil & paint on collaged in paper bits & linen.
stamped and stenciled and brushed.

xox
<3
nicci

sternotomy stencil

sternotomy stencil
Originally uploaded by nicciwashere

work in progress for a show in May @ the Carnegia over in Covington, KY.

Prints In Translation II
An exhibition of new work by The Print Club, Northern Kentucky University Alumni, Students, Faculty & Friends.

Opening Reception: May 14th, 6pm - 9pm
The exhibition runs through June 25th, 2010.

nature lovers atcs - tattoos

nature lovers atcs - tattoos
Originally uploaded by nicciwashere

nature lovers ATCs.
nature themed tattoos!

reycled paper, acrylic, gesso, tissue, and pencil.

swapped via Art42:
www.artfortytwo.org/

altered book - the future

altered book - the future
Originally uploaded by nicciwashere

a detail of one of the spreads in my altered book.

mixed media collage with a lot of acrylic glazing and some fountain pen additions! every piece of paper glued down here was sent to me by someone else via art42.

swapped via Art42:
www.artfortytwo.org/

sideshow!

freaks - gargantuan and softly rolling, always hungry, beautiful & tattooed double wide wendy
Originally uploaded by nicciwashere

Step Right UP!
Sideshow Punks, Freaks & Geeks
An Open-Media ATC Swap

there are still spots open in this exchange, hosted by amyfaerie, over at AFA.com. ( http://www.atcsforall.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13931 )

i did a set of 3 cards, but might do a few more, should inspiration strike. i think it's a really rockin' fun theme, and that it could make a cool series of larger paintings.

Spotted Handmade Paper

Swapped on Art42: (http://www.artfortytwo.org/projects/89) - Handmade Paper Swap

In order to make the handmade paper above, you need cardstock (white), watercolor, thinned down glue or mod podge, acrylic paint, gesso, and found papers with text.

1) First, apply rolled up tape to the back of your cardstock (or bristol board), and affix to a surface. In this case, I used folded up boxes. Apply watercolor to your paper in a streaky wash. It will still warp a little as it dries, but taping it down on the back helps minimize this.

2) Cut up your tissue paper into circles which are slightly larger than circles of cut up paper with text on it. You can use dictionary pages or pages from a novel for your text. Just freehand cut your circles. They don't have to be perfect. I folded papers over several times and cut out multiple circles at once. Apply with mod podge or thinned down white glue. brush some over the top. Apply one circle or tissue over. Apply mod podge over that as well. (Tip: if you brush too many times over the wet tissue, it will tear. If it does, simply apply another circle of tissue and be more careful with that one!)

3) Step 3 is optional. If you would like to tone down the color of your tissue a little, apply a layer of white tissue over the color after refreshing the mod podge on the color (you can wait until it dries, or apply when still wet, so long as you're sure you add more glue between the two pieces. Then, apply glue over the white so it seals down well. You can also trap threads or ephemera between the layers of tissue for added interest. (Have scrap threads from sewing projects? Those are perfect!)

As you can see from the photo, a wet brush is perfect for picking up tissue paper circles. It makes the process easy and fast!

4) Once you've finished your dots, with or without the optional white layer or ephemera, allow them to dry. This should only take a few minutes.

5) Mix acrylic paint into a nice creamy consistency. Use a color similar to your tissue color, but slightly lighter or darker. Apply with a brush in loose circles around the tissue. Have fun with this! It doesn't have to be exact. In fact, it looks better if it's not!

6) Mix a little gesso with water, unless it's already a creamy consistency. Repeat the process of applying circles. I like to swoop them on fast so they have a little exrta energy to them. Again, you don't have to worry about perfection here. It's just for fun, and looks better streaky.

Allow this to dry, then cut up and use in other projects, or use them for ATC bases!

I received a paper similar to this from a paper swap a few years ago (from Kirsten W. - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kirstenwilliamson/), and made a small handmade book with it. This stuff makes a pretty nifty cover. Below you can see what her paper looked like, and what I did with it!:

heart365

http://heart365.blogspot.com