Craft Works - Let's Get Creative!
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Took one out of retirement to make improvements. Improvements were made, the evolution continues, more to follow, this pic is awful
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some extra wear time did this peace some good. It is now officially retired and I love it :-*. It has been with me through so much of my life. There are elements that are more than seven years old. These are just pics from the studio cause Im super excited to have witnessed completion. I'll get better ones. For now, Please enjoy.
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Here's what it looked like before the latest evolution. This is Arches cover paper which is 250gsm, or similar to 14oz. IH denim. This peace of paper had been "worn" for so long that it was wearing thin in multiple areas, and I was really worried that I would risk destruction if I wore them anymore. That's why I had left it as it was in the picture, but I was never really content. It's like it was just hanging in my closet, begging to be worn one more time. Fortunately, I found some time recently, as well as some bravery, and I committed to havin a go. I'm pretty thrilled that the paper held up, and after several more layers, it's now even stronger than before (i have additive and subtractive techniques, so I was able to add some wax-oil pastel and reinforce the paper before I applied the finishing layer. I love how the denim metaphor applies to my artwork
And here's how the paper looks when new ;D:
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Still dont know what you are doing, but I think its called art
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An unfortunate series of events collaborated to see me slam my thumb in a car door, much like Chevy chase in caddyshack. It's been a week of no functionability, but I got some back today and couldn't stop myself from getting some work done. Apologies for the gratuitous work in progress.
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Here's a quick fit pic in the sun just for fun. It's not a great pic, but oh well. I'm varnishing this one today to seal it and provide long term ultra-violet protection, so it's a long day spent outside spraying numerous thin layers and air drying it in the shade.
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Here's a close up for some texture…
And I should finish this one late next week, just waiting on some more pencils to arrive so I can finish the last layer
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Hope y'all don't mind a few updates on some WIP. Here's what my workplace looks like today. Not even in the same league as seawolf's superb setup, but I have no house and live a hermit's life, so I make it work. It's like plein-air painting, just make art wherever you are. The place changes everyday, but all I need is a flat surface and some pencils and I'm good for hours….
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I ended up being ONE PENCIL short!
>:(. Will have to wait a few more days to finish the last inch 
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Found an extra black pencil! Now it's done and being varnished today. It's in the shade cause the Santa Fe sun is intense. I'm pretty thrilled with the result. I've been "wearing" this peace of paper off and on for 8 years!! This is Lanaquarelle 640gsm cold-pressed watercolor paper 15"x22"
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And done with varnishing. Now for a few days to cure and finished.
Here's a few shots of the evolution.
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Last one
The original peace of paper started out as 22" x 30" in 2008. I tore it in half and started on this one. Eight years later, here it is:
Last year I picked up the other half and started working. This was actually one of my first posts to the forum last October. It's a smorgasbord of colored pencil and oil pastel techniques, and an endless amount of hours drawing lines and writing words. So two halves of the same sheet of paper, one took 8 years, one took 3 months…eight years later ;D. Zen garden of life on paper:
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Re-United
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^^^^^Tell her it's beautiful, @Cole. Keep up the creativity
Here's a small update on this one. Working from the inside-out, and it's starting to come together now that the base layers have been completed. I'm gonna lose my right thumbnail, so it's slow going for the artwork because the process is so intense and hard on my hands
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Here's the completion of the previous layer, you can see how the eventual composition is created by just moving outward from the center, peace by peace
And the next layer after that, in blue
And the one after that, in green
And then yellow
And here is the final step in the archiving of this one I'm calling "Going In Circles."
Some iPhone snaps
Thanks for looking
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ZeeBee Leather HQ got a much needed update this week. It's much easier to work through a long list of orders when tools are organized, and all within arm's reach.
I built this all myself with a drill and a handsaw (because that's all I have, and I'm crazy). The drill REALLY got a workout when I made the pegboard!
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Thanks as always @seawolf!! But you are blazing the trail as far as I'm concerned. Your studio is so inspirational!! It's just so well thought out and efficient, and in San Diego!!
Yea, I'm the only one essentially manually etching super heavy watercolor paper by hand with only drawn lines and my own handwriting. But, there is a level of pain and suffering associated with it, so I will probably remain the only one unless somebody comes up with the process on their own and is inspired to evolve it. It's like rock climbing in a way, and I see their rating system as relevant to my work, in terms of rating the difficulty associated with a particular route up the rock, or in this case the difficulty required to execute the process on paper. For instance the hardest rock climbing routes are rated 5.15. I don't think another person would be willing to do what I'm doing, both because of the physical toll and the time it takes. The lines you see are not just simply drawn with one pass of a pencil, like you would when drawing or drafting. Instead, I'm using a massive amount of force pushing down with the colored pencil on the paper and making 10-20 passes at high speed for each line to essentially "tattoo" the paper with the color. That's how I can shred 400lb. Arches watercolor paper that has been thoroughly sized with gelatin. It hurts after a while. I've developed significant calluses to protect my hands, but it takes a toll. I feel compelled to continue with this process, because I made it up way back in 2005 when I wanted to stop wasting so much notebook paper and started writing everything on the same sheet. It has evolved in an incredible way since then, but that's how it started. I could've gone many other routes in art, porcelain, graphic design, wood work, etc., but just like rock climbing, this process was the most challenging and spiritually rewarding, so here I am eleven years later still doing it even though it hurts.
I put down a few more layers. The texture is becoming pretty nice
