Blue Shirt + Blue Glue = Batik pt.2

Okay, so here is the end result.  I couldn't locate the camera when I did the painting part.  I think I didn't choose colors that contrasted enough with the original color of the shirt.  You can see my glue design but it's faint.  I think if the shirt had been lighter or white it would have turned out more pronounced.

 This is the back of the shirt.  It came out a bit better than the front.  I'm going to try this again on a white shirt next time.

Blue Shirt + Blue Glue = Batik pt.1

I ruined my favorite blue shirt by being overzealous with bleach in my laundry.  Rather than use it as a rag or a grungy painting shirt I decided to give it a glue batik, a technique I've been wanting to try.  So this is step one, applying blue gel glue.  I have done traditional hot wax batik before and the glue acts pretty much the same only it takes 24 hours to dry.  On the other hand, no burns which is definitely a plus!  So when it dries and I paint it, I'll post the next part.  I'm thinking green and purple.   

One person's treasure--is another person's treasure too!

Why you should curate an Etsy Treasury:

It's fun to do! First you need to come up with an idea of what to feature.  Sometimes that comes out of finding one thing that you really love and either wanting to see more of the same or thinking about what might go with that item.  Most people like to put together all of one color.  I just did one featuring orange paisley.  

You're paying it forward.  People will want to check out these items and then the shops from which they came.    Featuring other shop's merchandise puts out good karma, sixteen spaces worth!  When the sellers you feature do their own treasuries, they may come looking in your shop to see if you have an item that fits their theme.   Plus, there's all this interacting going on, people visiting other people's shops.  It's a good thing (to quote Martha.)

It's easy.  Once you get an idea, make use of Etsy's new relevancy search and start collecting listings that fit your theme.  All you need do is copy the listing number of an item and then paste it into the little box in one of your sixteen spots.  The picture of the item comes up automatically.

It looks really cool all put together.  Once you get it done, you can brag about it on Twitter, Facebook, your blog and anywhere else that you have an online presence. 

Paisley(s) of the Week! Crochet Pattern and ACEO

Last week I was on vacation and so I was unable to post a Paisley of the Week! for you all.  This week, to make up for it, you get a two-fer!  I have two excellent artists to highlight.

First is this fun and very cool Paisley Magic Crochet Pattern I found in Allescaro by Ch1306 's Etsy shop.  I haven't done any crochet in ages but this is very appealing both because it's a small project that can be finished quickly and it's portable.  Once  you crochet these paisleys in your fave colors you can applique them to all sorts of things like quilts or handbags.  Be sure to check out the whole Etsy shop for unique and adorable Amigurumi, dolls and patterns.

Next is this lovely ACEO titled Paisley-Blue by ArtByBeata.  ACEOs are a favorite art form of mine, they're like baseball cards only way more interesting.  They are an excellent way to start an art collection without breaking your budget.  Beata has many ACEOs and plenty of great artwork in her shop.  Be sure to take a look.

Paisley of the Week! Vintage Poker Chip Pendant

Hello again Paisley fans! After a long hiatus, I've decided to start Paisley of the Week! again. The reason is that Etsy has changed it's search engine to show relevant results instead of most recent. Bad news for people who used renewing as their main sales tool, good news for buyers who want to find what they are really looking for! Finding a whole crop of awesome paisleys got me all excited and I had to share!

This week's Paisley of the Week is this very cool, vintage poker chip pendant made by Kathy of Kathy Lambert Designs.  I just love blue and green together, it's very serene.

 

Be sure to also check out Kathy's blog and the other hand crafted goodies in her shop.  Have a great week and if you, or someone you love, has a suggestion for the Paisley of the Week, please leave me a comment!

Nobody's Lookin' for YOUR Artwork

After reading this Etsy article about more relevant search results I had an AH-HA! moment.  If someone's looking to buy art, they aren't going to be searching by title. The "Title of Item" line is deceptive in that way.  Suppose you're looking for a whimsical piece of art to hang in your office or bedroom.

Something...orange....or maybe blue...nothing specific....something abstract like...paisley. 

You're not going to search for "Twirly" what's "Twirly?"  Even if you saw this drawing of mine at a craft fair or similar, you won't remember the title.  You're going to search for "orange blue paisley art" right?

Twirly

Don't waste space listing the title of your art unless it's a very straightforward title like, "Yellow Flower in a Blue Vase."  Put your title in the description of the piece instead.  There's plenty of room there and you can elaborate about your intriguing titles.

Silk Screening



First there was this doodle I did at work.  Then
  I think I must've watched This Video on You Tube about a hundred times.



Then I had to figure out my negative space.  This was more difficult than I thought. A lot of details get lost in trying to solidify your design.

Then I cut out my stencil.  Paper stencil silk screening is not really worth it unless your design is very simple. I spent HOURS cutting this design with both scissors and an exacto knife. I only got about 5 passes with the squeegee before it started to disintegrate.  I did use packing tape to make it stronger but even so, it started buckling after a while.  Next time (and there IS going to be a next time!) I'm going to attempt either the filler fluid or the burn method.

Attempt number one done on an old pillowcase for practice.  I don't think we used enough paint, or maybe I wasn't squeegeeing hard enough.  The top and bottom of the paisleys didn't really show up.  Attempts 3 and 4 were progressivley better.

Finally, I felt like it might work on an actual T-shirt and it did!